by Jenna Jacob
“But I don’t want anymore. I’ve tried so hard to shove the night George died aside.”
Tony leisurely threaded his fingers through my hair. “So this trigger I hit did it have something to with George?”
“Yes.”
“We’ll talk about the details, later. But I think you trying to ignore, rather than deal with the memories, is why you reacted the way you did.”
“I don’t want to dwell on it. I’ve got so many conflicted emotions when it comes to him. I don’t know if I can sort it all out.” Admitting my failure felt easy, tucked in his steely arms.
“Don’t let it overwhelm you. We’ll work through them together. I’m not going to leave you like George did.”
“You can’t promise that,” I refuted on a shaky breath. “No one gets out alive.”
“That’s true, but I plan on being around for a long, long time,” Tony assured. Easing back slightly, a sly grin lit up his face. “Someone’s got to keep you in line.”
Interrupted by the muffled ring of Tony’s cell phone, he slowly released me and stood.
“What’s up?” he asked into the device as he stepped toward the foot of the bed. Resting the phone against his shoulder, he untied my feet. “Hang on; let me ask her.”
Sliding my legs together, I felt my brows wrinkle in question.
“James is on the phone. He’s running the camera board in Mika’s office. Did you call an on-site mechanic to work on your car?”
“A what?” I blinked. “No. Is someone messing with my car?”
“No. She didn’t,” Tony barked into the phone. His body tensed. “Call it in. Let me get someone to stay with Leagh, and I’ll meet you at the back door in five. You’re armed right? Good. See you in a few.”
Ending the call, Tony shoved the phone into his jeans pocket. Worry lined his face as he scrubbed a hand through his ebony hair.
“What’s going on?” I demanded, fear rising inside.
“James said a tow truck pull into the back lot a few minutes ago. Some guy is working under the hood of your car with a flashlight. We’re going to go see what that clown’s up to, but I want you to stay here.”
A different sort of panic stormed through me. Had Matt finally found me or was Hayden attempting to make good on her threat? Neither scenario made sense. It had been weeks since our clash in Reed’s office, surely Hayden had cooled off by now. And Matt wouldn’t dick with my car. He’d just put a bullet in my head; quick and clean. My imagination ran wild. Maybe it was just a mix-up, and the guy was working on the wrong car. If not, Matt or Hayden had orchestrated some nefarious plot, and Tony would be in danger.
“No!” I cried, fearing for his safety. “Don’t go out there. Let the police handle it.”
Tony plucked my robe from the chair and helped me slip it on. “Sweetheart, that guy might be long gone before the police arrive. James is just going to flash his badge and we’re going to ask some questions. That’s all that’s going to happen. Relax.” Cupping my chin, he raised my head bestowing a reassuring gaze. “Don’t worry. I’ll be right back.”
Before I could open my mouth to argue, Tony stepped to the door. When he jerked it open, Drake’s big body stood in the portal concern etched over the big man’s face.
“Need some help?” the big Dom offered.
“Thanks. Hell, I’m not even sure what we’re walking into. But I need someone to guard Leagh’s door until we find out what that fuck-knuckle’s up to.” Tony’s voice resonated an icy edge.
“You got it. Nick and Dylan just walked in. I’ll get them back here and up to speed.”
“Thanks, man. See if Savannah can come inside and stay with Leagh.”
“Will do.” Drake nodded before he dashed down the hall.
“Tony?” My voice quivered.
As he turned, I could see anger clouding his coffee colored eyes. The reassuring smile he flashed my way failed miserably. “You’ll be safe and sound. Just sit tight until I come back. Okay?”
“Wait. Don’t you think you big bad Doms are overreacting a little?”
“You tell me. I’m floundering in the dark here,” he replied. A hint of confrontation laced his words. “Until I find out who you’re hiding from and why, I’m not taking any chances with your safety.”
Guilt and fear left an acrid taste in my mouth. Tony deserved the truth, and I knew it. But it wasn’t the time or the place. A flurry of commotion outside my door drew my attention. Savannah rushed in, her brown doe eyes wide with concern. Climbing onto the bed, she hugged me tight.
