Chapter 4
Brand wasn’t having a good day.
Hell, he wasn’t having a good week. First, he’d had to threaten Mikey with all sorts of bodily harm to get him to cough up where Jolie was staying. Then, the airline had lost his luggage and he’d had to wait for hours for them to find it. The only rental car left was a tiny tin-can with no leg room. And when he’d turned up at this hotel… ranch… retreat… whatever the fuck it was, they had all this security.
What. The. Hell?
Maybe it was some sort of private hospital? Rehab?
No. He’d never noticed Jolie taking anything or looking like she was on drugs. That couldn’t be it.
So what was it?
Mikey hadn’t known. Whatever this place was, it was private, and they didn’t want people just wandering onto their land.
He paced back and forth in front of the wrought-iron gates. They were impressive and all he could really see beyond them was the tree-lined driveway.
Oh, and the guard glaring at him from the guard shack.
He leaned against the hood of his rental car as he pondered what to do next. The guard wouldn’t let him in.
What if they were keeping Jolie here against her will?
Fuck.
Should he call the cops?
Getting out his phone, he tried to call Jolie again. Yes, he’d gotten her number from Mikey. No, the other man hadn’t exactly given it to him willingly.
Brand was aware that it was an asshole move.
He didn’t care.
Finally, he saw a truck approaching the gates. It stopped and a large man climbed out. He was wearing a flannel shirt with jeans and cowboy boots.
This was the owner? What had the guard said his name was? Hawkins?
The gates opened, and the man stepped forward toward him.
“Hello, Mr. Starr.”
“Hawkins.” He nodded, watching with narrowed eyes.
“Call me Derek. Now, what can I do for you? I don’t believe you have a reservation?”
For fuck’s sake.
Why hadn’t he thought of that?
“I’d like to make one.”
Derek’s eyebrows rose. “I see. You’d like to stay at Rawhide Ranch as a guest?”
“Yep. How do I do that?”
“Are you a Dominant, Mr. Starr?”
Whoa. That was a weird question. “Is that a prerequisite to stay here?”
“All guests of the Ranch need to fill in a few forms before they are… accepted. And sign an NDA.”
An NDA?
“So, I need to get my lawyer involved? To stay at a hotel?” Brand asked. “Look, I really just need to see Jolie Ryan. I know she’s staying here.”
“We’re not a hotel. Perhaps it would be best just to call Ms. Ryan?”
“You don’t think I’ve tried?” he bit out in frustration. “She’s not answering her phone. It goes directly to voicemail.”
“You’re a friend of hers?”
“No.”
Derek just stared at him.
“Not exactly. Things are… complicated.”
“Hmm.” Derek drew out his cell phone. “I have someone with Ms. Ryan right now. She’s been informed that you’re here and she said that she would call you.”
“I’m not leaving here without seeing her. How do I know that you… you people aren’t keeping her here against her will?”
“Ms. Ryan is free to leave whenever she likes.” Derek’s frown deepened as he read something else. “I need to get back.”
“Wait! What is it… is something wrong with Jolie?” His heart started racing.
“Why would you think that?”
“Because she wasn’t feeling well during our last concert.”
“Ahh. And that’s why you’re here? To check on her? She told you she was coming here?”
“No, I, um, pressed a mutual acquaintance to tell me where she was.” And he wasn’t going to apologize for that. “I need to know she’s all right.”
Derek gave him a long look. “The person I sent to check in with her is worried that she doesn’t sound right. I’m going to check on her.”
“I want to come with you. Or I’m calling the cops,” he said desperately. “You can’t hold her against her will.”
“She’s not here against her will,” Derek told him firmly. “Everyone on this property is under my protection, guests included.”
Fuck. He was coming across like a stalker.
“I’m just worried about her. I’m not a creep or anything.”
Was it his imagination or did the other man soften?
“Let me see what I can do.” Stepping away to his truck, he brought his phone up to his ear.
Brand wanted to get in his car and take off down the driveway. Storm the place until he found his girl. But he got the feeling that wouldn’t go well for him.
Then Derek Hawkins climbed out of his truck and walked back toward him, holding out his phone. “For you.”
He took the phone. “Hello?”
Derek stepped away to give him privacy. All right, maybe he wasn’t a bad guy.
“Brand? Is that really you?”
“Jolie?” he asked relief filling him. “Are you all right?”
“Um, yes.”
She didn’t sound all that sure. In fact, she didn’t really sound like Jolie at all.
“You don’t sound sure.”
“What… what are you doing here, Brand?” she asked.
“You wouldn’t answer your phone. And you didn’t wait for me. After the concert, I went to the bus, but Owen said you were gone. I figured I would see you the next day, but you didn’t come to the lunch the label put on for us.”
“You went looking for me?” Jolie sounded so shocked that it floored him. “Why would you do that?”
