Julian eyed him suspiciously.
“Joel said you might be going there with your Dom? Malone, right?”
“He’s not our Dom,” Julian snapped.
“Ah, right, well, whatever he’s, I hope he’s looking after you.”
“I think you lost the right to care about us a while ago.”
“Julian,” Keira said pleadingly.
He glanced down into her face. Shit. Last thing he wanted was to upset her. He squeezed her closer in apology.
“You’re right. I did. However, it doesn’t mean I stopped.”
“No? You’ve never once tried to find us,” Julian pointed out.
“I’ve had an investigator looking for the both of you for a while now. He couldn’t find anything after you left San Antonio. He couldn’t even find how you left or where you went.”
He stiffened, heard Keira make a tiny noise of fear.
“There’s a gap of time between you leaving San Antonio and coming here. Where were you?”
“Where we were is none of your business.” If Cole started looking into things, if he raised any red flags and Vincento found them . . .
“Julian?” Keira’s voice trembled.
“It will be okay, kitten,” he said soothingly. “I’m here. Nothing is going to happen. He can’t find us.”
“Who can’t find you?” Cole pressed.
“Nothing. Just tell me you’re not looking into where we were.”
“No, I called the investigator off once I arrived here and found you.” Cole looked at them both thoughtfully.
“You cannot look into where we were, Cole. Promise me,” Julian said intently.
“Will you tell me?” Cole countered.
By now, Keira was shaking. “Kitten, he can’t find us.”
“If someone’s threatening you, if someone hurt you . . .” Cole took a step towards them as though he planned to stand between the two of them and whomever was after them. Christ, if Cole knew what he was talking about he’d probably be running a mile in the other direction to get away from them.
“It would be none of your business,” Julian said coldly. “Just stay out of it, Cole. And out of our lives.”
It hurt to say it, but it was best that he did. Cole searching around in the past wouldn’t be good.
For any of them.
17
Oh, this was a bad, bad idea.
Nerves jittered in her stomach, and she felt a little light-headed. In her head she imagined turning to Julian and telling him they needed to leave. That she couldn’t do this. Instead, she just followed behind him, her hand captured in his.
Jardin sent her a concerned look, and she worked up a smile for him as they walked into Saxon’s. She’d never been in there before, but Julian thought they should claim back some of what Vincento had stolen from them.
And she could see his point. They’d enjoyed the times they’d gone to clubs to play. But that had been before . . . before their lives had been turned upside down.
Jardin’s concerned stare didn’t change. She guessed she needed to work on looking reassuring.
It was early yet as they moved into the bar area. There were a few people mingling and talking, but not many. Across the room, a woman sat on a bar stool. She was dressed in black, shiny pants and a black, loose tank top. She looked gorgeous, her dark hair a stream down her back. A man knelt at her feet. He wore a pair of loose pants with snap buttons up the side and nothing else. Seemed odd fetish wear but what did she know?
She’d had to borrow some clothes from Aspen. She didn’t have anything suitable in her wardrobe. They were around the same size, which surprised Keira. In fact, the dress she’d chosen was actually a little baggy on her. Maybe she should try a little harder to eat.
“Would you both like a drink?” Jardin asked, coming to a stop near the bar. “There’s a one-drink limit before play.”
Julian shook his head. “We’d like to go into the club.” His gaze roamed the room as though trying to categorize every threat.
Jardin sent him a firm look. “And your sub?”
Okay, she didn’t like that. Julian was a good Dom and husband and she didn’t like how Jardin had just implied he wasn’t. She stepped forward, frowning up at the other man. “I’m fine.”
Jardin raised an eyebrow challengingly. They were locked in a tight circle, neither man willing to budge. Finally, Jardin sighed. “I’m not going to lie; I’m worried about you both. Are you sure coming here tonight was a good idea?” Jardin asked, his voice surprisingly soft.
No. No, it wasn’t.
But what did she know? Her intuition was well known to be faulty. So, she kept her mouth closed.
