Prue paused outside the door, hearing raised voices from inside. She took a deep breath for comfort and pushed the door open. Time to pay the piper.
“It’s about damn time.” Andrew was still condescending. “Did you manage to have enough of a nap?”
Prue looked at him coldly before sweeping her gaze over the other members of her team. She winced as she took in Cyrus, seated behind his desk and looking fit to kill someone. She smiled at him tremulously, her heart plummeting when he didn’t return the gesture. Callie, Cruz, Alejandro, and Lulu all stood flanking Cyrus, and they all wore accusing glares directed her way. Viktor and Olenka also stood nearby, looking like their usually cold and unflappable selves.
“What’s this?” Prue’s team leader, Joseph, looked back and forth between her and Andrew, clearly confused about Andrew’s meaning.
Andrew smiled at Prue, the gesture totally false. “I just wanted to make sure Prue had enough of a rest since she looked like she’d exerted herself quite a bit.”
Joseph turned to Prue with concern. “Are you all right, dear? Did something happen we should know about?”
Prue felt herself flush. “No, Sir.”
Andrew guffawed. “She was trussed up like a pig on some bed. Believe me, she’s been having lots of fun.”
Prue squirmed in shame as she felt the eyes of everyone in the room come to rest on her. Andrew had always been a prick, needling her about her mother and otherwise trying to make her feel uncomfortable. She’d pegged him as a misogynist early on, but this was pushing it even for him.
Joseph’s eyebrows were raised. “Ah. Well, she has been covert here. I imagine she had to do quite a bit to fit in.”
Prue clenched her teeth. Although she knew Joseph was trying to help, he was really hurting her case when it came time to explain to Cyrus and the other friends she’d made at Cuero. If they even give me a chance to explain.
Andrew smirked again. “I bet it came naturally. It’s in her blood, after all…I doubt Prue had to do much to pretend to be trashy. Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, as they say.”
Prue felt something inside herself snap. Even if Cyrus never forgave her, there was no way she was going to let some woman-hating asshole make her feel dirty about the way she was wired. She drew a deep breath and considered the implications of her actions. Her decision was made in an instant.
“Fuck you, Andrew. Just because you’re sexually repressed doesn’t mean the rest of us are.” Prue was gratified as all conversation came to a total standstill and the members of her team gaped at her.
“I beg your pardon?” Andrew spluttered, his face becoming mottled with anger.
“You heard me.” Prue deliberately kept her voice calm. “You don’t get to talk about my mother, you jackass, and you certainly don’t get to judge me. I said fuck you.”
Joseph clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “This is inappropriate in the extreme, both of you. Andrew, you will apologize immediately, and, Prudence, so will you.”
“Of course.” Andrew’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m sorry, Prudence. I shouldn’t have said that.”
Prue regarded him with disdain. She wasn’t about to go back now. “I’m not sorry in the slightest. You had it coming, and I still think you’re a jackass.”
Joseph spoke sharply. “Prudence! If you insist on conducting yourself in this unprofessional manner, I will have no choice but to remove you from this case and recommend you for disciplinary action.”
Prue was calm, feeling freer than she had in who knows how long. She smiled at Joseph. “Then let me make it easy for you, Joseph. I’m tendering my resignation, effective immediately. If you have any doubts about accepting it, I’ll be happy to call Andrew a few more names, all of which will be offensive but accurate.”
Prue thought Joseph looked like a fish out of water, the way his eyes bulged and his mouth opened and closed, and Andrew was positively dancing with rage.
“I love the life I’ve had here at Cuero. Once this situation is dealt with, I believe it will be one of the happiest places on the planet.” Prue looked tentatively at the Cuero crew behind Cyrus’s desk, although she directed her words to her team. “These are good people, and they’re my friends.” With the exception of Cruz. “They’ve made me feel welcome and special, and I’m incredibly sorry that I wasn’t honest with them about my intentions here.” Prue sneaked a glance at her friends, brokenhearted when they all remained impassive. She nodded to herself, allowing her tears to begin falling. She’d fucked up large, and she didn’t know if she’d ever be able to repair the damage she’d done by not being honest.
