Chapter 22
CHAPTER 22
ICE
H e’d forgotten how brutal a solo songwriting session could be. Several hours after he’d sat down with his guitar, he had the music down, but the lyrics still eluded him. They were there, on the periphery of his mind, but they stubbornly refused to come into focus.
Ace would have found them almost instantly. It was a gift, not one every musician had, to be able to pull the words from a song the way he could.
But this one wasn’t for Ace. He wasn’t even sure it would be for the band when it was done. It was too different, musically, from their usual fare.
And something about it felt too personal, even without the words. Too raw to share, even with his closest friends.
Forcing himself to stand, he winced at the stiffness in his muscles as he stretched. Jesus, how long had he been sitting here?
A quick glance at his phone told him he’d been working a hell of a lot longer than he’d intended to. Which meant Silver had been gone for god knew how long, without him bothering to check in on her.
Some Daddy he was.
Annoyed with himself for not paying more attention, he swiped open his texts and shot off a quick message.
Ice
Having fun with your friends, baby?
He wasn’t even sure where they’d gone. Drinks and dinner, but he couldn’t remember where. Had she actually told him where they were going?
Again, on him for not stopping to actually talk to her before she’d left. Which made him an asshole who owed his babygirl a very big apology when she got home. Between the song and his very complicated emotions about returning home, he’d shut her out without really meaning to.
The phone he’d tucked into his pocket vibrated and he pulled it out with a grin, expecting to see Silver’s face on his screen. Even if she was pissed—which she had every right to be—he was looking forward to hearing her voice.
But it was Beckett’s face, not Silver’s that greeted him. With a flash of disappointment, he hit the button to answer the call. “Hey man. What’s up?”
“You need to get your ass to the club. Now .”
The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end at the growl in Beckett’s voice. “What’s wrong?”
“Your girl is here. And she made a new friend.”
“Who?”
“Killian O’Rourke.”
Fuck. Of all the people for Silver to cozy up to, she had to choose Killian Fucking O’Rourke. The smooth-talking head of one of the largest crime families on the east coast. “I’m on my way.”
Still clutching his phone, he strode to the front door—and blinked at the empty ring where his keys should be. “Son of a bitch!”
“What?”
“Silver must have taken my car.” Had she asked? He couldn’t remember, which only added to the guilt and fury bubbling in his veins. “I’ll have to call an Uber or something.”
“Don’t bother. My car service has a fleet over your way. I can have a car at your door in five minutes.”
Relief welled inside him, but it did nothing to ease the band of worry around his chest. “Thanks. I owe you one.”
“Nonsense. I’m going to get her away from him and find somewhere safe to stash her until you get here.” A very un-Beckett-like darkness coated his words. “I bet Braden would let me use his office as a temporary jail cell.”
“Silver’s a brat to her core. If you start telling her what to do, she’ll do the complete opposite just to spite you.” And he didn’t want to think about where that would land her. “Just keep an eye on her until I get there and don’t let them leave the club or go anywhere alone.”
“Can do. Your car should be arriving now.”
He’d just barely managed to find his wallet and get his shoes and a shirt on before the doorbell chimed. Heart pounding, he followed the driver down to the car, where he spent the next thirty minutes trying to convince himself that nothing bad could happen to her within the walls of Club BDE.
Silver
Killian was the perfect gentleman, and a charming host, but she found herself missing Ice as they made their rounds through the pit and back up to the top floor, where Killian said the themed rooms were located. His description of the medieval room had piqued her interest and a quick check with a wide-eyed Vivian had confirmed the room was empty for the evening.
But just as they neared the door, Beckett approached from the other direction, a deceptively relaxed smile on his face. Everything else about him from his purposeful stride to the tension in his shoulders said he was anything but relaxed.
What the fuck was going on?
“Silver. I see you’ve met our resident Irishman.” Beckett’s smile widened a bit, showing a flash of teeth that should have sent any man with a lick of common sense running.
Killian, however, simply smiled back. “Beckett. Lovely to see you again. I was just about to show the beautiful Silver some of the club’s themed rooms.”
“Afraid I can’t allow that, O’Rourke.”
Irritation rippled across Silver’s skin as she narrowed her eyes at Beckett. “Who died and made you king of the club?”
Something dark flickered in Beckett’s eyes, reminding Silver very forcefully that he wasn’t a man to be trifled with. It might have been enough to make her back down if she wasn’t so annoyed with him for trying to tell her what to do in the first place.
“It’s Master Beckett to you, little girl. And while I may not be king of the club, your Daddy would like me to keep an eye on you.”
Heat that was both embarrassment and fury rushed to her cheeks. Embarrassment at being scolded in front of her new friend, and fury at him for being bold enough to do so. “Ice doesn’t care what I do.”
“He very much cares that you’re making time with a mob boss.”
“What the fuck are you going on about, Master Beckett?”
The snarky emphasis she put on his title had a muscle jumping in Beckett’s cheek, which almost made up for him being an interfering dickwad. “Care to tell her what I’m talking about, Master O?”
Oh, fuck . Killian O’Rourke. Master O. The man who had bought and sold Lottie’s virginity. An actual, bonafide kingpin of the criminal underworld.
And she’d just spent the last hour letting him flirt with her in a kink club.
Ice was going to lose his goddamn mind.
Maybe she didn’t have to tell him. When he asked about her night, she’d just keep it vague. Distract him with a blow job or something.
