Even Tiny knew that. But then he was more enlightened than Hunter.
“What?” Hunter actually looked bewildered.
“It’s sexist,” Tiny pointed out.
Gray rubbed his hand over his face. “Thank God Cady is the only woman working here. At least she won’t sue us.”
“Come on, everyone knows women need to talk shit out,” Hunter said. “Men do things differently. We smash shit up. Get drunk. Go to the shooting range.”
“And this is why women are the smarter sex,” Gray pointed out.
“No shit. I’ve always known that.” Hunter rolled his eyes. “Come on, Tiny. We’ll head to the shooting range.” Hunter smacked his hand against Tiny’s back. Might not be the healthiest way to deal with their shit, but Tiny was in total agreement with Hunter.
Talking wasn’t going to help. It never did.
***
“So someone snuck in here without damaging the lock or setting off the alarm, and just moved shit around?” Tara paced back and forth across the living room floor as Reagan checked the alarm. She’d reset it as soon as Alex had finished cleaning up the vase.
Alex leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest, a frown lining his forehead. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking. Did he believe her? Did he think she was lying?
“Yes.”
“Did you call the police?” Alex asked.
She nodded.
“Good.” Tara looked relieved. “They can sort this out. How long until they get here?”
She shook her head. “Oh, they’re not coming.”
Tara stilled. “What? Why not?”
“Because I didn’t call them.”
Tara rubbed her forehead. “Umm, Reagan…”
“I called them the first time. They didn’t believe me. I overheard them. They thought I was imagining things.”
“This isn’t the first time this has happened?” Tara squeaked, her eyes widening with alarm.
“No.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Alex watched her closely.
“Why would I tell you?”
“Because we’re friends.” Tara tugged her over to sit on the sofa. “Listen, Reagan, I know you don’t understand all the ins and outs of friendship. But friends tell their friends when sick assholes break into their apartments and scare the shit out of them.”
“I will remember that.” Maybe she should tell them everything. But Tara already seemed so upset she didn’t want to worry her further. Plus, she didn’t have any proof. Just a feeling and Reagan didn’t like to rely on feelings. She liked facts. Evidence.
“What? For next time this happens?” Tara’s voice rose.
“Yes,” Reagan told her. Tara was clearly upset, and it was starting to make Reagan anxious. Emotions weren’t something she dealt with well. Hers or anyone else’s. Part of it was the way she’d been raised. Her parents hadn’t been emotional people. Reagan had never had to read between the lines with them. They had simply told her how they felt.
Their disappointment in her had come up often.
Sadness mingled with her anxiety. Her relationship with her parents was damaged, and and while they hadn’t been the best parents, she still mourned the loss. Tara was her only real friend, she didn’t want to ruin their relationship.
“Alex,” Tara pleaded. “Help me out here.”
Alex sat in the armchair across from them. “What Tara is trying to say is that we wish you had told us this the first time it happened. Friends help their friends when they are in trouble. If you’re in trouble, we want to know so we can help you.”
“What kind of sicko does this sort of shit?” Tara asked.
“A sicko who knows Reagan well,” Alex said slowly.
Yep, that’s the conclusion she’d reached as well. And it only made things worse. Someone knew exactly how to rattle her.
Tara paused. “Because they know she likes to have everything in a certain place?”
Alex nodded. “And how to get in here without setting off the alarm or the breaking the lock on the door. Does anyone have a key? Who would know your alarm code?”
“The building manager has a key.”
“But no one else?” Alex pressed.
“No. I have no reason to give anyone a key.”
“And your alarm code? Have you given it to anyone? Written it down anywhere?”
“Of course not,” she scoffed. “You should never write your passwords down.”
“Alex? What do we do? Should we call the police again?” Tara asked.
Reagan shook her head. “There’s no point. The police think I was making things up. I don’t want them in my apartment again.”
“I’ll have a chat with Jack. He’s out of town until tomorrow so I’ll call him when he’s back.”