Joseph cleared his throat. “Well, Prudence, under the circumstances, I have no choice other than to accept your resignation, effectively immediately as you said.” He looked at her with sympathy. “Since that’s the case, I must ask you to leave while we conduct our investigation.”
For the first time, Olenka cleared her throat. “Not so.”
Joseph was looking at her with confusion. “Beg pardon?”
Prue felt herself shrink away from Olenka as the woman went into Domme mode. “Miss Prue acts as consultant for Interpol. She is to be staying.”
Joseph scratched his chin thoughtfully. “This is a huge conflict of interest.”
Olenka smiled coldly. “Then Homeland Security may leave. What is expression you Americans use? Finder, keeper? Interpol was first on scene here. You are here as courtesy.”
Joseph looked at Olenka in consternation. He was silent a moment before throwing his hands up in the air. “Fine, Prudence may stay.”
Andrew spluttered. “But, what about the things she said to me? She shouldn’t be allowed to stay here and take credit for anything that happens.”
Prue almost felt sorry for Andrew as Olenka brought the full weight of her gaze to bear on him. Almost, but not quite.
“She is not here to take credit. This is not for show off. She is here to help bring women back to families who miss them.”
Andrew shrank back from the Domme. “Fine. Just keep her away from me.”
Olenka smiled ruthlessly. “I don’t think she will want to be near you.” With that, the Domme strode over to Cyrus’s desk and plucked a tissue from a box on the corner. She walked over and handed it to Prue, who took it gratefully and wiped her eyes.
When Prue looked up again, the atmosphere in the room had shifted, and attention was no longer on her. It seemed to be on Viktor, Olenka, and Joseph, who appeared to have come up with a game plan.
Snapping out orders, Joseph assigned a member of his team to each employee of Cuero. He assigned a pair of agents to go to the spa, and the rest of them approached their suspects to divide them up. With a sinking feeling Prue realized where this was headed, and that nothing she could do could stop it. Each member of Cuero was going to be interrogated. As she left the room with Viktor and Olenka, she found herself sending mental apologies to everyone present. I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you.
* * * *
Later the same evening, Prue paced nervously in Cyrus’s living room. She stopped for what seemed like the millionth time, looking at her suitcase and mentally running down the list of her belongings to make sure she didn’t leave anything behind. She had no illusions about the fact that she’d be leaving Cuero tonight. In fact, she’d even made arrangements for Viktor to take her to the airport to catch a red-eye back to Boston. She just wanted to see Cyrus one last time, to try to explain to him…well, she didn’t know exactly what she was going to explain, but she had to say something. Prue grimaced as she realized she didn’t even know if he’d listen to her.
Spinning around as she heard the door open, Prue’s stomach flip-flopped with terror. She looked into the familiar eyes which now held nothing but blame, and she swallowed hard. Before Cyrus could say a word, Prue held up a hand and spoke.
“I know you must be exhausted, and I know I’m the last person you want to see.” Prue took a moment to conquer her nerves, aware that h
er voice was shaky. She looked back at Cyrus. “I want to explain…” She trailed off, stunned by how strong the urge was to throw herself at Cyrus. She still thought of him as her Dom, and she began to realize the magnitude of what this had cost her.
“Fine. Explain.”
Prue looked back at Cyrus in confusion, surprised that he’d spoken. She marshaled her scattered thoughts and took a deep breath, the words she’d been seeking finally appearing.
“My mother was a stripper.” Prue saw the brief flare of surprise in Cyrus’s eyes, followed by confusion before he clamped down on his emotions and gazed at her impassively. “I don’t know who my father was, except that he was one of her clients, a regular at the club where she used to strip.”
