The choice would be Madelyn’s, he knew.
Noah waited for them to catch up to him, caught her other arm, and shared another inscrutable look with Gabriel.
Damn, why did he have to like the guy so much?
They reached the restaurant which had a large crowd milling about, buzzers and drinks visible in many hands.
“Looks like a wait,” Gabriel said.
“I’ll go see how long and get us on the reservation list. Keep an eye out for Natalie.” Madelyn excused herself and headed for the hostess stand.
“You okay?” Gabriel asked the second she was out of earshot.
Noah shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “Why do you ask?”
“Not an answer, I see. What’s bugging you?”
His eyes caressed Madelyn’s back, and Noah clenched his hands.
“Nothing.”
Gabriel swung his gaze back to him, eyes narrowed and a tic in his jaw. “Don’t bullshit me, man. I can tell something is wrong. What can I do to help?”
That shocked the hell out of him. Not only that Gabriel picked up on his hazy feelings but that he wanted to help. Hell, he was usually surly, so figuring out it was more was a surprise in itself.
But the offer to help astounded him.
“What do you feel for Madelyn?” he asked.
He stilled. “Why?”
“Answer the question.”
A heartbeat of silent torture. “I’m not sure.”
“Bullshit,” he threw Gabriel’s words back at him.
The man grinned slightly and inclined his head. “Fair enough. She’s incredible. Special. Warm and loving and tender and feisty as hell. She has a mouth that can’t be beat, both verbally and sexually.” He gave another wry grin. “Not telling you anything you didn’t already know, huh?”
“No.” But the easily rattled-off knowledge stretched across his nerves like fingernails and chalkboard. The man was too damn perceptive and fitting too easily into her life.
“Is that what’s bothering you? That I figured her out so quickly?”
Noah snorted. “Yeah, actually. It’s surprising. Doesn’t usually happen with clients. Hell, it’s never happened with a client before.”
“I see.”
Noah had a sinking feeling he did. But what in the hell was he going to do about it?
“Hi.”
Natalie’s breathless greeting turned him around.
“Natalie,” Gabriel said. “You look lovely.”
The neutral tone of his voice surprised Noah, but not as much as the aura emanating from the dark-eyed beauty in front of them. “Good evening, Natalie.” He took her hand and brought it to his mouth, brushing his lips over her skin.
Her eyes widened and she giggled. “Hi,” she said again.
Gabriel and Noah shared a glance. In the other man’s eyes he caught the same urge to roll his eyes over her insipid response.
His lips twitched.
Gabriel didn’t hold back but grinned widely as he scoped over her form.
Noah also checked her out. She was wearing a blue cotton blouse, buttons opened to the middle of her cleavage, and matching shorts that stopped just below her ass. Her pink-painted toenails shone vividly from the strappy wedge sandals she wore.
She looked like a barely legal teenager. Much younger than the twenty-seven or so he thought she was.
“Are we alone tonight?” she asked. She didn’t hide her relief.
“No, Madelyn’s getting us on the list.”
“Oh.”
Another shared look, this one filled with disapproval.
The girl was not off to a good start.
“What’s this?” Gabriel asked, pointing at something along her left shoulder.
She cleared her throat and tugged her collar up but not before Noah glimpsed an angry red welt.
He frowned and reached out, parting the shirt before she could stop him. Several such weals covered her skin. “Did you just come from a session?”
“I, uh…”
“Yes or no,” Noah snapped.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Hey, it’s okay,” Gabriel said, pulling the material back into place. “It’s what this place is all about, remember? Finding partners and exploring your sexuality.”
Her head came up, and she gave them a tremulous smile. “I wasn’t trying to cheat on you or anything. It just happened a little unexpectedly.”
“Whoa, whoa!” Noah held up his hands.
“Yeah, back that up,” Gabriel said. “There is no cheating. We just met you. Hell, we barely talked to you for five minutes.”
