Cuffed by His Charm: A Dirty Little Secrets Novel

by Stacey Kennedy

  Once certain I’m not going to vomit, I look at him. He’s worried for me, I see that in his eyes. And right now, so am I. Maybe something he sees, too, because soon, the warmth of his arms is around me as he picks me up off the bed, embracing me in his strength.

  For right now, it’s enough to chase the chill away.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Gabe gives me a final squeeze before stepping back and taking my hand, letting me know he’s there. And it’s what I need. He’s what I need. As he moves to the side, it’s only then I see that Ryder’s entered the hotel room, his intense eyes scanning my face before looking back to Gabe.

  “What’s wrong?” he repeats.

  Gabe gestures. “Check out the bathroom.”

  I’m only too thankful Gabe doesn’t let my hand go, not sure I can handle that now. Logically, I know I need to keep my head on straight, but emotions are clouding everything, a fear so real it shakes me to my core.

  Ryder hastily passes us, and silence falls as he clearly surveys the bathroom. When he returns, I appreciate how solid and unemotional he is, the focus in his eyes makes me trust him. “Do you know what happened here?” he asks Gabe.

  “No.” Gabe keeps me tucked into his side. “We found it like this.”

  Ryder glances around the room, scanning the area before focusing on us again, eyebrows drawn. “From the amount of blood in the bathroom, it’s surprising that nothing looks out of place in here.”

  That screams hope to me. “Do you think that means maybe Evan hurt himself?”

  “Either that,” Ryder explains gently, “or the attack took place in the bathroom.”

  While some people might wish Ryder had held back, I didn’t. I want the truth, no matter how brutal it may be. “But who would hurt Evan and why?”

  Ryder gives a knowing look. “Sadly, that is the question, isn’t it?” He pauses then asks, “You said he gambles?” I nod, and he adds, “That might be where to look. Violence leads me to believe that this has to be about money, like you’ve suggested.”

  “I agree,” Gabe says.

  Ryder and Gabe exchange a heavy look, one that shows a long friendship between them, before Ryder finally asks, “What do you need me to do?”

  Gabe considers me a minute, and I read his mind perfectly. With my brother out of the picture Gabe and his friends would no longer have to worry about Evan. Their secrets would be safe, and the tabloids would have lost their contact. The only reason they would even care about what happened to my brother, at this point, is because of me.

  When he speaks to Ryder I’m a bit surprised by what he asks him. “Do you have the means to tap into the hotel’s surveillance system to see if there’s any sign of her brother?”

  “That won’t be a problem.” Ryder reaches into his pocket, taking out his cellphone. “And I agree, it might give us a lead to whether he left willingly or not.”

  In no time, the phone is ringing, and then Alex says, “Whatcha need, boss?”

  “I’m at the Bay Inn,” Ryder explains, moving toward the front door. “I need you to get me video on this location for the last week.” He glances from left to right and then straight ahead. “There are a few stores across the street, which gives access to the front door of Evan’s hotel room.”

  “What’s his room number?”

  “Ten.”

  “On it.” There’s a clicking of fingers on the other line, telling me she’s likely typing on her laptop. “Anything else?”

  Ryder turns back to us, his eyes on me, regarding me closely. For a split second, I think he’s going to change his mind about helping me. Instead, he only ups his game. “Get a crew here to fingerprint the room. Let’s see what that turns up.”

  A pause. Then Alex asks, “Why such a request?”

  “There’s blood all over the bathroom here at the hotel.”

  Without a hitch to her voice—telling me these kinds of things are very normal for her—Alex asks, “We’ll get the team to clean up before they leave, but do we know whose blood it is?”

  That’s when I pipe up. “I’m a blood relative of Evan’s. Why don’t we test my blood so we can find out if it’s his?”

  “That makes sense,” Ryder agrees with a nod, then glances down at the cellphone in his hand. “Have the team bring a kit with them.”

  “Will do.”

  The phone line goes dead, and Ryder stuffs it back into his pocket. “Let me look around the area a little bit, see if anything stands out as unusual.”

