Saving the Preacher's Daughter (Dogs of Fire: Savannah Chapter #1)

by Piper Davenport

  He smiled. “Good.”

  “I’m not going anywhere unless you cheat on me or hurt one of my friends...”

  “Which will never happen.”

  I stroked his cheek. “Good to know.”

  “I want you to hear me on that, Willow. I will never cheat on you.”

  “I hear you, honey, and I believe you.”

  “And I won’t ever intentionally hurt one of your friends.”

  “Mostly Parker,” I said. “Jasmine’ll kick your butt if you offend her... she can take care of herself.”

  He laughed. “Good to know.”

  “Actually, Parker would probably kick your butt too, she’d just do it really quietly.”

  “I’ll watch my back, then.”

  “That’d be good.”

  “I’m sorry for bein’ a dick, baby.”

  I smiled. “I know, honey. It’s okay.”

  He kissed me. “You forgive me?”

  “Of course I forgive you.” I kissed him. “Like I could stay mad at you.” I squeezed his face, making his lips pucker. “This face is irresistible.”

  He chuckled, leaning down to kiss me again. The kiss turned heated (no surprise there), and he made up for being a ‘dick’ in the most delicious way possible.

  By the time we went back to bed, I couldn’t keep my eyes open, and once I snuggled up to my man, I fell asleep almost immediately.

  Willow

  An annoying ringing dissonance tried to worm its way into my dream and I wanted none of it. Luckily it stopped and I pulled the covers further over my head.

  “Baby, your phone’s ringin’.”

  I groaned, flipping the comforter off my face. “I was ignoring it.”

  Dash reached over me and handed me the subject of my irritation. “Yeah, but whoever it is keeps callin’, so you might want to answer it.”

  “Hello?”

  “Turn on your television,” Jasmine ordered.

  “Why?”

  “Ohmigod, Willow, just turn on the news... any news. Brad got arrested.”

  I sat up with a gasp. “What?”

  “What’s wrong?” Dash asked.

  “Brad got arrested.”

  “No shit?”

  “What channel, Jazz?” I asked, grabbing my remote.

  “Any of them. It’s breaking news.”

  “Okay, I’ll call you back.”

  I dropped my phone on the bed and turned on the TV. Flipping through channels, I stopped on the one that flashed Brad’s “mugshot” on the screen.

  “Brad Aljets, eldest son of Deputy Mayor Percy Aljets, was arrested early Thursday morning on several charges of solicitation of prostitution.”

  I turned up the volume, not fully believing what I was hearing.

  “Mr. Aljets was arrested at a local underground sex club in the early hours of the morning. His arrest comes as a part of an ongoing police investigation of prostitution and drug trafficking in the area. Allegedly, police became aware of Mr. Aljets’ involvement when compromising video of several of his “sessions” with a woman known as “Madame Viola Paine” was posted online, as well as sent to a detective at Savannah Chatham Metro. Mr. Aljets has been released on bond. We’ll report further details as we get them. Now, for this week’s weather forecast... do you have some sunshine for us, John?”

  I muted the volume and Dash laughed out loud as he slid off the bed and headed to the bathroom. I was still sitting in stunned silence when he returned and sat beside me again, scrolling through his phone. “Fuck me.”

  “What?” I asked, jarred out of my shock fog.

  “I don’t think you wanna see this.”

  “See what?”

  “Brad’s compromising video.”

  I gasped. “You found it?”

  He chuckled, then screwed up his face in disgust. “Holy shit, he was into some weird fuckin’ shit.”

  “Like what?”

  “No,” Dash said, holding the screen to his chest. “Trust me when I say, once you see this, you can never unsee it.”

  “Show me.”

  “Baby, will you trust me on this? I don’t want your head polluted with this shit.”

  “How bad could it be?”

  “Giant dildo in the shape of a fist ramming up his ass kind of bad.”

  I covered my face with my hands and tried desperately not to laugh out loud because I was both disgusted and amused by this. “He did not.”

  “He absolutely did, wearing a dog collar and a ball gag.”

