Chapter 17 - Body For A Bargain

Raven stood frozen, the stolen files pressed to her chest like a lifeline made of paper and danger. The storage room’s fluorescent lights flickered above her, casting sharp shadows across Zane Morreau’s grin.

He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, blocking her only exit. "Going somewhere?" he asked, his voice a drawl, smooth and deadly.

Raven swallowed hard. “Get out of my way.”

Zane’s gaze flicked to the files clutched in her arms. “What a naughty little thief you are, and here I thought you were just Jaxon’s favorite pet.”

“I’m not in the mood for games.”

“Oh, this isn’t a game anymore.” He pushed off the frame and stepped into the room, slow and deliberate. “You have no idea what you just walked into, do you?”

“I know about the missing girls,” she said, her voice steady despite the cold sweat trickling down her back. “I know what Eden is covering up.”

Zane gave a low whistle. “And yet here you are, still fucking the king, still letting him wrap that collar around your neck like it’s a love note instead of a leash.”

Her jaw clenched. “You’re not better than him.”

“I never said I was,” he replied, eyes glittering. “But at least I don’t pretend I’m not a monster.”

He stepped closer. She backed up instinctively, bumping into the filing cabinet behind her.

Zane’s eyes dropped to her lips. “So what’s your plan, little reporter? March into the police with those files? Burn the club down? Or are you hoping to save your friend with the power of righteous indignation?”

“I’m going to find her,” Raven said. “And if Jaxon won’t help me, I’ll expose all of it.”

Zane tilted his head. “You think the cops will believe you? That they’ll care? This city runs on men like Jaxon. He doesn't just own Club Eden, he owns judges, officers, politicians. Burn him, and you burn yourself.”

Raven’s grip tightened on the folder. “Then help me.”

Zane laughed. “Help you?” He took another step. “You must be confusing me for someone noble.”

“I’m not,” she said. “But you hate him, that much is obvious.”

His smile vanished. Something colder settled in his expression. “What I hate is how he always wins. Every time. No matter the body count.”

“Then give me something I can use.”

Zane was quiet for a long moment. Then he said, “There’s a way, but you won’t like it.”

“What is it?”

He stepped in close again, too close. His fingers reached out, brushing the top of the file folder. “You want leverage? Information? Access? That’s not free.”

She held his gaze. “What do you want?”

He smiled again. “Your body. For one night.”

The slap landed hard. His cheek reddened, but he didn’t flinch. He just licked the blood from his lip.

“Had to try,” he murmured.

“Try again,” she said coldly.

He stared at her. Then, finally, the smirk fell away. “There’s a girl,” he said. “Her name’s Sera. She worked at Eden for three weeks. Vanished, but I know where she went.”

Raven’s heart skipped. “Where?”

“There’s a secondary property Jaxon owns outside the city, an estate off Route 89. It’s not listed under his name. No security footage. No paperwork. Just a private home. Sera was taken there. I overheard him and Victor discussing it last month.”

“Why are you telling me this now?”

“Because I’m done watching him swallow people whole.”

Raven narrowed her eyes. “What’s the catch?”

Zane leaned in. “You don’t tell him it came from me. Ever.”

“Fine.”

“I’ll get you the gate code, but if you go alone, you’re dead.”

“I’ve been dead since the moment I walked into Eden.”

He paused. “You know, for what it’s worth… I actually liked you.”

“Save it.”

She slipped past him and disappeared into the hallway.

The next morning, Raven stood in Jaxon’s penthouse, staring out the massive window that overlooked the city. Her body still ached from the last scene they shared, his marks like fingerprints embedded beneath her skin.

She hadn’t told him about the files, or Zane, or the house outside the city. Not yet. But he was watching her. She felt it when he stepped into the room. Heard the soft clink of his cufflinks, smelled the hint of his cologne.

“You didn’t come to bed,” he said.

“I had things on my mind.”

“Such as?”

“Talia.”

A pause.

“Nothing yet,” he said.

“That’s not good enough.”

His voice chilled. “Careful.”

“No,” she snapped, spinning to face him. “I’ve played submissive, I’ve obeyed, I’ve knelt, but this isn’t just about sex, Jaxon. It’s real and I need to know, are you protecting her? Or are you protecting yourself?”

His jaw clenched. “You’re crossing lines.”

“Then drag me back,” she challenged.

And he did. One second she was standing there, and the next his hand was in her hair, yanking her head back, his mouth crashing into hers in a kiss that was more punishment than passion. He shoved her backward onto the bed, hands tearing at her clothes, eyes dark with fury.

“You want the truth?” he growled. “Then give me your body, your trust, everything.”

Her breath hitched. “And if I do?”

“I’ll give you my soul.”

The room spun as he pushed her knees apart and pulled her wrists above her head, binding them with his belt. “You disobeyed,” he said darkly. “You questioned me.”

“Good,” she gasped. “You need to be questioned.”

His hand came down sharply across her inner thigh, leaving a red print behind. “You want answers?” Another strike. “Earn them.”

Raven arched against the sheets, her back lifting, breath ragged.

“Beg,” he said.

She glared at him. “No.”

Another slap, this time across her breasts. She cried out.

“Try again.”

“I won’t beg.”

His fingers slid between her thighs.

“You’re already soaked.”

“Doesn’t mean I’ll beg.”

He curled two fingers inside her and pressed hard against her G-spot.

Her resolve crumbled.

“Please,” she gasped.

“Please what?”

“Please fuck me. Please give me the truth.”

He smiled. “Better.”

He pulled her to the edge of the bed, flipped her onto her stomach, and slid inside her in one powerful thrust. She screamed, face buried in the sheets, arms still bound.

Jaxon moved like a man possessed, each stroke deeper, harder, brutal in the way only love twisted through violence could be.

“You’re mine,” he growled into her neck.

“Yes,” she cried.

“You don’t keep secrets.”

“I won’t.”

“You don’t lie.”

“I don’t.”

He flipped her again, straddled her hips, and choked her with one hand while his other fingers played between her legs.

“Come for me,” he said. “Come, and I’ll give you what you want.”

She shattered beneath him, trembling, gasping, tears sliding from her eyes as he followed, groaning her name like a prayer and a curse.

Afterward, he collapsed beside her. Neither of them spoke for a long time. Then he reached for the nightstand and opened the drawer. He pulled out a folder.

“What’s that?” she asked.

“Everything I have on the man I think took Talia.”

Her heart stopped. He handed her the folder.

Inside: photos. Names. Surveillance logs and a name she didn’t expect. Milo Ferin, not Zane, not a rival gang, not even someone Raven recognized.

“Who is he?” she asked.

“A trafficker. Freelancer. He gets paid to make girls disappear. We had a deal once. I broke it. He’s been trying to take pieces of my empire ever since.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?”

“Because I didn’t want you in the crossfire.”

“Too late,” she whispered.

Jaxon brushed a hand over her hair. “If you go after him, Raven,” he said quietly, “there’s no coming back.”

“I’m not coming back,” she said. “Not until I find her.”