by Lexi Blake
Leo had to stop himself from smiling as Shelley reappeared from the bathroom. She had tears in her eyes and that gorgeous bottom lip of hers quivered. Wolf had obviously chosen to forgo taking her clothing the way he would have, but now that he thought about it, he was actually happy with that decision. She could be naked in The Club, but in the confines of his office with so many men around, it seemed too intimate a thing to share.
But Wolf hadn’t been too kind. She walked in a stilted pattern that made him wonder how pissed off baby brother had been.
“Did you shove an elephant plug up her rectum?” Leo asked, well aware that everyone was looking at their sub. Fuck. His brother’s sub.
Shelley nodded, but Wolf shook his head.
Again, the laughter bubbled up.
“He requested a plug that was slightly larger than a starter,” Julian explained. “She’s fine, Leo. It’s a perfectly appropriate punishment, and I asked her what her safe word was before Wolf shut the door. I believe what Miss McNamara is protesting is the lubricant your brother chose.”
He felt his jaw drop. His little brother was far more of a sadist than he’d believed. He felt almost paternalistically proud. “You used the ginger lube?”
Big Tag offered Wolf a high five. He would have to keep those two apart.
“It didn’t sound so bad at first,” she admitted, her breath puffing from her mouth. “It sounded exotic. It kind of sucks, Leo. It really sucks.”
It burned was what it did. And it appeared that Wolf wasn’t finished. Jack Barnes handed his brother a length of jute. The thin rope was around Shelley’s arms before she could move.
His brother was damn good with rope.
“I don’t get you people.” Holder looked on with a frown on his face. Leo could easily read the man’s disdain. “First that one and now this one.”
Kitten was still tied up. She’d been sitting serenely until the shit had hit the fan. The minute they got the news that Shelley was on the run the tears had started, and Jack had been forced to pet her while Ben and Chase had hightailed it to get to their positions, one in the garage and the other on the bottom floor. He’d enjoyed the big cowboy’s obvious discomfort with being left to babysit a twenty-five-year-old woman.
Ben and Chase walked back into the room. Ben still looked a bit ashen, though he had control of himself again. Chase was silent, walking slightly behind his brother. Chase hadn’t known Ada. Was this a part of his brother’s life he couldn’t understand? It would be difficult. The two men now worked together with flawless precision. Any breach between them would be felt deeply.
Unlike his own brother. Wolf had been gone for years, and Leo was only now feeling the true distance.
He’d missed his brother. He’d missed the loyal child Wolf had been and the steadfast man he’d become. He could never have handled Shelley the way Wolf had. They would have fought, and she would have walked away again. Of course, Wolf was also far too soft until certain things were pointed out. If Leo hadn’t been there, Wolf might likely have ended up a pool of goo at her feet, believing every stupid excuse she gave him. And that would be dangerous for her.
Without the two of them, she might have been in real trouble.
“You don’t have to understand it, Mr. Holder. You merely have to tell us everything you know,” Julian said, his eyes on the mercenary. When Finn had called down, it had been Julian who had kept his head long enough to realize that no one wanted to leave Holder in the office by himself.
Holder was the wild card.
“Ah, so the little sub gets what she deserves,” Chase said, watching as Wolf began winding the rope around Shelley’s body.
Wolf seemed infinitely calmer now that he’d begun his discipline. He worked slowly, as though finding comfort from the intricate bindings he created. Leo understood. There was an elegant dance to Shibari. He found it soothing. How much more meaningful would it be to share it with someone he genuinely cared about? How long had it been since he’d been in love? He wondered now if what he’d had with Janine was even love. He’d let her go so easily. Of course, he’d let Shelley go as well, but he’d felt it like a kick in the gut every day he was away from her.
He approved of the pattern Wolf had chosen. His brother’s fingers moved in a nimble dance. Shelley’s arms were in front of her body, palms together, elbows touching. Maete Hiji Shibari. It would be fairly comfortable for Shelley, with no real worries about nerve damage. But she would have no illusions that she wasn’t caught. Her eyes found his. He expected to find pleading in them, a request for clemency.
