Connor moved so he rested against Ajax’s desk once more. “You didn’t call the cops? Wake a neighbor to help you?”
“The neighbors in my complex aren’t really the kind you ask for a cup of sugar, let alone to help you fight some fool who’s taken too many steroids and has more muscle than brain.”
Connor’s jaw tightened.
“I called the cops when I got closer to her apartment,” she added. “I’m not a complete fool. I knew I’d need help.”
“Then what did you do?” Connor asked. “Because I’m guessing you didn’t just wait for them to get there.”
She gave him an incredulous look.
“No, of course you didn’t,” he answered. “Look at you, you’re all of five foot two and probably weigh a hundred and twenty pounds. And you just jumped on into a violent situation armed with a baseball bat.”
“I’m five foot three,” she countered. And quite a few pounds heavier than that, although she didn’t correct him.
He gave her a look. Right, really not the point, Ria.
“I couldn’t just stand there and let him beat on her.”
“So, you decided to let him beat on you as well?” Connor asked.
“He didn’t beat on me.”
He looked down at her wrists pointedly.
She didn’t get why he was so upset about this. He didn’t even know her. Why did he care so much about a few bruises on her wrists?
“This is nothing. I’ve had worse.”
“That doesn’t make me feel any better.”
“You’re a strange guy.”
“You’re not the first to tell me that.”
Damn. And she’d thought she was special. She was wise enough not to say that out loud. She might have a smart mouth but even she knew when to stop pushing.
“What happened next?” Ajax asked impatiently.
“I raced inside. She’d locked herself in the bathroom, but after he’d finished wrecking her apartment, he managed to kick in the door. He was . . . he was dragging her across the floor by her foot. Her arm was cradled against her chest and she was trying to grab for something to stop him. Her face was bruised from where he’d hit her.” She stopped talking, caught up in the horror of it all. She’d actually led quite a sheltered childhood. She’d seen more violence in the nine months since she’d left home than she had in the twenty-five years before that.
People would probably be pretty surprised by that. If they knew who her family was.
“And what did you do?” Connor asked in a quiet voice.
She looked up at him. “I raced in there. I said something to him, I don’t even remember what. But he turned to me. I waited until he was close and swung out with my bat. But he managed to grab it. I told Sophie to run as he threw me against the wall.”
“Jesus,” Ajax muttered.
“He grabbed my arms and pinned me against the wall. I was helpless.”
And she still felt the churning fear that came with knowing there was nothing she could do to help herself. Or Sophie.
“Luckily, before he could do anything the cops turned up.”
“Fuck me,” Connor muttered to himself and moved away, looking out the huge one-way window into the dungeon below.
“Which motel is she staying at?” Ajax’s voice had grown a lot calmer. She looked back at him.
“She’s scared. Really scared. I’m not sure she’d even answer the door to you right now.”
“She will,” Ajax told her calmly. “I just want to help her.”
“I know. But she doesn’t really trust anyone but me.” And Ria had let her down. How had he found her?
Ajax frowned. “Ria . . .”
She tensed. She couldn’t tell them where Sophie was without her permission. She owed her that much at least. But she hated going against Ajax. He’d been nothing but good to her.
Connor spun around. “What’s she going to do now?”
“What? I don’t know.”
They hadn’t exactly had a chance to talk about it. To discuss what to do next. Fuck.
“She needs some help right now, Ria,” Connor told her firmly. “You’ve done your best, but it’s time to let someone else help.”
“I can protect her, Ria,” Ajax reassured her. “First, though, I need to know where she is. I need to get her someplace safe.”
“Where will you put her?”
“My place is secure, I’ll put here there,” Ajax stated.
Ria shook her head. “I don’t think she’ll want to do that.”
“I’m not going to give her a choice.”
“I still don’t know if this is a good idea,” she said uneasily to Connor. She was walking behind Ajax as he made his way towards Sophie’s room.
“You think it’s better she stays here?” Connor waved his hand around.
She winced. Ajax had started cursing when she’d directed them to pull up outside this rundown motel.
She knew this place was crap. But it wasn’t like she’d had much choice about where to take Sophie. Wasn’t like either of them had cash to spare.
“Look, I did the best I could, all right? This place is crap but it’s away from any main streets and it’s what we could afford.”
Connor stilled, reached down and gently grabbed hold of her arm. “Hey, I’m not blaming you for this situation.”
No? Well, she was kind of blaming herself.
“I should have done something more,” she said mostly to herself.
“You did what you could, baby. Now it’s time to let someone else take charge.”
Jesus, he didn’t know how tempting his words were. How good would it be to let someone else take some of the load for a while? And she wasn’t just thinking about this shit with Sophie. Her whole life was a mess.
A mess of your own making, Ria. You can’t bring anyone else into that.
They reached Sophie’s door.
“I think it would be better if I knocked,” Ria told Ajax. God, she hoped Sophie wasn’t angry with her for telling them where she was.
Ajax just threw her a look that she couldn’t decipher before he pounded on the door.
“Shit. Like that’s not going to scare the bejeezus out of her.”
She glared up at the big bear of a man.
