Claiming Their Racy Sub [Racy Nights 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Tara Rose

  “Do you think Noah knows about this?”

  Chase took another sip of beer. “I don’t know, but if I had to guess, I’d say he doesn’t. From what I’ve seen, Kari is very protective of Alexa.”

  “Kari’s a good friend to her.”

  “They’re good friends to each other. But the point I’m trying to make is that Alexa won’t just get over this in one night. She may never get over it completely. We both have to be prepared for that possibility.”

  “Julie is helping her a lot.”

  Chase frowned. “So she talks to you about what she and her shrink discuss?”

  “Only what I ask her specific questions, and even then she’s pretty vague about it.”

  “Well, talking about it with a shrink and living it down are two different things.” Chase took a large slug of beer. Would she talk to him about it if he asked?

  “I’ll do anything to help her through this.”

  Chase glanced at Luke, who was all puffed up like a damn peacock. “So will I. Relax, okay? I’m not putting down her shrink. I’m just saying Alexa has demons to wrestle, and I’m betting there’s more to her story than an ex-Dom who abused her.”

  Luke frowned. “Why do you say that?”

  Chase averted his gaze. This wasn’t the time to open up about his past. “I just know, okay?” He recognized the signs. He’d lived through it and come out the other side, and no shrink had ever been able to help him forget. Not entirely.

  Luke glanced toward the window. “What’s that noise?”

  “What noise?”

  “Listen.”

  Chase tilted his head and finally heard it over the howling wind. It was a car motor and the unmistakable sound of tires slipping on ice and snow. “What dumbass is out in this weather in the middle of the night?”

  Luke walked over the window and looked out. “Whose car is that?”

  Chase followed. This street didn’t have many houses on it that were occupied, and most of the traffic was from people going to and from work at the water treatment plant.

  “I don’t know,” said Chase. He didn’t recognize it. It had the generic look of a rental, and whoever was driving it wasn’t used to ice and snow, which made him immediately suspect it wasn’t a Racy resident. The tires slipped and spun, despite the fact the driver was cruising past the house slowly.

  “Who the fuck is that?” asked Luke.

  The hair on the back of Chase’s neck prickled as he watched the car turn around at the end of the street and drive toward the house again.

  “I’m going down there.” Luke turned around and started to leave the room.

  “No. Don’t.”

  “Why not? Don’t you want to know who it is?”

  Chase had no idea who it was, and he wasn’t sure why he didn’t want Luke to confront the driver. He only knew every instinct was screaming at him that something was very wrong. “Try to see the plate. It’s not an Indiana one. See if you can make out any letters or numbers.”

  He crept into Alexa’s bedroom and grabbed his phone, and then he returned to the living room.

  “It’s gold,” said Luke. “Definitely not from Indiana.”

  Chase’s pulse quickened. “What?” He walked to the window and peered out.

  “The plate,” said Luke. “It’s gold.”

  Plenty of states had gold license plates. Including New York. Donnie had come here from New York looking for Kari. Brad was from New York. It was a long shot, and Chase couldn’t have explained at that moment why he was suspicious, but he’d learned to trust his instincts. He punched in Sean Brennan’s number. The detective worked odd hours, and Chase hoped he was still awake.

  Chapter Eleven

  Alexa woke to the smell of coffee and the sound of a snowplow. She sat up and stretched. Every spot on her body ached, but especially her pussy and her ass cheeks. She smiled as she recalled the luscious details of the night before. Maybe she’d go and find Luke and Chase so they could continue where they’d left off the night before?

  Were they still here? What time was it? Bright sunlight streamed in through the slits in her blinds. One of them must have closed them the night before, because she didn’t remember doing so. She put on her robe and peeked out into the hallway. Luke and Chase’s voices floated up from downstairs, and Alexa heard another male voice she didn’t recognize.

