I let out a desperate bark of laughter. “Connor’s that guy.”
She bobbed her head. “He’s a little dark and dangerous, yet your parents would probably love him. You used him not telling you who he was, when you told him not to, as an excuse to get away.”
“Thanks for the lecture, Mom.”
“You’ve always told me straight. So I’m telling you Connor is a keeper. He’s a great guy with a big heart.” She had no idea how true that statement was. “Don’t sweat the small stuff. I wasted too much time running from Kalen. Don’t make the same mistake I did.”
I hugged her and might have cried, though I would deny it. “My little sister wife is all grown up.”
“Don’t start. My parents were properly scandalized at my wedding.”
We laughed because Bailey came from a small religious community that thought sex happened after marriage and only for procreation.
“Let’s watch some movies and eat ice cream until Kalen gets back,” Bailey said. “Then we’ll sleep and you can work this out with Connor in the morning.”
Only when morning came, I had two things waiting for me. Bailey gave me a be brave smile when she handed me a thick, official-looking envelope and a box. Both from Striker—Connor.
Twenty-One
Connor
The damnable woman had wormed her way into my life, and I didn’t want to let go. Why had my mother shown up and thrown gas where there were already embers? My relationship with Lizzy was on shaky ground. Every time we took one step forward, we were pushed back two. I’d never been a quitter—I’d proven that at school. I may not have won every battle, but I’d fought every time.
I let go of the lip of the pool and did a final lap before stepping out. I hadn’t yet decided how to handle things. The sauna was there, and I opted to sweat things out in hopes for clarity. In the morning, I had to see Dad. I would need to make some calls tonight as well. First, I needed time to figure things out, form a plan, and make it happen.
I set the temperature and timer. Then I sat, towel around my waist, leaned back as the steam pumped in, and closed my eyes. As it usually did, the past formed images in my dreams.
Past
It had been a week, and Payne’s hench boys had stayed away. I thought maybe I might be able to give up my nightly watch over the elementary boys’ dorm. I shifted on the floor in front of the doors, ready to rest my head and fall into a light sleep. But it wasn’t to be.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t little Jamie, playing protector,” Ruin said.
Though I hated the name Jamie, I didn’t remind him for the thousandth time I was James Konnor King. The day I left this school, I’d drop the name James to get as far away from the nickname Jamie as possible. And because I hated my mother, I’d spell Konnor with a C.
I waited quietly for Ruin and the five to make the first move. I was sorely outnumbered. I couldn’t win against them, but maybe I could make enough noise to alert the teachers and staff without waking the boys. A difficult task for sure.
“You should walk away before you become tonight’s entertainment,” he suggested.
I didn’t move. I hadn’t been able to save Lonnie, but I was determined not to fail anyone else, no matter the cost to myself.
When they came, I rolled to my feet and threw punches in any direction. The first few seconds, I caught them off guard, hitting two before the others coordinated. It was over long before I could become the hero seen in movies, winning against the odds. I’d bloodied a few, but they’d bloodied me more.
My last resort was to yell, but even that came too late. They had a precut piece of duct tape ready. I was dragged down the hall, one asshole on one arm and another on the other. I refused to walk and make it easy for them. They were six. I was one. When the door closed in the darkened, empty classroom, I didn’t have to imagine what would happen to me. I already knew.
“Hold him down,” Ruin said.
Present
I woke with my hands in fists, ready to fight, only to shake off the remnants of dream. Would I ever be free of this torment? The last time I’d had dreamless sleep was with Lizzy in my arms on the plane. The last time before then… I couldn’t remember anymore.
What I knew was Lizzy was everything I wanted and couldn’t have. The easiest thing for me to do was walk away from her. Lucky for me, she hadn’t given up. She was what was right in my life. Not much was. Sub or not, we couldn’t help who we fell for and I’d fallen hard.
I stopped in the kitchen for a bottle of water and saw the note. Two words had me sitting down to read it again.
“I’m sorry,” was all it said.
I didn’t have to check every room to know she was gone. I got up, found my phone, and called my brother.
“Connor,” Kalen said.
“Is she with you?”
“Yes.”
“Good. She’s safe.”
“Actually, she is. Matt called. It appears you showing up as her husband has taken the scent off of her. He’s sure she’s fine. Leave her be tonight. She’s with Bailey, explaining things. You can fix things in the morning.”
I let out a slow breath. There was that.
But another call I’d missed would alter all my plans. I went into my father’s office, knowing what I would hear. When I called the number, I got a gruff, “You’re in. Details will be sent an hour before.” Then they hung up.
This was the moment I’d worked hard for over the last several years—once I’d found Ruin and a few of his cronies. I’d bought clubs like Club Sination, Hush, Debauchery, Bangers, Paradise, Come Inside, Our Secret, Tongue and Cheek, The Cat’s Meow, Club Lush, and Silver Scarlet, filling cities all over the US, to get information that could lead to evidence against the six but especially Ruin. Some of the clubs were like mine. Others were less reputable. Bits of information gathered in each had led me to this point.
