by Avery Gale
Leaning down, he pressed a kiss against her shoulder. “You did so well, ma poupée. Rest for a moment and then we’ll continue with our day. I want to spend the day exploring the area, and I think you’ll be an excellent tour guide.” She nodded, but he wasn’t sure she was cognizant enough yet to respond, so he let the non-verbal response go.
He wondered if Karl had any clue what a lucky bastard he was. Tally was a treasure and deserved more than the short bursts of attention her husband gave her when he was home. And what was going to happen when Karl demanded she move to D.C.? Tally wasn’t going to be happy living in a quagmire filled with backstabbing and deceit. Maybe he’d talk to Karl when he returned from his fact-finding trip; by then, Koi would have a better grasp on the subtle nuances of their marriage.
Pushing everything else aside, Koi focused his attention on the woman who still lay draped over his lap. He pulled a bottle of arnica gel from the small toy bag he’d tucked beneath the seat. Rubbing the soothing liquid over her ass cheeks felt as intimate as the punishment he’d meted out. “That’s it, ma poupée. Let me take care of you. And then I have something special for you to wear while we take in some of the local sights.” Yes, something special indeed. Reaching back into his bad, he retrieved the roll of PVC tape. He helped her sit up and watched her eyes widen when she saw the tape. Everything about her was an absolute delight, and he couldn’t wait to wrap her up like the gift she was.
Chapter Fifteen
Fourteen hours after he’d started, Rafe walked down the hospital corridor to speak with Keri’s parents. The young woman’s facial trauma had been more extensive than he’d anticipated, but everything had gone perfectly. If she followed his instructions, what little scarring remained would be easily concealed by make-up. After a short conversation with her very relieved family, he went in search of coffee.
Rafe turned on his phone and watched the screen fill with missed calls, voice mail notifications, and messages from everyone but Reagan. Why hadn’t she texted? He’d left very detailed instructions in a note on the kitchen counter. But his frustration was quickly replaced by panic as the realization that something was wrong washed over him. What had happened that kept her from doing as he’d asked? That had to be the reason for all the messages and calls.
Moving quickly to one of the hospital’s outside terraces so he’d have better phone reception and a bit of privacy, Koi began playing the voice mail messages. After the third call, he was no longer worried about Reagan’s physical safety, but he was concerned about her emotional state. Rafe dialed Taz’s number first in hopes he’d spent enough time with Reagan to give him the inside scoop. Taz’s ability to connect with and read a person’s emotions would make his insight invaluable in this instance.
When his friend answered on the first ring, he didn’t waste any time with preliminaries. “I’ve been expecting your call. Have you gotten any sleep?”
“No. Talk to me.” The coffee was finally kicking in, but the caffeine wasn’t doing a thing for his patience.
“Reagan had a flashback. She said it was the first’ and I believe her, although I think she could be misinterpreting some of what she calls ‘lost moments’.”
“Lost moments? What the hell does that mean?”
“She thinks of them as something akin to a daydream. But I’ve made a couple of calls, and the experts I spoke with agree that she’s likely been experiencing mini-flashbacks and not recognizing what they were.” Rafe leaned back into the chair and fought the urge to groan. Medical professionals were notorious for self-diagnosing—and their lack of perspective often led to inaccurate observations and decisions. Unfortunately, it was something they all were guilty of at one point or another.
“Have you spoken to her about this?” Rafe was curious whether or not she understood the significance of what she was going through.
“Not yet. I was waiting to talk to you. I know you don’t have any real claim on her, yet, but I’m not sure you see it that way.” Taz was right—on both points. Rafe had no idea why she’d become such an obsession. Hell, there were a lot of people who would consider it creepy. In any other venue, the level of security he’d left in place for her would probably be considered stalking. Thank God, his fellow Doms understood where he was coming from.
“You’re right, but I haven’t gotten to spend enough time with her to know if she’s on board. She agreed to try, but every time I think we’re going to get enough time alone to explore our mutual attraction, something fucking goes wrong.”
“I understand. Maybe I should call Nanna-son and have her cleanse your aura or whatever it is that she does waving that bundle of smoking sage around. That shit stinks when it’s burning, I’m telling you. I’m pretty sure the good juju flees right on the heels of the bad, but you’ll never convince her or my mother. They’ve already set off the smoke alarms in our living unit twice this week. Nate threatened to change the codes on the elevator if they filled the place with smoke again. Although, to be honest, I’m not sure what was causing Kodi to cough the most, the damned smoke or the steam coming out Nate’s ears.”
Rafe heard his friend chuckle before he added, “Do you think it’s really possible for a man’s head to rotate like that little girl in that old horror movie? Because I’m telling you, I thought for a few minutes it was going to happen. If Kodi hadn’t calmed him down, I think it might have been a Kodak moment for the ages.”
Rafe couldn’t hold back his laughter. It was probably exactly what his friend had intended, and Rafe was grateful for the distraction. He hadn’t realized how tense he’d been until his shoulders relaxed for the first time in hours. “I’m not that desperate…yet. But I’m not going to rule it out, either. Your grandmother is a charming woman, and I wouldn’t hesitate to ask for her help if I thought it was warranted.”
