by Avery Gale
Once again, Peter’s help had proven to be solid gold. Ash made a mental note to thank his friend. He and Dex could have probably gotten Meri where she needed to be eventually, but it had certainly been easier with Peter’s insight. Ash had been impressed with her ability to step out of the situation and see things from a variety of angles. He’d always considered that ability to be one of the things that distinguished ordinary bright individuals from those that were truly exemplary. It was no doubt something her father had recognized and carefully cultivated over the years as he’d prepared her for her role as the head of the foundation that bore her family name.
While Meri had been upstairs, he’d asked Carl to do a quick bit of research into the Lanham Foundation and the results were damned impressive. The organization’s projects were often collaborative efforts because of their broad scope, and their partners were carefully chosen. The assets of the privately held group were staggering and even though they spent monumental amounts of money, their portfolio grew significantly each year. He was enough of a realist to recognize the vast differences in their backgrounds and he worried that he nor Dex would ever fit into her world, for the moment he needed to push those thoughts aside. Right now, keeping Meri safe was his only priority and he’d concentrate on that until they figured out who was responsible for the problems she’d been experiencing.
Carl and Peter’s interior sweep had yielded several spy-cams that they’d all been embarrassed to admit they hadn’t seen earlier. Either the antique units had been purchased at a swap meet by an uninformed amateur or they’d been used deliberately by someone trying to send a message. And the fact whoever had put them in place hadn’t made even the barest hint of an effort to hide them had Ash betting someone had been hired to do a job they either didn’t agree with or didn’t care anything about.
Something was definitely off with the entire situation, but Ash wasn’t sure exactly what it was. The information she gave them about the earlier incidents didn’t fit at all with what had happened when Tony had driven her car. Looking at the other men, he asked, “Something is not right here…do you think we could be dealing with more than one perp?”
Meri’s gaze snapped up from the tablet she’d absently been doodling on and he saw the worry in her eyes. “Do you mean you think there might be two people who want to hurt me? Why? I just can’t fathom what I could have done to make any one person that angry, let alone two.” He’d heard the desperation and fear in her voice, but he had the feeling the real issue hadn’t been fear for her safety. The real problem was she was simply mortified by the idea anyone could be that angry with her, and that was the part he was having the most trouble grasping as well. And from the looks on their faces, the other men were struggling with the same question. Hell, each of them had made enough enemies to last a lifetime and their new positions with the Wests’ tactical teams weren’t likely to win them legions of fans either, but Meri was an entirely different matter.
Carl recovered first and smiled at her, “Sweetness, we were all stunned for a minute because we’ve had enemies who wouldn’t hesitate to do this and much worse, I assure you. It’s a credit to a woman in your position that you don’t have a string of enemies for us to sort through…but the flip side of that is, we don’t have much to go on.”
“There really are only two people who can even be considered as on the list.” She was twirling the pen through her fingers in an intricate pattern that told him how often she used the motion to help her focus her thinking. “And as we’ve discussed, I don’t believe neither of them really is a viable option. Although John would have more reason to want me to keep quiet. But I have to say I’d sooner suspect him if he was just trying to scare me into running to him for protection.”
Ash tilted his head to the side, “Explain that please.”
“Well, it wasn’t uncommon for him to throw a tantrum about this, that, or the other. For the most part I just ignored him, but it was getting old in a big hurry.” Getting old? What the fuck? Why would she have ever allowed that to occur more than once? Another thing we’ll be discussing at length. Ash was starting to appreciate Kyle and Kent’s complaints about Tobi being oblivious to the boundaries she should force others to observe.
“And if you tried to reason with him, or offer any sort of explanation, he would just scream louder. I finally got to the point where I would just walk away. I walked out of his condo downtown one night without my shoes…luckily I’d left my purse by the door. From that point forward I left my shoes there as well.”
