“Addison needs maternity clothes and I need shoes,” Jenna said from her right.
“I need lingerie,” Cassie said from her left, “or material so I can sew some. Luc and Logan are really hard on silk and lace.”
“Yeah, they’re barbarians.” Addison giggled. “So is Cade. It’s a good thing we’re going shopping, because I don’t have a bra left and I need bigger ones.” She pushed out her chest and laughed.
Jenna rolled her eyes. “You were big enough before Cade knocked you up. Now, your nipples enter a room about five seconds before you do.”
Ravyn giggled, then covered her mouth. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d giggled so often. Maybe never, but certainly not since her mother had died.
“We need snacks,” Addison said. “Stop at Harry’s Truck Stop, Marisol.”
“I can’t,” Marisol said. “If we stop, we might get penned in and I won’t be able to get this tank out of there.” She glanced at Addison. “Turn around and get your seatbelt on.”
Ravyn waited until Addison was secure, then glanced around at their determined faces and said, “I can drive it.”
A second later, the vehicle came to a screeching, jerking halt in a cloud of dust as Marisol crammed on the brake without using the clutch and the vehicle jerked and then died. Four smiling faces looked her way.
“Really?” Marisol asked.
“Yes, really.” Ravyn looked down. “But you really can’t come home with me.”
“Because somebody is after you?” Addison asked.
“And you don’t want us to get hurt?” Cassie asked.
Ravyn nodded, then looked away. “I think I’m being watched. I don’t know by who, but I do know my ex-husband is probably part of it.” She stopped for a moment, then added, “And Mendez.”
Marisol laughed. “My father is keeping Mendez busy in Colombia.” She opened the driver’s door, stepped out and then leaned down and caught Ravyn’s eye. “You’re driving.”
Cassie opened her door and hopped out so Ravyn could slide out. Marisol high-fived Ravyn as she passed her and Ravyn slid into the driver’s seat. As soon as their seatbelts were fastened, she put the vehicle in gear and smoothly took off.
“Where’s this truck stop?” Ravyn asked.
“Just follow this road,” Cassie said. “It ends at the truck stop and then merges onto the interstate.”
They drove for a few minutes, then ahead of them Ravyn saw the large sign declaring they had arrived at Harry’s Truck Stop. She pulled into the parking lot in front of the building. “I think I should stay in the car and someone should stay with me while the other three go in and grab some snacks.”
Addison opened her door and slid off the side of her seat until her feet hit the ground. “I’m going in. I have to use the bathroom and I want to pick out my own snacks. Jenna always buys me healthy stuff.”
Jenna slid out on her side of the vehicle. “I’m going in to control Addison. She eats way too much salt.”
Cassie groaned, then said, “I’ll go with them and keep them out of trouble. Marisol, you stay with Ravyn. If anything happens, call my cell and we’ll be right out.”
“Okay,” Marisol said.
Ravyn craned her neck so she could see them go into the store. “Do you think they’ll be okay in there?”
“Cassie will keep them out of trouble. You know she doesn’t blame you for what happened to her, right?”
“I know, but I still feel responsible.” Ravyn met Marisol’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “I don’t want anyone getting hurt because of me.”
“Ravyn, you know when I tell you my father is keeping Mendez busy in Colombia, you can believe me.” She paused for a moment. “I know Mendez. I know how he works, and if I had to take a guess about what’s going on, I’d say your ex-husband decided to have you killed without getting Mendez’s approval first. If Mendez had made the decision to kill you then you’d be dead right now.”
Ravyn nodded. “I’ve been thinking the same thing, but by now Mendez knows what’s happened. It won’t be long before he takes action. When he does, everyone who knows me will be in danger.” Ravyn frowned then cursed. “Dammit, you’re good at getting me to drop my guard.”
“It’s a gift.” Marisol smiled. “Whatever you tell me will stay between us, but whatever you say in front of them”—she nodded toward the store—“they’ll have to tell their Doms or get punished for keeping secrets. I don’t have to tell Thor anything. He’s not my lover or my Dom.”