Instead, she winked at him.
Adorable brat.
“She’s lucky,” Leo said, watching Wolf. “I wouldn’t have left her with the comfort of clothes.”
Shelley’s eyes got wide. Leo felt his cock jump at the thought. He rather liked being the bad cop when it came to her.
Wolf finished his pattern and tied it off. “I didn’t feel like showing her off today. Knees, love, now.”
“Are you kidding me? Wolf, I can’t walk much less get to my knees.”
No matter how adorable she was, she was going to get spanked. Leo decided to back up his brother. “Wolf, if you don’t I will.”
He was taking liberties with his brother’s submissive, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. Wolf might have opened a door the night before that he wouldn’t be able to close.
Wolf pressed her back, leaning her forward, and gave her five hard smacks right on her ass. Shelley squealed, letting Leo know that his brother hadn’t really hurt her, but the plug was most likely burning. Every swat of Wolf’s hand would have jarred the plug, making her pretty asshole light up.
When Wolf brought her back up, she awkwardly fell to her knees. “This part sucks, Wolf. It really, really sucks. I liked the last-night part, but I am officially protesting this part.”
God, she was so sexy. He would spank her just to see her pout. He wanted nothing more than to walk right over and kiss those luscious lips until she couldn’t breathe. He wanted to fuck her while she was tied up, while she was utterly open and helpless to him.
But it was Wolf who leaned over and pressed his lips to hers. “Are you going to run again, love?”
She smiled. “Certainly not when I know you have access to a plug and kitchen herbs.”
Wolf smiled, kissing her forehead. “I always have access, so my job is done. You won’t run again. Hush, now, love. Or I’ll have to gag you.”
Kitten pouted. “Kitten doesn’t understand, Masters. Kitten was very good and did her job and behaved perfectly, but Shelley gets all the treats. No one has plugged Kitten. And no one ever figs poor Kitten. It’s not fair.”
Chase pulled a ball gag out of his pants pocket and shoved it in Kitten’s mouth. Kitten enthusiastically worked her mouth around it. “Can we get down to business now that all the subs are accounted for and properly punished or rewarded?”
Shelley opened her mouth, most likely to say something bratty.
Leo stared her down. Those beautiful eyes slid away and suddenly seemed to find the floor endlessly fascinating. At least he could still do one thing right. Wolf’s hand came out to pet her head.
Leo passed Shelley’s cell phone to Tag. “She got this text. It’s what sent her running.”
Tag read the text and then passed it to Chase. “You can try to trace the number back, but you know what I’m thinking.”
Chase nodded before passing it to Ben. “If this guy has half a brain, it’s a burner. So she thought she would be safer someplace other than here?”
Leo continued to stare at her, his anger rising all over again. God, he’d been terrified at first, and then rage had taken over. She’d done it again, and this time she’d done it to both him and Wolf. “She thought it would be a good idea to go and meet the guy and apparently shoot his ass with Wolf’s spare piece.”
Every eye in the room went to the sub on the floor.
“Oh, you are lucky that Wolf here has a soft heart,” Julian said,
his voice cold.
She smartly kept her eyes to the floor.
“Do you want me to call in the police?” Jack asked, breaking up the tension.
“I’ve already alerted Lieutenant Brighton. I’ve made sure he’s our DPD liaison,” Tag said. “He’s making a record of it.”
Leo nodded. “Thank you. I don’t want cops swarming The Club. It tends to be bad for business. Besides, this is a family affair, apparently. But when I inevitably have to kill someone, I would like to have justifiable cause.”
Julian shrugged. “If you kill someone, simply call and give me adequate preparation time. I have several suitably horrible people I’ve been trying to find something to pin on. Mr. Taggart keeps files.”
Tag smiled, a predatory look. “We’re totally ready.”
That was his boss. Always a giver.
Chase was sitting at Kitten’s laptop, his hands flying across the keys. He looked up with a frown. “I got the cell number. You’re right, Tag. Untraceable. Paid in cash. Disposable. He obviously knows we would be after him. He’s not an idiot.”
