The Madam's Lover

by Serenity Snow

“What are we doing?”

  “Sanitizing the club.”

  “Galli and True are already taking care of it,” Zoe told her. “I called that in as soon as I got off the phone with Moore.”

  “Close Frolic for the next week,” Alexi said. “And find out if there are any other girls on staff with any arrow tats.”

  “If there are?”

  “Find out who sent them. Then, kill them and make sure they’re found in a ditch, a mud hole, or a filthy bathroom.”

  Zoe nodded slowly, approval on her face. “No respect.”

  “None. Let me know if it has to be done.” Whoever had sent those girls in, had to know what she thought about their attempts to infiltrate her.

  “This could be a Five by Five ploy to get you in a war with Felix so he’ll take you out,” Zoe said.

  “True. I’m going to be in my office a while. If you need me, just buzz.”

  “Will do.” Zoe left her alone and she sat back in her chair. So much for an uneventful evening and a possible ceasefire with Rayne.

  The bastard was going to pay for this unless Judas was behind it. Then, he’d pay.

  ****

  “How did it go?” Ewan asked curiously.

  Charles gave him a smile. “Fine. Those drugs will be on the streets by tomorrow night, and we’ll be a little richer.”

  “Good,” Ewan said. “It’s too bad my father isn’t alive to see this.” He picked up the glass of rum from the coffee table in Charles’s den and took a sip.

  “We’ll find out who killed him,” Charles promised.

  “Are you even trying, or are you consumed with finding Trevor’s killer?” he challenged.

  “I have an idea who’s behind Trevor’s death and more than likely Five by Five killed your father, too,” Charles said. “We just have to find the right person though I doubt we ever will.”

  “That’s too bad,” Ewan murmured. “How is Tatiana? April told me about what happened.”

  “She appears none the worse for wear, but I guess Alexi is making sure she’s well taken care of.”

  “Someone should do something about her,” Ewan said.

  “Someone will,” Charles told him. “In the meantime, I’ve decided not to take your father’s half of the cleaners, even though he left it to me. Your family deserves it.”

  Ewan gave him a curious look. “Why the change of heart?”

  “It’s the right thing to do,” Charles said, but he didn’t really mean it. He didn’t much care about Carrington’s family. However, he would be working with Ewan, and this would make a great show of good-faith.

  He didn’t completely trust Ewan yet, and Charles was going to test him to find out if he was as weak as his father had been in the end. Charles hoped though that Ewan had a spine so he wouldn’t have to kill him, too.

  ****

  Tatiana was in bed when Alexi returned to her apartment. A Kindle in hand, she appeared to be reading but looked up as soon as Alexi entered the bedroom. The consternation in her face quickly faded, but Alexi knew the other woman couldn’t read her mind.

  “You didn’t have to wait up,” she said and sat on the chair to remove her boots.

  “I guess running a club or two can be time-consuming.”

  “Very,” she agreed.

  “You want to talk?” Tatiana asked benignly.

  Alexi sighed. “I don’t know.”

  “Why?” Tatiana put her device aside, her full attention on Alexi now. “What did you do besides straighten out a misunderstanding?”

  “Sometimes in my line of work I have to do things to protect myself and those that work for me.”

  “You are like the mob.”

  She met Tatiana’s gaze then. “In a way.” She stood and undressed.

  “You went out?”

  “I had to,” Alexi answered. “I didn’t want to wake you if you’d fallen asleep.”

  Tatiana studied her, but there was more contemplation in her eyes than recrimination.

  “Don’t keep me in the dark about things because I’m one of the people who’ll never betray you, Alexi,” she said evenly. “I just need to know whatever I’ll need to know to keep your secrets.”

  “To alibi me, you mean.”

  “I’ll back you no matter what, honey, just don’t do anything you know is wrong. That is to say, don’t hurt anyone who doesn’t deserve it,” Tatiana told her. “I’ll be your conscience and the wall, so if you have any doubts, run things by me first.”