She looked confused. “Well, I know, I just meant—”
“I have our buzzer. Another ten minutes, the girl said. Oh, hello.” Madelyn’s voice dropped from light to flat on the salutation.
“Hi.” Natalie’s response was equally as tepid.
Noah jerked his head to the right, and Gabriel nodded.
“We’ll be right back,” he said to the women.
“Where are you going?” Madelyn demanded.
“Right over there. Don’t worry, I’ll be able to see you. I’ll be right here.”
She sighed, and he knew her safety wasn’t what concerned her—being left alone with Natalie did.
He winked at her and walked away, leaving her fuming behind him. Oh, he was going to pay for that later.
“That’s an evil smile,” Gabriel remarked.
“Yeah, I was just thinking of what Madelyn is going to do when she tries to punish me for leaving her with the girl.”
“Ah, yes, that should be fun.” He swung and studied the women. “Damn, she’s got a mean glare. She’d give a gator a run for its money.”
Noah chuckled. “Yep. So, you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“How are we going to get rid of Natalie?”
“Yeah. She could grow into a liability, especially if we played with her.”
“I don’t want her hanging around or getting the wrong idea. It’s best to just end it now. Should we do it before dinner?”
“Well.” Noah stroked his chin and considered the matter. “That would probably be best, though it seems rude.”
“Yeah, but if we don’t get rid of her now, we’re opening ourselves up for trouble later.”
“Good evening, gentlemen.” Constable Ralston’s smooth voice cut through their debate. “I hate to interrupt your conversation.” He looked anything but regretful. In fact, he looked suspicious. “Might I ask who you plan on eliminating?”
The phrasing struck Noah as funny, and he laughed again. “Not eliminate, Constable, shoo away. Natalie. The girl in the blue shorts and shirt.” He pointed her out to the policeman. “We’ve decided she’s a bit too green for our tastes.”
The man’s face relaxed immediately, and a new sparkle came into his eyes as he sized her up. “She’s a submissive?”
Noah hid his surprise, then wondered at it. Pleasure Isles did cater to all sorts and who said an island cop couldn’t be a Dom? “Maybe. She’s not really sure. She’d like to explore. Would you care for an introduction?”
The man smiled widely and adjusted his belt. “I would indeed.” Then his face turned serious. “But first, I have a bit of news for you regarding the young man we found today.”
“Yes?”
“You were correct, Mr. Bishop, he was beaten with some type of blunt object, mostly likely a heavy whip. That is not what killed him though.”
He didn’t hide his shock, nor did Gabriel.
“No? Then what did it?”
“He was drugged.”
Chapter Fifteen
Madelyn stood in silence with Natalie, waiting for Noah and Gabriel to return to them. She slanted a speculative glance at the girl, saw the glow she wore, and wondered if she’d just come from a scene.
She checked on the men again, surprised to find the constable had joined them.
“Who is that?” Natalie asked.
&n
bsp; “Constable Ralston, local chief of police. He’s investigating the body.”
“What body?”
Madelyn filled her in. The girl’s horrified expression softened her heart and she took her hand and patted lightly. “He is very well trained, there’s no need to worry. I have every confidence he’ll catch the person responsible.” She couldn’t bring herself to say killer.
Natalie relaxed and shifted on her feet then leaned closer. “He’s quite handsome, the constable, isn’t he?”
The conspiratorial whisper, the naked admiration in her face, and the way her eyes traveled over the man’s fit form tickled Madelyn.
“Yes, he is. Would you like an introduction?”
“Oh, he’s looking this way.” Natalie straightened, thrust back her shoulders, and flipped her hair behind her.
Madelyn smothered a laugh. The girl was as subtle as a baseball bat.
“So? Would you?”
“Yes, please.” Finally, Natalie looked her full in the face, eyes wide and sparkling. “I am very interested in a man, not a woman. No offense.”
“None taken,” she replied dryly. “Not that I recall offering.”
The girl had the grace to look chagrined. “Well, I just mean the other woman was a bit more forceful than you. Almost expectant. I didn’t quite know how to turn her down. And when she touched me, well, I found I didn’t want to turn her down.”
