by Zoey Marcel
“You're not to ever see him again,” Jake said firmly.
“I understand,” she murmured, eyes glued to the floor. “Can I please go to my room now?”
“No,” Jake growled.
“That's fine, darlin',” Travis said. “Get some rest. We'll talk tomorrow.”
“Thank you.”
Jake glared at him. “Excuse me?”
“Let go of her, Jake,” Travis ordered calmly.
Jake grunted at him and let her go. Travis had to smile at his brother's vexation with him. It was so nice being the oldest and the younger siblings had to mind him.
Kayla left the kitchen.
“If you don't push her, she'll clam up on you,” Jake warned.
“If you push her too hard, she could close up, too,” Travis added. “Kayla's different, special. We have to find the right balance appropriate to her.”
“I don't want that smirking Southern bastard or that asshole Dom coming here,” Jake said through clenched teeth.
Travis sighed. “I don't either, but somehow I've got the feeling that we haven't seen the last of them.”
****
Kayla woke up to take a drink of water from the glass on her nightstand. She thought she saw a shadow outside. Startled, she donned her glasses and recognized Keith's form walking in the subdued gleam of the porch light. Where was he going at this late hour?
She put on some clothes and shoes and then left the house, hoping not to lose him. Maybe he was just going to the barn to check on the horses. She saw all the vehicles were still accounted for, so he must be in the barn, either that or he'd gone for a walk. Not seeing him, she looked around the Langleys’ property in all Keith's usual favorite places, but she couldn't find him.
As she drew nearer to the large wooden barn, she heard what sounded like a male outcry of suffering. She pulled her hoodie to her tighter and picked up the pace.
Please let him be okay.
Her heart raced in panic, and everything else seemed to vanish as her eyes honed in on the light streaming from the bottom of the closed barn door. A few more cries of distress and grunts of pain ensued. What was he doing? Was someone hurting him? Beck? Slade?
She slowed her frantic pace down and tiptoed toward the door. The horses snorted with interest from inside, and a few of them whinnied in fear whenever a swift lashing sound filled the air. Keith didn't beat his animals, so that couldn't be the source of their anxiety.
She gingerly opened the door a crack and peeked inside. Her hand went over her mouth, and her heart nearly stopped in agony when she saw Keith holding a switch that looked like it had been dipped in blood. His back was all cut up and streaked with blood. He heaved a tortured sigh and set the branch down.
His sniffling broke her heart. Had he been crying? When he turned slightly she saw he held a tequila bottle, and his face looked rouged with the effects of crying.
She pulled open the door and went inside. He looked startled to see her.
“Kayla, you should be in bed.” He looked guilty, but his voice sounded devastated by something, as though he was beyond caring what anyone thought of him.
“Keith, you're bleeding really badly.” Her eyes welled, and her voice cracked with grief and concern. “We have to get you to a hospital.”
“I'm fine, Kayla.”
“What is that? Why do you look like you've been crying?” Tears spilled over her eyes. “Why are you drinking alone and hurting yourself?
His countenance became grave and haunted. “I didn't know where else to turn.”
“Do I really make you so unhappy?” She sniffled, feeling the burn in her eyes and the soreness in her throat. “I can leave if you want to be free, but please don't hurt yourself like this.”
“It has nothing to do with you.”
“Then what is it? Why were you beating yourself with a switch? I thought you liked giving pain, not taking it.”
“This isn't about pleasure. I'm punishing myself.” He had a far-off look in his troubled blue eyes.
She brushed away the tears, but new ones replaced the absent droplets on her cheeks. “For what?”
“What happened to Miranda.” His expression contorted into the most tortured look she'd ever seen on a man.
The words startled her. “What happened to your sister? I thought you said she met two Doms online and went to New Orleans to meet them. Is she not happy with them?”
Keith got a humorless smirk on his face as he glanced up at the ceiling as though images from the past were hanging from the wooden beams. “That's the story. Miranda met two Doms and stayed behind in New Orleans to live happily ever after with them.”