  “What’s a ball gag?”

  He groaned. “No, I can’t, Willow. I just can’t.”

  I grabbed my phone and looked it up, and immediately wished I hadn’t. I dropped my phone back on the bed and covered my mouth with my hand, forcing down the bile.

  “I wish you hadn’t done that.”

  “Me too,” I admitted.

  “Will you trust me next time?”

  I bobbed my head emphatically. “Absolutely.”

  He set his phone on the nightstand. “How much did you investigate?”

  I shuddered. “Just the ball gag thingy... that was enough.”

  I gagged a little and Dash laughed. “Yeah, I’d imagine it would be.”

  I bit my lip and stared at him for a second.

  “What?”

  “Have you ever...?”

  “Been into someone fisting me? Hell, no.”

  I giggled. “Is that what it’s called?”

  “Let’s drop this subject, yeah? I’ve never been into fisting, never paid for sex, and I’m only open to kinky shit if you ever want to try it, but fisting’s off the table.”

  I fell onto the mattress, unable to keep myself from laughing. “Oh, my word, honey, now I can’t get the visual of me shoving my fist up your butt out of my head.”

  His hands slid to my waist and he hovered over me. “You think fistin’s funny, huh?”

  “A little, yeah.”

  He squeezed and I was so shocked by it, I choked out a laugh.

  “Dash!” I squealed.

  He continued to tickle me until I could barely breathe. “I’m gonna pee.”

  “Don’t wet the bed, baby.”

  “Oh, my word, Dash, stop!”

  He did immediately, leaning down to kiss me gently. “You’re so fuckin’ gorgeous when you’re laughin’.”

  “Hold that thought, honey, I really do need to pee.”

  He grinned, rolling onto his back and I headed to the bathroom. As I washed my face and brushed my teeth, my shock about Brad wore off and my stomach dropped. I realized I’d been engaged to a stranger... even though we’d known each other for years. On the flipside of that, I’d known Dash for a little more than a month and I knew him, knew him. I had no doubts about him, or us, and I trusted him completely.

  Brad had said some really nasty things about Dash and I honestly felt like driving down to the jail and punching him. I hated his hypocrisy. I understood that it was something everyone did, and it was often done by people in the church more than most, but I always tried to be transparent, and so did my father. It was how I’d been raised and I chose friends who I believed were honest with me. I’d been so, so wrong about Brad, and it made me feel like an idiot.

  “You spiralin’?” Dash asked from the doorway.

  I jumped a little as I faced him. “No.”

  “Really?”

  “No.”

  He chuckled. “You freakin’ out a little?”

  “A lotta little,” I admitted.

  He cupped my neck. “Break it down for me.”

  I filled him in on my thoughts and insecurities and he listened to all of it... without speaking, which was extremely odd for him. But he waited for me to finish and then wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against him. “Okay, first, and I seriously can’t believe I’m fuckin’ havin’ to say this, but you’re not an idiot. You trust people. That’s not being an idiot, it’s being kind.”

  I leaned against him, letting my bo
dy fall into his.

  “Second, all of us... your people, my people... tend to view people through our own filter. You don’t lie and you live by a code of transparency, so you believe others do as well. That’s also not being an idiot. Your way is the right way, so don’t let that asshole change you.”

  “He won’t.” I met his eyes and smiled. “The second I met you, I knew he was wrong for me, so I think my filter’s working okay.”

  Dash chuckled. “Any filter that keeps you with me is workin’ just fine.”

  “You’re a little biased, but I love that.”

  “And I love you, so it works out perfectly.”

  I grinned. “Back atya.”

  He kissed me, then started the shower. “You still good to hang at the bar tonight?”

  “Yep. I’m kind of excited.” I leaned against the bathroom counter. “I’m going to the taboo biker bar with my biker man and bucking the system.”

  Dash shook his head with a grin. “You’re the original rebel, baby.”

  “Next step, tattooing your name on my butt.”

  “You wanna tattoo my name on you, do it where people can see.”

