by Lexi Blake
A little smile tugged her lips up, and her eyes nearly slid away from his for a second. The minute she’d heard the command in his voice, her hands had turned palms up on her thighs. If they had been alone, she likely would have sank to her knees. Sub. Very well trained. Too many coincidences were racking up. “I didn’t copy it myself. I followed him for almost a month until he finally went to a bank. He was moving around a lot of money and they made a copy of his passport. Honestly, he probably dumped this ID after that, but I needed to prove to you that I’m serious.”
“You broke into the bank?”
She shook her head. “Oh, I totally could have, but I didn’t have to. Also, the bank gets freaky about records and they would have contacted him if they thought his records had been compromised.”
“Then how?”
“I dressed up as the copy repair person. The manager was all like, what? But then I let him get a glimpse of cleavage and a fake work order and I was totally in. All I had to do was copy the hard drive and I had what I needed. Oh, and I fixed that little wheel that was squeaking and causing all the paper jams. It just needed some WD-40.”
She could really talk a mile a minute. Not everything she was saying made sense to him. “Copy machines have hard drives?”
“Oh yes, and they are so totally helpful when you want to get information but you don’t want anyone to know you have it. Really, it’s awesome. So the hard drive on a copy machine actually takes a picture of everything the copy machine scans.” A look of satisfaction came over her face, like a cat who had licked up all the cream. She was submissive, but she would likely be a merciless brat from time to time. “Do you know the kind of information on copy machines? Records of all kinds. Medical records. Banking records. Prison records. Military information. All that lovely information and all I need to get it is a thumb drive. That’s power for you. No one ever thinks about the fact that a copy machine is really a computer.”
There was far more to the woman in front of him than a cute smile. “Are you really a reporter?”
He had to ask because she was starting to sound more like a supervillain. He had to admit she would be even more effective than that fucker Eli Nelson because very few people would suspect the curvy redhead had a brain in her head unless she wanted a person to know it.
She reached into her bag and pulled out a set of credentials. “Here you go. This is my real name. Kristen White. I’m going by Priest for my undercover, but I’ve discovered it’s better to not screw with my first name. It would look awfully silly if I didn’t answer. Feel free to look me up. I’m freelance, but I’ve worked all over the world. I’ve had articles in everything from The New York Times to National Geographic. I picked up on Evans while I was working on a story about jihadist infiltrations into Mexico and South America. I read up on his case and thought it would be an interesting story. Two years later and I’m still following him.”
“You’ve been following him full time for two years?”
She shook her head. “No, I’ve been researching when I had time, but six months ago I got a lead I couldn’t pass up. I’m a little obsessed, you see. When I figured out I was in the right place, I decided to reach out to you.”
“Why me? I’m not with the FBI anymore.” But his old partner still was. Warren Petty was in charge of a whole unit now. He’d moved right into the place Alex had left behind and continued on the career path. “Special Agent Petty is in charge of the case now. I’m just a civilian.”
The thought didn’t rankle the way it used to. He had come to a point where he could deal with his new career. The money was damn good and he wasn’t held back by bureaucratic crap, so he could actually do some good, too. And when it came to resources, he would put Ian up against just about anyone, including the US government, but if he was Kristen White he would want FBI contacts.
“No. You’re the man I want to talk to,” she replied with an amount of gravity he was surprised to see in her. “You’re the one who’ll stick with me. Special Agent Petty has other cases, but I suspect you’ll focus all your attention on this one. Besides, you can work in a way the feds can’t. Bureaucracy moves slowly. We need to be fluid.”
All very good points. He couldn’t argue with her logic. “How much do you know?”
“I know Evans went after your wife. I’m sorry about that. There wasn’t much press coverage, but I can read between the lines. Evans used her as a trophy to lord over you. I can only imagine how he would have degraded her. I want to help you, Alex. I know what it’s like to have someone you love used cruelly. My own marriage fell apart because someone needed to use my husband. I wasn’t in a position then to help him. I had to watch it all happen, so I know where you are and I want to help.”
She sounded so damn sincere, but he needed to take a step back. She was too good to be true. “I need to check out your credentials.”
She sat back. “All right, but why don’t I tell you what I need so you can make an informed decision. I’ll be waiting for the next twenty-four hours and then I’ll have to find someone else.”
“Someone else?”
“Yes. I need backup, and I’ve figured out a way to bring another person into the inner circle. I’ve worked for months to get into a place where they trust me enough that I can bring someone else in.”
“They?”
“I’m working at a club run by a man named Chazz Breyer.”
That name rang a bell. “He was in prison with Evans for six months. He was Evans’ cellmate. He did time for armed robbery. Five years.”
“Yes. And he’s running a club now. I believe it’s a club that launders the money from Evans’ drug-dealing business. He’s been running drugs all over the Southern US, and he’s busy amassing a fortune. I’ve estimated what he’s made at somewhere in the hundred million vicinity. Even if he’s kicking most of it back to his South American connections, he’s still got some serious bank going. What do you think he’s going to use that money for? He’s planning something. I know it.”
