Siren in Bloom

Chapter Twelve

Shelley thought about sitting down. She thought about walking around. She thought about killing Wolf Meyer.

But mostly she thought about the plug in her ass.

“First time, huh?”

Shelley turned, a little startled. She’d been trying to blend into the wallpaper. Dani’s apartment was full of lovely women and a few truly gorgeous men. They all seemed to know the others. Their easy manner with each other made Shelley realize just how long she’d been without a social network. Bryce had cut her off from her real friends, insisting that she spend time with his business acquaintances. She’d gotten used to “friendship” being an exchange of pleasantries that went no further than commenting on clothes and shoes.

She missed Beth. Her brother’s wife had been the first person she had been able to talk to in years, but she’d moved away. Now, she felt odd in a room full of women and men who seemed to be friends.

The redhead in the truly stunning white, surplice-cut dress looked at her expectantly. There was a mimosa in each hand and a smile on her face.

It was as good a time as any to jump back into the pool. She wasn’t going to make friends by standing in the corner. Damn it. She’d been good at this once. She could be good at it again. “Yes, it’s my first time. I’ve been in the penthouse before but not for Saturday-morning brunches. It’s all so lovely.”

The redhead laughed a little. “That wasn’t what I meant, hon. I was asking if it was the first time your Dom forced you to walk around with a damn piece of plastic up your butt.”

Shelley felt her face go up in flames.

The woman pressed her extra mimosa into Shelley’s hand. “Drink up, honey. It really does get better. I’m Abby Barnes, by the way.”

Shelley drank the whole damn glass in a single gulp.

A gorgeous blond man in jeans, a Western shirt, and a cowboy hat stepped up, his arm going around Abby’s waist. He held out another mimosa. “We were right, weren’t we, baby? You’ll feel better after three or four of these.”

She took the proffered glass, but sipped it at more sedate pace. “Can everyone tell? How can everyone tell? Oh, my god.”

Abby patted her shoulder encouragingly. “It’s a little thing, hon. Sam caught it when you walked in.”

The man named Sam tipped his hat her way in a sweetly old-fashioned gesture. “I sure did, ma’am.”

“There’s a tightness around your eyes, and you’re walking a little carefully.” Abby took a sip of her drink. “It’s nothing the vanilla world would catch on to, but we’ve all been there. Poor Sam here didn’t sit down for hours.”

“Jack was kind, baby. He sent me out to get my tat. It’s on the back of my neck. I had to lie on my stomach in that chair for about six hours. It was perfect.” Sam’s hand went to the back of his neck. Shelley could see the tendrils of a well-done tattoo coming around the place where his shoulders met his neck. “I think Jack was way nicer than this poor lady’s Dom. He didn’t send me to a party the first time he shoved a plug up my butt.”

Shelley couldn’t help but grin. It actually was kind of funny. “At least he sent me to a party where everyone’s in the lifestyle. I think Wolf would find it highly amusing. He’s got a bent sense of humor.”

And the most amazing tongue. He’d joined her in the shower and gotten on his knees, telling her he needed his breakfast. He’d eaten her pussy right there in the shower. He’d shoved his tongue up her cunt until she’d cried out, and then he’d soaped her whole body, washing her with a tenderness that made his rough use of her in bed even hotter.

And then he’d dried her off and forced her to bend over and accept a plug up her ass.

It felt weird.

Sam’s blue eyes had gone wide. “Wolf? As in Leo’s brother Wolf?”

“You know Leo?” The question came out of her mouth, and then she realized how stupid it was. Of course they knew Leo. Everyone at The Club knew the resident Dom.

Abby put her drink on a passing waiter’s tray and turned, revelation in her eyes. “You’re Shelley McNamara. Sam, she’s Trev’s sister.”

Something passed between the two and then Sam nodded slightly, a bit more sober than before. “We’ve never been introduced, but you’ve met our Dom, Jack Barnes.”

Now that was a name she did know. Jack Barnes had been deeply helpful with her brother, teaching him new methods of ranching. “Of course. Jack is such a nice man.”

