Darker: The Inquirer

by M. S. Parker

  I turned at Nyx’s voice. I considered asking how her conversation with Carrie had gone but pushed that aside. Coming here tonight had been, in part, about showing me this place and talking to Carrie, but I saw a deeper need in her eyes, and even if I was being submissive, I had one Dominant trait that I couldn’t suppress, especially with her. I needed to take care of her.

  “It’s amazing,” I said. “Makes Hades look like a poor third cousin.”

  She laughed as she came toward me, and I saw that she’d closed the door, completely cutting off any sound from the main part of the club. “We can have music if you want.”

  “I want whatever you want.” She had no idea just how true that really was. “Just tell me what to do.”

  She stopped a few inches in front of me, a strange expression on her face. “And if I want you to be…Dominant?”

  It was like all the air went out of the room. She’d asked before for me to be in charge or in control, and she’d asked if I’d be willing to be submissive, but she’d never specifically asked me to be Dominant. And I knew that was an intentional thing. Asking for it here, in this place where she’d never been anything but Dominant, wasn’t something I looked at lightly.

  “Is that what you want?” I kept my expression as blank as I could. I didn’t want my own desires to push her into something simply because she felt like she owed it to me.

  “I think…” She licked her lips. “I think it’s what I need. At least right now.”

  It was the uncertainty on her face that did it for me, and I reached out on instinct more than thought, taking both of her hands in mine.

  “I’ll take care of you.” I kissed her forehead. “But if you need me to stop, you know what to say, right?”

  She nodded, and the tension in her body shifted to something different. Not submissive, exactly, but more like I’d taken a weight from her that she hadn’t even known she’d been carrying.

  “Now, firebird, let’s get you out of those clothes.”

  Twenty-Nine

  Nyx

  I waited for the panic to set in, but it didn’t come. I just felt…peaceful.

  Which was strange because it wasn’t like Bradyn hadn’t been in charge before. Maybe it was because being here, the place that had taught me to be Dominant, made everything feel different. Like I’d handed over another piece of myself to him, but it wasn’t something I minded, at least not right now.

  “Five strokes, my little firebird.”

  Bradyn’s voice was gentle, and his touch had been too when he’d undressed me, but I knew what he was going to do now wasn’t gentle. I’d done it to subs myself.

  The thick leather strip came down on my ass, and for a moment, I didn’t feel anything. Then came the pain. Less than any of the pinching or twisting of my now-aching nipples, less than the bites Bradyn had given me, but it sent heat through me the same way. I closed my eyes and just focused on feeling the weight and the bite of the next four lashes, each one a little more intense than the first.

  Then his hand was there, sliding down my spine and over my ass, first one cheek, then the other. I shivered, my skin so sensitive. The movement made my nipples rub against the bedspread, and that sent another rush through me. When I felt his fingers slip between my legs, I made a sound halfway between a whimper and a moan.

  “Don’t worry, firebird. I’ll get you there.” Bradyn’s voice rolled over me, full of promises. “Let’s see if I can make you scream with just my fingers.”

  “Nyx, we’re landing.”

  I jerked out of the half-sleep daze I’d been in, memories lingering as I tried to get my head together. The night we’d spent at Club Privé had been…explosive.

  When we’d gone sightseeing with Kaimi and Rose on Saturday, my voice had actually still been rough from how many times Bradyn had made me scream. And that hadn’t been the only thing left from the night before either. I’d been able to hide the hickeys and bite marks since it was cool enough for long sleeves and jackets, but the ache between my legs from how hard he’d fucked me and how overly sensitive my skin still was had been impossible to keep from my friends.

  Kaimi had really enjoyed teasing me about that, and since I’d given her plenty of shit when she and Sitara had first gotten together, I’d taken it as gracefully as I could.

  “You all right?” Bradyn asked, concerned.

  “I’m good.” I smiled at him. “I really needed this. Thank you.”

  He kissed my temple. “I think it was good for both of us.”

