23. Chapter 23
Chapter 23
Victor
I pace my office, wanting to storm into the dungeon and demand that Zara take Lili back to the suite. I don’t like having her out in the open. Though that’s a bit of an overstatement. There are no windows in the club space of the building. Everything is dark unless the lights are turned on. There is no way anyone can see Zara and Lili. I hope Zara has put her at ease and she’s willingly providing useful information. I’m not sure if that’s going to be the case, though. Lili has given mixed signals about whether or not she wants to help us.
Zara and I argued about the logistics of her visit with Lili, and of course Luke took her side. So now they are dining in the dungeon on sandwiches and soft drinks while I sit in my office and try not to go crazy.
It’s been an hour, and there are no reports of attempted escapes from the guards we put in place. I’m watching my phone like a hawk for Zara’s signal that I can head into the dungeon and run into them as she’s taking Lili back to her room.
My phone doesn’t light up until I’m done working my way through Bellamy’s signature requests on club paperwork, and I jump up as soon as I see that it’s Zara.
When I get to the dungeon, Lili and Zara are laughing about something.
“Ladies,” I say, as if Lili isn’t our prisoner and is just another guest in the club. “I trust you’ve had a productive lunch.”
Zara stands and gives me her best smile. “It was lovely. But I really should get back to Luke before he misses me too much.”
I roll my eyes. Their love is sometimes too sappy for me.
“I’ll walk Lili back to her room,” I offer.
Zara nods, and I offer Lili my arm.
“She’s wonderful. Makes me want to meet Bellamy and whoever Matteo is involved with. “
“What did the two of you talk about?”
Lili shakes her head. “I’m sure Zara will tell you all about it in the debrief you undoubtedly planned.”
Smart girl. I open the door to suite two, and motion her inside.
“Would it be possible for me to get some sunshine?” she asks, standing with her feet planted.
I shake my head. “No can do, Spitfire.”
“I’m going crazy, Victor. I take a walk in my neighborhood every morning to get my brain working. Being outdoors is important to my mental health.”
It’s clear she’s being honest, but I can’t risk it with Phineas out there looking for her.
“I’ll try to figure something out.” And I will. I just have to sort out how to make it happen.
She nods and goes into the room, apparently satisfied with my response.
When I get back to my office, I call Zara who answers right away. “I’m still in the restaurant if you want me to come talk to you.”
“I’m in my office,” I say, ending the call without a goodbye.
A few minutes later, she knocks on my door. “Victor, you’ve made quite a mess.”
“Hush. I don’t need shit from you. I’m getting enough from your husband and the others.”
“With good reason. What on earth possessed you?”
“A lunatic trying to hurt you and the others?” I say with a raised eyebrow. “Or have you forgotten being kidnapped by Pratchett?”
Zara shudders and I know I’ve hit a nerve. I imagine her kidnapping is an experience she won’t soon forget.
“Tell me what Lili said,” I demand, as Zara sits in the chair in front of my desk.
“She gave me some names to look into and said he is most likely arranging things through one of the brothel owners outside of town.”
“That’s good. What else?”
“She tells me that Phineas may kill her if she has to go back to him. I think after all you’ve put her through, you owe it to her to make sure that bastard is in a body bag before you set her free.”
“What makes you think I’m setting her free?”
Zara gasps. “You can’t seriously be considering killing her. I won’t help you for another second if that’s what you’re planning.”
She stands and I jump up to stop her. “Relax. That was a joke.”
“And it was in poor taste. You should be ashamed.”
“I’m sorry. You’re right. We have no intention of killing Lili.”
Lili’s husband is another matter, but it sounds like Zara has no problem with me putting two in the back of Phineas Draven’s head. Not that I blame her after what she went through at the hands of Chuck Pratchett—who was undoubtedly working for Draven. If I get my way, though, Phineas won’t get off as easily as a quick death. That man deserves to suffer for what he’s done not only to Lili, but to my family.
“I thank you for taking the time today, Zara.”
She smiles. “You’re welcome. I want this to end as quickly as you do. But I think you’re going to have the most luck getting Grace to talk to her again. Lili seems sweet on the girl, and I could tell from my visit with Grace last night that she has feelings for Lili too.”
