by Cassie Ryan
“I’m sure if you’re any good at all, you already know about my PI at The Dungeon.”
Dex nodded. “Opal told me everything she knew. I was hoping you could fill in any gaps.”
“Here’s all you need to know. I was approached a few years ago to invest in a new global company called Merestone Resorts. After talking to some fellow investors that I’ve grown to trust, I invested heavily, and for nearly two years it paid off very well.
“I noticed other high-end players were buying in too—Mark Stanton, Senator Balkins, and even Ed Ralston.” He scratched the back of his hand before taking a breath to continue. “Ralston’s involvement surprised me. He doesn’t have a lot of money compared to the rest of the men on that list, but he likes to look like he does.”
Dex had known about the investment, but was surprised Fretwell knew about the others’ involvement.
Fretwell shook his head. “I didn’t think much about it since I have several other investments and projects to watch over. But once the attacks happened, I looked back and realized there was an interesting pattern. Bills introduced in Congress began to have various amendments that would give Merestone favorable results. Less taxes, fewer environmental regulations, et cetera. My contacts would mention the riders, but then inevitably there would be someone who would filibuster or somehow block the bill, and it wouldn’t pass, or at least wouldn’t pass with the amendment. One of the main crusaders to remove those was an old family friend of ours.”
“Carl Fredericks?” Dex supplied.
Fretwell nodded. “He dated my late wife before she and I met, and they stayed in touch over the years.”
Dex didn’t know they had dated. He wondered if Kate knew. “I heard you don’t get along with him.”
“True,” Fretwell answered openly. “I was admittedly jealous of the man who was my wife’s first Dominant, hanging around her for several decades.”
Dex tried to hide his shock at that revelation. He was usually very perceptive and read people well, but he hadn’t gotten a Dom vibe from Dick Fretwell. It took Dex a minute to come to terms with the fact that Kate’s parents had been in the lifestyle. But he could definitely understand territorial instincts when it came to a committed or collared submissive. He felt that same way about Kate.
“Don’t look so shocked, boy. Your generation didn’t invent BDSM.”
Dex nodded. “Of course not, Dick. Let’s just say that most people in your generation don’t freely admit to knowledge of it, let alone active participation.”
“Fair enough,” Fretwell conceded. “But as for Carl, while we didn’t get along well, I didn’t shoot him.”
Dex had to admire the older man for his spunk. It was too bad he and Kate didn’t have a closer relationship. If they weren’t related, Dex was sure they would really like each other.
“The FBI took out the shooter, so you aren’t a suspect in that crime.”
Fretwell nodded. “Good. I know my wife would’ve been devastated if she were around for this, and I suspect this hit Kate pretty hard, although it didn’t come up when she visited me earlier.”
Dex had heard about Kate’s visit from the protection detail, and he wondered what had transpired. “What did Kate come to meet with you about earlier?”
Fretwell shook his head. “I would normally tell you to go to hell, that it wasn’t any of your business, but she came to talk to me about Merestone.”
Dex frowned as he looked across the desk at the older man. “What about them?”
“She wanted to know if I had gotten her the work with them, and if I was working with terrorists.” Dex easily saw the pain in the man’s expression. He supposed if his daughter thought him capable of something like that, it would slice pretty deep.
“Are you working with terrorists? Did you get Kate those jobs?”
Fretwell shook his head. “She got those jobs on her own. I’m assuming through word of mouth. She’s got a great reputation in the business. I’ll admit, I was pissed when she dropped out of medical school to go into IT, but she’s her mother’s daughter, and mine as well, and she has always been strong minded and stubborn as hell.”
Dex heard the respect and even the pride in Fretwell’s voice and wondered if Kate even knew her father felt this way. From what she had told him, it didn’t sound like it.
Fretwell reached out to close the file folder, then slid it across the table to Dex. “Here’s everything I have on everyone from The Dungeon. Some of that predates me hiring Opal, but everything she did supply me is in there, along with things I learned through other sources.”
Dex wasn’t sure what to say.
“I’ve realized my little girl is all grown up. I won’t need Opal’s services anymore, and in fact, I think she’s been working for both myself and Senator Balkins for quite a while. I know from Mark Stanton directly that she was also selling him information.”
Dex frowned. So much for Opal trying to say Stanton was blackmailing her.
“Thank you, Dick. I’d really like to go see Kate now.”
Chapter 27
Kate woke up feeling groggy and out of it, so didn’t bother opening her eyes. Maybe if she stayed very still, Rusty wouldn’t notice she was awake and demand she get up yet.
Her body felt heavy, with lots of aches and sore spots. She smiled as memories of the amazing flogging with Master Dex came back to her.
“I love that evil smile. I’ve missed it.”
Kate started at Dex’s voice so close beside her, and pain accosted her from several areas all over her body.
What the hell?
She shouldn’t be this sore the morning after a flogging.
With effort, she opened her eyes and looked up into Dex’s handsome face.
“Hey, beautiful. How do you feel?”