Abby grinned a little. “He is, indeed. And yet he still made us walk around with that damn plug. Can we help you sit down? It can be awkward until you get used to it.”

She had a sudden vision of herself being lowered into a chair with a crane. Nope. She would just stand. Maybe forever. “I’m really fine.”

Abby nodded. “I did the same thing. It was a long time before I could sit with one of those damn things.” Her eyes lit up. “Oh, my baby girl is here. Sam, you didn’t tell me Lexi was coming up.”

Shelley looked over and Lexi O’Malley was walking into the room with Lucas on her arm. She waved toward her mother and stepfather. Abby and Sam rushed off to greet her. Shelley gave her a nod. They knew each other in passing, having lived in the same small town for a while.

Shelley sipped her drink and looked around. She knew she was probably being paranoid, but it felt like everyone was watching her, whispering behind their hands. She’d come because Dani had invited her, but now she wondered when she could leave. Maybe she could sneak out.

And Wolf would be pissed since he’d told her he would come by and pick her up himself.

Not being able to walk around without an armed escort was going to get damn annoying. She looked up and saw a lovely blonde woman coming her way and then realized she shouldn’t walk out of here. She needed to run.

Janine. Leo’s ex-wife was walking up to her, a look of purpose in her eyes. “Hey, Shelley, how’s it going?”

She decided that if she was in for a penny, she might as well be in for a pound. Maybe a little humor was needed when dealing with her pseudo ex’s ex. “I have a plug up my ass. How about you?”

“Oh, we’re going to get along nicely.” Janine smiled and seemed deeply friendly, but Shelley had been around small-town sharks long enough to know that a smile was just a way of baring teeth. “I love the sarcastic ones.”

Shelley was a little confused. She remembered that Janine had talked about topping her husband the night before. “I thought this brunch-thing was for subs.”

Janine nodded. “Yes, and we lucky switches get to pick. You’ll note that almost all the switches come to the sub events. Lucas O’Malley over there could go to either, but he prefers the ladies. I do, too, though for different reasons. Lucas is bi. I just can’t stand all the testosterone at Julian’s gatherings. So much chest-thumping alphaness, and that includes the Dommes. It’s way more fun here. So how is Wolf these days?”

It occurred to Shelley that this woman had known both the brothers for a long time. She so wanted to talk about them, to ask about what they were like when they were younger, what kinds of trouble they’d caused. She’d known Wolf as a very young man. But she was wary. “He’s great. We’re getting along nicely.”

“Yeah, I could tell from that scene last night.”

She choked on her mimosa.

Janine laughed. “Get used to it. It’s a very open lifestyle. There isn’t a single person in this room whose private parts haven’t been on full display. And seriously, I will cheer the first time Wolf gets naked. I will bless you as a goddess among women if you get that man out of his leathers in a public place.”

“I thought you were married to Leo.” Shelley was a bit confused.

“A girl can dream, right? I met Wolf when he was just a kid. He was like twenty-one. He was six foot five and a slab of pure muscle. I can’t imagine what it would have been like to have him in a high school class. He was a goddamn Lifetime cautionary tale on two legs. Leo had already introduced me to the lifestyle by the time we met, and the first thing that went through my head was, damn, we should have a ménage.”

Again, she felt her face heat.

Janine’s eyes narrowed. “A girl would be damn lucky to be in between those two.”

She had the distinct feeling Leo’s ex-wife had a point. “I suppose so.”

Janine frowned. “Are you using Wolf to get to Leo?”

Ah. There was the point. “Not at all. I didn’t even know Wolf was Leo’s brother when we started talking. He was just supposed to be the Dom who trained me, but then, well, he’s Wolf.”

“I understand that, but I talk to Leo a lot. I know it’s unusual for exes to talk, but we’re not ordinary. I still love Leo. Always will. I know how he felt about you. I even encouraged him to go after you despite the fact that you were married.”

“It wasn’t much of a marriage.”

Janine shrugged, those intelligent eyes pinning Shelley. “Yet you picked your marriage over Leo.”

