by Jane Henry
He paused, his hand resting on her throbbing flesh, and waited for her answer.
She nodded wildly, her cheek against his bedspread, her hair a tangled mass that covered her face. “I do understand. I promise,” she said, her voice thick with tears and remorse. “I understand because… I feel the same way about you. I would never want you to risk yourself, either.”
Blake sucked in a sharp breath. His girl. His.
“Another thing,” he told her, twisting so that he could brush the hair away from her tear-streaked face. “You’re mine.” He turned her and lifted her off the bed with two hands around her ribcage until she was sitting astride his lap, cradled against his chest. Then he put one finger beneath her chin, making sure her eyes were on him. “That’s not something you have to prove or declare to anyone, ever.”
She dragged in a shuddering breath. “Y-your wife. LadyHaven,” she began, almost seeming to startle herself with her words.
“Josie,” he corrected gently.
“Josie,” she repeated. “You loved her, too.”
Ah. Had this been on her mind? Unlike his concerns about Salazar, this was one worry that was easily banished.
He nodded. “I loved her very much. She taught me so much over the years, baby. She helped me become the man I am now. The man you need me to be. And she’ll always own a corner of my heart.” He stroked his hand over her cheek. “But right now? There’s only one person who’s on my mind every minute of the day. Only one person who tests my control every minute I’m with her, and makes me crazy every minute we’re apart. My Elena. My future. I can’t tell you how many fantasies I’ve had of you in this bed. Even before I got my hands on you, I dreamed of you.”
“Show me,” she said, half plea and half demand.
So he laid back and drew her more firmly atop him, and brought his fantasy to life.
Chapter 10
Elena glided from the bathroom to the kitchen and then back to her living room, practically floating on air. She’d heard of the whole subspace thing, and even had a vague recollection of LadyHaven writing about how after a good, ass-baring, soul-lifting session, she felt like she could sail away, but it had all seemed like some ethereal promise until now.
God, Blake knew what he was doing. She plunked herself on the couch and crossed one ankle over a knee, making the hem of her leggings rise. Running her finger over the delicate space above her ankle, she smiled to herself. The light pink crisscrossed markings were beautiful to her, a secret reminder of the dark foray she and Blake had taken the night before. She could still feel the taut but comfortable way his knots had felt about her, tied across her breasts, past her thighs and around her ankles, trussed up like an offering to him. She’d never been more exhilarated in all her life. And hell, it had been hot.
The way he’d focused, his blue eyes fixated on nothing but her, as she knelt on his king-sized bed. The anticipation, the way he’d slowly built her arousal with light touches of his hands and mouth, the whispered words in her ear that somehow symbolized everything about him that she loved so much. He was careful and attentive as he tied her, focused and experienced. He was firm yet gentle, and so thoroughly in charge.
The spanking he’d given her both chastened and exhilarated, segueing into the most intense lovemaking she and Blake had yet experienced. She’d had no idea that riding him could be so sexy, and had somehow imagined that being submissive to Blake meant she’d always be beneath him as he took her. Had he ever blown that theory right out of the water, ordering her to get on top, smacking her thoroughly spanked ass to show her just how to move, grasping her nipples with a growl. His eyes locked onto hers as he ordered her to climax and fuck had she ever climaxed. Not one but two earth-shattering orgasms had had her screaming his name as her body gave over to the pain, pleasure, and submission.
God, it was something she’d never forget.
She’d spent the night at his house, then gone back to her own to grab scrubs for work, as he went off to The Club. She’d almost forgotten the man who waited for her downstairs. She snorted to herself. She sorta felt like a celebrity, used to the invasion of privacy. Her own special brand of paparazzi. She’d grown accustomed to being tagged wherever she went.
Her phone rang in her pocket as she grabbed her bag. The second she heard the ring, her heart fluttered in her chest. Would it be Blake? God, she was so head-over-heels for the man. But when she pulled it out, she frowned at the screen. Not Blake. Alex.