Evans had killed plenty of people with the chump change he’d made before. What could he do with serious connections and millions of dollars? “What’s your plan?”
“From what I’ve been able to figure out, there’s a network of these clubs across the US, each one keeping the business small so they don’t attract too much attention from the authorities, but when you put them together, they’re significant. Evans visits from time to time to pick up money or information or to just keep everyone in line. I’ve been working at Cuffs for six months and Chazz trusts me.”
“Cuffs?” Alex felt his blood pressure tick up a notch.
“It’s a nightclub with a fetish theme. They all are.” She started to reach for his hand and then pulled back. “I believe it’s another way of him insulting you. You were his greatest nemesis.”
The motherfucker. “Evans found out about my lifestyle. He paid some people at the club my wife and I went to in Virginia. He used it against her.”
“He likes to hold a grudge. I’m sorry. Should I not have brought you into this?”
He shook it off. Evans would want to desecrate anything that was sacred to Alex, and staying away from him wouldn’t change that. “No. I want in. You’re working for him?”
“I’m tending bar, but I convinced Chazz that what he needs is a Dom in Residence. He doesn’t really understand the whole lifestyle thing. I took him to an actual club in Miami and showed him how they run. He wants someone to come in and run scenes, for entertainment. I’ve convinced him that this is the way to get the big boss to notice him. He’s got some contacts coming next week and he wants to run the idea by them. He’s trying to move up in the organization. From what I understand, all of the men are somewhat curious about the lifestyle. A person who could give them information would likely be quite popular.”
“I’m not going to counsel a bunch of tourists. Especially drug dealing, very likely terrorist tourists.”
“Just run some hot scenes and give
the crowd something to talk about.”
Her plan fell into place. “I’m the new Dom in Residence.”
“You’re also my brother,” she said with a grin. “I’m bringing you back with me from Austin. I have all the information for your cover on a thumb drive if you’re interested. And I told them you would bring your own sub. I thought that would make it easier. The more people we can bring in, the safer we’re all going to be.”
Who the hell would he take in as a sub? “Why didn’t you just say I was your old Dom? That would have been simpler.”
Her face screwed into a mask of horror. “Oh, no. You’re going to be expected to have sex with your sub. I can’t have sex with you. That’s just horrible.”
He wasn’t that bad looking. Not that he would have sex with her. “I’m not exactly chopped liver.”
“They think I’m a sweet little lesbian. It was easier that way. Until I met a Domme. She was scary and very aggressive, so now I’m a celibate lesbian because my lover died in a car crash and I can’t get over her.”
That didn’t seem fair. “So you don’t have to have sex, but I do? That’s nice for you.”
She shrugged. “Hey, what can I say? I’m saving myself for someone special. Come on. I’ve done my research on you. You’ve been a Dom for over a decade. You can handle it. And you regularly attend a club called Sanctum. Very private. Very selective.”
“Yes, my partner Ian Taggart and I founded the club when we moved here and started our company. We’re serious lifestylers. The idea of a bunch of tourists playing at D/s in a bar scares the shit out of me.”
Kristen seemed tenacious. “This is the best way to get you in and you know it. Chazz doesn’t need a new bouncer. He needs something different. None of the other clubs have tried this. It’s going to get Evans’s attention. Come on, Alex, you know you want to.”
Alex shook his head. “I don’t know that I’ll be willing to do this. I need to take a look at your research.”
“Of course, you’re careful. But in the end you’ll come back to Florida with me.” She sat back, her smile that of a woman who knew the outcome was certain.
“Florida?”
“St. Augustine to be precise. We’re set up in the Old City. You’ll like it. I’ve got a nice-sized condo in Palm Coast that will function as our base. I’ve been staying in a craptastic apartment in order to look like I need a bartending job, but I can sell you as a wealthy man who just enjoys his kink. But you really do need to bring a sub with you, preferably someone trained in both investigative techniques and the lifestyle. There are a lot of people in and out of that club, and they’re a bit on the scary side. I would be happy to have a couple of people watching my back.”
He was not going there. He was not taking her with him. Fuck no. “I’ll see what I can do, but it might be hard to find a sub who meets your demands.”
She frowned and then looked at him as though she was trying to figure him out. “You work with her every day, Alex. I don’t know that this can happen without your ex-wife.”
He stood up. “Then we’re done here. If I can’t come up with someone and I can’t go in alone, then the whole op is off.”
She held up her hands in supplication. “Whoa, there, big guy. Let’s not jump to conclusions. Take a look at the research and my plan and then make a decision.” She reached into her big bag and pulled out a thumb drive. “Here it is. I’ll be in town all weekend. I would love to bring you back to St. Augustine with me. I promised Chazz I would try to fill the empty positions. He trusts me, but if I don’t he’ll do it himself and I’ll lose out on the chance to put my own people into place.”
She picked up her sandwich and dropped what was left in the trash before shoving her book into her bag. “I sincerely hope you’ll reconsider. I think Evans is going to move soon, and I don’t know that I can do it alone.”
“Why not bring the feds in?” It was the only thing that made sense. If she really had all the information she said she had, then they would be all over the case.
