Ignite (Unbreakable Bonds 7)

“You hog-tied him?” Rowe asked in surprise.

“I had to make sure he couldn’t cause problems while I was driving.”

“Yeah, but I watched you. It couldn’t have taken you more than a minute. That’s damn fast.”

Noah’s grin grew wide and a little wicked. “I’ve got skills with tape and rope.”

Rowe’s eyes narrowed and he tilted his head to the side. “Are you into shibari and not telling me?” he asked in a low voice, referring to the Japanese form of rope play.

“I never said I’m not into it.” The heat in Noah’s gaze shot straight to Rowe’s groin and put fire in his veins. The sudden image of Noah tying him up and slowly working him over was melting his brain cells. They’d played with tape and handcuffs a few times, but this…

The man in the back seat of the car made a muffled noise and shifted across the bench seat like he was straining against his bindings, but with little success. Rowe needed to get his head back in the game. JB was likely standing somewhere close by, and he didn’t want to think about how much he’d overheard.

“We’re gonna put a pin in this and discuss it again at a better time.”

“Or I can give a demonstration,” Noah suggested. Rowe glared at him for a second, making Noah’s shoulders shake with silent laughter. As it was, he needed to freaking adjust himself, but he didn’t want to do it with an audience.

“Grab his feet,” Rowe directed. “I’ll grab one arm and JB can grab the other. We can take him into the woods.” The man moaned and stared at them over his shoulder with wide, wild eyes. Rowe gave an evil chuckle. “We’re gonna ask you a few questions.”

Noah picked up the man’s feet and pulled him part of the way out of the car. He started to struggle, but Rowe grabbed his arm and lifted him off the seat. He might have “accidentally” slammed the guy’s head into the car door as they pulled him out before JB could move around them to grab his other arm. The asshole settled, moaning again, but this time it was likely from pain. Rowe couldn’t feel too bad about it. The man was well over six foot and weighed a fucking ton. Well, not really, but it was enough that he was tempted to just drag him through the woods on his face.

They were lucky in that the area was flat, allowing them to comfortably walk deeper into the woods. Rowe glanced over his shoulder to see the cars almost immediately disappear. The trees closed in and it was like a dome fell over the world, blocking out sounds of human life. There was only the crunch of their feet on broken branches and dead leaves. Wildlife backed off and watched with curious eyes.

Rowe always enjoyed his trips into the woods for hiking and camping. It let him clear his head and push away the worries of work. He could concentrate on one thing and figure out a solution. Or he could think about nothing at all. Just soak in nature around him and let everything fall away.

But this was darker. He didn’t know what was going to happen to this man, but he was willing to cross any line he had to. Noah’s life had been threatened at least twice by these assholes. Not again. Never again. Rowe didn’t want to contemplate a life without Noah. The very idea stole his breath away and erased all rational thought. He’d already lost Mel and it nearly killed him. He couldn’t go through that with Noah. The world needed Noah. He needed Noah.

After walking nearly a quarter of a mile into the woods, Rowe called a halt and directed them to place their captive down on a fallen log. JB quickly unsheathed a long, wicked looking blade and cut the tape binding the man’s feet to his hands so he could sit on the log.

Rowe grabbed his phone and nearly sighed with relief when he saw that he still had two bars. Not great, but it was plenty to put in a call to the office and the triplets—the IT team of Gidget, Quinn, and Cole.

“Remove the tape on his mouth and hold his head up,” Rowe said.

Noah held the man’s short dark-brown hair in one fist while JB grabbed one corner of the tape. Leaning down in front of the man, Rowe could see JB grinning at him.

“Do you want it fast like a Band-Aid or slow like a bitch?” JB asked.

The man’s response was garbled behind the tape, but Rowe was pretty sure it consisted of “Fuck you.”

JB looked up at Noah, who grinned at him. “I think he said like a bitch,” Noah supplied.

“Oh, he’s not a sad, punk-ass bitch,” JB mocked. A horrible ripping sound filled the woods, followed by the man’s pained shout as JB pulled the tape off from his mouth lightning fast.