Love for Dani pounded through his system. It was so different now that she was his. He felt more than he’d ever thought he could. Making love with her had changed something fundamental inside him. Watching her embrace her sexuality had helped him to accept his own.
And then there was Julian. Julian thrilled him in a way he never could have imagined. Even when Julian scared the crap out of him, and he did when Julian turned that icy stare his way, Finn had never been more attracted to a man. Julian pushed his boundaries like no one had before. Julian didn’t try to coax him along. Others had tried, and it hadn’t worked. In his mind, Finn had come up with one excuse after another to hold on to his shame. Julian left no room for anything as useless as shame.
Despite Julian’s poor handling of Dani earlier, Finn felt an optimism he hadn’t felt before, maybe ever. He was in a good place. As soon as Julian took care of this Jeremy person, he had the feeling he’d have no real trouble getting Dani to move to Dallas with him. Julian would insist on it. They could see him, date him, whatever they wanted to call it. The three of them would work it all out.
He would have a family. He would have Dani. He would have Julian. He would have it all.
After they survived this apparently crazy dude.
He jogged down the stairs carrying his suitcase. He had all the things Julian had bought for Dani over the last few days. It was only the essentials, toothbrush, a couple of pairs of jeans, T-shirts, moisturizer, anal plug, and lube. When they got wherever they were going, Finn would see that he expanded her wardrobe. Julian would more than likely expand the toy selection.
He couldn’t wait to see The Club. Now he was certain he’d made the right decision in not accepting Lucas’s offer to visit the underground BDSM club. It was better to experience it for the first time with Julian and Dani.
Lucas. God, what must he be going through? Finn felt for his friend. He would do anything he could to help him find Lexi. Lucas would do the same for him if Dani was missing.
He wasn’t even going to think about that. His stomach rolled at the idea. He needed to focus on something else or panic would take over.
Finn paused by the sofa. He sighed before folding the blanket he found there. He had no idea why Julian refused to sleep with them, nor would he ask. When Julian was ready to explain, he would. Until then it would be like beating his head against a brick wall. He would have to be happy with having Dani all to himself during those hours. He got to cuddle her and wake her up. Somehow in the morning, when they were both groggy with sleep, it seemed easy and sensible to be the aggressive one. This morning he’d rolled her over and been deep inside her before either of them were fully awake. He’d rocked into her over and over until he’d come, and then he’d fallen back to sleep beside her.
The door flew open, pulling him out of his memory. Sam stood in the doorway, his face set in hard lines he didn’t normally associate with the fun-loving cowboy.
“You better go after your girl, and you better go now. She’s gone insane. Do you have any idea what Julian’s going to do to her?” Sam asked, his voice getting louder and more insistent with every word.
He dropped the bag. A sick feeling nestled in his gut. “What do you mean go after her?”
Sam pointed out the guesthouse’s doorway toward the long, paved drive. “I mean Dani just took off for God knows where in Julian’s Audi. What the hell is she thinking? I can’t go after her. My kids are holed up in a bedroom. I’m not leaving them, so you have to go after her.”
Finn felt his stomach turn. “Dani wouldn’t leave.”
“Well, she damn sure did. I guess she was more pissed off at Julian than we suspected.”
“No,” Finn replied. If there was one thing in the world he was certain of, it was that he knew Danielle Bay. He knew her inside and out. “She wouldn’t leave. She wouldn’t cause trouble when so many lives are at stake. There’s no way she stole Julian’s car because she was mad. Something happened. Something, or someone, made her take off.”
He pushed his way past Sam and started to jog toward the house.
“Why? If Julian had called, wouldn’t he have called you, too?” Sam asked, following behind.
“Or Dani would have told me she was leaving. Besides, Julian would never allow her to go alone. He wouldn’t have called her. He would have called me.” Finn stopped when he saw the small, black box on the back porch. Now he was panicking. He could feel the blood rushing through his veins. He rushed to pick up the phone he recognized as Dani’s.
