by Livia Grant
Chapter 19
"I'm sorry, sir, but we'll need to wake up Ms. Monroe. The captain has put on the fasten seatbelt sign for our descent into Reagan National. You'll need to get her buckled in."
Ryder'd been dozing off himself. While he didn't look forward to the trip from the airport, it would be good to get settled for the night behind locked doors again. Being in public with the threats against Khloe made him jumpy enough, but knowing the Volkov's hitmen were out there combing the world for him and that Washington D.C. would be one of the first cities they looked, he was on edge more than normal.
He had planned to fly separate until that ticking package had been sent to her parents' house. After that, there was no way in hell he'd allow her to travel without him.
He looked down at the sleeping woman who was stretched across the plush first-class seating, using his lap as her pillow as he stroked her silky hair. The poor baby had been exhausted this morning when they left for the airport. He should feel guilty for keeping her up half the night, but he didn't. Not in the slightest. With hyperawareness, he knew their time together was short. He was determined to make every moment count.
Despite the flight attendant's evil eye from the galley, he leaned to his right to nudge Trevor across the aisle. "Hey." He waited for the bodyguard to take his earbud out before continuing. "I'm not going to be able to travel through the airport with you guys. I'll follow behind about twenty-five feet, watching your six. You take her straight to the limo. I'll wait inside and pick up the checked bags and then meet you at the curb."
Trevor nodded at the plan, but then added, "When are you gonna level with me about who you really are?"
"You know what you need to know."
"Bullshit. I get the impression nothing scares you, yet being seen in public with Khloe clearly terrifies you."
The guard wasn't wrong. "The less you know the better. Just make Khloe's safety your top priority."
"It always has been, which is more than I can say for you."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You talk a big game, but I think you're just here for the booty call. Don't think I don't know why she's slept the whole way here. The walls at your house aren't that thick."
"Jealous much?"
"Will you two stop it? I'm not sure the people back in coach can hear you." Khloe's sleepy admonishment coincided with her pushing to a sitting position, stretching her aching muscles. He suspected she was pretty sore considering the workout he'd put her through.
Ryder leaned back into his own seat, enjoying watching Khloe's ritual as she prepared herself to walk out onto the public stage after they landed. Light makeup and lipstick was applied. Her long hair was brushed and pulled back in a high ponytail. The flight attendant delivered an unordered protein bar and energy drink on a tray, the anorexic's go-to meal.
Damned if she didn't even have the airlines trained to support her unhealthy habits.
She smiled victoriously as she took a small bite of the low-calorie bar. He'd let her win this round in public, looking forward to the rematch behind closed doors.
The landing was uneventful. Traveling with a celebrity did have its perks as they were escorted off the plane first. Khloe pulled a pair of sunglasses from her big bag as they walked the jet way, getting into the zone for her dash to the limo. Even though he couldn't see her eyes behind the glasses, he felt her tense as he pulled them to a stop long enough to release the waist he'd been holding and hand over her arm to Trevor before they exited the tunnel.
"Where are you going?" she questioned.
"I'll be right behind you. I want to watch the crowd. I promise, I'll be making sure nothing hurts you."
It was the truth. Not the whole truth, but the truth nonetheless.
She looked hurt at his rebuff, but let Trevor lead her out through the throng of passengers waiting to board the plane at the gate. He hung back far enough that he easily heard the voices whispering, "Hey, I think that's Khloe Monroe." And, "Wow, she's even more beautiful in person than in pictures."
He agreed.
The trip through the arrival hall was uneventful. He texted with Trevor and the limo service, observing until Trevor and Khloe were safely ensconced in the back of the car before going back to the luggage carousel.
Ryder kept his own dark glasses on, trying to throw off facial-recognition software that he knew was snapping photos of all travelers. Each waiting passenger was evaluated by his trained eye, looking for threats and relieved when he found none.
