by TL Reeve
Raul Iniguez was a slippery, paranoid bastard. Now, with shit going south, he knew for sure people were after him. Finding Raul, or any of them for that matter, would be harder than he suspected. The man spent his life preparing for situations like these. All Duncan and the others could hope for was Raul screwing up. It’d be the only chance they’d get to arrest him.
When Duncan finished cleaning up, he got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. He did need sleep. Bella was perceptive. It would have to wait though. He had a report to write, and he wanted to check in with Thomas. Scotty had gotten fucked up while with Raul. Add to it he was shot while they tried to rescue everyone, and well, the man had a long road to recovery. He stepped out of the bathroom and walked to the closet where he tossed on a pair of sweats and a white ribbed tank top. He grabbed his phone and texted Thomas to check in and see if the man had any updates on Scotty’s condition. Then he went to the small desk in the corner of the room near the bay window.
Asher expected a whole write-up of what happened at the club when they’d realized all of their plans went to shit. He couldn’t do his work properly if he had a full-blown migraine, though he had the meds to treat it. If he took them, he’d be out of it for hours which also left him vulnerable when it came to Enzo and Bella. So, he settled for the Aspirin and a cola and got to work.
Duncan would be lucky if he got a couple of hours sleep before they’d be on the next plane back to Virginia. Can in hand, Duncan sat down at the small table and began the arduous task of relaying the facts, evidence, and observations from the scene. The two names he constantly fell back on were Santiago Velasquez and Miguel Ángel. They were the inside guys, the ones who knew the comings and goings within the club. By all accounts, one of them flipped, exposing their plans and putting all of them in danger.
Duncan didn’t know how long he sat there writing out his statements before the adjoining door opened, and Enzo appeared in the living room of the suite. He looked like shit and probably felt like it too. He also appeared to be out of his element, which didn’t surprise Duncan. He’d experienced the same a time or two.
“What can I do for you, Enzo?” Duncan stopped typing and lounged back in his chair, hands folded on his stomach and his legs crossed at the ankles. The man appeared disheveled and groggy as hell.
“I want to give my statement before Bella. She’s not involved in any of this shit.” He stepped closer to Duncan, his gaze imploring. “If you promise me she’ll be protected, I’ll give you everything.”
Duncan cocked a brow. “Everything?”
“Yes. Where the shipments go. Where they go. Which tunnels are Nieto tunnels. You know, the good shit.” Enzo leaned in. “All of it.” He licked his lips, and the little enticement shot through Duncan.
It was a tempting offer. Duncan sat forward, closing the distance between them. Enzo’s breath floated across Duncan’s cheek. What the fuck was he doing? He stared at the man in front of him and bit back a curse as pink crept into Enzo’s cheeks. “How about you start talking, and I’ll make a determination if it’s enough to keep your sister clean?” He always got a rush out of using his power. If anyone knew the truth about him, they’d realize he wasn’t the person to spill their guts to. As it was, he had a list of the rat bastards at some point he’d take care of and make it look like an accident.
“Fuck, man. It’s my sister.” Enzo stepped back, breaking whatever spell they’d been under. “She’s a good girl. She’s never been cut out for this life. This time, we really fucked up.” Enzo rubbed his bald head. “You have no idea the shit we’ve been through.”
He had an inkling. “Tell me what you know, and I’ll see what I can do.” Duncan sat forward and grabbed his pen. “Fuck me over on any of this, and I will end you.”
Enzo held up his hands in supplication as he crossed to the chair beside Duncan. “I won’t risk my sister’s life for anything.”
“I’m counting on it.”
Six days later, Duncan returned to Virginia with Enzo and Bella at his side. The first conversation between him and Enzo turned up some interesting evidence for their case. Some of the bodies buried beneath the building were Raul’s goons. They’d been killed in mutual combat after Raul caught them doing shit on the side, or in some cases, abusing the disabled submissives. That didn’t make a lick of sense, since Raul sold them to people who’d be harming them anyway. Others were kidnapped victims who’d killed themselves so they didn’t have to endure Raul’s brand of torture.