“Is that not what happened?”
He shook his head, tongue swerving over the front of his teeth. “No. Not by a long shot.”
“Then what happened? Why would you make up a story like that?” Her scalp crawled with worry when she noticed the way his mood changed.
“It should have been me.” A single tear trickled down his cheek before his eyes took on a glassy look.
“What?”
“A few months ago, Miranda wanted to go to Mardi Gras. Travis told her no every year. He said it wasn't safe for her. The intelligent bastard was probably right. Anyway, she met these two Doms online.”
“From New Orleans?”
“No, from here in Lexington. They're two of the Doms at the Black Dragon.”
Kayla's eyes widened. “Oh wow. Did she meet them in person?”
He shook his head. “No. She always wanted to go to the Black Dragon, but Travis and Jake wouldn't let her. They didn't want to see their baby sister involved in the kind of things they were.”
“She's an adult. It's not really their choice.”
“That's what I thought. She was supposed to meet the two Doms in town for lunch, but not until she and I came back from the Mardi Gras. She told Travis and Jake that she met two Doms online and wanted to go to New Orleans to meet them. It was just a ruse so they wouldn’t know we were going to Mardi Gras. They didn't want her to go at first, but I talked them into it. Told them I would protect her.” Keith rolled his eyes and shook his head, raising his eyes to heaven. “We shouldn't have gone. Christ, if she'd just met with the two Doms here in town first, I'm sure she would have forgotten all about her Mardi Gras itch.”
“What happened in New Orleans?”
His eyes closed. “We were watching the parade. Miranda wanted some beads. The kind you get from flashing the people on the floats. I shouldn't have let her do it. I turned my head, and she did it real quick. The guy threw her some beads. I had to use the bathroom, so I left her alone for a second. I was pissed off when I got back and saw how many beads she had. She said she wanted one in every color.”
“She always was the crazy one.”
“I shouldn't have let her do it. I was just trying to be a good brother, you know. Let her have a little harmless fun and get a souvenir from the parade.” He took a long swig from his bottle. “Jesus, if I'd known what would happen because of it, I'd have locked her up at home in her room and never let her out.”
“Where is she?” Kayla asked, feeling her scalp tingle with alarm.
“I don't know.” His voice broke and his eyes watered, expression tightening with anguish. “We went drinking. Just a few. We were tipsy when we headed back to the hotel. I don't even remember where we were. I thought it was the French Quarter, but it was dark and secluded, so it couldn't have been. This man came up to us, wanting Miranda's number. He said she had nice tits.”
Kayla watched Keith's hands clench into tight fists.
“He was in the crowd and saw her lift her top. She told him no. I saw he had a buddy approach. I warned them to get lost.” Keith's timbre lowered, and his eyes housed despair. “When one of them grabbed her, I punched him. The other guy pulled out a knife.”
“Is that where you got that scar?” Kayla pointed to the long slash on his ribcage. She'd wondered about it, but hadn't known how to ask.
He nodded. “Yeah. I never even saw the third guy. I fought the two of them while the other one dragged her off with a gun to her head.” His voice broke, and his eyes watered again. “The last thing she said to me was 'Keith, don't let them take me.'”
Kayla wept and grasped his hand. “Keith, I'm so sorry.”
“Someone hit me over the head.” He wiped his nose on his arm and sniffled. “When I woke up she was gone, and I was bleeding like crazy. I looked everywhere for her. When I got back home, I couldn't look Travis and Jake in the eye and tell them what I let happen, so I told them she liked the two Doms and stayed with them. I convinced them they were good guys and she was happy. I even wrote a couple of fake letters from her to keep them from worrying.”
“Keith, you should have told them. She's their sister.”
“I know, but they would hate me. I couldn't let them feel the way I felt when I lost her.”
