Chapter 20
Leland took a sip of diner coffee: burnt, bitter, and strong enough to strip paint. He grimaced, immediately regretting it, and pushed the mug to the end of the table.
It was probably for the best. Already wired, he didn’t need the caffeine.
Harsh light from the setting sun slanted through the front windows, glaring off the chrome-trimmed, cracked-vinyl booths. Traffic drifted past outside while waitresses wound down after the dinner crowd.
Dev sat across from him, one arm stretched along the back of the booth, calm on the surface. Not underneath. Leland recognized the signs by now.
Any woman hurt would have earned the same controlled, quietly dangerous anger from Dev. Under normal circumstances, Leland would have reacted the same way. But it was Julia, and that distinction had frayed what control he had left.
The bell above the diner door chimed. A slender brunette, matching the ID Callan had pulled from The Underground files, walked in. A tall, dark-haired man followed her closely, his hand under her elbow in a protective gesture that wasn’t subtle.
She spotted them and lifted a hand. The man scanned the diner before following, his gaze moving like a professional’s: clocking exits, occupants, lines of sight.
Dev noticed it too.
Interesting.
When they reached the table, Rachel asked, “Nick Devlin?”
“Yes,” Dev said with a brief chin lift. “You’re Rachel Hunter, I presume.”
She nodded. “This is Roman,” she said as she slid into the side of the booth Leland vacated.
Dev held his gaze. “You read the room like you’ve done this before.”
Roman’s smile was faint. “Old habit from an old job.”
Leland closed in on him. “It was your party.”
He didn’t back down as he met his gaze. “It was,” he replied. No challenge in it. No apology either.
That irritated Leland more. “Your screening process needs work,” he said flatly.
“You think I don’t know that?” Roman’s voice was calm, but the tension in his jaw revealed a crack in his composure.
Dev stepped in before things could escalate. “Sit down, gentlemen. We’re making the diner staff nervous.”
The other man nodded before he slid into the booth beside Rachel.
“I should’ve shut Parker down a long time ago,” Roman admitted. “He’s pushed boundaries before, but nothing like this.”
“No one ever complained?” Dev asked.
“Subs have cut scenes short. But he always stopped when they did.”
“The regulars don’t like him,” Rachel shared. “No one wanted to play with him anymore. That’s why he migrated to the newcomers, like Julia.”
Roman’s head swung toward her. “Why didn’t you say anything? Why didn’t anyone?”
“For the same reason you never blacklisted him. He never crossed a line. And…”
“Finish your thought,” Roman insisted, voice pitched low.
“Some subs were afraid of getting a reputation as troublemakers.”
“Saying no or using a safeword should never be an issue,” Leland said, anger sharpening his words.
“I feel terrible,” Rachel whispered. “I never should’ve invited her.”
Beside her, Roman exhaled. “And I should’ve protected her better once she was there.”
“Fix it,” Leland stated. “Ensure it’s safe for everyone. As host or dungeon master, that’s your first responsibility.”
Roman hesitated. “If I host again… and that’s a big if, things will be different.” He met Leland’s gaze. “If you learn he’s responsible for the missing women—”
“Where did you hear about that?”
“I have friends at The Underground; people are talking,” Rachel supplied.
He and Dev exchanged a look. If the unsub heard the rumors, he might decide it was time to disappear.
“Did Parker know about the missing submissives?” Dev asked.
Rachel shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“Most of my guests gave up on The Underground a while ago,” Roman added. “It was mostly a meat market masquerading as a BDSM club. That’s why we started hosting private parties.”
“Did Parker feel the same way?” Leland asked.
“I think so, but we weren’t that close.” His lips twisted in distaste. “I didn’t care for the man much, either.”
“Yet he was in your house, red flags and all,” Leland said, not cutting him any slack.
He didn’t argue, just stared at him for a moment. “You care about her.”
Leland went still, his version of slamming a door shut. “Not relevant to this discussion.”
Roman held his gaze for another second. “Fair enough.”
Dev stepped in before the tension could sharpen further. “Tell me what you know about him.”
“Not much. We’re acquaintances moving in the same social circle.”
Rachel snorted softly. “He thinks confidence and dominance are the same thing.”
“They aren’t,” Roman said flatly.
No one disagreed.
“Did he know Julia?” Dev asked.
“She said yes to a scene with him, so I doubt it,” Rachel muttered.
“I can’t say if he did,” Roman said, not contradicting her. His gaze shifted to Leland again. “Most men in that room noticed her as soon as she walked in. She has a look some doms gravitate to.”
Leland understood precisely what he meant. It struck like a blow to the chest. Julia was beautiful and naturally commanded attention. Lately, she exuded loneliness and hurt, vulnerabilities a predator would easily home in on. More blame for him to shoulder.
