by Grant, Livia
The sound of a crying baby got louder, and Jaxson turned his attention to a sleepy Emma in her robe, carrying two crying babies toward them.
“Sorry, baby. I see Chase is sleeping like a rock again. Let me take one of them.”
Emma glanced at Shane before approaching her husband, leaning forward so he could take one of the wiggling babies from her.
“Is everything okay?” she asked quietly.
“Yeah, I’m sure it is. Covington is just worried about Nalani. I’m gonna set him straight, then send him on his way.”
Shane bristled at the rebuff in Davidson’s tone. “Like I said, I just need an address. Then I’ll get out of your hair.”
Emma rocked the baby in her arms as she answered, “I’m not happy you woke up the twins, but I’m glad you want to check on Nalani. She must be really freaked out.”
The mother’s words ratcheted up his anxiety. “I’d love it if someone would fucking tell me what happened this afternoon so I can know what it is I should be freaking out about.”
He saw the confused glance she threw at her Dom and husband, realizing she might have said too much.
Davidson was having some luck at calming the crying baby in his arms as he rocked with the infant over his shoulder, patting his back gently. It was odd seeing the aggressive Dom looking so domestic.
“It’s okay, baby. I’ll fill him in. You and Alicia try to get back to sleep. I’ll be back with Drew as soon as I can.”
“Okay.” Emma looked unsure as she turned to retreat. “Don’t be too long.”
Davidson didn’t bother sitting as he launched into his lecture, pacing as he soothed his baby and gave an update. “Like my security team had better have already told you, we don’t give out the personal information of our employees to anyone. If Nalani had wanted—”
“I know, I know,” Shane cut off Davidson; he’d heard it all before. “If she’d wanted me to have her address, she’d have given it to me. But I’m telling you, something’s wrong. She hasn’t answered in hours. She was supposed to meet me back at the mansion. She’s not here. She’s not even texting.”
“So, maybe she’s having second thoughts about her relationship with you,” Davidson reasoned.
“Fuck that. You’ve talked to her about us. You know she’s all in.” Shane hesitated before adding, “Like I am.”
“Really. You’re all in? What does that even mean?” Jaxson pressed him.
“It’s none of your fucking business what it means. That’s between Nalani and me.”
“And yet, she didn’t give you her address, and you’re sitting in my living room after midnight, trying to pry it out of me. Seems that makes it my business.”
Asshole.
“Fine. I’m in love with her. Happy?” Surprisingly, saying the words out loud came easier than he’d expected. He’d managed to surprise Jaxson, who took a few long seconds to think about the implications of Shane’s announcement.
“Actually, I’m not happy at all. I’m irritable. You woke up my family. I have half a mind to call the cops after all and let them deal with you.”
“But you aren’t going to do that. You like your privacy way too much. Anyway, I’ll be out of your hair in one minute once I get answers.”
“I’m not giving you her address.”
“Fine. Then tell me what the guard was talking about when he mentioned the Ainsworth debacle.”
His question surprised Davidson enough, he paused patting the tiny back, bringing renewed crying until he restarted the rhythmic taps.
For a moment, Shane thought he was going to leave empty handed when Davidson started pacing, but after a moment, the club owner launched into a monologue.
“I’m not sure I should be telling you this either, but if it makes you leave, so be it. This afternoon, after you left for the Oscars, Nalani was assaulted by Henry Ainsworth.”
Shane’s heart lurched as he internalized the words. Davidson didn’t pause, so he had to force himself to listen.
“He attacked her in the hall and tried to drag her back to his room. He threatened her, but she was able to fight back and escape him. She was smart. She ran to the Runway office and barricaded herself in before calling to report the assault to security.” He stopped pacing and turned to pin Shane with an intense gaze as he continued. “My guys handled it perfectly. They detained the fucker and reviewed the security camera footage. Once they confirmed what had happened, they called the police. They hauled the asshole off in the back of a squad car in handcuffs.”