“Goddess, you’re a bigger suck up where she is concerned than Nix, and I didn’t think that was possible.” Taz didn’t fool him. Both he and Nate adored their grandmother. Rafe had met the elderly tribal healer some time ago and liked her on sight. In many ways, she reminded him of his own, though his was usually more subtle in her machinations. “Listen, I know your first instinct is to get back here, thinking you can manage the situation, because that’s what I’d want to do. But she’s resting, and we’ve got everything covered. She might well see it as a sign you don’t think she’d capable of handling herself. And I know she’s already worried you’ll change your mind about training her because she’s more trouble than she’s worth.”
Rafe heard himself growl in frustration followed by Taz’s laughter. “I do believe my brother and Brandt explained in detail what they thought of her remark. Something along the lines of helping with a paddling she’d never forget.”
“I could arrange to come home, but it wouldn’t be easy. And I think you might be right about her reaction. She made it clear the betrayal by the people she’d trusted to keep her safe was, in many ways, worse than the attack itself. I can see where rushing home to control the situation might be seen negatively.” And he did see it, but that didn’t mean he was thrilled to be leaving her alone.
“You can monitor the cams remotely, right?”
“Yes, but it feels a little like spying, especially given the fact that was what triggered her flashback today.” It didn’t feel quite right, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to check on her when he could. But the more people “watching” her, the more difficult it was going to be to justify it.
Rafe’s second call was to Phoenix Morgan. “You can’t possibly monitor the cams twenty-four hours a day? It’s not reasonable for me to expect that.”
“Don’t forget I’ve got a team helping me. Just because we aren’t all in the same room doesn’t mean we aren’t working as a unit.”
Fuck it. Rafe hadn’t meant to offend him, but the fatigue was taking a toll. “Look, man, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t even go there, Rafe. I understand. I’d be asking the same questions, and I know you’
re running on fumes. Talk to your girl, and then get some rest. We’ll watch over her until you get home. But there’s one more thing before I let you go.” The tone of Phoenix’s voice had shifted enough to put Rafe on guard. Whatever the other man was about to say wasn’t going to be good news.
“After I did Reagan’s initial background check when she applied to Mountain Mastery, I tagged some of the principals in the case. Richard Merrett—the head of security at the facility and the man Reagan felt was behind the attack—bought a plane ticket a couple of hours ago.”
The man was dancing around something, and Rafe was losing patience. “Spit it out, man. I’m too tired to play twenty questions.”
“His final destination is Missoula. I’m trying to find out if he has family or friends in the area, but I haven’t turned up anything yet.”
“When is his flight?”
“Not for a couple of days. If I don’t turn up anything, I’ll let Brandt know.” He paused for a minute, but Rafe was certain there was more, so he waited in silence. “This might not have anything to do with the Major’s travel plans, but Kelsey Jones called Brandt’s office several hours ago. I’ll let him give you the details of the call, but Brandt’s theory is she tried to sell Reagan’s location and her plan backfired.”
“I swear I’ll destroy her if she sold Reagan out.” There wouldn’t be a place on the planet she could hide from him. He rarely used his family connections, but he’d call in every available resource to take Kelsey Jones down.
“It would be another huge betrayal, that’s for sure. Trust is already going to be a big hurdle for you.” And wasn’t that the fucking understatement of the week? “And I’m going to give you a bit of advice. Get your temper under control before you call Reagan. She’ll probably misread the anger and think she’s to blame.” Rafe heard the other man chuckle, “And don’t bother to deny that you’re fucking pissed as hell. I can hear it in your voice.”
“Yeah. Taz said the same thing.”
Phoenix burst out laughing. “I’m sure he did, but he cheats. I heard it the old-fashioned way.” There was no arguing with that logic.
Dick Merrett walked through the airport intent on retrieving the luggage he’d been forced to check. His Department of Corrections ID was the only reason he’d been allowed to check the damned bag. The agent hadn’t been thrilled with the weapons stash, but he’d finally done the paperwork. Dick would have fired the jerk for treating a higher-ranking officer like a common criminal. That was one of the things he liked about working inside prisons. He had a lot more latitude with his staff. Anybody who believed the good ole boys club wasn’t alive and well hadn’t ever worked in corrections.
Retrieving his luggage, he made his way down the short hall to car rentals. Rubbing the back of his neck, Dick couldn’t shake the feeling he was being watched. He’d surreptitiously scanned the area, but everyone he saw seemed absorbed in their own miserable life. He chalked it up to working in a place where there were only a handful of places where he wasn’t under surveillance. One of the first things he’d done when he’d taken the position as Major was to remove the cameras from his office suite. As it turned out, that move alone had saved his ass countless times. If Reagan Walsh decided to sue, she’d never find any tangible proof he’d met with her assailant. Having a record of their meeting would cost the State of Texas millions and decimate his career.
He hadn’t given a second thought to the fact Reagan might file suit against him until he’d started hearing rumors about some fancy-assed lawyer in Dallas asking for her contact information. Why else would some city center legal eagle be trying to get in touch with her? He intended to make sure she never saw one red cent.