  I’m not exactly sure what he thinks he’ll find, but clearly Ryder and his team are professionals so I keep the thought to myself. “Before you go, shouldn’t we involve the police?”

  Ryder shakes his head and gently explains, “In these personal matters where it involves family it’s usually best not to involve the police until we have a better understanding of what your brother has gotten himself into. When the police swoop in, everyone will be arrested, including your brother.”

  Gabe adds, “Ryder has a team that is equivalent to, if not better than, the SFPD. You don’t have to worry here. You’re in good hands.”

  I smile at him as Ryder continues. “Besides, the moment the police come in, we’ll be shut out entirely. Do you want to be at the front of this situation or behind it?”

  “In front,” I agree without hesitation. “But at what point do we involve the police?”

  “If we find someone dead,” Ryder replies flatly. At my cringe, he says gently, “One step at a time here. I’ll find your brother, McKenna, do not doubt that. I’ve got an expert team behind me. And I also have an excellent working relationship with the police department. They stay out of my way, I stay out of theirs. They are fully aware of what I do and how I do it, but in the end, we’re fighting the same fight. If we need to involve the police, we will. All right?”

  “Yes, thank you for that.” He gives a gentle smile, and it’s then I realize there’s another question left unanswered. “So, how exactly does this all work?”

  Ryder arches a single brow. “How does what work?”

  “Paying you and your team.” I release Gabe’s hand, stepping away from him, feeling a little more like me again. “You don’t do this work for free so how do I pay you?”

  The side of Ryder’s mouth lifts, and to me, it looks like he suddenly respects me more than he did a minute ago. “Consider this on the house.”

  Before I can say anything more on that matter, he’s left the room.

  I sigh and glance over my shoulder at Gabe, who’s grinning at me. “I can’t have him do this for free,” I tell him sternly. “I mean, he’s paying his employees to work.”

  “This isn’t something you need to worry about,” says Gabe, voice serious, as he approaches me. “Alex isn’t hurting for money, nor is Ryder.” When he reaches me, he brushes his hands down my arms, bringing goosebumps. “Let’s keep our focus where it belongs, on finding Evan.”

  I swallow back emotion. “Thank you for helping me.”

  “Whatever you do,” Gabe states, “please do not thank me.”

  I take that to mean part of his motive behind helping is because he thinks he owes this to me, but I already forgave him, understanding the why behind his actions. I glance away, looking around the room, unable not to think about how afraid Evan must have felt. Panic begins to creep, making my heart race, turning my palms clammy.

  I’ve seen enough police procedure shows to know that all of this is going to take time. The DNA results won’t be immediate, and even if they get fingerprints, it’s going to take forever to run them all, then cross-check all those names. It’s a hotel, there are bound to be thousands of prints in this room.

  I don’t know what I’ll do without him . . .

  Suddenly, Gabe’s fingers are on my chin, and he’s shaking my face a little. “I see the worry, but like Ryder said, take one step at a time. Don’t get too far ahead of yourself. We’ve got Ryder on this, and believe me, there is no one better to find Evan. All
right?”

  I nod and breathe deep, trying to settle the panic. I turn to leave the room, needing fresh air, but something on the floor by the bed catches my eye.

  Quickly, I move there and bend down, picking up a matchbox, and I recognize the name immediately, Afterglow. The club is one of four sex clubs in the city, and would be right up there with something my brother would be into. “Maybe this will help us,” I say to Gabe, offering the matchbox. “Maybe someone there will know who Evan’s been hanging out with lately.”

  Gabe takes the matchbox and frowns down at it. “You’re right, it’s a lead we can’t overlook.” When he lifts his head again, his eyes are curious, probing mine. “Have you not read the tabloids lately?”

  The question is so odd, I gape at him. “No, why would I?”

  There’s a tightness in his eyes that I’m not used to seeing. It’s not unsureness, but more like cautiousness. “You haven’t heard or seen anything about me in them?”

  I shake my head. “I told you, I don’t read the tabloids.” His skin is going sheet white before my eyes. “Jesus, Gabe, what’s wrong?”

