by Avery Gale
Once London’s research findings were published, the companies pursuing her were forced to switch their focus to damage control. Sucking in a deep breath as the realization someone had just shot at her washed over Paris, her mind was screaming at her to run, but something kept her in place.
Trinity was already on his way back to Paris when he heard the first shot. Letting out a low-pitched growl he knew would carry for miles on the wind, he hoped like hell he’d scared the shooter into running. It wasn’t ideal—Trin would prefer bagging the bastard himself—but under the circumstances, this was his next best option. Hopefully, the distress call he’d put out would bring in enough reinforcements to capture whoever had been ballsy enough to trespass on Monroe Pack land.
Trinity continued sending telepathic messages to Paris to stay down, but since he hadn’t claimed her yet, he had no way of knowing whether or not she could hear him. The bigger question might be whether or not she would heed the warning.
Sprinting back to where he’d left her sleeping peacefully, Trinity heard a motor roar to life to his left and sent a telepathic update to anyone nearby. Fucking hell, he should have never gone so far. He’d known how easily she became unsettled without him nearby.
Before he could ask, Trin heard Seth Keller’s voice waft through his mind. I’m opening the small slider in the fence closest to the house, Sheriff. You won’t have to break pace. Trinity sent back his thanks as he ran through the low, narrow entry. Eli added the five-foot-high opening a couple of years ago; it was perfect for shifters and had proved to be a valuable addition to the security of the facility since it wasn’t large enough for any motorized vehicles—hell, most adult humans had to stoop to slip through.
Once he was inside the fence, it was a short distance to where he knew Paris was huddled. He couldn’t wait until they’d were able to communicate telepathically, but for now, he’d been forced to rely on sending his command to stay down on the wind, hoping she’d respond. Rounding the corner of the house, Trinity heard Paris’ ear-piercing scream as he leaped forward intent on protecting her from harm.
Changing into human form in mid-air, Trin landed on his feet, lifted Paris’ trembling form into his arms, and ran inside the still open patio doors. The scent of fear surrounded her, but she’d wrapped her arms tightly around his neck as he moved her back into the bedroom. He appreciated that she knew he would keep her safe.
“I can’t believe he found me. How did he know where I was? I didn’t tell anyone, but my family I was coming here.” Sitting down on the edge of the bed, Trin smiled down at her when he realized she was wearing his shirt. Trinity didn’t need to ask Paris who she was talking about, but he wished he’d insisted they discuss David Lamb when he’d first arrived to find her swimming naked in the pool.
“How did you know I was in trouble? Were you running in the woods?” He recognized the tremor in her voice; he’d dealt with enough victims to know one of the ways they reclaimed their control was by asking questions, so he waited, knowing there were more coming, probably sooner rather than later.
“Were you the reason I didn’t move? I wanted to run, but for some reason, I knew I wasn’t supposed to. Did he get away? How did you get through the fence? Or were you just running around naked in the yard? Wouldn’t people at the clinic be able to see you?” Chuckling, he shook his head as the rapid-fire inquisition took a sharp left turn.
“I was running outside the perimeter fence, but Evan had a small, hidden gate installed close to the house when his clinic became popular. It allowed him to run off the stress without having the security of his patients compromised by opening either of the larger entrances. The security staff opened it as I was approaching, so I could run through without waiting. Seth knew I was in a hurry to find you.”
She surprised him by running her hand over his bare chest in a slow caress. Trin would ordinarily consider such a bold move topping from the bottom, but he recognized the move as an attempt to put the trauma behind her, using any means available. It wasn’t the best coping mechanism, but it was a common one. Laying his hand over hers, stilling her progress, Trin shook his head.
“Talk to me, Paris. You need to tell me about the man stalking you. Let me get dressed, and we’ll go down to the kitchen. I’m famished, you can talk while I eat.” When Paris reached for the jeans she’d discarded earlier, Trinity wrapped his hand around her wrist and shook his head.
“No, baby. You are dressed perfectly the way you are.”