Jardin sighed, looking tired. “I’m failing both of you.”
“You’re not,” Keira protested, hating that he thought that. It was the opposite; they were failing him. They hadn’t let him in. Hadn’t opened up. It was no wonder it wasn’t working.
“All right, let’s go inside the dungeon. See if there’s anything you’d like to do. There’s nothing wrong with just watching tonight.”
She nodded but she noticed how stiff Julian had grown.
Cole knew as soon as he saw them that something was wrong. He’d been at the club for a while, waiting and watching. There weren’t a lot of people in the dungeon yet, but there was an older couple using a spanking bench. A few more couples were sitting in one of the seating areas. One Dom had tied his sub up and was suspending her in the air.
Another Dom had led his younger sub over to the St. Andrews cross. The sub was a thickly-muscled man. Probably in his late twenties. The Dom was older, smaller, but with a powerful air of authority. He’d quickly secured the younger man to the cross and now he was cracking the nine tails. The sound of it reverberated throughout the room.
And each time the whip cracked, Keira grew paler. Shakier.
Shit. He moved from the quiet corner he’d chosen and walked towards her. She was about to lose it. What the hell had Julian and Malone been thinking allowing her to come here tonight?
The whip cracked across the sub’s back and he let out a pain-filled cry.
“No!” Keira screamed.
Fuck.
He started running now. Malone and Julian had turned to her. Julian grabbed hold of her arms.
Get her out of here. Out of here.
She somehow slipped out of his hold and raced towards the whip-wielder. Fuck, he altered his course as she slammed into the Dom. He let out a cry, the whip going wide and nearly hitting one of the other Doms who’d been drawn closer by the scene.
“Stop it! Stop it! Stop hurting him! Stop hurting him!” she screamed.
“What the fuck? Who are you? What do you think you’re doing interfering in my scene?” the older Dom roared.
Cole winced at the other man’s furious tone. He knew he had a right to be angry, but it was the wrong thing to do for Keira right then.
She was sobbing, beating her tiny fists against him. “Let him go! Let him go!”
“What the fuck!” The Dom went to shove her off.
“Don’t you dare,” Cole barked at him.
“Don’t you touch her!” Julian thundered coming at him from a different side.
“Eddy, there’s more going on than you know,” Malone said in a low voice. Oh, now he was trying to help. Where had he been when Keira was freaking out?
“No, no, no, don’t hurt him,” Keira moaned. She pushed at the Dom, but he stepped to the side and she went flying, thumping against the floor.
A roar so filled with rage that it made his blood go cold filled the room. Julian grabbed the Dom, and picking him up in the air, shook him.
Cole was aware of Joel racing into the room, of someone helping the sub off the St. Andrews cross, but it was like it was all happening off-stage. His attention was focused on Julian. And stopping him from killing the Dom he shook like a rag doll.
“Julian.” Joel started moving towards him. “Put Eddy down.”
“He didn’t mean to, Julian,” Cole said in a quiet voice, moving slowly towards the enraged man. “Put him down. Keira needs you. She needs you to be calm and help her.”
Keira let out a quiet noise of distress and Julian turned to look at her. Whatever he saw must have convinced him to move because he dropped the older Dom and moved swiftly towards her. She’d landed near the corner of the room and he picked her up then herded her, so she was more firmly in the corner. When he turned to face them all, Keira tucked safely in behind him, Cole could tell his mind was somewhere else. Somewhere dark.
“Fuck. All right, everyone out. Now,” Joel snapped.
“Joel, speak calmly,” Cole told him. “You’re making things worse.”
The room cleared out, leaving just Joel, Cole, Malone, Julian, and Keira.
“I’m going to call Molly,” Joel muttered.
“Julian, it’s just us now. How about you step away from Keira so we can check if she’s all right,” Malone said reasonably.
Julian just snarled at him. Right now, he was like a cornered animal. Something had pushed him into the dark, into losing control. Most likely, Keira’s distress. Or had he also been affected by the scene with the Dom and the whip?
