The Fire Saga (The Club)

by Katherine Rhodes

Liam shook his head. “Not you. Go on, we need to know.”

  “He tied me up and he changed completely. He turned into this insane rage monster who started beating me. There was nothing kinky or safe about what he was doing. And the worst part is he had drugged me and gagged me enough that I couldn’t scream, I couldn’t fight back, and I couldn’t get anyone’s attention.”

  Liam smashed his hand into the frame of the door. “This is not supposed to happen. I have to revise the system—”

  “No,” came a new, hard-edged voice from the door. “You do not have to revise the system. This was a failing of everyone downstairs.”

  The tall, lanky woman in a dark purple dress stepped into the room. Her hair was in a bun, and her stiletto shoes clicked even on the carpet in the room. Intense, focused, and utterly commanding, she studied the faces of each person in the room. There was no mistaking Tally Fremanis for anyone else. Dana had been intimidated at her interview, and that was just for a cleaning position.

  “Liam, you called the ambulance?”

  “Of course, Mistress.”

  “Mister Pepperdine, I’m inclined to believe that the patron responsible for this was the one you and your compatriots had a hard time removing from our establishment.” She raised a perfect eyebrow.

  Dana gasped. “He stayed around after he beat someone and left them here?”

  “Not only did he stay around,” Austin said, “he was impossible to control, and we think he was on some kind of narcotic or the like. He was a brute. The bartender even said she cut him off at eleven, and he still appeared drunk hours later.”

  A cold, icy stone dropped into Dana’s stomach. “What did he look like, Bits?”

  The sound of her reluctance was showcased by the hard swallow she took. “Tall. Six foot four? Maybe more. Tan skin, but not naturally dark. Green-hazel eyes, thin lips. A great body. He was wearing a pair of dress pants and shirt with a tie and vest. Commando. And a scar on his right hip.”

  “A scar the shape of sickle and about two inches long?”

  They all turned and stared at Dana. She couldn’t keep the fear off her face and returned their looks, ending on Liam. She wanted to cry. She hadn’t had a chance to talk to him and now she needed his help. Hesitating only a moment—this was why she was here, after all—she answered their confusion.

  “It’s Ryan. Ryan Dellany. My ex-husband.”

  * * *

  Not only was Dana standing there in front of him, when he thought he would never see her again, she had somehow managed to drag her ex-husband down to Texas.

  “Dana—” he started, but Austin cut him off.

  “Hold on, what’s your name? You told me it was Debbie.”

  “Debbie is what I’ve been going by for a while, but my real name is Dana.”

  “Ladies and gentlemen, this is neither the time nor the place for reunions and flirtings.” Tally stepped forward. “Bits. Are you well enough to walk downstairs? So the paramedics don’t find you here, particularly?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Tally held out her hand. “Let’s go. To the bar with you. Second floor. That way we can have them check you out on the couch and in some comfort.” She smiled indulgently. “I know that having someone find out you enjoy our brand of kink can be embarrassing. We can solve it this way. They’ll never know what room you were in.”

  “Thank you, ma’am.” Bits stood and instantly crumbled under her own weight with a gasp. “My ankle!”

  Austin swooped in, scooping her into his arms. Liam held the door open and walked ahead of them to make sure that the doors were held open and led him back down to the Deuxiéme Bar. Gianna was ready with a glass of water and a small chocolate pastry—as always. Even though this was a pretty roughed up woman, she hadn’t had anything to eat or drink in hours. Subdrop was dangerous if not cared for properly, and Tally made sure everyone knew where the chocolate pastries were for a bit of a sugar boost.

  Liam shook his head. Pastries, when the woman he’d left in Idaho five years ago was standing in the room with him.

  ...along with the woman he’d given his heart and submission to.

  This was fine, fine pickle.

  The paramedics made a racket up the back stairs. From experience, Liam knew they had come up from the basement and the ambulance was parked underground. They dropped their bags and immediately got to work on Bits while they were tossing questions at her and the people in the room.