Dev got them on track again. “Do you know where we can find him?”
Roman slid a business card across the table. “My contact info. Parker has a townhouse in Miramar. His address is on the other side. Works as a medical sales rep. That’s all I know.”
Dev’s phone buzzed at the same time Leland’s did.
“Excuse me,” he said.
Leland didn’t bother with niceties. He opened Callan’s text. Jack Parker’s driver’s license photo filled the screen alongside a detailed list of his vital statistics. He picked up the card as he slid out of the booth.
Dev tossed several bills onto the table. “We appreciate you coming in to talk to us.”
“It’s the least we could do,” Rachel said.
Leland didn’t hear the rest as he pushed through the glass doors.
Dev caught up with him in the parking lot. “Maybe I should get someone else to come with me.”
The look Leland shot him over the hood said it all.
“Okay, but try not to kill him before we get answers.”
Leland beeped the door locks and slid behind the wheel, making no promises. Notably, Dev hadn’t said, Don’t kill him at all.
***
By the time they reached Miramar, darkness had set in. The neighborhood they drove through had quiet streets, trimmed lawns, and warm porch lights. All normal.
Parker’s townhouse sat near the end of the cul-de-sac. No lights. No vehicle in the driveway. They knocked on the front door, anyway.
Silence followed. No movement from within.
“Looks like we’ll have to wait,” he said.
“Not like we haven’t done it before,” Dev said, unfazed.
A woman walked past with a small dog. Noticing them in the drive, she stopped. “Are you looking for Jack?” she asked.
Dev gave her an amiable smile. “We are.”
“He keeps odd hours,” she said. “Especially when his wife and kids are up north visiting family.”
Leland’s gaze collided with Dev’s. Abuser, possible predator, and now a cheater. Jack Parker’s list of offenses kept getting longer.
“Appreciate it,” Dev said.
She nodded and continued on.
Leland watched the townhouse for another moment. The neatness of it irritated him. The cut grass and the hanging baskets of flowers. Men like Parker hid behind ordinary lives while women paid the price for it.
Headlights swept the street. A sedan pulled into the driveway. A man climbed out—clean-cut, pressed shirt, mid-thirties was Leland’s guess. Except for shorter hair, he matched the driver’s license photo of Jack Parker.
A brunette climbed out after him, laughing softly.
Parker spotted them halfway to the door. His smile didn’t falter. “Can I help you?”
Fake charm. Leland knew it on sight.
He moved before Parker could process the threat. He caught his shirt in a fist and slammed him hard against the siding. Leland pressed a forearm across his throat, lifting him enough to steal his balance.
Not choking. Not yet.
The woman screamed.
Dev didn’t move.
“How does it feel,” Leland said quietly, “to have someone’s hand at your throat and not be able to do a damn thing about it?”
Parker clawed at his wrist. “I don’t know what you’re talking about—”
“Sure you do.” Leland increased the pressure. “Play party. Pretty blonde. You got rough.”
Recognition flashed then fear. “I didn’t. I mean… It was a bondage scene, and she agreed.”
“You like blondes, don’t you, Jack?”
Parker’s breathing turned shallow.
“How many women from The Underground never made it home?”
The brunette stopped crying. “What?” she whispered.
Parker shook his head as much as he could and choked out, “You’ve got the wrong guy. Jesus Christ, I was at the party, but I don’t know anything about missing women.”
Dev’s phone rang. He answered without taking his eyes off Parker.
“Devlin.”
A pause. Then his energy changed. Even without looking, Leland felt it.
“Is everyone all right?” Dev asked quietly.
The question sliced through Leland’s adrenaline haze.
Another pause. Then: “Damn. Have Alec bring her in. We’re headed that way soon.”
Dev lowered the phone.
“Callan says someone got close to Julia at work. Mateo pursued.”
“When?” Leland asked.
“About thirty minutes ago.”
“That couldn’t have been Jack,” the brunette blurted out. “We’ve been together all evening. He picked me up at six.”
Parker choked out, “I told you—”
Leland held him there for another few seconds. “That doesn’t make you innocent,” he said quietly. “It means you’re a different kind of problem.”
He released him, and Parker barely remained upright. Relief broke over his features.
Leland’s fist cut it short. The thud of flesh on flesh and bone cracking echoed sharply through the quiet street. Parker crumpled to the ground and stayed there.
The brunette stared down at him. Not screaming now. Not caring either. Seeing Jack Parker clearly.
She looked at Dev. “He really is a prick. But now I’m stranded.”
Dev sighed. Leland didn’t need to hear the words to know what came next.
“Get in.”