His Wayward Woman

by Ava Sinclair

  Chapter Fourteen

  Jace decided if he ever decided to get out of ranching, he might be able to make a living as a detective. As soon as he’d gotten the letter from Miss Edmunds, he’d gone to work, using an online service to match the address on the envelope with the corporate offices for Bayside Gentleman’s Clubs, Inc.

  He’d done a Google search of the business, narrowing his search to the name of the owner, one Tony Orzo. Here he found very little beyond a few articles about a neighborhood’s unsuccessful fight to keep a third club planned by Orzo from opening.

  After that he’d come up short, but then remembered a friend had once mentioned subscribing to an online service to investigate a shady business associate. The friend was more than happy to recommend the service, called Nexis, and Jace subscribed. Within two hours he’d tracked down records on several court cases involving Tony Orzo, sometimes as a plaintiff but more often as a defendant. Further digging uncovered convictions for communicating threats, assault, and one hung jury on a money-laundering charge.

  Jace had no way of knowing if the man he was researching was the man who’d sent Lily Mae the letter, but he’d always relied on his gut instinct and now it told him that he was on the right track.

  Lyle had stayed at the house. Now, as Jace threw a few things into a traveling bag, his friend paced nervously nearby.

  “You sure you want to do this, Jace? I mean, this guy sounds like a mean dude—criminal record, strip club owner. For all you know, Lily Mae was a stripper. Maybe she wanted to go back to that kind of life, to that kind of guy…”

  “If she was, and if that’s what she wants, then she can damn well tell me herself, Lyle.” He threw a pair of jeans and a fresh t-shirt into the bag. “But I don’t think that’s the case. That letter she got was clearly a threat from this guy. And I’m thinking with his past she’s probably afraid of what he’d do if she didn’t handle this debt.”

  “So if that’s the case, why not tell you and let you pay it, Jace?” Lyle walked over to his friend. “You asked her to tell you everything.” He paused. “She lied to you, buddy.”

  “I know.” Jace sighed. “And don’t think this means I’m bringing her home. To be honest, I don’t know how this is going to end, but it won’t end with me spending the rest of my life wondering whether she left me for any other reason than because she wanted to. That, I could live with. But if there’s any chance she’s trapped somewhere wanting to come home, I want to know.”

  “And the fact that she lied?” Lyle pressed.

  Jace zipped his bag shut. “Then if she comes home with me, there’ll be a reckoning, even if she meant well. She knows better.”

  “I can’t tell you what to do, Jace,” Lyle said. “Just know that either way, I’ll support you a hundred percent.” He paused. “Sure you don’t want me to come with?”

  “Nah,” Jace said, shouldering his bag. “I have to work this out on my own.”

  “I was thinking more in terms of backup.”

  Jace grinned. “Don’t worry,” he said. “This guy sounds like a bully. I’m looking forward to taking him on if my instincts are right about that, too.” He embraced his friend, clapping him on the back before turning for the door.

  “I got a flight to catch,” Jace said. “God willing and clear skies, I’ll be in L.A. by tomorrow afternoon.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  When Lily Mae had been twelve, one of her best friends had been the daughter of a chicken farmer. One Saturday, her friend’s father had taken them to check the trap lines along the creek. Lily had instantly wished she’d stayed behind when they came across a coyote snarling in the trap. Both its paw and muzzle were bloodied, and her friend’s father had explained that the animal was trying to gnaw its own paw off to escape.

  “Some animals will give up anything to get away.”

  Lily Mae had told herself there was no way she could ever imagine feeling that trapped. But now, as she stood in the locked conference room, dressed in the dress, shoes, and underwear Tony Orzo had picked out for her, she completely understood how it felt to feel so hopelessly cornered and desperate.

  She felt dead inside. Too dead to feel. Too dead to cry. It was nearly seven. Tony would be coming for her soon. She felt like a prisoner being treated to her last supper. He’d made it clear what he expected afterwards. Lily Mae thought of Jace’s loving dominance and compared it with the self-serving authority Tony Orzo exercised. He expected her submission, but a man like that could never earn it. He could force her body to yield, but her heart and soul would never be his. Both those things had been given to Jace Whitaker. Tonight would, she decided, destroy her. But she would know even as it happened that she’d once lived, had once loved.

