His to Punish (The Cleaners Book 2)

by Doris O'Connor

  “Hmm, Ren tells me you’re not usually lost for words, so out with it, girl. Do you want to dance in my club or not?”

  The mention of her sister’s killer made her gut churn, but the usual flash of simmering hate didn’t come this time. With a burst of sudden insight Jeanette realized that she couldn’t hate the man for what he’d done. As everyone had been at great pains to point out from the beginning, the sister she mourned was a very different person from the one these guys had known and dealt with. Forcing her mind back to the present, she pushed her shoulders back more and shook her head.

  Kim gasped, and Susie swore under her breath as Huntly’s gaze turned to sharp steel. She was reminded of the old saying to not provoke the sleeping tiger, and hurried on to explain.

  “I mean I would rather not have anything at all to do with the club and everything that goes on in here, but as you won’t just let me walk away, yes, dancing is all that I want to do. I’m not a whore.”

  Huntly’s gaze softened just a tad as he continued to study her, and he eventually laughed.

  “No, you’re not, are you? Besides, Ty would probably take a swing at me if I put you to work like that, and I rather like my face the way it is.” Huntly winked at her, an action so at odds with his stern persona that Jeanette could only stare and blink. She was also uncomfortably aware that she wasn’t immune to the man. There was something dangerous, yet oddly intriguing about Owen Huntly, and any woman would be hard pushed to resist him, should he turn on the charm.

  “I don’t know about that.” Jeanette murmured her reply and dropped her gaze to the man’s tie.

  “No, hmm, is that why Ty is standing right there watching you like a hawk then, even though he’s got work to do?”

  Huntly grasped her chin while he spoke, and sure enough Ty stood by one of the doors leading out back, arms crossed over his massive chest, and looking as though he wanted to kill Huntly.

  Jeanette offered him a tremulous smile, and Ty’s tense features relaxed a little, when Huntly let go off her.

  “I value my Cleaners, and I like to keep them happy. Ty has very much claimed you as his own, which means you’re off limits to anyone, including me.” He grinned when Jeanette startled and looked up at him. “More’s the pity.” Again with that wink, which left Jeanette to simply stare up at him.

  “So, now that we cleared that up, sign the contract, and dance your luscious ass off tonight. You’re one of us now, and we’ll keep you safe from everyone.”

  It was on the tip of her tongue to ask who would keep her safe from the lot of them, but Kim’s shake of the head stopped any further argument.

  “Are we clear here, or do I need to demonstrate further?” Huntly asked, and Jeanette shook her head.

  “Crystal. I’m safe as long as I do what’s expected of me.” Huntly gave her one last look and turned to leave. Jeanette didn’t know what possessed her, but she blurted the words out without thinking. “Otherwise I’ll end up like my sister, right?”

  Huntly stopped mid walking away, and you could have heard a pin drop in the club, as everyone seemed to look at her. At least Ty wasn’t staring at her anymore. He must have left to do whatever it was Huntly needed him to do, because that doorway was empty, and Jeanette breathed a sigh of relief. Somehow she got the impression her ass would be red raw for this outburst anyhow, but she wouldn’t have put it past Ty to march over here, bend her over the bar and deliver that punishment right now for speaking to his boss like that.

  As it was Huntly looked ready to deliver such treatment himself, when he turned round and stalked back toward her. Jeanette took several steps back until the edge of the bar stopped her and she focused on Huntly’s Adam’s apple, as he put one arm either side of her, effectively caging her in against the bar.

  “Ty’s girl or not, watch your mouth about her. What happened to your sister will not be repeated, ever. Not least because I know better than to trust another piece of wet cunt.”

  Jeanette gasped at the cruel words, but Huntly wasn’t done yet.

  “Don’t ever bring that bitch up in front of me again, are we clear?”

  “Yes, sir. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that the way it came out, it’s just … she was my sister, and I guess, I have a hard time letting it go, that’s all.”

  Huntly continued to stare at her without an ounce of compassion on his features, and she hurried on to make herself clearer.

  “I will, though, sir, please, I promise.”