  Alexi blinked. “W—” She broke off confusion fogging her mind as the words bounced around. “What are you saying?”

  “In case you’ve had a few and your brain isn’t functioning properly, I just said I’m on your side no matter what.”

  Alexi stared at her, trying to decide if Tatiana was for real. A woman who wouldn’t flinch from the seedier and messier side of her life.

  That was her dream woman when coupled with someone who was great in bed, smart, knew how to carry herself in public, and was sexy.

  Alexi had dreamed of a woman who understood her and could accept that she was never going to be a candidate for sainthood.

  “Are we clear?” Tatiana asked.

  “I’m not sure.”

  “Did you do anything that didn’t meet that criteria?”

  “No. I ordered a hit on a girl who wanted to get me locked up and put my other girls in danger.”

  “Could you have talked sense to her?”

  “Tia, your grandfather was behind it, and I owe him one of two things. A bullet to the brain or an ass kicking. Either way if he keeps pushing, I’m going to give him one or the other inside of six months. Can you live with that?”

  “Can you try not to kill him for my grandmother’s sake?” she asked.

  “I’ll try, but I make no promises. He wants to make me heel. It won’t happen. I’ll never bow down to him.”

  “I don’t like it,” Tatiana said. “But if I stay with you, knowing you might kill him, then it’s a choice to stand behind you.”

  “Can you make it without hating yourself?”

  “I won’t know until you kill him,” Tatiana replied with a shrug. “For now, go shower if you killed someone and then come to bed. I don’t want to know the details of what you did.”

  Alexi headed to the bathroom. She wasn’t completely sold on Tia’s act—and that’s what it was: an act, until she saw different. No woman did that fast a turnaround for no reason. Either the Feds had gotten to Tia or Rayne had her convinced to help him get rid of her.

  Alexi didn’t much care which it was. She would continue to enjoy Tia because she was her mate. Besides that, the cat enjoyed a good game of subterfuge. However, she wouldn’t hesitate to kill her when all was said and done if she turned out to be the enemy.

  Chapter Thirty

  Two days later, Tatiana met her mother for brunch. She noticed April was absent as was her grandmother. Tatiana was a little surprised as she sat down across from her mother in the country club.

  They had their favorite table near a window where they could see the tennis courts. A couple of games were going on as conversation hummed around them.

  “I didn’t think you were going to come,” Melissa said.

  “Why wouldn’t I?” Tatiana asked.

  The waiter came over, and her mother smiled at him. “Are you ladies ready to order?” he asked.

  “Yes, Jules,” Melissa said. “Bring me the crepes and fruit salad.”

  “And you, Miss?” he asked Tatiana.

  “I’d like strawberry pancakes with hash browns and bacon, please.”

  “Would you like juice with that?”

  “Just coffee,” Melissa said.

  “I’ll bring some coffee right out,” he told them and headed for another table.

  “Where are April and Grandma?”

  “I wanted to talk to you alone,” Melissa said.

  “Why?” she frowned.

  “Your relationship with Alexi could be a probl
em,” she replied. “I’d rather you ended it. There are plenty of eligible women out there, and I’d rather you took one of them.”

  “You make it sound as if I can just switch from one woman to the next,” Tatiana muttered. “I like Alexi. I’m falling in love with her.”

  Melissa frowned. “How long have you been seeing her?”

  “Not long.”

  Melissa sighed. “You hardly know her, so you can’t be falling in love with her already.”

  “Why do you want me to break up with her?” she asked, wondering if her mother would be completely honest with her.

  “She and your grandfather aren’t on the best of terms and aren’t likely to become so,” Melissa told her. “You being with her is only going to make him more determined to ruin her.”

  She thought about what little Alexi had told her last night. “What has he already done?”

  “Something that will probably piss her off when she realizes he’s behind it if she’s even half the woman I’ve heard she is.”