“What the fuck?” Shane jumped up to his feet. “Why wasn’t I called?”
“You weren’t called by us because we didn’t need your help. You’ll have to ask Nalani why she didn’t tell you yet, but I’m guessing it’s because she didn’t want to disturb you during the show.”
“Well, the show ended hours ago. That excuse is out the window.” Guilt he hadn’t been there to protect her when she’d needed him flooded in. Remembering the terrified look on her face weeks before when Ainsworth had bothered her brought renewed guilt. He should have kicked the fucker’s ass that day, but he’d let the jerk get away with his harassment, leaving Nalani and others at risk.
“Now more than ever, I need her address. She needs me.”
“No. If she needed you, she’d have called.”
“She isn’t taking my calls.” It hurt to admit it, but he didn’t have a choice. “But…” Shane paused before adding, “But I’m sure if you called, she'd answer for her boss.” When Jaxson looked like he was about to say no, Shane added, “Please. I just need to make sure she’s okay. If she doesn’t want me to come over, I’ll respect her wishes.”
Davidson looked conflicted. Shane was grateful when he said, “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
True to his promise, Davidson came back a minute later, minus a baby and carrying his cell phone. Shane watched anxiously as Jaxson made the call, placing the phone against his ear. As each long second ticked by, he noticed the worry lines growing on Jaxson’s forehead until he finally hung up.
“She’s not answering. I thought her phone might be dead, but if that was the case, it would roll to voicemail right away.” Jax paused, thinking for a second while pinning Shane with a pointed glare. “Goddamnit, let me get dressed.”
Chapter 19
Shane resisted fist pumping with his small victory. He’d reserve that for when he knew he’d been overreacting. While Jaxson was getting ready, he started thinking about all the fun punishments he could dish out to his naughty submissive for worrying him—once he made sure she was safe.
Ten minutes later, the men were in Davidson’s SUV, driving down Hollywood Boulevard back toward the theater where he’d been just hours before. Jaxson programed an address into his navigation system and then used his Bluetooth to make a call.
“Hello?” A groggy man’s voice filled the interior of the car.
“Sorry to wake you up, man, but I need you to call your contacts at the police station. Make sure Ainsworth is still tucked away.”
“Why? What’s going on?”
“I’m sure it’s nothing, but we’re having trouble getting ahold of Nalani. Covington is being a royal pain in my ass. In fact, I’m in the car, headed over to her apartment now.”
“Shit. I’m sorry to hear that, but I’m sure she’s fine. I talked to her today, and yeah, she was a little shook up, but I had her escorted to her car. It’s a Sunday. There’s no way Ainsworth got a judge to arraign him fast enough that he’s out of custody yet.”
Shane barged into the conversation. “Are you kidding me? Henry Ainsworth is one of the most powerful men in town. He’s a moneyman, and everyone knows money talks. You guys should have fucking called me!”
He was glad Jaxson ran a yellow light just as it turned red, before adding. “I’ll be there in a few minutes. I’m sure there’s a good explanation of what’s going on, but I’d feel better if you’d check in with the police. Let’s connect again after we each get a
few more answers.”
The call dropped just as Davidson pulled into a small parking lot next to a vape shop. The strip of small businesses were all closed at the late hour.
Shane took his lead from the driver, jumping out and following Davidson around to the front of the building as he checked his phone, presumably for the correct address information. After confirming the numbers on the otherwise blank door sandwiched between the vape store and an arcade, Jaxson put his phone in his jean’s pocket.
Nalani’s boss reached to ring the bell next to the door, but Shane was too impatient, taking a chance and turned the doorknob. He had mixed emotions when the door easily opened without a key.
Shane wished he’d gone in first because he would have been taking the stairs two at a time if he were in the lead. As it was, he had to go up the narrow staircase and down the dingy hallway at the pace Davidson set. Shane pushed in front when they got to a door with the number two painted on it. He couldn’t wait a second longer, pounding on the door, calling her name.
