Her Last Goodbye (Morgan Dane #2)(13)

When he’d first laid eyes on her, he’d known she was the woman for him. His perfect mate, she would be Eve to his Adam.

For him, it had been love at first sight.

Karma, fate, destiny. The label didn’t matter. She was going to be his woman. It might take her a while to adjust to the idea, but when her conditioning was complete, she would submit to him as a woman should. And after she learned her lessons, he would cherish her forever.

Chelsea was smart. She was strong. She wasn’t going to be easy to break. But that’s exactly what he needed to do. He would take her to the root of who she was, and then he would cultivate the characteristics he chose. Like a well-tended hedge, her new personality would grow. And as it bloomed, he would shape it, trimming off her ugly traits and encouraging her desirable attributes until her character was amenable and pleasing to him.

It was simply a matter of working with nature rather than against it.

When a woman’s survival was threatened, she tapped into the base instinct that would keep her alive. All humans were programmed for survival. The key would be to find the right combination of discipline and love.

Pain and pleasure.

Stick and carrot.

Stick first, though. Always.

Consequences were the key to any training. They should be severe enough that the subject took no action without careful consideration of the teacher’s reaction. At first, she would do it to avoid punishment. She would learn to adapt her behavior to please him. As a reward, she’d be praised, fed, and kept warm. Eventually, she would associate his encouragement with comfort and his criticism with pain.

She would crave his approval like a drug.

He considered how quickly her shock, horror, and disbelief had shifted to acceptance. At first, she’d tried to shield herself from his blows, but then she’d realized it was pointless. He was in control. After she’d stopped defending herself, he’d come to his senses and stopped beating her.

Stick. Carrot.

How long would it take her to make the connection?

Would she remember all the rules he’d given her? Though the severity of the lesson was unintended, her progress pleased him.

He glanced back at the locked door. He’d left her naked, shivering, and cringing in pain. The cot and blanket sat just outside the door, waiting. At the first sign of acquiescence, the simple comforts would be returned, and step one in her transformation would be complete.

He tossed her socks onto the fire and added more dead leaves and dry sticks. The flames reached higher. The fire crackled.

She needed to be completely devoted to him. She must completely let go of the life she’d left behind. She was already beautiful and intelligent—when he was finished with her, she would be perfect.

Next, he’d push her even further.

He rubbed his hands together over the fire. He couldn’t wait to continue. But he must be patient. She’d need some time to recover. To reflect on her behavior.

To realize the fruitlessness of any efforts to defy him.

To give up and give herself fully to him.





Chapter Eight


Lance skimmed through the remaining documents in Chelsea’s file. Nothing jumped out at him. He closed the file on the card table in his office and sat back, letting the information sink into his head.

Sharp walked into the room. “I made you a shake.” He handed Lance a nasty-looking green concoction.

“I will never get used to the way these look.” Lance held up the glass and stared at the thick green liquid.

After he’d been shot in the thigh and almost died last year, his recovery had been long, painful, and frustrating. He’d gone back to the police force only to quit when his leg didn’t hold up. He’d wallowed in pity at home, seeing little progress with his rehabilitation, until Sharp had convinced him to join his PI firm—and to try his organic-crunchy lifestyle. Several months after Lance had embraced his boss’s way of life, his leg was mostly healed.

He doubted it would ever be 100 percent, but he could do most of the things he enjoyed. He’d even returned to coaching the hockey team for at-risk youths he’d volunteered with when he’d been on the police force.

Now instead of heading to the bar when he was stressed, Lance downed a green protein shake and went to bed early.

He was quite the party animal.

“Luckily, these drinks taste better than they look.” Lance no longer questioned the ingredients. He’d learned his lesson and simply drank whatever his boss handed him.

To be fair, Sharp was more than his boss. After he’d been unable to find Lance’s father, he’d taken ten-year-old Lance under his wing. Over the years, Sharp had driven him to hockey practice, given him the sex talk, and taught him to drive. He was the closest thing to a father Lance had.

Sharp took the empty glass back. “Ready to head over to Tim’s house?”

Lance stood and reached for the flannel shirt he’d draped over his chair. “Yes. Want to ride along? We should get a good look at the wife’s personal space.”

“Let’s go.” Sharp fetched a jacket from his office.

Lance went to the closet and grabbed a high-capacity USB drive, then met Sharp and Morgan in the foyer.

“I’m off to see the sheriff.” She slung her giant purse over one shoulder. She’d changed into what Lance called her lawyer uniform: a fitted navy-blue suit, white silk blouse, heels, and pearls. They all went outside together, and Sharp locked up the office.