  He shuts his eyes, pain rippling across his features. “I thought you outed me, and you didn’t know a damn thing about anything, did you?”

  I place my hand on his arm, feel him tremble. “Okay, seriously, what’s wrong?”

  He reopens his eyes and guilt lives in their depths. “That sex club, McKenna, it’s mine.”

  Chapter 6

  Gabe

  Bumper to bumper traffic isn’t unusual on a Saturday night in the downtown core of San Francisco, but it made the drive to Afterglow slow. Far slower than I intended considering McKenna’s sitting next to me, her eyes glued on her cellphone.

  Regardless that I’m less than pleased with her reading material, my gaze falls to her arm where a Band-Aid rests over the crease where Ryder’s team drew blood from her. There’s nothing about any of this that I like, and the silence is killing me, making my car feel small and lacking in air. “Is it really necessary to read those articles?” I ask.

  “Oh, yeah.” She grins. “Totally necessary.” Her finger scrolls down the glass as she reads that damn article in Gotcha! outing me as Afterglow’s owner. The same article that had stolen the last strands of my control.

  Stuck behind the wheel of my Audi, I bite the inside of my cheek and tap my finger staring out into the sea of lights. We’re only a few blocks away from the club, but I’m as impatient to get there as I am to stay away. I never intended to show McKenna this world; I’m not sure what she’ll think.

  She finally exhales deeply, obviously done reading the article. “How did I not know this about you?” she asks.

  I give her a quick look, trying to gauge her mood, and fail miserably. She’s locked her emotions up tight. “You didn’t know about it because no one except a few trusted people knew this about me.” I pause then snort. “Until the media got ahold of it, of course.”

  “I see,” she says, nibbling her lip, watching me closely.

  The air in the car feels thick and dry, and I shift against my seat as she suddenly begins to chuckle.

  “And there’s that laughter again.” I sigh.

  “I’m sorry,” she says, failing at fighting her grin. “I never would have thought you were kinky. I mean, alpha? For sure, but kinky . . .” She smirks. “I can’t picture you in leather chaps.”

  “Leather chaps?” I slam on the brakes to glare at her, causing a horn to blare behind us. “I do not wear leather chaps.”

  “Totally kidding,” she says and winks. “Just trying to lighten the mood.”

  Not amused in the least, I glance in the rearview mirror, watching the man behind the wheel shake his fist at me. “Consider it lightened,” I tell her, driving forward.

  “You know,” she adds, voice soft, “you can relax about all this. I see you over there all tense, looking about ready to jump out of your skin. But this is fine. I don’t care at all that you own this club. In fact, I’d say I’m intrigued by the idea.”

  I glance sideways, finding her cheeks flushed, a telling sign she’s more interested than offended. The cars in front of me begin moving faster, but for this second, I focus on her torso, watching her breathe, seeing her chest rise and fall quickly.

  Excited, hmmm?

  “You should go,” she says, pointing to the front window.

  I take note of the heat in her eyes before I put my attention back on the road, quickly getting the car up to third gear. Silence falls between us again, until we’re a block away from the club, and I can’t stand the quiet. “What’s on your mind?” I ask her.

  “I’m wondering what your mother thinks about you owning this club.”

  “I told her the story was fake.” I downshift into second gear, the engine a low purr.

  “She believed you?”

  “Why wouldn’t she?” I downshift into first gear and then slow to halt at the red light. From our spot, Afterglow’s bright neon lights glow into the night. “She has no reason to doubt me.”

  McKenna gives me a questioning glance. “You’re not one to lie. Why the dishonesty?”

  “Because it’s an unnecessary fact that my mother doesn’t need to know.”

  McKenna’s brows pull together, shoulders curl. “It’s a fact that the world doesn’t need to know.” And my brother is the one who told your secrets is what she doesn’t say.

  Regardless that I’m uneasy about bringing McKenna to the club, relief that we’ve arrived fills me as I pull over to the curb, stopping in front of the valet. Not because I want to avoid quiet time with her, but because my shame for how loyal she’s been to me is overwhelming. Never once had McKenna read a tabloid article, nor did she listen to a word of gossip; I’m seeing her loyalty toward me in ways I never saw before, and it solidifies my loyalty to her.