“Easy, baby. She gave him a fright. Not telling him that she’d been hurt and was in danger is a big issue. She needs to know that holding back stuff like that isn’t acceptable.”
She turned to look up at Connor. “You’re talking like she’s his sub.”
Connor was just silent.
“Who is it?” Sophie called out.
“Well, at least she’s got some sense,” Ajax muttered. “Sophie, it’s Ajax. Open the door.”
There was a long moment of silence.
“Sophie, this is a piece of shit door that won’t take me two seconds to get through, but I don’t want to do that considering all the shit you’ve been through, so I’d really appreciate if you would just open the door.”
“Is-is this because I’m not at w-work? I’m really sorry. I’ll get back as soon as I can.”
Ajax leaned his head against the door. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” Then he straightened up. “It’s not about work, sweetheart. It’s about you. Open the door for me.”
His tone was gentle. Almost sweet. It might seem odd coming from a big Dom who she knew didn’t hesitate to dish out punishment to anyone who stepped over the line in his club, Dom or sub. The subs usually ended up with a red ass, the Doms mostly ended up out on their ass. Depending on what they’d done.
The door didn’t move though.
He took a deep breath in then let it out.
“I know you’re wanting to go softly because of what happened, but you’ve asked her twice now, and she did keep this from you. You make it clear to her that she was under your protection?” Connor asked.
“Obviously, not clearly enough,” Ajax replied, giving Ria a chiding look.
What the hell did I do?
>
“Gonna have to revise my introduction speech. But then, they’re the only two who don’t play. They got a different speech. That was obviously a mistake.”
What did that mean? These two talked in riddles.
“Here, let me—” she let out a whoosh of air as a steel band landed around her middle and pulled her back. “Hey! What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
Connor leaned in and brushed his lips against her ear. She had to fight off a shiver of arousal. “Settle down. It’s important that he get through to her. For both of them.”
“Settle down? Are you kidding me?”
“Knew I should have brought a ball gag with me.” He sighed. “Might need to start carrying one around all the time. You don’t mind very well.”
“Mind very well?”
“No, but with some reinforcement I’m sure you’ll learn. Both positive and negative.”
She narrowed her gaze.
“When you’re good, you get a treat. But if you’re naughty then you get in trouble. I’m a very patient man, and all good things come to those who wait. And work hard.”
Move away from him. Now.
She tried to, but her stupid body wanted to melt into his, to wrap herself in his strength.
The door opened before she could work out what to say and she stepped away from him, trying to ignore the way his hand drifted down her back.
Sophie stared out at the three of them. Her poor bruised face was pale, her one eye that wasn’t swollen shut was bloodshot, and it was clear that she’d been crying. One arm was in a sling, the other wrapped around her middle protectively.
She was still dressed in the clothes Ria had helped her get into last night and her hair was a wild mess around her face.
“What are you all doing here?” Sophie’s blue gaze lasered in on her. “Ria? Did you bring them here? Why would you do that?”
Guilt lashed her. God, had she made a terrible mistake?
Connor stepped into the run-down motel room. Ajax looked around him, grumbling under his breath and Connor understood why he was so upset. He wouldn’t like to find his sub in this rat hole either.
Of course, Sophie wasn’t Ajax’s sub. If she were, she wouldn’t be stealing from Club Indulgence. Ajax would have her tightly under his watchful eye. But anyone with half a brain could see they felt something for one another. And Connor had more than half a brain. If he wanted to toot his own horn, he was fucking smart.
All those brains hadn’t always worked in his favor, though. He’d been a scrawny geek as a kid. Tall, but no muscle. He’d had to build those up later on. And he’d had all the answers, which hadn’t endeared him to kids his own age. Then he’d been recruited into the FBI as a teenager. Not exactly his best move in hindsight. He’d spent all his time behind a computer instead of interacting with other people. He’d had zero social skills. Hadn’t even kept in touch with his family.
It had been all work, work, work.
Until Greta. The bitch. He guessed he should be grateful to her for something. She’d shown him he was missing out on life. She’d also been the one to introduce him to BDSM. And it was then he’d realized he had another passion besides his work.
His sex drive had been okay up until then. But it wasn’t like he’d had much opportunity for sex. It wasn’t until he’d had Greta tied down, his hand landing on her ass that he’d truly felt a connection, felt a need that was deep and consuming.
Even though Greta had been using him, he still owed her for showing him that side of himself. If she hadn’t, he had no doubts he’d still be stuck behind a computer somewhere. Hunched over and pale without a friend or lover in sight.
He’d probably never have realized he was a Dom and that he had a deep-seated need to be in control. It wasn’t just about the sex, although that was fucking a thousand times better since he’d discovered what he really needed. It was about being in control. It was about taking care of someone else, putting their needs first. Before, he hadn’t realized how to put someone else’s needs before his own without letting them walk all over him. Now he did.
He’d had to learn how to read body language. That hadn’t been easy. But he was an observant guy. And he had an innate need for knowledge. He’d taken fucking classes, he’d practiced, and he’d figured that shit out.
He knew he wasn’t perfect. He still made mistakes. He’d been told his Dom vibes were low-key, but he figured that was a good thing. Wasn’t something he necessarily wanted beamed out to the world. Made going undercover easier, for one thing.