Duncan also found out Bella took care of several of the more incapacitated girls, the ones for the sick, sadistic motherfuckers Raul supplied to. If Duncan read the situation correctly, Bella assisted those girls with their death, which was murder. A ton of weight for such a small woman to bear. The internal war Duncan waged for the last several days left him an irritable bastard.
It was hypocritical to even think about writing in his report about Bella helping those girls die when he killed people for not even a sliver of what the girls went through. Duncan was so covered in blood he’d never come clean with his exact kill number. Somehow, he’d learned to live with it.
For the greater good, right, me boyo? His father’s words drifted through his mind as he stared at the road. He gripped the steering wheel in an attempt to ground himself.
“Explain why we’re going to your apartment again?” Bella turned her head, glaring at Duncan. “Shouldn’t we be going to jail?”
“I told you, hermosa, it’s not like that,” Enzo murmured. “Duncan’s got a plan.”
A shit plan. One he wasn’t sure would work out. “It’s easier this way. We still need to go over your statements. Plus, we’ll only be at my place a night or two, then we’re moving again, this time to your safehouse. You’ll stay there until Raul goes on trial.”
“Why not go to the safehouse now?” She arched one of her perfectly manicured brows, drawing his attention to the small black heart tattoos around her brow along with the lone red one.
“It’s not ready.” Duncan’s knuckles went white from the force of his grip. Being stuck with them in such a confined space had been a lesson in patience and control. Control, because every time he looked at Enzo, he wondered if the guy would kneel before him. Patience, because Bella, it seemed, got off on pushing all of his buttons. “It takes time to prepare these places.”
“Uh huh.” Bella’s attention snapped to Enzo. “What did you tell him?”
“What needed to be said.” Enzo’s soft tone skimmed along Duncan’s flesh, setting him on edge. “He promised me things.”
“Maybe he wants your dick and that’s why he promised them?” The pure venom in Bella’s voice surprised Duncan. “You have a bad track record when it comes to men.”
“I can’t accept sexual favors in exchange for leniency. I also didn’t realize your brother was gay.”
“I’m not,” Enzo grunted. “I’m bi.”
Well, still. “Fine, bi. Besides, he’s doing this for you. For both of you. Don’t you want to go home one day after all this shit is settled?”
Bella crossed her arms, pressing her tits up. Duncan caught a glimpse of the corner of a red rose petal peeking out from the collar of her low-cut shirt. “Not if it means selling each other out.”
Duncan blew out a breath. “I understand your hesitations. This is a ton of shit to be dealing with, but by talking to me, you’ll be helping put Raul Iniguez down for good. Isn’t that worth something to you?”
“And when more bogeymen come out of the woodwork, then what?”
“Then you have a choice to make,” Duncan said, pulling into the apartment building parking lot. “Do you stay and fight, or do you tuck tail and run away?”
Bella stared at him for a moment more before blowing out a frustrated breath. “We’re going to die doing this.”
“Quite possibly,” Duncan said.
“Fuck me. Enzo, if we get hurt, I’ll haunt you to the end of eternity.” Her lips compressed into a
thin line as she cut her gaze toward Duncan. “You, I’ll kill if anything happens to us.”
Duncan gave a curt nod. “Then starting now, it’s my mission to keep you safe.”
Chapter One
Two weeks later...
Duncan closed his laptop after sending one more email to Asher, encrypted for his eyes only. Because Bella and Enzo were staying with him, he couldn’t chance either of them overhearing his conversations or seeing his text messages by mistake. So far, they weren’t causing a fuss, and they seemed content to have escaped from under Raul’s thumb, but shit could go sideways at any moment. Until he could trust them and their information could be vetted properly, he kept his distance and treated them as suspects. They were, after all, part of the Nieto Cartel, no matter their position within the organization or why they chose it.
He stepped out of his room once he was finished, carrying his go-bag for the club. Another part of keeping the siblings safe was making sure Trixie would accept them into her club—Club X. Plus, he missed being at the club. If there was even a slight possibility of being able to play with a willing sub or two, he’d take it.