Ash heard the growl rumble in his chest a split second before he realized he was on his feet and moving around the wooden structure her dad called a desk. Christ, the thing has to be ten feet long and at least five feet wide. Hell, I’ve seen smaller dance floors in bars. Once he’d pulled her from her chair he folded his arms around her and pressed her against his chest. He wasn’t sure who he had intended to comfort, but it sure was helping them both. The fact she was trembling at the memory of her time with Senator Stevens made Ash want to teach the man what it was like to be intimidated. He might be a sadist during sex play, but Ash had a bone-deep aversion to bullying.
Growing up in the South where the social structure was still largely patriarchal, Ash had seen and heard enough stories of domestic violence to last a lifetime. And he’d known good soldiers who’d made serious mistakes in their relationships simply because they had returned to their families before they’d completely decompressed after missions.
For some reason, Ash had always associated civilian domestic abuse problems with men and women who were either undereducated or poor—and often both. But now, knowing a woman with Merilee Lanham’s intelligence and vast financial resources had tolerated—even for a short time—being emotionally and verbally abused changed the way he viewed the problem. Sending up a silent prayer of thanks for the people like his mom who volunteered at their local women’s shelter, Ash just held her until he was sure the anger he was feeling wouldn’t show in what he wanted to say.
Releasing her, he moved back enough to look down into her eyes, “Did he ever make threats to you? Any kind of threat at all?”
“Not really, he usually just tried to belittle me—make me question my value as a person because that was his way of feeling important, and he thought I’d be more dependent on him. I don’t think he wanted me to feel I could function without him. To say he has an overinflated opinion of himself would be an enormous understatement.” Meri stepped back and leaned against the desk, hell, the thing was too high for her to scoot up on without jumping. She seemed lost in thought for a few seconds before continuing, “But at his core I think he is insecure, so making me feel bad about myself was his way of ensuring I’d stay. I know it sounds really twisted, but from what I’ve read, it’s really a classic symptom. But…well, that wasn’t the way I wanted to live my life, so I walked away. There was no big break-up or anything, I just wished him well, said goodbye, and walked out. So I can see where he might want to frighten me enough to seek him out for protection, especially since I’m sure he knows my parents are gone.”
Dex had moved to their side and tipped her chin up so her eyes met his, “Is it possible his behavior could have escalated to the point of wanting to silence you? And would he be willing to slide under your car to attach the device that was used to hold the accelerator down?” They hadn’t told her about the timed magnet that was used on her car. It had actually been a pretty sophisticated device, much more so than the cameras they’d found in the house—which was another reason he was leaning toward more than one suspect.
“I just can’t see it. First of all, I can’t imagine him knowing that much about cars. I don’t know what kind of device you’re talking about, but he didn’t even know he was supposed to have the oil changed in his car, so it probably doesn’t matter. He knows a little more about computer hardware, but not much.”
“What does he know about?” Ash was starting to wonder what she’d seen in the man.
“Well, he’s a master at self-promotion. Even though he’s an ass in private, in a social situation, he is utterly charming. He studies every detail about the people he needs to smooze. He knows their spouses, what they do for a living, their kids’ names and ages. I’ve seen him recall the scores of a ball game one of his largest contributor’s son played in. Using that kind of information when you are soliciting campaign funds and political support is very powerful stuff. He remembers some things, but mostly he studies continually.
“He went to college in the northeast and was on a rowing team. He also loves to sail, but doesn’t get to do that very often now although he does keep a boat out on the lake.” Ash watched as Meri wrinkled her brow, he knew she was searching her mind for something—anything that would help them, but the fine lines at the corners of her eyes betrayed the exhaustion that was quickly fogging her thinking.
Turning toward the other two men, Ash spoke softly, “You two update Micah, he’s running scenarios through his system, and then take the first two watches. Text our phones when it’s time to switch out and we’ll relieve you.”
Carl and Peter both stood and turned toward the door, “Thank you.” All four of them looked at her curiously. Her posture straightened and Ash got a glimpse of the suck-it-up and be gracious no matter what Southern woman he’d known was inside her. He had to fight back the grin, and he could tell Dex was doing the same. “I know I didn’t thank you all for helping me, but it’s important that you know how grateful I am that you’re here. It was frightening to know that someone was in the house while I was upstairs that night.”