“We’ll be right outside the door if you need us, kitten,” Dylan vowed. There was no hint of his dashing dimple, but a reassuring promise laced his voice.
“Don’t worry, precious; no one’s going to get past us. You two kick back and try to relax,” Nick pledged.
“We will, Sirs.” Savannah forced a smile.
“Thanks, guys.” Tony issued a grim nod. Glancing over his shoulder he issued me a look of warning. “Don’t leave this room.”
The door closed behind him with an eerie click.
“Leagh, what the hell is going on?” Savannah gasped before nibbling her bottom lip.
“I don’t know. Obviously the guy out there’s made a mistake.” It’s what I wanted to believe.
“For his sake let’s hope so,” Savannah replied. “Poor guy’s probably going to crap his pants when Tony, James, and Drake confront him. I sure wouldn’t want to be in his shoes.”
I managed a tight smile as I tried to convince myself it was an innocent blunder. But my woman’s intuition screamed otherwise.
“Why would someone want to mess with your car? You know; don’t you?” Savannah’s keen gaze bore into me. “I won’t breathe a word. If my sister Mellie was here, she’d tell you… I keep secrets like Fort Knox.”
I couldn’t tell her about Matt so I took a deep breath and relayed my suspicions about Hayden. Savannah took it all in stride, but I could see in her eyes she was doubly worried.
“I hate having to sit here and wait. I should be out there asking him questions, but I’m too scared. Dammit, why do I have to be such a wimp?”
“Wimp?” She snorted. “Leagh, you’re one of the strongest women I know. You’re a damn rock in comparison to me and every other sub in this place. Hell, you’ve got more backbone than that big ol’ T-Rex at the Field Museum.”
Her scolding brought a smile to my face. I reached out and hugged her tight. “You do wonders for my self-esteem, sis. Thank you.”
“I’m not saying that to pump you up, Leagh. It’s the truth.” She nodded with conviction after pulling back. “Everyone here loves you. No way Hayden will ever lay a finger on you, not with us around.”
Long minutes later the door opened, and Tony stepped inside. His expression was grim and his eyes were wild.
“What happened?” I swallowed tight and held my breath.
“As soon as we ran out the back door he dropped a screwdriver and took off in his truck. He got away but not before James got a license number. The cops just got here. They’re tracing the plates, and James is running interference for you and answering their questions.” I could feel a tremendous rage pouring off Tony.
Undaunted by his intimidating anger, I had to know if it was Matt. “What did he look like?”
“Short, about five foot-five. Black hair. Beady little eyes. A couple days growth on his face. He looked dirty and mangy. Who the fuck was he, Leagh? And what’s he holding over your head?”
I blinked as my mouth gaped open. I had no clue who Tony was talking about. Matt was tall with thinning blonde hair and blue eyes, the polar opposite of the man Tony had described.
“I…I don’t know,” I stammered.
“Goddamnit, Leagh. Tell me the truth,” Tony bellowed.
Raising my chin I squared my shoulders. Just because I was at a postural disadvantage, I wasn’t going to give him the upper hand especially when I was being honest.
“I am telling the truth,” I hissed. �
�I don’t know a man by that description. And I have no idea why someone would be messing with my car.”
“Let’s try this again,” Tony snarled as he prowled toward the bed. “You weren’t born and raised in Chicago. You’ve probably spent hours trying to get rid of that southern accent, but it’s still there… in your voice. Where are you from originally?”
“Atlanta.”
“Why did you come to Chicago?”
“I like the snow,” I quipped sarcastically.
“Oh boy, I think it’s time for me to leave,” Savannah squeaked casting a wary glance my way.
Tony exhaled a deep sigh and closed his eyes. Nodding, he sucked in a ragged breath before escorting Savannah out the door and back to the waiting arms of her Masters.
Lucky girl. She gets to escape.
“Thanks all for your help,” Tony conveyed before he closed the door.
“Are you going to continue this little inquisition?”
