Spenser laughed. “I imagine so.”
“So how the hell have you been?” Baron asked, seemingly ready to kick back and talk for hours.
Spenser smirked. “Is this the way you want to play it?”
“What’s that?”
“Sit around and chit chat, pretend you aren’t moving in on our girl—that you’ve always been there—and just act like everything is okay?”
“Isn’t it?”
Spenser grunted. “If I didn’t love ya like a brother, it wouldn’t have been. Fact is, Mark and I have known since the day we first introduced the two of you. Hell, maybe I even suspected before then. We knew Patience’s type. We realized she’d be alone a lot.”
“And you wanted me to be the fall guy?”
“How’s that exactly?”
“The one she’d run to when you weren’t around, the one who would protect her when she was dodging bullets, the one who would sleep on her couch when the McKays and Cartwells pissed off another dangerous beast, that sort of fall guy.”
“Sounds like you enjoy your job,” Spenser pointed out. “So tell me something. How bad is this latest threat?”
“Best guess? I think the McKays put their noses where they didn’t belong and now they have trouble coming at them from all sides. Someone could get hurt.”
“Care to elaborate?”
“Joshua and Aspen have a security team on their way here now. Patrick added another team behind their backs. They’re already here. They’re retired snipers. We’ll never see them.”
“Perfect. So when I feel like someone is watching us, they really are?” Spenser asked.
“Something like that,” Baron replied. “But they’re necessary.”
“I don’t doubt it. McKays and Cartwells might as well be blood. If someone in one family is tied up in something dangerous, the whole lot of them are in it.”
“Don’t I know it,” Baron mumbled. He then looked Spenser square in the eye and added, “This is different, Spenser. Kane has been protecting Alberto Baldini’s daughters. They’ll shake off one threat and along comes another. These guys aren’t stopping because Baldini stole millions from the five families and the outfit out of Chicago. His heist—if that’s what you want to call it—apparently involved some overseas operations, too.”
“How the hell did he pull that off?”
“No one knows the details or if they do, they aren’t talking. Kane still protects Alberto and for the life of me, I can’t figure out why.”
“And why is Patience mixed up in this now? Is it because her dads helped Kane?”
“Oh, they didn’t just lend a hand, man. They called in favors from the very gutters of the city. Joshua had connections down South and he called those in as well. He might as well have summoned an outright war.”
“What the hell was he thinking?” Spenser stood and paced. He and Mark had security, bodyguards and such, but their guys were there for show, to push the groupies back so they didn’t get flogged or palmed or whatever. They weren’t prepared to take on the mob. “Our guys aren’t trained for something like this.”
“That’s why the McKays called in their own security team.”
“Do you think it’s safe for her to be here?” Spenser asked.
Baron glanced to his right, likely seeing a hell of a show by now. In a low voice he said, “She isn’t safe anywhere. Kane and Peyton keep a close eye on Nory. When they can’t, Clink’s security is beefed up and they call in extra guys to work.”
“Nory hangs out at the club?”
“She stops there after school when the Cartwells are tied up loading cattle. She does her homework there at the bar and generally they have three or four extra staff members nearby just babysitting.”
“Shit, I didn’t realize it was that bad.”
“They didn’t just antagonize a lion here, Spenser. They jumped into his den and yanked out the whips to beat him down. Now, my guess is, these guys are coming forward with sharpened claws and plenty of help to retaliate.”
“What about Cartwell’s daughters and grandchildren?”
“Again, just a guess here, but Patience was probably the first of many. It’s only a matter of time before the rest of them are targets.”
“Shit.”
Right about then, the noise from the bedroom became a little too enticing to ignore. Spenser and Baron turned to look that way and then smirked at one another.
“I’d love to sit around and catch up but we have a lovely lady waiting on us in the back and my brother isn’t a patient man.”
Baron seemed uneasy then. To devil him, Spenser left his chair and took a few steps down the hall. He tossed aside his cowboy hat, leaving it on the built-in bunks in passing. At the master bedroom door, he turned. “You coming or not?”
“Is that invitation coming from you or for her?”
“What’s the difference?”
“Am I welcome to join or tolerated because that’s what she wants?”
“If you start overanalyzing this, you’re gonna find yourself locked out and missing out.”
Baron hesitated and Spenser realized why. “You really haven’t spent that much time with her.”
“I’ve spent plenty of time with her, but today was the first day I’ve taken full advantage of opportunity.”
“How far did you get?”
“You interrupted us today, but we’ve had our moments.”
Spenser checked the clock on the stove and verified they were late. He then nudged his foot against the door. “Mark, get out here.”
Baron grinned. “Now that’s what I call a friend.”
“Don’t get too used to it. We have a sound check and should’ve been on stage thirty minutes ago. After we finish, we’re coming back here for our woman. Now what you do with her between now and then is between you and Patience.”
Mark left Patience on the bed and thanks to the mirrors behind it, Baron and Spenser didn’t miss much. Every curve of Patience’s voluptuous body was visible.
“Damn, baby.” Spenser let out a whistle as soon as he saw his woman tied and bound to the bed. “Now that right there is a pretty sight.”