  I agreed. Walking through the airport with him, hand-in-hand, not only felt good, but it felt natural. Savannah might not have felt like home to me, but being with Bradyn was, more and more, starting to feel like home as much as New York did.

  Less than a half hour later, we saw a cop car turning into the driveway a few yards ahead of us, and all that peace we’d gotten in New York vanished. The car didn’t have its lights on, but there wasn’t really a good reason for them to be at the ranch. Every muscle went stiff, and Bradyn grabbed my hand.

  “They’re not rushin’, and there’s no ambulance.”

  I wasn’t sure if he was trying to reassure himself or me.

  Maybe if I’d had a better life growing up, I’d have been more optimistic, but all I could think right now was that something had happened to one or both of the Huxleys. I didn’t say anything, though. Bradyn didn’t need to deal with my shit right now. I liked Brew and Shadae, but they had been friends – almost family, really – to him.

  When the driver got us closer to the main house, however, we saw Brew and Shadae standing outside, and the grip on my heart eased. They were okay. And then I saw Isaac too. I wasn’t interested in him, but I wouldn’t want him to have been hurt either, so I was glad to see him standing there too.

  “They’re okay.” Bradyn’s hand tightened around mine.

  “This where ya’ll want out?” the driver asked as he parked behind the cop car. “Cuz I don’t think I can go around them.”

  “This is fine.” Bradyn held out a couple bills. “Here.”

  “I’ll get the bags,” I said. “You go to Brew and Shadae.”

  “Thank you.”

  By the time I got our luggage, Bradyn was hugging Shadae and listening to whatever the Huxleys were saying. I put everything on the grass, out of the way, and went to join them. Shadae was in the middle of a sentence when I got close enough to hear them.

  “…we got home, and it was like this.”

  And that was when I saw the reason why the cops were here.

  Go back to Africa you fucking n-

  Fury flooded me. Who the fuck had done this? If the cops couldn’t figure it out, I sure as hell would. This sort of racist bullshit would’ve pissed me off no matter who the victims were. The fact that someone had done this to people like Shadae and Brew made it personal. If I had to stay in Savannah for a year to figure it out, I’d do it.

  “I need you to stop right there, miss.” A uniformed officer stepped in front of me. “This is a crime scene.”

  “It’s all right, officer,” Isaac called. His expression was tight, and even from where I was standing, I could see rage simmering just under his skin. “She’s a guest here.”

  “Are the cabins like this too?” I asked, looking back and forth between Isaac and the cop, figuring at least one of them would answer me.

  “I need to ask you a few questions,” the officer said, moving so that he was between Isaac and me. “Your name?”

  “Nyx Phoenix.” I wanted to repeat my question, but I kept my attitude in check. The Huxleys didn’t deserve to suffer for me being a smartass.

  He jotted down what I assumed was my name. “And you’re stayin’ here?”

  “I am.” I put my hands in my pockets and wished I’d thought to wear a dress that could handle the change in weather rather than jeans. “I’m from New York.”

  “The state in general or the city?”

  Smart question, I’d give him that. M
ost people, when they heard New York assumed it was the city, even if it wasn’t specifically said.

  “City.”

  “How do you know Bradyn Traylor?”

  It took me a moment to realize that he was asking because Bradyn and I had just arrived together and not because he was being an ass. Well, at least not all because he was being an ass. I’d wait until the conversation was done before I decided anything else about him.

  “I met him when I first got to Savannah, and he recommended the ranch as somewhere for me to stay while I’m in town.”

  “Where were the two of you comin’ back from just now?”

  “New York.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “The city again?”

  “We were in Rochester first and then went to the city for a few days.”

  “Why were you there?” He did a decent job of not leering at me, but it didn’t take a mind reader to know what he was thinking.

  “Business.” I would’ve enjoyed seeing his surprise if the circumstances had been different. “I’m a PI, and my investigation took me to Rochester. I went to the city to stop by my place and office before coming back.”