  She went back into her room, debating whether to go downstairs or wait for them here. As she glanced out at the landscape, she drew in a sharp breath. There had to be at least six inches of snow on the ground. It glistened like diamonds in the sun, totally undisturbed from where she stood. She imagined going outside to play in it, throwing snowballs and building forts, just like she’d always wished she’d done during her childhood. Maybe Luke and Chase would do that with her later?

  When her cell rang, she jumped slightly, her heart racing. She checked the caller ID. It was Kari.

  “Well good morning. How are you?”

  “Absolutely fabulous.”

  “That’s good to hear. Is Chase still there?”

  Alexa lowered her voice slightly. “Chase and Luke are still here.”

  “Oh my…”

  “Yeah. That’s what I said.”

  “You okay?”

  “I’m more than okay, Kari.”

  “I can’t wait to hear about this. Adison had to go to work, but Noah is staying home. We got eight inches of snow overnight, and just about everything is closed, so I don’t think we have to worry about opening the shop.”

  “Did Adison have to drive his Infiniti in this snow?”

  Kari laughed. “No. He borrowed a truck from one of Noah’s neighbors. All the businesses downtown are closed except for the post office and Dan Rutherford’s bakery. No one will venture out to where we are in this mess.”

  Alexa smiled. She’d only spoken to Dan a few times, but she couldn't imagine a snowstorm keeping him from opening the bakery he’d owned since Kari’s parents had been kids. “Not a problem. I won’t open it.”

  “Okay. Call me later when you can talk. I want to hear every single detail, Alexa.”

  “It’s a deal. Hey, I’ve already heard a plow this morning. Does Racy have its own trucks?”

  Kari chuckled. “Officially, we have three. But most times when it snows this much, we have to get help from the county equipment to dig out.”

  After Alexa disconnected the call, she stood at the top of the stairs and listened. The other voice was still talking. She took a quick shower and, after she dressed, went into the living room. The TV was on and she expected to find only Luke and Chase, but a man she didn’t know was there as well. They were watching The Weather Channel, and when she entered, Chase turned around and smiled brightly.

  “Well, there she is. Good morning.”

  “Hi. I talked to Kari earlier and she said we got eight inches of snow.”

  “Yeah,” said Luke,” but it’s going to be in the fifties by Friday, so it’ll melt. Welcome to Indiana.” He grinned, and her pussy grew wet.

  The other man stood. He was tall, and it was obvious from the bulging muscles that his clothes couldn’t hide that he worked out. His sandy-blond hair fell over his forehead, and his eyes were an interesting shade of bluish green. He regarded her with more than a bit of curiosity, and her palms grew damp. Who was he?

  “Alexa Monahan, Sean Brennan. Sean’s a detective on the Racy police force.”

  Police? Why was a cop here? “Hi.”

  Sean shook her hand, and his gaze stayed glued to her face. Alexa swallowed hard. What the hell was going on?

  “Alexa, do you want some breakfast?” asked Luke.

  She shook her head.

  “Have a seat,” said Chase, patting the space on the sofa next to him.

  She took it, moving close to him so that the heat from his body would help ease the sudden chill that had settled over her heart.

  “I called Sean last night, while you were asleep, but he didn’t get my message u
ntil this morning. I hope it’s all right that I asked him to come over.”

  She searched Chase’s face, trying to guess what was going on, but his expression was neutral. “Of course it is.”

  “Alexa, I understand you’re from New York,” said Sean. He picked up a cup of coffee from the table next to him and took a sip, watching her from over the rim.

  “Brooklyn.”

  “And you lived in Manhattan with Kari before moving here, right?”

  “Yes.”

  Chase placed a hand on her thigh, and Alexa jumped slightly. Sean didn’t miss her reaction. “It’s okay, Alexa.”

  Even Chase’s voice couldn’t penetrate the shroud of fear that permeated her brain. Had they found out about the hang-ups? Had this cop heard something from the ADA in Manhattan? No. Kacee would have called if she’d found out something about the break-in.