Sam stared at the phone. “Damn, there’s no way she dropped it. She had that phone in her jeans. It wouldn’t have fallen out.”
“And she left her purse behind. How many women do you know who leave their purse behind unless it’s an emergency? And she doesn’t have Julian’s keys. How the hell did she hot-wire a car?” Nothing added up. He picked up the phone, hoping to see who might have called. When the screen came on, he saw the last thing she’d done. It was an unsent message. Three characters in stark relief.
<3 U
Love you. He felt his heart drop to his feet because that felt like good-bye.
* * * *
“But this girl was taken from Dallas. I don’t see what that has to do with us here in Willow Fork. Girls don’t go missing in Willow Fork.”
The sheriff was grating on Julian’s every nerve. His laconic speech and lazy manners made Julian want to punch the man who was supposed to protect and serve his people. Apparently women from the big city weren’t his concern. Julian shifted from one foot to the other, unable to stay still. The mid-morning light filtered through the sheriff’s department’s windows. Casting a glance outside, he could see that the rest of Willow Fork moved along as though nothing untoward was happening under their noses.
Perhaps he should have brought Taggart with him. Leo was too reasonable. He thought talking to the sheriff was the way to handle this. Taggart would have stormed the building and taken over all their resources. Oh, they would likely all end up in jail, but at least they wouldn’t be talking endlessly.
“We have every reason to believe that this woman was brought here,” Leo was saying. The sheriff simply nodded as Leo continued to talk, as though actually following the conversation.
These people wouldn’t help him. They didn’t have the resources even if they had the will, and Julian doubted they wanted to help him. This town seemed to think anyone who wasn’t born here was an outsider and unworthy of support. Even the ones who had been born here were up for rejection. Danielle and Finn had been miserable in this small town. They had been outsiders looking in.
How long could he keep them? The question flitted through his mind as Leo argued with the sheriff. He could get them under contract. He could move them to his penthouse. He could control much of their lives, and they would still leave him. Everyone left.
Not everyone. Some he’d pushed away. Some he’d shoved away, and now it was coming back to haunt him. He thought about that night almost three years ago when he tossed Jeremy into the streets. It was the night he’d set everything in motion.
Julian had stared up at the stage. Samuel was lovely in his submission. He had finished his count of twenty, his body sagging forward. He was being punished for causing trouble at The Club, but it wasn’t truly punishment for someone like Samuel. For someone like Samuel, finally being on a St. Andrew’s Cross was something akin to redemption. Jackson tenderly helped his partner off the cross. Julian had handed a robe up to them, though covering Samuel’s magnificence was the last thing he’d wanted to do.
His heart ached a bit, but it was a good thing. Samuel belonged with Jackson. They both belonged with Abigail. Something sad lodged itself in Julian’s chest. They were happy. He would content himself with that.
“Boss.” Leo’s voice had pulled him away. “Have you forgotten about the other situation we have to deal with?”
Julian had sighed. Yes, Jeremy. He had almost forgotten about Jeremy. He should never have taken the you
ng man on, but he’d seemed so eager to please. He’d been a lovely young man with a lanky body and large eyes that seemed to plead for someone to take care of him. He was a sucker for that.
Jeremy had conspired against a guest of The Club. He’d drugged Lucas Cameron’s drink. He’d done it at the behest of someone looking to harm Lucas, but the simple act of bringing the drug into the building was a punishable offense. It was far past time to cut the fucker loose.
In the end, it had been easy. He’d simply had him carted out. Julian hadn’t listened to offered explanations. He hadn’t listened to pleas. He told the man who had shared his home and bed for almost a year that he was done. Julian struggled to remember the words, and then the night came back in vivid color.
“I am no longer your Master,” he’d said.
No longer. He’d watched as Jeremy struggled with the bouncer at first, and then when he realized it was never going to work, something had died in his eyes. Jeremy had slumped down, and the bouncer had to carry him. Julian had turned back to the drama at hand, his former slave completely forgotten.
