Liam rested a hand on her shoulder, gently thumbing the column of her neck. “It looks so strange to see you without Simon’s collar.”
“I couldn’t keep wearing it, Liam. Not after I collared you. I will always love Simon in my own way. He is my past. Now I have you here. You’re my present.” She adjusted the lock on his collar.
He studied her face. “You’ve locked up my heart, too, you know.” He paused. “I know you aren’t supposed to wear my collar, but maybe I can ask you to wear a different kind of shackle.” The yellow velvet box was suddenly between them. Liam laughed nervously. “I had a hell of time finding a this box.”
“Oh my God…”
He took her hand and pulled her away from the rocks and toward the ocean. “If I’m your present, I’d like to be your future as well.” He opened it and the diamond, perfect, flawless, sparkling in the bright setting sun, sat there. It shone like it was on fire. “I’m always on my knees near you, so instead I’m going to stand and hope I can fill one more of those ideas you had, for a partner.”
“Liam.”
“Tally. My belle.”
She pulled him in and kissed him hard. She whispered, “Ask me and I’ll say yes.”
“Marry me?”
THE END
Anything For Her
The Second of
THE FIRE TRILOGY
It Begins
So. Texas.
This was where her last, desperate hope lay. In the heat that was just north and east of the city of Houston, on the edges of the swamps and green forests of East Texas.
This was where she was running to. Not from.
This was so far from her home, so far from everything she’d known her whole life. There was no snow down here, no mountains. Not the way she knew them, anyway. Yeah, there were rolling hills. There might even be some descent hills out west. But they were nothing like the Rockies.
Still, this was the place she had to run to. The last resort.
Glancing into the rearview, she found the little girl there sound asleep. The cast on her arm didn’t seem to bother her or slow her down, but the very presence of it there screamed at her. How could she, the mother of this gorgeous little creature, let that happen?
Well. She’d been dumb. Duped. Blinded to what was going on. Not anymore, though.
As soon as that cast had set, she’d put her girl in the booster seat, packed two bags, and got the fuck out of Dodge.
Idaho.
Same deal.
Self-preservation, and more so: the safety of her daughter.
Destination: Karim.
Goal: find help.
Plan: none.
There had been no time for planning. Even during the long, seemingly unending drive from Idaho, she hadn’t come up with a single idea of how to get the help she needed.
All she kept seeing was that cast on her daughter’s arm.
Damn.
She had never been like this before. She had always been calm, someone who planned things out. This was out of character for her, but so necessary.
Her little girl needed to be safe.
So.
Texas.
Chapter One
The pen nailed Austin directly in the temple.
“You’re not fucking listening to me, Pepperdine! Wake the fuck up!”
Bringing his head around slowly, he stared at Preston Stevens. He wanted to be angry at his now former lieutenant, but the look on Preston’s face said it all. There was no joke here. Austin had to catch on to what he was saying soon. Preston was desperate to get on the road.
“Sorry, man.” Austin rubbed the spot where the pen hit. “I drift.”
“No shit, you don’t say.” Preston rumbled and grumbled and then dropped a binder in front of him. “This is the security bible. Mak, Liam, and I put this together. This outlines everything that has to happen and get done to keep the place together. No one has complete access to everything except me, Mak, Liam, and Tally.”
“What about Mak’s woman?”
“Mak’s wife doesn’t come in here except to visit her husband in his office in a dire emergency.” Preston slammed the binder open. “Don’t call her ‘woman,’ her name is Lucy. I would also suggest not calling Tally anything but Ms. Fremanis or Ms. Tally. She’ll hang you up by your balls if you disrespect her.”
Austin raised an eyebrow. “Why do you put up with this shit?”
“Put up with what shit? Did you read anything I sent you?”
“It’s a security job.”
Preston slammed his head on the desk. “I asked you to do this because you need the job, and of all the guys in the squad I trusted you the most. If you feel like being flippant and disrespectful, I’ll find someone else.”
“Owthefuck!” Austin rubbed his forehead.
“Look, this place is important. It’s a refuge. Do you want this or not?”
Austin massaged his forehead a little more. Lieutenant Stevens had always been good to him, and all the guys. He knew that Stevens had relied on him in the field more than any of the other. The look on his face said a lot, too. Whatever was going on in his family was weighing on him, badly, and he wanted to get on his way.
“Fine. I do need the job, and I can certainly do it. I’ll read the other stuff and go through this. Who do I talk to if I have questions?”
“Mak, Tally or Liam. Mak and Tally are your first choice.”
“Why didn’t you ask one of your suits? There are a lot of them.”
“Because while I trust them, they need someone to scare them. They need someone to keep them on their toes. If I put one of them in charge, they aren’t going to pay attention and something will slip through.” Stevens turned to him. “We’ve had stalker incidents. Some too close for comfort. And I need that measure of comfort while I’m gone.”
Austin nodded. Stevens trusted him. This place was important. He didn’t understand, but he had the feeling that it wouldn’t take him long to figure out why. “Fine. I do appreciate the chance.”
