Tammy smiled. “I hear you.”
Jake came to tear Tammy away. While Vicki should probably try to socialize with some of the more prominent members of Pleasure, she figured she’d take a little time to herself first. The back door opened and she spotted the man who’d taken Sanford’s photos, along with his wife, Robin. Since moving here from Miami, she’d started her own marketing firm and was doing quite well. Their eyes met and Robin smiled. They both headed toward each other and hugged.
Vicki held Robin out at arm’s length. “Let me take a look at you.”
“I’m as big as a house.”
“Being pregnant suits you.” Robin, too, was a larger girl, but she dressed well and was absolutely beautiful.
“Will your baby come in time for the Christmas holidays?”
“I hope so. So how did Sanford like the flyer layouts?”
“Loved them.”
“Great.”
Someone tapped a glass, and the crowd quieted. In the few minutes since she’d arrived, maybe thirty more people had shown up. Sanford moved in front of the fireplace.
“I want to thank all of you for coming. My goal as mayor is to make Pleasure a growing, thriving place. I know most of you are working hard to increase the population, and I support that effort.” He glanced at Robin and then Bella and winked.
He so didn’t say that. Everyone laughed and Sanford launched into his platform discussion. She snuck back to the food table for more of Chelsea’s stuffed mushrooms. The girl could cook.
The crowd clapped and she headed in to hear the question and answer session. She sidled up next to Tom Carnes, the town’s other deputy. Sanford was discussing the paved road issue when Tom’s phone beeped. He pulled out his cell and read the message. He looked over at her.
“Vicki, may I speak with you in the kitchen?”
“Sure.” His serious tone made her stomach tumble.
As soon as they were in relative quiet, he let her read the text. She couldn’t believe it. “Someone broke into the campaign office and knocked out Earl? Oh, my God.”
“I’m calling Justin now to get more details.”
This was terrible. Poor Earl. To think it was his birthday. Had he forgotten something at headquarters and interrupted a robbery? “Ask him how Earl is.”
He held up a finger, turned his back, and kept his voice low. When he swiveled around, he’d schooled his features. “We’d like you to see what was taken. Your back office was pretty messed up.”
Oh, my God. Their whole campaign lists were there. “Of course. And Earl?”
“He’s at the clinic. Tom said he first heard about it from Lydia. She’s on duty there tonight.”
She couldn’t ask Sanford to go check headquarters. “Let me tell Clint.”
He nodded. “What a terrible time for this to happen.”
She stilled. Maybe that was precisely why someone targeted headquarters tonight. They’d know that everyone involved would be here, but they couldn’t have known about Evelyn not feeling well or Earl having a dinner date.
She touched Clint’s arm.
“Hey, darlin’. My bro’s doing a bang-up job, isn’t he?” He studied her for a moment. “What’s wrong?”
She tugged on his sleeve for him to follow. He halted when he saw Tom. “What’s happening?”
Tom explained about the break-in and Earl’s beating.
“Holy shit. I’ll tell Clete that we’re going. No one else needs to know.”
“No. You stay with your brother. I don’t want Sanford tipped off. This is his night to shine.”
He kissed her forehead. “Don’t worry. Sanford is a big boy. He can handle something like this. Why don’t you and Tom go and check it out? I’ll be there shortly.”
She really hated to leave the party. For Clint to leave, too, would look bad, but it couldn’t be helped. “Okay.”
Vicki rushed over to Bella. “I have to leave.”
Bella’s brow pinched. “What’s wrong?”
“Someone broke into the campaign office. Tom wants me to see what’s been taken.”
“Dear Lord. That’s terrible. Let me get your jacket.” She rushed down the hall and came back with her coat. “Let me know how things turn out.”
“I will.”
Tom walked her to her car then trotted back to his cruiser. She let him pull out first. Following someone on these dark roads was easier than going first, especially since her heart hadn’t stopped racing. Too many questions bombarded her. What would be the purpose of breaking into headquarters? How was Earl involved? She hoped he could identify who’d done this.
It seemed to take forever to drive back to town. She jacked up the heat in her car, but even that didn’t help with the chills racing up her body. Downtown was mostly deserted, which made Justin’s flashing lights all the more prominent. She thought the use of the lights were overkill as headquarters was only fifty feet from the sheriff’s department.
She parked in front and jumped out.
Justin greeted her. “Sorry, Vicki. I know this is Sanford’s big night.” He handed her a pair of latex gloves. “Your fingerprints are probably over everything, but just to be safe, put these on.”
“I don’t mind.” The door pane was smashed, which was how the intruder or intruders must have gotten in. “Did Earl say who did this?”
“They wore masks.”
“They?”
“Two men. One was maybe five foot six and the other maybe five foot nine. Both were rather slim.”
Assuming Earl wasn’t mistaken, that eliminated Doug, who was close to six two and pudgy. When she’d rebuffed him tonight, he might have wanted to express his dissatisfaction. Breaking into campaign headquarters would be a good signal.
The door was unlocked and they stepped in.
“Be careful of the glass.” Tom shone his light on the floor, which was littered with shards.