She was quiet for a moment, as though trying to decide just how much to say to him. “The minute we bring the feds in, we lose control of everything. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve studied all their case files. I have them back at my place.”
“Those files are confidential.” And wasn’t it interesting that she had them?
Kristen grinned and shrugged a little. “Nothing is confidential if you have the right skills. I need those files. They’re important. I keep studying them because they might tell me what Evans is planning next. I also worry that Evans maybe had someone on the inside. Maybe at the prison, but I can’t discount that he might have had someone in the government, too. His prison break had to be expertly timed.”
His brain rejected the notion immediately. Evans was smart. He could have handled everything on his own. He had a legion of crazy minions willing to do just about anything to please him. He could have talked to other prisoners. One of them could have known about the routine maintenance.
“Think about it,” Kristen said with a grim nod of her head. “Call the feds if you like, but I have zero use for them. They’ll just muddy things up and then I won’t get a story out of this. You caught him once without their help.”
It had been a little more complex than that. “I still had access to the case files and the databases. I don’t anymore.”
She winked. “Then aren’t you lucky you have me? You can reach me at the e-mail address I gave you.”
“Why can’t I just call you?”
She wagged a finger at him. “No, no. This girl doesn’t just give out her number to any guy who comes along. It’s best we keep things nice and easy until you decide if you’re in or you’re out. And even then, I don’t want to meet with anyone but you and your sub. I don’t want to be exposed to the rest of your team. I understand you’ll bring backup with you, but they’re yours, not mine, and I can’t risk getting in close contact with them. This is a dangerous story I’m working on.”
“All right, but it would help if you would come in and meet the team. You don’t have to be involved once we get there, but they would feel better meeting you.”
“I’m not here to make your guys feel better. No contact with anyone who isn’t working in the club. That’s a deal breaker.” She nodded and started to walk off before turning back abruptly. “I’m going to be waiting for that e-mail, McKay. And in the meantime, I’ll try to find the last member of the team. Cuffs is down a cook. I don’t guess you know anyone who can play chef? Chazz is trying to spruce up the kitchen staff. The last guy barely knew how to work a fryer. I think it would be great to have someone in the kitchen. Those guys love to talk.”
Alex felt a smile slide across his face. Oh, he would feel so much better with that backup. Little Tag was retired from active duty, but he bet Sean would come back for a brief reappearance. “Yeah, if I go in I think I can work something out for you.”
She gave him a thumbs-up, and he watched her walk away, her hips swaying. She was a complete enigma. If he had to guess just from looking at her, he would say she was likely married with a couple of kids and a career doing something that involved service to the people around her. The minute she opened her mouth, he was pretty sure she was capable of taking over the world and not batting an eyelash. She bought a cake pop from the vendor and winked as she disappeared from sight.
And he was left with a problem. Could he trust her? Did it matter? He was so hungry to go after Evans, he might not care if she was trustworthy or not.
“She’s very attractive,” a clipped British voice said from behind him.
Damn it. Simon was better than Alex had given him credit for. He hadn’t gotten even a hint that he was being followed. “How long?”
Simon straightened his tie. He normally stood out when he was in one of his suits, but here he just looked like he was taking a break from work. “Have I been following you? Since you left the office. Don’t worry. Jake and Adam finally gave up and went
to lunch. They were right where you told them to be. Such good lads. Not me. I know a desperate man when I see one. I also know your tell. I’ve only played poker with you three times, but you tap your left hand when you’re bluffing. You slapped your leg when you told Ian where you were going. I was watching through the glass.”
Alex turned to him. “And you decided to follow me why?”
“You need backup. You’re far too close to this. What did she offer you? A way into Evans’s inner circle?”
“Not exactly, and I would never be allowed into his inner circle. He knows me. But I might be able to work at the outer edges of his organization. And the minute I see him, I’ll kill him, so it’s all cool.”
Alex started to walk toward Neiman Marcus.
Simon followed along. “You can’t be thinking of actually doing this. You’re too close to this case. If you need to send someone in, I’ll do it.”
There were several things wrong with that scenario, including the fact that Simon taking over his responsibilities made him want to punch something. He decided to go with the most obvious, least emotional reason. “The job is for a Dom in Residence. You don’t even have Master Rights at Sanctum yet.”
Simon shrugged as he walked. Somehow the Brit made the gesture look elegant. Alex didn’t miss how every woman they passed stopped and stared at Simon. If the job had called for a manwhore, Simon would have been perfect. As far as Alex could tell, the Brit had a different woman every night of the week. “Ryan passed me on the primary courses. I haven’t passed Ian’s ropes tests. I’ve been practicing on that little sub, what’s her name? Sonya? Sasha?”
“Sondra,” Alex corrected. Sondra was a nice young woman in nursing school. Simon had been sleeping with her off and on for weeks, but he couldn’t remember her fucking name. Yeah, that was classy.
Simon snapped his fingers as though the name had fallen into place. “Right. Sondra. I’ll pass next week. I’ll be fine. I’m new to the lifestyle, but I rather enjoy it. I like being in control for a bloody change.”