by Avery Gale
Phoenix stared at the large screen in front of him, tracking Merrett’s phone. The small green indicator showed the man approaching the back door of the freight company, but just as he turned his attention to the monitor on his right, it went black. “What the fuck?”
“What happened?” Brandt’s voice came over the speakers, and Phoenix heard the frustration in his voice.
“The security feed from the freight company just went down.”
“Switch to another cam.”
“Yeah, well, big brother, shocking as it may seem, I’d actually thought of that. When I say it’s down, I mean the whole fucking system is down. I don’t have shit.” The only way the man could have disabled the system that fast was by using a scrambler. Running the feed backwards ten minutes, he watched Kelsey Jones move around the room and stealthily avoid the cameras she and the other employees had been told covered the large room. What no one except the owner knew was that he’d recently added several more cameras. Brandt hadn’t had any trouble obtaining a warrant, and the two of them had finished the installation late last night after the system experienced a brief malfunction.
“Did you get anything before everything went dark?”
“Yes. You’ll have plenty to make an arrest.” If she’s still alive when you get there. “What’s your ETA?” He needed to know Brandt’s estimated time of arrival to gauge how much help to bring in to help track Merrett. No doubt the man could hear the siren. Sounds that shrill tended to echo up and down the valley in the most annoying way possible. If an emergency vehicle was far enough north, they could hear it at the ranch, and it always woke up every baby in the damned house.
“Five minutes unless I come up behind another hay trailer. Damn, I hate this time of year.” Brandt was the most impatient driver in the world, which was damned amusing considering he was the lead law enforcement agent in the county. Phoenix could hear Brandt speaking to central dispatch, requesting ambulance and officer back up. Before he’d finished his instructions, he let loose a string of curses that would send their mother into a tailspin. In Phoenix’s opinion, she was awfully thin-skinned for the mother of five boys.
He didn’t have to wait long to find out what had set Brandt off. Phoenix heard the distinctive click of Brandt opening the link so that his officers and dispatcher could hear everything Phoenix heard. “I was almost run off the road by a car matching the one owned by the suspect’s cousin.” He gave a quick description of the car and directed officers to pursue and detain.
Phoenix dialed Caila on another line. “Hey, doll, are you still working down by Rafe’s?” He let a sigh of relief when she said she was just leaving the area.
“I’ll be in place in ten minutes tops. What’s up? I can hear sirens over my radio so I know they’re close.” As loud as she played her music, he wouldn’t have thought she’d be able to hear a nuclear explosion. “And before you ask, yes, I’ve got warm clothes and a night vision scope. I’m just a regular fucking boy scout.”
“Har har. And you better not let Mom hear you talking like that—or Kip for that matter.”
“Yeah, yeah. But you won’t blab because I’m going to be sitting in a tree in the cold helping you out.” Brat. Unfortunately, she was right. Glancing at his phone, Phoenix groaned. “What’s wrong?”
“Rafe just landed. He’s so anxious to get back to Reagan he’s liable to jump out of the damned plane before it even comes to a stop.”
“Which means he’ll be coming in hot and you don’t want me to screw up and shoot the wrong guy, right? Damn, that’s just insulting.” Phoenix could hear the amusement in her voice, but she’d been right. That was exactly what he’d been thinking. “I only shoot bad guys, Phoenix.”
“I’m sorry, Cal. I just wanted to give you a heads-up because this jack ass actually bears a strong resemblance to Rafe.”
“I understand that at your advanced age it’s hard to distinguish differences at a distance, but I’m not pushing forty, so…”
Hell, she wasn’t even thirty. “You’re a menace. And I’m only thirty-five, so I think ‘pushing forty’ is a bit of an exaggeration.”
“You’re a Mensa, so I’m sure you understand the concept of rounding numbers. Anything five or more gets rounded up. Hence, pushing forty.” He heard the faint ding of her car door before she tested the earbud communication device he’d given her. The sound of her trunk closing told him she was ready to go to work. “Gotta go. Places to be. Bad guys to shoot.”