“Feelings?”
“I can’t say if they are romantic or not, but they’ve definitely developed some kind of bond.”
My phone beeps, and I pick it up. A text from one of the guards is waiting for me with a picture of a black SUV and its license plate.
“Stay put,” I tell Zara as I lift the phone to my ear and call Owen.
I tell him about the car and send over the picture.
“Shit, mate. It’s part of the city’s fleet of government vehicles. That particular unit has been assigned to the mayor’s security team.”
God damn it.
“I’m keeping Zara here until we know the place isn’t being watched.”
“Where is Gracie?”
Zara gives me a funny look, and I pull the phone away from my ear. “What is it?”
“She wants to be called Grace. You should respect that.”
I scowl at Zara. “Now isn’t the time.”
To owe Owen, I say, “Grace is on her way into work. She’s closing tonight.”
“Let her come in and then keep her there until we figure out if it’s safe or not.”
Zara stands. “Can I call Luke and let him know I’m not coming home right away?”
I give her the thumbs up. “Send Grace back here if you see her.”
Zara agrees, and I return to the call with Owen.
A few minutes later, Grace steps into my office.
“What’s going on? Zara says you want to see me.”
“Sit down, Grace.”
She lowers herself into the chair Zara just vacated and looks at me expectantly.
“How are you?” I ask, shoving my phone aside.
“Victor, now isn’t the time to dissect what is happening between us. Tell me what’s going on. Zara says I can’t leave and neither can she.”
“Just for a little while. Hopefully, by the end of your shift you’ll be free to go.”
I explain about the mysterious car, and about Zara having a conversation with Lili.
“How did that go?”
“Not as well as I’d hoped, but Zara got some names that might help us.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about your plan?”
I sigh. “Because I was trying not to involve you just as you’ve requested. I’m sorry you keep getting dragged into this, butterfly.”
She crosses her arms and stares at me, unfazed by my use of her nickname. “It’s fine. I’m in it now. So, you might as well tell me everything.”
Her exasperated tone is not one I’m used to, and I lean forward, hoping to show her how serious I am.
“Let’s agree that I’ve fucked that up, and I’ll be honest from this point on.”
“That’s all I can ask.” Her shoulders relax, and she drops her arms to lace her fingers in her lap. It’s a start.
“Now tell me how you are after yesterday. I shouldn’t have spanked you like that. It fell outside the bounds of our negotiated agreement. And then I made it worse by abandoning you.”
Grace shifts uncomfortably in her seat. “I’m not sure. It’s not like you’ve never spanked me before. And we’ve done other kinky things. We fooled around in high school. But we’ve always just been friends, and you’ve been pretty clear we can’t have a serious relationship because of family expectations.”
I lean forward again and steeple my fingers on the desk. “It’s true that my parents have certain requirements regarding who I take as a bride. But they haven’t brought that up in years. And there’s nothing that says we need to get married right away.”
Grace blinks. “Right away? So, you’re saying you want to date me?”
I run a hand through my hair. “I’m saying I enjoyed the needles the other night, and yesterday even more, and I wish it hadn’t ended so abruptly with me being a jackass. For all intents and purposes, I abandoned you when things got awkward. I’m sorry.”
“What about Lili?” she asks, ignoring my apology.
“What about her?”
She gives me a frustrated sigh. “It’s clear you have a thing for her. And I have something... not feelings. But I like her a lot and don’t want her to get hurt in all of this mess with her husband.”
“Zara seems to think Lili is into you.”
Grace’s face flushes pink. “What gave her that impression?”
I shrug. “Something about the way Lili talks about you. And Zara said last night when she came to see you, that you hinted you care about Lili.”
“It’s not a romantic thing. I just think she’s been kind to me even when I’ve been unkind.”
I snort. “There isn’t an unkind bone in your body, Grace. I don’t see how you could ever have been unkind to her.”
“Every time I think about her sleeping with you, I get a little jealous.” Her voice is quiet, and she ducks her head as if embarrassed to be admitting her jealousy.
“Is it that way with every woman I’ve slept with? I haven’t exactly been a monk around you, Grace.”
She grimaces. “Don’t remind me. The number of women I’ve watched you fuck in this club is absurd.”