  “I’m not sure I can do the neck, honey. I hear it hurts.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, heard that too.”

  “Boob?”

  “No touchin’ the girls,” he said. “Those are my fun bags and I don’t want them marred.”

  I giggled. “Okay, fine. I’ll do some more thinking.”

  “You do that.” He kissed me. “You joinin’ me?”

  “Nope. I’m gonna go fix my man breakfast while he showers.”

  “Bacon.”

  “Of course, bacon. I’m not an animal.”

  He grinned, kissing me again. “You good?”

  “Better than good, honey. Thank you.”

  “I won’t be long.”

  I nodded and left him to shower, pulling on a pair of sweats, and heading downstairs to cook for my man.

  * * *

  Dash

  I walked downstairs to the smell of bacon... and a man’s voice, too low for me to tell who it was, so I sped up my pace a little, arriving in the kitchen to find Badger sitting at the island. “Hey, man.”

  “Hey,” I said, pouring myself a cup of coffee. “You find somethin’ out?”

  “Yep. Figured you’d want to see it.” He slid a manila folder toward me.

  “What’s that?” Willow asked.

  “We think this is what the Torrance Group killed your father for.”

  “Who is the Torrance Group?”

  Badger took a swig of coffee, then said, “From what we’ve been able to piece together from your father’s files, they’re a shell corporation made up of three local real estate investors. Your father kept a ledger containing entries of over forty real estate transactions in this, and the surrounding counties. The Torrance Group made every purchase and each one for a steal.”

  I nodded, skimming through the paperwork. “Your father encoded the names of those involved.”

  “He was kind of a code nut,” Willow said. “He was obsessed with documentaries about cracking the Enigma code during the war and he’d always leave notes around the house with secret messages for me to figure out.”

  “What we don’t know is if it was to protect them, or so he’d have leverage over them,” I said.

  “Neither sounds like my father. It’s more likely that he was gathering information in order to confront them.”

  “It’s obvious they were trying to get him to sell the church land. After he’d refused several offers, they must have started threatening him.”

  Willow hummed in thought. “Richard Waters was in my father’s office and they were arguing about something.”

  “When?”

  “A week or so before the shooting...” A look of realization flashed over Willow’s face. “Wait a minute, let me see that ledger.” I handed it to her and she counted something with her fingertip. “There are thirteen letters in Richard Waters’ name.”

  “So?” I said.

  “So, the name at the top of the third column has thirteen characters. I’ll bet that’s him.”

  Badger perked up. “We can use the letters in his name to crack the code!”

  After a few minutes, we had all three names; Richard Waters, Judge Spencer Hayworth and most notably, Percy Aljets, the deputy mayor of Savannah and father of Brad Aljets. Between the three of them, the members of the Torrance Group had ties in every possible facet of life in Savannah. It would have been relatively easy for them to intimidate, blackmail, pay off, or simply ‘disappear’ anyone they had to.

  “Those bastards,” Willow said softly, and she looked like she was forcing back tears. “They killed him just because he wouldn’t give in to their greed.”

  “But he didn’t die for nothing Willow. He was smart and he knew you’d find this and figure it all out.”

  “I didn’t do all this, you did.”

  “We did it together Willow. We’re all in this together... and we’re gonna make these mother fuckers pay.”

  She nodded and I hugged her quickly. “Okay, who wants bacon?” she asked.

  “Me,” Badger and I answered in stereo.

  * * *

  Willow

  Dash and I arrived at the bar and found Badger and Gator in the back dueling over a game of pool. I took Dash’s hand and squeezed, grinning up at him. I couldn’t believe how excited I was to hang out with everyone... I missed these men when I didn’t see them, which shocked me to no end.

  “Baby girl!” Gator bellowed and I grinned (as I felt my face heat). “Get over here and hug the old man.”

  “I’ll get us some drinks,” Dash said, and I continued toward Gator while he went to the bar.

  Gator pulled me in for a bear hug, lifting me off the ground and I laughed as he kissed my cheek. He set me down and Badger did the same thing, then let me go when Dash yelled, “Get your fuckin’ hands off my woman!”

