by Avery Gale
Chapter Fifteen
Kyle West had just laid his sweet, sleeping wife on the bed when he saw his phone flashing on the dresser across the room. He’d left very specific instruction with his staff that neither he nor Kent wanted to be disturbed unless it was an absolute do-or-die emergency, so he quickly covered Tobi before grabbing the phone and heading out of the room. By the time he’d finished listening to Jax’s message, he was enraged. Knowing someone had willfully violated one of the club’s cardinal rules by bringing in an electronic device that had not been pre-approved infuriated him, but the realization that everyone in attendance tonight had potentially been compromised terrified him.
Privacy guarantees were at the core of every kink club’s survival, so securing the camera and the culprit were his chief concerns. Hearing the shower turn off, he knew Kent would notice his phone’s message light momentarily. Staring out the large windows overlooking the acreage between the club and the river, Kyle sighed as he noticed a small watercraft racing down the opposite shore toward Austin. There was a larger craft following but he already knew without a miracle they weren’t going to resolve this tonight. When he heard a soft noise by the door, Kyle turned expecting to see his brother but was surprised to see Tobi standing there—the soft light from tonight’s full moon highlighting every lush curve of her naked beauty. For a few seconds he was completely speechless—simply lost in his gratitude for the heaven sent flash of lightning that had kept him from hitting her that night on the highway.
“I woke up alone. And since that doesn’t happen often I was worried. Is everything alright? You look worried.” Her sweet concern touched his heart and he simply held out his hand to her, pleased beyond measure that she immediately moved into his arms.
“No, kitten, I’m afraid things are definitely not alright. There has been a major security breach and I’m afraid Kent and I are both going to be heading downstairs. I don’t have any idea how long we’ll be, but I don’t want you to wait up for us. Mom and the dads are bringing the kids back in the morning so you need to get some sleep.” Scooping her up into his arms he walked reluctantly back to the bedroom. Damn he hated leaving her alone after what they’d shared tonight. It had been their first public scene in over a year and it couldn’t have been any more perfect. The lashes had burned an even deeper connection between the three of them despite the fact he’d pulled them to the point they’d been little more than noise. She’d had spankings that caused her more pain, but pain hadn’t been anything close to what they’d been trying to achieve. The entire scene had been a mind game intended to remind the love of their life they intended to meet each and every one of her needs—she only had to ask. Sure there would be things they would deny her…but she needed to know those would be explained and most often involve hers or their children’s safety.
Leaning forward to kiss her goodbye Kyle had to push back his desire to simply shed the well-worn jeans he was wearing and sink into her sweet body. Losing himself inside her heat sounded like a perfect way to avoid the unpleasantness that awaited him downstairs.
*****
Jax wasn’t sure he ever remembered being as angry as he had been when the sound of a camera shutter registered in his mind during Dex and Ash’s scene with Meri. The split second it had taken him to move Gracie to safety had almost kept him from seeing the perp disappear into the thick shrubs along the back of the Woodshed. Once he’d begun crawling under the foliage, he’d immediately realized he was pursuing a woman because whoever she was—she was easily sliding under the prickly branches. There was a grace and fluidity to her movements that seemed familiar, but he wasn’t going to take time to figure it out now. Once he was back on his feet, he pushed in the ear bud that he always kept in his pocket anytime he was on the club’s property whether or not he was working. It had been a precautionary habit before they’d had adequate staff, and he was grateful now it was one he hadn’t broken.
Whoever he was chasing was damned fast on their feet and knew exactly where they were going, too. He’d alerted the others that they were heading for the dock. Jax watched men race toward the small wooden boat dock from all directions and was shocked to see the perp pause long enough to stash something in a small backpack. She was trying to slide the pack’s straps over her shoulders when Peter reached her. His grip locked on the nylon bag and before he could get a hand on the woman she slipped free of the bag’s unbuckled straps before diving smoothly into the dark water.
