Siren Unleashed

Chapter Eight

“You’re such an asshole.” Ben pushed past Chase, starting toward the lobby. Chris Linwood was meeting them at Nat’s apartment and had promised to leave a golf cart in the parking lot for them. If he hurried, he could leave his asswipe, selfish-beyond-all-compare brother behind.

Ben let the door swing behind him, kind of hoping it would hit his brother in the face. Chase hadn’t said a damn word, preferring to allow Ben to deal with all the fallout, including forcing Nat to stay behind until they decided it was safe.

Yeah, he’d let Ben be the bad guy on that one. He’d just fucking stood there watching everyone.

Now he simply walked behind Ben like nothing had happened. Like he hadn’t tried to cut him out. Like he hadn’t nearly broken Natalie.

Ben located the golf cart and everything was exactly as Chris had described it. The little key was in the ignition. He could see the employee quarters in the distance. Natalie’s tiny apartment was on the second floor with a view of the pool.

The cart shifted as Chase sat down in the passenger seat.

As much as he wanted to leave him, this really was Chase’s strong suit. He was an amazing investigator. He just didn’t have a functioning heart.

“I want to leave.” Ben forced the words out. It had been building for weeks, months, a good portion of his life really. Maybe it would be better to have half a life than nothing at all. He turned the key and the little cart sparked to life. He put it in reverse. “After this is done, I’m going to move. Without you.”

He’d only lived without his brother during those years in the Navy. And despite what Chase thought, those fleeting moments of joy had been punctuated with a deep sense that he was hollow on the inside without his brother. But after today, he couldn’t forgive him.

“I understand.” Chase’s eyes never left the road. “I’ll leave if you would prefer. You have more friends in Dallas than I do.”

This was what he got? He wanted a fight, and Chase gave him logic. Well, it was true. “Good. I’ll expect you out by the end of the month. And we’ll just split the accounts.”

“Sure.”

Goddamn him. “That’s all you have to say?”

Chase shrugged. “I deserve it.”

Somehow his honesty didn’t ease Ben’s anger. “Damn straight you do. You hurt her.”

“I know.”

The fucking golf cart puttered on. He wanted to drive recklessly. He needed some speed. He needed to take a curve at ninety miles an hour just to prove he could do it. But no. He got five miles an hour and shitty shocks. His head nearly brushed the top of the vehicle as he hit a speed bump.

“Well, I’m glad you know.”

Chase sighed. “Stop the cart. This is stupid. We could walk faster.”

Ben stopped the cart, slamming on the squealing brakes. “Feel free.”

He just sat there. “She’ll prefer you and I don’t want her to. I want her to like me.”

Ben’s head whirled around way faster than the golf cart could move. Chase sounded almost human. Vulnerable. “I think she likes you. She went looking for you.”

He just stared forward. “She won’t like me once she’s been around you for a while. She needed a Dom. She needed a hard-ass to spank her and get her to cry. I make little girls with pink hair cry. How long do you think that fascination is going to last? Not long, brother. She’ll want to take her perfectly nice boyfriend out with her. She’ll find friends and they’ll all hate me. I’ll end up being the second dick.”

Ben felt his anxiety. Fuck all, Chase was falling for her. Really falling for her. A spark of hope lit inside Ben. Natalie was a little ray of sunshine. Oh, sure, she had a black cloud over her head and might be headed to prison, but he would take the chance. “I don’t think she’s like other women we’ve dated.”

Chase had very precisely summed up their dating lives. At first the women they dated found Chase’s broody intensity fascinating and, in the end, they wanted Ben’s charm and ability to maintain a conversation that didn’t end in a fistfight. More than once Chase had been relegated to the bedroom.

But Natalie was different.

Chase’s head shook. “She’s just hurt right now. She’s broken, but she won’t always be. She’ll get better and she’ll want what everyone wants, a normal boyfriend. I don’t do normal.”

“Have you tried?”

Chase finally turned. “I can’t, man. I know it annoys you, but this is who I am. Does it make a difference that I want to be better for her? I didn’t tell that Gretchen chick to shut up even though I wanted to.”

Ben was surprised. Chase almost always said what went through his head. He prided himself on it.

And Ben understood. Gretchen had been viciously obnoxious. She’d been crying when he’d entered the room, tears coursing down her face. She’d seemed almost haunted by what she’d seen. Nat had been forced to stop her own panic and emotion to try to calm her friend down. Gretchen annoyed Ben. “It makes a difference, man. Do you really think it will all work out if you keep her for yourself?”