Shelley felt her eyes roll. God, she was so tired of this. “Yes, I chose my drug-dealing, blackmailing, cheating husband over Leo. You know why? Because I loved it so much when he fucked every meth head in town, and I was thrilled when he used my business as a front for his crimes. Oh, and I couldn’t resist the way he’d blackmailed me into our marriage. All of that was just too much to walk away from.”

Janine nodded sagely. “Ah. So he threatened Leo, and you were protecting him.”

Well, at least Janine got it. “Yes.”

The blonde woman sighed. “And then Leo did his whole overanalyzing intellectual thing. I can see just how that went. He couldn’t believe you would think he needed protection so he decided you had used and discarded him. God, he can be such a drama queen. See, this is why Wolf is easier. Wolf would have just grunted and not stopped following you around. So, has he totally screwed this thing up with you, or does he still have a shot?”

“Wolf? Well, I’m not happy about the plug, but I have to admit, I’m crazy about him.”

Janine shook her head. “No, honey. I was talking about Leo. Has Leo completely fucked this up or can I talk you into giving him another chance?”

Shelley had to take a little breath and another sip of her drink. God, hadn’t she spent every moment of every day for the last year wishing that Leo wanted another chance? But he’d shut that down. “He doesn’t want a second chance.”

“He can say that all he wants, but I watched him last night. I’ve talked to him. He’s never gotten over you. When I left him, he barely skipped a smile. He was joking with my new boyfriend at the lawyer’s as we filed for divorce.”

“Leo’s pretty resilient.”

“Not for the last fourteen months. He’s changed. He’s been quiet and withdrawn. He hasn’t spent time with friends. He’s stopped flirting. Do you understand how deeply worried that makes me? Leo loves to flirt. And he hasn’t flirted. Not since the day he met you.” Janine leaned against the wall, her arms crossing. “He knew he’d found the one. And now you’re with Wolf, and I worry that if you sleep with Wolf, you won’t ever give Leo another chance. And Wolf works fast.”

“Yes, yes, he does.” He’d worked fast, and he hadn’t been alone.

Janine’s face fell. “Well, then, I guess that’s that. I can’t really see Leo breaking up something good for his brother. You’re going to laugh at this, but I was actually going to try to convince you to tempt Leo into a ménage. I really think he would thrive in that type of relationship. But he would have to be there in the beginning. I don’t think his pride would allow anything less.”

Shelley stared down at the floor. She wasn’t sure she should say a thing. It hadn’t meant anything. Leo had said it himself. It had been sex and adrenaline. When she’d woken up, he’d been gone, and he’d seemed a bit distant all morning long.

Janine reached out, taking her hand. “I wish you all the best with Wolf. He really is a great guy.”

“How would I do it?”

Janine stopped. “What do you mean?”

“How would I convince him to stay?”

“I don’t think it will work now, Shelley. He’s possessive, and he has his own odd code. If you’re sleeping with his brother, he won’t break up that relationship, and I doubt even if you walked out on Wolf that he would consider it. Certainly not anytime soon. And Wolf seems to really like you.”

Shelley was just going to have to say it. “Let me make this plain, I have absolutely no desire to walk out on Wolf. And Leo might not work as fast as his brother, but they have their timing down, if you know what I mean.”

A blank face stared back at her. “I do not.”

How did she put this? There was no Miss Manners for conversation openers about ménage relationships. She stuttered, the words dropping from her mouth in a staccato. “Leo and Wolf and I, well, there was an incident. Some men tried to hurt me. Wolf took care of it, but we were all very emotional.”

Janine’s eyes widened. “Oh, you slept with them both. Together?”

Shelley nodded. “I did. But this morning, Leo was a little distant. I don’t think he’s ever going to forgive me for sending him away. I think he’s trying to get me out of his system. I’ve thought about this all morning. I’m crazy about Wolf. I think I’m really falling for that man, but can I really have a relationship with him if Leo walks away? I’ve tried to cut Leo out of my heart, but it doesn’t work. How am I going to go to Christmas dinner and look across the table at Leo’s new girlfriend?”