Jack Wyatt was a detective for the Austin Police Department and a member of Club Decadence.
“So what do we do?” Tara nibbled on her thumb nail. “What if Reagan’s here next time? He could hurt her.”
“There’s no reason for anyone to try to scare you?” Alex leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
“Not that I can think of.”
“Nothing to do with your job?”
“I’m a petroleum engineer. I can’t imagine why anyone at work would want to scare me.”
“Not just any petroleum engineer,” Tara told her. “The best in the country.”
Reagan smiled slightly. “Yes, I am.” It wasn’t arrogance, she knew she was the best.
“Could someone be jealous of your success?” Alex asked.
“I don’t know. Perhaps.” Was that enough reason to terrorize her like this? “There is something else.” She’d debated whether to tell them. But Tara claimed that friends discussed these sorts of things. “I think someone might have followed me a few times.”
“What? When?” Tara asked.
“I don’t know for sure. It’s just a feeling.” She frowned. “It could be my imagination and I haven’t felt it for a while.”
“When did you sense them?” Alex asked.
“It was a few weeks ago. I haven’t sensed them for a while. Of course, I mostly drive everywhere and Tara gets my lunch for me.”
“Could you tell if they were male or female?” Alex asked.
She shook her head. “Not for sure. Maybe a man. It was just a glimpse out of my eye. I can’t even tell you what they were wearing. Shirt, jeans, but I’m not totally sure.”
Alex sighed. “All right, this is what we’re going to do. Reagan will pack a bag and come to stay with us. I’ll talk to Roarke. A friend of his owns a security company… Reagan, why are you shaking your head at me?”
“I can’t leave.”
“It’s just for a few nights,” Tara told her with a smile. “It’ll be like a sleepover. We can get some popcorn, watch girlie movies.”
“I’ve never had a sleepover.” The idea was intriguing. But no, it wouldn’t do. “I can’t sleep anywhere but here.”
Alex took a deep breath in then let it out slowly. “A hotel then?”
“Oh no, that would be even worse. Do you know how many germs are in a hotel room?” She shook her head. “I will be fine here.”
“You’re not staying here,” Alex bit out.
Reagan crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not leaving.”
“All right, time out. Reagan, you can’t stay here alone. I wouldn’t be able to sleep for worrying about you. Come home with us tonight. One night. We’ll get the locks changed. Change the code for the alarm. Alex has poker tonight so he can talk to Roarke then. All right? One night, that’s not too much to ask, right?”
“I suppose it is not unreasonable. Fine. One night.” She should be able to get through one night. It wasn’t like she would sleep much anyway. She hadn’t slept much since this had all begun.
“That was painful,” Alex muttered to Tara as Reagan moved through the living room to the kitchen.
“You are in pain?” Reagan
Tara sent her a small smile. “He’s okay. Just a bit of a headache.”
“Oh, I understand. I get headaches when I have a problem I can’t solve. I feel like I’m bumping my head against a brick wall. Does it feel like that?”
“Yes,” Alex said. “Exactly like that.”
Chapter Two
“So Reagan is staying at your place tonight?” Roarke asked, looking over at Alex. Once a month, poker night was held in one of the upstairs rooms at Club Decadence. Alex glanced around the table at Roarke, Sloan, Mace, and Derrick. Jack and Dylan were regulars as well, but they were currently out of town.
Alex nodded. “Yeah, right now she and Tara are having a girls’ night. Reagan said she’d never had one before.”
“She’s never had a girls’ night?” Derrick asked. “Why not?”
“I don’t know.” Who knew with Reagan?
“I fold,” Sloan said with a grumble. “Reagan’s odd. That’s probably why.”
“She’s not odd,” Alex defended her, although there had been plenty of times when he’d had the same thought. But she was Tara’s friend. And boss. Tara loved working for her. Everyone stared at him in disbelief. “She’s different. We all know that. But she’s one of our subs, and she’s in trouble.”