Chase laughed, a humorless sound. “No. But she might want me for a little while.”

“Or we might be able to figure out how to work together. Did you ever think of that, Mr. Genius?”

“My IQ is only a few points higher than yours. Well, twenty. Who am I kidding?” He finally slid Ben a long look, his lips curving up slightly. “You really think she could care about me as much as you?”

He was so frustrating, but Ben did understand his fear. “I think she’s completely different from anyone we’ve met. I’m crazy about her, Chase.”

“Me, too.”

“Then we go after her together. And not that lackadaisical way we usually do. This is a serious girl.”

“I’ve already thought about taking her to Dallas. Before I was moving.”

Ben felt the world shift, and he sort of liked where he landed. Chase never thought long term. Never. When it came to a woman, Chase never thought past the next spanking, plugging, whatever his devious mind could come up with. The very idea that he could think about moving a woman to be closer to him was monumental progress. “You’re not moving, Chase. But you do have some damage control to do.”

Chase nodded. “I know. She was very upset. She’s already deeply interested in you.”

And progress came at a cost. Now he got to deal with Chase’s wounded ego. He wasn’t sure he was going to like emo Chase. “I think she’s interested in both of us. Can’t you see she needs us both? I don’t know that I’ve met a woman who needs two men the way Nat does.”

“Mia. Chicago.”

Ben groaned. “Dude, be serious. Mia was a nymphomaniac. Nat actually has problems.” In his mind a nymphomaniac was a good thing to be. “She needs a combination of tender and tough.”

“She needs to submit.” Chase sat back, his eyes thoughtful. “She wouldn’t take her clothes off for you last night, would she? When I got there, she was still dressed and she was on top.”

At least he was talking about the night before in a rational fashion. “She said she had to be on top. I suppose it makes her feel like she’s in control.”

“But she doesn’t want to be in control. Not really. At least not all the time. I started looking into her background last night. She used to be a regular at a Houston club. I called the owner last night and got in touch with some people who knew her.”

“You called people after midnight?”

He shrugged. “They’re club people. They were awake. Mostly.”

And if they weren’t awake, Chase got them up. His brother was an impatient bastard. “What did they say?”

“She was a happy sub. She’d only dated Doms. She played with them, but she wouldn’t take a collar because she hadn’t found the right man. Her parents are the mom and pop of the scene down there. Her dad founded one of the clubs, but she moved to Houston for college so she never went to the San Antonio club.”

Ben could understand that. The idea of walking into a club and seeing his father in fet wear made him a little nauseous.

“Yeah, me, too,” Chase said, obviously picking up on Ben’s line of thought. “But the point is, she was looking for a Dom. Maybe not seriously since she was so young, but all of her relationships prior to the kidnapping were based in D/s.”

Chase was right. “She won’t be really happy until she can truly submit again.”

“She needs it so badly. Ben, I don’t think she’s really cried yet. I think cutting herself was her way of crying.”

“You spanked her last night, right?”

“A little. And she cried. A little. Not what she needed. She did let me hold her though. She sat in my lap. And I got her clothes off earlier. Then I fucked everything up. Why am I being so fucking possessive? I’ve never been possessive. I don’t know that I like the feeling.” Chase frowned, turning to Ben. “It’s fucking with my head. I need to be thinking about this case and all I can think about is Natalie. We shouldn’t have left her with Logan. One of us should have stayed behind.”

Beyond monumental progress. Ben had to stop himself from actually tearing up. This was it. They both cared about the same woman. This was his shot. Chase would fall once and then never again. “I think you need me on this one. I know you’re the brains here, Chase, but I’ve been doing this for a while, too. Natalie is fine. Logan is used to being in charge of a large group of crying females.”

Logan had actually sent him a pitiful look as he and Chase had left him behind with a frantic Gretchen, a weepy Kitten, a somber Natalie, and a surprisingly selfless Georgia. Georgia had been calling for room service, ordering tea and coffee, and asking what she could do to help. For once, she hadn’t been forcing her way to the center of attention.

“Still. Something about this whole thing doesn’t feel right,” Chase said. “Hurry it up. I want to get back to her.”