Janine relaxed a bit, her shoulders coming down and a little satisfied smile crossing her face. “Honey, that’s not going to be a problem. He hasn’t even had a collared sub in years. Leo’s been solitary, even when he was married. You’re the first woman I’ve seen him get animated about. If you want Leo, you have to have a soft touch. Let Wolf work on him. Be the woman he fell in love with. He’ll come back. Hell, if he’s shared a woman with his brother, he’s much further down the road than I would have imagined. Be patient with him. And I know I’m the ex, but you can always call me. I know what it’s like to love Leo.”

A little kernel of hope kindled in her chest. What if she didn’t have to let Leo go? What if she could have them both?

“And if you ever want to tell me just how big Wolf is, I will listen. I really will. God, that man is hot.”

Finn Taylor walked up. Shelley had seen him with Dani earlier, laughing and caressing her big belly. His humor was gone now, replaced with a grim fierceness. Lucas O’Malley was at his side, the downturn of his lips telling Shelley that something terrible had happened.

A million horrible scenarios played through her brain. “What’s happened? Leo? Wolf?”

God, someone was trying to kill her. What if they’d gotten her men instead? Her heart threatened to crack.

“They’re fine, Shelley,” Finn said. “But they want you back up in Leo’s condo. We’re going to take you there and stay until they can come up.”

“What’s going on?”

Lucas sighed, a low tired sound. “Leo’s past is catching up to him. And it looks like you’re in the line of fire.”

Shelley thought about those enigmatic words as she walked out of the penthouse.

Wolf felt the tension in the room, and he couldn’t blame the little sub for cowering a bit. The room was thick with testosterone, and she was the only sub there, surrounded by six big Doms, all of whom stared straight down at her.

Kitten’s eyes were wide. Her mouth was open. But Wolf wasn’t so sure anyone was home.

Of course, after seeing those damn pictures, Wolf had lost his appetite, if not the actual power of speech.

“Tell us what happened, Kitten,” Julian said, his voice a flat monotone. He leaned against the desk Kitten used. The folder with the photographs was right there by Julian’s fingertips, but they had been turned over.

Not that Wolf needed to see them again. He doubted he would ever get the images out of his mind.

A lovely woman with skin the color of rich sand, tied up in a beautiful, masterful tortoiseshell pattern of Shibari bondage. Her dark hair was spread on the mattress she’d been laid out on. A lovely scene, except for the blood and her unseeing eyes. Wolf’s stomach turned. Someone had brutalized the woman. Leo’s woman.

Leo stood away from the pack, his face a careful blank. Ada had died years before, but Wolf could plainly see those pictures had brought it all back for Leo.

“Kitten, speak.” Ben got to one knee, using his most forceful voice. “Now.”

Chase sighed. “Damn it. Kitten, come on. This is ridiculous. You have to talk.”

“I think she’s broken,” Ben said with a shrug, his eyes sliding away from the photos. His voice was even, but Leo knew those photos upset him. “I mean, obviously, but I think she’s even more broken than before.”

“What is wrong with that girl?” Jack Barnes asked.

“She’s Finn’s cousin. She’s a little odd,” Julian said, stating the obvious.

She sniffled a little, her mouth opening as though she wanted to speak. All six Doms leaned forward expectantly, and Kitten’s mouth closed again.

A collective groan went through the room.

“Tie her up, Wolf,” Leo said, his eyes finding Wolf’s. “She finds it comforting. It’s Saturday. She gets tied up on Saturdays. Kitten is a creature of routine. If you tie her up, she might be comfortable enough to talk.”

Wolf started for the door to Leo’s office, but Chase pulled out a length of rope from his pocket.

The big Dom shrugged. “What? Don’t we all have some?”

“Proceed, Mr. Dawson,” Julian said with a long sigh.

Chase began an elaborate pattern, binding Kitten’s hands behind her back and then winding the rope all around her torso. The Dom moved with an economical grace that bespoke of his long practice. While Kitten was being bound, Wolf moved toward his brother.

Leo was closed off, unapproachable. Luckily, Wolf was stubborn.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You knew Ada was dead and that I was involved with her before her death,” Leo replied, his tone bland.

He’d known that but only because there’d been an inquiry by JAG. Leo had been cleared of suspicion. The time of death had been calculated as the same time in which Leo had been on a weapons raid on a Taliban stronghold. As alibis went, it was a pretty good one.