“Hey, Alex. What’s up?”
“Morning,” Alex said. “Listen, I’m not gonna pry, Elena, but I need to know something. Okay?”
She shrugged as she checked her bag for her keys, and zipped it up. “Yeah, okay. What’s up?”
“When was the last time you saw Blake?”
Ice began to prickle along her spine as she answered. Of course she’d seen Blake the night before, and Alex would know she saw Blake the night before, because all he’d have to do is ask the man tagging them. Though the man on her answered to Blake, Alex was in on their whereabouts.
“This morning,” she said. She didn’t give a shit what Alex thought. She’d lay it all out. “I spent the night at his place. But why are you asking? You could’ve just checked with the man you have on me, right?”
“No, Elena,” Slay said. His voice was unusually tight, and there was something about it that scared her. She sat down quickly.
“Alex?” she asked. “What’s going on?”
“I knew you were with Blake last night,” Alex said. “So I didn’t bother you. Decided to let you two do your thing. I mean, you’re in good hands. But this morning, I was supposed to have a meeting with Blake over coffee, and not only is he totally off the radar, but the guy who’s supposed to be tagging you is, too.”
Her hair stood on end and it seemed suddenly very cold in her apartment as she crept to the front room and lifted the shade. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “What do you mean? I can see him from here. He’s in his car. He hasn’t left. He followed me when Blake dropped me off, and then Blake went to meet you an hour ago.”
Alex swore vehemently. “Fuck, Elena. That’s not my man. Brian is unreachable. Where the fuck are you?”
“I’m in my apartment,” she whispered.
Not Slay’s man?
“Stay there,” Alex growled. “Lock the doors. Do not open your doors or leave your apartment. I’m on my way.”
The phone went dead. Her hands shook as she put it back in her bag, suddenly feeling as if she’d stepped into some horrible alternate dimension. Her eyes flew to the entryway door in front of her, already dead bolted. She’d done everything Blake said, and--Blake!
She took her phone back out and dialed his number, but it only went to voicemail. God, where was he? If the man tagging her was off the radar, that meant the man out front, watching her apartment building, wasn’t the man Slay had hired? Oh God. Maybe there’d been an audience when they’d met with Gretchen. Fuck.
Stay here? With Blake in danger and one of Salazar’s men out there? Fuck no. She went back to her kitchen and opened the back door. There was a hallway mutually shared by all, leading down to the basement where the washers and dryers were. The basement door would lead to the back alley where the dumpster and recycling bins stood, and the exit was not visible to anyone in the front of the building.
Not surprisingly, the fifth call she made to Blake went to voicemail, just like all the others. She swore. God, this was all wrong. Everything had gone so wrong so fast.
Fuck Salazar and his fucking henchmen. She was gonna take this on. She was gonna see who the fuck was behind the wheel of that car tagging her. Lifting her chin with grim determination, she marched toward the front of the building to peek around the front, just as Alex’s massive SUV pulled up. She heard the click as the doors unlocked, and before she knew what was happening, he was swinging himself out of the truck and marching over to her.
“Get in,” he said. She sighed, suddenly realizing that marching
over to interrogate a guy packing a weapon and reporting to Salazar was damn stupid.
She hopped up into the cab and shut the door.
“God, you’re shit at listening,” he said with a growl. “No one’s heard from Blake. No one’s heard from Brian, the guy who was supposed to be tagging you. And we’ll know in exactly thirty seconds when someone starts following me who’s with you. Thousand bucks says it’s Salazar’s guy, which means his guy found Brian out and that shit’s not good.”
God!
“Where’s Blake?” she whispered.
“Don’t know, honey,” Slay said. “But we’ll find him.”
“Damn right we will,” Elena said angrily. “And now.”
Alex gave her a sideways glance, but didn’t reply.
“Where are we going?”
“We’re getting you to where you’re safe, and then I’m tracking down Blake and Brian, now.” He glanced in the rearview mirror. “Huh. No one following.” He focused ahead. “Seems they know my truck.”