Three former Navy SEALs hit the surface right behind her but the inky black river seemed to have swallowed her whole. Ash, Carl, and Peter all surfaced at the same time, their mutters of frustration quickly turned to full-blown cursing when they heard a Jet Ski start up a few yards away. Jax was already headed to the Wests’ larger boat and wasn’t far behind, but the smaller craft’s maneuverability meant the intruder easily evaded capture. By the time Jax returned to the dock there was a small crowd waiting for him, including Kyle and Kent West.
“Peter, did you get your hands on her?” Jax knew if Peter had managed to touch her there was a distinct possibility he’d be able to ID her later.
“No, but I caught her energy signature so if I get near her again I’ll know it. I’m assuming you knew it was a woman because of the way she moved?” When Jax nodded, Peter smiled, “Dance background, mark my word. The woman loves to dance and probably does it anytime there’s music playing.”
“And you got the bag, right?”
Kyle held up the bag, “I have it now, let’s get up to the office and see what we’ve got.” Turning to the men who were still standing in their wet clothing, “Shower, change, then meet us in the office. We’ll stop by the Woodshed and gather the subs Dex has been watching over.” Everyone dispersed and Jax quickly finished securing the boat before making his way back up the gentle slope. In all the years he and Kyle West had served together in the Special Forces, Jax wasn’t sure he’d ever seen the man this angry. Rubbing his hand over his face, Jax wondered if Meri had been the only target and how on earth he was going to explain this to Chandler Lanham. Meri’s dad had paid him a small fortune to update the security system at their home and then she is compromised at the kink club where he works as the chief of security. Yeah, that’s going to go over like a lead balloon. Fuck me…I really have to get some damned sleep.
*****
Kyle and Kent West’s office was enormous but it suddenly seemed entirely too small. Tobi had invited the submissives to the rooftop garden for an impromptu margarita party since the twins were spending the night with the elder Wests, and their Masters had been grateful for her quick thinking. Jen had been given the option of staying downstairs since she was a member of the team, but Dex had a sneaking suspicion she was acting more as an informant for her friends than she was in an official capacity. It didn’t really matter, none of them would hide this information from their subs anyway—you can’t demand transparency on their part if you aren’t willing to do the same.
Everyone had been relieved when the bag had yielded nothing but a snorkel and a small waterproof camera. The camera was fairly sophisticated, but didn’t have any wireless potential so there wasn’t any chance of the photos being shared. It hadn’t taken Micah Drake long to access the small electronic camera and begin a slide show on the wall above the fireplace. Dex and Ash had watched in stunned silence as picture after picture of the two of them flashed on the makeshift screen. What the fuck? All were shots taken without their knowledge and most were taken at Prairie Winds.
They’d sat through so many shots that Micah had finally scanned forward to see what else was on the small disc. “Someone has a major hard-on for you two. Any ideas?” Kyle’s voice was serious, but lacked any of the anger they’d all felt earlier. Once he’d discovered they had recovered the only photos taken, he’d calmed down and seemed to be thinking with a clearer head. When Ash and Dex both stared at him, Kyle finally chuckled, “Christ, guys, what’s with the deer in the headlights looks. It wasn’t that hard
of a question.”
Before either he or Ash could respond, pictures of Meri started appearing on the wall. There were only a few shots before Micah switched it back to his laptop. “I don’t think I want to project the rest of these. But you guys need to come and look at this.” They stood and moved to the desk, Dex felt a rolling wave of rage boil up inside of him that literally had him seeing red. The small camera had obviously been mounted on some kind of scope and the pictures taken through the large windows lining the back of the Lanham mansion clearly showed someone had been watching the night they’d punished Meri over the table. Dex heard Ash’s growl as the pictures moved over the small screen highlighting each and every strike. The intensity of Ash’s expression made him look like a monster and Dex knew his friend was seeing exactly what he saw.