“I know you do.” Stevens cuffed him on the shoulder. “Now. Go home and read the shit I sent you. I’m leaving in the morning, so I need you to handle this starting tomorrow.”
* * *
Despite his best efforts of staying out of Texas, here was Austin, outside of Houston. He shook his head and straightened the tie. He checked the lines of his suit and headed out the door.
Reading the information Stevens had sent him, he realized exactly why the man had asked him. He knew about the lifestyle, had some buddies who were into it. Those suits on the floor of this club—simply The Club—knew each other and were comfortable around each other and the patrons. There was a huge potential for trouble in this place and having one of their own in charge would most likely allow for some slacking.
Not what was needed.
With him there, someone Stevens had handpicked, there was little chance they’d step out of line. Considering that there had been a police report in with all the information he’d gotten and read, they needed to not step out of line.
It was still a little early, but he didn’t mind. Special ops had had him out of bed at the ass-crack of dawn and before. No denying he liked his sleep, and getting up at seven to arrive by eight seemed a decent compromise. Armed with the keys and the code to the building, he wanted to acquaint himself with the interior and security systems before the place could become busy.
The Club was on the corner near one end of the main street in Karim. The town itself was an enigma, looking more like it belonged in the Creole swamps of Louisiana than just seventy minutes northeast of the heart of Houston. Right on the edge of the verdant forests and swamps of eastern Texas, it was an oasis of sorts.
The building that held The Club was typical of the French Quarter in Nola—save this had no windows on the first floor, and the façade above was false. The windows didn’t open. There was no way to get out on the balcony. It was shut up tight as a drum.
Austin drov
e around the back, to the underground garage, and parked in the spot labeled security. As he walked from the car to the door, he noticed the fisheye cameras in four corners and the center. The door was alarmed, and he had to use not only his key but the thumbprint of his left hand to unlock the door.
The thumb print was for the staff only. Everyone else used an index finger. Preston had explained that switching fingers added an extra level of security. Austin didn’t really get it, but he didn’t question it.
The stairwell had fisheye cameras. The door to the main area had a key and print combo. The doors all had varying degrees of security. Austin very quickly realized they were based on the importance of the area beyond.
The security office was on the second floor, off the hall that led to the Deuxiéme Bar. The bar, Stevens explained, doubled as a control point. Not only did the bartenders pour, but they also managed the hotel, and to a lesser degree, the kitchen.
Swinging his jacket off and draping it on the chair, Austin stared at the half blank screens in front of him. He could see his car, the stairs, the entire exterior, the two bars on the first floor, and all of the hallways. But there were still two entire high banks of screens that were turned off.
Shaking his head, he reached over and started flipping them on, since—odd—they had been running but just shut off.
He walked back out to the bar, checking everything out, and was surprised that there was actually someone tending the bar.
“Ah, Mister Austin,” the woman purred. “I didn’t expect you this early.”
“First day, want to get a little acquainted with everyone and everything.” He leaned forward on the bar. “I didn’t get your name.”
“Gianna.” She offered her hand. “I’m the hospitality manager and bartender until ten this morning.”
“Hospitality?”
Nodding, she grabbed a tablet from behind the counter. “I control the overnight guests. A little…trick Mak and Tally came up with to avoid the brothel laws. And it makes it easier for our members to enjoy their evening. Breakfast will be served in about half an hour. It’s another little twist that allows us to operate within the law.”
Austin looked around. “Is this place illegal?”
“This place, and places like it, are…frowned upon. But we stay quiet. We’re good neighbors. We’re good revenue. So as long as we’re on the up and up on the books, most of the town, if they even know what we are, looks away.”
He nodded, considering her words. “So there will be overnight guests.”
“A few, most on Thursday, Friday, Saturday. We don’t have many during the week.”
“And breakfast?”
Gianna laughed. “Men. You either think with your dicks…or your stomachs. The chef will have it out at about eight. Most of our guests don’t rouse until then. And yes, Mister Pepperdine, it is indeed free for employees.”
“The fastest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” Austin tossed her a wink.
“Keep yourself in check, Mister Pepperdine.” Gianna gave him a smirk. “You’re supposed to be intimidating and standoffish. Not to mention, I prefer the V to the D.”
Austin sighed. “First pretty woman and I’m already benched.” He leaned up from the bar. “Half an hour until food?” Gianna nodded, and Austin tapped on the bar, in sort of a ba-dum-tiss rhythm. “I’ll be back. I never turn down a good breakfast.”
The office, which was actually well lit, seemed stark and cold. There was nothing personal and nothing to make it cozy. How did Preston spend so much time in there? The screens he had started up were now filled with images, and Austin sat down at the desk and looked through the screens methodically, starting with the outside—where a woman was texting, walking and drinking her coffee all at once—and moving to the inside—where the hostess for the front had arrived and was looking for something in the podium. He followed the cameras through the public area, up the stairs in the back, into the bar, down the hall, up the front stairs, and into the hall up one floor.