“I’m not that bad.”
“It’s been pretty bad, Victor. Not in the last year, because the four of you have been a little busy, but before that it felt like a different girl every weekend.”
That’s probably because it was a different girl every weekend, but I’m not going to sit here and agree with her. I have a rule about not getting emotionally entwined with members of the club, so I only play with them inside the club, and I rarely play with the same girl twice.
“Can we agree that there is something between us and figure it out as we go?” I ask, eager to change the subject from my sex life.
“I can live with that.”
“Can I give you the orgasm you should have gotten the other day?”
She waves a hand dismissively. “No. I want a proper first time with you. Not a quickie in your office.”
I’m relieved when she says that because I want the same thing. “We’ll make a plan,” I say matter-of-factly.
She twists a short curl around her finger, and I stand and move to the other side of my desk so I’m standing in front of her. I offer her my hand and pull her to her feet so I can pull her close and kiss her forehead.
“Forgive me, Mariposa. I’m sorry I’ve neglected you all this time.”
Grace blushes and lays her head on my chest. “I’ve cared about you since the day we met. You were so angry.”
And I’ve never told her what made me so angry the day we met. And I’m not sure I ever will. She doesn’t need that violence in her head.
“I should get to work,” she whispers a few minutes later. “Harper hates working over.”
I wince. “Harper might need to stick around, too. Wait here. I’ll come back for you in a moment.”
At the front of the shop, I find Harper scowling at the clock. “Is Gracie coming out? I was supposed to go home fifteen minutes ago.”
“There’s a bit of a situation, and I need you to stick around a little longer.”
She huffs. “I’ve got plans.”
“And I appreciate you giving me your time. You’ll be paid for three additional hours even if you only stay an extra thirty minutes. Grace just needs to handle something for me.”
“Fine.”
I leave the sandwich shop and pull my phone from my pocket to check in with Owen again.
“Any more information on our mystery vehicle?” I ask.
“Not yet. Looks like they are parked in a shopping center nearby and are just waiting. For what, I’m not sure. Are you positive that Lili didn’t bring any kind of tracking devices with her?”
“She was naked, and I tossed her shoes out of the car before we left the casino property. Didn’t even let her take her purse.”
“Jesus, Victor. What about implants? Would Phineas be crazy enough to microchip his own wife?”
“Don’t act like you haven’t thought about asking Bellamy if you can chip her. Especially after the last few months.”
Owen laughs. “Ask being the operative verb there, mate. Something tells me if this bastard did it, his wife would never know.”
“How do we find out?”
“I can bring a scanner in a few minutes.”
“Is that safe?”
“It’ll have to be. If they’ve followed us before, they know we frequent the shop. I’ll come in through the cigar bar.”
Over the past year, Zara has spearheaded the opening of several other businesses in the strip mall that we occupy. We only lease space to club members we trust. She opened a boudoir studio in one, another close ally opened a cigar bar, and Bellamy wants to open an accounting firm in another. We still have three empty spaces, but Zara is bound to be looking for good tenants.
Back in my office, I tell Grace that Owen is on his way in. She stands. “I’ll give you some space. Should I go out front?”
I shake my head. “Not yet. Harper can handle things for a little while longer.”
She twists her hands, and I drop to a knee in front of the chair she’s in. I pick up her hands and separate them, squeezing them in my own. “What is it, butterfly?”
“I just need something to do. Sitting here listening to you talk about all of this with Owen is going to make me more anxious.”
Harper is annoying me, so I want her to keep working the front. I kiss Grace’s knuckles and stand. At my desk, I rifle through the file drawer until I find what I’m looking for.
When I hand it to her, she looks up at me and blushes. “I’ve already filled this out.”
“Be honest, butterfly. Did you hide part of yourself? There are some things that have come out, like the blood play that I know aren’t in there. And even if you didn’t hide anything, you’ve seen and experienced a lot here in the last five years. If things have changed about your needs, I want to know. Especially if you and I are changing our relationship.”
She flips through the submissive questionnaire we have new subs fill out then looks back at me. “I suppose you’re right.”