  “You look beautiful.”

  She stiffened at the sound of Tony’s voice, but did not respond or turn to face him.

  “Still pouting, I see.” He’d walked to the bar in the corner of the conference room; Lily Mae knew this because she could hear ice plinking in the bottom of a glass. Now when Tony approached, she had no choice but to look at him.

  He was wearing a black suit, but this time with a white shirt and electric blue tie. She knew most women would have melted with pleasure to be on his arm, especially in the dress he’d picked out. Lily Mae could feel his hungry eyes on her as he took it in. The sleeveless wrap dress clung to her upper body, the bodice hugging her breasts while revealing the swells of flesh thanks to a plunging neckline. The hem came to the middle of her thigh. The heels Kelly had chosen were strappy and uncomfortable. Lily Mae didn’t feel elegant; she felt gaudy and artificial.

  His choice of Malargo’s was no different. It was the kind of place where people dined so they could brag about it later. But even in L.A., Lily Mae had never been impressed by four hundred dollar bottles of wine or one hundred dollar entrees that wouldn’t fill a teacup.

  Tonight they were seated at a table by the window—a plum seat, Tony bragged. He ordered for both of them: chicken Milanese with an arugula salad for Lily Mae, and seared tuna with lemon and peppercorn butter for himself. The champagne was Dom Perignon. Lily thought it was a pretentious choice.

  “Don’t you like your food?” Tony asked. He nodded at her plate as the champagne was being poured.

  “I don’t have an appetite,” she said.

  “Well, I do,” Tony said. “And you’ll find that out tonight, right after I teach you a lesson.”

  When Lily Mae looked at him warily, Tony lowered his voice. “You think you can defy me, Lily, if not directly then passively. I intend to set the tone for our relationship tonight. The bruises I put on your body will fade, but the obedience I instill will last. By the time you wake up tomorrow, there will be no doubt in your mind who your master is.”

  Lily Mae wanted to call out for help, but she was too petrified to even speak. All she could do was shudder, and her sense of dread only grew when Tony raised his hand and beckoned for the check.

  Tears clouded her vision as she kept her eyes on her plate of uneaten food.

  “Get up, Lily,” Tony said. “It’s time to go to the car.”

  “Tony…” she began. “Please…”

  “Save your pleas,” he said. “You’re going to need them in the bedroom. Now get up. We’re leaving.”

  Her legs felt like they were made of wood as Lily Mae stood to go. She didn’t react when Tony Orzo put the wrap over her shoulder.

  “Come on.” His tone indicated he was becoming increasingly agitated with what he considered her passive aggressive behavior. He squeezed her arm hard as he led her out to where a car was waiting. But as the valet opened the door, she stopped.

  “Lily,” he snarled. “You’re only making this harder on yourself when you resist. Get in.”

  But Lily Mae couldn’t move. She looked at Tony, her eyes finally betraying the anger she felt.

  “I said get in, bitch.”

  “Excuse me, but I don’t think the lady wants to go with you.” A deep voic
e interrupted the strained moment and Lily Mae gasped, looking up in disbelief at the face of the man she loved. For a moment she stared dumbly, unable to speak before finding her voice.

  “Jace…” She said his name in a breathless whisper. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  “What I should have done years ago,” he said. “Coming to find out why you ran away.” Jace turned to Tony. “Let her go.”

  Tony only tightened his grip. “So you’re the one she was with down there.” He smirked as his eyes roamed over Jace. “You want to know why she let you go? She said she was sick of wasting her time with an idiot country boy…”

  “Jace, that’s not true…” Lily Mae began, but Tony continued to speak over her.

  “She said she missed fucking a real man. The first thing she asked for when she got to my office was for me to bend her over my desk and take her up the ass like I used to…”

  The two men were the same height, but where Tony was lean and thin, Jace was broad and muscular. The punch Jace leveled right at his face wasn’t particularly hard, but it didn’t have to be. Tony dropped like a rock to the pavement and lay there moaning.