There had been weepy voice mails. Each time, Jeremy promised to be good. He’d promised to be a better slave, to give Julian free access to anything and everything he had. Jeremy had offered to take any kind of punishment the Master saw fit. He’d begged and pleaded.
Julian had changed his phone number.
When Jeremy had sat outside the building for two days in the pouring rain, Julian had the police escort him away. He’d delivered the young man a restraining order the following morning.
He had been quiet after that, and Julian had forgotten.
Jeremy had not.
Would Danielle and Finn pay for his mistake?
The sheriff’s voice pulled him from his memory. “Now why would this boy kidnap this particular woman? Is she real good-looking?”
Julian hissed through his teeth, and he saw Leo tense. Leo knew him well. Leo seemed to sense that he was about to explode. “Alexis Moore is Jackson Barnes’s stepdaughter. I expect you to speak of her with some respect.”
The sheriff’s eyes got wide, and he sat up straight in his chair. “Damn, man, why didn’t you say that in the first place?” His hand flew toward the phone on his desk. He dialed a number with more vigor than he’d seemed capable of moments before. “Maudene, I need you to get the Dallas police liaison on the phone for me.” He looked up. “This won’t take but a minute.”
Leo sat back in his chair. “Damn, we’re far from home, boss. I never thought I’d see the day when someone was more afraid of Jack Barnes than you.”
“It’s only because he doesn’t know me,” Julian murmured. He toyed with his phone. Dani and Finn. They were running through his brain. The urge to call one of them was almost overwhelming. The thought that he wouldn’t be able to see them or touch them again until this was sorted out gnawed at him.
The door to the main office opened and closed. That man Danielle had almost married walked in wearing some form of polyester work uniform. His name was stitched on the right side. Jimbo. How atrocious. He could never have appreciated Danielle’s loveliness.
“Hey, Maudene, is Andy around? I got a problem out at Momma’s house. She said someone’s been prowling around Daddy’s old hunting shack. I looked last night and I didn’t see anything, but she’s on my ass about it. There were tracks, but it’s just kids, I know it. You know how they go out there and hang out. If Andy could talk to her about it, she might let me alone.”
Julian shook his head. He didn’t need to hear about the man’s problems. He had real problems.
Leo stood and stared out the window behind the sheriff’s desk. “Is that Finn?”
Julian stood immediately. The SUV that pulled up was Finn’s. Finn slammed out of the car and started running for the building. His heart raced.
Leo was frowning. “You’ll have to punish him. He had clear orders.”
“Shut up, Leo. He wouldn’t have disobeyed without good reason.” What had happened? Was it Danielle? He raced out of the cramped office and met Finn in the hall.
“Sir!” Finn’s boots nearly slid on the floor. His hair was wild and his hands shaking.
“What is it, Finn? What’s happened? Where is Danielle?” The questions raced through his mind. A thousand scenarios, each worse than the next, played out in a manner of seconds.
“She’s gone. She took off in your car.”
Leo was right behind him. “She did what?”
Finn placed a hand on Julian’s arm, the warmth of his body a comfort to him. He felt icy cold everywhere else. “Julian, please, you have to hear me out.”
“About what? We don’t have time to talk. Somehow that fucker got to her. Was she alone for any amount of time? Is it possible she got a phone call you didn’t hear?”
A sigh that could only be relief swept out of Finn’s mouth. “Yes. I’m sure that’s what happened. Sam checked the tapes. He called me on my way here. He said Dani looked up at the rear camera and dropped her phone, like she was trying to show someone she was doing it. Then she took off in your car.”
“Damn it. He told her about the spare key I keep.” Jeremy had known his habits.
Leo was on the phone already. “Yes, ma’am, my boss has just had his vehicle stolen. Could you please turn on the tracking? Thank you. I have the passwords.”
Finn was staring up at him. “I checked the last number on her phone. It was Val’s. He used Val to get to her. I know it. Val’s phone is old. There’s no way we can track it unless he calls again. How are we going to find her?”
