by Lexi Blake
“No, I didn’t touch it except to pass it off to Kai. I’m sorry. I know I said I would look after it, but Jared was kind of insistent on dancing.”
“It’s okay.” She pulled out her phone. “It’s weird though. It says I put the security code in ten minutes ago. I haven’t touched it all night.”
“Phones keep track of that stuff?” She mostly played Candy Crush on hers. She didn’t even realize they had security codes. Not that she would put one in. If someone wanted to play Candy Crush that badly, she would let them.
“This one does. It’s something my brother built in. He’s paranoid. Now I’m getting a little paranoid, too. I was dancing with Case ten minutes ago.” Mia flicked her finger across the screen, obviously checking it.
“Maybe it’s wrong. Or the screen came on when the bag got moved.”
“I don’t think so. I think someone got to my phone. Why would Kai want to get into my phone?”
Kori thought Mia was definitely paranoid. “He wouldn’t have a reason to do that and Kai would never do something like that. Sweetie, is there a reason you think someone’s spying on you?”
Mia frowned. “Look, there are some things you don’t know about me. I think I should probably tell someone anyway. You know how I told you about my friend?”
“The one who was killed?”
Mia nodded. “Yes.” Mia’s eyes squeezed shut, and when she opened them again there was a determined look on her face. “I’m a reporter. I used to work at a paper in Austin, but once I put together the pattern surrounding the murders, I decided to dedicate myself to this story, to getting justice for my friend.”
Her night had taken a surreal turn. Had she taken a worse fall than she thought? She didn’t remember hitting her head. “Murders?”
“Yes, I’ve been tracking Jared for the last year. I think it would be best if you came home with me tonight. I can show you everything I have. I can lay it all out for you. I need you to listen to me because I think you could be in danger.”
Kori mentally recounted the shots she’d taken. Nope. Not enough to make this conversation go away. “How am I in danger?”
“In the last couple of years, several women have been murdered, all with connections to Jared Johns. All with the same MO and all shortly before Johns left the area. I tried to quietly get myself on his set in Canada, but I couldn’t get hired on.”
Pieces began to fall into place. “So when they announced Love After Death would be filming here, you decided to move to Dallas? Not because you got a job at a dentist’s office?”
“That’s a cover. I don’t actually work there. When I realized the connections between Jared Johns and Kai Ferguson and McKay-Taggart, I knew I had to come here. I had to imbed myself here. Sanctum was a good bet since the rumor in the publishing world is that’s the club the whole series is based around. I knew Jared would come and stay with his brother. He would come and hang out at Sanctum and McKay-Taggart.”
She wasn’t sure what she was feeling. Shock. A bit of betrayal. “You lied?”
“I had to. No one will listen to me. The FBI blew me off when I took this to them. I need solid proof to get a newspaper to print the story. They’re all terrified of getting sued.”
“Yes, I think if you ruin a man’s career and reputation with no real evidence, you’re likely to get sued.” Anger started to thrum through her system. The club was a place where everyone got to be safe. Sometimes it was the only place in the world where she felt safe. Mia had lied and manipulated her way in. She hadn’t come to Sanctum for the right reasons. She’d come to investigate, to report. Privacy was tantamount in a place like Sanctum, and all the while Mia had been investigating them.
“Please don’t be mad at me, Kori. I didn’t do this to hurt anyone. I can’t stand the thought of him taking another woman’s life. It’s going to happen. He can’t seem to go more than eight months without killing. He’s a predator and I’ve started to think that he’s got powerful friends covering for him. Something’s up at McKay-Taggart. They’re involved in some very shady business dealings. That thing that happened in the Caymans with the senator, I don’t believe the official reports. Someone’s hiding something.”
Kori stood up. Screw her ankle. “The only thing that happened was we lost a friend. Case lost his brother and I refuse to believe they were doing anything wrong. You don’t know them. You have zero idea who these people are. How dare you come here and lie to us. We were your friends. Case really liked you and now I’ve got to tell him you were playing him for information.”