Ben started the cart again, making quick work of the little road that ran from the main resort to the employee quarters. Chris Linwood was waiting for them. “Try not to piss this guy off again.”

“He’s way too invested in thread count. I don’t get that.” Chase hopped out as soon as Ben stopped the cart. “Where are the CCTV cameras?”

Linwood stopped. He’d been walking toward them, a hand out, but now he pulled back. Yep, Chase had that effect on people. “We don’t tape our employees.”

Chase looked around. “Do you have any security at all?”

Ben nearly groaned. This was why he hadn’t sent Logan with Chase. Someone had to make sure his brother didn’t get them thrown out of the resort. “What my brother is trying to ask is what is the security like? We both understand that this is a place that prides itself on discretion.”

It was a freaking sex resort. Did Chase honestly think they routinely taped the powerful people who came here?

Chris turned to Ben, ignoring the way Chase was studying the building. “We have several well-trained dungeon monitors. Michael is our veteran. He’s been working as a Dom for fifteen years. Tate is our newest addition. The staff includes a bunch of former Special Forces and some ex-cops. They know what they’re doing.”

“How do people get in and out of the resort? Do you use key cards?” Ben asked. The night before he’d had to show ID to get past the front gates.

“Yes. We have one road coming into the resort and it’s guarded twenty-four-seven. New guests are on a list and must show picture identification to get in. However, we have some members of the club who are local, and they have tags on their cars that open the gates.”

“I’ll need a list of those members,” Chase said, pacing up and down the front walk, taking everything in. “And I want the whereabouts of everyone with one of those tags on their cars.”

Chris went a little pale. “Yeah, it should be interesting to see you interrogate Jack Barnes.”

Jack Barnes. The king of Willow Fork. The only man in the world who gave Julian Lodge a run for his money in sheer ruthlessness. “I think we can all agree that Barnes didn’t do this.”

The last thing Ben planned to do was sit Jack Barnes down and force him to answer questions. Ben liked to keep his balls attached to his body.

Chase just kept on. “Barnes wouldn’t trash a girl’s place. He would just kill her. No. But Abigail might. What if sweet Abigail was having an affair with Stan the Furniture King and took exception to losing her lover?”

The look on Linwood’s face was priceless. He actually turned a little green. “You can’t accuse Abby Barnes of having an affair.”

Ben stared at Chase while the grin crossed his face. His brother loved to make people squirm. “He’s joking.”

“I am about Abby,” Chase admitted. “But this smacks of jealous woman. Stan was married, right?”

“Oh, yes. And Juliet didn’t like what went on here. She’s threatened to protest the resort a couple of times. She calls it a whorehouse.”

Ah, the uninformed and intolerant. “Is there any way she could have gotten in here?”

Chris started to lead them into the complex. The staff quarters were as lovely as the resort itself. Though set away from the resort, it boasted the same elegant lines. Chris led them through the Spanish-style arches and onto the patio. A swimming pool dominated the courtyard. “We decided that it might be hard to attract really good staff since we’re so isolated. So Danielle and Julian decided to make the staff quarters seriously posh. There are twenty-five apartments. Most of our staff lives around the area. These are the people we had to import. Our massage therapists, the Doms, the subs who work the dungeon. The specialized workers. Gaby and I both live out here. We have two of the family suites. There’s a pool, a huge media center, a gym, basketball court, everything else you would need to live out here. The parking facilities are in the back. Nat’s apartment is on the second floor.”

Chris pushed the button for the elevator and they got in.

“You don’t need a card to access the elevator?” Chase asked.

“We have ten kids living out here. They range from six months to sixteen years old. If we required key cards, they would never leave their rooms. Seriously, those kids can’t keep up with them. This is a family facility. A ‘no kink’ zone. The third floor is a school. We brought in private teachers and just got our accreditation. Barnes paid for that. Seems his daughter had some trouble with the local kids so he just built a school for her. There’s another entrance for the third floor and that is accessible only by the school employees and students.”

The elevator doors opened and there was no way to miss the yellow police tape that draped Nat’s doorway. The door stood open and the khaki-suited form of the sheriff walked by. Chase immediately ducked under the tape.

Ben followed, his heart seizing just a bit. Natalie’s place was in complete ruins. Her little couch had been torn to pieces, the stuffing pulled out and scattered across the room. It was easy to see that Natalie didn’t have much. A small TV, a couch built maybe for two, no more. A round dining room table with two chairs had deep, jagged scratches covering the surface. Both chairs were broken as were all her dishes.