“What other woman?”
Natalie waved her hand airily. “Just a Domme I met in the bar during my shift. She promised me a good time. I’d never been with a woman before.”
“Did you enjoy it?”
“Yes, very much. But there was something lacking. Something too clinical about the whole process. I found myself analyzing the situation instead of really enjoying it.” She rubbed at her wrists and shook her head. “Good grief, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to prattle on.”
Madelyn smiled, completely at ease with the girl now. She was no threat. “It’s quite all right. This is a wonderful place for experimenting as long as you follow the rules.”
At the word rules, Natalie’s mocha skin turned ashen. “Oh, the rules. Yes, I must follow those.” Her swallow was audible and a tremor rippled through her.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes, of course. Just one of those things, you know, someone walking over your grave?” Natalie’s smile was wide and once more ingenious.
“Right. Oh, look, here they come.”
Noah approached and his look frightened Madelyn. A storm brewed in his eyes, fury spat like sparks from a downed electrical wire, and the cords stood out on his neck.
She was afraid to look at Gabriel, wondering what he’d said to enrage Noah so much. When she finally did meet his glance, she was astounded to find his expression the exact same.
Both men were carefully controlling their ire.
“Natalie,” Gabriel said. “I am sorry, but something has come up and we need to cancel our dinner with you.”
“Oh no, you can’t do that,” the girl said.
Madelyn frowned at the panic in her voice. Plus, she felt a wee bit guilty at her wave of relief.
“But we must,” Noah said. “However, I’d like to introduce you to Constable Charles Ralston. Constable, this delightful creature is Natalie. I’m sorry, I don’t know your last name.”
“Simms,” she said softly, her glance bouncing between the three men.
The girl still looked unnerved, though she’d perked up some.
“Natalie Simms. Ralston here is going to have dinner with you in our place, should you be agreeable.”
Natalie licked her lips and looked past them to the milling crowd in the lobby then back at the constable. Finally, she gave one slow nod. “That’s fine,” she said softly. “I believe I would enjoy that. But, Sirs.” She turned to Noah and Gabriel. “Maybe I could come up to your room later? Perhaps nine or so? What room are you in?”
Madelyn’s irritation returned full force, and she stepped forward, inserting herself between her men. “No, I’m sorry, that won’t be possible. We’ll be in the middle of something.”
The sexual connotation of “something” was not lost on the girl and her lips tightened.
“Tomorrow? I’m off tomorrow. All I need is your room number.”
“We’ll find you,” Madelyn snapped, drew a breath, and softened her tone and expression. “Really, we don’t want your evening to be a waste. Go on, enjoy your dinner with the constable.”
Ralston took command, taking hold of Natalie’s arm and turning her from them. “Good night. Mr. Bishop, I’ll catch up with you in the morning.”
“Yes, thank you.”
The tension in Noah and Gabriel was palpable and Madelyn shifted, mouth dry. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
Noah shook his head. “Upstairs.”
“We’re not eating?”
Gabriel turned her and with Noah imprisoning her other side, she had no choice but to follow their footsteps toward the elevator. She was really beginning to hate that brass box.
“We’ll order room service.”
The ride was made in silence. When they finally reached their floor, Gabriel held her back as Noah stepped out, checked both hallways, then motioned them to follow.
“What’s with all the cloak and dagger stuff?” she muttered.
Noah opened the door and again Gabriel held her until the all-clear had been given. She stepped into the room, fear mingling with exasperation. “Okay, we’re here, we’re safe, no boogeyman in the closet. What is going on?”
“Oscar was murdered.”
She waited, but nothing else was forthcoming. “Yeah,” she drawled out. “We pretty much figured that out.”
“Ralston confirmed it. But he also told us the boy had been drugged.”
“With what?”
“He said he wouldn’t be able to say for certain until the tox reports come back, which could take weeks, but he seems to think it was some sort of pain inhibitor.”