Why would he do that? Was she for real right now? He rubbed his forehead. Well, he hadn’t exactly shown her that he cared, had he? In fact… he’d kind of been a dick.
“Because I was worried about you.”
“You found out where I was staying and came all the way to Montana because you were worried about me?” she asked incredulously.
She still sounded off. Like she was nasally. Did she have a cold?
“I was in the neighborhood,” he lied. Then he groaned. What was he doing? If he wanted her to take him seriously, then he had to prove that he cared. “That’s a lie. I fucking pressed Mikey to give me your phone number and tell me where you were. He and I just totally violated your privacy, and I’d apologize except I’m not fucking sorry. Because I really needed to see you. To make sure you’re all right. And to scold you for taking off like that and worrying the shit out of me. What were you thinking?”
“Okay, that was a lot of emotions you just threw at me, big guy. You wanna take a moment? Have a breath?”
“Jolie,” he said warningly. He wasn’t going to let her push him away or make light of this. “I want to see you. Now.”
“Bossy bastard.”
He closed his eyes. “Look, I’m not trying to be an asshole here, but the fact of the matter is I’m a pushy guy who is used to getting what I want.”
“And you want to see me?”
“Yes.”
“Because you’re worried about me?” she asked.
“That’s part of it. Listen, I won’t scold you for leaving when I told you to stay, if you let me see you.” Well, he wouldn’t scold her much.
“Right. That’s so good of you.”
“I thought so.”
Derek started to move toward him. Fuck.
“Jolie, tell this guy that you want to see me.”
“I don’t know if they’ll let you in here if you haven’t filled in the paperwork and you’re not in the lifestyle.”
In the lifestyle? Was she talking about?
Suddenly, she started to cough. He frowned. Fuck, she didn’t sound good.
“Jolie? Jolie, are you all right?”
“What’s going on?” Derek asked, reaching for his phone.
Brand shook his head, stepping back. He wasn’t giving up access to his girl.
“Jolie? Baby, are you all right?”
“Just a bit… bit sick. Shoot, I just coughed all over Erika’s phone.”
“It’s fine,” a woman said in the background. “But we need to get you to the infirmary, Jolie.”
“I’ll be all right.”
“You do not sound all right,” he said fiercely. “You need to see a doctor. Right. Now. I’ll come in and get you. Fly one in. Whatever you need.”
“We have access to medical professionals,” Derek said calmly. “We’ll see that she gets taken care of.”
Brand nodded. Fuck. He still wanted to insist that he be the one looking after. But his fucking feelings didn’t come into this. What was important was taking care of Jolie.
“Baby, I’m going to let you go see the doctor. I’ll try to call you later.”
“My phone isn’t charged.”
“Please get someone to do that for you. Okay? I need to know you’re all right.”
It was this stabbing pain in his gut, demanding that he ensure she was all right. That he take care of her. But he had to do what was right for her.
Fuck. Was this what it felt like to put someone else first?
It was a strange feeling. He felt good and crappy all at the same time.
“I… okay.”
“Be good, baby. I’ll talk to you soon.”
It almost killed him to end the call. Then he handed the phone back to Derek. There was an odd look on the other man’s face.
“You never answered my question.”
“Huh?” Brand was too focused on Jolie and her welfare to fully understand what the other man was saying.
“If you’re a Dominant.”
Brand glared at him. Again, personal question. And that wasn’t exactly something he just announced to people. The Press would love to get their hands on that tidbit. That’s why he only went to the one club where the owner was an old friend who would never betray him. And who made every member sign an NDA.
“I’m not asking because I want that information to sell to the tabloids. It’s just… you did the right thing, putting her needs first.”
“I don’t need to be a Dom to do that.”
“No. Just a man who cares about a woman. She’ll be well looked after. I’ll see to it myself.”
Brand scowled. “She’s mine. Got it?”
To his shock, Derek grinned. “It’s all right. I have one of my own.”
Good. Although he didn’t think that anyone could be as beautiful, talented, or sweet as Jolie.
But perhaps he was biased.
He thought about that.
Nah.
“If you could keep me updated, I’d owe you,” Brand told him. “I have money and connections; I can get you whatever you want.”
“I have everything I want right here.”
Great. How did he find the one guy who couldn’t be bribed?
“But I’ll check with Jolie and if it’s all right with her, I will let you know. Put your number in my phone.”
Brand quickly added his number to the other man’s phone, then handed it back.
“Thanks.”
Derek nodded before getting in his truck and leaving. The gates closed. With Brand on the wrong side.
Fuck.
He fucking hated it. For years, he’d had everything he wanted handed to him. And now that something important had come along… someone he hadn’t even realized was going to mean so much to him… and he couldn’t even get near her. Couldn’t take care of her.
If this was karma’s way of getting back at him…
Then fuck karma.
But just please let his girl be all right.