Julian cupped Finn’s face. “I promise I’ll find her. I won’t let anything happen to her. I will find her, and I will bring her back. Now why didn’t you call me? We could have turned on the GPS on the Audi immediately.” He tried to keep his voice calm. The last thing he wanted to do was chastise Finn. Finn had dealt with things the best way he knew how.
“I tried, Sir. It kept going to voice mail.”
Julian rammed his hand in his pocket and came out with his phone. Damn it. He’d put it on silent the night before. He didn’t want to be interrupted with mundane things like business when he was playing with his subs. Though he’d almost never turned off his phone before, his time with Danielle and Finn seemed different, almost sacred. Nothing should interrupt that. He’d forgotten to turn it back on.
Julian flipped the switch and immediately saw that he had more calls than he should have. A fission of fear crept across his skin. There was a text as well. It popped up when he pushed the button.
I suggest you answer me, Julian. You’ll note I don’t call you Master anymore. A true Master never neglects his slaves. Well, your slave has the power now.
Pure terror flooded his system. Before he could process any of the facts, his phone was ringing. The number was unfamiliar, but Julian knew who it was.
“What is it?”
There was a purr of pure pleasure that saturated the line. “Worried, are you? Don’t be. I have Danielle. Might I say she’s a step down from Sally? What are you thinking, Master…I mean Julian. At least Sally was slender and lovely. This girl looks like she fell off a trailer.”
Leo was asking Finn some questions. It gave Julian a moment to step away. He pushed the door open and walked outside. He didn’t want the others to overhear what might be a private conversation. There was only one reason to take Danielle. Jeremy wanted to lure him into a trap. If it saved her, if it spared her a moment’s pain, he would go willingly. He wouldn’t risk Finn. He needed to know that one of them was safe.
“What do you want, Jeremy?” He wouldn’t waste time with bluster. He could tell Jeremy that he would kill him if he so much as harmed a hair on Danielle’s head, but Jeremy would almost surely know that to be a lie. Julian would kill him no matter what he did at this point. Today or somewhere down the line, if he survived the day, he would make certain that Jeremy Walker died.
“Oh, so many things, but I’ll start with you meeting me
at a time and place of my specification. This is going to be different for you. You don’t call the shots now. You aren’t in control. I am.”
It rankled. That alpha part of him growled and clawed to be let out. But Danielle needed him. “I’m walking to the car now. I want to speak with Danielle.”
“No can do. She’s a bit indisposed.”
Julian stopped. “I won’t come to you unless I have some proof that she’s alive.”
There was a long-suffering sigh and then a feminine voice. “Julian?”
“Lexi? Lexi, are you all right?”
“No, I am not. Some freaky asshole shoved a needle in my neck and when I woke up, I was chained to the set of Deliverance. So, no, I am not all right. I am as far from all right as a person can be.” There was a jostling sound as though Lexi was moving. “Stop it. Fine. I’ll tell him. Dani’s here. She’s alive, but I don’t know for how long. You have to tell Lucas to stay away. He’ll kill you bo─”
Lexi’s scream was abruptly cut off. “See, she’s alive. How long she stays that way is up to you. I’ve left a map in a black Jeep. It’s at a café on Main Street. The keys are under the driver’s seat. Come alone or I’ll kill Danielle. There’s a map in the car leading you to where I will meet you. Don’t try anything, Julian. The Jeep doesn’t have GPS. You can’t be traced, and I’ll know if you try. I have planned this very carefully. There’s no way out. You have twenty minutes. If you’re a second late, I’ll slit her throat.”
Julian knew the café. He’d had lunch with Jackson there the day before. It was less than a block away. He could make it in under a minute if he ran. He would have to in order to get away from Finn and Leo. The time limit was there to ensure he didn’t make any side trips. Of course, he could always call.
“Now drop the phone. My sister is watching. She’ll tell me if you make a wrong move. Poor thing. She’s always been a bit sad. Don’t blame her, though. I kidnapped her cat. It’s the only thing she’s had to love since her husband died. Whatever you do, don’t tell her I already killed the fucking thing. Your twenty minutes starts now.”
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