“Is she a sub?” Sloan asked dryly. “When she got through with Logan the other night, I thought the poor guy was going to cry. She lectured him into submission. And I don’t think Paul has still forgiven her after she gave him what-for. The guy glares daggers at her every time she’s near.”
Roarke sighed. “Paul needs to learn to control himself better. Reagan has a knack of choosing the wrong sort of Dom for her. She needs someone with experience.”
“I don’t think it’s about lack of experience,” Alex said. “She’s been with experienced Doms before, but it was more like she was…”
“Going through the motions?” Sloan questioned. “That’s the feeling I got when I scened with her. Like it was an act. With time, I might have gotten through to the real Reagan. Maybe.”
“Anyway, this is beside the point at the moment,” Roarke said, smiling as he placed down his winning hand.
Alex threw his cards down. He wasn’t in the mood tonight.
“Nothing was taken, though?” Mace asked, speaking up for the first time. Mace was the manager at Club Decadence now that Dylan had taken on responsibility for all of Roarke’s clubs across Texas.
“No, nothing was stolen. The place didn’t even look like someone had broken in. But some of Reagan’s things had been moved, and you know how particular she is about things. She called the cops the first time, but they didn’t believe someone had broken in,” Alex told him. They should have taken her more seriously. Reagan put on a tough front, but she was a woman living alone. She had a right to feel safe. Plus, Tara also spent a lot of time with Reagan, and Alex was worried she might get caught up in this.
“She’s also said she’s had this feeling of someone watching her. I’ll talk to Jack when he gets back into town,” Alex said. Jack Wyatt was a member of Club Decadence and a detective for the Austin PD. “I don’t like that some asshole has been inside her apartment three times. And that they're so subtle. It’s someone she knows. Maybe even trusts.”
“Maybe she should move out for a while,” Roarke suggested.
“She won’t. We could barely get her to agree to come over to our place for one night.”
Roarke rubbed a finger against his chin. “I’ll talk to Hunter. Wouldn’t hurt to have someone look over her security, put in some cameras. Maybe stick around for a while. We need to catch this bastard before he ups his game.”
“Thanks,” Alex said. “I know there are security firms here in Austin, but I’d feel better using someone we know. I’ll pay, of course. But it would be good if they could come sooner rather than later. I don’t like the idea of her staying there alone.”
The others nodded.
“Hunter can be an ass, but he’s the best and so are the people he hires,” Roarke told him. “She’s one of ours, and we protect our own.”
***
“Uh-uh, no way. A bodyguard? I don’t need a bodyguard. I haven’t been threatened.”
“You don’t think someone breaking into your home and moving your things around is threatening? Someone who knows you well enough to know they only have to move a few items in order to make a huge impact? And what about the fact that someone has been following you?” Roarke asked, leaning forward in his chair. Alex stood next to him, leaning against the wall, looking serious.
“I don’t know for sure that someone has been following me.” She didn’t have any concrete evidence.
She’d wondered why Roarke had asked her to come in to Club Decadence earlier than usual. She always came on a Saturday night. In the last two years, she’d only missed a few Saturday nights, twice because she was sick and once due to work.
She was a creature of habit.
“They didn’t break in to steal something, Reagan,” Alex told her. “This is someone who is trying to intimidate you. It’s a threat.”
“I haven’t been harmed.” But they had terrified her. Roarke was right. This was someone she knew. And that made it infinitely worse.
“I’ve changed my alarm code. I’ll also change my lock.”
“If they’re determined enough, they’ll find a way to get in. And what if you’re home next time? What if things escalate and they become violent?” Roarke gave her a sympathetic look. “I know this is scary and nobody wants to believe they’re not safe in their own home. But we can’t ignore what happened. I have a friend who owns a private security firm in Dallas. I’ve spoken to him. He’s sending a guy out. He’ll be here tomorrow.”
She narrowed her gaze. “That wasn’t your call.”
Roarke’s face grew cold, and his voice was low as he spoke. “This is my club, and you’re one of my subs. If you won’t or can’t see to your protection, then it’s up to me to step in.”