“Nalani! Open up, baby! It’s just me.”
He held his ear to the wood, unsure what it meant that he could hear her TV playing on the other side. Was she really just sitting there, ignoring him?
Shane pounded louder, getting angrier as the seconds passed.
“Goddamn it, open the door. I can’t believe you’re making me beg out here like this.”
He jiggled the doorknob, at first angry it was locked, then grateful she was safe inside. The sound of a ringing cell phone went off behind the door, mingling with the din of the TV. Shane glanced at Jaxson, who had his phone to his ear again.
Anxiety exploded in his chest. Her phone was there—ringing—but she still wasn’t answering, even knowing her boss was at her door.
Something was really wrong.
Shane moved away from the door, preparing to kick it in when he heard another man’s voice in the hall. He swung around, ready to beat someone to a bloody pulp, only the guy was in his robe, a baseball bat held as if he were preparing to bash in Shane’s head.
“What the hell are you guys doing at Nalani’s place?”
“Who are you, and what are you doing here?” Jaxson beat him to it.
“I own the building and live in the other apartment. Hey, are you guys really Jaxson Davidson and Shane Covington?”
Jaxson went into celebrity mode. “Yep. And I’m Nalani’s boss. She had a bit of an accident at work today, so we’re doing a wellness check on her. You wouldn’t have a key to her apartment, would you?”
“I told you, I own the building. Of course, I have a key. I’m her landlord.”
“Great. Then you can open the door for us. She isn’t answering,” Shane pressed.
Anger flashed over the younger man’s face. “Yeah, maybe she’s sleeping.”
The jerk’s words and body language didn’t match.
“And why would her sleeping get you so pissed off?”
The out-of-shape guy with the receding hairline hedged a bit before answering.
“I invited her to come over and watch the Oscars on my new TV, but she turned me down because she was too tired. She said she was gonna record it to watch later. Then when I came upstairs, she had the volume high enough, I could hear her watching it alone on that dinky little TV she has, instead of sleeping.”
Shane wanted to fist pump that Nalani hadn’t taken the asshole up on his offer. Not only was she light-years out of this guy’s league, but the thought of someone else spending time with her, let alone touching her, enraged him.
Shane snapped out of his train of thoughts, more anxious than ever to hold Nalani in his arms.
“So… go grab the key, or would you rather I kick in the door?”
“Why the hell would you do that?” he asked suspiciously. “Why are you here, anyway? At this hour?”
Why was he here? That was a million-dollar question.
He glanced at Jaxson, who seemed to be waiting to hear his answer as well.
Shane cleared his throat, hesitating only briefly before an urgent feeling in his gut helped him blurt out the truth.
“I’m Nalani’s boyfriend.”
That was wrong. Too juvenile.
“Her lover,” he tacked on.
That didn’t feel right, either.
“I love her, okay? And I’m worried about her. I don’t know how I know, but something is really wrong.”
He watched the emotions on the landlord’s face change from surprise to defeat as the asshole realized he was no competition for Nalani’s affection against the superstar.
“I’ll get the key.” He spun and ambled slowly toward his own apartment at the other end of the hall.
Shane wanted to scream with impatience when seconds turned too long minutes. Anxious, he pounded on the door again before holding his ear against the wood to listen for movement.
Was that…
“Maybe she’s in the shower. It sounds like water running,” Shane said.
“Fuck!” Jaxson’s alarmed expletive amped up Shane’s anxiety.
Shane glanced back to see Jaxson looking at the floor. The second Shane saw the water starting to seep out from under the door, his heart cramped with fear.
Without a word of coordination, the men both stepped back from the door and lifted their legs in unison, kicking in the old wood easily. A gush of water rushed into the hall, drenching their shoes as Shane rushed inside the small apartment, frantically looking for Nalani—both relieved and terrified she wasn’t there. Where was she?