Her eyes watered. She couldn’t fall apart now. He flicked on the overhead lights. Dear Lord in Heaven. Graffiti covered most of the posters. “This looks like kids were here.” Acid raced up her throat.
“That was my first thought.”
“You think it could be kids? Why would they do this?” If Megan Edgars had any children, she might think they’d been responsible.
“I don’t know. The office was hardest hit.”
As soon as she stepped in, her heart broke. “Oh, my God.”
“What?”
“My laptop is gone. It has everything on it.”
“Did you back up the information?”
She faced him. “Yes, both to an external drive and to the Cloud, but that information would be invaluable to the opposition.”
“We don’t know they’re involved.”
Her desk drawer sat ajar. She pulled it completely open. “No. No.”
“Vicki?”
“Our passwords to all of the computers are gone, as well as the bank routing numbers and account information.”
Her legs weakened, and Justin led her over to a chair. He turned to Tom. “Get her some water.”
“Don’t worry,” Justin said. “They can’t do anything at the bank until tomorrow anyway. You can call them first thing and put a stop on any transaction.”
“Assuming they don’t set up online banking.” Sanford didn’t need this bad publicity. If the donors thought their money had been stolen, they’d freak. “Can we keep this out of the papers?”
“I can try, but you know Pleasure. When they see the broken glass, they’ll know something is up.”
Not to mention the flashing lights would draw people out. The residents loved excitement of any kind. She remembered when Brooke’s storefront had been broken into and Brody Thomas had come to the rescue, opening his store and putting up plywood. Perhaps he could do the same for her. “Do you think you could ask Brody to bring over some plywood?” It wasn’t yet nine. “His store should be open.” She didn’t need anyone else wandering in.
“I’ll take care
of it,” Tom said.
Clint’s curses reached her before she saw him. He rushed in and slid to a stop. “Shit.”
“Tom is going to get it boarded up, but that won’t help with the rest of the mess.”
He faced his boss. “What do you need me to do?”
“Why don’t you and Vicki check on Earl? I’ll be here for another few hours processing the scene.”
That meant he’d need her away from here. She wanted to check on Earl anyway.
She faced Justin and waved a hand. “What about all this mess? I’ll need to clean it up.”
“Don’t worry about it. I know someone who specializes in this kind of thing.”
She remembered a few years back when someone broke into Lydia’s house and had trashed it. Justin had called a friend to clean up, and the woman had done an amazing job. “Thanks.”
Clint escorted her back outside. “I parked in back.”
Vicki pointed to her car. “Then I’ll drive.”
He held out his hand. “Give me the keys.”
She was about to protest, but he seemed more alert than she did. He opened her door for her that she hadn’t locked then jumped into the driver’s side.
“Don’t worry, darlin’, we’ll find who did this.”
She hoped he did so before the election. There was no telling what other damage they could do with her computer now that they had her password.
Chapter Sixteen
Vicki and Clint rushed into the Pleasure Health Clinic. To her delight Brittany, Brody Thomas’s wife, was coming out the door with a clipboard in her hand. Her lips pressed together until she spotted them. Then she smiled. “Be right with you.” She looked back at an elderly gentleman in the corner holding his arm. “Mr. Rohlman, can you come with me?”
She mouthed be right back. From the way the sympathy poured from her eyes, Brittany knew why they were there.
As soon as the door to the back rooms closed, Vicki paced. After two passes across the room, Clint walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “It’s going to okay. It’s not the end of the world.”
He didn’t understand. Not only was her computer the hub of the office, but Earl was part of the team and didn’t deserve this. The door opened again, and this time it was Lydia, Justin and Tom’s wife. “Hey, guys. Come on back.”
They followed her down the narrow hallway and into room four. Vicki’s heart broke. Earl was lying back with his eyes closed. His cheek was bruised, his left eye swollen shut, and his left arm was in a sling.
“Earl?” She almost hated to wake him.
He opened his good eye and tried to smile but immediately touched his mouth. “Sorry. Mouth’s sore.”
Both of them rushed over to him. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. What happened?”
“I was at Jill’s house for dinner and everything was going real good, until one of the grandkids got sick. My daughter had enough to handle, so I left.” He inhaled deeply as if talking this much put a stress on his energy. “I had to drive through downtown to get home. That’s when I saw the light on in the office, and I figured something wasn’t right so I stopped.”
Thank goodness he didn’t drive by the night she and Sanford were having sex in the back office and decide to check it out. “Go on.”
“I parked in front, and as I got out, these two men in masks raced out of headquarters. That’s when I spotted the broken window. One of them was carrying a laptop. I yelled and chased after them the best I could.”
Did he really think he could stop two young men? “You’re a real hero, Earl.”
“It doesn’t feel like it. The one guy with the computer kept on running, but the other one stopped and pounded on me.”
Clint stepped forward. “Do you get in any good swings?”
“Sure did.” He raised a hand with bruised knuckles.
“Great. Where did you hit him?”
“In the jaw. Hurt like a bitch, too.”
Earl’s daughter rushed in. “Oh, Dad. Why didn’t you call me sooner?” She squeezed between them and gave him a hug.
“Didn’t want you to worry.”