Tears welled in Mia’s eyes. “I wasn’t. I like him, too. It’s why I haven’t done anything with him. I haven’t let him kiss me because I refuse to start a relationship with a lie between us. But Kori, can’t you see? He’s the one playing me. He knows. He knows I’ve been lying and I think he asked me out so he could spy on me. I think Kai knows his brother is a killer and they’re all covering for him.”
Kori shook her head, her mind rejecting every single word that came out of Mia’s mouth. “Why would they do that?”
Mia put her hands up as though trying to calm the situation down. “Because I think McKay-Taggart works for a group of corporations that run the world. I know it sounds crazy and paranoid, but I’ve been putting it together. I’ve managed to talk to some people who got out. These are beyond one percenters. They’re the richest of the rich, and so powerful no one knows their names. What if the production company Jared works for is involved? They would cover up his crimes. What if McKay-Taggart is one of the ways they control things?”
“Do you have any idea how insane you sound right now? You think Ian Taggart runs some sort of Illuminati?”
“I think he’s involved somehow,” Mia explained quietly. “His name comes up too often. I’ve found at least four operations that he was involved in with companies I know for a fact are in The Collective. That’s what they call themselves.”
“You’re insane.” How had she not seen that Mia had been hiding a whole bucket full of crazy?
Mia stood her ground. “They asked my brother to join them. Oh, it’s not like they sent out an engraved invitation. They’re subtle, but they’ve felt him out. They’ve made it plain that he can get with the program and things will be easy or he can work against them.”
“Who the hell is your brother?”
“Andrew Lawless. He started 4L Software.”
Mia’s brother was one of the richest men in the world? The youngest billionaire in the country? One of the most reclusive men on earth. Well, that explained how she could afford her Sanctum membership. She wasn’t listening to another word of this crap. It was time to make her intentions plain. “You’ve lied about everything. Don’t contact me again and understand that I’ll be talking to Kai and you won’t be allowed back at Sanctum.”
“Do you think I did this for fun?” Mia asked between clenched teeth. “I didn’t. I did it because I can’t allow him to do it again. He’s after Sarah. Can’t you see that? He’s watching her. He’ll hop in her bed and then she’ll be another victim by the time he leaves. And your boyfriend is helping cover it all up. He’s manipulating you. He’s using you.”
“You’re wrong. He loves me.” He wouldn’t have said it if he didn’t mean it. “And he didn’t want his brother here in the first place.”
“No, he’s doing it because he’s a loyal McKay-Taggart man,” Mia agreed.
“He’s loyal because they’re good people.”
“Good people don’t cover up murders. Good people don’t protect corrupt corporations.”
She was done with Mia. She strode toward the back of the lounge. She would go and clean up in the bathroom so she didn’t punch Mia in the face. “Don’t talk to me again.”
She pushed through the door, and the back of the building was blissfully quiet. How could this have happened? How could they not have properly vetted her? McKay-Taggart Security checked everyone who came to Sanctum. How had Mia gotten through?
; “This is done, Case.”
She stopped, her hand on the bathroom door. The sound was coming from her right. She glanced down the hall. It ended in an exit door, but it looked like it veered off, a hall leading back into the club. The sound reverberated off the stained concrete of the floors. Likely they thought they were being quiet, but she could hear them plainly. Of course, if she’d been wearing her shoes, they would have heard her walk in.
“You take that and give it to Adam or Hutch or whoever needs it. I downloaded her whole phone the way you asked me to. I want out of this. Don’t get me wrong, man. I’m happy to help, but this stuff with Kori has to stop. It makes me sick. I can’t keep this up.”
“This is everything we need to figure out how to proceed with Mia. You’re out of this. Handle Kori however you like,” Case’s deep voice said. “I’ll deal with it all from here out. Kai, I know what kind of sacrifices you’ve had to make to get this intel. It won’t be forgotten.”
