Noah thought about what Wes and Grady had said and agreed with them. He and Syd would make it up to her, somehow, someway. Right now, though, they needed a damn beer and a good night’s sleep. Wes and Grady would take Sam her items, and they would keep an eye out for her until they could see her again. Heading into one of the spare rooms that Wes and Grady kept for guests, Noah laid down on the bed, trying to clear his head. However, his mind kept running back to how hot Sam got when she came on his fingers. She was amazing. It wasn’t that she was just gorgeous, but she was spunky and would keep them on their feet. They wouldn’t be able to get away with anything with her. Things were going to work out. He knew it. They were technically still working on a case, but that could be handled from Lucky, and on the side he and Sydney could work on opening their bar. They both had done research and found the town only had a liquor store but nothing where people could go get something to eat, drink, dance, and have some fun. Both of them didn’t have dreams of grandeur, but of being able to work for themselves. Having a family and being happy was what they both longed for. Sam could make that happen, well, if they could get her to forgive them first.
Sydney sat on the bed watching god-awful TV as he put ice on his eye, nursing a beer. He deserved to be hit. They should’ve taken better care of Sam. He wanted to wash parts of that day away and start all over again. Understanding that Sam wouldn’t talk to them right now, he might as well work. After pulling his laptop out of his bag, he called up the files and videos they had about the UNSUB. Maybe he could redo the profile on the case. He swore the UNSUB had a thing with certain submissives, and knew the subs had to be sold, because it was almost a time thing. The first victim went missing and people assumed she went off with another Dom. However, she was recently engaged so she wouldn’t run off like that. She was also taken from the back room while waiting to do a scene at the club. That was the only connection they all had. All six missing women had been taken while waiting to do a scene, and just recently committed to their Doms. Syd just needed to know how he was getting into the clubs and taking them without even leaving a clue or a clear shot of his face in a video camera. What was he missing? Then the thought of Sam waiting in a room for him and Noah then being taken fluttered across his mind. What if it was Sam? He would go crazy. These were not normal kidnappings because no ransoms were asked. They were just taken and never seen from again.
Pulling up the camera images of all the crime scenes, it finally hit him with the last one. He had help. There is no way the UNSUB would know about the backroom emergency exit door, or that it was attached to an alarm when opened. He had to have had help. But who? The club did background checks on everyone, along with a psychiatric evaluation to determine what type of Dom they would be. It was imperative that a Dom had a cool head when handing out discipline on a sub without hurting him or her. That had to be the missing factor. The son of bitch had help. It was two of them. That was why the photo never came up. The one telling the UNSUB where to go knew where cameras were placed and how to avoid getting caught. But why the ones committed to another Dom? They could have drawn in other subs that didn’t have a permanent Dom and no one would suspect anything. Something wasn’t adding up. He found another piece of the puzzle, but now he needed to end this. He needed it to end so he and Noah could move on and finally live a life without anyone after them or them hunting someone down. Yes, they were good at their jobs, but what good was a job if he was constantly looking over his shoulder or coming home to an empty house? Writing down his notes, he got to work on a second profile of the other UNSUB. As soon as this was done, he would make his next plan.
* * * *
Sam woke up groggy and in desperate need of coffee. Once again, she fell asleep on the damn couch. She had hoped she would make it to her bed last night instead of enduring another night on the lumpy, bumpy sofa. Making her way to the kitchen, she clicked on her coffeemaker and waited for the rich, bitter aroma of the coffee beans to penetrate her fogged brain. Today was another day but at least now, she had something to look forward to. Piper was coming to the shop and hanging out with her. She knew Piper wouldn’t be much help, but knowing she was there was comforting to her. Deciding to take a shower while the coffee finished, she hurried into the bathroom to wash up.
The shower felt amazing. The hot water settled the stiffness from the previous night, letting the cleaning soap soak into her skin, and allowed the thoughts of pleasant times to creep into her mind. She remembered when she and Piper were at camp. College was fun, and so was when she moved here. Throughout her life, every good memory usually included her best friend. She was the one person who she never had to hide anything from. Granted, she and Milo were close, but he was her brother for goodness’ sake. She could only tell him so much. Finally awake enough to move without hitting anything, she walked into the kitchen where her beloved coffee finished brewing. It was calling her name to drink its delicious goodness down, and Sam couldn’t refuse. Filling her cup with coffee and adding a heaping amount of sugar, she heard a knock on the door. Who the hell would be here this early in the morning? Not releasing her coffee, she took a large gulp, feeling the burn going down her throat as she made her way to the door. When she opened the door, she was surprised to see Wes and Grady standing there with her purse and small overnight bag.
“Oh hey, guys, what’s up?” Sam asked as she pushed the door open more.
“Hey, kiddo, not much, can we come in?” Sam gestured them inside as they all walked into the living room to sit down. “We brought back your stuff from the club. Ryan feels really bad about what happened. Do you want to tell us about it? All Ryan said was that he was sorry, and that he would love it if you would give the club another chance,” Wes stated. Grady had gone into the kitchen and poured them some coffee before coming back in and then settling down in the chair.
