by Lexi Blake
And someone had taken extreme offense at the cover. The men’s faces were cut out and someone had written the word WHORE in bright red across the woman’s body.
“This is the one that’s coming out in a couple of weeks?” Jake asked. “Alexa, Caden, and Duke?”
Serena smiled up at him, her face glowing despite the circumstances. Jake couldn’t have cut through the tension any better. “Yes.”
Hernandez snorted. “You’ve read them?”
Jake stared down at the cover. “I’ve read one, but Alexa was in Small Town Sweetheart. She was Gabby’s daughter. Duke was the alpha hero’s long-lost brother. I kind of thought you were trying to get them together.”
Adam vowed to catch up on his damn reading. He knew he should be thrilled, but he was a little jealous of the way Serena was looking at Jake like he was a conquering hero. He’d only proven he was literate. Adam could read, too.
He just hadn’t imagined he would be reading something like Their Sweetheart Slave. “Where did they get the cover?”
“I posted it on my website the minute I got it. It’s also on the publisher’s site and several fan sites,” Serena said. She stared down at the cover, her whole body still.
Jake put a hand on her shoulder. “What kind of knife did he use to cut the faces out? Or is that scissors?”
Chitwood pointed at the offending marks. “I think it’s a knife. Note that the bottom of the marks are a little more ragged than the tops. That’s where the cut starts.”
Adam could see that now.
“I bet that’s from a utility knife,” Jake said. “Or a box cutter. Did you test the door for prints?”
Hernandez nodded. “The door and the storm door, though we’re going to find the Keystone Cop’s prints there, too.”
Chitwood sighed. “I didn’t know it was a crime scene until I opened the door and this fell out.”
Serena took a long breath and looked back at the cops. “I don’t understand any of this. Sometimes he or she or whoever it is seems like a disgruntled fan who’s pissed about the books and other times…”
Adam squeezed her hand. He wanted to hear her instincts. She was the center of this. She was the one being stalked. Her instincts could be an important clue. “Go on. Finish the sentence, sweetheart.”
She shivered a little. “Other times it feels more personal. Like this person hates me for who I really am. I’m scared of that person. I’m annoyed by the other.”
Chitwood leaned forward. “Oftentimes these types of perps can have several mental disorders including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. It’s not surprising that this person is unstable. But then, I would suspect you probably have researched those disorders. I’m right in saying that your books contain an element of suspense, correct?”
She nodded, though she didn’t light up the way she normally did when someone asked about her work. She seemed to understand that the cops were attempting to pin her down. “Of course. I had a character in Sweetheart in Chains. He was the bad guy. He had bipolar disorder. I understand the disease.”
Adam really didn’t like the look the cops exchanged. They were already filing her problems away as shit they didn’t need to deal with.
“Send us the forensics report when you get it. I’m sure Brighton won’t have a problem with it,” Jake said. He held a hand out to Serena. “Come on. We can go across the street and meet Liam and have lunch over there. I don’t think they need anything further from you. Adam, would you mind talking to Brighton? I need some air.”
Serena stood and looked to Adam who nodded Jake’s way.
“Go on. I’ll be there in a minute.” He didn’t protest, though his stomach did a bit. Jake had a barely leashed air about him. He needed to get away before he said or did something stupid. Jake could be deeply patient, but when he felt an injustice was being done, he tended to get nasty. They still needed the cops. Finesse was called for, and that was Adam’s middle name.
Serena walked away with Jake. What the hell had happened with her ex-husband to put Jake on edge like that? Whatever it was, Adam was grateful because Jake’s hand came out as he opened the doors for her. He rested his hand on the small of her back, guiding her through. Protective. A little possessive.
Adam turned back to the cops. “I understand that you firmly believe my client is doing this to herself, but I expect you to investigate each and every incident. I’m having cameras installed today. I’m actually happy this asshole is getting close. We’re with her twenty-four seven. If he comes close again, we’ll get him.”
Hernandez crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. “I hope you’re right, but something feels off about the whole thing. I don’t like the fact that it escalated just as we told her not to worry about it.”
“It’s not the first time we’ve seen something like this,” Chitwood said. “I started working this division about a year ago, and I’ve already seen at least three cases where the ex-wife sets up the ex-husband. She was either looking for full custody or more money.”
Adam felt his face heating with indignation.
“Miles? Hey, it’s good to see you!” Derek Brighton’s deep voice pulled Adam out of his fantasy where he beat the shit out of the two cops sitting in front of him.
It wouldn’t do a lick of good. He forced himself to turn and smile because he genuinely liked the Lieutenant. Lieutenant Brighton nodded in greeting toward the detectives and then herded Adam away.
“Hey, how bad did they piss you off?” Brighton asked.
“They sent Jake running for the hills,” Adam admitted, following the big guy into his office. He shut the door, happy to not have to listen to the cops anymore. “Can you get this case reassigned? They’re totally prejudiced against her.”
