****
Several days later
James stared at all the men in his sitting room. He glanced at the clock hoping Prudence had made it to her sister’s safely. Cadeon looked like a lost man while Stephen kept glancing around him. Tate and Kevin hadn’t said a word, but their anger was clear. Sean and Lucas were staring out of his window over the grounds.
“This is a nice place you’ve got here,” Lucas said.
“Cut the crap. What is going on?”
“Is it safe here?” Stephen asked.
“Yes. No bugs or cameras,” Sean said.
Stephen pulled out a small laptop from his case and opened up the device. The screen fired up, and on the screen were Dane, Rebecca, and Isabella.
“You installed cameras into their room?” James asked, outraged on behalf of the women.
His friend stopped the recording and stared at him. “I asked Tate to install one when I saw Dane leaving their room. I thought it was suspicious how three people who had no knowledge of each other were suddenly sneaking around together.”
“I didn’t want to do it, but when I saw the evidence with my own eyes, I knew it had to be done.” Tate stood up. He looked nervous. “When they went down for breakfast I installed the cameras and made sure they were all up and running.”
“Dane has been logging into our security mains and sending emails about someone. He was also wiring money into a secured bank account. Those days he disappeared he was at the bank withdrawing money,” Kevin said.
James frowned then watched the three on screen. The women looked terrified but not of Dane. If anything, they found a lot of comfort in Dane’s presence. He’d never seen Rebecca talk so much. The woman looked different from the broken woman he’d seen in the hospital a year ago. When the footage was finished James waited.
No one spoke.
“Dane is trying to buy a woman back?” James asked.
“We don’t know who she is, but did you listen to all of it?” Stephen asked. “After I watched this I went looking. Our parents died of natural causes or so it seems. What if they were poisoned or killed.”
“Stephen, you’re opening up too much speculation.”
“It all fits. That paperwork I was going through, there were women who are unaccounted for.”
James paused. “What?”
“The last twenty years there have been women who have been employed or whose boyfriends have been members. Their names are marked down in log records. They’ve never been seen again. I did some cross checking on my computer. You’re not going to like the answer,” Stephen said.
“Never been found?” James asked.
“Or a known prostitute linked to Dominic Green. These records, the paperwork implicate us. Dane is right with what happened to Isabella. Sean and Lucas could be implicated. There are too many coincidences to explain. Lloyd Black? Eugene? Even down to us taking Dane in, not to mention the raid that killed fucking Dominic Green.”
James sat down as all the revelations rolled through his mind. “That is why Lloyd has not been fighting for parole.”
“If we’re the ones implicated and face conviction, with us out of the picture and Rebecca unprotected the charges could be dropped. He’d walk free.”
James ran his fingers through his hair. “This is not possible,” he said.
Sean cursed. “Of course it is fucking possible. We’ve been in the news for the past year. What better way than to link our name to human trafficking? The case would be huge. Could you even imagine the hype surrounding well-to-do businessmen when it becomes common knowledge about their underhand deals? They’d explain the two clubs and how they are a cover to steal innocent girls away. It is the perfect cover to get away with it. Whoever is running this is a lot brighter than Dominic Green.” Sean had his hands on his hips. The anger vibrated out of him.
“Why do you think it is someone else who is in play here?” Cadeon asked. The man looked like he’d aged twenty years in the last conversation.
“Because someone is sending Dane those emails, someone who has him on a wild goose chase. Whoever it is knows us. They know who Lloyd is and our lives.”
“I can’t let this happen. Violet is suffering through the pregnancy. If I’m taken out of the picture she won’t survive. I can’t do this,” Cadeon said.
“What are you trying to say?” Stephen asked.
“That if I have to I’m running. Violet is my world. I’m not going down for this.” Cadeon was close to tears.
“We have other options,” Lucas said. He’d been the quietest of all the men.
“What? Wait for this bastard to make his move. I’ve got a wife and kid on the way. I can’t wait to be arrested and trying to fight a crime I didn’t fucking commit.”
Lucas waited for Cadeon to finish. “Whoever this guy is, he hasn’t made his move. We can be implicated and put out of the picture, so why hasn’t he done it?”
All of them looked at one another.
“He wants something.”
“You don’t know that, Lucas. He’s playing with us.”
“With all due respect, Cadeon, you’ve never dealt with a man like this. I have. I’ve been in the force, and I was tracking Green for years. I know these men. This guy is smart. He wants something from us. It will probably be the one thing that will break the whole case, and we just haven’t found it.”
Cadeon burst out laughing. “Great, our whole life is based on us finding some piece of evidence that doesn’t implicate us but keeps the bad guy locked up.”
“I know it is not the best news, but at the moment it is all we’ve got.”
James stared at the laptop. The coil of fear built in his gut. He didn’t like this at all. They were all in danger. He needed to get Prudence.
“If we’re done here then I think it is time for you to leave.”
“We need to discuss what we’re going to do,” Stephen said.
