by Julia Sykes
My heart sank. “So he didn’t talk? He’s going to jail?”
“He’s not going to jail,” Clayton finally joined in the rule-breaking and spoke. “After you left, Carter had a change of heart. He told us about his sister and his father, Jonas Carter.”
My eyes widened. “He talked to Kennedy?”
“Yep,” Smith confirmed. “The boss convinced him that his only way out this shitstorm is through cooperation.”
“Cooperation,” I repeated. “What does that mean, exactly? He gave information on the Kings? And what does his father have to do with this?”
“Jonas Carter was a member of the Westies. When we took them down four months ago, he went straight to the Kings. He gave his daughter to them in a show of good faith.”
“Motherfucker,” I breathed.
Clayton’s nod was one of savage agreement. “It seems Santiago claimed Charlotte, probably to keep her from being passed around.”
The prospect made me ill. I couldn’t imagine the hell Derek must have gone through worrying about his sister.
“Jonas Carter is a Grade A sack of shit,” Smith asserted. “He used threats against Charlotte to force Derek to give his club to the Kings. Gaining them more territory gave him more power, and now Jonas has risen in the ranks. He controls the Muertos tribe.”
Jonas Carter was a leader of the Latin Kings? And he had sold his daughter to get there?
Derek’s father had taken everything from him. Now I understood the perpetual tension he had carried when I first met him. He had felt powerless, worthless. The only times he seemed at peace were when he was dominating me.
And now I had taken that from him, too. Worse, I had made him believe that it had never been real.
“What can I do?”
“Nothing,” Clayton said firmly. “Kennedy suspended you, remember? We shouldn’t even be telling you this.”
“I can’t let Derek go to jail.” I refused to allow that to happen.
Clayton sighed heavily. “He’s not going to jail. He’s being processed out now and is being sent home. He’s going to help us get more information from the Kings. The plan is for him to take a more active role in running things at Decadence and get more on his father. So far, he’s mostly been avoiding Jonas.”
“Kennedy can’t make him do that!” I exclaimed. “It’s too dangerous.”
Smith fixed me with a steady stare. “Kennedy’s not making him do anything. Derek wants to do this. Once we convinced him that Charlotte is safe with Santiago, he was eager to help bring his father down.” He shook his head at me. “The boss is still pissed about that, by the way. I can’t believe you blabbed about Javier being an agent.”
I lifted my chin in defiance. “I knew Derek wasn’t a danger to Javier. And I was right. He needed to know Charlotte wasn’t at risk before he would turn against the Kings.”
Those silver eyes studied me carefully, and I suppressed the urge to shift my weight under their scrutiny. “You’ve got a major hard-on for him,” Smith declared.
“Lovely, Smith.” Clayton winced at his friend’s choice of language.
He shrugged. “Lady boner. Whatever. I know that look. It’s the same one Clayton got when he fell for Rose. You get all alpha-protective and shit when you talk about him. It’s cute. I’m glad I didn’t ruin his face for you.”
“You’re an ass, James,” I informed him, but I suppressed a smile. I was relieved that my friend seemed to approve of my feelings for Derek. It was a marked improvement from him wanting to tear Derek’s balls off.
“So I’ve been told,” he retuned easily.
The tension between us gone, I turned my attention back to more important matters. “So Kennedy’s sending Reed back into Decadence with Derek?”
“No, Sharon,” Clayton said gently, carefully. “Reed’s not suspended, but he’s been pulled off the op, too. Smith and I are going to keep an eye on Decadence, but Derek is going to reach out to his father on his own.”
“What? He can’t do that! Someone needs to have his back.”
Smith chuckled. “So fierce. She’s like a deadly little kitten,” he remarked to Clayton.
“Shut up, James!” I rounded on him.
“Hey, I did say ‘deadly.’ I can’t help it if you’re tiny and cute.”
“Stop antagonizing her.” Clayton punched his arm, and I was grateful. He hit much harder than I could have managed. Smith would probably have dead arm. “Derek wants to do this, Sharon. He wants to take his life back from his father. You have to let him do that.”
