by Lexi Blake
“Lexi is missing. Lucas called me last night, and she was supposed to come to his place for dinner, but she never showed up. He can’t get her to answer her cell, and she wasn’t in her apartment.”
“Fuck me,” Samuel said, standing up. His jaw clenched in anger. “I’m going after them.”
“Sit down, Samuel,” Julian said, using his darkest voice. “I have the feeling this gets worse.”
Jackson would never have left him behind if there weren’t something more. As if conjured out of thin air, Samuel’s cell trilled. He fumbled for it and sighed in relief.
“It’s Jack.” He strode off as he began to speak to his lover, his partner.
The back door came open and Julian’s stomach took a deep dive. Leo hadn’t come alone. Ian Taggart walked in, carrying a small tool kit. The big blond Viking of a man headed the company that provided Julian’s security. If he was here, something had gone terribly wrong.
Taggart looked over at Leo. “The security system is working. I made a couple of tweaks, but the house itself is solid.”
Julian turned to Leo. “Tell me what’s going on. When did Lexi go missing and why is Taggart here and not out looking for her?”
Lexi Moore belonged to Julian’s family. She might be a pain in his ass, but she was his pain to deal with. If someone had her, he would move heaven and earth to get her back.
“My brother and Liam are working on it back in Dallas. They’ll meet Barnes up there. Sean is already with Lucas,” Taggart explained. “Leo asked me to come down here with him. I wanted to check the security situation here on the ranch.”
“Again, I don’t understand why you’re here when everyone on your team should be looking for Lexi.”
Taggart glanced Leo’s way. “You haven’t told him?”
“I’m getting there. I don’t know if Lexi has anything to do with this, Julian.” Leo leaned forward, his bulky arms on the table. His face was hard as granite now, and Julian could see the Navy SEAL commando in his happy-go-lucky employee. “She’s been a bit erratic since her wedding got called off.”
“She would never worry Lucas by running off and not telling anyone.” They had an odd relationship, Lucas and Lexi, but Julian knew she would never hurt him in such a fashion. She clung to Lucas. He was her life raft.
Leo nodded. “Then we should worry. I’ve seen a disturbing pattern over the last few months. It started with your car being trashed.”
Danielle sat up in Julian’s lap. “Someone vandalized your car?”
He stroked her back. “It happens in the city. Even in protected places, it can happen.”
“I don’t think that was a random crime,” Taggart said, setting his tool kit down.
Leo shook his head. “I did, at first, but Taggart brought his concerns to me and now I agree with him. I don’t like the fact that someone took out the security camera. Those cameras are small. You have to know where they are. And the only vehicle they damaged was yours. Then there was the fire on the street level of the building that houses The Club.”
Julian felt a chill. “I thought the insurance adjuster decided that was an accident.”
Taggart huffed, a superior sound. “That adjuster would have done anything to close the case.”
Leo frowned up at him. “Well, whose fault is that? You stood over the man the whole time. He practically crapped his pants every time you walked in a room.”
Taggart shrugged. “I don’t get paid to make people comfortable.”
Danielle cuddled closer to him. “Someone tried to set your club on fire?”
Taggart seemed to soften a bit as he looked down at Danielle. Unlike Leo, there was zero flirtation in his demeanor. It was another reason he’d backed Taggart’s business. The man was an excellent Dom. “I believe it was an attempt to get Mr. Lodge’s attention. Maybe on the outside these acts look random, but when you put them all together, I don’t think so. Did you know that Sally’s house was recently burglarized?”
“No.” No one had told him.
“Yes, about two weeks ago,” Taggart continued. “Whoever broke in didn’t take anything, but they trashed the place, paying special attention to the pictures she had of you. Those were torn up. Luckily, she and Stephen were out at the time.”
Leo leaned in. “When I talked to Lucas this morning, he mentioned a couple of days ago he’d had his tires slashed. That’s when I finally talked to that damn reporter.”