“Of course I’m right,” I say with a wink. Then I cup her jaw and force her to meet my gaze. “Hold nothing back, Mariposa. If you’re going to be mine, I want everything. If I discover you’ve downplayed something, or left things out, you’ll answer for it, understood?”
She nods, her eyes wide. “Yes, Sir,” she says when I raise an eyebrow at her silence.
“Good. You can use Bellamy’s office.”
When she’s gone, I settle at my desk and try to focus on club business, but I keep thinking of her and what she may be putting in the questionnaire.
A half hour later, Owen strolls into my office carrying a scanner, forcing me to focus on more urgent matters.
“Do you want to do it?” I ask when he explains how it works.
“It’s up to you. Either way, I’ll come with you just in case it gives you any trouble.”
“The device or the woman?”
Owen snorts. “The woman is entirely your trouble to deal with, my friend.”
“Bastard.”
“Never have denied it.”
Together, we go to the suite where Lili is waiting, and I knock on the door.
“Come in,” she calls.
“Afternoon, Mrs. Draven,” Owen says cheerfully.
Lili visibly shudders, and for some reason that gives me comfort.
“Please call me Lili.”
Owen gives a curt nod. “We’ve had an interesting visitor to our parking lot, and I need to double check you aren’t carrying any trackers.”
“I was naked except for the hairpins in my hair and my shoes when Victor forced me into his car. And then the bastard threw out a two-thousand-dollar pair of shoes.”
“Two thousand is excessive even for me,” Owen says, incredulously. “You walk around in other people’s filth. Why spend that much?”
“You should take care of your feet Mr. Thorne.”
Owen raises an eyebrow. “I’ll keep that in mind. I’m going to scan this wand over you and see if it picks up on any signals.”
She stands and reaches for the buttons on her pajama top. Owen waves his hand before she gets to the second button. “No need for that. I’m not quite the monster Victor is. The wand will work over your clothes. I appreciate your cooperation, though.”
“I’m starting to realize that you lot are my best bet for getting out of here alive,” she admits as Owen runs the wand over her.
“Do you still have those hair pins?”
Lili frowns. “I use different ones every day. You really think my husband would put trackers in all of them?”
“He tracked you to the casino, didn’t he?”
“I’m assuming it was the large ATM withdrawals that led him there.”
“Fair point. I’d still like to check.”
I stand back and watch as Lili goes to the bathroom to retrieve them.
When Owen runs the wand over small metal pins, an orange light turns on at the top of the wand. He frowns and passes the wand across them again. “Fuck.”
“What? Are they bugged?” I ask.
“It looks like there is definitely a tracker of some kind, but it’s not transmitting. Not sure why that would be the case. I’m going to take these to my office and investigate further.”
Lili nods at Owen, and I notice her lip trembling. “I didn’t know about this. I swear,” she whispers.
Afraid she is going to burst into tears, I move forward and cup her jaw in my palm. “I believe you, Liliana. Relax.”
A single tear drops down her cheek, and I catch it with my thumb.
“Don’t cry, little Spitfire. You’re stronger than that.”
She closes her eyes and nods. “Normally, I would agree. But this is all getting to be too much.”
God damn it. My feelings for her step into the spotlight of my mind once more, and I’ve just promised Grace we could explore what is happening between us. Since I’m a man of my word, and because I’ve wanted Grace since the day I met her, I shove my hand into the pocket of my slacks and put a foot of space between us. “Let Owen examine the pins, and we’ll figure out what to do next.”
Her nod is stiff, and she doesn’t say anything else as Owen and I leave and head for his office. Where mine has classic furniture with a rustic feel, his is filled with all the latest tech and sleek modern furniture. He runs our entire security operation from this office.
He sits at his desk and lays the pins in front of him scanning it with the wand again. The light turns orange once more. He sets two pins aside and runs the wand over just one, repeating the process with the other three. All of them light up orange.
“We have signal jammers here. Would that impact it?”
Owen shakes his head. “I mean, yes, it would stop the signal from going anywhere, but it should still be trying to transmit.”
He snaps his fingers a minute later. “Her phone. I bet the app that actually makes these work is on her phone. He would expect that she wouldn’t go anywhere without it. What happened to it?”
“I made her leave her purse, so it’s probably in the casino lost and found.”