Wolf looked up. “You got all of that in two minutes?”
“Why? Should it take longer?” Chase looked around. He wasn’t the most aware person in the world. He pretty much thought everything that was obvious to him would be the same to everyone.
Leo turned to Holder. He was the key. “When did you get the message? Did it come by courier or through the mail?”
“Three days ago,” Holder explained. He didn’t flinch, didn’t seem uncomfortable. “I had some of my in-house guys go over it, but it came through the mail. We found some prints, but they were postal employees. No return address. I tried calling you, but you didn’t answer. I don’t have your cell so all I had was your office number, and even that was hard to find. I couldn’t get past security. Well, not in any legal fashion. I’m sorry I had to do it this way, but I needed your attention. I didn’t think leaving another message was a good idea.”
“But breaking into my office was?” Leo wasn’t at all happy about that.
Holder shrugged. “I thought about waiting around, but I figured I would freak the girl out. I left the envelope and waited for you. Sure enough, you showed up.” Holder took a deep breath. “I was pissed that you wouldn’t talk to me.”
“It was a busy day.” Leo eyed Kitten. “And that one doesn’t take the best of messages. I blew you off because I know you’ve been recruiting, and I didn’t want to deal with it. I honestly thought you might be looking for my brother. The last thing I wanted was for Wolf to end up as a mercenary.”
“Yeah, I moved way too slow,” Tag said under his breath.
Julian gave him a shit-eating grin. “I didn’t have to pay you to train this one.”
Holder’s mouth firmed to a flat line. “I did want to talk to Wolf, actually, but I can see he has a job tying up girls.”
“Best job ever,” Wolf said.
Holder shook his head. “Nevertheless, I was an asshole, but I had good intentions.”
Leo wasn’t so sure about that, but it did no good to press. He had other matters to get to. “And you’re telling me you had no idea who Shelley was when you talked to her on the train?”
Holder shrugged. “I tried to make an appointment with you. Check the lobby records. I walked out and hopped on the train which takes me straight to the place I’m staying. She’s a lovely woman. I was trying to hit on her. Then I was trying to help her. She had a bad day. Though it looks like today has been rougher on her.”
All perfectly logical. Every question he asked, Holder had an answer for. Leo didn’t like it, but he also didn’t have anywhere else to go. “Can you send us everything you have?”
Holder nodded. “Of course. I’ll have them send you all the reports, but we’re still looking into it. I also think it might help to get back into Ada’s case.”
Leo’s stomach turned. That was the last thing he wanted to do.
“I have the case files. Don’t ask me how, but I got them yesterday. I thought you would need them. Whoever took those photos probably killed Ada. It’s got to be someone on our team.” His eyes trailed toward Ben.
Fuck. The last thing he needed was a new inquest. He was in a corner. If Holder took this shit back to the Navy, they might reopen the case with a new suspect. Ben. Ben had been on base at the time of her death, but Leo had no idea who would remember him. He needed to placate the bastard and fast.
Leo looked over at Julian, who nodded shortly. He and Julian had worked together long enough to know what the other was thinking most of the time. Julian was giving him permission to bring his troubles into The Club. “Steve, I would appreciate any help you could give us. Please, bring in the files, and we can go over them.”
And it would be a great way to keep watch on Holder.
Holder agreed and got on his cell, talking to an assistant.
Ben stepped forward, his voice low. “We can’t trust him.”
“Leo doesn’t trust him.” Tag followed Ben’s lead, whispering. “He’s keeping that asshole close because it’s obvious Holder knows more than he’s telling. I don’t like any of this.”
Neither did Leo, but he wasn’t sure what else to do. Something was going on, and until he knew what it was, he didn’t want to let Holder out of his sight. The morning had been utter chaos. He still hadn’t spoken to Ben and Chase about what he’d wanted to. He turned to Ben. “Did you and Chase check out her place when you picked up the clothes?”
He looked over at Shelley. She seemed calmer as Wolf stroked her. She leaned into him, her head resting against his thigh. Jack Barnes was talking on the phone. Julian was speaking quietly to Chase.