Julian felt his indignation rise. People he cared about were being targeted, and Leo was talking to a reporter who wanted to do a tabloid piece. “I told you to ignore the reporter. Damn it, Leo. We do not need publicity. Where did you get the number? I told Candice to lose it.”
“Don’t blame Candice,” Leo replied nonchalantly. “She was perfectly threatening when I asked for the thing. She should be in leathers, you know. She would make an excellent Domme.”
“Could we stop talking about my secretary’s potential kinks? It disturbs me. If Candice didn’t give you the number, how did you contact the reporter?”
Leo sat back, crossing his arms over his chest. “I know Candice. She’s a good assistant. If she thought you would ever need that number again, she would keep it. All I had to do was search her desk while she was at lunch.”
“You’re fired.” He meant it this time. Leo had gone too far.
Leo sighed, and his eyes rolled. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fired. Well, you’re going to want to do more than fire me when you find out what I did next. Tricia, you can come out now.”
The door that led to the kitchen opened, and a tall, slender woman with large brown eyes walked out. Though Julian could tell she was nervous, she was also resolute.
“Mr. Lodge, my name is Tricia Walker. I need to talk to you.”
Leo’s face had gone stony, as though he expected Julian to punch him. Julian had no intention of doing anything so uncivilized as starting a fight. He had other plans for his now former employee.
“Up,” he commanded, and Danielle hopped off his lap. She sat back down in the chair after Julian rose and stalked to Leo. The reporter he ignored. Leo was the one who had his attention. “You brought a reporter to my friend’s home?”
Taggart’s hands came up. “Not my idea. I don’t like any of this.”
“I’m not─” Tricia began but stopped the minute Julian turned on her.
“I do not require your input. You may leave and be glad that I only intend to see that you never write another word in Dallas again. If you don’t quit your job, I’ll buy the paper and fire you. Choose another city, Miss Walker. You are no longer welcome in mine.” He turned back to Leo. “I have other plans for you, Mr. Meyer. I intend to ruin you on every level. You might want to leave the country.”
Leo stood, his stare heavy with irritation. “Fine, I’ll leave the country, but not until you’ve heard her out. Damn it, Julian. I’m sick of this. You’ve been more than a mentor to me, but you have no concept of what it means to really be a friend. Maybe because very few people have ever fought for you. Well, guess what. I’m willing to do it. So sit down and shut up. Ruin me later; listen to her now.”
“I want to hear what she has to say,” Danielle said.
Julian turned to her, frowning. “I did not ask your opinion, Danielle.” He glared at Finn. “Nor did I request yours, Finn. This is not a democracy.”
Danielle stood up. “Julian, you’re being stubborn and not looking at the big picture.”
All of his buttons were being firmly pushed. Between the dream he had the night before, and the chaos of this morning, he was in no mood to deal with a bratty sub. He looked to her for stability, not more uncertainty.
“Am I not, Danielle?” He heard the sarcasm flow. He tried to quell it, but anger had taken over, and a cold tone was all he seemed capable of. This was precisely why he should never have taken a sub without a contract. Danielle should know to never behave as she was behaving now.
“Leo wouldn’t do something to hurt you.”
Julian felt his heart rate tick up, the pressure slowly building. Leo was charming. Leo was younger. Leo probably had a variety of things in common with Danielle and Finn. Though Leo didn’t swing both ways, it didn’t seem to bother Danielle. Danielle seemed to be taken with the Dom. “You’ll forgive me if I don’t take your advice. You’re not exactly worldly. This is between me and my employee.”
“Julian, can’t you listen to the woman?” Finn asked, exasperation plain in his voice.
“You are both dismissed. Wait for me in our rooms.” He would deal with them later, when he had his anger under control. He would set a proper punishment and decide how to proceed. He wouldn’t touch either of them again sexually until he had a contract in place. A hot anger was starting to build. He needed to get it under control.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Danielle said. Her blue eyes were almost sad as she looked up at him. “Leo’s right. No one has cared enough to fight with you or for you. I do.”