He was horny enough to slide right in between those shapely thighs and stroke the ever loving hell out of her, but when he finally settled in beside her, he wanted more than an eight-second ride. He went to Patience and left a gentle kiss on her forehead. He could only imagine the mix of emotions she must’ve been experiencing.
Spenser didn’t want her consumed by guilt. He and Mark had known this day was coming. “We’re the first act tonight, baby, so duty calls.”
The ball gag in her mouth didn’t budge a bit, but the headgear apparatus tilted with her nod. The minx bowed her body then as if to make him all the more aware of what he’d soon miss.
Spenser slapped her pussy and grinned. “You have no idea how much this hurts to leave you like this.” He winked. “Don’t go anywhere. We’ll be back soon.”
Mark returned long enough to say his goodbyes. He dragged his fingers up and down her hip and then leaned over to kiss her flat stomach. “You’d better be right here when we get back.” He pointed at Baron. “You behave.”
“No promises now.”
Spenser laughed. He still remembered those first few months with Patience. She was a wildcat in bed, a real challenge even for the best of men. She’d give Baron a run for his control.
Then again, Baron apparently had plenty of that. He’d proven himself a far better friend than Spenser might have been if the roles had been reversed.
Before he left the bus, Spenser turned and said, “Baron?”
He peered around the bedroom wall. “Yeah?”
“You wanted to know if you were welcomed or tolerated. I guess it’s a little of both. She wants you. We want her happy. You’re welcome because she loves you and we think of you like a brother.”
“But you’re tolerated because of both, too,” Mark added, grinning. “We probably won’t share her wi
th anyone else.”
“What about Drew?” Baron asked, frowning.
“Did he say something to you?” Spenser asked, nudging Mark with his elbow.
“He sure did,” Baron replied.
“And did anyone else hear him?” Spenser asked.
“Drew told Patience what was on his mind.”
Spenser pushed aside the rising fury realizing then that there was a right and wrong way to handle the Drew situation. He wasn’t sure he could do the right thing here, regardless of Drew’s feelings for Patience. For starters, he was young. He didn’t know what he wanted out of life. Plus, he was a hellion. He seemingly had a woman in every damn town. “One new addition in our bed is enough.”
“You won’t hear me complain.” Baron followed them to the door. “Got a key to get back in?”
Spenser flipped the lanyard around his neck. “If I lose it, I’ll just kick in the door.”
“Redneck,” Mark grumbled.
“Anxious as hell to get this one behind us.” Spenser didn’t know how he’d make it through the next hour or so. The thought of Baron and Patience fucking for the first time, well, he couldn’t focus on that because if he did, he wouldn’t do his job and nearly twenty-five thousand fans were expecting a good show. “You’re one lucky son-of-a-gun, Baron.”
Mark said, “If I were you, I wouldn’t keep her waiting.”
“I won’t.” Baron laughed. “Take your time, boys.”
* * * *
They had just reached the stage when their phones went berserk. Back-to-back texts arrived from Tristan—one of Ansley Cartwell’s husbands—and Joshua and Aspen McKay.
“Something is wrong at the club,” Mark said, reading over the brief texts. “Can you get us started here and let me give Joshua a call?”
Spenser held up his phone. “Can’t be good. Tristan said the club is closing for repairs.”
“Let me see what’s going on,” Mark said, throwing up his hand at their road crew. “I’ll be right back.”
Mark hurriedly left the area before the music started blaring through the speakers. He hopped in his sound guy’s truck and called Joshua. “Hello?”
“Mark? Is that you?”
“Yes, it’s me. What’s going on? Spenser and I received a bunch of texts. What happened at the club?”
“Is Spenser with you?” Joshua asked.
“No, we’re getting ready to go on in a few hours. What’s up?”
“The club was hit this afternoon.”
“What do ya mean by hit, exactly?” Mark asked.
“Windows were shot out and threats were made. Kellan Andrews injured one of the perpetrators. He’s in surgery now at County Hospital but it doesn’t look good.”
“Are you rootin’ for the guy for a reason?”
“We need him alive so the locals can question him.”
“I thought you knew or strongly suspected who was behind this.”
“We do now. Hank Sarsarone is the culprit.”
“But of course he is,” Mark said, pissed off. “You know I don’t butt in your business, Joshua. Never have. Spenser and I are busy enough as it is, but it’s a damn shame you and your brothers couldn’t let the Cartwells handle their own affairs. Kane made a decision to step into the middle of Baldini’s war. That should’ve been on Kane. Now, look what’s happened.”
“What happens to Cartwells, happens to McKays,” Joshua said.
“This was mob business. It wasn’t Kane’s place to meddle.”
“You’ve met Nory,” Joshua said. “Can you see her fending for herself? If Kane hadn’t stepped up, she would’ve been dead a long time ago and her sisters wouldn’t have fared much better.”
“There were other ways to handle this, Joshua. Now, the mob is coming to the club, and what?”
“Well since you asked, they were there to make a specific threat.”
“They were there to send a message.” Mark knew how thugs worked. A few years back, he and Spenser were hired for a private party and found themselves on a yacht performing for the five families. It was an unusual, eye-opening experience. The entire band swore they’d played their worst gig ever because they were too nervous to concentrate on their performance.