Alex’s phone buzzed, and he hit a button to put it on speaker.
“Yeah?” he growled.
“Slay. You get in touch with Blake yet?”
“No. You?”
The man on the other end of the line swore. “No, man, and just now I heard on the scanner that there was a major car accident on Queensborough. Major, Slay. Looks like there may have been fatalities. We’re digging for info now.”
Elena froze. “Fatalities?” she said.
“Got Elena with me. Anything you say, you be careful, yeah?”
“Sorry, man. Elena, we don’t know who was involved, but that’s what we’re gonna find out now. Alex, can you take me off speaker? Gotta talk straight.”
Alex’s eyes went to Elena’s before he put the phone up to his ear. “Go.”
He shook his head as he gunned the engine and took the road that would take them to The Club.
“Sneaky fucking bastard,” Alex growled. “Thanks for the update. You let me know as soon as you get any more news, yeah?”
He hung up. “This shit does not get repeated. I’m serious, Elena. You listen to me.”
“Fine. Spill, damn it!”
Alex frowned, but began to fill her in. “My inside man confirmed Salazar’s men attacked Brian. He was knocked out and cuffed a block away from your place, but otherwise unharmed. No one's found the goon who took out Brian, but there's no doubt Salazar had something nasty planned for you this morning that you narrowly escaped. No one knows what happened to Blake. There was a major car accident right outside The Club, and we’re trying to find out now who was involved and if Blake was anywhere near there. My guy will call me when he knows anything else.”
God. Hell. What had that asshole Salazar done?
Elena felt tears prick her eyes as Alex’s phone rang again. Giving her a cautious look, he put it up to his ear. The blood rushing through her head made it hard to focus, and all she could hear was Alex’s, “Yeah. Got it. On my way.”
He hung up the phone and cleared his throat.
“My guys confirmed Blake’s car was involved in the accident, Elena,” he said gently, though his jaw was tight, his eyes fixed on the road as he took another turn that would lead them to the hospital. “Blake was injured. No idea what the extent of his injuries were, but we’re going now.”
The breath rushed out of her and she felt suddenly lightheaded.
“God, it’s a damn good thing they didn’t come after you,” Alex said, his voice pained. “They had one of Salazar’s fucking men on you!”
But Elena couldn’t even think about her own safety. “We met with Gretchen yesterday afternoon,” she said, as Alex drove toward the hospital. “Maybe Salazar knows she’s an investigative reporter for The Star.”
Alex swore.
“Ironically, she told us there was nothing she could do to call Salazar out, because her source couldn’t get her proof of Salazar’s affiliation with the church without being outed and endangered. But if anyone had seen us with Gretchen, and somehow gotten wires crossed…”
Alex nodded grimly, as they pulled up to the hospital. He was dialing on his phone, But Elena hopped out, not waiting.
“Stay here!” Alex shouted, but Elena was already running. She needed to find out what was going on, and she needed to know now. Salazar and his fucking henchmen could go to hell. They’d harmed her man, and this was her turf now. She took the employee entrance, which would grant her access to the emergency room, past locked doors. Though she was a labor and delivery nurse, she’d done a one-year stint in the emergency room a while back, and she knew the layout. Double doors flew open just as she entered the brightly-lit hallway, paramedics running with people on a stretcher.
“Get back!” voices called, and she plastered her back against the wall as the bustle of people ran past her. She craned her neck, eager to catch a glimpse of who lay on the stretchers, but she could see nothing but uniformed paramedics and flashing gleams of the metal poles holding IVs. She was jostled down a hallway and now couldn’t see shit, which made bile pool in her stomach and the bitter, acrid taste rose to her mouth.
God, she needed to find out what was going on. Doors slammed, and people were running. She had to find someone, but as she turned to go to the nursing station, strong arms grabbed her from behind. She opened her mouth to scream, but a large hand covered hers, and she was hauled to an empty room. Frantic, she elbowed her captor, but a deep growl froze her.