  “You’re a PI.”

  I gritted my teeth and tried not to be annoyed at his surprise. “Yes. My license is in my purse.” I gestured back to where I’d left the bags. “I can get it if you want me to.”

  “That won’t be necessary,” he said. “I just need to know how long you were gone.”

  “We left on Tuesday afternoon and got in on the one o’clock flight today.”

  He closed his notebook. “All right. I didn’t think either of you had anythin’ to do with this, but my captain would have my ass if I didn’t get your alibis.”

  Okay, so maybe he wasn’t an ass.

  “Can you tell me now if the cabins are covered with the same shit as the house?”

  “Pretty much,” he said. “Barn too. And two of the cabins were broken into.”

  I went cold. “Which two?”

  “Yours and Bradyn’s.” Isaac came up behind the cop. “I don’t know how bad the damage is. I just opened the doors to make sure you two weren’t there and then waited for the cops with my parents.”

  “No one was hurt?” It didn’t look like it, but I needed to know for sure.

  “No.” Isaac turned his attention to the cop. “Your partner wants to talk to you.”

  “Probably wants to see if our stories match,” Bradyn said as he walked over. His tone was casual, but the lines around his mouth weren’t.

  “Just doin’ our job,” the cop grumbled as he headed over to his partner.

  “I don’t know why they wasted any time thinking the two of you did anything,” Isaac said. “It’s your cabins that are trashed.”

  “Wait.” Bradyn’s eyes narrowed. “What about the main house? The barn?”

  “Graffitied,” Isaac said. “But not broken into.”

  Bradyn’s gaze met mine, and I saw my thoughts reflected there.

  Shit.

  “My parents told me there’s some lawsuit you’re investigating that has something to do with them.”

  I turned to Isaac and tried to pretend that the hairs on the back of my neck weren’t all on end. “I am.” I glanced over to where the cops were walking toward a car that was coming up the driveway. “And I think Bradyn and I need to find out if anything’s missing from our cabins. See if it’s just vandalism or if we need to report a robbery.”

  “I’m not going to let some lawsuit put my parents in danger.”

  “I wouldn’t have gotten them involved if I’d known something like this was going to happen.” I hoped Isaac knew I was telling the truth. “Hell, I wouldn’t have been staying here if I thought it’d risk your parents.”

  Isaac sighed, and he suddenly looked years older. “I know, Nyx. This racist shit just gets old.”

  I couldn’t even tell him that it wasn’t about race, even if the vandalism was supposed to cover up a theft. Money or racism alone could be a motive for crime. Together, they were explosive.

  “Let’s go see if anything’s missing,” Bradyn said. “Isaac, figure out what’s needed for your parents to be safe. Whatever it is, I’ll take care of it.”

  It said something about how shaken Isaac was that he didn’t argue with Bradyn’s offer. Guilt twisted my stomach into knots, making me worry that if I tried to add to what Bradyn said, I’d throw up. It wasn’t as much the things that’d been done, but what could’ve happened if whoever it was had been angrier or hadn’t found what they were looking for.

  Sure, it could’ve just been some assholes, but if I had to accept one more thing as coincidence, I was going to scream. My hands curled and uncurled, nails digging into my palms. I needed to move, do something. I started toward my cabin and heard footsteps a few seconds later. When Bradyn made it to my side, he slowed down and matched my steps. Neither one of us said anything until we got to my cabin.

  “Want to do this together?”

  “No. We should each do our own.” I turned, but he grabbed my hand and pulled me back to him, folding me into a hug.

  “This isn’t your fault.” He kissed the top of my head. “Stop blaming yourself.”

  “I’m working on it,” I said, pressing my face against his chest. “What really sucks is that I can’t wish that I hadn’t taken the case because these families deserve at least some sort of justice.”

  And because I wouldn’t have met him.

  But I wasn’t going to say that. It felt too selfish of me to be thinking about what I’d gained out of all this.

  “I think you should go back to New York.”