Once he had her bag, he stopped outside the exit long enough to pull his pistol from the checked luggage, securing it in his shoulder holster. He then zigzagged his way to their location, stopping several times to turn and check his six.
You really are turning into one paranoid bastard, Helms.
Finally, confident it was safe, Ryder hopped in the back of the limo.
"What took you so long? Did they lose my bag?"
"Nope. Just slow today." He made eye contact with Trevor who was sitting opposite them on the bench seat facing backwards. He wished he'd remembered to tell the guard that he wanted that seat.
"Don't worry. I'm watching," Trevor reassured him.
The bastard was on to him.
"Watching for what?" Khloe asked, oblivious that the men were worried about a tail.
Ryder answered with a hug, pulling her into his lap to distract her. "So I have a surprise."
He saw the worry line, the one she often applied creams to avoid, crinkle on her brow. "I hope it's a good surprise. I've had my fill of bad ones lately."
"Well, at least I think it is. I called Davidson and we're gonna stay at his secure apartment above Runway while we're in town."
Khloe's face lit up like sunshine, understanding the implications of the location. Trevor was less impressed.
"What the hell? We already have a suite reserved at the Marriott. We spent a small fortune on security sweeps."
"That's fine. You'll need a place to stay and it's a good thing that everyone thinks she'll be there. It could flush out the stalker."
"Thanks for turning me in to a decoy," Trevor grumbled.
"Don't mention it."
"Seriously, will you two grow up?”
Trevor wasn't going to let the subject drop. "That makes no sense. Why the hell would you want to take Khloe to a popular dance club full of people on a Saturday night? That's the last place we want to try to secure."
Khloe's eyes widened at Trevor's probing question.
"You don't need to worry about it. We won't be going to the dance club."
He snuggled Khloe closer, enjoying the feel of her in his arms as they watched the national monuments passing by outside the tinted windows. Only the vibration of his cell phone could distract him.
The text was from Axe. It was a simple 'call me when you land'.
He put his phone away, not wanting to call his friend back until he was alone.
"Everything okay?" Trevor questioned.
"Yeah. Just great."
The men's eyes met over Khloe's head. He should be pissed that Trevor was so suspicious, but wasn't that exactly the kind of protection Khloe would need when he wasn't there? He pushed down his jealousy, determined to make an effort to cut the asshole some slack. After all, it wasn't that he was in a competition with the guy for Khloe, but he was still jealous of the taller man, knowing he was free to go anywhere, do anything with Khloe... something Ryder could not do without putting her in danger.
He'd been lost in thought, not paying attention where they were going until the limo driver pulled up in front of a psychic shop. Khloe's eyes looked up at him in surprise.
Trevor injected before Ryder could redirect the driver. "Why the hell did we stop here? This isn't the hotel or the club."
The driver called back over his shoulder through the open partition. "Mr. Helms, this is the address you sent me in a text, is it not?"
"Yeah, but you need to drop Mr. McLean off at the hotel fi
rst." Trevor eyed him suspiciously so he added, "They have a backdoor VIP entrance to the club through this shop. Just one of the reasons I told you not to worry about her being safe. This place is like a fortress."
Trevor leaned over and opened the door. "I'll help you get the bags inside and then I wouldn't mind throwing back a drink or two. I can grab a cab to the hotel later. I'm not in any rush to see the Kaplans since they are in the adjoining room to the suite."
Khloe looked like she was about to hyperventilate. He reassured her, "It's okay, baby. I'll take care of this."
The three of them piled out, grabbing their bags from the trunk before heading into the psychic shop. It was late afternoon on a Saturday in Georgetown and the shop was not nearly as empty as it had been the other nights Ryder had arrived. It made him nervous, pulling Khloe against his body, shielding her face as they meandered to the back of the store. He was actually glad he had Trevor to follow behind with their bags.
The Hispanic security guy, Luis, must never take a day off. He'd been there to greet Ryder on every visit to the club.