I’d been feeding information to a guy I knew in college who was working with the CIA. He’d been the one to arrange for me to use the safe house. Sex trafficking happened all over the world. He fed the information I’d given him to the local authorities, including the FBI here in the States.
My call to him went to voicemail. He’d told me it was possible he’d have to go dark for a while after Lizzy had unwittingly given up the safe house.
I ran a hand over my head. I needed someone to know what I was doing to get the evidence I needed to bring down the six. For all I knew, the FBI had put the information I’d given to good use and was one step ahead of me. If this auction was raided, I could be putting my family under scrutiny if they figured out Mr. Black was a well-funded alias. Connor King was an enigma to the public. That didn’t mean a good investigator couldn’t figure out I was a King, not a Black.
The next call I made was to Lizzy’s brother. Only that call said the number was no longer in service. A quick text to Kalen revealed that Matt had said the number he was calling from was temporary and not to call it. He didn’t think Matt had given a number to Lizzy either.
There was no way I would put Lizzy in the crossfire, so after I talked to Dad’s lawyer about his divorce, I called my own. I explained I needed an annulment and fast. I told him where to serve Lizzy. It was imperative she sign the annulment and execute it before I went to the auction in two days.
Once I got home, I prepared a box. In it, I placed a black masquerade mask made of lace. On top, I put a notecard from the club. The front side had a black flame with no words. It was the logo those in the know understood. Lizzy would. On the back, I’d written:
Wear the mask and not much more tomorrow night. Your twenty-four hours begins when you walk through the door.
I didn’t sign it. I didn’t have to. She’d know I was calling in her chip for the bet she’d lost all those many months ago. It would be a night we’d both remember—and our last. I should have left her alone. But I was selfish and needed one more night with her.
Twenty-Two
Lizzy
One cry hadn’t been good enough. When I opened the envelope and saw the letter from his lawyer requesting I sign the annulment papers immediately, I cried, like, buckets.
“There’s your answer,” Bailey said when my tears had dried.
The box, however, had been a complete surprise. Even I’d forgotten our wager. I had to remind Bailey of the bet I’d lost playing pool with him.
“And he’s given you another,” Bailey said.
“Another what? Puzzle? Because I don’t get it,” I complained.
“He’s telling you he isn’t done. You said you fought about this inheritance thing. By ending the marriage, he’s proving to you that money doesn’t matter to him. The box is to show you matter.”
“How can you be sure?” I asked.
“You give me another reason,” she tossed back.
I had none, but I didn’t want to hope and fall short.
“Go get your man,” she said.
It was too early to go to the club, but I could do a little retail therapy. Despite the risk involved, I’d made up my mind to go and I would make the man see what he’d miss. Afterward, I followed up with Anderson, who was holding down the fort.
Walking into Flame, I felt a little like Cinderella. Except instead of midnight, it was fifteen minutes until ten o’clock. At the entrance, I showed the card to the woman at the desk.
She said, “Yes, Ms. Black, we’re expecting you.”
I put the card back in my purse and tried not to show how rattled I was by her use of Ms. and not Mrs. She waved me to the little locker area for me to deposit my belongings for safekeeping. In there, I pulled off the dress I’d worn in, leaving me in a one-piece backless baby doll bodysuit that matched the floral lace of the mask. When I’d tried it on, it made me appear to have more curves than I did, and I’d bought it on the spot. The deep V-neck showed off the Crave necklace he’d bought me. To finish the outfit, I’d worn my over-the-knee boots. After I fastened the mask in place, maintaining my Marilyn Monroe-like hairstyle when she’d worn it longer, I felt fierce once again.
When I turned, a woman in a leather bodysuit that showed off her curvaceous body was in my face. Unlike me, she wore gladiator heels that wrapped around her muscled caves and I hated her instantly. From the way she sized me up, I knew I was in for trouble.
“You’re here,” she said, clearly unhappy I was.
“I’m sorry. Have we met?”
“Not officially, though I remember the last time you came. Guest night. Different mask.”
“This one was given to me to wear,” I said, knowing she’d hate that.
“I told him you weren’t his type.” She looked at the necklace between my breasts before glancing at my hands. “Married too. He’s breaking all his rules.”
I didn’t take her bait. “Is there a problem?”
“No. But he means a great deal to me. I won’t let you hurt him.”
“Who are you anyway?” I asked dismissively.
“I’m Eliza.” I just stared at her. “Fair warning, he doesn’t keep his pets long. So don’t get comfortable.”
“And I should care—why?” I asked.
“I know him better than anyone. Especially since I’m the one who opened his eyes about this life.”
Holy shit. Was Eliza his former sub and the woman he’d met in college that helped him? And she worked for him? Don’t sweat the small stuff, I thought, remembering Bailey’s advice. The woman was obviously desperate and jealous. I trusted Striker. He’d told me everything. Just because he hadn’t connected the dots didn’t mean anything. It just didn’t matter.
“Since you’re not his pet, I imagine he got bored with you.” With that, I walked around the woman and into the club.
I found Striker near the stage, bare chested with a whip in his hand. When our eyes met, he gave me a small imperceptible smile and held out his free hand to me. I walked over and took it. He didn’t say a word, not at first. He led me up the stairs and put me on display. My heart raced for many reasons. I had a feeling he was going to push my limits.