Chapter Sixteen
Ash leaned against the railing surrounding the small deck at the back of the office and looked out over the sparkling water of the West’s private pool. The fading moonlight glittered along the surface like small diamonds and, had his stomach not been threatening to revolt, he might have actually found the scene peaceful. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been standing outside, only that he hadn’t been able to stay in the office another minute. The walls had been closing in quickly and for the first time he could remember, he’d actually run from a problem.
Two things had become crystal clear while he’d been looking at the pictures. First of all, he and Dex had to reevaluate the way they handled Meri, because there was no way he’d ever be able to punish her that harshly again. After seeing the bruising and then the photographic evidence of himself during the scene, he just couldn’t imagine ever participating in another scene like that one. He’d always considered himself a borderline sadist, but he’d gotten no pleasure from looking at those pictures. Where the fuck was my mind?
His entire adult life, Ash had known exactly who he was—or at least he’d always believed he had, until tonight. Standing behind Kyle’s desk, looking at picture after picture of himself, the only thing he’d known for certain was that he was never going to be that submerged in naïveté again. How a former Special Forces operative who’d been a sexual Dominant his entire adult life could suddenly have such a crises of consciousness was a mystery to him, but it had still happened. Looking out over the sparkling water, he couldn’t hold back his sigh.
“You okay?” Dex’s voice sounded from right next to him and it was a testament to his distraction that he hadn’t heard his friend approach.
“Fuck if I know. I looked at myself in those pictures and some of them made me…Jesus, I don’t even know what. Seeing the look on my face as I punished Meri almost made me sick. That wasn’t about mutual pleasure, that was anger. As a Dom I know better than that, hell, as a man I know better. For a split second I saw my brother’s face over mine and my sweet sister-in-law’s over Meri’s and I wanted to kill him.”
Turning to Dex, he asked, “What if that were one of your sisters? What would you think if you saw one of your brothers-in-law punishing Sarah or Lizzy like that? Hell, you saw the look on her face. That wasn’t sexual pleasure, that was sheer strength of character enduring something brutally painful because she was seeking the approval of the person causing her pain. Can you stand there and tell me that you didn’t see what I saw?”
Dex didn’t respond for so long Ash was beginning to think he wasn’t going to bother. Truth be told, his friend’s blank expression was a response in itself. Dex knew him better than anyone else in the world. They often knew what the other one was thinking even before they spoke, but right now Ash had no idea where Dex’s head was because he was too bogged down in the quagmire of his own emotions.
The silence finally proved to be too much and Ash said, “Look, man, forget I said anything. This is my problem and I’ll deal with it.”
Dex’s gaze centered on him immediately, “Fuck you, Ash. You think you were the only one sickened by those pictures? Hell, I have always known I wasn’t a sadist, shit I’m nothing close to that, but I was right there with you that night, so don’t even start this bullshit with me.” Ash was stunned at the ferocity of his friend’s response. Dex was usually the cool head that prevailed when Ash often reacted emotionally, so hearing his friend’s frustration was sobering. “Listen, the only thing I am sure about at this point is everything in me is shouting that Meri is the miracle we’ve been looking for.” Dex took a deep breath and pushed his fingers through his hair as he clearly waged an inner battle to remain calm. “Realizing someone is targeting her because of us cut me off at the fucking knees, man. If anything happens to her…fuck!” Several seconds later he leveled a look at Ash, “All I’m saying is that our first priority is to see to her safety. After all this is done, then we’ll be able to figure out the rest. For now, the only thing that matters is fixing this disaster. We’ll figure the rest of it out later. Let’s get back inside and find out what the plan is. Kyle was in full mission mode when I left so we need to be brought up to speed.”
Making their way back inside, Ash heard Kent’s voice, “Call every member that was here tonight and explain to them what we’re planning. Make sure they fully understand so they are particularly careful in their conversations with any members who weren’t here tonight. Whoever is responsible for these photos is obviously a member or has access and we don’t want to alert her. We also don’t know for sure if she’s working alone, if we had more time we could piece together which nights these were taken and crosscheck the attendance lists, but we don’t have that luxury. And everyone—and I do mean everyone, people, walks past Peter tomorrow night.”