“How the hell did no one call this in?” Ben couldn’t imagine that whoever had done this hadn’t made a ton of noise. This kind of destruction would have taken a single person a long time and created a ruckus.

The sheriff turned, a tired look in his eyes. “Yeah, I was wondering the same thing. It looks like someone doesn’t like this girl. We’re sure she didn’t do this herself? You know some women might try to throw suspicion off themselves.”

Chase’s eyes narrowed. “She didn’t do this.”

Ben stepped in real damn fast so Chase didn’t give away the fact that they were personally involved and potentially get kicked off the case. Right now the sheriff was cooperating, but if he thought there was something funny going on, he might deny them access to information. “What my brother is trying to say, poorly as usual, is that Natalie’s time has been accounted for from the time she stepped out of your police station to a few minutes ago. Mr. Lodge hired us to check into this case and to keep an eye on her.”

He let that dangle out there, his voice a professional monotone. His words could be taken any number of ways, but the sheriff was a suspicious man himself. Ben would bet a lot that he would think Lodge wanted to monitor her to cover his own ass.

The sheriff tipped his hat back. “Well, that makes things more difficult. And as to one of the other residents hearing something, well, Mr. Linwood informs me there was a little party going on last night.”

Chris rolled his eyes, his mouth flattening. “This section of the building houses the single employees. Most of them work at night. It’s when the tips are the greatest.”

It was also when the dungeon was open, but Ben wasn’t about to mention that. The less the sheriff knew, the better.

The sheriff sighed, his belly heaving up and then sagging back down. “Well, I’m just calling this an act of vandalism. She needs to contact her insurance company. There’s not much I can do here.”

Ben felt himself flush, his indignation a wave that threatened to overtake him. But Chase put a hand on his shoulder.

“You’re probably right, Sheriff,” Chase said, sounding more reasonable and charming than usual. “This seems more like an internal matter to me.”

The sheriff couldn’t get out of there fast enough. All three men remained quiet until they heard the elevator ding. Then Ben rounded on his brother.

“You can’t think this has nothing to do with the case.” Ben was sure of that. Even he could plainly see everything was connected.

Chase’s blue eyes rolled. “Of course not. It has everything to do with the case. The question becomes what about the case set this bitch off.”

“What makes you think a female did this?” Chris asked. “And thank you for getting rid of the sheriff.”

Chase shrugged, staring down at the rug. “He was going to start asking questions. He’s curious about this place. He’s more than likely had pressure on him to close the resort down. It was a race to see which side of the sheriff’s nature would win. His conservative, shut-the-freaks-down side? Or the lazy side that’s two years away from retiring and just wants to take a nap? I simply gave the lazy side a distinct advantage.” He pointed down to the plush carpet. “As to why I believe this is a female perpetrator, there are several reasons. The first being this carpet and the pattern of shoe impressions left here. See how thick the carpet is? It holds the impression of the shoe quite valiantly. That very deep, cloddish print is the sheriff’s. He didn’t even go past the kitchen.”

Ben looked down, picking up on what Chase saw. There was a pattern of small, deep impressions all over the carpet. “Are those stilettos?”

“Yes.” Chase got to one knee, his hand skimming across the carpet. “Unfortunately, they’re not like tire tracks. There’s nothing unique about them.” He glanced up at Chris. “The rules of the dungeon are stilettos or nothing for submissives.”

“Yes, subs can wear stilettos or go barefoot.” Chris sighed. “And we provide stilettos should the sub need them so that could be anyone. Anyone except Natalie.”

“Who was adorably barefoot last night,” Chase pointed out. “We need to order some shoes for her. I get a crick in my neck when I kiss her for too long.”

Ben grinned. By “we” Chase had just told him to go online and buy Natalie some shoes, the first real proof he was willing to work together. “I just picked her up and ordered her to wrap her legs around my waist.”

Chris’s head moved like he was watching a tennis match. “You’re both involved with her?”

And so started the freak show. “Our relationships work differently.”

Chase simply smiled. “Welcome to Texas. Guess your kink doesn’t include sharing.”

Chris held his hands up. “Hey, my kink includes so much I can’t say a damn thing. I’m married to an ex-hockey player. We have a baby girl we adopted from China. We’re practically the face of normality. If Nat is happy, I’m totally cool with it, but keep it on the down low or the sheriff will freak. And no, I’ve never seen Nat wearing anything but comfortable shoes.”