“Yeah, well, it’s not over yet. I still have things to deal with.”
Her. He was talking about her.
So many things began to make sense. She stood there in the hallway, her body going cold. He had to deal with her.
The door came open and Mia walked out. She was wearing shoes and they clacked against the concrete. “You need to listen to me, Kori.” Mia stopped. “What’s wrong? You’re so pale. Are you all right?”
All conversation around the corner had stopped.
Maybe she’d misheard. Maybe they were talking about something else entirely. Except Kai had admitted he’d cloned Mia’s phone. Or downloaded it. She didn’t understand all the technical stuff. She did know when she’d been had.
There was a reason he hadn’t offered her a contract. He’d never intended for it to last very long. Case hadn’t been able to get close to Mia, so they’d changed tactics. They’d decided to go through one of her friends. Kori had been a fairly easy mark once Kai realized what she really wanted from a Dom. Kismet. It must have seemed like pure kismet that she turned out to be such a masochist.
But then he’d likely seen that in her all along. Kai wasn’t the kind of person who was easily fooled. He’d likely known what she wanted and hadn’t acted on it because he hadn’t honestly wanted her. Not until he’d needed her easy compliance.
She’d fallen into the trap again. This time she hadn’t even realized it.
Stupid. She was always so stupid.
“Kori?” Mia said.
She heard him move before she saw him. His loafers thudded over the floor. Yes, this was why they’d thought they were safe. All sound echoed through here. She’d closed the door quietly behind her, not wanting to let Mia see how angry she’d been. They’d never expected she would hear because Kai had told her to stay put and she was a good fucking sub. He’d never thought she would disobey him.
He stepped out from the corner and she saw it right there on his face. Guilt. Anger. His hands were clenched at his sides. Case stepped out behind him.
“Kori, we need to talk,” Kai said quietly.
“Did you do it?” She stared him down. She wasn’t going to let him see her cry. She’d cried enough for one lifetime. God, she’d actually believed him. This was why she’d hidden herself away, why that part of her that cried out for a Dom needed to stay buried. That part of her was an idiot. That piece of her got her into trouble time and time and time again. She never learned.
Would he lie to her? Again. Since he’d been lying to her for a very long time it seemed.
Mia went still beside her. “Kori, I think we should go.”
Case crossed his arms over his chest. “Did he do what, Kori?”
Case’s eyes pinned her as though daring her to say it out loud. Or pleading with her to keep silent. She wasn’t sure.
Was she in the middle of something she didn’t understand?
What she wanted to do was walk right up to Kai and kick him in the balls. She wanted to rage at him.
She needed to figure out what was happening because she didn’t understand anything. She knew what she’d heard. She knew what Mia had said. If she raged at Kai right now, she could blow up whatever Case had been doing.
And that would be good. Yeah, angry Kori was definitely in the house. Vengeful Kori was ready to blow up everything and everyone and take them all down in the process. It didn’t matter if they were guilty or innocent. All that mattered was her rage.
“I was asking Kai if he’d called a cab. I got dizzy all of the sudden.” She couldn’t do it. Not until she understood what was happening. Being an adult fucking sucked sometimes.
Kai was suddenly right beside her. “Baby, it’s all right. I’ll get us out of here. I’ll take care of you.”
Yes, she was sure he would try to ease out of her life. Kai didn’t do big scenes. He would slowly ease her out and likely find a way to make her think it was all her idea in the first place because he was a manipulative bastard.
God, how many ways had he manipulated her to get to tonight? She hadn’t wanted to come out, but he’d talked her into it because she was the only one who could talk Mia into it. When she’d wanted to stay home to comfort Sarah, he’d gotten her to believe it would be better for Sarah to confront Jared.
Who was he? This wasn’t the Kai she knew. This wasn’t the man she’d fallen in love with.
He’d said he loved her, too. Wasn’t that the greatest manipulation of all?