“They made their point.”
“What’s the message?” Mark asked.
“I don’t know the particulars but apparently the injured fellow made a threat that involved Nory. Basically if the mob returns to the club and Nory is there, they’ll expect whoever is working to hand her over.”
“So they’ll be back with more muscle.”
“That’s what Kane and I think, too.”
“Well, tell me something, Joshua. Does Kane have a solution? Now that he’s picked a fight with outright killers, what’s his plan?”
“We don’t have one,” Joshua admitted.
“No one you can call for favors?”
“Mark, listen, I get that you’re pissed off but—”
“Pissed off?” Mark clenched his fists. He rarely lost his cool but he was sick and tired of worrying about Patience’s safety. Every single day there was a threat over her head for one reason or another. “I’m mad as hell, Joshua. You should’ve known there would be consequences. Because you didn’t think things through, your daughter’s life is in danger. Vicky’s life is probably in danger, too, but you’re too arrogant to see it.”
“We live with Vicky. We can keep her safe. Can you keep Patience safe or not?”
“From what I understand, you already have some guys looking out for her here.”
“How’s your security there at the festival?”
“Average,” Mark replied. “We have bodyguards who keep the groupies from attacking us. They don’t pull weapons, Josh. They push back eighteen-year-old girls and tell them to keep their hands to themselves.”
“Should we pull Patience out of there?”
“Baron will stay with her. When we aren’t on stage, Spenser and I will make sure she’s safe. I’ll alert all heads of security here. If you have any images from Clink’s cameras, send them to Frank Lee. Do you have his number?”
“He’s head of your security, right?”
“Yes. Send him anything you have from the club’s surveillance. And Joshua?”
“What is it?”
“This mess you’ve caused better not have the kind of fallout that costs Patience her life or heads will roll, and I don’t mean those from the five families.”
“I understand you’re upset, Mark, but believe me. It wouldn’t have mattered if we had stayed out of this or not. Kane can’t keep an eye on Nory every waking hour and she sort of made Clink her after-school hangout. She goes there to do her homework and helps prep food when they need her. She enjoys being there.”
“She could’ve found a more suitable place to study. Ever heard of a library?”
“And what would’ve happened to her if she’d been in the library today? That damn Kellan wasn’t supposed to be packing but he was and he probably saved her life.”
“At least one bartender was smart enough to ignore your weapons policy. You make them ‘work at their own risk’ and describe what they could potentially face and then tell them they can’t carry and protect themselves?”
“I’ll have a talk with the girls about that. You’re right about the weapons policy. After today, it’s probably a good idea if they all have guns as long as they have permits.”
“Fuck the permits, Joshua. You guys have a real dilemma on your hands. If the bartenders aren’t prepared for anything and everything, we stand to lose those we care about most.”
“Just make sure Patience stays safe,” Joshua said.
“She’s safe. Baron is with her now. If anyone wants Patience, they’ll have to go through him and that won’t be as easy as it sounds.”
“I can only imagine.”
“Since you’re her father, I hope you can’t.”
Chapter Nine
Patience didn’t know what to think. Th
en again, maybe she wasn’t supposed to think. Perhaps all she really needed to do was simply feel.
She was strapped to the McCoy bed, bound and naked. Her fellas had rushed in like a summer storm, whipped around her every which way but loose, and then left her to wither away as if they’d never been there at all.
“Now where were we?” Baron entered the room, tugging his belt from his jeans. He folded the leather over and popped it against his hand.
Her body responded to the thawk-thwak. Her pussy clenched. Her nipples ached.
“I’m not much for ball gags unless they’re justifiable for punishment.” He unlatched the headgear and pulled the ball free from her lips. “Now that’s better.”
“Baron, it’s been a long time.” Her voice quivered almost as much as her insides. “I mean, I haven’t fucked in a long time.”
“And that’s supposed to deter me?” He grinned. “The fact that you haven’t been adequately screwed by another man is supposed to entice me to take you without foreplay or training?”
“Is that what you want to do? Train me?”
“I’m the one who will ask the questions.” He swatted his open palm with the belt again. “All things considered, it might have taken another six months or so before you and I would’ve ended up here.”
“No, that’s not true.” She pulled at the ties binding her to the poles next to the bed.
Baron circled the various bedside contraptions—the pulley system and posts surrounded the bed, joined together by a barre, more commonly used as a ballerina’s practice bar. “Did Spenser rig this up?”
“How’d you know?” She pulled herself forward, unable to go anywhere and aware of the strain on her midsection as she tried to relax.
“I grew up in the same neighborhood as the McCoy brothers. We used to build forts.”
“And dream of the day when you would become kings of those forts with a Cinderella-type trapped inside?”
Baron eased closer to the bed. He patted her pussy and swirled the tip of his finger around her opening. Lowering his lips to hers, he whispered, “Are you the Cinderella-type, Patience?”
“I think we both know the answer to that.”
Sex Fest [Cowboy Sex 8] (Siren Publishing LoveEdge) Page 9