What had happened to the two of them? Had they had a Dom who’d mistreated them?
Keira’s breaths were growing erratic. Concern filled him. He couldn’t even see her beyond Julian’s wide shoulders.
“Julian,” Joel said in a low, firm voice. “Julian, you know me. You know I wouldn’t hurt you or Keira, but I need to check that she’s all right.”
Julian didn’t move, but he watched them with a deadly glint in his eyes that was almost otherworldly. When Joel took a step forward, he tensed like he was about to attack.
“Joel, stay back,” Cole warned.
“I’m trying to fucking help.”
“You’re not helping,” Cole snapped back. “And if either of them gets hurt because you didn’t listen to me, I’ll fucking kill you.”
A low whimper sounded from behind Julian. The large man puffed out his chest, growing even more outraged.
“Kitten, it’s all right,” Cole said in a soothing voice, deliberately using Julian’s name for her. “Everything is all right. You’re safe. Nothing is going to happen to you.”
“Julian,” she managed to gasp out.
Julian didn’t acknowledge her, just continued to watch them.
“Julian, stand aside. I need to check on kitten.” Cole kept his voice firm. Both Joel and Malone had taken a softer approach but that hadn’t fucking worked, had it?
“Cole, what the fuck?” Joel whispered.
Cole took a step forward. Julian’s rage-filled gaze landed on him.
“Julian, this isn’t the way to protect kitten, you’re hurting her.”
Julian frowned.
“She needs help and you’re preventing her from getting it. She’s upset. Do you want to hurt kitten?”
Julian shook that off. “Don’t move any closer. I’ll kill anyone that touches her.”
“You won’t hurt me,” Cole said with a conviction he didn’t entirely feel. But if there was one thing he’d learned over the years of heading the board, it was that confidence was everything. And, if in doubt, bluff like hell.
“I won’t?”
“No. Because you know I would never harm her. I’d never hurt her physically. I would step between her and danger, Julian.”
Was it his imagination or did the tension in Julian’s body lessen slightly?
“I know I haven’t been around. I know I’ve made mistakes. But I just want to help her and you. I want to protect you both. I promise, even if you want nothing to do with me again. Even if you can never trust me again, I’m always going to be here to help you both. Right now, Julian, kitten needs us both. She’s panicking. She’s scared. She needs you to hold her.”
“I need to protect her,” Julian growled.
“Nobody here will harm her. There’s just me, Joel, and Jardin.”
“The last time he got like this it was only Keira that could pull him out,” Joel commented.
“Maybe the two of you should leave us,” Cole told them. “The fewer people here, the less he’ll feel threatened.”
Keira let out a low moan. Her breathing didn’t sound right, and his worry increased.
“Are you sure?” Joel asked.
“Yes. Go. Please.” He managed to keep his voice soft, but it was only through sheer force of will. What he really wanted to do was snap at them to get lost and leave them all alone. “I’ll get them out of here, and you can get everyone back in here to play.” He winced thinking about everyone waiting beyond those doors. About the Dom that Julian had basically assaulted. “Go do some damage control.”
Joel nodded and shared a look with Malone. He let out a reluctant sounding sigh. “Right. Call me if you need me. Come on, Malone.”
“Fine,” Malone said. “But we’re just outside the door if you need us.”
Like he’d ever ask for help from him. He barely refrained from sneering at the other man. The two of them left.
“Julian, it’s just us now. I’m coming closer.”
“No,” Julian growled. “Stay back.”
“I can’t.” Christ, he didn’t want to stress out the bigger man more. Cole wasn’t worried about being hurt. Hell, even if he was, it would be no less than he deserved. But he didn’t think he would hurt him. Sure, he’d hit him the other day, but he’d been taken by surprise.
If Cole was wrong, well, he could put up with a bit of pain.
“Julian, I’m coming closer. I’m going to help kitten. We are going to help kitten. Understand me?”
Nothing.