“If you think you’re going to always get away with dictating what I wear, let me assure you, it isn’t going to happen. My brothers and sisters have tried that shit my entire life. I’ve had to fight for my independence, and I’m not giving it up.”
Trinity didn’t bother to argue; she’d learn the truth soon enough.
Once he claimed her, Paris would belong to him, in every way. His claim didn’t mean he intended to control every aspect of her life. Trin had never wanted a 24/7 slave. He’d seen friends and pack members’ relationships splinter under the tremendous strain those arrangements inevitably brought into their lives.
“To be clear, I wasn’t dictating what you could wear. The command was about what you could not wear.” Zipping his jeans without bothering with the top button, Trinity used his hand to motion her toward the door. “It so happens I enjoy seeing you in my shirt, knowing you are bare underneath. It’s fucking hot, knowing all I have to do is slide my palm up the back of your thigh to the curve of your bare ass, and with virtually no effort, I can slip my fingers between your smooth folds into heaven.” When she stumbled, Trin struggled to keep his expression neutral as she lifted her face to his.
“You can’t say things like that, it’s indecent.” Before he could respond, she stopped dead in her tracks. “Oh. My. Goddess. I sound like somebody’s up-tight granny. How did this happen? I just graduated from college.” She returned her gaze to him and bit her lip. “Don’t tell my family I’ve already finished. They are going to have a hissy I’m skipping the ceremony.” Trin raised a brow in question, and she shifted her gaze to the floor.
“I don’t want to be anywhere near David. After we talk, you’ll understand, but promise me you won’t tell Austin or Asia I’ve already finished. The others won’t go crazy, but those two seem to think they need to fill in for Mom and Dad. Maybe Charlotte will keep Austin busy enough, he won’t have time to shadow me. And now that I think about it, I bet Asia is going to be distracted by Franklin Cordessi. Just between you and me, I think everyone is underestimating him. I’ll bet you rock, marbles, or chalk, he’s as well-connected as Brooklyn’s, Luke.” Trinity picked Paris up and gave her bare bottom a smack making her wrap her legs around his waist. Moving into the kitchen, he sat her on the cool marble counter, smiling when she hissed.
“Stop talking yourself over an edge you don’t need to worry about. I assure you everyone cares more about your safety than any damned ceremony. We can celebrate your success without watching you walk across a stage. Your brothers and sisters would not put you in a compromising position just to hear Pomp and Circumstance.” And I wouldn’t fucking allow it. Looking deep into her eyes, Trinity read her easily and sighed. Hell, he knew instinctively she was going to try to run. Damn, he needed to claim her as soon as possible, or she was going to disappear, and he’d play hell tracking her down.
“Listen, Sprite, I know it’s tempting to run, but despite how it appears, you really are safer here than anywhere else. We’ve already called in enough favors to move the fucking moon to circle Neptune. We’ll find him, and when we do, he’ll be held accountable for everything he’s done.” Assuming I don’t tear the bastard limb from limb first. “Now, stay right here and start talking.”
“Pushy man. Crispy critters, I feel like I’ve jumped from the frying pan into the fire.”
This time Trinity didn’t try to hold back his laughter. Imp, you have no fucking idea.
Chapter Six
David Lamb accelerated down the highway, laughing as the hea
dlights faded behind him. Whatever the asshole following him was driving, it was no match for his Porsche. The black truck had fallen in behind him as soon as he roared out of the woods onto the highway. He’d taken several turns, each one leading nowhere in particular, and the four-by-four had managed to stay right on his ass. Once he was confident they were tracking him, David put the pedal to the floor and watched them disappear into the inky black night.
He hadn’t expected the woods behind the Monroe Clinic to be monitored, but by the time he’d seen the first camera, he was already in place with Paris in his sights. Shaking his head, David wondered what the hell kind of menagerie Dr. Evan Monroe kept inside his fortress. Maybe it was his drug-fueled imagination, but it appeared Dr. Monroe had the biggest fucking dog David had ever seen.
The car he was driving like a rocket down the road was too recognizable and much too valuable to drive cross country, so he’d keep driving west for an hour or two before turning around. He’d left the smaller of his family’s private jets at a secluded airstrip on the outskirts of a suburb. Phoning ahead, he gave the pilot time to file a flight plan back to California.