What Leo hadn’t told him was the manner of Ada’s death.

“You wouldn’t have left her bound like that,” Wolf said with utter certainty.

A single eyebrow arched. “Of course not, Wolf. When I left Ada, she was perfectly fine. We’d played all afternoon and then I got called back to base. I would never leave a sub unattended. But that was my rope the killer used.”

“Shit, Leo. This was about you.”

“You think I don’t know that, Wolf? You think I haven’t had to live with this every day since?”

The weight of guilt must be oppressive, and Leo hadn’t bothered to share it. With anyone, Wolf would bet.

“Is that better, Kitten?” Chase asked.

“A spanking would help, Sir,” Kitten said, her voice magically reappearing now that she was tightly embraced by rope.

Chase growled a little her direction. “You get nothing until you talk, Kitten. And if you don’t tell us everything, you’ll be vanilla for a week. No spankings. No bondage. No dungeon.”

Her lower lip quivered. “But tomorrow is Suspension Sunday.”

“It won’t be if you don’t start talking. Kitten, this is not a game. This is very important to Master Leo,” Julian explained.

She sniffled and nodded, seemingly much more in control now that she was bound. “Kitten understands. Kitten is sorry. Those pictures were left on Kitten’s desk. Kitten opened them. They just said Master Leo’s name on the front. It’s Kitten’s job to open his mail. But Kitten was very disturbed by those photos. Kitten likes bondage for fun. That poor woman.”

Tears leaked from Kitten’s eyes.

Julian placed a hand on her head. “I am deeply sorry you had to see those, Kitten. Do you remember anything else? Was anything out of place?”

“The door was unlocked,” Kitten said.

Julian’s eyes went past Wolf’s to Leo’s.

“I always lock it. I have patient files. I lock the inner and outer doors.” Leo’s eyes strayed to the folder with the photos.

Wolf tried the door that led to Leo’s office. Locked up tight. He crossed the outer room in three long strides and dropped to one knee. If Leo said he’d locked it, then Leo had locked the door. The mechanism was a simple bolt lock, and sure enough, Wolf only had to glance at it to see the telltale signs. A few scratches on the metal casing of the lock told Wolf that someone knew how to use a torque wrench and a pick.

“Someone picked it,” Wolf announced.

Julian cursed under his breath. “How the hell did he get past the front desk? I’ll have security see if they can find anything on the cameras. Damn it. I need more cameras.”

“They might help, but I still would have gotten around them. They’re all on a set pattern on this floor,” a voice said from behind Wolf.

Wolf didn’t even think about it. He reacted. He was up and off his feet before the man had finished the word floor. Wolf had his SIG out and at the man’s throat before anyone could breathe.

“Holder?” What the hell was he doing here? And how had Holder gotten the jump on him? Damn, he was out of practice. He needed to get back into the sweet paranoia of his former Navy days.

Holder’s hands came up, showing he didn’t have a weapon. “You’re still fast, Meyer. I thought you would lose your mobility after that IED damn near took your leg.”

Wolf shrugged. He’d lost a lot of things after that damn mine had gone off, but months and months of painful therapy had brought back his mobility. It hadn’t saved his career. “Navy thought so, too. It’s why I’m here instead of the Middle East. Now you better talk and you better talk fast or you’re going to find out that my trigger finger still works, too.”

“Mr. Meyer, would you like to introduce us?” Julian asked. “Perhaps you could bring the intruder into the office before you kill him? It’s so much more private in here, and Leo’s office is due for a remodel anyway.”

“I’m unarmed, Wolf,” Holder said.

But a SEAL was never without a weapon. A SEAL was a weapon. Holder didn’t need a gun to cause damage, and Wolf seriously doubted the man was truly unarmed. Wolf let go and nodded toward the room. Holder straightened his dark shirt. He was pushing forty but there was no middle-aged spread on the man. Holder’s hair had gone a stately silver, but his body was trim and fit, his face hawklike, and his gray eyes bespoke of a sharp intelligence. He was dressed all in black.

He was dressed like a man on a mission.