I dropped my eyes, making a show of assent. “I won’t stop him,” I promised.
But I won’t let him do it alone.
Chapter 14
“What the hell are you doing in here?” Derek’s careworn expression shifted to one of fury when his eyes landed on me. I was leaning against the bar in Decadence. The club was closed, empty save for me. And now Derek.
I gave as nonchalant a shrug as I could manage. “Waiting for you.”
He advanced on me, his heavy footfalls echoing through the eerily silent space. I held my ground. I had already risked my career for Derek. I wasn’t about to allow that to have been for nothing. He was going to accept my help, one way or another.
He reached out as though to grab me, to shake me, but he stopped himself short just inches from me, rocking back on his heels with the effort of shifting his body away. His gleaming eyes glared down at me as though I was something disgusting he wanted to scour off his bar top.
“You’re not supposed to be in here,” he ground out.
I stared up at him unrepentantly. “I think I’ve already demonstrated my ability to pick a lock.”
“I didn’t ask you how you got in here. I said you’re not supposed to be in here. Get out of my club.”
“No.” It was a steady refusal. “I’m not leaving you to do this on your own, Derek.”
“You’ve already been suspended, Sharon,” he flung at me. “Don’t push me, or I’ll get you fired.”
My gut clenched. I hoped that was just bluster. Without my job and without Derek, I had nothing.
“I don’t care,” I declared. “I’m not letting you get yourself killed just because you’re angry with me. I know I hurt you. And I can’t say how sorry I am. What we had – what we have – is real. I found release in submitting to you, Derek. There was nothing dishonest about that.” My hand twitched toward his, instinctively reaching out for him. He jerked away with a scowl. “You don’t want to be with me. I get that. I hate it, but I get it. But you have to let me have your back. Kennedy was wrong to send you out alone.”
“Vaughn and James are going to keep an eye on the club.” It was a clear dismissal of my passionate plea.
“Yes, but who’s watching out for you? All the big bad Doms think they can handle things on their own, but that’s not how this is going to work.”
“It’s not?” Derek took a menacing step toward me, closing the short distance between us. He was still trying to scare me away. He was going to learn that I didn’t scare easily.
I lifted my chin and met him squarely in the eye. “No, it’s not. When we were together, you had power over me, but you found strength in being with me. Don’t deny it. You’re an angry, volatile mess right now. You need to find your control again, or you’re going to end up dead. You need me.”
I need you.
“If I’m angry, it’s your fault,” he snapped back. “Am I supposed to be jumping up and down with fucking joy that you betrayed me? You’re right, Sharon. We had something. We could have had something, if you had been honest with me from the beginning.”
“And if I had told you I was an FBI agent here to investigate you for drug trafficking, what would you have done? Welcomed me into your club and seduced me?”
His hand slapped the bar beside me, but I didn’t budge. “You’re the one who seduced me,” he burst out. “You fucked me to get me to trust you, to get me to talk.”
“Believe me,” I seethed.
“I had no intention of seducing you. If that was my game, I did a pretty shitty job of it. If I wanted to fuck you from the start, then why do you think I pushed you away so many times?” My voice softened. “I care about you, Derek. You give me something I didn’t know I needed. This scares me just as much as it does you.”
“I am not scared. I’m pissed. And I’m done talking. If you don’t leave now, I’m going to call-”
His threat was cut off when the club door clicked open.
“I knew I’d find you in here with some whore.” If the voice hadn’t come from behind Derek, I might have thought he was the one who had spoken. It sounded almost identical to his low rumble. Especially when he was doing his best to sound like a cold bastard.
My eyes flicked around Derek to find an older man entering Decadence, flanked by Reyes and Ortiz and two other, equally burly, men. A shock of recognition went through me. Javier Santiago was one of the new men. His severely short black hair, sharp nose, and angular features were the same as the last time I had seen him. Only now his dark eyes were framed by more wrinkles. The man had obviously been through a lot in the last year.