"Good evening, Mr. Helms. Ms. Monroe. We've been expecting you. Mr. Davidson asked that I give him a call to let him know you'd arrived. He said he'll meet you at the bar."
Ever nosy Trevor edged closer. "God dammit, I thought you said you wouldn't be taking Khloe out in public."
It was Luis who answered. "Are you a member, sir?"
"A member of what? Runway?"
Luis looked to Ryder for help.
"He's part of Ms. Monroe's security detail. We're gonna pass through to Runway. Can you have Jaxson meet us at the elevator to the private suite instead?"
"Of course. I'll call him now. Have a nice evening," Luis said, pulling the door open to reveal the well-lit stairs that would take them under the alley separating the building from Davidson's property.
Khloe's heels clicked on the cement flooring of the tunnel and stairs at the other end until they reached the carpeted landing. To the right was the unmarked door leading to the very exclusive and private Black Light, but Ryder headed up the neon-lit stairs straight ahead, knowing they led to the open-to-the-public Runway dance club instead.
Ryder had never taken this path on previous visits so he was surprised and confused when he opened the door at the top of the stairs and found himself inside a dark broom closet.
"Do you know where the hell you're going?" Trevor grumbled.
To be fair, he really didn't, but he sure as hell wasn't going to tell the guy that. Instead, he barged ahead, pulling the curtain at the entrance of the closet aside only to nearly run into the back of a burly security guard.
The guy had obviously not heard them coming over the music because he whipped around, looking ready for a fight, especially when he saw Trevor and Ryder. It was when his eyes landed on the petite Khloe he backed down.
"Ah, Ms. Monroe. You surprised me. Blake told us we were expecting you. He briefed us on your unique security concerns. I must have misunderstood. I thought you'd be secluded at Black Light tonight where we can keep you locked down easier."
Ryder wanted to deck the guy.
Security 101. Don't say more than you need to.
He tried to do some damage control before Trevor asked questions he didn't need answers to. "We're meeting Davidson at the elevator. He's loaning us the apartment upstairs."
"Sure thing. Let me escort you there."
Ryder could feel Trevor's distrustful glare on his back as they went down the long hallway, past the public restrooms where he had to shield Khloe again from being recognized by the long line of women waiting to pee. From the looks of things, they were backstage of Runway. Dance music pounded loud around them, gratefully making it hard to converse as they approached the elevator.
The guard used an electronic keycard to call the lift and a minute later, the doors opened and Jaxson, Chase and Emma appeared before them.
Leave it to Emma to welcome them first, bursting forward to give Khloe an excited hug. "I'm so glad you made it here safe and sound! That was so scary the other night at the theater." She turned towards Ryder, hugging him next. "You saved the day riding in on your motorcycle. It was so exciting and romantic!"
Jaxson stepped forward to peel his woman away. "I think that's enough hugging for one night, don't you?"
Emma grinned up at him, "Not quite yet." She shrugged out of her Dom's grasp to give Trevor a hug, too. "I'm so sorry we panicked you by arranging Ryder to pick up Khloe. I never dreamed you wouldn't know who he was."
It was Chase who pulled her away from McLean. "All right, now that everyone got their Emma hug, I think you and I should head on downstairs and let these guys get settled, don't you?"
Emma looked like she disagreed, but Chase pulled her along behind him, stopping long enough to place a platonic kiss on Khloe's forehead and say, "You look good, kiddo. I'll talk to you later. Come along, Emma."
Jaxson stepped aside, waving his arm as an invite for them to board the elevator. "I'll take it from here, John. Let's get your bags upstairs."
Once the lift was in motion, he pulled an envelope out of the inside pocket of his designer suit jacket and handed it to Ryder.
"These keys will allow you to get off the elevator on any floor as well as gain entry to the apartment. The master key to the suite is locked in the security office safe. Chase, Emma and I enter with a biometric retinal scan, so unless you give someone this key, you're one-hundred percent locked down. In addition, the entrance to the safe room is through the master closet. Once inside, if you engage the locks, it will call 911 and put you on generator backup so even if electricity is cut to the building, you're safe with supplies for up to one week."