“Holder. I should have known you were in on this the minute I heard you had called,” Leo said. His mouth was a flat line. “Julian, this is Steve Holder. Former Lieutenant. We were on the same team in the SEALs, though not the same squad. Now he’s one of the founders of a mercenary group.”

“I prefer to call it a security firm,” Holder said laconically in his deep Georgia accent.

“You say potato,” Leo replied with a humorless grin.

“Hello, Holder.”

Holder nodded to Ben. “Dawson. Nice to see you and your brother are still close. You get out at the same time?”

Chase nodded. “Ben left. There wasn’t any reason for me to stay in.”

Holder turned to Julian. “And you must be Julian Lodge. I find it interesting that an investment manager needs four former Navy SEALs as body guards. You must have a lot to protect, Mr. Lodge.”

Wolf watched as Julian’s eyes became sharp. He could see the exact moment that Julian began to see Holder as a true threat.

“Would you like to explain why you broke into my building, Mr. Holder? You have exactly three minutes before I have you hauled bodily out of here by several members of the Dallas police department. I assure you, I can get enough of them in here that you won’t be able to take them all out.”

Holder’s face softened slightly. “I would really rather you didn’t do that. I broke in because I was worried that Leo here wouldn’t see me until it was too late.”

“Too late for what?” Wolf asked, his every instinct on high alert. Something bad was happening. Those pictures had sent Leo to a dark place. How much had Leo hidden from him?

Holder stared at Leo. “He’s back. I don’t know why he came to me instead of you, but he’s back.”

“Does someone want to bring me up to speed?” Wolf asked. Something was happening between his brother and Holder, some communication only the two of them understood.

“Yes, I would like to know as well,” Julian said, his eyes darkening. “Is this about what happened in Afghanistan?”

The room got deathly quiet. Jack Barnes studied the crowd, leaning against the wall as though he was perfectly happy to merely observe. Chase stroked Kitten’s hair, but in an almost absentminded fashion. Ben was the only one in motion. He paced, his fists clenching at his sides. Ben had been on Leo’s squad. Ben knew something, and it didn’t seem to be good.

“Why you and not Ben?” Leo asked, suspicion plain in his voice. “I’m much closer to Ben than anyone in our old team.”

“I don’t have an address,” Ben said with a frown. “Chase is completely paranoid. He’s taken us off the grid. Even our money is registered to several holding companies. If you want to find us, you would have to dig for a long time, and even then, Chase would know someone was coming.”

Leo’s eyes rolled. “God, Chase, just get on my couch and never get up again. You’re so wrong.”

Chase shrugged, an elegant movement of his shoulders. He never let up on his petting of Kitten, whose eyes had closed in seeming happiness. “I’m perfectly satisfied with every one of my psychological disorders. So the guy who killed Ada is back. Why now? Holder is fairly high profile. He would be easy to track. You’ve gotten careless, Steve.”

Holder flashed a little sneer Chase’s way. “I’ve gotten into business. People in the real world don’t hide, Dawson.”

“Yes, that’s why they so often get screwed.” Chase made his pronouncement with a look of sympathy for all those who didn’t agree with him.

“I want to know what’s going on with my brother.” If someone didn’t talk soon, Wolf was going to fucking explode.

“Would it do me a bit of good if I told you it isn’t your business, Wolf?” Leo asked.

There it was. That ache in Wolf’s chest that bloomed every time his brother shut him out. Why was he even bothering to try? He should go and pick up Shelley and shove her in his truck and take her right back to Bliss. She would love Bliss. His designer sweetheart would adore being married to a cowboy and living in a ranch hand’s house.

Leo moved in Wolf’s space, his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Forgive me. It’s a force of habit. I’ll get used to this.” He turned to Ben. “We can talk. No one in this room is going to let the story leave here.”

Ben’s face flushed. He looked back at his own brother, who gave him an encouraging smile.

“You can pet Kitten while you talk if you like,” Chase offered.

“God, you’re a pervert,” Ben said, before turning back and addressing the room. “Ada was a translator in Kabul. She was American, but of Iranian descent. She was excellent with languages. And she rather liked bondage.”