She swallowed hard, her mind immediately flying to Krista and her sick desires. “That’s quite an assumption without confirmation. What on earth made him think that?”
Gabriel shook his head in disgust. “He found a broken vial of fentanyl near the beach where Oscar’s body was located. She’s not only crazy, she’s sloppy.”
Madelyn wrapped her arms around herself then melted into Noah when he pulled her close. “It will be okay, my love. Nothing will happen to you, I swear it.”
“I know, mon coeur, I trust you.”
But in her mind, terror ran rampant.
“We need to alert the Council.”
“I’m going to call Clarissa in a moment,” he said and rubbed the goose bumps from her arms. “Let’s get something to eat first.”
She was definitely not hungry.
“I don’t want anything.”
“Tough,” Gabriel said. “You need to eat.” He speared Noah with an equally hard look. “We all do.” He stalked to the desk and picked up the leather-bound binder, opened it, and flipped through pages. He turned it around and held the menu out to them. “Pick something.”
Her lips twitched and she bit down hysteria-tinged amusement. “He’s bossy,” she whispered sotto voce to Noah.
“Yeah, he is.” Noah sounded ridiculously pleased. “We should do what he says. I’ll take a steak with mashed potatoes. Medium rare. And a six-pack of beer.”
“Fine,” she sighed and grabbed the menu. “What do you want?” She looked at Gabriel as she said it.
“Same thing as Noah.”
She rolled her eyes and walked to the desk, plopped down at the comfortable chair, hauled the phone close, and called room service.
“All right, ordered. Forty-five minutes or so. What do we do in the meantime?”
Gabriel settled onto the couch and patted the cushion next to him. “I bet there’s a ball game on somewhere.”
“Oh God,” she groaned.
Noah edged her out o
f the chair. “Scoot,” he said. “I’m going to call Clarissa. We’ll wait to make any decisions until after I’ve talked to her.”
Madelyn kissed him on the top of his head as he sat down then made her way to Gabriel’s side. She sank onto the couch, squeaking when he hauled her against him.
She relaxed into his warm body, feeling safe and secure in his arms.
“Tell me more about Krista. Did you know she was capable of murder?”
Madelyn shivered, and the feeling of security immediately fled.
“No,” she whispered. “I knew she was obsessed, but I never really believed she would go this far.”
“Obsession can often become deadly.”
She nodded. “When we first met her, she was very charming. Charismatic, you could say. Very likable and open and friendly. It was an act, I know now. But there is something about her that’s very compelling. People are drawn to her like flies and honey.” She scoffed. “Winslet is just one example.”
“What tipped you off that she was nuts?”
The memory shook her to the core. Sweat beaded her upper lip, and her teeth chattered suddenly.
Gabriel hugged her tighter. “Hey, you don’t have to talk about it, if you don’t want to,” he whispered, lips tender at her ear.
She closed her eyes and shamelessly soaked in the comfort he offered. “No, it’s all right. We’d been with her for an entire day, observing, making suggestions, showing her different techniques. She already knew about our abilities, it’s one of the first things we tell to our clients so there is little cause for them to worry over hurting me.” Madelyn twisted her fingers together. “She was captivated by the knowledge. I saw the way she appraised me with her eyes when she watched Noah work me over.”
Gabriel shifted on the couch, drawing her deeper into his embrace. His cologne wafted over her, and she inhaled the spicy scent. She snuggled closer and played with the hair on the back of his hand and wrist.
“When her turn came to use the whips on me, she started small. Light. Almost tentative.” Her brow furrowed at the memory. “We were so stupid,” she whispered harshly. “Not to pick up on what she was doing. Making us feel secure and safe and confident.” Madelyn swallowed and shook her head, giving a small self-deprecating laugh. “The worst part is that she’s really good. She’s got the Midas touch when it comes to delivering a whipping. She knew exactly how to lay the leather so I felt it the most, enjoyed it the most.”
Empowered [Sexual Magic 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 16