*****
After sleeping far less than she’d have liked, Meri found herself back at the club helping with phone calls to the members who had been in attendance the night before. Most were relieved to hear the Wests had a plan even though the details weren’t being shared. When she’d inquired about Regi, Dex had explained the recent email she’d received from her father. “None of us really believed she had actually seen him on that boat because we’d watched the wreckage tumble into the abyss—I would have sworn no one could have survived that.” Meri saw him shake his head as if he was still trying to wrap his mind around the truth.
“Is it possible it’s not really him?”
“Absolutely. And that is why her men are accompanying her to the meeting. They actually wanted to meet with him alone first, but Regi was not exactly what you would call on board with that plan, as you can well imagine. They are meeting for an early dinner this evening at a small place along the river. Kyle called in some favors and a couple of guys we know from the teams who are on leave will be standing by just in case things go from sugar to shit.”
She knew she was just staring at him dumbfounded, but the whole story was just so insane she could barely take it all in. Meri was quickly learning she’d led an incredibly sheltered life, that there were things happening all around her that she’d never imagined possible…and the realization had been humbling.
*****
Meri knew Ash and Peter’s description of the woman’s height and weight was going to help narrow down the suspects, but she couldn’t help asking one more time if they had contacted Trac Hughes. Tobi had ordered take-out for everyone and they were all relaxing in the club’s large main lounge when Meri posed the question. Kyle West looked up and nodded, “We did, and he’s coming by sometime after eight this evening. It seems the good senator has a fundraising dinner and after the Rangers questioned him about the breakin at your place, he’s been in full victim mode. Somehow the self-centered pissant has managed to flip everything around to where the breakin was the perp’s way of getting to him.” Meri could only stare at Kyle, she was speechless but not really all that shocked John had managed to mind-fuck everyone with the information, turning it into something that would benefit himself. The man was a first class media manipulator, hell, he could have made Judas look like a victim.
Evidently she’d been lost in thought lon
g enough to draw attention because Dex’s hand gently squeezing her knee brought her back to the moment, his eyes reflecting his concern, “You okay?”
“Yes, I’m sorry. I just have trouble understanding how easily he can switch things up to put himself at the center of every storm. It’s remarkable really.”
“Yeah, remarkable—too bad Mr. Remarkable doesn’t use his super powers for good.” Tobi’s voice dripped sarcasm and made Meri giggle, which was probably exactly what her friend had been going for. “I met Mr. Ego Extraordinaire one day when Meri and I had lunch together. He stopped by our table with some of his supporters. And by the way, every time he used that word I got a mental picture of a jock strap—totally disgusting. Anyway, I agree with Meri, he isn’t enough to be behind all this. Besides, I’ll bet his idea of kinky sex is doing it on the living room sofa. Hell, he even walks like he has a stick up his ass, so I can’t see him wanting to see pics of his ex-girlfriend enjoying what he couldn’t give her. I mean, I’m not a guy, so maybe I’m off base here, but I don’t think so.”
Every Dom in the room was gawking at Tobi as if she’d just spoken in tongues, and Meri couldn’t hold back the giggle that bubbled up inside her. God I love her, she brings the most amazing realism into my life. I hope her colorful personality is contagious. The giggle was part nervous reaction and part sheer joy but more than anything it was a release valve that seemed to drain away the tension she’d been bottling up. The ability to defuse stressful situations was one of Tobi West’s most amazing gifts if you asked Meri…and she’d seen the tiny blonde do it time and again, often at the expense of her backside. More than once Meri had looked on as Tobi deliberately acted out just to distract attention from someone she was trying to help or protect. Her husbands understood her motives, but punished her anyway, probably because she enjoyed it so much.