“Does Jason Adkins know? He mentioned something about New Orleans to you.”
Keith nodded. “Yeah, he knows. He and Armand are the only ones who know the truth and the police in New Orleans of course.”
“Are Jason and Armand the two Doms she met online?”
“Yeah. She knows Armand’s name. Jason goes by Master J online, so she didn't know he was her ex. Frankly, I always wanted them to get back together. They're perfect for each other.” Keith's head dropped. “Not that it matters anymore.”
Kayla wiped her eyes. “Keith, what happened was ... horrible, but it's not your fault.”
He rolled his eyes. “Yes, it is, Kayla.”
“But it's not.”
“Look, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but it is my fault. I'm the one who went with her to New Orleans. I didn't stop her from flashing her tits at the parade. I got fucking wasted—”
“You said you were tipsy.”
“Drunk, tipsy, the fuck is the difference when you're intoxicated and you let some slimy assholes abduct your little sister?” He kicked a barrel before a wave of calm overtook him again. “Fuck, I need help.”
“Keith, please don't do this.” She squeezed his hand, eyes burning when she saw the drop of blood trickling down his side. “I know you're upset, but I'm sure the police will find her or you will, or maybe Jason and Armand. But please ... please don't hurt yourself.” She wrapped her arms around his chiseled waist. “I need you to be happy and healthy.”
Despite the fact that she momentarily forgot the open wounds on his back, he didn't seem to feel any pain when she hugged him tight. He simply massaged her scalp gently. She pulled back and saw his blood on her hands. He was bleeding. Her lover was bleeding and hurting himself because of remorse. She started to sob.
“It's just blood, little bird. Here.” He handed her a towel.
She wiped her hands off. “I hate this. I hate that you think hurting yourself is the answer. It's not. Keith?”
“That one guy looked familiar.” He stared off into space.
“Which guy?”
“One of the men I fought with. It was too dark. I can't remember their faces.” He shook his head. “I've seen that guy somewhere before, but I don't know where.”
“We'll find her, Keith.” She gently tugged his hand. “Please come back inside.”
“The clothes are wrong.”
“What?”
“The man who looked familiar, his clothes were wrong.” Keith rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes. “I've seen him before, but he wasn't dressed like that.”
“What was he wearing before?”
“I don't know. It was different, though. His thumb felt strange, like he had a scab or a thick scar on his finger there. It was too dark to see, but I felt it.” He sighed. “Of course my adrenaline was going, so maybe I imagined it. The other two men were nothing special, but that one ... damn, I've seen him somewhere before.”
“We'll figure it out, but please come to bed.” She lightly pulled his hand, and this time he followed. “I'll clean you up and get you bandaged first.”
****
Hugh sat in his hotel room in the dark with his hands folded and resting against his chin as he pondered things. Virgil had just texted him to say that Keith Langley was on his way over ... for answers no doubt.
A knock at the door. Hugh got up and opened it, feeling that familiar sense of warmth he got whenever he saw one of the three Langley young men that he loved like the sons he never had.
“It's really you,” Keith breathed.
“Come in.” Hugh held open the door and shut it after Keith walked in. “Are you drunk?”
“Virgil drove me,” Keith explained. “I'm not drunk. You still use a cane, huh?”
“You still wear your hair like a girl?” Hugh shot back. “You can sit, you know.”
Keith remained standing. His voice and fingers shook in the darkness that was only broken by a thin stream of muted light from the street lamps. “Why?”
Hugh watched the other man's face closely. “Why what?”
“Why did you abuse us when we were kids and then magically become a semi-decent father after you got back from your mysterious trip?” Keith sounded angry. “Why did Mom throw you out?”
“You never asked her?”
“She wouldn’t tell us.” He sucked in a sharp breath. “You were an asshole, and then you changed and became my hero, and you just fucking left without telling us why.”
Hugh set a folder on the table. “I'm not your father, Keith. I'm your uncle Hugh.”