  I roll down my window before the valet can open my door. “We’ll be just a minute.”

  “Not a problem, Mr. O’Keefe.” The valet backs away, standing with hands laced behind his back.

  McKenna chuckles. “Mr. O’Keefe.” She stares at the valet before she smiles at me. “Sometimes I forget how much of a big deal you are in San Francisco.”

  “That’s what I like about you.” In fact, that’s what originally drew me to her. The way McKenna sees me is very different than the way the rest of the world does. She makes me feel like the guy who worked behind a bar and loved it enough to make a career out of it, instead of a multi-millionaire. “Any other questions before we go in?”

  Her eyes search mine. Then, “Why do you keep this part of your life a secret?”

  The answer could backfire in epic proportions. But trust needs to rebuild, so I refuse for there to be lies between us. “When I bought the club in my twenties, I used it as a place to meet women who enjoyed sex.”

  “In a manner that you controlled, you mean?”

  She never did miss a thing. “That’s right. My terms. My house, so to speak.”

  I see her mind working in the amazing way it does, while she’s figuring me out. She doesn’t judge. She wants to understand. It’s a beautiful trait.

  She finally asks, “Because you were worried that your active sex life would get out in the public?”

  “The world loves a scandal, doesn’t it?”

  She snorts a laugh. “It certainly does.”

  I glance at the front door, watch a couple gain entrance before I address her again. “Have you ever been to a sex club?”

  “No.”

  I can’t ignore that fact. “Perhaps it would be better if you wait here.”

  She barks a loud laugh, hand on the door handle. “Yeah, right, O’Keefe. As if I’m not going in there with you.” Then the door is open and she’s getting out of the car.

  I sigh, unbuckling my seatbelt, knowing I had to at least try to avoid the inevitable. This world and McKenna were never supposed to intertwine. I’m uneasy about how this will turn out as I exit the car, leaving the keys in the
ignition. “I don’t anticipate we’ll be long,” I tell the valet.

  He nods in understanding, and then he’s in my car, driving to park it around the back of the club. The streets are busy, the bars and nightclubs in full force, and I glance from left to right, looking for any paparazzi.

  Confident no one is following us, I place my hand on the small of McKenna’s back and lead her to the door. Gerald, the bouncer who’s worked here for a couple years, smiles in greeting. He’s got the bulk, the brains, and the brutality when called for. “Welcome back, sir.”

  “Thank you, Gerald.” I move closer to him, keeping the conversation private. “If you happen to see any paparazzi or photographer of any kind, remove them from the area.”

  Gerald smiles, half deadly, half amused. “I’d be glad to, sir.”

  I nod in thanks and gently guide McKenna toward the door. She glances up at me, smiling. “I have a feeling he might enjoy that task.”

  “Don’t be fooled, he would love every minute of it,” I tell her simply. “That’s why he mans the door.”

  When we enter the club, there’s techno music coming from the speaker above the front desk. For most people, they’d think they were entering a typical nightclub, only at this nightclub, most people are naked or close to it. And they’re also having sex. Swingers, kinksters, and everything in between; Afterglow hosts them all. Public rooms, private rooms, theme rooms, a dungeon, an orgy room, the three floors of Afterglow are a sexual playground.

  I stop at the desk, smiling at Tammy, Afterglow’s second longest employee, who’s sitting behind a computer. “Good evening, Mr. O’Keefe, nice to see you.” Her bright blue eyes surrounded by thick dark lashes survey McKenna. “New membership, sir?”

  I shake my head but turn to McKenna. “To enter you’ll need to sign a non-disclosure.”

  “That’s fine.” She smiles.

  I regard her, unsure if she’s as steady as she seems, or if she’s putting on a mask of bravery. It’s something I intend to find out, but for now, I stay on task and say to Tammy, “We’re here to talk with Trevor. Is he in tonight?”