Prue looked steadily at Cyrus. She knew that despite everything, she could trust him not to judge her. “She named me Prudence because she said she wanted me to think twice before jumping into the same bad decisions she’d made.” Prue swallowed, her eyes filling with tears. “I wanted a good life for her, the kind of life she should have had, so I worked for Homeland Security. I hated it. The only good came when I got to stop bad guys from doing bad things.”
Prue felt her eyes go distant, becoming lost in her story. “I found out about a human trafficking ring operating in New Mexico, and I promised myself that if I could do anything to stop them, I would. The women they sell are sent to brothels and other awful places, and it could so easily have been my mom, or any of the women who used to work at the club.” Prue shivered, thinking of the ghastly possibilities. “The women my mom worked with may have been strippers, some were even prostitutes, but they deserved to have lives where they didn’t need to fear being ripped away from everything they knew, raped and beaten, and forced to live in slavery.”
Prue felt her eyes blaze defiantly. “I came to Cuero because we received intel that this was a hub for the trafficking ring, and I told myself that if I could help stop it, it would be worth whatever it took.”
“Whatever it took?” Cyrus interrupted for the first time, his voice slightly mocking. “You hurt a lot of people here, Prue.”
Prue flinched, glancing up at his face and feeling her eyes overflow once more when she took in his censure.
“I told myself it would be worth it,” she whispered. “But when I came here, it felt like coming home.” Prue hugged herself as she felt the truth of the statement sink in. “I love the people here. I love the club. I love what you and I did together and the things you taught me about myself. I love…” Prue reeled as her brain caught up with her mouth. Oh god. I love you.
Cyrus didn’t seem to notice her almost-slip. His eyes and voice were still cold as he spoke. “Whatever you loved, you also helped to destroy. I don’t know if the club will survive this, and I can almost guarantee the friendships you made won’t.” He held up a hand to stop Prue as she started to protest.
“I get that you had the best of intentions, Prue, but you also have to get that you betrayed all of us.” His mouth twisted. “Obviously I release you from our contract since it didn’t really mean anything anyway. I’d like you to leave now.”
Prue bit her lip and nodded, her shoulders shaking in grief. She actually felt like her heart was being ripped out of her chest, and it took everything she had not to go down on her knees and beg. But Cyrus had already turned away from her and left the room.
Prue sobbed. She looked up a few moments later as a knock sounded on the door and Viktor poked his head in, but she was unable to do more than stand there like a doll while he loaded her belongings and finally guided her gently to the car, handing her several tissues in the process. She cried all the way to the airport, her eyes so puffy by the time they arrived that the security people had to look twice to make sure she was who she said she was. By the time she got off the plane in Boston, she was numb, her heart a shriveled thing inside of her.
Chapter 28
“Hi, Mom!” Prue sang out as she walked into her mother’s apartment. She smiled as her mom hollered something back, but since Prue had gone straight to the kitchen with bags of groceries, she had no idea what her mom had said.
It had been three months since Prue had walked away from Cuero. She still felt pangs for her brief time there, but every time it happened, she ruthlessly squashed it and forced herself to think about something else. Luckily, she had lots of other things to think about, not the least of which was a new job.
After her spectacular resignation from Homeland Security, Prue had come back to Boston with a renewed sense of direction. She’d sat and talked to her mother about it, both of them having a good cry together as they discussed what they’d really wanted from life. Prue’s mom had been amazing, encouraging her to do what she really wanted to do while she was still young enough to get a good start in a different industry. There had been no judgment, no recriminations, and Prue’s mom had even seemed the teeniest bit proud when Prue said she wanted to dance.
Prue looked down at herself, smiling wryly at what she considered her work uniform. She was wearing a pair of sweats over dance shorts, and her hair was still in a bun. She’d been working for a studio in Boston for the last couple of months, teaching different kinds of dance, particularly her beloved burlesque. She was in talks with a local BDSM club to start doing a few classes for their subs, and she wondered if she’d be brave enough to take the owner up on his offer of a free membership to the club. She hadn’t subbed at all since Cyrus, and the thought of letting anyone else touch her like that was still a little weird. She was dying for the kind of release she knew she’d only get at the end of an experienced Dom’s whip, but she couldn’t bring herself to try it.
