* * * *
Doc checked on her several times throughout the day then discharged her the next afternoon. Jenna drove her home and she saw Maggie waiting on the porch with the front door open. As soon as she entered the house, Maggie tucked her into bed with a cup of hot tea and some biscuits. She smiled at them. “It’s so good to be back home and in my own bed.”
“Aye, lass,” Maggie told her. “Now, I have the orders from the doctor and we’ll have you up and around in no time.”
“What about my shop? I need to have repairs done and I need to make some calls.”
“Cade already took care of all that,” Jenna told her. “He called in a team of professional cleaners to clean the shop and new glass has already been installed.” Jenna laughed. “Bulletproof glass, can you believe it? And, Marcy took care of the damaged clothes and put out the new things you had ready to go. She’s going to handle the shop for you and she called Laura and she’s working now, too.”
“I wish Cade hadn’t done that,” she told them, feeling like she was always indebted to him now. “How many hours is Laura working?”
“She’s going in at nine and leaving at three so she can pick her children up from school,” Jenna told her.
“Good. I’ll call Marcy later but right now I intend to take a nap.” She scooted down in the bed and closed her eyes. A small grin curved her lips as Maggie pulled the covers over her shoulders. “Thank you for coming, Maggie.”
“Aye, you’re welcome, lass,” she told her before she left the room.
Hesitating at the door, Jenna asked, “Are you okay, Addison? I mean with Cade?”
“No. It’s over. We won’t see each other again,” she told her before she drifted away on the pain medication.
Chapter Seven
Four days later, Cade picked up the file his boss, Thor Larkin, had slid across the desk to him. Carlos Mendez’ name was written on the tab. He opened it and began to read. “Who’s the informant?”
“A reliable source,” Thor told him. “Mendez is pissed at you for killing his worthless scumbag brother Roberto. Too bad you missed Carlos that night you rescued those two girls. We could have gotten two scumbags for the price of one.”
“Yeah, too bad,” he agreed. Thor was one tough son of a bitch. He’d had to be to have built one of the best, and most expensive, security agencies in the world from nothing. Cade figured Thor hadn’t managed to do that without hiding a few bodies along the way. He was one of the few men he trusted other than his brothers and a few of the men he worked with. “Sounds like I need to take this battle south.”
“My thoughts exactly.” Thor picked up another file and tapped the edge on the top of the old, battered desk he kept as a reminder of his hard work and what his life had been like before he had become successful. “Mendez has a reputation for going after his enemies’ family and loved ones. Anyone you attached to he might know about?”
“My brothers can take care of themselves.”
“What about that sweet little fiancée of yours?”
“She broke the engagement,” Cade told him reluctantly, knowing Thor had always had a thing for Addison.
“When did that happen?”
“A while back.”
“Mind if I give her a call?” Thor asked while he opened the other file.
Cade couldn’t see what was in it, but apparently whatever it was had Thor’s full attention. “She’s still recovering from being attacked last week.” He tried to keep the hostility out of his voice and failed. Just the thought of Thor with Addison enraged him.
“Well, I guess I can wait till she’s better,” Thor told him as he flipped through the file. “Damn, that is one lush body. I’d sure like to get my hands on those breasts,” he told Cade, his grin an evil leer. He tossed the file to Cade. “What do you think? You think Mendez would enjoy getting a taste of that?”
Cade caught the file and opened it. “Son of a bitch,” he yelled. “Where the fuck did you get these?” He flipped through the pictures of Addison crossing the street in front of her shop and several of her at home that had obviously been taken through her windows. There was one of her dressed in a short lavender skirt and a white corset that looked like it had been taken at Club Elysium. There were three pictures of her at Club Mystique.
In the first one, Addison’s hips were tight against the Brazilian man she had danced with, her upper body bent back and away from him while her leg was wrapped around his waist. The fringe had separated over her breasts and they were on display. The expression on her face showed a woman who was sensually ripe for a man’s possession.