"Jesus Christ, are you expecting Armageddon?" Trevor seemed impressed. In truth, Ryder was too.
"Naw, not really, but the world is getting scary. I need to know that I can protect the people I love." Jaxson's passion was admirable.
"Well, let's hope we don't need that extreme. Based on the threats so far, Khloe's stalker isn't nearly that sophisticated," Trevor observed.
Ryder didn't comment. The safe room may be overkill for her stalker, but it might be the only kind of fortress to keep them safe from the Volkovs if they were to catch up to them.
I'm not going to let that happen.
An opulent foyer greeted them as they exited the elevator. The security pad for the key and retina scan was mounted on the wall to the right of the thick double doors. Davidson leaned down to provide his scan, and the sound of the lock disengaging told them they could enter.
The suite was stylishly elegant, the modern decor in almost all white with colorful pillows providing occasional splashes of color. The walls were lined with shelves that housed a combo of what looked like expensive artwork, hardback books, and dozens of candid photos. Fresh cut flowers in crystal vases were interspersed throughout the space making it smell like a springtime garden, and despite the warming weather, a welcoming fire roared in the fireplace.
But it was the huge round bed that was the focal point of the room. It had to be custom made. Ryder had no trouble at all imagining the debauched activities that took place on that bed between the trio, particularly when he noticed the mirror on the ceiling above it and tucked-away rings every few feet around the base he assumed had been used to tie down Davidson's submissives.
"As you can see, I think you'll have more than enough space to spread out and relax." Jaxson wasn't very successful at hiding his sly grin, knowing damn well that Ryder and Khloe would be putting the custom bed to good use.
Trevor was less jovial at being relegated to bellhop. "Where do you want me to put this stuff?”
Ryder was getting anxious to call Axe to see if he'd turned up any leads yet now that he'd had some time with the evidence. "Just park them over next to the table. I'll help her with them in a bit. I need to make a call."
He leaned down to kiss Khloe lightly, aware that they had an audience. "Jaxson, I don't suppose we could order up
a light dinner by chance? It's time to get some more food into this one."
"I ate on the plane!"
"Half a protein bar is not dinner. We slept late and you missed breakfast and we had a tiny lunch when we boarded. We're going to eat a good dinner."
She looked as if she wanted to yell obscenities until he graced her with his most dominate glare. The pout that replaced her anger was adorable, and her quiet "yes, sir" went straight to his cock. He may be the Dom, but little did his submissive know how much control she wielded over him. Her happiness and safety felt like his new air and blood.
"I'll order up a good selection." When Khloe appeared panicked, he added, "Don't worry. I was on the runway for years. I know what to order that will make you both happy. I'll give you a call when the food arrives so you know when to expect one of my staff with the delivery."
"Thanks, Davidson. For everything." The guy had turned out to be a great ally. Yet another man he would have to trust to keep Khloe safe when he couldn't.
Jax was headed to the door when he stopped and prodded Trevor. "Why don't you come down with me? I'll get you settled on our VIP floor where you can unwind with some drinks and entertainment."
Trevor looked back at the hugging couple and then nodded, understanding his work was done for the night. For a minute, Ryder felt sorry for him, but he pushed it aside. He didn't have time to think of anyone but Khloe.
When they were finally alone, he scooped her into his arms bride-style and stalked to the giant bed, plopping her down, loving her giggle as he watched her petite body bounce before he pounced on top of her, smothering her against the mattress.
"Finally. I didn't think those guys would ever leave," he complained.
A radiant smile lit up her face, making his heart physically ache. He'd been looking forward to spending time dominating his submissive on the unique BDSM equipment in the bowels of the building, but in that minute, he realized if they never left this room again, it would be too soon.