He quickly accessed the space, taking in the toppled chair and the layer of water spreading everywhere like a virus, his brain fighting to process the information. It didn’t make sense.
“Be careful if you touch anything electrical. I don’t want us to get electrocuted.”
At least Davidson was still thinking clearly. Shane’s fear threatened to paralyze him, but he forced himself to snap out of it, moving in the direction of the small hallway that had to lead to the bedroom and the bathroom, he could tell was the source of the water. Was it a broken pipe?
He heard the landlord in the distance, yelling at the men for kicking in the door at the moment his shoe connected with the locked bathroom door, breaking it down as easily as he had the first.
The sight of Nalani’s naked and beaten body, lying in a crumpled pile on the floor would be forever etched in his nightmares. In one second of terrifying clarity, Shane knew his life had just changed forever. A fear he’d never experienced gripped him hard and wouldn’t let go.
She looked so still. What if she was dead?
Thankfully, while Shane was paralyzed, Davidson took charge, barking orders at the other man in the apartment.
“Landlord guy… call 911! Get the police and ambulance on the way!”
Shane finally urged his body into motion, rushing to Nalani’s side while Davidson went to the bathtub to turn off the running water.
Dropping to his knees with a splash, he frantically took stock of the visible injuries peppered across his love’s beautiful body. With each bruise, every open wound oozing blood, his fear faded—replaced with burning fury.
Henry Ainsworth is a dead man.
Whether the powerful mogul did this to his beloved himself or hired someone else to do his dirty work, Shane knew without a shadow of a doubt, Ainsworth was responsible for the violence against the woman he loved.
Shane reached out to roll her on her back but hesitated. He was afraid to touch her for fear he’d find she was dead. Davidson shouting snapped him out of it.
“Roll her over. We might need to do CPR. Does she have a pulse?”
Jaxson’s question told Shane his worry she was dead wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. Shane had a hard time finding a place to touch her that didn’t have injuries. Her damp skin was clammy and chilled. Reflexively, once he had her rolled to her back, he reached for her wrist, sighing with relief when he felt her pulse.
On some level, he knew he
could be doing more damage if she had spinal injuries, but an irresistible urge to hold her tight hit him. He was desperate to warm her up, comfort her—protect her.
I’m too fucking late for that. She needed me, and I wasn’t here.
He pushed the wave of crushing guilt aside—he could wallow in that later—he needed to focus on helping her right now.
Shane scooped Nalani’s wet and broken body into his arms, pushing to his feet and retracing his steps back to the small living room. He headed for the couch, one of the few dry places in the place, grabbing the old-fashioned crocheted afghan he passed on his way there.
He was conflicted by the tortured groan of pain coming from the woman in his arms as he cradled her—relief she was alive clashed with loathing seeing her in pain. Like a coward, he avoided letting his gaze sweep over her body—afraid of what he’d find—focusing only on her bruised and battered face.
The sight of the horrific bruises forming was made worse by realizing her left eye was completely swollen shut from the beating she’d taken to her face. The same face he adored watching as he’d brought her body pleasure and pain.
Would he ever be able to look at her again without remembering how epically he’d let her down? He’d just found her. She was his submissive—his love. He was supposed to protect her.
He’d failed.
“The police are on their way. I’ll go downstairs to direct them to the right place,” the landlord said, seeming anxious to escape the heavy tension building in the room.
Shane brushed the wet hair off Nalani’s forehead, uncovering a new bruise. A drop of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth, leaving a streak of red as it trekked down her chin to drip on her chest. It landed on one of dozens of red welt lines crisscrossing her body. Rage blurred his vision as he realized the asshole had whipped her body until he’d drawn blood.
He swallowed hard to keep from throwing up. As the reality of the horrors Nalani had been forced to endure closed on him, Shane felt his own grasp of reality slipping, replaced with a fury he’d never felt before—the kind of anger so deep, it would leave scorch marks on his soul that would never heal.