“I don’t think it’s safe for you to be at my house. I’m afraid some of the men who worked for Charles might know how to get past the security system. Cade said his people were in my house a week ago. I’ve been home every night and didn’t know anyone else had been in the house with me.” She trembled while she wondered how many nights she’d thought she was home alone and wasn’t.
“Tell me what was in the text you got that sent you into a panic.”
Ravyn shook her head. “No. Please don’t ask me to do that. I can’t.”
Marisol scooted to the center of the backseat and leaned forward. “Listen to me. This is big. Too big for you to fight on your own. You need help, and I can help you. My father can help you.”
Ravyn fought back the tears. “You don’t understand. I can’t risk it. I just can’t.”
Marisol laid her hand on Ravyn’s shoulder. “I understand, but remember, when it comes down to the life-or-death moment, my father and I are here to help you.”
The door being opened ended the conversation, but Ravyn nodded, then started the engine. As soon as everyone was buckled up, she drove onto the interstate and headed west toward Dallas.
Addison handed her a piece of beef jerky and an open water. “Jenna refused to let me buy soda, so everyone gets water.”
“Water is good for you and besides I let you have the jerky,” Jenna said, then added, “I think we should go to Thor’s house instead of Ravyn’s. It gives me the creeps to think those men held Cassie at your house, Ravyn. No offense.”
“None taken,” Ravyn said. “Considering what Thor does for a living, I’d think he’d have good security at his house.”
“He does,” Marisol said. “And I’ve become friends with his housekeeper, Anna, and she won’t tell him we’re there. She loves messing with his head as much as I do.”
“Why doesn’t he fire her?” Jenna asked.
“She saved his sorry life in Colombia, so he brought her and her children back to the States with him.” Marisol laughed. “Something about Viking honor and debts.”
Jenna laughed. “That’s what I call Thor—the Viking.”
“He’s a barbarian,” Marisol said, then laughed.
“And you wish he’d pillage you,” Addison said.
“Perhaps,” Marisol said, “but right now, I still have him convinced I live at a convent.”
“What?” Ravyn asked as giggles filled the air.
Addison turned toward Ravyn. “One night at dinner, Marisol asked Jenna what you called a place where a lot of women lived and worked. Instead of saying a brothel, Jenna said it was called a convent. Ever since then, Marisol has been trying to convince Thor that she lives at a convent.”
“I wish I’d been there to see that,” Ravyn said.
“You’ll be present to join in the fun in the future,” Marisol said, then added, “So we’re going to Thor’s house, right?”
“Yes,” Ravyn said, “if you’ll direct me.”
“His turnoff is coming up in about fifteen miles,” Marisol said. “He lives on a big acreage in the middle of nowhere. I know the security code to the gate.”
“He must have a long commute into Dallas,” Jenna said.
“Not really. He’s just a few miles off the interstate, and if he’s in a hurry, he calls a friend who owns a helicopter service and they fly him.”
Ravyn took the turnoff Marisol indicated and a few minutes later, they arrived at a pair of gates that looked as if a tank cou
ldn’t break through them. She pulled up to the security pad and rolled down the passenger window then waited while Marisol leaned over Jenna and keyed in the code. The gates swung open and she drove through them, then followed the paved driveway to a large, two-story house. “Where should I park?”
“Just leave it on the driveway,” Marisol said. “We’ll need it in the morning when we go shopping.”
Ravyn parked, then turned off the engine. “I can’t believe we made it.” She shoved open the door and stepped out.
As they walked toward the front door, it opened and a small woman with short, black hair stepped out onto the porch and smiled.
“Señor Thor has already called and said I was to call him if you came here,” she said with a laugh.
“Hi, Anna. Are you going to call him?” Marisol asked.
“Yes, as soon as I find the phone. It has gone missing again,” Anna said.
Marisol laughed, then hugged Anna. “These are my friends,” she said, then introduced Addison, Jenna, Cassie, and Ravyn. “We’re spending the night, then going shopping tomorrow. Do you want to come along?”
“I will stay here and hold down the house,” Anna said, mangling one of Thor’s quotes. “If Señor Thor shows up, I can call and warn you.”