“Going somewhere?” Bella stood at the door to the spare room.
“Yes, I have business to take care of.” He hoisted the bag onto his shoulder, not willing to divulge anything more.
She hurried in front of him, stopping his progress. “So, you’re just going to leave us here?” Bella propped her hand against her hip, staring up at him as though he’d committed some horrid transgression against her. “Weren’t you the one who said we should be protected at all times?”
Duncan frowned. He had. He also had his responsibilities to the agency if he ever wanted to go home. Toeing the line was becoming more difficult by the day. He stared down at her. The daring glint in her whiskey-colored eyes sent a thrill of challenge through him. This little bit of a woman had no idea what she was getting into with him.
“I did. You’ll be safe here.”
The expression on her face said she didn’t trust him. “Right. You have no clue where Raul is. You’re not even sure where his henchmen are right now. How do you expect us to believe you?”
Shit. She could slice him up without a second thought. If she wasn’t Enzo’s sister, he’d have given her a run for her money, along with Enzo, who in Duncan’s estimations, had a mild submissive streak. “I have a security system.”
“Those can be bypassed.”
“It’s connected to my phone, and if anyone fucks with it, I’ll know.” He dared her to say something else.
“In the meantime, we’re sitting ducks.” She crossed her arms as though she’d gotten the upper hand in the conversation. Fuck, he wanted to temper her impertinence.
“I highly doubt you or your brother are defenseless, or have you forgotten so quickly where I found you?”
“Bella, stop.” Enzo joined them, stepping out of the guest bedroom Duncan had offered them. He placed his hand on the small of her back. “We’ll be fine for a couple of hours.”
“See, nothing to worry about. The kitchen is stocked with food. You can stream whatever movies you want to watch on the flatscreen.”
“I still don’t understand why you didn’t take us to jail,” Bella said as she walked away. “If we die here, it’s on you.”
Duncan rubbed his head. She was going to be up his ass the whole time, he knew it. As much as it turned him on, he couldn’t allow his personal feelings to interfere with the mission. He glanced at Enzo who watched Bella saunter off. “She’s got a mouth on her.” One he wouldn’t mind taming. He mentally kicked himself. Fucking hell. The longer they were together, the more he couldn’t get the duo out of his mind.
Enzo chuckled. “Careful. She’s also got sensitive hearing.”
He bet she did. “You’ll be safe here while I’m gone,” Duncan said. “I wouldn’t go out if I didn’t have to or if I thought you were at risk.”
“You don’t have to tell me shit. We’re here because you gave us a chance.” Enzo touched Duncan’s arm, and a shocking warmth spread through him, igniting a spark of arousal in him.
The dichotomy between the two of them was startling. He figured Enzo would have been the hard ass while Bella simpered and worried. “Well, we’re not out of this yet. Thank me when you get your life back.” He wouldn’t tell them about the two goons who watched over Bexley in Virginia Beach. Nor would he tell them Raul would more than likely be on his way to grab Bexley, his daughter, or worse kill her, since she had more information than Enzo and Bella.
Thankfully, he had a solution of sorts. He had a secondary apartment at a secure location. He didn’t use it much, but it would do for this case. Afterward, the spot would be where he lived to give Thomas and his lovers their privacy. The apartment wasn’t anything spectacular, more of a bachelor pad of sorts—an open space design. The bedroom and living room were combined with a small kitchenette and bathroom. The places technically weren’t meant to be lived in 24-7, but when push came to shove, it would do. Plus, no one would think about looking there for Enzo and Bella.
However, he had to talk to the owner of the building first and get her approval. Duncan stumbled upon Trixie’s club when he’d been in search of somewhere to let off a little steam. He enjoyed her company and felt at home within the walls of Club X. In an instant, he knew he’d found his place within the hustle and bustle of D.C. Over the years, he’d played with a few subs, but none of them were a fit for him. He enjoyed the discipline aspects of BDSM. Seeing a submissive’s skin pinken and turn a nice shade of red while he spanked them turned him on. But what really got him going was witnessing a submissive fully giving over to him in supplication. Just thinking about it made him hard.