  Badger grinned and gave him a chin lift before walking me to a table in the corner, and I climbed up onto a stool. It wasn’t lost on me that they’d put me in a highly protected area, no one behind me and three bikers (more were coming) in front of me.

  Dash returned with a light beer for me and pulled a chair next to mine, close enough for our bodies to touch. As was my habit, I leaned against him as I watched Gator and Badger battle it out.

  Just as I took a second swig of beer, Doc walked toward us, a very pissed off looking Olivia in front of him. He virtually lifted her into a chair at our table, leaning close and warning, “Do not move.”

  “Tristan—”

  “No, Liv. You fuckin’ keep your ass parked on this chair ’til I sort this out.”

  Doc walked away and Olivia’s face blotched red as she stared daggers at him. If she’d been in a cartoon, I could imagine steam coming out of her ears.

  Dash leaned over to me and whispered, “Don’t ask.”

  I frowned. “What?”

  “It’s their business.”

  I let out a dramatic huff and pushed off my seat, stepping over to Olivia. Dash tried to stop me, but I rolled my eyes. If Olivia was upset, she needed support.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  Olivia glared at something over my head, then focused on me, pasting a smile on her face. “I’m good, honey. There’s just a certain man who seems to think I’m his business and it’s annoying as hell.”

  Doc set a drink on the table and raised an eyebrow. “Heard it all before, Liv. Don’t give a fuck.”

  Dash tugged me back to him and pulled me between his legs. “None of our business.”

  I gripped his cut and frowned. “Sometimes girls need to know they’re supported by other girls, because it doesn’t happen very much, so how about you chill out there a little, cupcake?”

  “Cupcake?”

  “Definitely.” I kissed him, smiling against his lips. “See? Sweet like a cupcake.”

  Dash laughed. �
��Never say that again. Ever.”

  “Cheesecake?”

  “Fuck!” he hissed as he continued to laugh. “No.”

  “Twinkie?”

  “Will—”

  “Snowball...no... ah... mmmm, ding dong.”

  “Getting closer,” he said.

  “Well, that is my favorite thing to put in my mouth,” I teased.

  “You keep doin’ this, and I’m gonna take you into the bathroom and fuck you,” he warned.

  I shivered, leaning closer. “Save that thought for later... when we’re in one of my bathrooms, which are clean.”

  He chuckled, kissing me deeply. “I reserve the right to drag you into a corner should you keep turnin’ me on.”

  “Okay, honey. I’ll give you that.” I grinned. “But now I really do have to use the bathroom.”

  “I’ll walk you.”

  “I can go to the bathroom all by myself. I’m a big girl.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Olivia said.

  Doc frowned. “Liv—”

  “For the love of God, Tristan. I can go to the bathroom with Willow,” Olivia said, sliding off her stool and grabbing her purse. “You have an unobstructed eyeline to the door. Calm the hell down, big man.”

  Olivia and I headed to the restroom and I was dying to ask her why Doc was so protective of her, but Dash’s words kept playing in my head.

  Olivia and I did our thing, then while we were washing our hands, she said, “I was kidnapped.”

  “I’m sorry?”

  She pulled her lipstick out of her purse and ran it over her lips. “The reason Doc’s being a pain in the ass.”

  “Oh, my gosh, Olivia. That must have been horrible.”

  “It was, but it’s over and he refuses to let me forget.”

  “I’m sorry.” I didn’t know what else to say. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what any of that would be like.

  “It’s no biggie. I just didn’t want you to worry about me. Tristan has that covered in spades.”

  I smiled at her in the mirror, and followed her out of the bathroom, down the hallway, past the bar... and froze. Olivia didn’t notice I wasn’t right behind her until she looked back and frowned. But I couldn’t move. I was stuck in total complete and utter terror.

  After a few moments, which felt like hours, I felt Dash’s hands at my neck and lifting my face as he called my name. “Baby... talk to me. Are you okay?”