  “Is it true?” Jace asked. “Do you want him?”

  “He forced me to come back,” Lily Mae said. “I got involved in something, and the only way to keep from involving you was to come back.” Tears slid down her face. “I lied to you, Jace. You deserve better.”

  Jace indicated the man who was now stumbling to his feet.

  “And you deserve this?” he asked in disbelief.

  “I don’t know,” Lily Mae said. “Maybe I do. I had it all and threw it away. Maybe this is karma.”

  “Watch out!” someone called, and Lily cried out when she realized Tony, his expression furious, was reaching into his jacket. But another man had appeared, and Lily Mae’s eyes widened to see Lyle rush up and grab Tony from behind. As he wrenched Tony’s arms behind his back, Lyle reached into the man’s pocket and pulled out the gun he’d been reaching for. Popping out the magazine, he jammed the empty gun back in his pocket.

  “I bet you’re glad I insisted on coming after all,” Lyle said with a laugh.

  “I owe you one,” Jace said to his friend, before turning to Lily Mae. “Baby,” he announced. “This man is dangerous. You’re not staying with him.”

  Lily Mae could only nod as the three turned to make their way through the crowd that had gathered to watch. They could hear Tony yelling, his voice getting closer. The men turned back, and Lily knew they were wanted to be ready for what Tony might try when he reached them, but he didn’t get the chance. A black car had sped up to the curb, and two burly men got out and flanked Tony before he could reach the trio. He seemed to recognize them and stopped, his eyes darting from Lily Mae and her protectors to the two men looming over him.

  “Tony,” one of the men said, his voice deep and low. “You had an important meeting with Mr. DeMarco tonight.”

  “Guys, I’m kind of in the middle of something…”

  “I don’t think so,” said the other man. “Mr. DeMarco was very unhappy that you canceled.”

  “Very unhappy,” said the other. “So he’s had us come… convince you to drop whatever you were doing and keep your appointment with him.”

  Tony licked his lips nervously. It was apparent to Lily Mae that the tables had been turned on the bullying businessman. He turned an angry glance at her and pointed.

  “I’m not finished with you, Lily.”

  The broader of DeMarco’s men raised an eyebrow. “Is this man bothering you, miss?”

  Lily Mae nodded tearfully.

  “I’ll make sure I mention his… harassment to Mr. DeMarco.” He smiled, revealing a gleaming gold tooth. The other man was now pushing Tony into the black car and winked at Lily Mae and her companions just before he shut the door and the car sped away.

  For a moment, the three of them just stood there watching. Then Jace turned to Lyle. “Lily Mae and I have some things to discuss in private,” he said.

  “Say no more, buddy,” Lyle said. “I’m bushed anyway, so I’ll be going back to the hotel to rest up for the flight home.”

  “I’ll call you in the morning, Lyle,” Jace said. “Thanks.”

  Lyle smiled and nodded toward Lily Mae. “See you two later.”

  They watched him walk away in silence. Then Jace turned to Lily Mae.

  “It’s time for us to have a little talk,” he said.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Lily Mae had asked Jace to take her back to her townhouse. The ride there had been silent save for the rental car’s GPS softly voicing directions. Jace focused on where he was going as he bit back all the questions he was dying to ask.

  Once they’d reached Lily Mae’s place, she headed straight to the bedroom and shut the door. A moment later she emerged wearing a bathrobe. The dress, shoes, and underwear were all wadded into a ball that she threw into the kitchen wastebasket.

  Jace had fixed them both a cup of tea. He handed one to Lily Mae.

  “Thanks,” she said, and turned to walk into the living room. Jace followed. She took a seat on the sofa. He sat on a chair across from her. He said nothing, waiting for Lily Mae to take the lead.

  “He was lying,” she finally said. “We were never a couple. He never touched me.”

  “It wouldn’t matter if he had, Lily Mae. I told you once before that I won’t ever hold your past against you. The only thing that mattered to me was what we had.”