I quickly schooled my features to mild curiosity to cover my mistake. Javier regarded me with a similarly detached expression.
Turning my attention from him, I noted the bruises on Reyes’ pockmarked jaw and the swollen lump of Ortiz’s nose with satisfaction. That’s what the fuckers got for trying to rape a woman.
“Jonas.” Derek turned to face his father. The door closed behind him, shutting us all in. The Kings fanned out around their leader.
I studied the man more closely. Steel grey hair colored with stubborn streaks of brown was tied back in a low ponytail. He had the same strong jaw as Derek and the same high cheekbones, but his eyes lacked the streaks of gold that made Derek’s so entrancing. Jonas’ eyes were a flat, dull brown.
“Sharon was just leaving,” Derek announced, shooting me a pointed glance.
“No, I wasn’t.” I hadn’t planned on confronting Jonas so soon, but this might work to my advantage. Derek couldn’t push me out if I worked my own way in.
I trailed my fingertips down his arm in a show of affection. His muscles rippled beneath my touch as though he was restraining himself from physically dragging me out of his club, but I continued to make my play. “Come on, baby. I told you I’m okay with it. I want to help.”
Derek’s eyes flared just as his father snapped, “You told your whore about this, Derek? You always did think with your dick.”
Derek’s muscles flexed beneath my fingers. “She’s not a whore. And she’s not a part of this.”
Reyes spat. “She’s the one who broke into the office. Don’t trust her, jefe.”
“Yes,” I shot back before Jonas could process that. “I broke into Derek’s office. I suspected what you guys are up to, and I wanted to check it out. Cocaine, right? I want a piece. I want to help.”
Jonas stared at me for several seconds, then threw his head back and laughed. It was a cold, crackling sound, nothing like Derek’s warm, booming laugh. “And why would I let you have anything? What do you have to offer me?” His eyes raked over me. “Other than what you’re already offering my son.”
Anger flared, and I tensed. Yes, I had slept with Derek, but I wasn’t a whore. “If you’ll stop insulting me, I can help with this.” I gestured at Reyes and Ortiz. “These guys are scary and obviously up to something. Who’s going to think the sweet little submissive is running coke through the club?”
Jonas’ lips twisted in contempt. “If my guys are questioned, they won’t say a damn thing. Sweet little submissives break easily.”
I met his stare levelly. “Not this one.” I jerked my chin at the hulking men that surrounded him. “Ask Reyes and Ortiz.”
The undamaged parts of their faces twisted into identical scowls. “She’s a lying cunt,” Ortiz hissed. “She was screaming before we even touched her. Derek and that fucker Reed did this,” he pointed at his injuries.
I laughed. “The only reason you’re not dead is because I decided not to kill you. I won’t make that mistake if you come at me again.”
“All right, then. Show me.” Jonas nodded at Ortiz, and the big, tattooed man took a step toward me. “Try not to kill him.” His mouth tilted up in amusement, as though he found the concept of me taking Ortiz down immensely funny.
“Wait.” Derek shouldered in front of me. “There’s no need for that. She’s not getting involved.” He shot a glare over his shoulder. “That’s an order.”
I pushed my way past him. “You’re not my Dom, remember?”
Derek’s hand was a vice around my upper arm. “You’re not doing this, Sharon. I forbid it.”
“You gave up the right to forbid me from doing anything when you rejected me.”
The tension between us was shattered by the click of a gun being cocked. “I don’t have time for your lovers’ quarrel,” Jonas declared, his voice clipped with impatience. I tore my gaze from Derek’s to find that Jonas had a gun trained straight at my heart. “I can kill her right now, or she can take her chances with Ortiz.”
Derek’s perfect features twisted with pure hatred. He loathed how powerless he was at the hands of his father.
I gently touched the back of his hand that gripped my arm. “I’ll be fine. I know what I’m doing.”
He grimaced, but he released me. He didn’t have a choice. And the pain in his eyes let me know that was killing him.
I turned my attention back to Ortiz and waved him on. “I’ll try not to break anything essential.”