The second photo was a side view of the moment she had stood up and shimmied for Vitale. The fringe on her dress was flying out around her and her breasts and ass were on display. The last picture was of him carrying Addison over his shoulder up the stairs to the private rooms. She had her hands on the waistband of his leathers and she was grinning at someone behind them. What a bratty sub she was, he thought with a chuckle.
“Same source sent them but I don’t know where he got them or who took them,” Thor told him.
“Mendez is going to go after Addison.”
“He’s already sent one of his enforcers after her.”
“Dammit, I should have spent more time checking into the attack the other night.”
“Mendez wants to make you pay and he thinks killing Addison is the way to do it.”
“Send someone else after Mendez. I’m going to move Addison to the ranch. It’s isolated and I can protect her there.”
“I’ve already sent Harrington and Malone to watch over her. You will take a team to Columbia and try to shut Mendez down. Harris, Stewart, and Rodriquez are at the airport waiting for you and the jet is already fueled and stocked with supplies.”
Calculating the odds of him getting to Mendez before Mendez could get to Addison, he decided he had to go. He didn’t trust anyone else to complete this assignment. If they failed to get Mendez he would keep going after Addison until he finally got to her. He had seen good people die at the hands of men like Carlos Mendez more than once. “I’ll go to Columbia, but nobody gets to Addison and I don’t care how many men have to die to protect her.”
“I’ll personally make sure she’s safe.”
Seeing Thor’s eyes on the file that held the pictures, he asked, “How many of you sons of bitches have seen these?”
Thor grinned. “Well, Mrs. Harley opened the envelope during the morning briefing. She was so startled she dropped them. The other guys were nice enough to help her pick them up. I think they’re all there.” He grinned. “You’re one lucky man, Ramsey.” Then he quoted, “‘Every man needs two women, a quiet homemaker and a thrilling nymph’ but you got the perfect woman all rolled into one.”
“Bastard,” Cade muttered as he grabbed the two files and started out the door, but hesitated before leaving the office. It had become a game in the office to try to guess who Thor quoted. When they guessed wrong they had to put a twenty in the jar on his desk. By now it was almost a thousand dollars and eventually it would be donated to the local teen center. Unable to resist taking a guess, he said, “Groucho Marx.”
“Iris Murdoch,” Thor told him then laughed and pointed to the jar on his desk. Cade threw a twenty into it then shot Thor the finger as he walked out.
* * * *
Scooping another bite of Double-Double Nutty ice cream into her mouth, Addison heard the doorbell ring. Maggie had gone to get more cookies before the football game began and she should be walking back through the hallway about now. When Addison didn’t hear her footsteps, she pushed herself up from the couch and slowly made her way to the door. It hadn’t taken her long to discover that moving too fast jarred her side.
The doorbell rang again just as she reached it. Irritated at the interruption, she expected to see Cade when she looked through the door viewer. When she saw and recognized the two men standing on her porch, she jerked the door open and asked rudely, “What
do you want?”
“Don’t you want to know if Cade is all right?” Ben Harrington asked her.
“I know he is. If he wasn’t you wouldn’t be standing here. Jackson would.”
“Told you,” Mac Malone told him. “Hand over the twenty.”
Addison rolled her eyes. “Is there anything the two of you won’t bet on?”
“Well, no, but we have really good odds on keeping you alive,” Mac told her. He handed her an envelope. “Cade sent this for you.”
Addison took the thick envelope and remembered he’d said he would send her the contract.
Ben looked into the hallway behind her. “Hello, Maggie, my love. Any of those cookies for me?” He slid his hands under Addison’s arms and lifted her out of the way as he and Mac entered her house, shut the door, and dropped their bags in her hallway.
“There’s a container of them on the kitchen counter,” Maggie told him. “These are for the lass.”
Addison folded her arms over her chest and tapped her foot on the hardwood floor. “Excuse me, but would either one of you mind telling me why you’re here. And who is trying to kill me? Cade?”