“Fort,” Addison corrected, then added, “I thought the phone was missing.”
“It is sure to show up like a bad man,” Anna said.
“Penny,” Jenna said. “Like a bad penny.”
“Thor likes to play games, so he says a quote and Anna messes it up. It makes him laugh.” Marisol smiled, then frowned. “Sometimes he broods. I don’t like it.”
“Me either,” Anna said, then held the door open so they could enter the house. “I will get rooms ready for you.”
Addison shook her head. “No. We’ll get the rooms ready for ourselves and Jenna can help you fix our dinner. She’s a great cook, and I’m in the mood for something hot and spicy.”
Jenna groaned. “I’ll cook it for you, but I’m not sharing a room with you, and you know why.”
* * * *
The next day, Ravyn walked by her new friends, swiveled around on the stilettos she was modeling for them. Addison, Jenna, Cassie, and Marisol gave her four thumbs-up. She reminded herself to call them the royals then turned again when Cassie twirled her finger in the air, silently asking her to show the back of the shoes again.
“Very sexy,” Cassie said. “Luc and Logan will approve.”
“I think we should each buy a pair and then get matching outfits and go to that club you were talking about at lunch.” Ravyn glanced at the shoes on her feet in the mirror. They really were sexy in a barely there kind of way. “I mean, if you want to go.”
Addison clapped her hands together and laughed as she motioned for the clerk. “It’s called Club Elysium, and I think it’s a great idea. Wait until you meet the owner, Clint McCabe.”
“Yes, he’s absolutely gorgeous. Like a male model,” Marisol said. “He has sable-brown hair with gold streaks and his eyes are so dark brown they’re almost black. Like a vampire’s. So sexy.”
“He’s a mystery I haven’t been able to solve yet,” Addison said, then added, “But his eyes are blue, Marisol.”
Cassie laughed. “You’re both wrong. They’re green, and you might as well give up, Addison. Nobody knows anything about him.”
Jenna placed her hand on Addison’s arm. “Uh, I don’t think Cade or any of our men would approve of us going there without them.”
“Oh, pooh, they won’t even know,” Addison said.
“Oh, really? Have you ever gotten anything past Cade? If so, when?” Jenna asked.
Addison sighed, then pouted. “Never.”
Marisol leaned forward. “Well, I say we still get matching outfits and wear them at home tonight. It’ll be fun. We can have a BDSM-themed girls’ night party.”
Jenna pointed to Addison. “She knows where to get the most amazing corsets.”
Addison smiled. “The best place is only a few blocks from here. We’ll go there as soon as we each have a pair of those shoes.” She held out her bare foot and wiggled it. “I think we need to get pedicures and manicures before we go to Thor’s.”
Jenna pulled her phone out and made a call to her spa as the clerk slipped a pair of the stilettos on her feet. She smiled, then nodded at the clerk before she stood up and walked across the room. She sat down and slipped the shoes off, then hung up her phone. “They can work us in at four. That gives us two hours to pick out an outfit and drive to the salon.”
After paying for their shoes, they got back into Thor’s vehicle and Addison gave Ravyn directions to the shop Jenna had mentioned.
A tiny frown caused a wrinkle between Jenna’s eyes. “I can’t believe Jackson hasn’t caught up to us yet. It has me worried.”
Cassie nodded. “Me, too. Luc is usually sharper than this. Even Logan should be on our trail by now.”
“You don’t think something has happened to them?” Marisol asked.
“Oh, no. Do you think that’s why they haven’t shown up?” Ravyn’s hands jerked on the steering wheel and the vehicle swerved to the side before she corrected it. “You should call them.”
Cassie snorted. “There’s no way anyone would get the jump on all of them. They’re probably just pissed off at us and cooling off before they come after us.”
“They were meeting to go over the information they’ve gathered on Earl Baume and Mendez,” Jenna said. “Jackson thinks Earl’s cousin, Barbie Johnson, has taken over the drug trafficking in our area now that Earl is dead.”
The vehicle swerved again. “Cade said her name the other day but I’ve heard that woman’s name before,” Ravyn said. “Who is she?”