Unfortunately, due to the on-going mission to find Raul, he hadn’t found the time to sneak off and relieve some of his building tensions. Although, if Trixie allowed them to stay there, he could play a little. He might not have a permanent sub but finding one who enjoyed his brand of discipline wouldn’t be hard at all.
“Don’t thank me yet,” Duncan muttered.
“What?” Enzo took a step toward Duncan, licking his bottom lip.
Duncan bit back a groan. “It should take me a few hours at most. If anything happens, I left an untraceable cell for you. The number programmed is mine. It will also only call me for now.” He hitched his thumb at the kitchen counter. “It’s over there if you need it.”
“Thanks.”
“Yeah, sure.” Duncan adjusted his bag over his shoulder. He never went to the club without it. If his meeting with Trixie went fast enough, he had the rest of the night to play. “I’ll lock you in.”
Duncan pulled up to the gated building and stopped for the guard. He motioned to the vehicle behind him before he said, “They’re with me. I’m here to see Trixie, and they’re my guests.”
The guy nodded. “Good to see you again, Master Duncan. Have a good evening.”
Duncan grinned. “Thank you.”
He pulled into the parking lot and found a space near the entrance. Once Thomas parked as well, he got out and motioned for them to follow. Scotty still limped a little from the gunshot wound. He was healing well according to AJ, who’d been taking care of him while also working another case. Thomas joined Duncan as they got to the door. The first person Duncan talked to about bringing Bella and Enzo to the club was Thomas. There were more pros than cons to this particular situation, despite the risk.
“Are you ready for this?” Thomas’s question didn’t surprise him.
Duncan glanced at his friend. He wore a waistcoat with slacks and a button-down shirt. Unlike Duncan’s love of leather, Thomas was a Gentleman Dom, and it appeared to be rubbing off on Scotty too. Duncan had to admit, the look fit the hacker nerd. AJ, on the other hand, wore a red jumpsuit. The skintight outfit accentuated all of her curves and left nothing to the imagination. The plunging neckline allowed for both halves of the outfit to cup her small, yet perky breasts perfectly.
&
nbsp; “I’m glad you guys decided to join me.” Duncan grabbed the handle on the door. “I thought while I discussed business with Trixie, you could enjoy the facilities.”
Thomas frowned. “I’d like to be in on the meeting with you. I think, in this situation, the more of a controlled setting we can establish from the beginning, the better off and more secure your witnesses will be.”
Duncan grunted. “Fine by me.” He motioned for them to follow.
When they stepped into the club, Paul stood at the front desk. His features brightened when he spotted Duncan. Trixie’s submissive split his time between greeting patrons of the club at the front desk and managing the wait staff. When he wasn’t doing either job for the club, he could be found beside his Mistress.
“It’s good to see you again, Master Duncan.” Paul bowed. “You’ve brought us guests.” His eyes sparkled as he took in Thomas, AJ, and Scotty.
“I did. I have an appointment with Mistress Trixie. I hoped while Thomas and I discussed business with her, Master Scotty and AJ could explore a little.”
“Of course.” He stepped behind the desk and grabbed the same forms Duncan had filled out before joining the club. “Although, since you’re not becoming members, there are still rules that must be followed. Please read over this packet and sign in all of the appropriate places. Also, I need a copy of all of your driver’s licenses or identification.”
“Posh.” Scotty signed in ASL then fished his wallet out of his back pocket while Thomas translated for him. “Makes me feel official.”
Duncan snickered. “Kid, you have tons to learn still.”
Thomas, AJ, and Scotty placed their identification on the desk in front of Paul before filling out the forms. He knew Thomas had a membership at another club somewhere in the area, but they never talked about the lifestyle much, other than knowing they were both in it. Once the paperwork was complete, AJ removed her shoes and followed Paul to the locker rooms, giving Duncan a moment to speak with Thomas.