Both men smiled and nodded before heading to the door, but just as he was about to step out of the room, Peter turned back to her and grinned, “Sweetie, learning to handle and fire a weapon is a great idea, but I think you’d be much wiser to ask your men for help rather than Lilly West. From what I hear, Lilly has a tendency to over-do things a bit.” Ash felt himself blanch at Peter’s comment and the stricken look on Dex’s face let him know his partner was just as mortified.
Chapter Twelve
The next few days were a blur. Meri often found herself surrounded by men she’d only seen at the Prairie Winds Club, and having so many people in and around her home was often daunting. Even though they were much more relaxed away from the club, there was never any doubt that each and every one of them was a Dominant. It had taken her a couple of days to grasp the fact that as long as she stayed out of the way, things seemed to run smoothly and they spoke openly in front of her. She leaned against the wall of floor to ceiling bookshelves in her dad’s office and listened to them discuss the significance of the spy cams they’d found. She’d heard this same discussion time and again and wondered why it was an issue.
“I made some calls and from what I’m hearing, the good senator is almost continually under investigation. But the scuttlebutt is that he’s gotten a new chief of security since he returned to town.” Kyle opened the folder he was holding and started handing out pictures. “Take a look, I want to know if any of you recognize him.”
Jax McDonald was the first to speak, “I’ve seen him…and recently too. But it may take me a minute or two to remember where. Fuck, I have to get more sleep. If Deaga doesn’t start sleeping more, I swear I’m going to override Gracie on the nanny issue.” Meri was holding back her giggle when he suddenly seemed to remember she was in the room, “Sorry about the language, Meri. My mama would have my head if she heard me say that in front of a lady.”
“Your secret is safe with me, Jax. And for what it’s worth, I think it just shows how exhausted you are. I also don’t think Gracie is as opposed to a part-time nanny as she was earlier, so you might want to bring the subject up again.”
“Thanks, I’ll do that. And if she agrees, Micah and I will owe you one. A big one.”
Meri stepped forward to look down at the picture and gasped, “I know him. I saw him two years ago at an event. I doubt he’ll remember, because we weren’t actually introduced, but my dad pointed him out to me. He’s with the FBI, or was at that time. There were only a few people in the room I didn’t know and he was one of them. His name is Trac Hughes.” She suddenly realized all of them were staring at her, “What? Oh, it’s the memory thing isn’t it? Well, I have a really good memory, there are people who cared enough to test it and then wanted to argue semantics. You know, whether it was eidetic or photographic…like it really makes any difference. Sorry, that was probably more than you wanted to know about that, but anyway, there you have it.”
Kent West burst out laughing, “Damn, Merilee. That explains a lot. Please tell me that it isn’t contagious or I’m going to have to put an end to yours and Tobi’s friendship.” His wink told her he was kidding, or at least she hoped so.
“No, I’m fairly sure it’s not catching. And I have to admit it isn’t always a gift either.”
Peter snorted, “Amen to things not always being a gift,” made Meri realize for the first time just how difficult Peter Weston’s life had to be at times, and she suddenly found herself seeing him in a whole new light. She saw just the smallest tint of pink color his cheeks as he grinned at her, “Thanks, Meri. Not everyone gets it.”
Ash looked around the room, “Well, this might well explain the antique cams, my guess is Agent Hughes was trying to send us a message.”
Micah laughed, “Agreed. Hell, even they don’t use that stuff anymore. I’d be willing to bet he had a little trouble finding the pieces he used here. I’d say that was a deliberate attempt to get our attention.”
Peter nodded in agreement as Carl explained, “He basically set the stuff right out in the open and made it easy to back-trace the signals to Senator Steven’s office. Agents don’t make those kinds of mistakes. I’d say he wanted us to know what Stevens is up to without directly compromising his investigation.”