Also meant he didn’t have to explain to his sisters and mother what he was. They still looked at him and saw the quiet kid who’d had his head stuck behind a computer screen through his teenage years.
“I’m sorry, Soph,” Ria told her, looking like she’d been smacked in the face.
Her defenses were down and he could see her vulnerability.
“You were supposed to cover for me. Why would you lead them here?” Sophie stared at her friend.
“They wanted to talk to you and when they found out I was covering for you, they wanted to know what had happened.”
“So, you just told them?”
“No, she didn’t just tell us,” Ajax told her. “Connor spotted the bruises on Ria’s arms and wanted to know where she’d gotten them. And still she didn’t want to come clean. Sophie, why didn’t you call me?”
“Call you?” Sophie looked dumbfounded.
“Yes. Call me. Pick up the phone and call me and tell me you were in trouble. Didn’t you think I’d help you?”
Sophie gave him a confused look. “You’re my boss. Why would I think you would help me?”
Ajax sighed.
“Because Ajax is a Dom,” Connor explained. “And a Dom’s number one job, the thing that drives him, is protecting those that belong to him.”
“But we don’t belong to him. And that sort of thinking went out a hundred years ago,” Ria snapped. “We’re under no obligation to tell you what’s going on in our lives.”
“You are if it interferes with doing your job,” Ajax snapped back.
Sophie nodded. “You’re right.”
“I came in to cover for her,” Ria said. “Which I would be doing right now, if you hadn’t forced me to spill the beans then dragged us all over here. Now Chrissy is going to be in a pissy mood because she’s been stuck working on her own.”
“Trevor will help her,” Ajax shot back.
“Yeah. Right. Trevor only helps himself.” There was a bitter note to Ria’s voice.
“If you need to fire me, I understand,” Sophie told Ajax. Her words were brave, but her lower lip trembled and tears filled her eyes.
He might have felt sorry for her if it weren’t for the video footage he had of her helping herself to the club’s money.
“I’m not going to fire you because you’re injured and can’t work.” Ajax’s voice was gentle, and Sophie folded in on herself, looking relieved.
“But he will fire you for stealing from the club,” Connor added in a firm voice. He hated to be the bad guy, but it was obvious Ajax wasn’t going to be. He couldn’t forget the job he’d been brought in to do.
Although he had to say, he felt like he was kicking a puppy. And he couldn’t help but wonder what her reasons were. As he looked around the motel room, it became obvious this wasn’t where her money was going. And she wasn’t dressed in the latest fashion. Gambling habit? Drink? Drugs? Somehow, he didn’t think so. Somehow, he thought the answer was going to be much more complex. And he didn’t think he was going to like it.
“What the hell?” Ria gaped up at Connor. What the fuck was he talking about? “Sophie isn’t a thief! What right do you have to come in here and accuse her of being a criminal? What the hell are you even doing here anyway? Ajax, I understand. He’s her boss and he’s actually worried about her. You, on the other hand, are no one, and I think it’s time you left!”
Ria was breathing heavily by the time she’d finis
hed yelling at Connor, who just stood there and stared at her calmly. Fuck him. Did nothing rattle this guy? She was starting to wonder if he actually had feelings and emotions like normal people. Or was he some sort of robot?
“Well?” She looked over at Ajax for back-up. The other man just stared at Sophie, his gaze assessing. Cool. Nothing like the concerned man from minutes before.
She froze. She’d seen him look that way before. The other night when those assholes had grabbed Sophie was one instance. The other time was when he’d overheard a Dom laying into his sub when they were in the bar. It had been way beyond what was called for.
That Dom had never come back.
Ajax had a huge protective streak. But he didn’t look protective right now. He didn’t turn to Connor and tell him to fuck off the way she knew he would if . . . if he thought what Connor had said was untrue.
She turned to look at Sophie. The other woman was even paler, if that was possible.
She looked from Connor to Ria to Ajax. “I-I—” Her eyes rolled up in her head and she slumped, falling backwards. Ria was closest and she grabbed her. But even though Sophie was several pounds lighter than Ria, her dead weight was more than she could take and she felt herself slipping to the ground.
“Shit.” Ajax reached for Sophie, pulling her up into his arms then laying her on the bed.
Before she could get to her feet, Connor reached down and grabbed her around the waist, lifting her. She readjusted her assessment of his strength. Plucking her off the ground so easily was no easy feat.
“Come on, Soph, wake up.” Ajax was lightly patting her face.
She turned to Connor. “This is your fault.”
Connor sighed. “I didn’t make her steal from the club, Ria.”
“Sophie is not a thief. I don’t know what you think you know, but—”
“I have video evidence,” he interrupted just as Sophie started to moan softly.
Ria stared up at him. That couldn’t be true. Sophie couldn’t have done that. He must be mistaken.
“You’re lying.” But even she could hear the lack of conviction in her voice.
Another person might have gotten mad at her for accusing them of lying. He just gave her a look filled with pity. She clenched her fists together. She hated being pitied. Hated it.
Reveal Me, Sir (Doms of Decadence Book 9) Page 6