“Stay safe, little sister.” Opening the link between his office and Micah Drake’s at the Prairie Winds Club, he updated the other man and was grateful for his offer of help. He let Micah take the helm for a few minutes while he talked to Rafe.
“Brandt found Kelsey by the back door. Looks like Merrett was choking her when he heard the sirens and fled.” The son of a bitch dropped her like she was a piece of trash to be discarded. Phoenix certainly didn’t respect her, but she was still a human being.
“Where are they taking her?”
“North. Tally isn’t available, and Ryan has more experience with this sort of thing than the doctor on call.” Rafe already knew Tally had been drinking the day before, so he’d understand why she referred the case to Ryan.
Brandt looked on as the EMS personnel worked to save Kelsey Jones’s life. If he’d been a few seconds later arriving, she’d have died. The trauma to her throat and the position in which she’d fallen would have cut off what little oxygen she’d been able to pull in. He heard the EMTs mention asphyxiation and something about hypoxia and made a mental note to look it up later.
He snapped a couple of quick pictures and sent them to Ryan along with anything else he thought might help his brother treat her. Even though he wanted nothing more than to see her held accountable for selling out her friend and behind bars for smuggling drugs, neither of those meant she deserved to die.
When his phone vibrated in his pocket, Brandt wasn’t surprised to see a message from Ryan. Was assailant trying to find out Reagan’s location? Brandt didn’t know, but that was his best guess.
Probably.
Did he get it? Considering her earlier lack of loyalty, it was likely she’d told him everything he wanted to know—not that it appeared to have done any good.
??
Dick Merrett couldn’t get that bitch’s last words out of his head. She’d been so frantic to escape from him, he doubted she realized she’d spoken anywhere but her clouded mind. He’d done his research. He knew Reagan worked part-time at the club. It still amazed him she was using her real name and social security number. When he’d seen her leaving the club with a man, he’d assumed the man was her boyfriend. But Kelsey seemed confused by him referring to her man as a Native American. Instead, she seemed to think Reagan was with someone named Rafe.
Looking around, he found what he was looking for—a convenience store close to the exit for the airport. Over the years, he’d learned people are extremely predictable. They’d stop at either the place closest to their home or one near work for their caffeine fix, so this place would be a likely stop for the airport personnel.
Twenty minutes later, he could barely hide his smile as walked from the small store and settled back into his cousin’s beat up old car. The young man working behind the counter had been very helpful, and his confession to having a secret crush on Dr. Rafe Newell was enlightening. He hadn’t thought the man, whose nametag identified him as Treavor, was going to talk to him until Dick claimed to be Reagan’s ex-boyfriend and that he’d come to town to beg her forgiveness.
“You know Reagan. She’s got a such a good heart. I know she’ll come back home with me if I can just talk to her.” Treavor’s eyes lit up when he realized how easily he could rid himself of one person he believed was keeping Newell from claiming Treavor as his own.
“I’ve been to the club a few times with friends and watched Master Rafe top male and female subs. He never fucks any of them, though. I think he’s waiting for the right one to
come along.” And I’m sure the good doctor has his sights set on you. Not.
Treavor, the helpful clerk, had even provided directions to Rafe Newell’s mountain home. Dick wanted to pat himself on the back; stopping at the convenience store had been a stroke of genius. Making the turn that would take him up the mountain, Dick looked in the rearview mirror in time to see an ambulance fly by, lights flashing and the siren piercing the air. He’d been sure the bitch was dead, but some well-meaning EMT probably thought they’d be a hero if they managed to revive her. Shrugging it off, he remembered the housing development he’d passed on the way into town. One of the old farts up there probably had a heart attack trying to breathe. This was one of the reasons he loved Texas. No fucking altitude sickness.