  “Good, and for the record. If you betray the Cleaners and thus me, I’ll rip you apart myself, girl.” He smiled grimly at her horrified gasp. “Ty says you can be trusted. Don’t let him down.”

  With that he pushed away from the bar, and Jeanette drew much needed air into her lungs.

  “God, Jeanette.” Susie shook her head at her, and Kim looked all but ready to sock her one.

  “Jesus, girl, have you got a death wish talking to him like that? You must be a damn good dancer for him to even let you up on stage after that. Enough of this now, come on and show me what you’ve got.”

  Kim turned on her heel, and knowing better than to argue, Jeanette followed the other woman.

  Dancing was something she was very good at after all.

  ****

  Ty scowled at the woman gyrating around the pole as though she had danced like that forever. Jeanette wasn’t dancing, she was one with the fucking thing, and Ty bet his hard-on that every man in the place sported a boner to rival King Kong’s watching his girl dance.

  And she damn fucking well was his. His talk with Huntly had made sure of that. The club owner had smiled, shaken his head, and tapped his long index finger on his nose.

  “You’ll vouch for this girl? Especially considering who her sister was?”

  “Jeanette is nothing like Myrtle, and she is fiercely loyal. Even though she knows what her sister got up to she still cannot let go, and defends her whenever she gets a chance.”

  “That must make life difficult at the house…”

  Huntly hadn’t needed to state the obvious.

  “Ren and she are good. They won’t ever be best buds, but they won’t kill each other either.”

  Huntly had smirked at that.

  “I’d like to see anyone, let alone a female try, unless she’s Susie, of course, and that girl has proven her loyalty without a doubt. Can you say the same for your woman?”

  Ty had forced himself to hold Huntly’s gaze.

  “Yes, at least I hope so.”

  Huntly had sighed.

  “For all our sake I hope you’re right. We still have to address where she got her intel from. It wasn’t the Priestly fuckers, so, my guess is on Wonsan. If he turns up tonight, and I bet he will, watch him with her. Do not intervene.”

  Huntly had held up his hand to stave off Ty’s immediate protest.

  “She looks like she can handle a bit of rough treatment, but I want her to have the chance to hang herself … or not.”

  Huntly had waved him away, and Ty had been left to ponder the question of his girl’s loyalty, not least when he’d heard of the near altercation she’d had with Huntly.

  Kim had given him a blow by blow account, which had made him seek out his insolent subbie in the locker room, bent her over his knee and spank her ass until it had glowed a nice shade of red. The sex that had followed had been fucking hot, and the caveman in him had grinned at the thought of sending his woman on stage clearly marked by his hands, and with her pussy still wet from his cum.

  It would serve as a nice little reminder of who she belonged to, when she was turning all those fuckers on. Sure enough to start with her dancing while fluid had been somewhat guarded, but as she relaxed, seemingly reassured that no one could touch her, after Ty and the other bouncer assigned to watch the dancers tonight, had facilitated the exit of several jerks who thought they could touch the dancers, her moves had been spectacular.

  Ty had taken particular delight in breaking the nose of the asshole who’d made a
grab for Jeanette’s ass when she’d hung upside down off the pole.

  While she’d jumped and paled at the blood which had hit the stage, requiring a quick clean-up and a break from dancing for her, she had also mouthed a silent thank you at him.

  Ty flexed his bruised knuckles and grinned. A grin which froze when he spotted Wonsan wander into the club. Ren and Josh trailed after him, and as relieved as he was seeing the sharp nod from Ren to signal tonight’s operation had gone down well, the sight of Wonsan made his blood boil.

  Especially as he made a beeline straight for Jeanette, who was waiting by the side of the stage to take over from Kim. When Wonsan came up right behind her and spoke to her, Ty moved to intervene, but Ren’s hand on his shoulder stopped him. Josh, in the meantime, got right in his way, and he couldn’t look past the mountain of a man.

  “Move your fucking ass, man, I can’t see her.”

  Josh smirked and crossed his arms over his chest.

  “That’s the point, Ty. Ren has visual. Besides, I thought you trusted her.” The mocking tone made Ty want to take a swing at the bigger guy, but that’s what Josh wanted him to do. Operation, “keep Ty from spoiling the trap which had been set for Jeanette”, was very much a go, it seemed.

