So far, I’ve let Benefield know none of them will do. Too tame. Too broken. Too eager to please. I tell Knox about wanting to break in my own girl.
Benefield is yet to respond by offering different girls for me to sample. He still brings out those who’ve been meticulously trained and with defeated eyes. He’s holding back, playing a dangerous game. But then, so am I.
“You going to sit around all morning, or are you going to get your ass off the couch and join me for a run?” Knox snips at me.
Dutifully playing the part of bodyguard and manservant, he grows more and more restless with each and every day.
I get it. I feel it too. We’re in a pressure cooker and Benefield is slowly turning up the heat. He notices my reticence to avail myself of the pleasures to be found in the Oasis, leading to questions about my authenticity.
As much as it twists my insides, it’s time to step things up a notch. I know what needs to be done. The only problem is I can’t stomach what I must do.
There must be a way to navigate this situation and keep my morality intact at the end. To do that, a leap of faith will need to be made, and it won’t be me making that leap.
“Hang on, I gotta get these out.” I blink against the irritation in my eyes. Mitzy’s contact lenses are giving me a fit in this humidity.
“Still bugging you?”
“Just scratchy and itchy.” I head to the bathroom and carefully remove Mitzy’s incredible spy tech. We’re not finished mapping everything out, but Knox is always with me. We can do with one pair of Mitzy’s eyes.
After four days, Knox and I settle into a routine. We get up, head out for a run, lift weights in the gym, then join Benefield and the other guests for whatever activity is planned for the afternoon. After dinner, I head to the Oasis with the rest of the men, drink a whiskey, then excuse myself once the depravity begins. I tell Benefield I’m not interested in the docile slaves he offers and that my cravings turn toward darker things. If he is listening in on my private conversations with Knox, there should be no reason to question me.
“I’m putting my shoes on.” I glance around the suite, trying to remember where I left my shoes.
“Looks like you’re thinking about your woman again.”
“She’s not my woman.”
“You sure about that? Because it definitely looked like something was going on the other night.”
“That was three days ago and she hasn’t spoken to me since.”
Either Eve actively avoids me, or Benefield keeps her away. I’ve made no secret of my interest, but it may be too big of an ask for Benefield to hand over his woman to a guest. I’ve been working on that problem for the past few days, watching my host for anything I can use to my advantage. He’s a prideful bastard, and that may be my lead-in.
“The way the two of you trade stares says something else.”
“Whatever.” I rise from the couch to grab my shoes. “This should be the last pass.”
“Yup.”
Our systematic mapping of The Retreat and its grounds is nearly complete. Mitzy and the rest of Alpha team pour over the data looking for a way in. The heavy fortifications make this particular job more challenging, but it won’t be the first time we’ve accomplished the impossible.
Our goal is a coordinated breach on the last night when the auction occurs. Most of the girls will be in one place. Those in training will be in lockdown in the slave quarters.
While our mission is to rescue Eve, we’ll do our best to save as many of the girls as possible. It’s going to be tricky.
Knox and I head outside, waving to the guards as we go. One of the benefits of working out in the gym each day is Knox and I are getting familiar with the guards. We also make a point to sneak out and play cards with them at night.
The time I don’t spend in the Oasis is time spent collecting valuable intelligence. No doubt the guards report back to him, bragging about how much money they win off my mediocre poker game. I win just enough to establish I’m credible while losing what I need to create the perfect setup.
Knox and I lope into a slow jog, warming up for a faster pace where we’ll make a lap of the one section of the property we’ve yet to explore. I put in my earbuds. Knox does the same. Instead of music, our team comes online. The signal from Knox’s watch gets a boost from the highflying drone overhead and patches us in.
“Status,” CJ’s clipped voice gets right to the point.
“Heading out now.” Our daily runs are the one time we’re absolutely certain no one listens in.
“How’s the planning going?” I settle into an easy pace. My body’s eager to work out the added stress this mission brings. Knox’s words circle back around in my head.
My woman.
Eve is not mine, although I’m definitely interested. When I close my eyes at the end of the day, her face is what I see. Her delicate scent is what I smell. The way her small frame fit against mine is what I feel.
But she’s kept her distance these past few days. Not sure if that’s Benefield’s doing or hers, it drives me crazy.
I settled one thing that night in the courtyard. Eve is definitely being held against her will. Whatever charade she has going on with Benefield is just that. It’s an act that somehow saves her from the degradation the other girls suffer daily.
No surprise there. I’m not the only guest ogling the woman who stands by Benefield’s side. Although, if any of those men dare touch my Eve, I will take their arm off. But how to get Eve away from Benefield?
“Infil is going to be difficult.” CJ briefs the team on infiltration possibilities. “We’ve looked at several scenarios.”
“Tell me.” I turn my thoughts from Eve and refocus on the job.
Infiltrating this fortress is no small feat. Knox and I are well-positioned. We’ve memorized every room and hallway in both the inner buildings and the outer buildings that house the guards.
The mapping we’ve done allows Mitzy and Forest to create a virtual reality model for the team to practice on. They’ve spent a good part of the past few days doing exactly that. They’ll be just as familiar with the layout of this place as Knox and I are.
Getting our team into the compound won’t be difficult. Benefield doesn’t watch for threats coming from inside. All of his forces look outward, beyond the gate. We’re Guardians, which means we’re all ex-special ops with extensive jump training.
Our team will parachute inside the outer boundary fence and work in from there. They need to make it from there to inside, where the auction is being held. That’s where Knox and I will be.
“I don’t see any scenario where we breach the walls without triggering an alarm. Knox and I won’t have any weapons.”
“I’m working on that.” Mitzy chimes in. “I’m reconfiguring a drone to deliver you a package.”
“Really?”
“We’ll drop weapons to you. Sidearms only. You’ll have to make do with those.”
“It’s not like I can hide a semi-automatic under my suit.” Knox snickers and I grin with him.
I have to say I feel exposed behind enemy lines without a weapon on hand.
“Once we breach the outer wall, it’s going to be chaos in there.” Axel, Alpha-three is acting commander of Alpha team in my and Knox’s absence. He’ll lead Alpha into the fortress. “Do you know where the auction is held?”