“Julian, do you understand me?” he said more sternly.
“Yes.”
“Yes, Sir,” he told him.
He hated doing this without there being any sort of understanding between them. Negotiation. Trust. But he needed Julian to listen to him. Right now, Julian wasn’t in the right state of mind to look after himself, let alone Keira. He needed someone to take charge. And that person was him.
Don’t fuck it up. Christ, he’d never had a problem with confidence before them. They were ripping him apart.
The stern note seemed to work because Julian jerked around towards Keira. “Keira? Kitten? She’s panicking.”
“I know.” Cole kept his voice low and calm as he walked around Julian and crouched down next to her. Julian was looming over her, seemingly unsure about whether to take care of Keira or guard their backs.
Fear and sadness stabbed at Cole. What had happened to Julian to put him so on edge? To Keira to make her panic like that? Something incredibly traumatic. Someone had hurt them. Both of them.
Whoever did that had to die.
“Julian, you watch over us while I take care of kitten,” he finally ordered.
Julian nodded, more tension leaving him at the order. Okay. Cole hadn’t been certain whether the other man would listen or fire up. But, if he needed Cole to take charge, he could certainly do that.
Whatever the two of them needed, however they needed it, he was all about that now.
“Kitten, listen to me, it’s Cole.”
Nothing. She had her legs curled up against her chest, her arms wrapped around them. Her eyes were staring ahead of her, her brain locked in her memories. Her breath shuddered in and out, a whisper of a sound. Fast and too shallow. Sweat coated her skin, her hair was plastered against her forehead.
“Kitten, listen to me. Listen. It’s Sir. Both of your Sirs are here.” He felt a little silly saying that. And braced himself for rejection. But there was still no response. Shit. If he couldn’t get through to her, they’d have to call in a doctor and sedate her.
Her whole body trembled, and her breathing grew worse.
Without giving it much thought, he reached for her. She tensed and let out a loud m
ewling that broke something inside him. The sound was filled with pain and fear. He tugged her onto his lap, holding her tightly as she tried to fight him.
“No!” Julian roared, reaching for her, trying to take her.
“Julian, stay there. Guard us.” He didn’t know if it was the right thing to do. Maybe he should just let Julian take her. He was her husband. He’d been taking care of her all this time. But Cole couldn’t let her go.
Julian stilled, staring around. Fuck. Maybe he was just feeding into his paranoia. Maybe he should be easing him out of his need to watch everything frantically. But, right now, Julian was okay physically. Keira on the other hand . . .
Her breath came in rapid, shallow pants.
“No, no, no, nooo,” she cried. “Please don’t hurt him. Please.”
Don’t hurt whom? The sub who’d been tied to the St. Andrews cross?
“Baby, no one’s hurting anybody,” Cole soothed. “They’ve gone now. It’s just me, you, and Julian. No one else is here.”
“Julian. Don’t hurt Julian,” she cried.
Shit. Christ. His heart hurt, and a rage filled him towards whomever had done this to them.
They. Had. To. Die.
“I’d never hurt Julian.” Gently he raised her face, keeping a tight hold on her with his other arm, even though she wasn’t moving. “Julian’s safe, baby. He’s safe. No one’s hurting him.”
“The whip. The whip.”
He saw Julian flinch at her words.
“Hurt him. Blood. Ohhh.” The pain in her words tortured him. He found himself rocking her as much to soothe himself as her. He kissed the top of her head and took a deep breath to calm himself. He had to keep it together for them.
“Kitten, I need you to take some slow, deep breaths. I need you to come back to me now. Slow and deep. You’re not in any danger. If I have my way nothing will ever harm you again.”
It was a vow. A promise. He didn’t expect them to believe him, but he meant every word.
“J-Julian.”
“Julian hasn’t been harmed. He’s right here. Nice slow breaths for me.” He placed his hand on her chest, almost as though he could force her to breathe slowly.
Cole's Mistake (Haven, Texas Book 8) Page 18