  “How long did you live with Kari before moving here?” asked Sean.

  “About two months. What’s this about, Detective Brennan?”

  He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Call me Sean.”

  “Why are you asking me all these questions?”

  Sean cut his gaze to Chase before answering. “Well, I’m trying to figure out if anyone from New York would come out here and brave a snowstorm, just to see if you were in this house last night.”

  If Alexa hadn’t already been seated, her knees would have buckled and she’d have dropped into the nearest chair, or simply fallen to the floor. She struggled to maintain her composure. Sean watched her carefully, and she didn’t need to glance at Luke and Chase to know they were doing the same thing. This couldn’t be happening. The urge to excuse herself from the room and call Kari was strong.

  “What do you mean?” Her voice trembled, and she hated that, but there was nothing she could to do to stop it. She covered Chase’s hand and squeezed it, drawing strength and warmth from him.

  “Luke and Chase watched a car drive past this house several times late last night, during the height of the storm. Unfortunately they weren’t able to make out enough of the license plate to help, but they got a good enough look at it to know it was from New York. And they also believe the car was a rental.”

  Brad didn’t own a car, but there was nothing stopping him from renting one. “It could have been someone from town.”

  “Could have been. But I’ve lived here most of my life and I can’t say I’ve seen a lot of our residents drive rentals with out-of-state plates up and down the same street in the middle of the night. And from what Luke and Chase told me, whoever was driving it clearly wasn’t used to doing so in winter weather.”

  “We have snow in New York.” It was a lame thing to say, but she’d said it more for her benefit than Sean’s. She didn’t like way his eyes narrowed slightly.

  “Sure. I know you do.”

  “Some of these homes are vacant. Maybe someone wants to buy one?”

  Chase shook his head. “The rest of these homes are getting torn down in the spring, love. By this time next year this house will be surrounded by strip malls.”

  “Well, I don’t know who it was.”

  Sean put down his cup. “That’s too bad. I was hoping you could help solve the mystery.”

  “No one knows I’m here.” That much was true, as far as she knew.

  “How about family back in Brooklyn?”

  Alexa had to look away from his turquoise eyes. “I don’t have any.”

  “Friends?”

  “All my friends are here in Racy.”

  “What about Kari? Could it have been someone looking for her?”

  “I have no idea. You’ll have to ask her. But no one knows I’m here. They weren’t looking for me.”

  “Donnie McCoy found Kari easily enough, and he was locked up when you two moved to Racy.” Sean’s voice was soft, but he might as well have shouted the words.

  Alexa took a couple of deep breaths to keep from passing out. No one spoke. She could barely hear Chase’s breathing right next to her. Then again, her damn heart was pounding so loudly she was certain everyone in this room could hear it.

  “Sean,” said Chase, “Alexa and Kari are in contact with Kacee Cabot, an ADA in Manhattan. If she hears anything about how McCoy found Kari, she’ll let them know. Alexa doesn’t know anything else about that incident.” He studied her face. “Right?”

  She nodded, hating beyond all reason that she had to lie to him right now. But if she started talking about having left Brad, the murder Kari had witnessed, and the break-in, she’d also have to tell these three men that she and Kari suspected the three events were somehow connected. If she did that, she’d have to admit to Luke and Chase why she was so worried that Brad might find her. She’d have to tell them about the hang-ups. She wasn’t ready to do any of that. How she wished she could talk to Kari right now, or at least to Julie.

  Sean leaned forward. “I live in Racy now and grew up here, but I worked in Chicago when I first joined the force. And I’m a suspicious guy by nature. Chase has called twice during my career and asked me to check out something for him. He isn’t one to jump the gun.”

  He sighed loudly. “And you, Alexa Monahan, look like you’re about to throw up. From where I’m sitting, all that taken together means one of two things. Either you’re lying through your pretty teeth, or you’re scared shitless of something, or someone, you left behind in Manhattan. You can tell me or not. That’s your business. But I’d rather you tell me. I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s going on.”