Ortiz came lumbering towards me. I easily ducked beneath his heavy fist, circling around him to kick the back of his knee. As he started to go down, I brought my own knee up between his legs. He made a sick choking noise as he dropped, clutching at himself. It had taken all of ten seconds.
“Sorry, I didn’t think that particular part was essential. That’s what you get for trying to rape me, motherfucker.”
Jonas’ laugh boomed in my ear, far too evil and far too close. Something round and cold pressed against my temple before I could whirl to face the new threat. The gun. His fingers sank into my hair, tugging my head back to hold me firmly in place.
“Now where did you learn to do that, whore?”
I didn’t shudder at the filthy sensation of his soft voice slithering over my skin. Residual adrenaline sizzled through me, making me high on my own bravado. “Krav Maga is a hell of a workout. And my name is Sharon.”
His fist tightened in my curls, pulling my head back to an almost painful degree. My body itched to break his hold, but the gun at my head stopped me.
“Your name is whatever I want to call you, whore,” Jonas corrected me.
“Let her go!” Derek snapped. It was the first time he had spoken since Ortiz had thrown his first punch. I cut my eyes to him, struggling to catch sight of him with my face forced upward. He still stood where I had left him, but every muscle in his body was taut with the effort of restraining himself.
I could practically feel Jonas’ grin. “So you do care. How sweet. You know, I thought this whore had made you forget all about Charlotte. You turned on my men to keep her safe. I’ll take her on, but I think she might be more effective if used elsewhere.”
The blood that had been running so hot in my veins turned to ice. I didn’t like the emphasis he put on used.
“Reyes. How would you like to keep an eye on my son’s whore for a while?”
Jonas shoved me forward, and I stumbled. Reyes caught me, taking up Jonas’ place behind me. Only, he didn’t have a gun to protect himself. One of his strong arms wrapped around my waist, and the other found my breast, squeezing hard.
Derek didn’t even have time to growl out his rage before my head snapped back. Pain flared through my skull, but the crunch of Reyes’ nose breaking was satisfying. I tore free from his hold and turned to face my opponents. I sank into a defensive posture, ready to take on any of them that dared to
come at me again.
Derek’s solid heat appeared beside me. “I don’t think any of your men can handle Sharon.” His large hand gripped my hip, pulling my body against his possessively. “I told Reyes and Ortiz before: She’s mine to punish.”
Jonas shook his head. “I don’t know how I raised such a sick pervert.”
Derek’s expression turned hard, remote. “You didn’t raise me.”
“Not this again.” Jonas rolled his eyes. “I don’t have time for your daddy issues. And I’ve wasted enough time watching my men get the shit kicked out of them by a woman. I came here to personally see if you were serious about helping us willingly from now on. All I see is the same dumbshit kid who lets his dick make all the decisions.” He nodded at me. “But maybe your dick chose well this time. She can stay.”
Derek’s jaw firmed, and he said nothing. His father continued on as though his compliance was a foregone conclusion. “We’re giving the product to the Russians in three days. You will help me oversee the transfer.”
“Giving it to them?” I asked sharply. “Don’t you mean selling?”
Jonas glared at me. “No, I mean trading. The Russians get the coke, and we get an alliance.”
“With the Russians beside us, the rest of the tribes will fall in line.” It was the first time Santiago had spoken. The remark was full of triumphant satisfaction, but his intent was obvious. He was trying to let me know what was going on. Jonas wanted to organize the Kings, and he would be the power at the top.
Jonas’ contemptuous eyes remained on me. “If you were looking to get a quick payoff and then run, your plan’s fucked. If you tried that, you would be dead within hours anyway. You’re in this for the long haul now, whore. You can ride with us to the top, or you can suffer before you die.” His smile was nasty. “You’ll stay beside me during the transfer. If the Russians try anything, they won’t expect the sweet little submissive to knock them flat on their asses.” He shot a taunting glance at Derek. “My son isn’t the only one who knows how to punish whores, so you’ll do as I say if you want to stay in one piece.”