  “Fuck this, what is she doing, Ren? Please tell me she is ignoring him.”

  “No can do, Ty, she’s talking to him.”

  “Son of a fucking gun, let me see.”

  He shrugged Ren off, and Josh reluctantly moved out of his way. What he saw made his gut churn. Perversely it also held him in place, because he knew her body language well enough by now to know that his titch was far from happy. While she was smiling at Wonsan it was rather forced, and the way she subtly leaned away from him, told him all he needed to know.

  “So, they’re talking. She’s not inviting him backstage.”

  No sooner had he said that, Jeanette turned sharply and made her way toward the back, with Wonsan right on her heels. One of the new guys stepped forward to stop the slimy detective from following her backstage, and Ty swore again, when she leaned in, batted her eyelashes at him, and the fucking idiot let Wonsan through.

  Strictly speaking the boy wasn’t doing anything wrong. The girls were allowed men of their choosing backstage, but…

  “Fuck it all. This can’t be what it looks like.”

  Josh got in his way again when he made to go after them, and Ren slapped him on the shoulder.

  “Give them a minute.”

  Ty turned on his best mate, and the pity in Ren’s eyes felt like a punch to the stomach.

  “This isn’t what it looks like.”

  “I’m sure you’re right, but let’s see. Wonsan tries anything, Alex and James are out back watching the monitors. They’ll get to her faster than us. We’ll sort this.”

  ****

  Oh God, oh, God, oh God … where’s Ty? I just have to hold on until he comes to find me.

  Taking a deep breath in Jeanette turned in the narrow corridor to face the sweating detective. He reeked of body odor and booze, and something else. Taking another quick sniff, Jeanette swallowed the rising bile. Cannabis for sure.

  She’d recognize that stench anywhere. It had permeated everything in her childhood after all. It was a wonder Wonsan had been allowed in the club at all. According to Kim, Huntly had a strict no drugs allowed on club premises rule while the place was open to the public. All sounded rather ironic to her, considering the crime lord had his fingers in many pies in the city, and drugs was definitively one of them, but it seemed he didn’t shit in his own back yard.

  Then again, he was on the police radar now more than ever, so she guessed he had to be careful not be caught with his hands in the cookie jar.

  “Okay, you’ve got me in private. What is so urgent that you need to talk to me?” Jeanette forced herself to smile at the detective, and to not let her disgust show when he stepped right into her personal space.

  “Oh come on, girl, you stop the pretense now. We’re on our own. I’ve come for answers. What have you got for me?”

  More bile rose in Jeanette’s throat as she stared at him. He looked so damn smug and expectant. Even a few days ago, she probably would have given him the answers he sought in a heartbeat, but she couldn’t, wouldn’t betray Ty like that.

  She put her hands up to stop him from advancing further, and Wonsan frowned.

  “I have nothing to say to you.”

  Wonsan sucked in air through his teeth and shook his head.

  “So, they got to you, too, huh? Well, in that case you can pay me back in other ways.”

  He laughed at her gasp of horror. “Come on, whore, you’re working here now, so be nice to me. I’m here as a paying customer after all.” She flinched when he ran his index finger along her jaw, and then lower, to trace the tiny straps holding up her dance costume. “A man could drown in those babies, I reckon.”

  Jeanette slapped his finger away and took a step back, only to have him follow her. The light of the surveillance camera mounted high in the corner of the hallway, mocked her with its blinking intensity.

  Kim had said she was perfectly safe, so why then wasn’t anyone bursting the damn door down. Someone had to be watching?

  “I’m not a whore, damn you. I simply dance, and I don’t appreciate you talking to me like this.”

  She twisted her head sideways when Wonsan bent his head to kiss her, and giving him a shove managed to twist out of his way. For a half drunk guy he moved surprisingly fast, however, because he twisted his hand in her hair and slammed her back against the wall with enough force to make plaster rain down on them.

  Temporarily winded, Jeanette had no defense as he ground his hard dick into her ass.