Brighton slumped into his chair. “I could, but you would run up against the same thing . Look, you work this job long enough and you get cynical about everything. You have to. Chitwood out there worked vice for ten years. He came over to this division because he was sick of hauling in hookers and he finds himself in the middle of some of the nastiest domestic disputes we’ve ever seen. And Hernandez, hell, he was born cynical. It didn’t take five years as a cop for that one. This ain’t the Army, buddy. Things aren’t cut and dried here. Sometimes it can be hard to tell who the enemy is.”
“What do you think?” Adam winced as he asked the question. He probably didn’t want to know the answer.
Brighton sat back, his face turning thoughtful. He breathed out a long sigh before speaking. “If I was just going on instinct, I would tell you that girl is a natural sub and she’s not capable of doing any of this. She would rather have positive attention. I would say she would actually go out of her way to avoid negative attention because she prefers to please the people in her life.”
Brighton was a good cop, and from what Ian had told everyone, he was also a damn fine Dom. “That’s what I think. Have you run that theory by your underlings?”
He snorted. “By straightlaced Chitwood and Mike goes-to-mass-four-times-a-week Hernandez? No. I haven’t mentioned that I have BDSM training that tells me she’s submissive. I can imagine how well that would go over. They’re good cops. They’ll handle the case and anyway, now that you and Jake are on her, I suspect you would rather handle things your way.”
He was right about that. “Can I get everything you have? Even the stuff that’s not in the reports?”
“I sent it to you five minutes ago. The techies hunted down the IPs the perp is using. Libraries. Nice. My tax dollars at work. The perp is using suburban library computers to contact your girl when he uses e-mail. We went out and talked to a couple of the librarians, but they don’t really remember much. Apparently they’re underfunded and busy.”
But they might be talked into monitoring more closely. Computers at libraries were notoriously out of date. They wouldn’t have camera functions he could turn on, but he could monitor them. It was a problem for tomorrow. Today, he had to deal with the security company an
The times couldn’t seem much harder for her.
He thanked Brighton and promised to call if anything else broke.
He walked through the doors of the division and into the long hall. He had another problem. He was supposed to take Serena to Sanctum. That meant finding her proper clothes and preparing her. And prepping Jake to handle the situation, though he’d have to do that without Jake noticing it or he might get set on his ass.
His world had become a delicate web he had to navigate with thought and care. But if he managed it, he just might get everything he’d wanted. And if he failed, he could lose it all. Ian would be pissed. Jake would be furious. Serena would just go away.
He walked out into the sunshine and caught sight of them. Serena sat at one of the outdoor tables, her hair shining in the sun. She threw back her head and laughed. And Jake. Fuck all, Jacob Dean was beaming at her. He turned slightly, and his eyes found Adam. He nodded for Adam to join them.
Serena followed Jake’s eyes and suddenly that smile lit up Adam’s whole world. She pushed her glasses up and and waved for him to come over. She pushed out the seat she’d saved for him.
He belonged there beside her.
He jogged across the street. Yep. It was a dangerous game he was playing, but if he won, he got a family out of it.
That was worth everything.
Chapter Nine
Two days later, Serena sat in her backyard, a mug of tea in her hand, her computer screen filled with words. It was barely five o’clock, but she’d doubled the word count she’d needed for the day.
It was simple. Adam had taken over everything else on the business end. He answered her e-mails, only forwarding the ones that needed her specific attention. He’d dealt with the security system and the plumber she’d had to call when the shower had conked out. He’d gone to the grocery store and stocked her kitchen. He’d sorted through her mail. All those little things that seemed to stop her in her tracks, Adam had taken over.
And Jake. Jake had become her shadow. It had been odd at first. He wouldn’t say anything, but she could feel him there. It occurred to her that his very presence should be a distraction, and yet she found herself feeling so safe that the words flowed. For the first time in months, she could really sink into her story. Her new series, Happiness, Montana, was flowing like nothing she’d ever written before.
“You have an hour, sweetheart.” Adam put a plate on the table. She glanced down. Sandwich.
“I ate lunch. Are you trying to make me fatter than I am?” Serena asked the question lightheartedly. Adam seemed to feed her something every hour or so.
Jake growled in the background.
“You’re pissing off the Dom, sweetheart.” Adam winked down at her, pushing the sandwich closer. “Don’t screw with him right now. He’s already getting in his Dom space for tonight.”
She caught her breath. Tonight. She was going into a club with them tonight. Just going into Club Sanctum would be an amazing thing, but going in with two hot Doms was more than she’d ever dreamed of.
They aren’t your Doms, Serena. Slow that shit down, girl. They’re being nice to you. They’re getting paid to take care of you. You better not get used to this treatment.
She looked back at Jake who sat in one of her delicate-looking lawn chairs. Well, his enormous body made them look delicate. He frowned her way.
“Don’t you forget it, Serena. I’m in charge tonight. I hear one word out of your mouth about your body fat and you’re going to get very familiar with spankings.”