“No. I need to get my woman from her sister’s. What we need to do is talk to that fucking bastard who used us. I want this shit out of our life, Stephen. I didn’t sign up for being a saviour. I’m happy being the guy who runs my club and is in the background of business. This is not my business. It does not concern me.”
James walked over and slammed the laptop down.
“You can’t turn your back on us like this.”
“I’m not. I’m turning my back on the stuff that gets people killed. This is not some action movie where everyone goes home the victor, Stephen. People end up dead and not always the bad guy. If you want to exhume our parents then do it. I want no part of it.”
James walked out of the sitting room and went into his office to collapse on the chair. When he heard all of them leave, he got up and made the call to Arthur to pick him up.
Chapter Twenty
Over the next few days James wouldn’t let Prudence out of his sight. He spent every waking moment with her. When he had to go to the club, he took her with him. She stayed in his office reading a book or listening to music as he worked. He knew she wanted to help Jermaine, but he refused. The only way he could guarantee her safety was if she were by his side. None of the guys talked to him, and he was more than happy with the arrangement.
They were his friends, and he cared about them. Still, Prudence was his whole world, and he knew what Cadeon meant. If a choice came, he’d take Prudence and run like hell.
“You look tired,” she said, wrapping her arms around him. He sat in his office chair. It was late in the afternoon, only a couple of hours before Ravage would open. Jermaine was filling the bar while Leo manned the door.
“I’ve got a lot on my mind.”
“I’m here for you, Sir. You know that.” He kissed her hands loving the way they felt wrapped around him.
“I love you, too.”
She chuckled. “I’m never going to get tired of hearing that.”
“You better not.”
“I never thought we’d be like this.”
He
turned and pulled her into his lap. “Like what?”
“Together. Loving each other. I used to dream about us at night. What it would be like. I wondered how it would feel if you ever told me you loved me.”
“Does it live up to your expectations?” he asked, nibbling her neck.
“It’s so much better than what I imagined. You’ve made me the happiest woman in the world.”
James smiled. When Prudence was in his arms, he was the happiest man in the world. She completed him unlike anything he’d ever known. He was about to pull the ring out of his pocket when his cell phoned buzzed. James glared at the device and wondered if he should just turn it off and go back to proposing to his woman.
“You better get that. It could be important,” she said, easing off his lap. Prudence went back to lying across the sofa. He kept his gaze on her as he answered his phone.
“This had better be good.”
“You’re needed here, James. It is necessary that you come. Come alone,” Cadeon said.
James rolled his eyes staring at the clock. “Fine, I’ll be there.”
He closed his phone.
“Trouble in paradise?” she asked, looking over her shoulder at him.
“Yes. Do you want me to drop you off at the house?” he asked.
“Are you coming back here?”
He nodded his head. “I have stuff to do.”
“Then I’ll wait here until you get back. Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”
James leaned down to kiss her. “I love you. I’ve got something important to ask you when I get back.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
He kissed her again, grabbed his coat, and made his way out of the office. “Enjoy your book,” he said.
“I’d rather be enjoying you.”
He laughed and moved out of the office. “I’m going to be gone for a little while, Leo. Can you hold everything down? Prudence is in my office. Please, keep an eye on her. I’d take her with me, but I think it is best she stay here.”
His gut was screaming for him to take her with him. Leo nodded his head. “Sure thing, Boss.”
James nodded his head then moved towards the car where Arthur was waiting. “Take me to Possession, please.”
“Certainly, Sir.”
He tapped his knee on the drive over. His thoughts constantly turned to Prudence. He shouldn’t have left her. Whatever they had to say here should be heard by her. She was part of him now. The moment the gates came into view, he got Arthur to drive close for him to type in the security code.
He was getting agitated with each minute that passed. Before Arthur parked the car, he was out and heading inside the club. The place looked abandoned.
James made his way down to the main bar. Possession was completely empty, and it was the first time he’d seen it like that. He fingered the box he had in his pocket wondering what Prue would say when he asked her to marry him. He’d been about to ask her when that blasted call interrupted him.
The sound of shouting came from Stephen’s office. He turned and headed back in that direction. He walked into the office and saw Rebecca, Isabella, and Dane shouting. His friends had surrounded the trio. James put both hands in his pocket and felt the envelope he’d put in there several days ago.
The sound of rustling stopped the argument in progress. “James, what are you doing here?” Cadeon asked.
He looked up. “What do you mean, what am I doing here? You told me I needed to come here and to come alone.”
“No, I didn’t,” Cadeon said.
“I got your call.” James frowned. He hadn’t given the call much thought. The call identity had recognised Cadeon’s phone, and he’d assumed the other man was the caller. He’d been distracted.
Cadeon pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. “I’ve not made a call.”
They were all looking at each other. “What is going on?” Dane asked.
The envelope he’d opened the other day, and the pictures it contained, fell out of his pocket. He bent down, picking them up.
Dane moved over to him and snatched the picture from his hand, handing it to the two women. They gasped covering their mouths with their hands. “Oh no. He’s found us,” Isabella said. James still didn’t recognise the man in the picture.