He pulled me close and whispered in my ear, “I’ll give you the option to watch or play. Your choice.”
I glanced at the obedience bench. Could I watch him give pleasure to someone else, especially when I was already drenched thinking about him using the whip on me?
“Play,” I said, not caring that the cops could show up in the middle of it all. I’d weighted all the options, pros and cons. It wasn’t an easy decision, but I’d made my peace with the consequences of the night. He’d asked me to come and I’d kept my word, even though I probably could have given an excuse and arranged for a different day.
He spun me around to face the crowd, his big body wrapped around me with one arm under my breast.
“Sexy as fuck,” he said in my ear before engaging the crowd. “Someone’s been very bad. She left without asking permission. Do you think she needs punishment?”
The crowd agreed as my heart thundered. Playing alone with him had been fun. I’d been sure of my limits there. Doing this in front of an audience was giving me a rush at the same time embarrassment turned my cheeks pink.
“I think they agree,” he said loud enough to be heard. To me, he said, “If you want to stop, just say so.”
“Stop?” I asked, but not so the crowd to hear. “No fancy safe word?”
“Not tonight. Just stop and I will.”
He walked me over to the obedience bench as if we were preparing a magic show and he was going to saw me in half. The man was a showman. When he helped me on, I turned my head the other way. There were people on that side, but not as many.
“No, face forward.”
Without hesitation, I did. Even in this moment, I trusted him completely. He wouldn’t humiliate me. I didn’t think that was what this was about. I’d told him that I’d longed to be in that woman’s place, and he was giving me the opportunity. Besides, the people in this club didn’t judge. I could feel it in their excited expressions. There was no hint of mockery. I was free to enjoy what I wanted, and I wanted this.
“How many?” he asked the crowd, but he didn’t wait as he rattled off numbers. When he went up by fives, I felt sweat form between my breast. “I’m not so cruel. Five should be enough.”
The crowd didn’t like that.
“Seven then,” he declared.
They quieted down, and I assumed he’d stepped back. Though I couldn’t see him, I remembered what he’d looked like that other night—from his positioning to his stone expression. I closed my eyes and brought back the image in my head.
The music stopped. I heard the whip slice the air and tensed in anticipation. The sound, however, was more worrisome that the actual sting of pain. It hurt, but not as much as I’d expected. He was there with a hand, rubbing the spot, soothing the area. His touch turned me on.
By the third lash, a tear leaked from my eye. He saw it and was there.
“Do you want me to stop?” he said, low enough not to be overheard.
I shook my head. Yes, there was pain, but it was more. I felt freed somehow, from all the emotions I’d bottled up for months. On the fourth lash, my tears were flowing. I was also crying for him, knowing what was coming.
As he rubbed my ass, he leaned over. “We don’t have to do this.”
I nodded, unable to speak because I was choked up. Again, not from the pain—it wasn’t that bad. Breaking my arm as a kid had hurt far worse. The fact that I could save him from the humiliation coming and hadn’t was hurting me more.
He didn’t look happy, which played into the crowd’s enjoyment. On the next lash, I let out a gasp. I was lost in pleasure and pain and coming to terms with everything.
“I’m stopping,” he said.
“I love and trust you to finish.”
His eyes widened.
I’d felt compelled to tell him. I wanted him to know my feelings before the worst happened and the place was filled with law enforcement. “You don’t hav
e to say it back. But I needed you to know.”
Though he finished, the last two he pulled back somehow. The crowd didn’t know, but I did. Either that or I’d crossed over into something else. The master he was, after rubbing my ass, he tapped between my legs and I came, surprising myself. I’d been lost in emotions and hadn’t known how close I was.
Then he released me and cradled me in his arms. I closed my eyes but knew when we were in the hallway that led to the back. It was quieter there.
“We need to go,” I whispered.
“What?”
“We need to leave,” I said, opening my eyes.
But he didn’t stop. We entered an office and he closed the door behind me.
“We need to go now,” I said, louder this time.
“Did I hurt you too much?”
“Damnit, Connor.” I shocked myself by calling him that. It took a second to regroup. “Matt said the FBI is going to raid your club tonight.”
“What?”
“I wasn’t supposed to tell you.”
His face turned angry, but he said, “Why are you here? You shouldn’t be here.”
“You asked me to come. I wasn’t going to break my word. Even though Matt could get fired. I’m not going to watch you go down for something you didn’t do.”
He took my hand. “What did he say?”
“He said you’re involved with a human trafficking ring. They know about the auction. But we need to leave. We can talk about this somewhere else.”
He opened a cabinet and handed me his worn leather jacket.
“What’s this for?” I asked, but he was already on the phone, saying things quickly.
Then he was at his desk—I assumed, given his jacket had been in the closet. There were some beeps and he pulled out a gun.
“What’s that for?”
He put a finger to his lips and said into the phone, “Bring her stuff here and prepare for Exodus.”
I took a leap and assumed that was an internal code word used in his club.
Kingdom Fall: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance (Kingdom Come Book 2) Page 14
