Blind Justice

by TL Reeve

Trixie waved him off. “I understand. So, this is the military man who might be in my club from time to time?” The husky quality of her voice ensnared Omar’s attention as she talked. “Does he know, Master Duncan?”

  Duncan choked. “No. We hadn’t gotten that far.”

  Trixie cleared her throat. “Welcome to Club X, Omar.”

  The man narrowed his eyes. “Club X? What type of place is this?”

  “Why, a BDSM club, of course.” A teasing smirk tugged at the corner of Trixie’s lips. “You do know what that is, don’t you, Omar?”

  He lowered his gaze and shifted his stance. The tops of his cheeks darkened to a scarlet color. Holy shit. Duncan blinked. Was the guy submissive? Was that why he kept trying to peek into the club’s main floor? He gave the man a onceover and shook his head mentally. No way. With as big and curt as he was, there’d be no way he could bend to a Dom or even a Domme’s will. No, it was something else.

  “Ma’am,” Omar answered. “Only in passing.”

  “Did you hear, Master Duncan? Only in passing.” The woman was having too much fun with this.

  “Indeed. Poor sod. Doesn’t know what he’s missing.” Duncan shrugged.

  “Are you curious?” Trixie hedged, her words tinged in sweetness and enticement.

  “Ma’am I prefer to keep my business from mixing with my pleasure.” Yet, the blush on his cheeks had traveled to the tips of Omar’s ears.

  “I have one more question for you, Omar.” She winked at Duncan, and he held his breath.

  “Anything, ma’am.”

  “Are you a virgin?” Trixie arched one of her perfectly manicured brows.

  Thank fuck Duncan wasn’t taking a sip of a drink. He’d have spit it out. Could that be the issue? All work and no play made the hulking man an asshole? He stared at Omar. His blue eyes were wide with shock. The scarlet color had deepened to crimson, and he opened and closed his mouth like a fish gasping for air.

  “I don’t talk about... It’s not like I...” Omar deflated in front of them. “Ma’am, I was raised to wait for the right woman come along.”

  Trixie lowered her gaze and nodded. “I apologize then. It was insensitive of me to pry.”

  “No need to apologize. I’m not embarrassed about it. Bringing up the subject, however, can become pretty shitty.” Omar frowned.

  It made sense. The guy acted like a dick to keep people from prying. He used it as a defense mechanism to keep people away. It was probably also why he was built like a brick shithouse. He worked out to burn off steam. If Duncan couldn’t get laid, that’s what he’d do anyway.

  “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with us,” Duncan said.

  “Wasn’t worried. Figured if I signed an NDA, you couldn’t say shit once we left here.” Omar glared at him with a challenging smirk.

  “Touché.”

  “Well then.” Trixie rubbed her hands together. “Let’s get down to business.” She motioned to the chair beside Duncan. “Sit with us, Omar. Since you’re going to be spending time here, we should get to know each other.”

  “Ma’am.” He crossed to the seat she’d offered and sat in it properly, unlike in the apartment. “Thank you for being understanding.”

  “To each their own,” she replied. “Now, why don’t you tell me what you can and how this is supposed to work.”

  Duncan cleared his throat. “I don’t believe Raul will look here, however, due to the change that’s occurred, Asher, Thomas, and myself believe it would be best if Omar could be here with Enzo and Bella when I can’t be.”

  “I can understand why,” she said. “Tragic, really. Please send my condolences to your wards. Losing their parents in such a way—I am sorry.”

  “I will. Thank you,” Duncan said.

  “You won’t know I’m here,” Omar said. “I understand the atmosphere now and the respect for privacy. When Duncan told me about this place, I didn’t grasp why I wouldn’t need to perform my regular duties, however, after seeing this building and how well it’s secured, it makes sense.” He pointed to the security monitors surveilling the grounds and club floor.

  “And where will you be staying when you’re not here?”

  “I’ve arranged for a hotel not two minutes from the club. I can be here quickly if there’s an emergency, but as Duncan said, we’re not expecting any type of incident.” Omar folded his hands on his lap while he sat back. “This is almost like a vacation for me, to be honest.”