Ben held his hand out and Mac handed him back the twenty. Mac shrugged then told her, “Well, Cade might have killed the brother of a really bad guy and that really bad guy might want to kill someone for revenge.”
“And, he’s chosen you,” Ben told her. “We’re here to protect you.”
“Oh, God, I’m a dead woman,” Addison said. “I’m calling Thor.”
“Ah, come on, Addison. Ben and I haven’t had a decent meal in months and we won the bet.”
“What bet?” she asked suspiciously.
Thinking about how Cade had searched all of them for pictures of Addison and had found all but the one he had hidden away, Ben grinned. He had a photo of Cade turning to look back at the main floor with Addison over his shoulder at the top of the stairs. It was a great shot of both of them. Full of passion, he thought. He intended to have it framed as a wedding gift for them as soon as they made up and got married, he thought. He wasn’t going to tell Addison about those pictures, though, because he knew she would and could make their lives miserable. “Rock, paper, scissors,” he told her. We won so we got to come here and protect you. Everyone wanted to come when they found out Maggie was here.” He smiled at Maggie.
“Isn’t that nice,” Maggie told them. “I’ll go make up the beds in the spare room and you can keep Addison company while I do that. I’ll bring you some cookies, but not too many, mind. Dinner is in a couple hours.”
Mac said something to Ben then walked away toward the back of the house. Addison watched Ben lock the door and activate the alarm system before going into the living room and pulling the drapes closed. “These have to stay closed, Addison. In fact, all the curtains in the house need to be closed day and night. And, the doors need to be locked at all times and the alarm system on. Mac has gone to check the rest of the house.”
“Is that really necessary, Ben?”
“Yes. We don’t want anyone taking pot shots at you through the windows. Or Maggie,” he added, knowing Addison would protect someone else before she protected herself.
Nodding her head as Mac came back into the room and told Ben the house was secure, Addison decided to mess with them anyway. She quickly thought up and rejected several ways to make them wish they hadn’t won that bet. Finally deciding on a plan, she grinned evilly and knew if they could see it they would run for the hills. “I guess if you have to protect me then you have to be in the same room with me to do it, don’t you?” Using the remote she pressed play and the movie she and Maggie had watched earlier that day began again. A soft giggle escaped her when she saw their reactions. “You’re just in time. We were just starting this movie a few minutes before you arrived. Better get comfortable. It’s six hours long.”
Ben gave the TV a disgusted frown. “Come on, Addison, the big game is on today. Texas is playing Oklahoma.”
“Sorry, Ben, no violent sports allowed in the house,” she told him, trying to keep from laughing.
Both men groaned then Mac looked at her, his eyes desperate. “Please tell me there’s another TV in the house.”
“The one in the kitchen doesn’t have cable on it because I only use it for cooking DVDs.”
“A radio?” Mac asked.
“Nope, music gives me a headache.”
Ben slumped down in the recliner as Mac dropped onto the couch beside her. She picked up the ice cream then pointed her spoon at the TV. “This is the best part. Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth meet and fall in love but they don’t realize it until hours later in the movie.” She held the container of ice cream out to Mac. “Want some? I have another spoon.” He shook his head and settled his chin on his fist.
Maggie joined them, handed Ben and Mac a plate of cookies each, then sat down in a chair on the other side of Addison. “Oh, I love this movie. I could watch it over and over.”
“Then, we’ll watch it every day, Maggie,” Addison promised her.
Ben and Mac moaned and Maggie sent them a questioning look then smiled. “What’s wrong with you two lads?”
“We want to watch the football game,” Ben grumbled.
Maggie nodded. “Then why don’t you go watch it in the den? That would be okay, don’t you think, lass?”
“Mmmhmm,” Addison answered, her mouth full of ice cream as she avoided looking at them.
“Addison, you should know Cade told us to keep track of your infractions. He said he would deal with them when he returned,” Ben warned her.