“For fuck’s sake, stop fighting me,” Alex growled. “You’re not helping anyone by running in here like a goddamned Florence Nightingale.”
She froze, relaxing, as she turned to face her brother.
Alex glared at her. “Blake would kick your ass if he knew that stunt you just pulled. God, Elena, use your fucking head. You think it’s wise for you to be running around out there right now? For all we know, Salazar’s henchmen are here in flocks. Stay the fuck out of sight until I figure out what’s going on.”
She looked up at him, and she knew he was right. She stopped struggling, and his brown eyes softened.
“I know you’re scared. I know you’re a fighter,” Alex said, finally releasing her. He swore, shaking his head. “That showdown in Blake’s office yesterday, I heard what you said. I knew what you were about, but I thought you were still… I dunno, infatuated or some shit like that.” He paused, rubbing a hand across his brow. “But you really do love him, don’t you?”
Elena swallowed against the lump rising in her throat. “I do,” she whispered. “I’ve never felt like this about anyone in my life, Alex.” She wiped at her eyes. “Please. Let’s find out what’s going on. I promise I won’t go all batshit on them. But I need to know, now.”
He looked sternly at her, his jaw working, before he nodded and sighed.
“Let’s go.”
They walked side-by-side to the nursing station. She recognized Nancy, her friend, and grabbed her arm as she walked past.
“Elena!” Nancy said with surprise. “What’s going on, honey?”
“The people they just brought in,” she said. “Accident on Queensborough. One was my boyfriend, Nancy. I need to know what’s going on.”
Nancy’s eyes widened. They both knew hospital protocol technically prohibited non-family from being privy to critical information, but Nancy nodded.
“God, I’m sorry, honey,” she said. “I’ll go find out what’s going on, and I’ll let you know as soon as I do. Okay?”
“Thank you,” Elena whispered.
Alex led her to the waiting room, where she sat in a vinyl-covered chair, waiting for Nancy to return. It seemed like hours, as Alex made call after call. Alice arrived after bringing Charlie to school, followed by Matteo and Hillary, and the small cluster of friends sat in the waiting room, keeping vigil.
When Nancy finally returned, Elena practically ran to her. Nancy’s peaked face looked grim, but there was hope in her eyes.
She reached a hand to Elena. “He’s in
jured, and it’s bad,” she said. “But Elena, he’s going to be okay.”
Elena closed her eyes, tears pricking her lids as she nodded. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Nancy nodded. “Broken ribs, broken arm, serious concussion, but thankfully he was hit on the passenger-side, not the driver’s side. He’s in surgery now to reset the arm, but he’ll be out within a few hours, and I’ll take you to him.”
Elena nodded, and Nancy took her leave.
Elena turned to face her friends to find Alex standing right by her elbow. “News?” he asked.
Elena took a deep breath and relayed the information Nancy had given her. Alex reached for her hand and squeezed it, as a myriad of emotions swelled up in her. Relief that Blake would be okay. Longing to see him. Fury at Salazar. Annoyance at the protesters.
She took a deep breath, wiping away the tears that had escaped. Blake didn’t want her involved. Alex would find a tower and lock her up and throw away the key if she put herself out there again. But no one, no one, was gonna come after her man, and she had a card to play that very well could work if everything fell into place. It was time to rally the community.
Hours later, Dom and Heidi had come, bringing trays of food from Tony’s restaurant Cara. Elena had eaten her fill of chicken parmigiana and hand-rolled ravioli, before everyone but Alex had gone home. Surgery was taking longer than planned, but Elena kept herself busy. She’d logged onto one of the computers in a staff room, accessing the secure network, and as Alex made some more phone calls, she got in touch with the people she needed to. She started off on LadyHaven’s blog. LadyHaven had thousands of followers, and some of them were the most prominent members of the local BDSM community. It was an easy matter for Elena to find their online profiles. Within minutes, she was sending off detailed, pointed emails.