The mountains might be pretty to look at; the air was entirely too thin. Damn, even the smallest physical exertion was exhausting. He hoped Newell’s home wasn’t too far up the mountain. Dick had his heart set on fucking Reagan before he finished what the dirt bag in his facility was supposed to have completed over a year ago, and keeling over from heart failure for a piece of ass wasn’t part of his plan.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Reagan shivered, but it didn’t have anything to do with the wind howling outside the enormous windows of Rafe’s home. When she’d spoken with him this morning, Rafe had directed her to the master control panel for the security system. He’d talked her through disabling the speakers and the cameras for the main living area. She’d felt the oddest sense of freedom knowing she finally had a bit of privacy. Maybe she hadn’t been as sold on Kodi’s roommate idea as she’d thought?
Excitement threatened to bubble over, and she fought the urge to run back to the bedroom to retrieve her ringing phone. Kneeling naked with her back to the fireplace, Reagan was wedged between the long sofa and the overstuffed chair she loved curling up in to read. Rechecking her position, she adjusted her knees so they were as far apart as she could get them. She let her gaze move quickly over her immediate surroundings. Spotting something silver under the sofa cushion, Reagan almost groaned when she realized she hadn’t properly returned the small pistol to its original hiding place.
Rafe had quizzed her several times to make sure she could confidently operate the small Sig Sauer P938. He wanted to be absolutely certain she was familiar with its operation. Just as she lifted her hand to push the pistol farther under the cushion, she heard the back-door open. Shocked she hadn’t heard the garage door open or close, she quickly readjusted her hands on her thighs and waited.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here? Did you know I was coming, Reagan? If I’d known I’d find you naked and spread for me like the slut you are, I’d have worked harder to find you.” Her blood turned to ice in her veins when she realized Major Merrett stood directly in front of her. She struggled to get to her feet, but he tangled his fingers in her hair, stilling her movement.
“Looks like your fuck-buddy did a good job of hiding all those nasty scars, bitch. Too bad he wasted his time, because I’m going to carve you up again after I sample the cunt you seem intent on sharing with everyone but me.” The sinister tone of his voice sent chills racing over her bare skin. When black dots began dancing in her vision, Reagan realized she was holding her breath and sucked in a big gulp of air. The last thing she needed was to pass out, leaving herself completely defenseless.
Think, Reagan. Rafe will be here any minute. If he walks in, he’ll be a sitting duck. Her Master wouldn’t be expecting anyone else to be in the house, and with the cameras disabled, he’d have no way of knowing the dangerous situation that awaited him. The realization she’d accepted Rafe as her Master struck her like a blow to the chest, and her need to protect him swamped her.
As if he’d known she was lost in thought, Merrett yanked her hair so hard she fell to the side. Catching herself against the side of the sofa, Reagan let her hand slip between the cushions and wrap around the pistol’s grip. Sending up a silent prayer of thanks for Rafe’s insistence she learn how to use the gun, she flicked off the safety and palmed as much of the weapon as she could before pulling her hands free. From his position in front of her, he wouldn’t be able to see her hand. Thank God she’d knelt between two pieces of furniture.
“You are a ditzy bitch, aren’t you? Hell, I don’t think you’ve heard a word I said. But at least you are in the perfect position to suck me. Don’t fucking move.”
He released her hair, and she felt herself sway with relief. Finally finding her voice, she gasped, “Cameras. There are cameras everywhere, and the police are probably already on their way.”
He laughed and laid a small black box on the table behind him. “Scramblers are the best thing the geeks have invented in a long time. Took out the system at that freight company you worked for with no problem at all.”
“You went there looking for me? How did you know I used to work there?”
“Your buddy Kelsey sold you out, bitch. She called me wanting money in exchange for your location. Why would I pay her when it was easy to find out who she was and where she was calling from?”
“Kelsey told you where to find me?” She hated the quivering in her voice, but the combination of fear and betrayal was almost too much for her to wrap her head around. How did she always manage to trust the wrong people? Regretting her earlier relief at having the security system turned off, she shook her head in disgust when she realized it didn’t matter anyway. If he was right about the scrambler, Phoenix would have just assumed there was glitch in the system.