Of course, that was assuming he would ask. Which seemed unlikely given how he’d been acting before she’d left. As pissed as she’d been about feeling ignored earlier, it would certainly work in her favor now.
But then Beckett’s gaze shifted to something behind her and the corner of his mouth kicked up into a smirk. “I was wondering when you would get here.”
She barely had time to register his remark before she was yanked away from Killian, straight into Beckett’s arms. Horror bloomed in her chest as she watched Ice plow his fist into Killian’s face.
Stumbling back, Killian lifted a hand to his nose, which was streaming blood. With a sigh that seemed more suited to a minor inconvenience rather than having your face blooded by a furious viking of a man, Killian pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed at his nose. “I suppose you think I deserved that, Mr. Turner.”
“Stay the fuck away from my woman, O’Rourke.”
Shock gave way to fury as Silver jerked herself out of Beckett’s grasp to drive a finger into Ice’s chest. His woman? After the way he’d treated her?
Fuck no.
“What the hell is wrong with you?”
Without bothering to even look at her, Ice shifted, placing his entire body between her and Killian. “Did he hurt you, baby?”
“No, he didn’t hurt me, you big oaf! He was perfectly lovely!”
“I’m sure he was, as long as there was an audience. You really think he would keep being lovely once he had you alone in that room?”
She… hadn’t considered that, actually. Although she’d made it clear that she had no intention of playing with anyone, what would have stopped him from locking them in and having his way with her?
Just the thought was enough to have the blood draining from her face.
Now it was Killian’s turn to look furious, though his anger was, ironically, of a significantly colder variety than her Daddy’s. She swore the temperature in the club dropped by several degrees just from the look he sent Ice’s way. “I may be a criminal, but I’m an honorable man. You can ask any submissive here who has had the pleasure of my company, be it for an hour or a week. I have never, and would never force myself on a woman.”
“Is there a problem here?”
As one, they all turned to face Braden, who was wearing his usual welcoming smile, though there was a hard edge to it tonight. Even that pretense of a smile faded, however, when his gaze shifted to Killian. “What the hell happened? Why are you bleeding?”
“The Viking here took exception to my spending time with his lady friend. Apparently he is under the impression I brought her up here with nefarious intentions.”
“Jesus Christ, Elias.” Pulling out his own handkerchief—was that some weird southern gentleman thing?— Braden shot Ice a glare as he passed the clean linen to Killian. “What is wrong with you?”
“He’s a fucking mobster, Braden. I know he’s your friend, but I’ll be damned if I’m letting him anywhere near my girl.”
Fury once again rose up inside her and Silver stepped out from behind Ice to plant herself between him and Killian, hands fisted on her hips as she glared up at Ice. “He wouldn’t have had the chance to get near me if you hadn’t been such an asshole!”
Blinking twice, Ice looked down at her, confusion twisting his features. “What are you talking about? When was I an asshole?”
“All day!”
“Silver, baby, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I barely talked to you today.”
“I know! That’s the point!”
Letting out a sigh that sounded as though it came from the very depths of his soul, Ice scrubbed a hand over his face. “Baby, I’m going to need you to spell this out for me because I’m at a complete loss, here.”
Seriously? He was going to play the tortured man bit and act like he had no fucking clue what he’d done to her? “You know what, never mind.” Turning her back on him, she sent Killian an apologetic smile. “I’m so sorry this Neanderthal attacked you. But I don’t suppose you’d be willing to give me a ride back to my hotel, would you, Mr. O’Rourke?”
Beckett let out a string of swear words inventive enough to make a sailor blush while Killian just grinned. A familiar arm wrapped around her waist, hauling her back against Ice as he growled in her ear. “The only place you’re going is over my knee, little girl. I don’t want another word out of you until I give you permission to speak.”
A shocked squawk was all she had a chance to let out before his other hand came up to clamp down on her mouth, effectively silencing her. She tried to bite him, but couldn’t get her mouth open wide enough, so she settled for licking his palm, which only resulted in said hand tightening its grip on her face.
Motherfucker.
“Lovers’ spats aside,” Braden said dryly, his expression hard. “If you have a problem with how I run my club, Mr. Turner, you are free to leave. Killian is a valued member of Club BDE and a close, personal friend of mine. His track record is unimpeachable. Furthermore, it speaks volumes that you believe I would allow anyone in my club who does not understand the basic tenets of consent.”
Behind her, Ice stiffened. “That’s not what I meant, Braden.”
“Be that as it may, if you assault any of my members again, your temporary membership here will be revoked. Assuming, of course, that Mr. O’Rourke doesn’t wish to press charges and have you removed from the premises immediately?”
“Not necessary. I might lose my mind a bit as well if I thought I was in danger of losing a woman like the beautiful Silver here,” Killian added with a wink in Silver’s direction.
“Very well.” Braden’s tone was still tight with unleashed fury. “Mr. Turner, if you’re interested, all of the rooms here are free for the evening if you’d like some privacy to discuss this matter with your submissive.”
“That would be great, thanks.”
Braden jerked his head to the side, signaling for Killian to follow him. With a surprisingly cheeky wave, Killian fell in step beside his friend as they made their way to Braden’s office. Leaving her to her fate.
“All right, little girl,” Ice growled. “You and I are going to have ourselves a chat. In private. So tell me, which one of these rooms were you sneaking off to with a complete fucking stranger?”
Oh, man. She was in so much trouble.