Freed by Tara Crescent Page A

myself to kill Dylan McAllister, but there were many other ways to ruin a man. Money was a very effective weapon. I’d made sure Dylan didn’t have any available funds. I’d also systematically removed anyone who had ever helped Dylan. Stanislav Durov had provided Dylan shelter in Tbilisi, and so Durov was dead. Sylvia had arranged the last two women to be kidnapped for Dylan. She wouldn’t live past the end of the week.
    “I’m going to reply to Schneider,” I said, making up my mind. “He wants a million. I’ll make him a counter-offer. See where it goes.”
    “Suddenly protective of your money?” Jean-Luc asked dryly.
    “It’s the expected thing to bargain,” I replied. “I can’t appear too eager. Daniel doesn’t know who I am or why I want the information.”
    “Why do you want the information, Alexander?” Jean-Luc probed. “After all, you’ve found most of Dylan’s former slaves. Where you can, you’ve made amends.”
    “Where I can,” I echoed. “I’ve never been able to find Ellie Samuelson. Two of the girls whose bodies we located, we just know a name. Claire Bectell. Wendy Zhang. Those girls had families, loved ones. They deserve closure. If a million dollars will reveal more information, I have to spend it.”
    “You aren’t responsible for Dylan’s actions.” Jean-Luc’s voice was gentle.
    I shook my head. This was not a subject about which I’d permit conversation.
    “Okay.” Jean-Luc didn’t continue to make his point. This wasn’t a new topic for us. We’d argued it to death and on this, I wasn’t going to bend. “Now, Jenny, or whoever she really is.”
    “Her cover story’s definitely fake then?” Of course, I’d known that. It hadn’t stopped me from hoping otherwise.
    “It is. But Jenny Fullerton is a real person.”
    “Identity theft?”
    “No police reports have been filed, so most likely, she sold her identity to your girl.”
    “Who is she then? Are you making any inroads into finding out?”
    Jean-Luc shook his head, clearly frustrated. “Her cover story is well designed, but a story like that can’t withstand detailed scrutiny. Yet I still have no clue who your girl really is. I’m not giving up yet, of course. We are monitoring her calls and I have a twenty-four hour tail on her. I will figure this out.”
    I raised an eyebrow, impressed. Jean-Luc had been at work for a week and he had nothing to show for it. This never happened.
    “What about the sister that she calls? Who is she?”
    “There’s a real woman on the other end of the phone line,” he replied. “But she’s not a sister, there’s no resemblance, and she isn’t suffering from leukemia.” He shot me a look. “Alexander, you must be careful around this woman. She isn’t working alone.”
    No, she wasn’t. It would take a team of people to put her cover story into place and maintain it.
    I decided not to tell Jean-Luc I’d spent the night with her nestled in my arms. He’d kill me for such lamentable lack of security, but sometimes, it was necessary to operate on instinct. Every instinct of mine told me I didn’t need to be overly concerned. When the time was right, the truth would reveal itself.

Chapter 6
    Ellie / Jenny:
    The next few days were idyllic.
    For the first time in my life, I was truly enjoying sex. I was embracing my own sexuality. I was dressing with an eye to both please Alexander and torment him. We’d gone out one night to a small restaurant in the neighborhood and I’d excused myself at one point, gone to the washroom, removed my panties and come back to my seat. I’d laid them on the table in front of him with complete abandon. “If you want to skip dessert, Sir?” I’d whispered, not bothering to hide the need in my eyes.
    He’d spanked me for that in the playroom, his eyes laughing at me. I’d giggled and begged for more.
    During the day, I wandered all over Paris, shadowed by the ever-present guards. Alexander hadn’t made any attempt to