“I can’t believe it is him,” Isabella said.
Everyone was frozen to the spot. The picture made the rounds throughout the room. Lucas recognised him as did Sean.
“What the fuck is going on?” James asked. Isabella and Rebecca looked like they’d seen a ghost.
Dane took the picture and stared at it. “I’ve seen him recently,” he said, staring at James.
“Why are you looking at me? I’ve never seen this man before in my life,” James turned to the women. They’d lost all of their colour, and the fear on their faces was obvious.
“He’s going to kill us.”
“Could someone please tell us what is going on?” Cadeon asked.
“I don’t see what the problem is.”
“That man is very dangerous. I’ve only seen him once or twice, personally. It was why I didn’t recognise him at the club the last time I was there,” Dane said. “That man is Daren Robinson. He’s the right hand man to Dominic Green’s boss, and he’s currently your fucking doorman.”
James took the photo from him. He didn’t know why Veronica had it, but he was going to fucking find out. Staring at the picture he saw the resemblance to Leo. “This man is Leo. He’s a well respected man and hard worker.”
“He’s a murderer just like me. I have one or two to my name. He has fucking hundreds of kills to his name. That man is the one who does all the leg-work for the main man. No one has seen the big boss. When he turns up, no one is left alive,” Dane said.
James squared up to him, staring at the other man. “How did you not recognise him before?”
“He’s had plastic surgery done. I swear to you, James, that man is Daren Robinson. His build and everything are the same. I don’t know why he’s here.”
“He’s been watching us this entire time,” Cadeon said.
Watching? Watching?
James charged out of the room.
“James, where are you going?” Stephen shouted. He heard them following him. Arthur was leaning up against the car smoking a cigarette. The moment he saw James, he got into the car and started the engine up.
He turned to the men. “He’s got Prudence. I asked him to watch her. I can’t believe I was so fucking stupid.”
James kicked the car then opened the door. “Drive as fast as you can. I don’t give a fuck what happens. You get to Ravage now.” He dialled his office number and waited for her to answer.
“Pick up, pick up, pick up.” James looked out of the rear view window to see several cars following him. He knew his friends were right behind him.
The call ended with his voice asking the person to leave a message. He cursed his own actions. He’d messed up and left Prudence with a worse criminal than Dane.
****
Prue stretched her arms above her head. She must have fallen asleep. The book she’d been reading lay across her chest. Her mouth had a horrible taste. Letting out a groan, she turned and sat up. She must have been asleep for a few minutes. Her head was groggy. She stood up and made her way out of James’s office.
The whole club was silent. It was eerie, and she moved toward the bar. Jermaine was no longer there.
She rubbed her arms wondering where everyone had gone. James had said he’d be back before she knew it. She glanced at the clock and saw it hadn’t been that long since he left. Her heart hammered inside her chest at the deathly quiet of the club. Everywhere she looked sparkled from the deep clean that James demanded from the cleaners he employed.
“Jermaine? Are you here? Hello?” She called out hoping for someone to answer her. Prue turned around to stare at the bar. No one was around. She was starting to panic. The club was huge, and she’d always been there when someone else
was close by.
She walked backwards into a solid body. Prue turned to see Leo standing there.
“Leo, you scared me,” she said.
“I’m sorry. I thought everyone had gone.” He stared at her. She smiled at him and gestured around her at the club.
“I’ve never seen the club so dead before. Has James been in touch? I said I’d wait here, but I think it would be best if I went home.” She placed a hand to her rapidly beating heart hoping to calm her nerves.
“No, he hasn’t phoned.”
Leo was watching her. His arms were folded, and she got the feeling he was waiting for something. “Why didn’t you tell him?” he asked.
“What?”
“Why didn’t you tell James about the phone calls?” There was a gleam in his eyes. She frowned at him.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He laughed, shaking his head. When he leaned closer to her, she pulled back. Leo grabbed her by the shoulders tugging her roughly against him. He leaned close to her ear, and that is when she heard it.
The heavy breathing.
“That was you?” she asked.
A chuckle escaped him. Prue tried to break free from his hold.
“Let go of me.”
“I think you’re my answer. You see, I’ve known James for some time now, and he’s never cared about anyone the way he does you. I’ve worked for him for a year, but before then I had other people in place to watch him. Not one woman appeared on the radar. Not even a guy to use against him. Yeah, I think this will work.”
“Let her go,” Jermaine said. They turned to see Jermaine at the front of the door.
“I thought I told you to leave.”
“James is on his way. I wondered why you let me go.”
Leo turned her so she was facing the other man. He continued to breathe in her ear repulsing her with the sound.
She felt him shaking his head. “I tried to spare you, mate. This was nothing personal.” The American accent was gone. She heard the distinct sound of his British tones. One of his hands released her. Prue didn’t know what happened next, but he was pointing a gun at Jermaine. “No hard feelings. This is just business.”
Owned by the Dom: Part One (The Owners) Page 16