  “Had.” She took a ragged breath. “You used the past tense.”

  “You lied to me, Lily Mae.”

  “Can you just let me explain?” she begged.

  “You don’t have to.” Jace shook his head. “I figured it out myself last night, but might not have if Miss Edmunds hadn’t taken it upon herself to fetch the letter Tony Orzo sent you out of the trash. It was pretty clear that you’d been threatened, and when I checked up on Tony I realized you likely took off because you were afraid he might hurt me.”

  “But if you know all this, how can you be angry at me?” she asked.

  “Because you should have told me, Lily Mae!” Jace didn’t realize how angry he was until that moment. “My heart was in my throat the whole time I was on that plane. And thank god Lyle insisted on coming even though I told him not to at first. If he’d not been there to grab that sonofabitch, he may have shot you or me or both of us!”

  Lily Mae began to cry. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think it through…”

  “Why not?” Jace felt himself becoming exasperated. “I’d taken care of all your other debts. If you’d told me you owed this guy money, I’d have taken care of him, too…”

  “It was more complicated than that,” Lily Mae said. “I knew when I borrowed the money from Tony there were strings attached, that he expected more. But I was desperate, and so…”

  “…so you let him think he could expect something in return.” Jace finished her sentence with a disappointed sigh.

  For a moment, they both sat in silence.

  “He made me dress like a whore tonight,” Lily Mae said sadly. “At first I was disgusted. But then I realized it was no better than I deserved for what I’d done. I’d acted like a whore, dangling the promise of sex to a man I knew was dangerous just so he’d pay off my car.” Lily Mae buried her face in her hands and wept. “Now I’ve lost the best thing I’ve ever had because I was so shallow and stupid.”

  Jace stood and moved over to the sofa. “Whoa, whoa,” he said. “Who says you lost me?”

  She looked up, her face tracked with mascara. “You did,” she replied. “Just a few minutes ago when you put our relationship in the past tense.”

  Jace reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a tissue. “No, Lily Mae,” he said. “I put the situation in the past tense. But make no mistake, sweetheart. I mean to take you home.” He paused. “But I also mean to make sure you understand there are very serious consequences for both putting yourself in danger and making me
worry like you did.”

  He could see both relief and apprehension on her face.

  “What are you going to do?” she asked.

  “I’m going to punish you, Lily Mae,” he said. “But it’s going to be a punishment unlike any I’ve given you before. I know you’ve heard the expression ‘this is going to hurt me more than it hurts you,’ but that’s the kind of punishment I’m talking about. Do you understand, Lily Mae?”

  She nodded, staring down at her hands where they sat folded in her lap.

  “You sure?” he asked.

  Now she looked up. “I’m more than sure, Jace,” she said. “I want you to. Even if you take me back, I don’t ever think I’ll feel right about us until I’ve been punished for what I’ve done.”

  Jace felt his heart swell with love for Lily Mae. He reached out his hand. “Stand up then,” he said.

  She took his hand and rose. Jace walked her wordlessly to the back of the sofa. Moving behind her, he reached around to untie the terrycloth bathrobe. He slipped it from her shoulders. She was naked underneath. Jace pushed her over the sofa.

  “Wait here,” he said. “Don’t move a muscle.”

  She didn’t protest. She simply obeyed. Jace left her where she was and went to the kitchen, hoping he’d find what he was looking for. He opened and closed several cabinets, coming up empty in his search. Then he opened the refrigerator and found what he was looking for in the back of the crisper drawer.

  Jace found a cutting board propped by the bread machine on the counter. Now he laid the ginger root he’d found on top of it and used a paring knife to slice a three-inch piece from the end. Working carefully, he removed the hard outer skin, carving the section of root until it was a narrow cylinder about a half inch in diameter.

  Jace tucked the carved section of ginger root into his shirt pocket and walked back into the room to find Lily Mae still in position. He stood on the other side of the couch, watching her watch him as he slowly undid the supple leather belt and pulled it from the loops of his blue jeans.