He touched her, his hand gripping her arm more tightly than he needed to, as though he was afraid to let her go. “Come on, I’ll get us home.”
“Mia, are you ready?” Case asked.
Mia looked over at Kori. “I think so. Maybe we can catch a cab with them. I just need to be dropped off at my place.”
“I thought we could hang out for a while,” Case offered, his smile turning high wattage.
Manipulation. She’d thought Case wanted Mia. She’d thought Kai wanted her. All manipulation.
She pulled away from Kai. She needed a minute. “I need to use the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”
The door was cool under her hands as she pushed it open. Mia was hot on her heels. Kori didn’t want to deal with any of them at this point. Not one of them. Maybe there was a window she could crawl out of.
“What happened?” Mia asked. “Don’t tell me nothing. You went so pale.”
She couldn’t tell Mia what she’d heard. Not until she found out what was going on. There was a mirror to her left. It looked like the ladies’ bathroom was divided. They were in a lounge portion with a huge vanity stocked with everything from mini hairspray bottles to perfumes to condoms. Nice. True VIP service. Yes, it was like she was back in Hollywood all over again. VIP luxury and all she had to do was sell her soul out.
“I feel sick. It’s fine. The guys were down the hallway talking.”
“About what?”
“About how fast a cab could get here.” She hated lying but she needed time. Mia was too close. Kori moved into the second section where there appeared to be three large stalls. In the low light, she could see the marble floor. It was white with some kind of dark stain to it.
“Kori, stop. Don’t take another step,” Mia said, her voice tight.
“I told you I’ll be right back.” She would hide in the stall. Hell, she would call her own cab and sneak out and deal with Kai in the morning when she handed in her resignation and then kicked him in the balls. Maybe shove a sadistick up his asshole. See how he liked that.
The minute she hit the stain on the floor she realized why Mia had told her to stop. Something had spilled and for the second time that night, Kori felt herself sliding and falling to the floor.
“Damn it.” She was going to sue. She was going to sue whoever thought it would be cool to coat the bathroom in…what the hell was that?
She started to push herself up, and that was when she realized she wasn’t alone on the floor. Lena was lying across from her, a gaping hole in her neck, her eyes staring at Kori wit
h absolutely nothing to illuminate them.
She heard someone scream and then the lights seemed to fade to black.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Kori shivered as she looked around the small, utilitarian room. She glanced up at the clock. Two a.m. How the hell had it gotten to be two in the morning? She was supposed to be asleep by now, cuddled up in Kai’s arms. All her friends were supposed to be happy because she’d worked hard to make sure they got what they needed.
They weren’t supposed to be sitting in a chilly interrogation room.
“Why are we here?” Sarah asked. “If they think we did something wrong, shouldn’t they split us up?”
Kori looked over at Sarah, who sat beside her. “They took Mia away. Maybe they’ll come and take us one at a time to somewhere else.”
Sarah kicked off her shoes. “Are you all right? Because you look like hell.”
“Thanks so much.” Naturally Sarah looked damn near perfect. Her hair was still silky and smooth, and the woman knew how to set makeup so it lasted forever.
Kori had caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror when they’d allowed her to clean herself up. She looked like shit.
Sarah’s hand slid over hers. “I’m sorry. I’m worried about you. You’ve barely said a word since the police showed up. Why wouldn’t you talk to Kai?”
She’d hoped Sarah hadn’t seen that single exchange with her ex-boyfriend. Should she call him that? Did he count as an ex when everything he’d done had been to manipulate her to the point that he gained access to her friends?
The door opened and Kori was grateful because she wasn’t ready to answer that question yet.
Please, let me talk to you. Let me explain, Kai had said, his eyes pleading with her, his mouth against her ear.
She’d looked up at him. Tell me you didn’t do it.
He’d simply stared and she’d walked away, and a few minutes later she’d found herself being taken to this police station and giving a statement as to how she’d found the body. She’d expected to be let go, but they’d been left here for hours.