“It’s up to all of us,” Alex added.
She should have protested more. She might belong to Club Decadence, but that didn’t mean she belonged to them. But it was nice to have someone watch out for her. She couldn’t remember the last time anyone was concerned about her.
She chewed her lip. “A bodyguard will get in my way. He’ll touch my stuff. He’ll mix up my routine. I can’t let that happen.”
“What about if he just assesses your security system for a start,” Alex offered. “He can put in some cameras, maybe figure out how this person is getting in and make some recommendations then we’ll take it from there.”
She guessed there wasn’t any harm in getting this guy’s opinion.
“Fine, I’m not agreeing to a bodyguard, but I will agree to let him look at my security.”
***
Tiny walked through the airport. Damn, he hated flying. The seats were so cramped, there was no room for his legs, and his bulk meant he invariably spilled over into the next seat. He should have just driven.
He looked around for his ride. He hadn’t met Alex before, but he was a friend of Derrick’s.
Gray had given him an overview of the job. Sounded fairly simple. Assess the client’s security and beef it up.
Tiny spotted a well-dressed man, standing off to the side. People walking past, sent him admiring looks. Those same people gave Tiny a wide berth and wary looks. Yeah, he knew he was a scary looking bastard with his crooked nose and the scar on his face.
“Tiny?”
He nodded at the guy in the suit. Just as he’d expected. “Yep.”
“I’m Alex. Thanks for coming. Do you have any bags?” Alex asked.
Tiny just held up the duffel he’d carried onto the plane with him. “I’m only here one night.”
“Yeah, well, we’ll see.”
Tiny frowned when he didn’t elaborate. As far as he knew, he had his orders.
He followed Alex out to the parking lot. Alex slid into a late model BMW. Tiny raised his eyebrows at the expensive ride. Wasn’t what he was used to. Even if he had the cash for a vehicle like this, he wouldn’t buy one. Waste of money. All a vehicle needed to do was get you from A to B. Who needed leather seats, a backup camera, and working air?
Although working air wasn’t a bad thing. Having to drive with your windows down on the motorway wasn’t much fun.
“So, Tiny? Is that what you like being called?”
“It’ll do.” He didn’t answer to his real name.
“So, I feel I should warn you a little about Reagan.”
Tiny glanced over at the man, wondering at the tension in his voice. He waited.
Alex tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, obviously agitated. “Reagan’s a little different. She can be difficult. She doesn’t trust easily. She agreed to let you upgrade her security system, but I’m hoping once you speak to her she’ll let you stay with her for a while. I’ve booked you a hotel for tonight.”
He’d planned to stay in a hotel tonight, anyway. Hopefully, he’d have time to visit Jacey. He’d met her when Black-Gray had been hired by Derrick to guard her when she was under threat from her ex-husband.
Now there was a bastard who’d died an easier death than he should have.
Alex gave him a harried look before turning back to the road. “Maybe I’m being paranoid, but I don’t like any of this, and I don’t think a security upgrade is going to help that much. I’m hoping once she meets you she’ll be okay with you sticking around for a while. Provided I can get your boss to agree.”
He was supposed to be taking holiday leave next week. Not because he wanted to. Gray had basically forced him into it.
“You her boyfriend?” Tiny asked. He’d assumed he was, but he didn’t talk about her the way a man talked about his girlfriend. He glanced at Alex’s left hand and spotted the wedding ring. “Or husband.”
“Her boyfriend? God, no. I’m married. To someone else.”
“Sorry.”
“No. It was a reasonable assumption. My wife, Tara, and Reagan are good friends. Tara is also her PA. Reagan is a sub at Club Decadence.” He let out a deep breath. “This person has snuck into her apartment three times. They’ve managed to unlock the door, turn off the alarm, and fucked with her stuff just enough so she’d know they’d been there but no one else would. We changed the alarm code and the locks, but I don’t think they’ll give up easily.”
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