Jenna met Ravyn’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “She and Earl Baume are cousins. Earl had a grudge against Jackson’s dad when he was a cop in Long Valley. Then he became the chief of police in Rendezvous a few years back. He came after me and Jackson a few weeks ago and Jackson killed him. We found out that Baume’s been running the drug trafficking in our area for years. Now that he’s dead we think Barbie is in charge of the drug supply.”
“Pull in here,” Addison said, pointing to a small parking lot next to a plain building.
Ravyn followed her directions, parked the SUV, then swiveled around and looked at them. “So, let’s see—Addison was kidnapped by Mendez, and Jenna was hunted down by an enemy of Jackson’s who used to be in charge of the drug trafficking in your area. Cassie was kidnapped by my ex-husband and he’s involved with Mendez. What about you, Marisol? Anybody tried to kill you lately?”
“Not lately, but Thor might try when he catches up to us.” Marisol laughed, then said, “Okay, everyone out. I’m going to talk to Ravyn for a moment and you can’t hear what she has to say.”
Addison, Cassie, and Jenna jumped out and walked a few feet away. Marisol leaned forward as Ravyn turned in her seat until their eyes met.
“Okay, tell me how you know Barbie’s name,” Marisol said.
“Charles said it,” Ravyn said, leaving out that he had made her type the name on the flash drive.
“Did he say anything more about her?”
Ravyn nodded, stalling for time as she decided how much she could say without incriminating herself. “He said Earl was cheating him, and he was going to go after Barbie Johnson unless Earl gave him the money he owed him.”
“Anything else?”
Ravyn shook her head, then stopped and said, “I know Charles had another woman in the Rendezvous area who was keeping an eye on things for him. She was, or is, his lover, but I don’t know anything about her.”
“No name or anything?” Marisol asked.
Ravyn shook her head. “Charles played in the clubs with other women, but I think his lover has long, blonde hair because I found it on his jacket several times.” Realizing how much she’d told Marisol, she bit her lip, then said, “Please don’t tell anyone what I’ve told you.”
&nb
sp; Marisol patted her shoulder. “This is between you and me. I promise. Now, let’s go shopping and forget about all this for a while.”
* * * *
Later that evening, they were dressed in their matching outfits, drinking non-alcoholic wine in Thor’s large family room. A tearjerker chick flick was playing on the wall-sized flat-screen when Ravyn saw Thor, Cade, Jackson, Logan and Luc appear in the archway leading into the room. They looked seriously pissed and she was thankful she didn’t belong to one of them. A moment later she watched as one-by-one, Addison, Jenna, Cassie and Marisol realized they were no longer alone. The expressions on their faces were a mix of fear and anticipation.
Addison stood up and said, “It was my idea, but don’t worry.” She reached down and picked up her gun from the table where she’d placed it earlier and held it up. “We’re all armed.”
The men scattered, hitting the floor and scooting behind the nearest solid object they could find.
“Ramsey,” Thor yelled from behind the couch, “get that damn thing away from your wife.”
“Addison, baby, put the gun down.” Cade peeked over the back of the chair he’d ducked behind. “You know how accident prone you are.”
“It’s not loaded.” Cassie moved in front of Addison, took the gun, and laid it on the table with a sharp click. “Okay, the weapon has been secured and you can come out now.”
Cade stalked toward Addison. “You are racking up the punishments. You’re not going to be able to sit for months after Limo is born.”
Jackson moved in front of Jenna. “What do you have to say for yourself, angel?”
“Guilty as charged, Sir, but please keep in mind we took Thor’s vehicle and we came to his house. The only way we’d been safer is if you’d come with us.”
Jackson pulled her up against him. “That’s not going to save your ass.”
Jenna shrugged. “It was worth a try.”
Ravyn sat still as a statue as Luc and Logan stood over Cassie who looked up, then quickly lowered her eyes again. Ravyn thought about all the things they’d told her about BDSM and shivered with a tiny bit of fear, but mostly with yearning.
Maxwell, Mardi - Zane's Choice [The Doms of Club Mystique 4] (Siren Publishing Allure) Page 4