  Trixie quirked a brow. “Do you get many? Vacations that is?”

  Omar shook his head. “No, ma’am. Career military. When a position within R.O.O.T. opened up, I took it. Asher’s black ops group is legendary. This is my first assignment.”

  “Can I make a suggestion, then?” she asked.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “When you’re done here, take a vacation. Enjoy yourself. Find the girl of your dreams or two.” She grinned. “Always working will burn you out quicker than wind blowing at a lit candle. If you’d like, after this is through, you may explore my club as well. You might find a part of yourself that you never knew existed.”

  Again, Omar blushed. “Thank you, ma’am. I appreciate the offer.”

  “And you.” She turned her attention to Duncan. “Go let off some steam. You look like you’re about to crack.”

  “Are you meddling again, Mistress?” Duncan cocked a brow. “You know how I feel about meddling.”

  She brushed him off. “I’m saying it because I know you too well, Duncan Frazier. You’ll start making mistakes if you don’t have your head on right. Omar is here. Let him watch over Enzo and Bella while you take an hour or two.”

  He wished he could. His mind was willing. His heart rate sped up as anticipation curled through his veins. Unfortunately, his dick stayed soft and gave no indications it was up to getting busy with any of his usual subs. No, for the time being, he was out of commission. The only two people he wanted with a single-minded desperation were upstairs in his apartment. “I’ll take it under advisement. For now, I’m going to grab a shower and get some sleep.”

  Omar grunted. “That’s my cue to leave.”

  Duncan handed him the keys to his vehicle. “We’ll have to figure something else out tomorrow. Take my car to the hotel.”

  “I’ll get Asher to send someone to pick up my truck at your apartment in the morning then bring your car back.” Omar stood. “Ma’am, it was nice to meet you.”

  “Pleasure’s all mine, Omar,” Trixie said, shaking his hand. “Paul should be out front. He’ll explain how to get to the garage from here.”

  “Thank you.”

  Once Omar left, Trixie glared at Duncan. “You’re exhausted, but not from lack of sleep. Tell me why you’re really not willing to play.”

  Duncan rolled his eyes. “If only it were that easy to explain.”

  She chuckled. “Oh, honey, it is. But I believe I understand now. You have the hots for the siblings and don’t want to cross lines.” Trixie sighed and shook her head. “I believe before this is over, you’re going to have a decision to make, and it’s not one I envy.”

  Neither did he.

  Bella sat at the small kitchen table, staring blindly at the empty surface. It would have been easier to stay in bed. Enzo wouldn’t allow it, though. He’d forced her from the bedroom and put her in the shower himself. It was only then, with the flow of the hot water washing over her skin, did she get a reprieve from her grief.

  Her mami had been her everything.

  Granted, they hadn’t always gotten along. Mostly because Bella had been a wild child and did some crazy shit before Enzo helped get her head on straight. Surprisingly, her mother hadn’t even blinked when she’d informed her she was joining up the gang, following in Enzo’s footsteps. It might have had something to do with their way of life, or that her father, before his death, had been a lifelong member. Their gang had connections to criminal organizations, but nothing substantial until they were in their twenties. When Enzo started ru
nning for the cartel, he’d brought her along with him.

  They’d done well. So much so it got them noticed, and with the money she made, Bella went back to school to get a degree in home healthcare. It was then Raul took notice, moving them to Mexico to help out at the Emporium. Once there, her eyes had finally opened to how truly sick and evil both the gang and the cartel were.

  She was sick and tired of the life. She hoped Enzo felt the same way. It was a conversation they’d been meaning to have. However, shit went downhill quick within the organization, and there they were, in Virginia.

  It was why when Duncan placed the offer in front of them, she’d been the driving force behind taking it and becoming snitches. Of course, she hadn’t made it easy for the FBI agent. It’d been why she sent Enzo to talk with Duncan the first day. Enzo liked to keep the peace where he could and pulled off the whole ‘I’m protecting my sister’ vibe.