“Look, I’m fine. It was nothing. Just a big misunderstanding, that’s all. Just let it go, okay? I don’t want to talk about it,” she said, hoping to dismiss any further questioning they both might have for her.
“Okay fine, we’ll let it go for now, Sam, but you should know that Noah and Syd both quit after they heard what happened, and some other guy is on suspension. They asked us to give you their numbers and e-mail addresses. Don’t worry, I didn’t give them yours, but if you want, I can,” Sam gasped at his words as a panic must have registered on her face, because Grady was quick to respond “They really are great guys, Sam. You should at least try to talk to them. What do you say? You have been cooped up in the house far too long having your own personal pity party. You put on a good front, but, Sam, seriously if you need anything, we are only a call away,” Grady stood and headed out the door without a second glance.
Wes stood as well, looked back, and smiled at her. “I’m gonna give them your e-mail. Why, you might ask, my dear friend, because I can. I’m not a big pushover like Grady is. I keep telling him and Milo you just need your ass spanked and you’ll be fine. You can trust both of them. I do, especially with you. They would never hurt you, Sam. Which reminds me, I got a new book in, but I am letting Piper borrow it first. You can read it next. It’s hot,” Wes said with a wink and went out the door, following Grady.
Sam stood frozen as both men left. Had she been that transparent that people noticed her acting odd? Damn it, she thought she was covering pretty well. It had to be yesterday then. She did know that she didn’t chatter along with Old Man Winters when he came in. He was a riot. He could say the funniest things, and he swore that she made the perfect smell to ward off Sasquatches. Who knew that cinnamon spice was a Big Foot repellent? Deciding to make the best of the situation, she packed her stuff up and headed out the door for yet another day of work.
Soon she reached the store and had it up and running within ten minutes. Sam had finished labeling the last of the supplies when Milo came in carrying Piper in his arms. She was glad to see they were a couple now. She had always wondered what would happen if both of them had gotten togethe
r. They both seemed so happy. It was nice to have someone to talk to during the day, which reminded her to start looking for help for the new spa. She had no clue what to call it, but it had to go along with her business currently. Lunchtime came, and they talked about Piper’s frustration in the sex department. Sam smiled and offered the best solution that she could come up with. Good old Fred never let them down when she was in need of a quick release. Sam promised to drop it off after work just as Milo showed up and took Piper home. Home. Now that was a weird concept she wasn’t used to when it came to Piper. But it fit. If anyone deserved to have something good happen, it was her.
After a long day, Sam was exhausted and decided to have a glass of wine with her dinner. Sitting at the table, she waited for her computer to turn on. She was able to get a few shots of liquor in her before her she could call up her e-mail program. She nearly spit her wine when she read the first one. The subject box simply stated, Please forgive us, Sam. It was from Noah. Crap. Now what?
Chapter Five
Noah was hesitant when he sent the e-mail to Sam. He knew that she hadn’t really given it to Wes and Grady, but then again she didn’t say not to. What did they have to lose? The worst thing that could happen was that she deleted it. But he then would keep sending them until she replied to them.
Subject: Please forgive us, Sam
I am so sorry, Sam. Sydney and I were not aware of what happened at the club until it was too late. We tried looking for you, but you had already left. I take full responsibility for what happened. I had promised to look after you and to keep you safe, and then something came up and we both took off and left you alone, without further explanations as to why. It was careless, and one of us should have walked you up to your room. Again I am so sorry I let you down and was not there for you when you needed me. Hopefully your stuff was returned okay. Please just talk to us. We will do anything and everything to make sure you can trust us again. We both felt a strong connection with you. Can you forgive us, give us another chance?
Noah and Sydney
He sat there for what seemed like hours staring at the screen, begging it to provide him with a response. He was about to give up when a ping from his computer alerted him to a message. It was from Sam. He called Sydney over so they both could read it.
Subject: Forgiveness, it’s a big word for some.
Noah and Sydney, I am sure you both are reading this together. I don’t know if there is anything to forgive. You didn’t really do anything wrong. In the end I was shown that I was wrong in trying to be something I am not. I am really sorry I wasted both of your time. Thank you for making sure my stuff got back to me okay. Please take care of yourselves.
Sam
Both Noah and Sydney looked at the screen wondering what they should do next. Noah was just happy she actually replied. It sure in the hell was not the answer they were hoping for. She seemed so distant and professional in her e-mail, and nothing like the feisty woman they had met at the club. It was then they both made a plan to get to know her better. This actually might work out better because they could have to leave at any given moment to deal with the case. They also needed to get things set up for the new bar they were going to be building within the town. There were several locations available, but they needed something that would be big enough to draw a crowd on weekends, but not so much the locals wouldn’t want to attend. But first and foremost, a reply to her e-mail needed to make sure they could at least talk to her regularly.