“Indeed, I am, unless you want to safeword out. In which case, I’ll gather my stuff and go back to my room.” Stalking back to the bed, he cupped my face in his hands. “Open up and trust me. Just once, take a goddamn chance. How much longer do I need to prove myself to you? Maybe if you told me why it’s so hard for you to trust, I might understand why you’re deaf, dumb, and blind about how much I love you.”
Tony spat the words as if they’d been laced with poison. But that didn’t stop my world from titling on its axis. He loved me? How? When? Why?
“You can’t love me,” I choked in disbelief. “You don’t even know me.”
Tony launched a humorless laugh. “I know you better than you know yourself, angel. Nearly everyone in this club knows how I feel about you…everyone except you. Tell me what I want to know. We’re not leaving this room until I have some answers.”
It had been much easier side-stepping Savannah’s questions. He already knew about Hayden’s threats. No way would I be able to pacify him with half truths about Matt. But telling Tony the whole story…he might easily change his mind about me. On one hand, it might be a good thing. We were worlds apart in regard to the lifestyle. But on the other, it would be devastating. I didn’t want to lose him.
Tony studied me for a long moment then sat down on the bed beside me. “You really don’t know who that dude was, do you?”
“No!” I replied adamantly.
“Why do I get the feeling you were expecting me to describe someone else. You were weren’t you?”
“Yes,” I mumbled with a heavy sigh.
“Who is it, Leagh? Who are you hiding from?”
“A man named Matthew Price,” Pausing, I sucked in a deep breath and closed my eyes. “I think he wants me dead.”
Cringing, I readied myself for Tony’s explosion or implosion, or some other combustible caveman reaction. After deathly quiet moments passed, I gathered my courage and peeked up beneath my lashes. The expression on his face was a combination of disbelief, confusion, and indisputable rage.
“Who is he, and why does he want you dead?”
Oh, how was I going to explain all this to him? “He and my dad grew up together. They were like brothers. He was like an Uncle to me. I trusted him.”
“Matt is the reason for the restraining order?”
“Yes.” Guarding my responses, I nodded.
“Does he know where you are?” Tony asked. I could almost see the wheels turning in his head.
“No. George had the papers drawn up as a safety precaution,” I explained.
“Help me out here, angel. A trusted family friend wants to kill you? Why?”
“I can’t tell you,” I mumbled, casting my eyes to the silk fabric of my robe.
“Can’t or won’t?”
“Both. If he finds me, he’ll find any and everyone who knows his secret. I won’t have your blood on my hands, Tony.”
“You think Matt is going to kill me if I know his secret?”
“He will,” I declared.
“Start at the beginning and tell me the whole fucking story.” Tony’s icy edict chilled me to the bone. “If and when the time comes, I’ll deal with the prick. Tell me what happened in Atlanta, angel?”
I closed my eyes. I couldn’t bear to see Tony’s reaction when I revealed my ugly sins. Suddenly, it all came rushing back in a huge wave of regret.
“I was seventeen, three months until I graduated high school. I went to a party with a girlfriend at some guy’s house. I didn’t know him, but her older brother did. Anyway, there was alcohol and pot and tons of people. I wanted to act like I was all grown up, so I had some drinks, smoked some weed, and got pretty wasted. This really hot guy had been watching me all night. He had stunning blue eyes and a sexy, lazy smile. He waited until I was blasted before he introduced himself. His name was Craig Walters. He was twenty-six and a broker for a big investment firm in Atlanta. He got me another drink and invited me outside to look at the stars. He led me to the side of the house where it was nice and dark. I remember it was really quiet out there; I couldn’t even hear the music from inside.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat as a tear slipped down my cheek.
“He raped you,” Tony whispered softly as he swiped the tear away.
I nodded, thankful I didn’t have to utter the vile word. “He didn’t use a condom, and I got pregnant.”
“Nathan?”
A mournful sob slid from my throat, and more tears spilled over my cheeks. I nodded once again and Tony wrapped me in his arms, holding me tight until I could go on.