“Which simply proves how little you know about me. I do not fight. Finn, take Danielle back to our rooms and pack your things.” His gut turned at the thought of sending them away, but he had standards to keep up. He couldn’t, wouldn’t, allow them to push him into a corner. If he lost his temper, he could hurt her. He could hurt Finn. He could still remember pushing that woman down the stairs. He’d taken pleasure in doing it. He’d been twelve. What kind of damage could he do to them now?
“Can’t give an inch, can you, Julian?” Leo asked, his voice heavy with disappointment.
Samuel Fleetwood strode back into the room and stared at the reporter. “I don’t give a damn what Julian wants or doesn’t want. Do you know anything about my stepdaughter’s disappearance?”
The reporter’s eyes grew watery. “I hope not, but I wouldn’t put it past him. Since he got out of jail, he’s been unhinged.”
“Who?” Julian asked. He wanted to get this over with so he could leave. The quicker he put distance between Danielle, Finn, and himself the better. He knew he was being a bit of an ass, but he couldn’t help it. The simple act of her talking to Leo had set him on edge. He had never been so righteously possessive before. Part of him was pushing to leave before they got under his skin. He should walk away now, when it wouldn’t hurt so much. He would walk away before he had a chance to hurt them. The other half knew he was never going to allow them to leave.
“My brother. My brother’s name is Jeremy Walker, and I believe he used to be your lover, Mr. Lodge. I think he’s trying to kill you.”
* * * *
Finn stared at Julian from across the table. His face was smooth, placid, showing none of the hostility from before, but he could sense that his Master was not pleased.
Dani wasn’t happy either, for that matter. She’d kept her head down for the most part as Tricia got to her story. When she bothered to look up, there was a red cast to her eyes that told him she was fighting hard not to cry. Finn had to force himself not to put a fist through Julian’s face until he really watched him. He was beginning to understand his lover, and there was no doubt that Julian was his lover. He could still feel the slide of that big cock ramming deep inside him. It had been more than sex, and that was what scared the shit out of Julian. That was what had Julian saying things he shouldn’t.
Unfortunately, he’d said the one thing guaranteed to make Dani feel as low as she possibly could. He’d tossed her aside for a single mistake. He doubted Julian would actually have let them go. He’d watched the way Julian sighed as he came in contact with Dani. He was in deep, and it scared Julian. But that wouldn’t matter to Dani. He knew her too well. She’d heard absolutely nothing past Julian telling her to get packed. He knew the only thing that kept her sitting at the table was the fact that she was Lexi Moore’s friend. Otherwise, she would have done exactly what he said. She would have packed and asked Finn to take her home. Now she sat, her hands twisting on the table in front of her, and listened to Tricia Walker.
“What did he go to prison for?” Julian asked. There was a blandness to his voice. He could have been asking about the weather. He glanced down at the report Taggart had given him. Apparently the blond dude who looked like he ate nails for breakfast was some sort of security expert.
Tricia swallowed. It was obvious she was intimidated. “Drugs. He got caught with cocaine at a club. It was his third strike. He went a little crazy after you kicked him out.”
Leo spoke up. His fists hit the table. “I explained this to you. Jeremy broke the rules of The Club. He attempted to drug an associate member and give him over to a man who meant him harm. You do understand what your brother did?”
Tears welled. “Yes. He was troubled for a long time. It isn’t the first assault he attempted, though my stepfather kept it quiet. He gave it up after he got caught with cocaine. I’m afraid my brother blamed you for his trouble.”
“I’m sure he did,” Julian said quietly. “Jeremy was good at blaming others. Unfortunately, he was also good at acting like a sane human being.”
“I made it worse, I’m afraid,” Tricia said. “I hadn’t seen him in the last couple of years, and when he came by and told me about you, I listened. I fed into his fantasy about ruining you. You have to understand what a great story you are. Billionaire businessman runs underground sex club. It’s the kind of story that could make my career.”
“It will be the end of your career if you don’t drop it,” Julian said, glancing up at her.
She nodded, and Finn sensed some backbone in her now. “Yeah, I get that now. You’re a very scary man. I’ll drop it, but I went to his place a couple of days back. He wasn’t in, but I have a key. I went in to check his computer to see if I could find another number for you. I couldn’t get past that Nazi secretary of yours.”