By the time he landed in San Francisco, his mother’s Senate staff would already have altered his flight itinerary, making it look as though he’d overnighted in Denver, spending time with friends who would be happy to cover for him. Everyone would swear he’d gone to dinner with them before retiring for the evening, then continuing on to the coast to attend a fundraiser for his mother’s campaign. Senator Nancy Lamb would be floating in an alcohol-infused fog by the time she made her grand entrance into the ballroom and wouldn’t question whether or not he’d shown up. As far as the good Senator was concerned, the event was a command performance her only son wouldn’t dream of skipping.
He’d only wanted to let Paris know she couldn’t hide from him. As soon as London returned from her honeymoon, Paris would quickly tire of living under the Monroe’s roof. From what he’d been able to learn about the brothers her sister had married, they were both driven and spent most of their time working. Both men were known to frequent kink clubs and apparently considered themselves sexual Dominants.
It seemed the secrets of the kink world were well protected by an ironclad non-disclosure agreement—the small bits of information David had been able to get on Elijah and Dr. Evan Monroe had cost him a fucking fortune. I need to get my hands on one of those contracts, hell, the thing obviously scares the shit out of people. Dear ole Nancy could use it and might finally be forced to admit I made a meaningful contribution. Keeping her people quiet was the biggest reason the woman had amassed a goddamned fortune on a salary that was considered laughable, compared to most entry-level CEO positions.
Paris had managed to stay one step ahead of him until now. He’d missed her by minutes in St. Barth’s. If she hadn’t left early, he’d have caught her on the road as he’d planned. Rumor had it, her family had hired the local sheriff to act as her bodyguard in the Caribbean. After hearing Paris complain about the cop she insisted was a Neanderthal, David hadn’t been surprised she’d ditched him to travel alone.
Chuckling to himself, he thought back over the years of their friendship and wondered how the hell she’d missed how obsessed he’d been with her. Hell, David had wanted to fuck her the day they met, but it had been clear she was skittish, so he made a concession, playing the friend card. What he hadn’t known was how long he was going to be relegated to that platonic position.
He’d meant it when he’d said if he couldn’t have her no one would. David smiled in the car’s darkened interior. She’d be scared now, and the minute she ran, he’d be right behind her. The men he’d hired to watch Paris were being paid well, they weren’t about to let her slip through their fingers. Shaking his head, David had been surprised to learn Luke Grayson wasn’t the security expert everyone believed him to be. It had only taken David a couple of days to hack into the Grayson’s system. Hell, it was no wonder government systems were consistently being compromised if all their contractors were as incompetent as Grayson.
“Who were you expecting to snare in your little trap?” Luke chuckled as he leaned back in his oversized leather office chair and grinned at the large screen filled with his Uncle Mitch’s crystal-clear image. Mitch was one of the world’s best computer information specialists, with a network of friends who were as talented as he was—hell, some of them were even more skilled. It had been Mitch Grayson who’d gotten Luke his first laptop when he was in junior high, then mentored him until they’d become colleagues.
“Considering my wife’s former profession, I considered it a safety measure. Not to mention Catalina, London, and Israel all bring things to the table that could easily spill over on Brooklyn.” Although his little submissive was still gracing various positions in the top ten on the most wanted lists of more countries than he cared to count, she hadn’t made a retrieval since he’d pulled her off Emilio Mendoza’s island almost a year ago.
“I have to admit, when I set up the decoy server, the last person I expected to catch in the net was a senator’s son.” Twirling a pencil between his fingers, Luke shook his head. “Paris has considered David Lamb her best friend since their freshman year, then all the sudden, she stopped talking about him. It was as if he’d ceased to exist.”
Mitch tilted his head to the side, one of the man’s few tells. He was thinking, but he was also listening to what Luke wasn’t saying as well as what he was speaking aloud.
“I assume you are feeding him just enough information to keep him on the string. Is he tapping everything or just any reference to Paris?”