  “How long have you known he was involved with these people, and how long has he been?”

  “I’ve known from almost the start. Your father told me. It’s only been ten years.”

  “Why did he tell you?” she asked curiously.

  “He left in the middle of the night to help someone who’d been shot,” she said with a shrug. “I accepted it, and I enjoyed the increase in financial status. But this life comes with a risk of death and prison for them.”

  “And for you?”

  “I’m not involved even though I know most of what’s going on,” Melissa told her. “I use magic to minimize the risks for your father and you and April.”

  She nodded, considering all she’d seen on TV about this life and how much could be reality.

  “It’s not a life I would have chosen, and I would advise you to think carefully,” “Melissa said.

  “What exactly does grandfather do for them?”

  “He launders money, manages drug houses and dealers,” Melissa admitted. “He’s even ordered deaths.”

  “And that doesn’t bother you?” she demanded.

  “He didn’t create the addicts, Tatiana,” her mother replied dryly. “He’s merely exploiting a market.”

  “So if Trevor had just been an addict that would have been acceptable.”

  “Never, but we’re not talking about our family,” Melissa answered. “I would have bound your brother to end his problem with dope.”

  “I understand.” All she understood was that her mother cared about social position and maybe her husband. Tatiana wasn’t sure she could be that way.

  “Your father said Alexi might not be part of any organization, and she’ll do anything your grandfather’s boss will to protect herself and her way of life, including kill.”

  “How does he know?” Tatiana asked curiously.

  “He listens, unlike your grandfather, and he watches,” she said. “It’s a good thing Charles has him, but he doesn’t always heed his advice.”

  “What does Dad do for them?”

  “Whenever they need a doctor, they call him,” Melissa said. “It’s not too often, so he can still practice without hinderance. Charles has recently been given more power by the cartel. He wants to make sure he controls this city.”

  “How do you mean. What could he possibly do that would ensure that?”

  Melissa leaned toward her. “The mafia isn’t just about who kills who, Tatiana,” she said quietly. “It’s about power, who has it and how they keep it. That means having law enforcement and political allies that give them the edge.”

  “I see.”

  “Things could end badly for Alexi since Charles is out to get her,” Melissa told her. “He has the connections to destroy her.”

  “Because of Trevor,” Tatiana murmured. “I know it’s not because I’m seeing her.”

  She knew her grandfather didn’t care as much about her as he had Trevor. Tatiana was certain he even cared more for April because she was more inclined to obedience.

  Melissa sighed. “He thinks someone else killed Trevor, but he wants every small-time vendor of anything illegal to bow down to him,” she explained. “He’s bent on making her.”

  “That is crazy,” she muttered. “I’m not leaving Alexi, and I don’t want to put you in a bad position with him.”

  “You’re my child. We will continue to have a relationship no matter your choices,” Melissa told her as she reached across the table to squeezed Tatiana’s hand. “I love you, lesbian drama and all.”

  “What?” Tatiana exclaimed, eyes widening in surprise. “What does that mean?”

  “It means I don’t care if you’re not straight. I just want you to be happy.” Melissa grinned at her. “Don’t go sharing anything meaningful about yourself with her until you’re really sure you’re in love and she feels the same way.”

  “Magic?”

  “Right.” Melissa squeezed her hand again. “I think we should do some shopping today. Make it a total girls’ day out.”

  “So, you’re calling April?”

  “If you’re okay with that.”

  “I don’t mind,” she said. April was like a little sister to her. They had been playmates even before April’s parents’ deaths.

  Tatiana hated the thought of her with Ewan because she was certain April deserved better than an arranged mafia marriage.

  “Honey, listen,” Melissa said. “Go into this with eyes wide open and no illusions. We haven’t had real problems before, but that appears to be changing. Be careful because we’re all fair game in a turf war.”

  ****

  “Are you going to talk to him?” Zoe asked. “The girl could have been lying.”

  Alexi shook her head slowly from behind her desk. She had considered that when she was torturing the girl last night.