Keith stood in silence. “What?”
Hugh pulled out some papers and pushed them across the table toward him. “That top one is a blood test that proves I'm your uncle and not your father, and that bottom one is the medical records of your father's death twenty-three years ago.”
Keith picked the documents up and studied them when Hugh turned the lamp on. “But I don't understand. He came back from that trip when I was nine.”
“No, he didn't. That was me. Trent and I were identical twins, but I was never as jolly as him.”
“He was never jolly.”
“Exactly.”
Keith appeared contemplative for a minute. “That's why you seemed different. You were better to us.” He frowned. “Why did you pretend to be your brother? Were you in love with our mom or something?”
Hugh made a face. “Lord, no. I won't lie. The woman is attractive, but she's a pill.”
“Then why did—”
“I'll explain later.” Hugh grabbed his coat. “I want everyone there so I don't have to repeat myself.”
Chapter Eleven: Evidence
The following night Kayla walked into the Black Dragon with Travis. After cleaning Keith up and putting him to bed, she'd met Travis in the hall, and he'd asked if she wanted to go to the club with him. It was closed, but Travis had a key. He led her down a hall where the theme rooms were.
He turned to her with a wicked little half grin as he opened the door to the medical room and flipped on the light. “I thought we might play doctor.”
She smiled, biting her lower lip. “Are you going to give me a physical?”
“Of course, and I intend to examine you very thoroughly. Now sign this first while I get everything together.”
She entered the room with him and took the clipboard, feeling warm and ready when she read the questions. They had nothing to do with her physical health and everything to do with her sexual interests.
Circle one answer for each question.
1. Apple scented condom or unscented
2. Orgasm or none
3. Anal sex or not ready
4. BDSM or vanilla
5. Sub or slave
Each question made her wet and thirsty for the hot stud putting on a white lab coat and setting out medical instruments and sex toys.
The last question made her breath catch. He wanted to know if she wanted to be their sub or their slave. She wasn't sure she even knew the answer to that anymore.
“
Are you all done?” Dr. Travis asked.
“Yeah.” She handed him the clipboard, feeling coy.
“While we're in this room you'll refer to me as Dr. Sir.”
“Okay ... Dr. Sir.” She grinned and twiddled her thumbs, feeling her pulse race with delicious want.
“Take your clothes off, Kayla. I need to examine every inch of you.”
His heated murmur made her nipples tingle and her pussy gush. She took her clothes off, trembling with anticipation while he read her answers.
“So you'd prefer to sample your doctor’s green apple scented condoms, very nice. Lie down on the table when you're good and naked.”
Her nipples firmed as she climbed onto the examination table and lay back.
“Don't be so tense. You're in good hands, darlin'.”
She smiled, watching him while he read. “I know.”
“You're open to orgasm. That's good. We have to make sure all your lady parts are working right.”
Well, that sounded divine. “Yes, please.”
He chuckled. “Now it says here that you've got a little question mark next to anal sex. Did you not understand the question, little patient?”
She swallowed, feeling cold and shaky, though the look in his eyes started to warm her. “I just don't know if I'm ready for that.”
“Do you have painful past experiences with anal sex, darlin'?”
He knew she did, but she figured he was keeping to the role play. “Yes, Dr. Sir.”
She gasped and flinched when his big hand came to rest on her thigh. His touch chased away the cold even as the heat of his skin gave her chills and made her libido sizzle.
“Do you trust me, little patient?” His hand crept up her inner thigh in a lascivious slide to her damp cunt. “Do you trust your doctor to heal you and take away the pain?”
His words touched her, knowing his meaning was far deeper than role play. She moaned when his hand rested over her sex, basking her nude labia in searing heat.
“Does it feel good when I touch you like this?” he asked in a sultry hush as he rubbed her bare pussy gently.
A strangled groan of bliss caught in her throat as she arched into his doting hand. “Yes to both questions.”