“Three questions,” I reminded him as he locked the front door behind us. We descended the steps, careful not to slip on ice, and made our way to his red truck. I wondered what my neighbors would think if they peeked between their curtains and saw Rafe herding me down the street with my hands cuffed at my back. But my street was quiet with most of the driveways empty and the drapes closed. Typical for a Monday morning.

He opened the passenger side, helped me slide onto the seat, and strapped me in the confines of the safety belt. I wasn’t sure why he’d felt the need to cuff my hands at all—it wasn’t like I was going to fight him.

Not really.

He had to know that.

“Three questions,” he said, brushing a stray curl from my eyes. “Whatever you want to know, I’ll tell you the truth, I promise.”

But my pain would come first, and considering Jax’s vow that he’d be present when Rafe dished out punishment, probably my degradation as well. I blinked several times but ultimately let the tears fall. I didn’t want to piss him off more by breaking yet another rule.

“Jax is going to be there for this, isn’t he?”

He caught a teardrop on his thumb and dipped it between his lips. “You threatened to shoot him,” was all he said before shutting the door.

Answer enough. He started the ignition, and I watched with growing dread as my house faded in the distance. At some point, I dozed off, my head lopsided on my neck and resting against the cool glass. By the time he silenced the engine, my shoulders were on fire from being restrained.

He helped me from the rig and circled behind me. “Close your eyes,” he said, shuttering my vision with his hands. Slowly, he pushed us forward, and the instant we stepped onto the dock and it swayed, my stomach took a nosedive.

“Rafe!”

“I’ve got you,” he said, tightening his hold. “Almost there.” We shuffled a few more feet, our shoes gliding over the slick dock. With a steady hand, he helped me onto the boat. The whole time, I kept my eyes sealed shut. We descended the stairs, and only then did I open them to find Jax waiting in the galley with his arms crossed.

Rafe gestured for me to sit down, and when Jax saw my cuffed hands, he grinned. At least he had the grace not to say anything about it.

He passed Rafe a small bag. “Instructions are in there.”

“I won’t even ask how you got your hands on this.”

“I know people. Contraceptives are easy as fuck to get when you’ve got contacts in the sex trade.”

“Yeah, I don’t need the reminder of your underground contacts, but thanks.”

“No problem.”

“Everything ready?”