In less than twenty minutes, he was on his way. He’d never been particularly close to his aunt’s youngest son, but having a cousin in Montana was a great excuse to visit the state. There was also the added benefit of having a free place to crash for a few days while he tracked Reagan down. Of course, if the bitch who’d called him gave up the information as quickly as he anticipated, he wouldn’t be in town long at all.
Brandt looked over Phoenix’s shoulder at a tablet screen filled with pictures from the various security cameras in and around the airport. “Good thing Trixie still works for the car rental agency.”
“It’s even better that she doesn’t hold a grudge or she wouldn’t have done jack shit for you.”
“Hey, that was years ago, and I’ve apologized to her more than once.” Leaving her high and dry at a party their senior year hadn’t been one of Brandt’s finer moments. But since she’d met her husband that same evening, he’d never felt terribly guilty.
“Well, it seems the tracker is working. Since the air freight company is already closed for the evening, I’m curious to see where he’s headed. The only family I could find living in the area was one cousin who claims he hadn’t heard from Merrett in years before he got a call a few days ago. To say he was surprised would be an understatement.”
“What makes you think he won’t tell Merrett you were asking questions?”
Phoenix laughed and shook his head. “Because he applied to Mountain Mastery about a month ago. And somehow, he got the impression I’m still working on his background check. Strangest thing, it’s been done for over a week.”
“I have no idea why people think you’re the compassionate brother.”
“The women in our family love me because I use my super powers to help them with their Neanderthal husbands.” Phoenix’s ability to ingratiate himself with the Morgan wives was quickly becoming legendary.
“You suck up more than that souped-up vacuum you talked Dad into putting in the pool.” Brandt shook his head when Phoenix’s eyes lit up like it always had when he unwrapped a new electronic gadget at Christmas. “Swear to God, I’m nominating your wife for sainthood.” They watched the blinking dot move slowly across the map. “He’s headed to the cousin’s house.”
“Looks like it. I’d say you’re clear until morning, but we’ll keep watching.”
Brandt nodded and moved to the door before turning back to his brother. “What’s your gut telling you?” Brandt’s instincts were almost screaming that Merrett was here to finish what was started in Texas. But he was also the first to admit he was a paranoid bastard, so he wanted to hear what his brother had to say.
A couple of years ago, Phoenix became interested in profiling. One of the members of his Mensa Focus Group was the Chief Profiler for the FBI. The two of them, along with Phoenix’s wife, Aspen, were collaborating on an interactive computer game centered on reading the clues left at murder scenes to profile the killer. Brandt didn’t doubt it would be as successful as all of his brother’s other games had been. The trio stood to make millions for their effort. And the fact Phoenix had approached this venture with the same run to the roar commitment he devoted to everything gave him a unique perspective into Major Merrett’s thinking.
“He’s here for Reagan. He set up the attack in Texas, but for some reason, the inmate stalled too long and the attack was interrupted. From studying the attacker’s profile, I’d say he stalled because he actually liked Reagan. But Merrett wants to see her punished for rebuking his interest in her. She not only turned him down, but she was proactive when he continued to stalk her. She’d made it clear she would follow through on her threat to have him arrested if he didn’t stop pursuing her.” Brandt agreed, but knew his brother wasn’t finished, so he held his tongue.
“Merrett is an egotistical prick. Everyone who works for him hates him. They pretend to be his friend to protect their jobs. Those who are good at the charade never have to worry about being fired for infractions that send others out the door. He likes nothing better than to humiliate and shame those who cross him. He couldn’t care less about public safety or rehabilitation and treats the inmate population like little more than dirt beneath his feet.”
“And you think he’s here to finish what he started?” So far, Brandt agreed with everything
Phoenix said, but he appreciated the confirmation.
“No question about it. But I also think he’ll want what she denied him.” Brandt felt his eyes widen at the thought.
“I don’t think he wants her as much as he doesn’t want to be denied a prize he thinks he deserved.” Phoenix appeared to be choosing his next words carefully, and that hesitance was unusual between them. “Listen, everything about this man is a half-bubble off-center. Be careful. And we need to make sure Rafe knows what he’s up against.” Brandt didn’t respond. He simply nodded his understanding and stepped out into the hall.
He wasn’t going to call Rafe until morning. The last time they’d spoken, the man was so exhausted he’d started rambling in the middle of their conversation. Brandt had been there too many times to count during his years in the military. It was a dangerous place where bad decisions looked perfectly reasonable and even the most patient men and women came apart at the seams with the slightest provocation. Rafe needed the sleep more than he needed the worry.
Chapter Sixteen
The ringing of a phone pulled Reagan from the depths of sleep and straight up pissed her off. The fog surrounding her made it too difficult to see the offending device, and she wished a very painful death on whoever owned it. As soon as it stopped, she slid back into the peaceful darkness. The quiet was like a warm blanket wrapped around her, lulling her deeper into sleep. The bed she was lying on felt more like a fluffy cloud, and the sheets were silky soft brushing against her bare skin. Stretching her legs before curling around a pillow that smelled like the man from her dreams, Reagan drifted deeper into sleep when the ringing started once again.