  I pulled back, and he let me go. “Say that again?”

  “I can’t stand the thought of you getting hurt.” He’d lost all the ease that was usually on his face. He didn’t just look serious. He looked worried and angry. “You can give Min what you have, and I’ll send everything I find to you to look over for your case. I’ll find somewhere else to stay, and that’ll keep anyone from messing with you or the Huxleys.”

  “No.” I didn’t snap at him, but I made the word as firm as I could. “I’m not running away. We’ll find out if anything’s gone, file a police report if we need to, and then we’ll make a plan. We see this through, and that’s how we’re going to protect everyone. We make sure whoever did this is exposed.”

  I didn’t add that there was a good chance all this shit would be traced back to Bradyn’s family. We both knew it. It didn’t need to be said.

  “Nyx, I–”

  “When we’re done, I’m going to call the lab we sent your and Kathie’s DNA to and have them send a second copy of the results straight to Min at the firm, just so we’ll know there’s one that’ll be safe, even if the ones to you and Kathie get ‘lost’ somehow.” I looked back up the driveway to where a man in a suit was talking to the Huxleys. A detective, I assumed. “We’re going to need someone in law enforcement we can trust.”

  Rather than arguing with me, Bradyn simply nodded. “I know who to call.”

  Thirty

  Bradyn

  This was turning into one of the longest days I could remember.

  After Nyx and I confirmed that some of the copies of the files that had been left in our cabins had been destroyed, we knew for certain that we’d been the reason for the ranch being vandalized. Whoever had done it had been sneaky about it too. They hadn’t stolen anything, but they’d torn up enough that there would’ve been no way for anyone but Nyx and I to know exactly what had been destroyed. And none of it could be recovered.

  If Nyx and I hadn’t decided to put the originals of everything in safety deposit boxes before we’d gone to New York, we would’ve lost everything. I’d only been worried about my family finding out I’d taken the box from Ashley’s house. Someone doing this hadn’t occurred to me at all.

  I think that was what bothered me the most, that I hadn’t seen it coming. Nyx hadn’t either, and it wasn’t like she was naïve about the w
ay the world worked, but this was my city. I’d been raised in Savannah and knew just how deep the roots of racism ran in the South.

  Like how the daughter of one of my dad’s friends had a kid with a biracial guy we’d gone to school with. After they’d broken up, he’d gone to see his daughter, and she’d called the cops, telling them that her abusive ex was trying to take her kid. The guy’d gotten arrested and ended up on probation. I’d heard, after the fact, that he’d spent two hours being asked what race to put on the report.

  Fucking racists.

  And I still hadn’t thought that Nyx investigating claims against one of Savannah’s proudest white families on behalf of people of color would come back to bite her on the ass.

  I should’ve known something like this would happen.

  I was still beating myself up over it when Nyx and I arrived at Zunzi’s to meet Maury Nieto, a cop I knew I could trust. The fact that he’d called me when he’d found my card in Nyx’s purse after she’d been arrested meant she knew the two of us were friends. I wasn’t sure about how much she’d trust him, though.

  We’d met when I’d been a junior in college, and he’d been a rookie sent to break up a party on campus. I’d been the idiot trying to make an exposé film about underage drinking in college. An idiot who’d used duct tape to strap a burner phone on the inside of my thigh like I was some hotshot undercover cop in an action movie.

  We hadn’t become friends because he’d done something like let me go with a warning because I’d been doing something wrong. No, we’d become friends because he’d taken my recording to his superior…and he hadn’t laughed when I’d screamed while ripping the tape off. Well, not until I’d started laughing, anyway.

  The memory of our meeting flashed through my mind as Nyx and I made our way to the table where Maury was waiting. He was off duty and in civilian clothes, but there was still something about him, that thing that some police officers have where it doesn’t matter how they’re dressed, they look like cops.

  “You two look like shit.” He leaned back in his seat, his dark eyes quickly assessing both of us even before we sat down.