“I have to get it before someone gives it back to Phineas. That might be why he was freaking out. His backup trackers went offline, and he wants to know why. His wife is a valuable asset. It would make sense he would want more than just a phone tracker in case someone did take her. So why would he tie the tracking abilities to her phone?”
I shake my head and hold up my hands. “Slow down, man. I’m barely following you.” Owen is a verbal processor, but he’s usually speaking techno-babble that I can’t understand. Today it’s worse than normal.
“Sorry. It just doesn’t make sense.”
“Maybe the phone has to be within a certain distance, and he’s suspicious that since her phone is still transmitting but the pins are not it means she’s been separated from her phone.”
Owen snaps and points at me again. “That would make sense. I’m going to the casino to pull up transcripts of his interactions with casino staff.”
“Good plan. I’m going to go ask her a few more questions about her husband.”
“We need to be prepared to move her,” Owen says before I can move to the door.
I groan. “Yeah. We can make that happen if we need to. Do you have someone on the SUV?”
Owen nods. “One of my people is watching it, and they’re ready to follow it if it moves or the occupants swap drivers.”
Owen is already out the door, and I follow him. “Send Harper home and I’ll have Grace take over,” I tell him before we split up in the main dungeon. Owen heads for the exit, and I head for Bellamy’s office.
Grace is sitting behind the desk writing diligently on the form. I spy a notepad with more writing on it next to her. She’s taken the task seriously. Not that I expected anything less.
“Good girl,” I murmur when she doesn’t look up.
She sets her pen down and smiles. “Thank you. Is everything OK?”
“Not exactly. Owen found a tracker, but Lili swears she didn’t know about it.”
“Do you believe her?”
I round the desk and pull her up into my arms. “I do. Right now, I need to redirect your focus to the shop so Harper can go home. You can finish this project later. Thank you for taking it seriously.”
“Thank you for giving it to me,” she whispers as she lays her head on my shoulder.
I kiss the top of her head before she stands and pulls away. “I’ll get to work in the shop. You do what you need to.”
“Thank you, butterfly. When it’s time to close, we’ll talk more about this.” I tap the questionnaire still sitting on the desk. “And then I fully intend to give you a proper kiss.”
She blushes but heads for the door without saying anything else. When she’s gone, I head for Lili’s suite.
I don’t bother knocking this time, and I find her sitting on the floor stretching.
“I can come back,” I mutter, feeling like I’m invading her privacy.
“No, stay. I’m sure you have questions.”
I pull the chair from in front of the vanity, the same one she tied me to, and sit.
“Does your husband have rules about your cell phone?”
She frowns? “Rules? Not exactly. I was given a phone that was cleared with the mayor’s security detail, and he often reminds me not to go anywhere without it.”
“Why do you think he feels the need for that reminder? I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t take their phone everywhere.”
Lili laughs. “I hate that damn thing. If I could, I would go back to a plain old flip phone with no apps or internet access. I’ve been known to just leave it on my nightstand.”
“Why would your husband put trackers on you that are tied to your phone’s tracking system instead of something independent.”
Lili frowns. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
I sigh and drag a hand through my hair. “This is perplexing. We may have to move you, so be ready.”
Her face turns white, and I realize what she thinks I’m saying.
“Not the warehouse. I made most of that up to scare you. We do have one, but there is no cell, and I’ve only killed two people there.”
“Oh, well, if it’s only two then I clearly have nothing to worry about,” she says sarcastically.
“I promise I’m not trying to scare you, Lili. If we move you, you will be made comfortable, I promise. And I’ll try to make sure it’s somewhere you can get some fresh air.” It’s time for me to get out of here before I make a bigger mess, so head for the door. “I’ll leave you to your stretching.”
As I reach for the knob, she calls after me. “Victor, wait. I just remembered something.”
I turn and wait expectantly.
“The hairpins. The ones I was wearing in my hair are new. And my husband did not give them to me. My mother-in-law’s hairdresser did. I can give you his name.”
I type the name she gives me into my phone and send it to Owen along with an explanation. “There are some calls I need to make in my office. Shout my name if you need something. I’ll keep the microphone on.”
As I walk back to my office, I pray that the information Lili gave us is enough to put an end to this madness once and for all.