A faint smile crossed Julian’s face as he looked back at the arrest and police records Taggart had compiled. “Yes, I believe she’s earned her bonus this year.”
“What did you find?” Finn asked. All of his investigative instincts had been on high alert ever since Tricia walked in. He knew a witness with a story when he saw one.
“Pictures of Mr. Lodge. He’s been following Mr. Lodge around for the better part of a year, from what I can tell. Ever since he got out of jail.”
“He’s the one who vandalized my vehicle,” Julian mused. His fingers drummed along the tabletop. His eyes found Leo’s. “And The Club?”
Leo frowned. “Oh, yeah. I think he started the fire. Little things add up. When Sally’s place got trashed, I couldn’t let it go. That’s when I called Taggart in. I’ve had him working on this for the last couple of weeks.”
Julian sighed. “Fine. You’re rehired.”
“Maybe I don’t want to be rehired,” Leo returned.
“At a ten percent raise.”
Now Leo was all smiles. “Nice working for you again, boss. I swear your stubbornness is going to make me a millionaire.”
Sam was back on the phone. He started talking as he left the room, relaying the new information to Jack.
Finn still didn’t understand. “What does Lexi Moore have to do with any of this? Does she know your brother?”
Tricia shook her head. “I don’t think so, but from what I can tell the only person my brother hates as much as Mr. Lodge here is Lucas Cameron. I assume this Lexi is his girlfriend.”
Finn felt his blood run cold. “Not exactly, but he would be devastated if anything happened to her.”
Julian was on his feet in an instant, and Finn could see Julian was following the logical path. “Danielle, you will not step foot out of this house until this man is caught.”
Her mouth set in a stubborn line. “Really? I thought I was packing my bags.”
Julian rounded on her. “Do not test me right now. I am willing to admit I acted in a bit of haste, but I won’t discuss it now. Now you will obey me and stay in this house.”
“You dismissed me, Julian,” Dani pointed out. “You told me to leave, so I think I’ll make up
my own mind about this. Besides, this Jeremy guy won’t come after me. He’s going after people you care about, not your vacation flings. I think Finn and I are safe. Now, where would he have taken Lexi?”
Julian got down on one knee. Finn could see his face was flushed. He was shocked to see that Julian’s hands had a fine tremble to them as he gripped Dani’s arms. “You will obey me, Danielle. You will stay here, and you will do exactly as I say. You will lock yourself in the guesthouse, and you will not answer the door for anyone. Mr. Taggart will call back to Dallas and have bodyguards brought here immediately. They’ll guard you and the children. Do you understand me?”
Dani frowned at him. “Fine. I’ll sit and wait with the children. Now let go of me. You’re hurting me.”
Finn didn’t move to help her. He’d known Dani far too long. She wasn’t hurt. She was pissed, but Julian didn’t seem to know it. His hands came off her arms right away, and he stared at her skin as though waiting for the bruises to show up. His skin was pasty white now, and he stood quickly, moving away from her. He stared at her for a moment, and when he spoke again, his voice was hoarse.
“Leave all you like after Jeremy is caught, but I won’t have you in danger. Whether you choose to believe it or not, Jeremy will come after you. If he’s been watching me, he’s seen us together, and he’ll know that harming you would be far worse than killing me. Stay put, Danielle. Finn, take care of her.” Julian turned and walked out of the room without a backward glance.
Tricia Walker stood. “I think Mr. Lodge is right. I do think my brother’s been down here for the last few days. I tried to call, and he didn’t answer. He wasn’t at his place, but he sent himself some e-mails on his computer with pictures of Julian and Danielle in a bar.”
“Yeah, that would be The Barn. We were there the other night,” he said, his skin prickling. There was really a psycho out there, and he wanted to hurt Dani and Julian. Finn turned to the door Julian had exited through. Every instinct he had told him to go after him, but Dani was firmly in her seat. She wasn’t moving.