  There was no mistaking the looks from Tally, Dana, and Austin while they worked, though. He didn’t know where Austin’s sudden protective streak of Dana was coming from, but there was angry possessiveness to his looks. Dana looked confused, reluctant, scared, lost, and all of that from her was more than strange. And then there was his beautiful mistress, Tally. Other people might have trouble reading her, but she was on open book to him—and that book said, ‘Pissed Off.’ Thankfully, only a fraction of that was directed at him.

  The paramedics—the same pair that always came to The Club, and one of whom was a member—wanted to run back down and get the stretcher, but Bits she didn’t want to be strapped to the bed again so soon. “You have a chair, right?” Dana asked. “Usually ambulances have chairs. Would that be better?”

  “I think so.” Bits nodded, and the one paramedic took off down the stairs.

  The other, the one Liam knew was a member, took her arm and carefully looked at her wrists. There was already heavy bruising, and he shook his head. “Bits, you have to watch yourself.”

  “This is more than her watching herself,” Tally stated, folding her arms. “Something went wrong, and we need to find out where that leak is. I have always prided myself on the safety and sanity of this club. I will not have it violated by a blind spot someone managed to find and exploit.”

  Gianna, Austin, and Liam all nodded. It was his safe space too, the place he had come to know himself. He didn’t want this to be a gap in what was clearly going to be his life slowly unraveling for the next few weeks.

  The paramedics had Bits strapped into the chair and down the stairs in just a few minutes. She was clearly nervous about being belted down, but the paramedic who understood why she didn’t want to be strapped in was careful to explain to her what was going on and why they were doing it.

  The room was ominously quiet again in just a few minutes. Tally looked at the four people in the room and slipped past him. The upset he’d seen there was missing for the moment, and instead she opted to focus on the problem at hand.

  “Austin, let’s review the tapes. Gianna, back to the bar with you.” His mistress took off down the carpet, her heels clicking again.

  Austin stared hard at him and didn’t move.

  Liam raised an eyebrow. “Tally wants you. You’d better go.”

  “I feel as though I’d do better here to protect Debbie. Dana.”

  “Austin!” Tally’s voice snapped through the air. “Now. Or leave.”

  Liam watched his head jerk around, eyes wide. Tally was standing near the door to the hallway, arms folded staring at him. “Now.”

  Liam smirked as Austin realized his feet were moving before he knew it. Knowing what that voice did to him, he had to stick his hands in his pocket to hide the sudden half-hard-on that sprung up. He watched until the two of them were behind the door.

  And then, he had to turn and face his past.

  Chapter Four

  Liam.

  Five years, two thousand miles, and a lifetime.

  And now he was standing there with her, in a bar that had only a bartender, who was busy ignoring them.

  “What are you doing here?” He was clearly befuddled by her appearance.

  “Working, like I always do. I’m the primary housekeeper and—”

  “No. What are you doing here? In Texas. In Karim. I thought I’d never see you again.”

  “I came here looking for you.”

  The answer was not what he expected. “Why?”

  “I...I didn’t know wher
e to go. I had to get away. Ryan and I...”

  Liam shook his head. “Of all the people who were after you years ago, you picked Ryan Dellany.”

  “Tall, charming, from one of the best ranching families in Idaho. You were a hard act to follow, Liam. He laid the charm on thick, and I didn’t think he’d turn as badly as he did. Apparently, I should have hung out with his mother more before making that commitment. I would have seen how Dev treated his wife and made the connection that I wasn’t better off.” She took a breath. “One hit too many. I filed for divorce and left. Naturally, he’s contesting it.”

  “When did you get here? Did you always know where I was?”

  “Always,” Dana admitted. “I’ve been here for about eight months now, and Tally was the first person to give me a break with the job. I thought I was going to have to move on before I found you. Working here kept the bills at bay.”

  Liam walked over to the couch and sat. “I had no idea you were here. I didn’t know you were looking for me.”

  “Why would you? You barely looked back when the bus pulled away.”

  “Oh, don’t be accusatory, Dana. I had to go. I wasn’t happy. I wasn’t meant to be a farmer or rancher...”