  Guilt lay heavily on her shoulders. Their decision to go with Duncan more than likely led to their parents being killed instead of them. If they’d stayed, maybe their parents would still be alive. She snorted to herself. No, she wasn’t so naive to believe as much. Raul had been a bastard who leveraged lives to get what he wanted. Their parents were as good as dead when Duncan took them away.

  Bella needed to pull her head out of her ass and stop being a bitch. She was better than that and always had been. She was tough and had handled herself in worse situations. She held her head high and met challenges head on. She needed to remember who she was and never forget it. When she joined the gang, she could either fuck her way through the members or get jumped in. She chose being jumped in to prove her worth.

  The guys, they hadn’t been easy on her. During and after the beating, she thought she was going to fucking die. She hadn’t. She healed, slowly but surely, and her choice gained her mad respect from her new crew. Bullet, the leader at the time, had given her the nickname Hearts, because she had the ‘heart’ of a warrior.

  Since they found out about their parents, she’d been anything but strong. Her mother would be ashamed of her. She’d been stuck in her grief. Enzo had done everything for her, even ignoring his misery at the loss of his pops and her mother who’d been the only mother he’d ever known.

  She’d heard Enzo in the shower even though he hadn’t wanted her to. His soft sobs had broken her heart. She thought about barging in and comforting him as he’d done with her. Enzo would’ve been pissed though, thinking it’d ruin his street cred to be caught in a moment of weakness, even if she was the only one who heard him.

  Bella had allowed him his dignity, knowing they didn’t have much of anything left. Enzo needed to keep shit as normal as possible right now. She’d find other ways to comfort her brother.

  The bathroom door opened, and Enzo stepped out into the little hallway. He was naked, his skin shiny and brown and riddled with the tattoos covering almost every square inch of his torso, arms, and legs. Enzo was free with his body and gave no shits about nudity, so he didn’t bother to see if Duncan was in the apartment before he made his way to the closet assigned to them.

  Once he was dressed, he made his way toward where she sat. “You okay, hermosa?”

  “Sí, just thinkin’.”

  He nodded.

  “I should’ve gotten breakfast rollin’ while you were in the shower.”

  Enzo chuckled. “Unless our agent brought back food, there isn’t anything to make.”

  She ignored his emphasis on ‘our’ and focused on the issue at hand of not having any food. “Mierda.”

  “Maybe—” The front door opening had Enzo checking his back for his piece. Old habits died hard, especially when they survived by being on their game and alert 24/7. He released a breath when he saw Duncan step into the space and kick the door closed behind him. His hands were loaded down with white bags. “Breakfast.”

  Bella’s stomach rumbled, making her acutely aware she hadn’t eaten dinner the night before.

  Duncan placed the bags on the small island in the kitchen area before his gaze found hers. “Guess that’s what I call perfect timing.”

  Enzo rubbed his hand against his flat belly. “We’re starving.”

  “I got a bunch of breakfast baps with different meats.”

  Enzo looked up from the bags he was digging through. “What the hell is a bap?”

  Duncan mumbled something that sounded like shit, but in an underlying accent she wasn’t used to hearing. She sensed he went through a lot of effort to hide the accent, which was one she couldn’t place.

  “Sorry. Sandwiches.”

  Enzo chuckled. “Sandwiches sound much better than a bap.”

  Bella agreed. “Got any bacon?”

  Duncan gestured to the bag in Enzo’s hand.

  “Hermano, you best not take the bacon. I’ll cut you.”

  Enzo laughed before laying out a dare. “Try it.”

  Bella jumped out of her chair and wrapped her arms around Enzo’s waist before he could turn away from her. “Give it,” she demanded when he held it above her head, teasing her.

  Every time he brought it low enough for her to think she got it, he moved it higher away. After a couple of minutes, Bella got tired of the game and kneed him in the balls. Enzo dropped the bag as he went down, cupping his junk and cursing crudely in Spanish.

  After removing the foil-wrapped sandwich from the bag, she dropped it on Enzo and glanced to Duncan. “You speak Spanish?”

  Duncan smirked. “I’m an agent for the FBI assigned to work in South American Cartels, qué piensas?”