He couldn’t possibly know that she’d already played that scene with him a hundred times in her mind over the last several days. In each and every fantasy, Jake had been behind her, that big hand of his meting out punishment while Adam stood in front of her, pressing his cock to her lips, demanding that she suck him. She would be caught between them. She would have to take that big dick into her mouth even as Jake slapped at her cheeks. Heat would flow. She would feel it in her pussy. Every smack of his hand would send her higher, but she couldn’t focus on it because she had to take care of Adam.
“Serena, dear, have we lost you?”
She flushed and couldn’t miss the knowing smiles that passed between her bodyguards. God, they knew exactly what she’d been thinking. She took a sip of her perfectly brewed Earl Grey and tried to salvage her dignity. “I promise to behave very well this evening, Sir.”
If Jake could find his Dom space, then maybe it was time to play the sub. She enjoyed the way Jake’s eyes narrowed and he shifted in his seat. Maybe the sub wasn’t without her power, too.
There was a little chime coming from Adam’s phone. Jake’s went off at the same time. .
“Who the fuck is that?” Jake asked, studying the screen of his phone.
Adam held his toward her. “Do you recognize this guy?”
Serena leaned over and looked at the screen. It was still hard for her to believe, but she now had a security system that fed directly into her bodyguards’ phones. Anytime the motion detectors caught anything bigger than a cat moving too close to her house, the security feed pinged their phones. It had made for some rough nights. Adam and Jake took turns sleeping in the room with her so she heard every time the system pinged. She’d never realized how many dogs ran around at night. And drunk teens. But she wasn’t surprised to discover Mrs. Renfroe from next door stole her newspaper. She’d enjoyed watching the woman nearly have a heart attack when Jake had caught her.
But this wasn’t a stray dog or a noisy neighbor.
“That’s Master Storm. What on earth is he doing here?” She stood up and started for the house.
Jake was in front of her before she could make the back door. “Don’t you dare.”
He was a huge hunk of muscle blocking her way. “Jake, I know this guy.”
“No, you don’t,” he insisted. “You’ve met him a couple of times. You don’t really know him. And he doesn’t have an appointment.”
“Nope. I handle your schedule, sweetheart. I know for a fact he doesn’t have an appointment,” Adam said smoothly.
The doorbell rang. “You can’t expect me to ignore him. He’s been my contact with the BDSM world for months. He’s helping me with research.”
“You don’t need him anymore,” Adam said. “You have us. Ask us anything.”
“No,” Jake said, standing aside. “I think we let Master Storm in. Let’s vet the guy a little. After all, some of this stuff started after you met him, right?”
There was no way in hell Master Storm was behind the stalking. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
The doorbell rang again, and Jake moved out of her way. “Invite him in. Let Adam open the door, though. You don’t ever open that door.”
She let Adam go first and then followed, feeling Jake right behind her. The men seemed to put her in the middle whenever they could. Even the night before when they had sat down and watched TV, she’d found herself comfortably squished in between their big bodies. It had been a nice, peaceful night. She’d enjoyed the last few days despite the specter hanging over her. Having Adam and Jake around had made her almost feel like she had a family again.
Adam punched in the alarm code and unbolted the locks. He swung the door open, and there was Master Storm, looking majorly pissed.
He was a lean man, roughly six foot. He dressed casually, his long, slightly graying hair in a ponytail, though she would bet he called it a queue or had some Asian term for it. He was a black belt in some form of martial art. He seemed to like to consider himself dangerous, but now that he stood next to Adam and Jake, he seemed less lethal than he had in the past. At one point in time he’d seemed mysterious, but now he looked small compared to her men.
Stop it. They aren’t yours.
“Who are you?” Storm asked, his brows coming together in consternation.
Adam opened his mouth, most likely to say something sarcastic, but Serena stared him down. He unlocked the glass storm door and opened it.
“His name is Adam. He and his partner, Jake, are kind of my own little security force for the time being.” She stepped back to let him in. He’d been patient with her, answering all of her questions, putting her in touch with some people in the lifestyle he knew. Despite his somewhat pompous manner, he’d been an asset.
He stepped inside, eyeing Jake and Adam but dismissing them like he would a waiter at a restaurant. “Would you like to explain to me why you suddenly need security?”
He was using that deep voice on her. It was funny, but suddenly she found it a little irritating. Jake’s voice was deeper, and he’d been taking care of her. He was the one who checked out the house before she entered, who placed himself in front of her. He’d earned the right to use that voice on her. Master Storm had mostly just talked at her. Still, she owed him a bit of courtesy.
“I’ve had some trouble with a stalker,” she admitted, showing him into her living room. It was usually covered in notes and papers, but Adam had neatly organized everything. Yet another plus he’d brought into her life. She was rapidly discovering just how much easier it was to work when she could find things.
His nose wrinkled up as he looked around. “Is this to do with those books you write?”
He didn’t approve of her books, though not for the same reasons others did. She’d been disappointed, but he seemed to think romance was beneath him. He seemed to think that any book that featured BDSM should preach the lifestyle in intellectual terms.
“Yes, it seems I have an overzealous fan,” Serena explained. “Won’t you please have a seat?”
He stared at her. “Is that how you greet me, little one?”
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