  “I wasn’t accusing you, Liam. I’m jealous that you knew you weren’t happy there. I wish I’d realized I wasn’t either.” She sat next to him on the couch. “Look. I came here because I didn’t know where to go to get away from Ryan. You were the only person I could think of who could give enough of a damn about me and help us. I mean, he broke her arm. Grabbed her—”

  “Her who?” Liam whipped around to stare at her.

  “Lola. My daughter.” She paused. “Our daughter.”

  “What?”

  It wasn’t the best approach she could have taken. But the opening was there, and he had to understand her desperation to get Lola away from Ryan, and why she sought him out. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. You were so desperate to leave and not have ties. I found out just before you left, and—”

  “I have a daughter?”

  His voice was blank. There was no way to tell what his actual reaction to this was. Dana nodded. “Yes.”

  He slammed his hand on the couch. “Fuck.” He stood and walked away from her, down the hall through the door and slammed it before she could say a word more.

  “Well. That’s fun.” Gianna was staring at her from behind the bar, and motioned Dana over. “Come here. Breakfast drink time.” Wandering over, Dana plunked herself on the stool. “One and first, do I call you Debbie or Dana?”

  “Dana.”

  “Okay, good. Dana. Drink this. It’s coffee and Bailey’s. Enjoy. Now, second. I had no idea that Liam was the guy you were looking for. I would have told you flat out that he was here. Also, I’m amazed it took you both six months to cross paths. Kudos to staying low. Liam practically lives here now with Tally.”

  “He and Tally...?”

  “Hot item. And I mean fucking hot. You don’t even want to know where I’ve caught them.”

  “But Tally is a Dominatrix.”

  “Domme,” Gianna corrected. “And yes, she is.”

  Dana stared at her for a long moment. “Liam is her sub?” The nodded answer was slow and sage. There was nothing else Dana could come up with, save to just take a deep gulp of her blended coffee. Part of her wanted to rebel against the idea, but the other part of her realized his being a sub was a completely logical conclusion to his personality. “So what just happened?”

  Gianna raised her eyebrows. “Um, you just told him he has a kid. And never bothered to mention that before. He’s a little overwhelmed, and I don’t blame him.” Gianna stared at her. “That was a rotten way to tell him.”

  “He was asking me things that were relevant to why I’m here, and Lola is the biggest part of it. I didn’t want to lie to him.”

  “Could have held off.”

  Dana slumped. “You’re right. I could have. Now I have to figure this out, let them meet and—”

  “All you.” Gianna gestured with a bow. “Meanwhile, Austin and Tally are going to want to know about Ryan and why you think this is his doing with Bits.” Gianna put a hand on the counter. “And for the record, Bits is a friend, and she’s been here a long time. She and Ian, that paramedic who helped her. They are good people.”

  Dana shook her head. “I don’t doubt it. Believe me, I don’t want this to be Ryan. He’s a horrible person. Awful. He twisted my daughter’s arm until it broke because she didn’t put a toy away. I put up with a lot of physical abuse until that moment. The instant he broke her arm, I knew we had to go. Hit me all you want, injure my daughter...”

  Slamming a hand on the counter, the diminutive bartender snapped, “No. No man has permission to hit you. Ever. End of story. I get where you’re coming from, but that statement, right there, is the depth of wrong. Don’t ever let a man hit you in anger. Not even in here.” Gianna fluttered her hand in the air, indicating the club. “We have people like Austin, Preston, David, Colin, Felicia, and Regina here because Mak and Tally know the lifestyle—and they know the difference between consensual punishment and abuse. And it’s there. Believe me, sweetie, it’s there.”

  Dana let out a long, slow breath. “You’re right. I know you’re right. But five years of abuse still negates the eight months of realization I’ve got under my belt.”

  Gianna patted her hand. “You’ll get there. Now, take your mind off all of this, finish your coffee, and finish up your rooms. Chef is putting together a great brunch and you can reward yourself with food.”