  “Play hard to get all you want, but you can’t fool me. Besides, I want the information you came here to get for me.”

  “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. Let me go.”

  Wonsan yanked her hair hard, and Jeanette cried out in pain.

  “Don’t play dumb with me, girl. You know what I want. Same as you, sweetheart.” He licked along her jaw, and Jeanette screamed.

  “No, get the hell off me. Help.”

  Finally, the door at the other end of the hallway burst open, and the Synn brothers burst through it like avenging angels. With one quick move they’d brought Wonsan to his knees, at the same time as the other door flew open, and a murderous looking Ty appeared. Jeanette didn’t even think about her actions. She threw herself into his arms and buried close. It felt so damn good to be back in her Sir’s arms, to breathe in his clean, spicy scent, and to feel safe.

  “It’s okay, I’ve got you, titch.”

  “Get that fucker out of here, boys.” Ren’s deep voice penetrated her consciousness and she swallowed nervously when Ty pushed her away, and Ren grasped her chin. She was dimly aware of Alex and James carting a protesting Wonsan away, before her attention was taken up by the guarded intensity in Ren’s eyes.

  “Did he hurt you?”

  “N-no…. not really.”

  “If he had, police or not, I’d rip his fucking balls off.” Ty’s growled words at her back sent a shiver down her spine. Not of disgust, as she might have thought, but relief that Ty had her. Sure enough, he reached out to draw her back into his solid frame, and she closed her eyes, when he nuzzled into her neck erasing the feel of Wonsan’s tongue.

  “I reckon I’d let you, Ty. What information was he referring to, girl?”

  “Ren, really, she hasn’t—”

  “It’s okay, Sir, let me answer that.”

  Ren’s eyebrows shot up when she interrupted Ty, and his sigh ghosted across her neck. Josh chuckled, and Huntly’s cool voice made her shiver.

  “Yes, I’d be most interested in hearing that answer, too.”

  Huntly leaned against the wall, flicking an imaginary speck of dust off of his suit, to all intents and purposes without a care in the world, but the tick in his jaw gave him away.

  “Dete
ctive Wonsan approached me after Myr died. We’d met briefly at the police station, when they’d brought me in to question me about her. I didn’t know anything of course. He had these pictures.”

  She shuddered recalling the horrific images, and leaned more on Ty, when he squeezed her hip in silent support.

  “His partner didn’t seem to like his approach, and then the next day I got a visit at my flat. He had more pictures, not just of Myr, but other people you’re supposed to have … well anyway. He said he needed my help, ‘cause he’d run out of options, and I…”

  “That wanker fucking used you, baby.”

  Ty’s annoyed growl vibrated through her, and Jeanette dropped her gaze and nodded.

  “I realize that now, but at the time I simply wanted revenge for my sister. I let her down, see. If I had been a better sister, come looking for her sooner, then, maybe I could have—”

  “If is a useless word, which doesn’t change a thing, baby. Believe me, I know.” Ty’s quiet voice at her back made her blink away tears. “Your sister was a grown woman who made her own choices. Nothing you could have done. Let it go, now.”

  Ren let go of her chin at last, nodded at whatever he saw in her eyes, and addressed Huntly.

  “Now, can I kill that fucking detective?”

  Much to Jeanette’s surprise Huntly shook his head.

  “I told you, he’s got a young son and a wife.”

  Ty snorted his disgust, and Huntly smiled grimly.

  “I know what you’re thinking. He can’t be much of a husband and father if he hangs around clubs in his spare time, right? That being as it may, until we know what his game is, he’s more valuable to us alive. The rate he’s been spending money here and elsewhere, he’s gonna need cash soon. Hopefully, he’ll come to me. If not … well, then he’s all yours, boys. Jeanette, you look done in. No more dancing for you tonight. Ty can take you home. You should all scoot. Where’s Ace?”

  Belatedly Jeanette realized there was no sign of the tall guy.

  “Hospital,” Josh said, and Jeanette gasped.

  “He’s not hurt, well, minor scrapes only, which he can take care of himself, but the girls tonight were…” Josh glanced at her clearly unsure of how much he should say.