Ben chuckled a little. “Looks like you’re going to have to convince her to indulge your shoe fetish.”

“Well, it’s not like she’ll be walking in them. They’ll be around my neck,” Chase shot back. “So crazy stiletto girl manages to get into Nat’s place. How? Natalie would never forget to lock her door. She would be very careful about it.” He stood, walking to the door and pointing out certain changes. “I take it this isn’t standard.”

There were three chains on the door to go along with the heavy deadbolt and the keyed lock.

Chris shook his head. “No. But I knew how important it was for Nat and Gretchen to feel safe.”

Ben looked down at the floor, catching sight of something interesting. It was a deep groove in the carpet. It wasn’t something that could have been made in a short period of time. This was from something she did over and over again. Two square grooves that went all the way to the bottom of the carpet. “She put a chair against the door.”

Chase frowned. “Yes. And that bitch broke her chair.”

Sure enough, there were splinters of wood splattered all over. Nat’s little chair had been decimated, the symbolism hitting him square in the chest. He could see her placing the chair under the doorknob, gaining comfort from knowing she’d done all she could to keep out the bad guys.

Now her peace of mind was shattered.

“I want to know where Stanley Kirkman’s wife was last night.” If everyone else wondered if Natalie had been sleeping with Stanley, perhaps his wife had wondered, too.

Had Nat been sleeping with him? He didn’t think so. He’d seen her face the night before when he’d asked her how long it had been. Years. She hadn’t been lying. Unless she’d known he’d been sent by Julian and was playing them both perfectly.

“Do you think she knew who we were before you spanked her?” Ben asked, the question causing his heart to twist a little.

Chase stood, leaving his perusal of the locks on the door. “I don’t think she knew at first, but I know she went off with her boss. She knew when we talked to her last night.”

“Gaby told her. She wouldn’t let her go into anything ignorant. If Nat talked to her about having a…relationship with the two of you, she would have told her why you were here,” Chris explained.

Chase’s lips curved up. “And she still came after me. Brave little sub.”

Years she’d gone with no comfort. Years with no pleasure. That hollowness he’d sensed in her, the one making love to him had filled, wasn’t a lie. Maybe he was the fucking naïve one, but he believed her. She’d known and she’d disregarded it. The little minx had meant to take her comfort and pleasure and probably flee, but they’d caught her and they weren’t stupid enough to doubt her or let her go. Chase, the most cynical person ever to walk the face of the earth, knew Natalie wasn’t the type. He let go of any thought of doubting her. He was in. “Someone hates her.”

“Yes.” Chase stood up and walked across the room. “Someone hates her. And this isn’t the end.”

It wasn’t anywhere close to the end.

Nat tried to take a deep breath, but the air wouldn’t quite sink into her lungs.

“Here, try some tea.” The woman with the golden hair who just happened to be Chase and Ben’s sister handed her a small cup.

Nat took it because it was better than dealing with Gretchen. “Thank you.” She took a long sip, remembering the lovely scene that had been interrupted. She’d enjoyed feeding the Dawsons. She’d pretty much loved everything about the morning with the singular exception of Chase telling her she had to choose.

Why was that so hard to take? Why had she shut down? It wasn’t like she knew Ben. Hell, she didn’t really know Chase, but the thought of choosing had frozen her.

She sniffled a little and took a long sip of the tea. And nearly coughed it back up. “What the hell?”

Georgia smiled down at her. “Oh, I had them put a bunch of vodka in the tea.”

“Georgia!” The man named Logan tried to pin Georgia with that Dom stare of his.

Georgia didn’t seem very pinnable. She waved him off. “Alcohol always helps.”

“Give me some of that.” Gretchen grabbed the cup and downed the rest as Kitten stroked her hair. She sniffled, her face still a brilliant red. “I was so sure someone was going to kill me.”

Kitten moved closer. “You’re safe now.”

Nat needed to breathe. She got up and moved toward the balcony. God, at least she might find some freaking peace there. All Gretchen had managed to do was tell her that everything she owned was ruined and since she lived beside her they would never be safe again.

Gretchen was a drama queen.

Nat pushed the curtains aside and walked onto the balcony. The rich seemed to have a completely different lifestyle. Her window looked out over the little pool. Ben and Chase’s enormous balcony had a spectacular view of the grounds.