“That’s silly, Dad. The doctor’s call scared me to death.” Jill turned around. “The doctor said I need to take you home.”
Vicki stepped back. “Make sure he rests.”
She wanted to ask who’d found him and why his car wasn’t in front of the headquarters, but she’d ask later.
Vicki pointed a finger at Earl. “You do what your daughter tells you to do.”
“Humph.”
He’d be a cantankerous patient, that was for sure. They left his daughter to deal with Earl while she and Clint spoke with Tammy about his condition.
“He’ll be fine in a couple of days. He’s a tough old bird.”
“True.” Still upset over the break-in and Earl’s injuries, they left the clinic. “Do you think the party will still be going?”
Clint opened the passenger door for her. “Anytime ranchers, businessmen, and booze are in the same room, the party will go on all night. But are you up for socializing?”
“Not really, but I can’t leave Bella to deal with a bunch of drunks. We need to get back.”
“If that’s what you want.”
When they arrived at Bella’s house, it looked like half of Pleasure had found out about the affair and decided to crash the party.
“One speech, and my brother’s popularity has doubled.”
“Let’s hope that’s the reason.”
She doubted it though. Montana was a beautiful but often bleak state, especially in early winter. The people of Pleasure took any excuse to be with friends.
Inside, the place was loud, crowded, and warm. She hoped Bella had retreated to her room. She said she was tired more often now due to the pregnancy. At least Hawk’s mom had volunteered to babysit Celeste for the night. The baby would never have been able to sleep though this raucous.
They worked their way into the room. Clint stopped every few feet to meet and greet someone. It impressed her how quickly he fit back into Pleasure society again. If she hadn’t known, she would have assumed he’d never left.
She spotted Sanford with Bob Sayles and touched Clint’s arm. “I’m going to speak with him.”
He nodded.
She needed to be near Sanford, so she headed toward him. Bob glanced at her, and his brows furrowed. He clasped her arm before she had a chance to greet Sanford.
“What was taken?” Bob asked.
He might not know about Earl, so she’d leave out that part of the drama. “My computer, and they messed up the office pretty bad.”
He shook his head. “This is bad. They could set up fake Facebook accounts or broadcast all sorts of lies.”
Her stomach threatened to erupt. “This is Pleasure, Montana, we’re talking about.”
He shook his head. “We’re talking about million of dollars if this hydroelectric plant is built. It will pave the way for big business and prosperity.”
“Which could drive out the small businessmen.” Bob Sayles seemed to have his pulse on the town even though he didn’t live here. “Do you have a suspect?”
He shook his head. “No, but I’d start with Hamrick’s Coal and Mining. They have to most to lose.”
“As do all small businessmen.”
“True.”
Sanford nodded to Sayles. “If you’ll excuse us. I’d like to speak with Vicki. We’ll touch base later.”
Bob chugged his drink. “Sure.”
Fortunately, no one else approached. Sanford studied her for a moment then cupped her face. “Are you okay?”
“I’m still shaking. I feel violated.” The image of the destruction returned. “They defaced posters, vandalized things like the coffeemaker and stole my computer. Why? It was so senseless.”
He rubbed her back. “I know, but we’ll repair the damage and move on.”
She wasn’t sure how the people of Pleasure would respond. “It won’t be
the same.”
He hugged her and the warmth and caring seeped into her.
Sanford lifted her chin. “You want to get out of here?”
She’d love nothing more. “Are you sure you can leave?”
He looked over the crowd. “I’ve spoken with most. I’m thinking they won’t even know we’ve left.”
“It’s not fair to the Knights to leave all this mess.” There were paper plates and empty glasses everywhere, along with crumbs on the floor. None of the Knights should have to lift a finger to clean up Sanford’s party.
“I’ll send someone over tomorrow to restore order.” He twisted her around. Hawk was standing on the sofa waving a glass and making more noise than anyone else. “I’ll let Clete know we’re leaving. He’ll shoo them out when he wants them gone.”
At least Bella was in bed. “Sounds good.” Right now all she wanted to do was curl up with her men. Now that this gala was over, maybe they could get back to their loving ways.
* * * *
Sanford went around the room thanking several people, and then told them about the break-in. “I need to take care of a few things.”
They were all supportive. He would have stayed, but Vicki looked like she was ready to break. She’d worked tirelessly and had pulled off a great party. He prayed she didn’t blame herself in any way for what happened tonight. Between Justin, Tom, and Clint, the perpetrator would be caught.
For one night he wanted to forget everything about running for mayor and just love his woman. Only after she’d left the party with Clint and Tom had his hard-on gone down. She looked amazing in her cute boots and tight top. Naked, she’d look even better.
He and Clint had discussed how tonight might be the time to indoctrinate her into their world of bondage and submission. Vanilla sex had been fine when they first began, but given how much she enjoyed the spanking and loved when he’d pinched her nipples hard, it was time to delve into something more substantial. He couldn’t wait to show her how being constrained and blindfolded would heighten her climax. He might even edge her close to her release then back off in order to see her go wild.
She was waiting by the fireplace for him with her coat in hand. “Sorry it took so long, angel.”
Two Doms for Vicki [Pleasure, Montana 9] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 14