“Open your mouth. I’m going to fuck your throat before I take what should have been mine a year ago.” The sound of his zipper shifted her entire world on its axis. Time slowed despite the fact everything seemed to happen at once. The rasp of the zipper’s metal teeth releasing and the low rumble of the garage door opening shot adrenaline through her system, and Reagan’s mind cleared. The fog of fear was replaced by the knowledge she not only had to save herself; she had to save Rafe as well.
Merrett’s hand once again clenched her hair, yanking her head to the side. Reagan wouldn’t be able to see where she was shooting, but that didn’t stop her from pulling her hand from beneath her. She aimed up and pulled the trigger. His scream caused her to flinch, pulling the trigger a second time, but this shot sounded much louder…more like an explosion than a single shot from a pistol.
Glass shattered in front of her, and she instinctively covered her face. Merrett’s fingers flexed before sliding from her hair. He gasped once before falling in front of her. A knife she hadn’t known he was holding slid across the wood floor as Reagan scrambled back and away from the man who seconds early had been intent on shoving his cock into mouth. Shuddering when she thought about how close she’d come to being raped, Reagan screamed when warm hands wrapped around her upper arms and lifted her from the floor.
Her wild flailing was quickly stilled when she was wrapped in a soft blanket and picked up. “Shhh. I’ve got you, sweetheart. Just let me hold you for a little while.” Rafe’s voice calmed the worst of the storm churning in her as he moved across the room and fell into a chair with her still cradled in his arms. His shuddering breath matched her own, and as strange as it was, she found comfort in the fact he’d been as worried for her as she’d been for him.
What seemed like long minutes later, he leaned back and looked down at her. “Reagan, why didn’t you answer your phone?”
“My phone? Oh shit.”
“Oh shit, indeed.” His eyes darkened, but she could tell he wasn’t really angry. If she was going to make a guess, she’d venture Masters didn’t enjoy feeling that out of control. “I’m not going to assign a number of swats right now. I need to calm my racing heart before I give you some astronomical number, because I’ll always keep my promises, baby. But I assure you, it’s going to be a paddling you won’t soon forget.”
The words set her on fire. The adrenaline flooding her system turned to raging desire between one heartbeat and the next. Rafe’s finger
s grasped her chin. Tilting her face up, he sealed his lips over hers. The kiss morphed from an assurance she was all right into a full-blown claiming before she could wiggle her arms free from the confines of the blanket. “Stay where you are, baby. I need to know you’re safe.” She moaned into his second kiss before he pulled back to gaze into her eyes. “I do believe bondage is something you’re going to enjoy. I’m looking forward to exploring that with you.”
Caila hadn’t hesitated to take the shot when she saw what Merrett held in his hand. The long, slender blade reminded her of a filet knife on steroids. She’d been right about the spot she’d chosen; the elevated vantage point had given her a perfect view into the room, and her scope let her track the prick stalking Reagan from the time he’d gotten out of his car. She’d wanted to shoot him then, but Brandt was a real stickler for the rules, and he’d reminded her that shooting someone before they committed a crime was against the rules. Damn, he used to be more fun when we were kids.
Dropping out of the tree, she laid her rifle at her feet, propped her hands on her knees, and took a deep breath. She’d seen Reagan pull the gun from between the cushions and was damned impressed when she’d taken the first shot. Unfortunately, Merrett chosen that moment to jerk Reagan so hard by the hair she’d almost fallen over. It looked like the bullet had grazed his thigh, but from his reaction, one would have thought she’d shot his cock off at the root. What a fucking baby.
“That was one hell of a shot, baby.” Her husband’s sexy voice startled her, and she jerked upright to find him leaning casually against a tree a few feet in front of her. He had a rifle slung over his shoulder, and she didn’t remember a time she’d been happier to see him. Tears spilled down her cheeks as the reality of what she’d done crashed over her. “Aww, sweetheart, come here.” Where had her mind been that she hadn’t even heard him move? Kip’s strong arms closed around her, and she let his strength seep into her.