She didn’t belong here. She belonged in her little place. But now how would she ever feel safe there again? Gretchen was right about that.

“Hey.” Georgia stepped through the doors, glass in her hand. Orange juice. “That hysterical freaky woman took your tea. Gosh, you would think she’d never like gotten her place broken into. That’s what insurance is for and then you get to meet hunky cops.”

“There are no hunky cops out here. The sheriff is a reject from Redneck Island.”

The gorgeous girl wrinkled her nose. “Okay, ewww. Are you still thirsty?”

She could use something cool. Too bad Gretchen had taken the vodka. She gratefully took the glass of juice. “Thanks so much. Gretchen can be a little overwrought.”

Gretchen knew what it meant to be violated. She simply didn’t know what it meant to keep a cool head about her. It was odd because at first, she’d thought Gretchen would be the one she could count on to help her. Gretchen had been bitchy, but she’d seemed strong. Kitten had been so quiet, but it had been Kitten who snuck the knife out of the kitchen, Kitten who held Natalie while she cried because she’d had to kill a man, Kitten who had found a phone and called her cousin.

Finn will help us. Finn won’t let us down. Kitten loves you, Natalie.

Georgia’s hand came up, brushing away tears Nat didn’t realize she was shedding. “Are you all right?”

Nat took a deep breath. “I’m fine.”

Georgia gave her a grin. “I doubt that. It’s why I snuck vodka into the juice. Logan told me not to, but he’s totally fun to disobey.”

“Oh, thank god.” Nat took a long drink. She kind of loved Georgia in that moment.

Ben and Chase’s sister shrugged. “I put vodka in lots of things. It’s the language of love where I grew up. So you’re involved with my brothers?”

She slipped it in, but there was no way to ignore the protective tone. She might be a little sister, but she cared about her brothers. “Not really. I thought I might be, but I don’t think I could choose.”

Cool blue eyes assessed her. “Most women can. Most women choose Ben in a heartbeat.”

“I thought I was choosing Chase. I didn’t know Ben existed. I made a connection with Chase and then I made one with Ben.”

“Okay, I don’t see the problem. They always share.”

“Chase wants me to choose.”

Georgia practically seethed. “That ass. Ben has shared for years.” Her mouth dropped open. “OMG, Chase is totally into you. Is it the BDPTSD stuff?”

“Huh?”

“You know the leather and whips and stuff.”

“Uhm, it’s BDSM, though I’m mostly on the D/s side. And I’m not anymore.” Except she kind of had been last night. And if Chase hadn’t said what he had, she would have let him have her. Even knowing everyone was in the next room. She would have followed his instructions. At least she would have tried.

Georgia smiled, a little uptick of her lips as she leaned on the railing of the balcony. “I was joking a little. I’m not as naïve as everyone thinks. I grew up in a houseful of dudes. And all of my brothers are into this stuff. Winter is even harder core than Chase. I was staying with him one time and I actually walked in on him with a woman suspended from the ceiling. Weird. And then he yelled at me like I was the one who suspended her. Anyway, the point is I know more than I like to tell them. And I know that Chase is into you. That means something.”

Maybe, but it didn’t mean anything but heartache if she couldn’t choose between them. “I’m not going to come between two brothers over what would only be a short-term affair.”

“Not so sure about that.” Georgia stared out over the grounds. “I’ve never seen Chase look at a woman the way he looks at you. Ben is the easy one. Ben wants to be happy. Chase thinks he does. Chase won’t ever be truly happy without Ben because Ben completes him. They’re like these weird halves of a whole. Think about it. I have for a long time. Of all my brothers, Ben and Chase are the ones I feel closest to. Ben is the happy one. It’s almost like his natural state, but he would accept far less than he deserves without Chase. Chase thinks too much. Chase wants too much. If you’re the woman who can give him what he needs, then I think he will give you the world. If you want Ben, then just refuse to back down.”

She made it sound so simple. “I don’t know. He seemed certain.”

“Chase thinks he’s certain about everything. You have to make him understand that you need Chase for Chase and Ben for Ben. Do you understand?”

“You want me to play a game?” The idea appalled her.