Prue was startled out of her reverie as her phone rang. Glancing at the call display, Prue’s stomach somersaulted when she saw the number for Cuero flash across the screen. With more than a little trepidation, she raised the phone to her ear.
“Hello?”
“Prue?” The voice sounded familiar, but it wasn’t the one Prue had really hoped to hear. She shook her head, disgusted with herself for still holding out hope.
“Yes, this is Prue.”
“Prue! It’s Alejandro.” The voice warmed up. “How have you been, chica?”
Prue was confused, but she felt a warm rush surround her like a hug as the huge Dom’s voice sounded in her ear. “I’m good, thanks. You?” She had no idea why he was calling.
“Good, good.” There was a long pause. “You heard Cruz was arrested? Along with a few people from the spa?”
Prue winced. “Yeah, I did hear that. I’m sorry.” She bit her lip. She still felt incredibly guilty over her dishonesty.
“I’m not.” Alejandro’s voice deepened. “The things those coños were doing…I hope they rot in hell.”
“Oh.” Prue smiled a little. She kind of felt the same way.
Alejandro’s voice warmed again. “Listen, dear, I’m calling because I’m in a bit of a pickle.”
Prue paused as she was loading vegetables into the crisper in her mother’s fridge. “Really? What’s up?”
Alejandro laughed ruefully. “Well, when you left Cuero, you hadn’t completed your contract yet for the dance classes you were teaching. We went ahead and paid you, but now Lulu’s having a fit that the contract isn’t up.”
Prue felt her heart sink. “Do you need me to pay it back?” She could afford it, but money would be tight for a while.
“Dios, no!” Alejandro sounded horrified. “I’m phoning you to ask if you can come back and teach the rest of the classes at the club. You’ll be teaching a new batch of subs, but Callie and Lulu are still here.”
Prue paused. Damn it was tempting to try and recapture the happiness she’d known at Cuero, but there was one glaring reason she shouldn’t go. A reason named Cyrus, who had indeed been glaring at her the last time she’d seen him.
“Umm, I don’t know, Alejandro,” Prue hedged, “are you sure it’s a good idea?”
Alejandro became serious. “If you’re asking ab
out Cyrus, he doesn’t know I’m calling you. You wouldn’t have to see him at all while you’d be here.”
Prue didn’t know whether to be hurt or relieved. That annoying hope was still alive, and she was honest enough to admit she was still carrying a torch for Cyrus. She didn’t want to see him with other subs, so from that perspective things would work out perfectly, but at the same time she wondered how much it would hurt to know he was so close to her and hated her guts.
“Prue?” Alejandro’s voice was gentle. “I hate to put it like this, but I’m not really asking. You owe us the classes.”
Prue sucked in a breath. She hadn’t expected that. “All right then.”
“Great!” Alejandro was so clearly thrilled, Prue could practically feel him beaming through the phone.
“When do you want me to come? I’ll have to take time off of work…” Prue winced, wondering if they’d even let her have the time. She hadn’t been working for them that long, although they’d seemed so happy with her she doubted they’d mind if she took a couple weeks to finish off a previous contract.
“As soon as you can, say next week?”
“Sounds good. I’ll be there.” Prue felt a swarm of butterflies start flapping around her stomach. What on earth have I gotten myself into? Again?
* * * *
“Well?”
Alejandro was grinning ear to ear when he hung up the phone. “She’s coming.”
“You really are a bastard, you know, acting like we’d make trouble for her if she didn’t want to come.”
Alejandro smiled again. “Callie calls me a bastard all the time.” The big man shrugged. “I kind of like it.”
Prue's Promises [Submissive Sirens 3] (Siren Publishing Allure) Page 21