Leo took up the story. “I met her when she came into camp. I knew a sub when I saw one. Ben and I had talked about the fact that we’d frequented clubs in the states. You have to understand what it’s like over there, Julian, Jack.”

Jack held up a hand as if to stop Leo. “Son, you don’t have to make a single explanation to me. You took your comfort where you could. No one is going to blame you for that.”

“I didn’t love her,” Leo said, his lips turning down. “She was lovely and submissive, and I needed someone to spend time with. I liked her, but I didn’t love her.”

“I did.” Ben’s words were quiet, a confession. “But she would never have accepted what Chase and I need. She saw Leo and I separately. Never together.”

Holder stared openly at Ben. “I had no idea you were involved with her.”

Ben took a deep breath, old pain obviously surfacing. “She was crazy about Leo. I was secondary. She let me in when she couldn’t have Leo and when she died, Leo made sure no one knew about my relationship with her.”

“I’m sorry, Ben. I thought it was just fun,” Leo said, his eyes grave.

Ben shook his head. “I don’t blame you, man. I never told you. I wanted to die when I found out she was gone and how it had happened. But I never blamed you. And I never once believed you would have left her tied up.”

Leo’s jaw was a hard line, his words precise and controlled. “During the inquiry into Ada’s murder, it was brought up that I might have left her tied up as a punishment. The rope was mine. I had left it there. The JAG prosecutor knew he couldn’t get me for the murder, since I was literally on a mission when she died, but he did accuse me of leaving her alone and vulnerable.”

“You wouldn’t. I would never believe that.” Wolf vehemently denied it. He knew his brother. Leo could be hard on a sub, but he took their safety seriously. He wouldn’t turn his back on a bound sub, much less leave one to go on a mission.

“They tried to say Leo was punishing her,” Ben offered. “I shouldn’t have stayed in. I should have stood up beside you. I should have spoken up for you.”

Leo studied Wolf for a moment. “You believe me?”

How could Leo think for a single second that he didn’t? “Yes. I believe you.”

Leo nodded as though something had settled in his gut. He seemed more comfortable, his words coming easily. “It wouldn’t have helped, Ben. I could have stayed in, too. Our CO was adamant. But I was ready to leave. I was ready to start over. But, Ben, if I had known you loved her, I wouldn’t have kept certain things from you. You have to understand, man, I was trying to protect you.”

“Tell me now.” Ben’s legs were in a hard military stance, his body rigid.

“Whoever killed Ada left a note,” Holder said. “The asshole who sent me the pictures also sent the file. Damn, Leo. Am I the only one who knows this?”

“Outside of the closed hearings, yes. It said Whore. Written in blood. Hers.” Leo shoved his hair back. “It’s why JAG decided it was some Taliban asshole. Ada looked Afghan. We were off base. It would have been easy. I left her there. I should have walked her back, but I got the call, and she didn’t want to leave.”

Ben’s face had gone stark white. “Fuckers. They killed her because she had sex. Hypocrites.”

“I think JAG got it wrong,” Holder said, pulling an envelope out of his jacket pocket. “I got this note along with those photos and the file.”

Wolf grabbed it. He was closest to Holder. He had a moment to look at the note, handwritten in an almost childish script.

He’s found another whore. This one will go just like the last.

And there was another photo. One that hadn’t been included in the package Holder had left. It was a picture of Shelley getting off the train right in front of the building that housed The Club. Her face was turned up to the sun, her ivory skin practically glowing, her dark hair a waterfall of ebony.

Wolf felt sick.

Leo snatched it, and his skin paled as he read the words. He passed it to Ben, who sent it to Chase and Julian.

“I’m so sorry,” Holder said, his voice a rumble of Southern sympathy. “I don’t know why he picked me to send it to. I only know that I’ll help you any way I can. I have a whole company that stands ready to help you. We were SEALs together. That’s a brotherhood, man. I couldn’t let you ignore this.”

But he and Leo had blood. Thicker than service. And they had a shared risk. Shelley. The woman they both loved. Wolf stared at his brother, their eyes locking.

He wouldn’t let Leo down.