  Dana smirked. “Sound like a plan.” She slid off the stool. “Save me a Belgian waffle and some ice cream.”

  “Now, that’s thinking.”

  * * *

  Austin stood in the doorway, watching. Dana didn’t know he was standing there, and her carefree attitude from before was subdued now. She had the headphones in again, but she wasn’t dancing around or smiling.

  Still, she was gorgeous. His reaction to her was instant, strong. Almost frightening, and he didn’t know what to do about it.

  After he was there for a good five minutes just watching her clean, she finally turned and saw him leaning in the door.

  Pulling out her headphones, Dana gave him a stern look. “You know, stalking someone who is a domestic violence survivor is a really stupid idea. We’re over-reactionary in the first year, eighteen months.”

  “I wasn’t stalking, I was just watching.”

  “And I wouldn’t know that because I’m out to save myself.”

  “Sorry.” He put his hands in his pockets and walked to the bed. There were interesting things in this room, including a fancy police horse with leather and the sideways cross that he had learned was called a St. Andrew’s cross. Shrugging, he turned and looked at Dana. “I’m just feeling oddly protective of you. I can’t explain it. When Liam grabbed your arm, I wanted to punch him in the face.”

  Dana laughed and started polishing the leather on the cross. “Liam is the least offensive person on the planet. He cares a great deal about everyone, and knowing I was okay and someone wasn’t was why he reacted that way. There’s a reason he’s paired up with Tally.”

  “You seem totally fine with that.”

  She paused and looked at him. “Yes.” Turning back to the leather, Dana continued, “I let him go because he didn’t know who he was and needed to find out.”

  “To the point that you didn’t tell him you were pregnant.”

  She threw the rag on the floor. “This is none of your fucking business. If you think I made any decision regarding Liam or Lola easily you’re on drugs. My ex-husband broke my daughter’s arm. What would you have done? I have so many regrets, but none of them about the decisions I’ve made for Lola.”

  Austin stood and walked over to her. “I’ve known you for five hours. I’ve watched you a week. And I know two things. One, you are a strong, independent woman, and two, I want to fuck your brains out.”

  D
ana folded her arms. “Before our date? I’m scandalized. Insta-love isn’t a thing in my world, Mister Pepperdine.”

  “Mm. I was thinking more insta-lust.” He shuffled toward her, hands still in his pockets. “It’s not really common in my world, either, Ms. Dellany.” He backed her slowly into the corner. “But I have to say, it’s something I can’t really deny.”

  “Are you coming on to me?”

  He pulled his hands out of his pockets and put them on her waist. “A little.” He spun her so he was against the wall and she was pulled against him. “I don’t want to threaten a woman who has made it clear she plans on bodily harm.”

  “Oh?”

  “Now, you can run without kicking me in the nuts.”

  Dana laughed, hard. “You are a very funny man.”

  “Not really, just a man who appreciates the current location of his balls.”

  Austin didn’t wait for her to react to his words before he dropped his mouth to hers and took possession. She was shocked at first, but she very quickly relented and let him have control. She was soft, and he was gentle in his exploration of her. Her taste was sweet and minty, and he enjoyed the careful kiss.

  “I wanted to kiss you,” he whispered. “You looked like you could use one. I’m here to please.”

  “Mm. It was a good guess. We’re still on for that date?”

  “Yes, of course. But if you need to change the date, I’m okay with that. I know you need to talk to Liam.”

  “I need to more than talk to him.” She sighed.

  “Hey.” He lifted her chin carefully. “Look, I know we don’t really know each other, but you can trust me. I’m here to protect people, and that goes double for the employees, and double double for you. Okay?”

  Dana nodded. “Okay. We’re still doing dinner. And then I want to do you.”

  “Oh, darlin’, I want the same thing.”

  “You understand why I can’t just—”

  He put his finger to her lips. “Ssh. I know. I get it.” Trailing his finger down her chin, he lifted her again and brought his lips close. “It’s not going to stop me from kissing you. And stealing kisses where and when I can until then.” She didn’t complain when he took her mouth again.