Subject: How about a compromise?
Samantha, first I want to address that we did do something wrong. We were not there to protect you. It was our responsibility to maintain our sub’s safety and well-being. In this instance, we didn’t do that. I am truly sorry. Second, you are a submissive. However, you are a bedroom submissive. I don’t see you being someone’s slave, ever. With that said, both Syd and I don’t care for women like that. We prefer to have a woman who can challenge us and keep us on our toes. Now with knowing that, we love to have a woman submissive in the bedroom, where we can play with our toy and watch her scream with pleasure at our whims.
So getting down to the point, I offer a compromise with you. Do you think that we could e-mail until we all have time to sit down for a dinner one night? That way you can learn to trust us once again? I know we have only known each other a short time, but even then we had a strong connection and want to see were that leads. What do you say?
Noah and Sydney
The waiting game was killing him. She was only about fifteen minutes away from them. Maybe they could drive over there and talk to her in person, but they were not sure how she would act. Right now this was the safest way to communicate with her, until she allowed them to talk to her otherwise. God, they hoped it was soon. They loved her intensity when they did get to play with her at the club. She melted to them, and it took all his control not to strip her down and lick clean her cream as it ran down her leg. Then he would have slammed into her tight little pussy with Sydney stretching out her tight ass, allowing access to her dark side. The vision of them both taking her together caused his cock to stand up and take notice. The damn thing had a mind of its own. He needed another cold shower. They were going to have to look at finding a place to move into quickly because the water bill was going to be crazy with four men in one house. Soon the wonderful ping broke his thought process.
Subject: E-mails, they can be useful.
Okay, guys, I have to admit that I did feel something for you both. Now with that said, I don’t want to go back to the club. I don’t blame you. My brain has a fucked-up switch that gets hit on sometimes, and turning the damn thing off takes some time. But, I admit that e-mails would be nice. I have to warn you that I only check it at night or early morning before work. So if we can start over via here, then I am game.
I’m going to head off to bed now. I will talk to you two tomorrow. Try to stay out of trouble, though I am sure you two are always up to something, especially if you are talking with Wes and Grady. Good luck, boys.
Sweet dreams, Sam.
Sydney loved the banter she was doing with them. This could work out. They could kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. They could work on Sam, while finishing the case and building the bar. Taking a page from Noah’s book, he headed to bed wondering what the next day would bring. They had a list of suspects from people that worked at various clubs each night the subs were taken. He had heard back from his inside man, and it didn’t look good. It seems the subs were indeed being sold at a private auction. He was still confused on the why part. They had auctions at each club once every three months where five subs wanted to look for a new Dom. The money went to charity, and in the end, everyone was happy. So why the private auction with subs who were unwilling to be sold?
As he walked back to his room, it hit him. Shit, this wasn’t good. They wanted subs that were unwilling because the fun part of a new sub was breaking him or her in. If the sub was bound to someone already, the trust in the UNSUB would not be present, and the desire to control the sub would be stronger than most. Taking this newfound information with him, he practically ran to his room where his computer was to check the profile he had on the new UNSUB. It was spot on. The first UNSUB had to be the Organized Offender who is also suffering from a Narcissistic Personality Disorder. He was very organized in his crimes, but was set on a specific victim. He was confident within himself that he wouldn’t be caught. He had to be a Dom, one that knew his way around things and was really particular with this lifestyle. He was one that lived the lifestyle where, to him, women were just slaves to do his bidding. The second was his submissive, but had dominant tendencies. He was fearful of the first UNSUB, but they are a team in the end. This pair was well organized and could get in and out without being seen.
Okay, with the profile done now, it was time to set up a sting. He would have to find someone who was willing to play at the club for a while and get ready to be collared, along with his inside guy needing to get into
the actual auction. Making a couple calls, he would try to get things rolling. Noting the time on the bedside clock, Sydney went off to bed in hopes of trying to work out some details in both his professional and personal life. A smile crept across his face as he thought of Sam and what was to come next.
* * * *
Sam sat staring at the computer, amazed at how much she was excited to actually talk to them again. She knew in her heart they didn’t mean to hurt her. Well, hell, they didn’t, so why should she get mad at them? They had a job to do, and from what she could tell, both men did some sort of security work. That would explain why they knew Wes and Grady. Both Wes and Grady said they were good men, and she could trust them. Hell, Milo had told her that to begin with, along with Ryan. That was the reason she met with them to begin with. She was going to let go of the past events, and agreed to e-mail with them for now. If she felt better about them later, then maybe they could come over. She could even cook them dinner or something. That was one thing she was happy she could do. She could cook. Her mom had taught her how when she was little, but now that she lived alone, there was no point making anything big. Sure, she did at times, normally making a small lasagna or casserole and cut it in four pieces to freeze for when she wanted something easy during the week.
Feeling Lucky [Lucky, Montana 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 5