His eyes stopped on the woman in the hall with the housekeeping cart.
Holy crap.
Long black hair was held back with a headband and swept into a ponytail. She had a typical maid’s uniform on, but there was no doubt she was absolutely gorgeous, with generous breasts and curves in all the right spots. She had headphones on and was dancing a little as she went about her duties. He could see all the stuff in her cart: fresh soaps, towels, sheets, toilet paper, disinfectant, leather polish, dust rags—
Leather polish?
Austin took a deep breath. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know why she had leather polish in the cart. And he was distracted enough by the bottle that she disappeared into the room. He was going to have to figure out who she was so he could introduce himself.
Back on target, he wandered down through the screens some more, finding more hallways, more doors and the final bar on the third floor, closed up. Nothing. A few people walking through but that was it. Moving on, he started checking the other screens, wondering what could be on them since he had just toured the whole building.
As his eyes landed on the first monitor, he immediately regretted it.
There on the first screen was a woman, naked, trussed up like a turkey, and a man flicking a flogger between her legs. Austin stepped up and hit the ‘off’ button. He looked down at the next one and there was a man and woman mid-fuck. He snapped that one off.
Next: Doggy style. Click.
Next: Paddling. Click.
Next: Strap on, two guys. Click.
Austin didn’t look at the rest. He just snapped off the screens as quickly as he could without seeing more than a tit or a dick on screen.
Sweet Jesus, where the fuck did he end up?
Austin flopped himself into the chair in front of the monitors on the left, the ones that weren’t full of kinky sex. Hallways were welcome after seeing the other rooms.
Damn.
This was going to take some time to get used to. At least now he understood why those monitors were off.
Chapter Two
The door opened, and a woman with headphones backed into the room, humming and singing along with the music.
However, Austin wasn’t expecting her and vaulted out of the bed, taking the sheets with him.
The noise startled her—and him, really—and she let out a scream, trying to push the massive cart back out of the room. When she screamed, Austin’s automatic reaction was to grab the gun on the nightstand and bring it to bear on her.
Still in the holster.
The woman slammed herself back first against the wall and slid down partway.
Austin turned the gun away and looked at it. Still in the holster.
“Goddamn it.”
From her spot near the door, the woman let out a small strangled gasp, covering her face with her hands. Austin dove across the room and knelt next to her.
“I’m not going to hurt you. I’m sorry! You startled me.”
She shook her head violently, curling in further. “Don’t. Don’t.”
Fuck. This woman had been threatened multiple times with a gun. He had just triggered her response. He put a hand on her shoulder. “Ma’am, I don’t have the gun in my hand anymore. I’m sorry. You startled me.”
She started hyperventilating in the next second. Austin hauled her up on the bed and made her put her head between her legs, just repeating a soothing mantra, “I’m sorry. It was a mistake. You caught me off guard. I’m not going to hurt you. Just breathe.” This was worse than watching one of his marines freak out on him. That he could understand. This was just a woman he’d been watching in the cameras for a week. He knew nothing about her or her background.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” Her breath was ragged and the words were ripped from her chest. She was still bent over, but her rocking started to settle. “I’m sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing?” Austin asked. “I’m the one who pulled the gun. I was the one in
here with notice.”
“I shouldn’t react like this. I shouldn’t have overreacted. I’m going to get in so much trouble.”
“Hey, hey, stop. You’re not going to get in trouble.”
There were a few deep, heaving sighs from the woman, and finally she stopped shaking. She put a hand on his leg and pushed herself up to a sitting position. There were a few final ragged breaths as she stared at him. “What’s your name?”
“Austin, Austin Pepperdine. And you?”
“Dee—Debbie. Debbie Delany.” Blinking, she considered him a moment. “Austin?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you know you’re naked?”
Looking down, he gasped. “Shit!” Austin grabbed the sheet from the floor and wrapped it around his waist. “Sorry. I didn’t expect anyone to barge in, and I certainly didn’t expect to have them hyperventilate on me.”
The maid stood a little too fast, and Austin rocketed off the bed to grab her, losing the sheet again. She shook her head. “I didn’t expect anyone to be in here. There was no one on the schedule.”
“I didn’t think...” Austin took a deep breath. “I didn’t think you came in on Sunday mornings. I’ve seen you all week. I thought you’d take a night off.”
“When you sleep in rooms that aren’t yours, you might consider a pair of boxers and your situation before you pull a gun.”
“Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. Let me clear out and—”
Debbie cleared her throat. “No. Just find something to cover your junk, please. I’ll come back in a few minutes. I have other rooms to clean and reorganize. I haven’t been able to really get a few of the rooms for more than a toy clean and a sheet change for weeks.”
Austin grabbed the sheet one more time to cover himself, then glanced back at Debbie. “Toy clean?”
“It’s a sex club. The toys go through the dishwasher and autoclave after every guest.”
“Autoclave?”
The Fire Saga (The Club) Page 11