The room fell silent for a few moments while everyone considered the implications of what they’d learned. But it was Meri who broke the silence, “Has he ever visited the club?” Every man in the room turned toward her as if the movement had been choreographed, but when she realized they each had raised a brow in exactly the same way, she had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. Yeah, rolling your eyes in a room full of Doms—definitely not a good plan. “Okay, don’t get all testy, here’s why I asked…the time I saw him, his body language screamed Dom.” When they continued to stare at her with unblinking eyes, she sighed and continued, “Oh come on, you all know exactly what I’m talking about. Anyway, the Prairie Winds Club is the best in or around Austin…heck, it’s arguably one of the best clubs in the country, so it stands to reason that he’s either visited or would like to. So perhaps you can arrange a visit and speak with him there…that way you’ll know nothing is being recorded. And your scramblers will prevent anything wireless on his end as well.”
The moment she mentioned the scramblers, Meri realized her error but it was too late. Probably not much chance of the whole lot of them missing that gaffe. And just as she’d feared, Kyle West growled, “I’m going to beat her ass.” Meri took an involuntary step away from him and his face softened, “I wasn’t talking about you, sweetie. And you and I both know she is going to like it far too much for it to have any effect on her behavior. Tell me just exactly how this topic came up in a group of ladies who have much more interesting things to discuss than our security protocols.” His tone might be mild, but holy Hannah, the man was seriously peeved.
“Well, to be honest, I already suspected, and when Tobi didn’t correct my assumption, then I knew for sure. She didn’t tell me, you know better than that Kyle. And despite your frustration with her, I still admire the fact she wasn’t willing to lie. She and I had a rocky start…to say the least, and I’m honored that we’ve developed a friendship that is based on that kind of honesty.”
To his credit, Kyle West had the decency to seem at least a little chastened as Kent came to his rescue, “We’ll be asking you more about how you knew later, Me
ri. But for now, I want to move on with your suggestion because we need to wrap this up. But for what it’s worth, I’m glad things worked out the way they did between you and Tobi, and she is lucky to count you among her friends.” His words sent a surge of warmth straight to her heart and she felt tears press against the back of her eyes. For the first time she felt completely absolved of the sins of that fateful night at the club and she was nearly overwhelmed by the emotion.
*****
Dex watched Meri through the shower’s steamed door and grinned. She’d handled the meeting downstairs like a pro. Even if you didn’t factor in her submissive nature, the group of former SEALs/Doms she was facing were a force to be reckoned with. As Masters at a BDSM club, they could and often did reduce subs to tears with little more than a look. But Meri had politely countered them when she’d thought they were out of line on security concerns and asked questions he knew were more to provoke conversation than because she needed or wanted the information. In short, he’d been damned impressed, and for some reason that made her even more attractive to him.
“She’s amazing isn’t she?” Ash’s quiet question from the doorway was easy to answer.
“Incredible. I wasn’t sure we’d ever find her, you know?”
“I do, and now we just need to keep her safe long enough to convince her to belong to us.” Dex nodded in agreement as he stepped out of the room and closed the door quietly behind him.
“There’s more than one perp—I’m just sure of it, but I can’t get an angle on the second one. And what was that comment Peter made about the weapons? If she wants to learn to shoot, we’ll be the ones teaching her. I’m going to have nightmares for weeks thinking about her learning from Lilly West.” Dex saw Ash shudder and knew his friend was in agreement. Lilly West was, without any question, one of the most interesting women Dex had ever met. All of Kent and Kyle’s teammates had met their mother at one time or another during their years of military service. And he didn’t know a single man among them that didn’t love Lilly. She was smart, witty, irreverent, loving, and a crack shot. She’d used firepower more than once to defend someone she cared about—there was no doubt she was capable. The only problem was, she tended to follow the philosophy of more is better, and if she had the choice between a fly swatter and a canon to kill a mosquito, the canon was certainly going to be her weapon of choice.