  He cut his gaze to Chase and Luke. “And these two guys are obviously not going to let anything happen to you. If you won’t tell me for your sake, tell me for theirs.”

  There was nothing he could do, even if she did tell him. Kacee would call if they found out whether the break-in had anything to do with Brad.

  Luke got up and knelt in front of her. When he took her hands and looked into her face with his big puppy-dog eyes she had to bite her lip to keep from crying. He was so afraid, and she hated seeing that in his face. “Alexa, you know how we feel about you. Please tell us what’s going on. I know something is. You can’t hide it, cariño.”

  “There’s nothing you can do about it,” she whispered.

  “Yes, there is. But not unless you tell us.”

  She glanced at Chase, who looked as concerned as Luke. Then she looked into Sean’s eyes. They were hopeful, but they also held a coldness she didn’t care for. He didn’t look like a man who’d be warm and tender.

  Luke rubbed her palms. “It’s okay. Like Sean said, we won’t let anything happen to you.”

  “Noah and Adison thought they could protect Kari, too, and look what almost happened to her.”

  “Is that’s what’s going on?” asked Sean. “Does this have something to do with Donnie McCoy?”

  “I don't know for sure.”

  “Then tell us what you do know.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Alexa took a deep breath. “I finally changed my phone number because I was getting hang-ups from a New York number I didn’t recognize.”

  “What?” Chase glanced sharply at her. “For how long? Why didn’t you tell us?”

  “Easy,” said Luke, glaring at him.

  “They started right after Donnie McCoy showed up.”

  “Fuck.”

  “Take it easy, Chase,” said Sean. “I’m sure she was only trying to protect you two.”

  Alexa shot him a look of gratitude. “That’s right. I was. And besides, I have a new number now. No more hang-ups.”

  Sean fished a notepad and pen out of his jacket pocket. “Alexa, let’s start at the beginning. You said you moved in with Kari about two months before coming to Racy, right? Were you living in Brooklyn before that?”

  “I’d rather not say.” She was not going to sit here and tell this man about her life with Brad, detective or not.

  “Why not?”

  “Because it’s not relevant.”

  Chase mu
ttered something under his breath that Alexa couldn’t understand. Luke took a seat on the other side of her and put an arm around her shoulder. “How about just putting it all in general terms for Sean. Will that work?”

  “It will unless I need to know names,” said Sean.

  “Is it a crime to drive down the street in Racy at night in a snowstorm?” asked Alexa.

  “No, it’s not, but this isn’t New York. Racy has just over ten thousand residents, and we watch out for each other. And considering what happened in this house less than a month ago, I’d say my need to know is pretty damn high right now. What has you so scared that you won’t tell me what’s going on?”

  “Not ‘what,’” said Chase. “Who.”

  “Thanks.” Alexa glared at him and tried to get up, but Luke just held her tighter.

  “Alexa, I’m sorry, but this is ridiculous,” said Chase. “How can we protect you from him if you won’t tell us everything?”

  “You don’t know that it’s Brad behind this. I told you all that in confidence, Chase. Not because I wanted the entire damn town to know about it.” Alexa swiped impatiently at the tears falling down her cheeks.

  Chase just looked confused. “You don’t have to give Sean every detail.”

  “A Manhattan ADA hasn’t been able to find any connection. What makes you think someone here can?” She immediately wished she hadn’t said that. She’d never told them about the connection she and Kari suspected. Would they catch the slip-up?

  “I’m a good detective, Alexa. Give me a chance. We can devote more time to it than the NYPD can. You live here now. You’re one of us. Let us help you.”

  She blinked to clear her eyes. Sean’s face held no sign of suspicion. None of them had noticed the slip-up. “Okay. But there are some things I can’t tell you.”

  “That’s fine. If I don’t need to know, I won’t ask. Fair enough?”

  “Yes.”

  “Let’s start with Brad. Who was he to you?”