As Mac rose from the couch, he told her, “Nobody likes a bratty sub, pet.”
“And nobody likes a tattletale either. In fact, a tattletale might just have to watch his back,” she told them with a wicked grin. Things were looking up. There was just something about messing with these big, tough guys that she couldn’t resist.
“Now don’t be getting up to any shenanigans,” Maggie told her then jokingly added, “At least not until your side is healed.”
Addison caught Ben and Mac’s glances. She pointed two fingers to her eyes and then at them, and then she drew a finger across her neck. They shook their heads and laughed.
“Here are the rules,” Mac told her. “Don’t open the door, don’t answer the phone, and don’t leave the house without us. If you’re not sure if you should do something, the answer is probably no, but ask one of us anyway.”
“Yeah, and Cade said if you give us any trouble we have his permission to tie you up and gag you,” Ben told her with a glance at Maggie.
“Don’t you be worrying about what you say around me,” she told them. “I’ve been around for a while. I know a thing or two about life, and the lass is going to do as you tell her, aren’t you?”
“Maybe, it depends if what they want and what I want match up.”
“If they don’t?” Mac asked.
“Then I’ll do as I please. What Cade failed to tell you is we’re not together anymore, and he has no say in what I do or don’t do.”
Mac hooked his thumbs in his belt, drawing her attention to it, gave the wide leather two taps with his index fingers, and Addison got the message.
“Come on, Ben. We have a game to watch.”
Addison listened to them bicker about the bet they had on the game as they moved away. “Bossy,” she mumbled.
“It’s for your own good, lass.”
“I guess. Too bad Cade didn’t care enough to come himself,” she grumbled. “I’m going to put the ice cream away and get something to drink. Do you want anything, Maggie?”
“No, lass. I’m fine. Is your side hurting?”
“Some, but I don’t want to take any more medication. It makes me too sleepy.” She didn’t tell Maggie that she hated to sleep because she always dreamt of Cade and the night they had spent together.
“Hurry back, lass, and you can lie down here on the couch and have a nice rest while we watch the game.”
A
ddison sent a conniving wink her way then left the room. She could hear the football game on in the den. In the kitchen she got a glass of juice then sat down at the breakfast bar. As far as she was concerned, this just proved that Cade really didn’t care about her. He could have come himself, but instead he had sent two of his buddies to watch over her while he did God only knew what. She smoothed her hand over her hair. He hadn’t even noticed that she had gotten her hair cut. She was right to try to move on, she thought as she opened the envelope in her hand.
After reading it, she was so mad she was practically frothing at the mouth. Damn him! If he thought she would sign something like this he was crazy. He wanted six months of twenty-four seven total obedience from her. The bastard wanted to make her his slave! And, if her behavior was satisfactory, he would be willing to negotiate for another six months. Cursing, she read the contract again then glanced at his clean bill of health that had accompanied it. Deciding it was time to take action and show him he wasn’t the boss anymore, she reached for the phone and dialed a number. It rang twice before it was answered.
“Vitale.”
“Hello, Vincent. It’s Addison.”
“Addison, I was wondering how you were doing? I heard about the attack on the news. Are you still in the hospital?”
“No, I got out several days ago and I’m at home for a couple of weeks to recover, and I was wondering if you would like to come to dinner and keep me company?”
“Absolutely,” he told her. “When?”
“I know it’s short notice, but how about tomorrow night? At seven?”
“Great! I’ll see you then. Give me your address.”
A few minutes later the call ended. She and Maggie would have to plan something really special and end the meal with a scrumptious and decadent dessert. She wanted this dinner to appear to be a private and romantic dinner for two. Deciding she would have Ben and Mac eat in the den, she went to talk to Maggie about her predicament and her plans to bring Cade around to her way of thinking.
To Love and Obey [The Doms of Club Mystique] (Siren Publishing Allure) Page 15