Mitch’s position with Alex and Zach Lamont’s ShadowDance Club had given him a unique perspective when it came to human behavior, and as an experienced Dom, he was well versed in the way submissive’s minds worked. The Lamont’s foray into the murky world of contract special forces meant Mitch had access to networks most people could only dream of tapping.
“Paris has evidently been dealing with a stalker for almost a year—not that she has bothered to share this information with her family. I found numerous campus police reports and two more serious reports filed with the local authorities.” Luke hadn’t been thrilled with the discovery—for one thing, it put him in a terrible position with the beautiful woman he called his own. Telling Brooklyn her younger sister’s secret sounded a lot like tattling, but not telling her would almost certainly backfire later.
“Let me guess, the incidents started out so minor, she didn’t think it was serious and by the time everything escalated to the point of being dangerous, she was worried her brothers and sisters would be pissed she’d kept quiet, so she’s dug herself in and is trying to handle it herself.” Fucking hell, I’ve seen this shit over and over with subs. I swear they all think they’re invincible.
Luke laughed out loud because his uncle’s thoughts were so loud, it was if he’d spoken the words out loud. Mitch was a gifted empath, but Luke’s gift was stronger in almost every way. He’d always snickered at how well he understood Adrian Monk’s assessment that some skills were both a blessing and a curse.
Jesus, don’t tell me you are still watching those old reruns of Monk?
“Damn straight. Monk makes me feel normal.”
“He isn’t an empath, so you’re comparing apples to oranges.” Mitch’s teasing tone made Luke laugh out loud.
“He crawls inside people’s heads—so close enough.” Luke enjoyed their easy banter, but he’d called his uncle for advice, so it was time to get the conversation back on track. “So, what do you think? Should I call Austin? I know he’s on his honeymoon, but I’m not sure this is something that should wait.” Luke heard the distinctive ding of a computer alert and watched as his uncle turned, frowning at another screen.
“I sent a message to the Monroe’s security team, inquiring about Paris when you called.” Luke had propped his feet up on the desk, but they hit the stone floor with a resounding thud. Mitch rolled his eyes and shrugged before
adding, “When you set up this call, I put out some feelers. You think loud, Luke. Since the report on Paris mentioned a couple of significant traffic violations, I didn’t think Sheriff Stone was the best place to start.”
“But as it turns out, he’s exactly where you should have started.” Brooklyn’s voice sounded from behind Luke, and he almost groaned. Her presence explained the flash of recognition he’d seen in his uncle’s eyes a few minutes earlier.
“Husband mine, we’re going to have a long chat about why it’s okay for you to keep secrets from me, but I’d be spending time over the spanking bench if things were reversed.”
Luke recognized the disappointment in Brooklyn’s voice. She felt he’d let her down by not sharing what he’d learned, and B, as she was called by family and friends, wasn’t far off the mark. His only saving grace was he hadn’t received confirmation until a few minutes ago. Holding out his hand, Luke hated seeing the split second of hesitance in Brooklyn’s eyes before she stepped fully into the room, placing her small hand in his much larger one. His chest tightened with the knowledge he’d damaged the trust between them. Hell, they’d been friends long before they’d become lovers, and at the very least, Luke was guilty of treating his uncle with a greater degree of transparency than he’d handled the most important person in his life.
“I’m sorry, baby. I should have told you when I first suspected there was a problem, but I wanted confirmation before I worried you.” Their low-key wedding had drained her—shockingly so for a woman who was known for her balls-to-the-wall work ethic.
If his suspicions were right, his tiny cat burglar was going to be resting a lot more than usual the next few months. The emotions coming from her were so mixed, Luke was having trouble sorting them out, but the tidal wave of nausea was eclipsing everything else.
Turning back to the screen, Luke saw understanding reflected in Mitch’s eyes. Giving his uncle a sharp nod, he didn’t bother speaking aloud. Find David Lamb. I’ll call Austin as soon as I get B settled. Luke deliberately blocked Brooklyn from their telepathic link, knowing she was already worried enough. Before he could pick Brooklyn up, she took a quick step back.