  “Her information on Judas was limited, but I’m satisfied he wasn’t behind this, just the hit on Tia.”

  “Why is he going after her?” Zoe demanded. “Surely he isn’t planning on wiping out Rayne’s family instead of just going after him.”

  “That’s what I was told, but the girl denied it. He’s only going after part of the family.”

  “What does he hope to gain by killing innocents?” Zoe asked. “And especially Tatiana? Judas sounds like he has a personal issue with not only Rayne but your girl.”

  “That’s part of what bothers me,” Alexi admitted. She didn’t like Tia being in the line of fire and the object of this guy’s rage.

  “Maybe Judas had or has a sister near her age that Trevor brutalized, and Rayne allowed him to get away with it,” Zoe murmured.

  “That has a ring of truth to it,” Alexi commented, but something was still bugging her about Judas. Killing Tia might give him some satisfaction, but if he intended to really gain true glee why kill Rayne, too?

  “I’ll put out some feelers and see what I can find out about Judas,” Zoe said. “What about Rayne? Is he a priority?”

  “Judas gets top spot for now,” Alexi replied. She had a few ideas how to find out who Judas was. The few clues she had were just a jumping off point.

  “Then, you’ll be wanting Galli or Corri to stay on your girl twenty-four-seven?”

  “Yep.” She knew Corri was with her now, but Galli would relieve her in a few hours.

  “I’ve already gotten to work on security at all the clubs but especially here.”

  “Make sure to do sweeps. With three of those tricks having infiltrated, there might be bugs or surveillance equipment installed.”

  “I already checked, and I’ve removed all the bugs except a few. Once the cops and Feds are done with their search, I’ll remove those, too.”

  “Thanks,” Alexi said giving her a smile. “Make sure flowers are sent to all the funerals.”

  “Will do,” Zoe agreed with a little grin.

  “I’ve got a meeting in thirty, so handle anything that comes up. No interruptions.”

&n
bsp; Zoe nodded and exited her office.

  Alexi let out a sigh and turned her chair slightly to face the wall. She didn’t want to wage war on Charles because Felix would eventually get involved. Also, she was concerned about how this would rebound onto Tatiana.

  She didn’t want her mate hurt or caught in the crossfire of a battle that would turn nasty if Felix didn’t rein Charles in. Charles’s distaste for her didn’t stem from anything she’d ever done to him or his family which was what made this so bad.

  He was a power-hungry idiot who would make mistakes that would cost Felix and his partner Calissa a great deal before she or they killed him.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Tatiana made a face at the teddy April held up. “You don’t think Ewan would like it?”

  “I—”

  “I’m sorry,” April said quickly, apology in her eyes. “That’s tasteless.”

  “I don’t know,” Tatiana said. “I never wore anything like that for him.”

  “But for other women?” she asked curiosity in her eyes.

  “Umm, not really. I don’t like thongs, but the rest of it is gorgeous.”

  “I know,” April exclaimed. “What’s it like dressing up like this for other women? Don’t you feel—I don’t know, funny?”

  “No.”

  “And sex, it has to be awkward.” She wrinkled her nose.

  “I’m not upset you’re with Ewan. I knew you were checking each other out, and I didn’t care. I told him that.”

  “I know. He told me,” April put the outfit down. “He was furious that you dumped him for a woman. He came over this morning, and Grandpa told him you were seeing someone named Alexi.”

  “So?”

  “He almost choked on his coffee. Then, he started saying she was a whore, and you needed to have some sense beat into you.”

  “I’m sure. He has a dark side that he only showed me once,” she mused, thinking of that night at the club.

  “He hit you?”

  “No.”

  “Then what?” April pressed.

  “He didn’t have a chance to do anything, but I don’t doubt he would have had Alexi not stopped him,” Tatiana replied. “He’s a decent guy if what happened that night was just a one-time thing, but I think it could happen again.”