Georgia sighed. “Wow. I thought I was naïve. Everything is a game, Natalie. It doesn’t mean we’re cruel to play. You can play a game with the deepest desire to win and to love that thing you can win. Just be sure why you’re playing. I have friends who play strictly because they can’t stand the thought of not winning. Play the game because you love the prize. Because you can’t live without it. God, I want to play that game. I’m ready to play, but I can’t find the prize.”

Nat felt a deep connection to Georgia. She laughed a little. She seemed to feel for all the Dawsons. She held out the glass and Georgia took a drink.

“See,” Georgia said, her grin making her practically glow, “vodka makes everything better.”

It kind of did. The warmth filled her belly, and she was well aware that it had been a long time since she’d let herself go. It was what D/s had afforded her. She remembered her only Dom. He’d been a truly nice man she’d played with. She hadn’t taken his collar, but she’d trusted him implicitly. She could drink at a party and he would take care of her. He would never let her down.

He’d actually turned out to be gay and in the closest, and she hadn’t called him in the longest time. He’d left a million messages. Why hadn’t she called her friend?

“You’re so sad. What happened? Was it my brothers?” Georgia’s blue eyes glistened with tears.

She shook her head vigorously. If there was one thing she knew, it was that Ben and Chase Dawson wouldn’t hurt her. God. How did she know that? Why did she know she was safe with them? Because Julian said so? Because Gaby did? Because she’d slept like a baby for the first time in years knowing they were watching over her? “No.” She should tell Georgia it wasn’t her business. “I was kidnapped. I was, uhm, hurt.”

Georgia flushed. “I’m so sorry. But Chase will help you. Chase can find him. Chase can take him down.”

Odd. She should want to run, but she simply smiled because those two men wouldn’t flinch from what she’d done. They would just wish she’d made Hawk hurt more. “I took care of him. He’s dead.”

A ruthless smile crossed Georgia’s face. “Good. Look, if you handled that shit, you can handle my brothers. Keep them happy and we’ll be cool. Fuck with them and you’ll find out that I’m way more nasty than I seem to be. I’m going to get us some more ‘orange juice.’” She used air quotes. “I’ll have to get around Logan. He’s superhot but so obnoxious he makes me want to die.”

Georgia walked to the door and into the suite.

Nat looked over the grounds. She needed to get out of here. She needed to see what she had left. Ben had told her to stay put. Chase had remained silent, but she’d felt the weight of his stare. But neither Dawson was her Dom and no matter what Georgia said, they weren’t going to be. Chase had put her in a terrible position and one he’d apparently never forced another woman into.

She peeked into the room. The dude named Logan was following Georgia into the kitchen, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

She wanted to see her place. It was her apartment. They were her things. Her books. Her clothes. Her life. What right did they really have to keep her out?

The minute the door swung closed behind Logan’s massive form, she slid inside.

She caught Kitten’s eye. Gretchen looked up, too. Gretchen’s eyes were red from crying, her face blotchy. Gretchen seemed to take everything hard lately. She’d just reached her thirty-fifth birthday, the oldest of any of them, but she still seemed so lost at times.

“I’m going to my place,” Nat said quietly.

“Hey, that’s mine!” Georgia’s voice wasn’t quiet at all. It threatened to shake the walls.

Logan said something, but it came out in a low rumble that had Georgia threatening the Dom with what she called a “de-balling” if he didn’t give her back her vodka.

“They told you to stay here,” Gretchen said, sniffling a little. She sat up. “Natalie, why do you always have to disobey?”

Nat just managed to not roll her eyes. “They aren’t my Doms.”

“But you slept with them, Nat.” Kitten stood up, crossing the space between them. “I know the Masters. They want to protect you.”

“I don’t want to be protected.” Not when she would have to choose. It was time to make her stand with them. Whatever she’d had with them had been blown out of the water by Chase’s demand. “Are you going to tell Logan?”

Logan seemed like the kind of Dom who took his shit seriously. If Chase and Ben had told him to keep her here, he might tie her up if he caught her sneaking out, and she couldn’t risk that.

A loud crash blasted out, and Georgia proved she knew a lot of cuss words.

“I believe Master Logan has enough to deal with.” Kitten’s lips curled up. “Besides, he has a truly devious mind. I enjoy his punishments.”

Gretchen nodded. “I won’t say anything. But, Nat, you need to be careful. I don’t know what you did, but you really pissed someone off. I’m afraid for you.”

Nat slipped out the door. It was time to figure out exactly what was going on.