  “Oh, Enzo,” Bella cooed, letting her thick accent out when she spoke to her groaning brother. “Chico Blanco speaks Spanish. You should be ashamed of the filth you spewed in his presence.”

  “You fuckin’ nailed me in the nuts,” Enzo snapped as he stood, his face still twisted in pain.

  She shrugged. “You withheld my sandwich, so you paid the price.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Duncan moved from behind the island. He took up a defensive position beside her like he was worried Enzo might retaliate. He would, just later…way later, when the agent wasn’t around. Bella smiled in anticipation.

  “Coño.”

  Most women found that word offensive, but she took that shit as a compliment. Enzo knew it too. She flipped him the bird before digging into her bacon, egg, and cheese bagel sandwich.

  “Someone is feeling better today,” Duncan said, teasing Bella.

  She covered her mouth with her hand before she spoke. “I’m attempting to pull my head out of my ass.” She took another bite of her sandwich. “Thank you for this.”

  “You mentioned the other day about how it’s important in your family to share a meal. I figured maybe this was a way to honor them.”

  Bella blinked back the tears at his uncharacteristically kind words. It meant a lot, considering they wouldn’t be able to go home and pay her respects to her mami and Ignacio during a funeral. She rolled up the crinkly tinfoil, tossing it in the bag before she snagged a bottle of orange juice. “We signed those forms like you asked us to.”

  Duncan went back behind the counter, removing his breakfast from the remaining bag. “Did you have any questions?”

  Enzo took a seat beside Bella and tucked into his food. “We wouldn’t have signed it if we had questions, Agent.” His playful tone surprised Bella.

  Duncan narrowed his eyes, taking in Enzo. There’d been a mixture of sexual and irritable tension radiating off of him. Did the agent have the hots for Enzo, after all? By looking at the man, she didn’t think he knew what flirting was or how to do it, yet the heat of his blue-eyed stare spoke louder than words. The agent wanted her brother, yet he made no moves. Pity. She’d love to see the suit get dirty just once. The corner of Duncan’s mouth twitched before his features blanked out.

  Silence followed.

  Enzo ate two sandwiches before waving a flag of defeat. He continued to sit across from her, playing with the can of cola he c
oveted. Enzo was a caffeine whore. He drank coffee and cola like it was going out of style. It made him even more annoying than the little pink bunny used to sell batteries. It also made his ADHD worse.

  Duncan brought his coffee to the table, sitting beside Enzo. He took a moment, observing them both. Bella noticed yet again that his gaze lingered on Enzo longer than normal. He was definitely feeling Enzo.

  Not that she judged him, considering she had fucked a girl on more than one occasion. Love was love, or in her case, sex was sex. Sometimes she craved the softness of a woman’s touch over the roughness of most of the guys who joined them. Enzo wouldn’t care either. He’d already informed the agent he was bi.

  Duncan took a quick sip of his coffee. “I need to go over the rules with you.”

  Bella snorted. “What are we, ten?”

  Duncan sighed, but it was Enzo who spoke up. “Hermana…”

  Bella leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. “Fine. Lo que sea. Sorry for interrupting.”

  Duncan told them the rules for the club and for the duration of their stay in his apartment. They’d be trapped like rats in this room with a TV, a half-assed kitchen, and a bathroom. She was going to go bonkers. “I’ll be with you as much as possible. But you’ll be safe here. And, when I’m not around, Omar will be.”

  Bella leaned forward. “Not for nothing, Mr. FBI Agent, we didn’t make a deal with Omar. We made the deal with you. It’s not his job to protect us, it’s yours.”

  Duncan’s face twisted in anger. “R.O.O.T. and the FBI are working together on this op—”

  “Bullshit,” Enzo spat. “We’re not estúpido, Agent. If the FBI was truly working with this R.O.O.T., they’d have assigned more than just you and your partner on this case.”

  Duncan shook his head. “This op was a coincidence, a happenstance. Luck was on our side when the call came down the pipeline. We’re just working with R.O.O.T. for now.” Duncan leaned forward, placing his forearms on the table. “To be honest, R.O.O.T. is better equipped to help out.”

  “And why is that?” she asked, knowing full well whatever response he gave would be standard FBI.