Kate frowned. “Like I was hit by a bus—” She stopped short as memories flooded back about overhearing Dex on the phone, the frantic drive to L.A., confronting her father at his office, and then…
“Crap. Am I okay?” She glanced past him and saw everything she would expect to find in a hospital room. “I hate hospitals.”
Dex brushed some hair away from her face, his touch burning through her. “You’ll be fine after you finish healing. You’ve got a broken left arm, and a pretty severe concussion. You’ll probably be sore as hell for a while, but other than that, you checked out fine.”
She concentrated on her left arm, and although she could move her fingers, now that Dex mentioned it, she noticed the cast.
“I hate casts. They itch.”
He chuckled and pressed a kiss against her mouth. “Think of it as a challenge during a scene to keep your arm restrained for six weeks or so.”
She laughed, but the sound echoed through her head, making her wince.
“Are you in pain?”
She started to nod and caught herself just in time. “Yes. No more laughing—it hurts.”
Dex reached across her bed and pressed a button that she assumed was the call button for the nurse.
“Rusty…” she began.
“Don’t worry—I’ve been taking care of him until you get out of here. Your dad went earlier to go feed him and give him some attention. He misses you, but he’s being spoiled.”
“My dad?” Dex must be talking about someone else. “My dad hates animals, and I’m sure Rusty bit the shit out of him.”
Dex shook his head. “Your dad said he wasn’t a huge fan of animals, but he did it for you. It sounded like they got along pretty well.”
“Wow.” Maybe she’d hit her head harder than she thought, because she was now convinced she was hallucinating. She frowned, but when that furrowed her brow, it hurt more than she was comfortable with. She mentally shrugged, glad Rusty was being taken care of.
“Are the people in the other car okay?”
Dex’s face darkened with anger, and Kate’s stomach tightened. “What happened?”
Dex stroked her forehead. “Your car was rammed on purpose.
”
Ice crystalized inside her veins. “Why?” She wondered why he told her that instead of answering her original question. Were the people in the other car dead?
“They thought you had information about their illegal activities, and they wanted to make sure you weren’t able to share it.”
“Were they the terrorists I heard you talking about?”
Kate watched as understanding lit Dex’s expression and then morphed into concern. “That’s why you ran from Club Desire that day?”
She started to nod, but the pain in her neck and head stopped her. “I overheard you on the phone talking about Merestone.” Her chest ached as she remembered her shock.
He brushed a kiss against her lips and then pulled back to look into her eyes. “Kate, I’m sorry. I’m not sure how much you heard, but now that it’s all over, you need to hear everything.”
All over?
Kate wasn’t sure if she should be relieved or nervous. “Tell me.”
He outlined the plot and the reasons behind his undercover assignment, then he told her about her father hiring Opal to watch her, and that the FBI found everything they needed on Mark Stanton’s computer to prove that he was the only one actively working with the terrorists. Balkins, Ralston, Opal, and a few others knew about it, and they were paid well for their silence.
“My father?” she finally asked, braced for his answer.
Dex shook his head. “He invested heavily in Merestone when they were a start-up, but never did anything illegal. He can tell you the rest. He’s been here every day of the last two weeks. We’ve been taking turns sitting by your bedside so we could both sleep, grab showers and food, take care of Rusty, and always have one of us here with you for when you woke up.”
“Dex, why did you hesitate when I asked you about the people in the other car? Are they dead?”
“The driver is in custody. The passenger is dead. She jumped out of the car with an axe and smashed in your front windshield to try to finish you off. The security detail we had following you to keep you safe had to shoot her.”
Kate remembered the two pops she thought might have been gunshots. She was glad she hadn’t known at the time what was going on. “Security detail?”
He actually looked embarrassed. “After all the attacks, we thought you might be in danger from your work with Merestone. It was a good thing we had a team following you.”
She supposed that made sense. She was glad they were there to protect her from the woman with the axe. “The other car?” she pressed.
Dex was silent for a long moment as his brows bunched. “That wasn’t a car. The impact from the first car pushed you into a light pole.”
Relief slid through her that no one else had been hurt.
“But there was one other casualty,” Dex said before her relief could fully set in.
From the slight glint of mischief in his eyes, she knew he wasn’t talking about another person. “Tell me,” she said in her most serious tone.
He took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “The Lexus is totaled. You’ll have to suck it up and get a new car once you’re fully healed.”
She groaned. “Not my Lexus. I just bought that car.”
“Then I’m sure you have very good full-coverage insurance.” He grinned down at her.
“There is that,” she conceded. She licked her dry, chapped lips. “Dex?”
As if he sensed the shift to a more serious conversation, he looked at her tenderly. “Yes?”
“I know you were at The Dungeon for your case. How much of what happened between us was just the case? And how much was…”
She wasn’t sure how to describe it, so she gave up and relaxed back against the hard hospital pillow.
The nurse came through the door, interrupting them, and saving Kate from answers she wasn’t sure she was ready to hear.
“She’s awake,” Dex told the nurse, although Kate could clearly hear the sudden strain in his voice.
“She’s been awake before. Is she fully coherent and able to respond appropriately now?”