Neither of those men were worried about their women because they knew Abby and Dani were safe. Sam and Finn would lay down their lives. It allowed Jack and Julian some freedom. It allowed Leo some freedom. He could talk to Ben without worrying about Shelley’s welfare because Wolf was taking care of her.
Fuck. He didn’t want to think about that. Could he do it? Could he really share long term?
Ben scrubbed a hand through his hair. “It looked fine at first, but I would bet a lot that someone’s gone through it.”
Leo let his eyes close. That wasn’t what he’d wanted to hear. Everything was going to hell, and he could only thank god that he wasn’t alone. His brother had impeccable timing. “Anything taken?”
When he opened his eyes again, Ben was shaking his head. “Nope. Just an immaculately done search. I would have said no on the search, but her underwear was moved around. Her clothes are all almost compulsively sorted, but someone had moved her underwear around. It was pushed to the front, as though someone was searching through her drawers. I talked to her neighbors, but no one remembered much. The security there is complete crap.”
Leo nodded. “She won’t go back there. I get the feeling if my brother has his way, she won’t ever leave this club again. Let’s keep a close eye on Holder. If he’s here, then we know he’s not somewhere else plotting. Tag, I need to know where he’s been and what he’s been doing for the last several years.”
He nodded. “I’ll get on it now. I get that this is about a translator’s death. Leo, you have to let me look into this. There is no judgment here, man.”
It made his gut twist, but Ian was more trustworthy. “I’ll send the file to you.”
Ben’s face tightened. “I did a lot of research into Ada’s death, and I believe it was a SEAL. I hate saying that, but everything points to someone on the team. I think Ada knew something. I don’t know if it was about a mission or something criminal, but someone silenced her. I don’t buy that this whole thing is strictly about you. If all this guy wants is revenge, why wait this long?”
“Maybe because I haven’t had anyone serious in my life.”
“Leo, you were married and divorced since then,” Ben pointed out. “And you hadn’t touched Shelley when this guy sent this stuff out. It doesn’t make sense.”
B
ut he had to go with it. “We need to look at everything with a fresh eye. That’s where Tag can help us.”
Ben sighed, a weariness settling over him. “I’ll send you both everything I’ve pulled together over the years. I truly believe Ada died because of something she knew or saw. The only man who could have been pissed at you was me, and I didn’t kill her. I think I could solve this damn thing, but I haven’t been able to get back over there to talk to witnesses.”
No. It would be hard to get into the middle of a war zone. But Big Tag could probably make it happen. He had Agency connections. Between Tag’s connections and Chase’s ruthless will, they could move mountains.
Leo looked over, and Chase was watching them. Leo could see it there in Chase’s eyes. He’d been trying to protect his brother, and now it was going to hell.
Leo knew the feeling. Holder got off the phone and started talking about logistics.
Leo listened, but his mind was on something else. His past was catching up to him, and Shelley was caught in the cross fire.
Coincidence? It seemed odd that she would be caught in her husband’s shit storm only to walk straight into Leo’s.
Perhaps Shelley was simply unfortunate. Or perhaps Leo wasn’t seeing the whole picture.
One way or another, he would protect her.
* * * *
Holder almost couldn’t hold back his glee as he left the building.
It had gone even better than he’d hoped. He wasn’t happy with the addition of Taggart, but he could handle that asshole. It didn’t matter because he had something amazing. Not once had he expected that Leo Meyer would simply open up and hand him the keys to the kingdom, but damn, he’d found a way in.
Ben Dawson.
God, he’d known Meyer was a freak, and now it looked like Dawson was one, too. He’d had no fucking idea that Dawson had been screwing the girl, too. What a bit of luck.
He made sure there was plenty of space between him and the building before he ducked into a busy coffee shop. He bought a cup of decaf and waited. Ten minutes. Fifteen. Twenty.
If he’d been followed, they weren’t close. Still. He was a cautious man. He slipped into the bathroom and locked the door. Alone at last. He dialed Kyle’s cell phone and got an immediate answer.