“My folks were devout Southern Baptist. My mom taught Sunday school, sang in the choir, and led prayer groups three times a week. My dad was a Deacon and mentored disadvantaged kids. When they found out, they went ballistic. I thought my dad was going to stroke out, he was so pissed. My mom just cried…God, she cried so hard. My dad called me horrible names. He was more worried about being shunned by people at the church than he was about me. Both my parents decided they weren’t going to let a whore and her bastard child live under their roof, so my dad hauled me to my room, packed a bag and tossed it out on the lawn before shoving me out the door.”
“Jesus, baby,” Tony groaned. “Where did you go?”
“I called Matt from a gas station down the street. I wanted him to talk to my dad and try to reason with him. But he said no. He told me that once my dad made up his mind, there was no way to change it. So he picked me up and took me to his house. He took care of me.”
“He supported you, financially?”
“Yes. After Nathan was delivered, Matt paid for a burial plot and made the arrangements for me.”
“What did you do for him?”
The innuendo in Tony’s question wounded. I raised my head and stared at him. “I can’t believe you just asked that.”
“I’m sorry, angel, but… you seem to have a penchant for older men.”
“It wasn’t like that,” I hissed. “I never slept with him. For crying out loud, he was my father’s best friend…well, they were before I fucked it up. When my dad found out that Matt had taken me in, they never talked again.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. Please go on.”
“Matt had money. Lots and lots of money, but I never knew what he did for a living. I was young and naïve, and growing up in such a sheltered environment, I just assumed he was the CEO of some conglomerate. He dressed impeccably and always looked like the quintessential businessman. After Nathan was laid to rest, Matt took me to dinner and asked what I planned to do with my life. When I confessed I had no clue, he offered me an enormous salary and asked if I wanted to work for him. I was so stupid. I didn’t even ask what the job was. I just leapt at the obscene amount of money he’d offered, which of course I didn’t actually receive, because he insisted on investing it for me.” A bitter chuckle escaped my throat. “At first, he taught me a bunch of different computer programs and eventually introduced me to the wonderful world of off shore banking and how to transfer money to his account
s all over the world. The man had billions of dollars.”
“Let me guess, not a single penny of it was legal?”
“No.”
“How did you find out?” Tony asked.
“I’d been working for him for about two years when something happened in the Cayman’s. I’m not entirely sure what, but it caused a ripple effect through the Caribbean, South America, all the way to Russia. From bits and pieces of conversations I’d overheard, I suspected he was in involved with guns and drug cartels, maybe more.”
“Are you sure he’s even still alive? People in those circles don’t usually have a very long lifespan.”
“I don’t know. I’ve never tried to find out. I didn’t want to raise any flags.”
“Smart move, sweetheart,” Tony agreed. “You told George about this?”
“Yes.”
“Didn’t he try to have Matt arrested?”
“He wanted to, but I begged him not to. George assured me he had friends in high places, but I feared Matt’s power and influence was much greater than George’s. Matt often boasted about the friends he had in our government. I didn’t want George to scratch even the surface of that hornet’s nest.”
“Okay, couple of questions. How did George file the restraining order with Matt’s name on it without raising a flag, as you call it?”
“He told me he had it sealed. Reed’s the only other person, besides you, that knows whose name is on it.”
“Okay. So Matt’s hooked up with bad guys. What happened that made him turn on you?”
“I figured he was involved in drugs and guns, but I didn’t think he was dangerous. On a phone call, I overheard Matt saying that the guy who’d screwed things up in the Cayman’s was dead. But I didn’t want to think that he had anything to do with it. I wanted to believe he was innocent. Anyway, a few days later, a man from the Justice Department came to the house. Matt sent me upstairs to my room, but I sat on the landing, listening. He tried to bribe the guy, but he wouldn’t bite. He threatened to freeze all of Matt’s assets and bring in the FBI to confiscate his computers, bank records, the whole nine yards. I heard the man mention subpoenas, and I think he started to make a phone call. That’s when I heard a gunshot. Matt killed the guy. Killed him dead, on the entryway carpet.”