“Yes, she’s fully aware, remembers what happened, and is in pain.” Dex sounded annoyed, and Kate didn’t blame him. The nurse was condescending as hell.
The woman shooed Dex away from the bed so she could get near Kate to check her over. She poked and prodded, asking several questions that Kate barely heard, although she suspected she responded correctly from the woman’s expressions and nods.
Finally, the nurse stopped talking and told them she would get the doctor to come in and clear Kate for some pain meds.
“You’re correct. She’s awake and fully responsive,” the woman finally declared. Kate resisted the urge to do a face palm since it would probably hurt right now.
Dex just shook his head and glared after the nurse as she left the room.
As soon as the door closed behind her, Dex resumed his post next to her bed. Kate wasn’t sure if he would answer her previous question, or if he would make her repeat it.
“Kate. I was sent into The Dungeon to get close to you and find out if you and anyone else were involved.”
She sucked in a small breath, not sure what she had expected him to say.
All the pain she had experienced when she first overheard that conversation came flooding back, and she blinked several times to make sure she wasn’t going to start to cry.
Dex took her hand. “It started that way, but it definitely didn’t stay that way. I knew you couldn’t be involved; it just took me some time to prove it.”
His expression turned bleak. “I know there’s nothing I can say to make this sound any better, and I know this is horrible timing, but Kate, I love you. I’ve never met anyone like you, and if you can ever forgive me, I’d like the chance to prove that I’m worthy of you.”
Kate’s chest squeezed, and the backs of her eyes burned with unshed tears. She couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. It had to be the concussion.
The door opened, and the nurse and a doctor came in, effectively ending her conversation with Dex. At least for now.
But he’d said he loved her.
Now she just had to find the right time to tell him she felt the same.
Chapter 28
FOUR MONTHS LATER…
Kate took the elevator down to Basement 4, adjusting her little black dress and hoping her feet lasted all night in the stilettos Dex loved to see her wear.
She had finally fully healed and felt like her life was back on track. Tonight, Dex was throwing a housewarming party for the two of them. Except it was being held in Basement 4 since their new house was still being built.
They had been living together since she’d come home from the hospital anyway, so when Dex found some vacant land nearby that had come up for sale, he had proposed they build a house together, and she had jumped at the chance.
The elevator doors opened, and she gasped. The last time she’d seen Basement 4, all the normal play areas had been removed. There had been only a stage with stocks like the ones they used in the medieval era to punish lawbreakers, and hundreds of cushions scattered around on the floor.
She had watched the event-turned-orgy from Basement 3 in Dex’s private alcove, and they had celebrated on their own.
She smiled at the memory.
The stage was still set up, but surrounding it were several round tables, reminding her of a ballroom in a high-priced resort.
“It’s about time you made an appearance.” Kate gasped as she recognized Uncle Carl’s voice. He enveloped her in a tight bear hug that she returned with equal gusto. She had seen him several times since she’d been released from the hospital, but it was great to see him here at the party.
“How are you feeling?”
He winked at her. “I feel great. I’m still young enough to bounce right back. How about you?”
Kate sighed with contentment. “I’m great, actually. Happier than I’ve ever been.” She smiled as memories of him over the years came back to
her. “I’m glad you’re here—I’m just surprised.”
“Surprised I would show up at a kinky sex club?” He laughed. “My only problem now is that Gloria wants to tour the place, and I think she might pressure me to try it out.” He smiled. “I survived the alligator attack, but I’m not sure I would survive a membership here. I guess we’ll find out.” He shrugged. “I never could say no to my wonderful wife.”
“Let me know if you guys do want to join. I can introduce you to the owner.”
He nodded and patted her shoulder. “Brent and I already met, but I appreciate the offer. I don’t want to monopolize you. I know there are several people wanting to meet you.” He pointed toward a table at the front of the stage, where a stunning black woman was openly studying her.
“Thanks, Uncle Carl. I love you.”
“Love you back, my girl.” He gave her a quick hug and then let her go.
Kate’s mind was swirling as she tried to come to terms with the idea of Carl and Gloria diving into the fetish lifestyle. She knew everyone had their kink; she just didn’t want to think about theirs, let alone accidentally see it one day on the dungeon floor.
She laughed and moved toward the front table.
Before she reached it, the woman met her halfway. “Kate, I’m Lily, Dex’s mother. He can’t hide you from us any longer.” Her wide smile made Kate feel welcome and instantly put her at ease. “How are you feeling after your ordeal?”
Dex had told his family only that Kate had been in a bad car accident, and then was in physical therapy, so wasn’t up to having visitors yet. The excuse had started to wear thin under his family’s persistence, but Kate could tell they loved him and were merely curious about the new woman in his life.
“I’m much better. Finally back to normal, and driving again.”
“I’m so glad. We’ve been dying to meet you. Dex has been positively glowing every time we’ve seen him over the last several months. And I know that’s because of you.” She gave Kate a quick hug, and Kate couldn’t help but hug her back. The woman’s happiness was infectious. “You and I will have to set up lunch or Starbucks very soon so we can talk. Dex can give you my number.”
