You will not leave the house unless I provide permission.

  While you can return to work at the club, it will be in the position as my assistant.

  You will obey my commands without question, or you will be punished.

  There’d been others, all of which didn’t seem obtrusive on the surface until today. I couldn’t sit around waiting for him to return, hoping he’d had information on Charlotte. I dialed her number again, this time prepared to leave a terse message.

  Her cheeky message was quickly followed by a beep. “Charlotte. You will call me. I’m sick to death of the silent treatment. I was trying to protect you whether you like it or not. If you don’t call me in ten minutes, I’m coming to find you.” I tossed the phone on the counter, struggling into my panties as I waited.

  Ten minutes went by in a blip. No return call. No text. Nothing.

  That’s the moment I knew I would disappoint Jameson again.

  I planned on finding her myself, one way or another.

  CHAPTER 22

  Jameson

  Someone I no longer cared to remember had once called me a consummate actor. I’d taken it as a compliment but I doubted the pompous son of a bitch director who’d ‘graced’ my club with his appearance had offered it up as one. He’d laughed in my face afterwards, calling me a fake in the world of BDSM.

  Granted, that had been six months after opening my doors, my mind still trying to wrap around the fact I owned a kink club. I’d never been a prude by any means, even with my typical middle-class upbringing; however, trying to explain to my mother what I did for a living in layman’s terms had proven to be a nightmare.

  Lachlan had known what amenities should be offered, his experience surpassing both myself and Grant’s limited exposure. At first, I’d spent hours on the internet trying to learn the language and aspects of our offerings. Only after a few months had I ventured out to a rival club, taking a few classes and indulging in fantasies I’d tried my best to drive away.

  Now I was considered a master dom, a colloquialism in the industry. Did I actually believe I’d mastered any technique? It wasn’t possible given I’d enjoyed little since Pamela’s departure. As I exited from my vehicle, adjusting my sunglasses given the cloudless day, my thoughts drifted to Alexandra. At this point, what we’d shared couldn’t be considered a traditional dom-sub relationship by any means. She was far too fiery to tame her in a week. The fact she remained purposefully disobedient would need to be dealt with, but not until after the ridiculous threats had been removed.

  I still wasn’t certain what Garber had wanted to accomplish other than ruining me. Both he and Collins were up to something else. I felt it in my bones. As my father had told me more than once, the most effective way of bringing rats to the surface for elimination was to provide them with something they craved.

  Or feared.

  Perhaps today was a little of both.

  I hadn’t brought a weapon, although I owned several. I wasn’t planning on threatening the judge with bodily harm to himself or his family. I wasn’t a member of the cartel or some low-life mafia organization who was allowed to get away with killing indiscriminately. Had I crossed the line a few times of right versus wrong? Yes. Of that there was no doubt, and I would do so again, but there came a point when pushing an agenda for political or financial gain had to be stopped.

  That was my intention today.

  And if the good judge ignored my… recommendation? Then he would suffer the consequences.

  I’d taken it upon myself to become a member of the Keystone Club, a popular watering hole only for the upper echelon of the male population in Miami and Fort Lauderdale. This was the safe zone where they could bring their wives or mistresses on rare occasions without receiving flak from anyone. I’d been here twice up to this point, unimpressed either time. The term stodgy came to mind.

  I took long strides in through the club doors, already learning from the judge’s secretary that he had lunch plans with a colleague.

  The man was easy to find, his booming voice boasting about whatever poor soul who’d landed in his courtroom. Neither man saw my approach, barely acknowledging me until I’d pulled out the third chair, sitting down without being asked.

  The judge stopped talking immediately, his face reddening and I hadn’t even opened my mouth.

  Yet.

  I offered a lazy grin as I sat back in the chair, not bothering to acknowledge the other judge, who currently wasn’t a member of Carnal Sins.

  Judge Garber sucked in his breath and likely his rage, realizing making a scene wasn’t in his best interest. “I hope, Mr. Stark, that you have come here to have a discussion about my son.”

  Maybe I was an evil man, taking my time before answering. “Not at all. That’s a police matter now.”

  “Then why the fuck are you here?”

  The other judge was almost instantly uncomfortable. “I thought I’d drop by and mention I had the liberty of seeing a good friend of yours while in Paris handling business. Louis Visage?”

  For a man who was forced to mask his feelings on a daily basis, he was doing a piss-poor job of hiding them now. “What. Do. You. Want?”

  “It’s not what I want any longer, Judge Garber. It’s what I am willing to do for you.” I placed the envelope full of similar pictures given to Visage in front of him, keeping a grin on my face.

  He glanced down twice then scowled as he lifted it into his fingers, keeping the brown envelope close to him. At first, he had no reaction, the photographs of his meeting with Santiago positioned on top. However, the pictures certainly became more risqué the further down he went. By the time he’d reached the fifth very vivid image of his time spent with a young man in Spain, I could tell his blood pressure had gone through the roof.

  “This is…” The judge reached for his whiskey, almost knocking the glass over.

  “Is something wrong, Dan?” the other judge asked.

  “Nothing I can’t handle. What do you want?”

  I shifted my gaze to the other judge and Daniel huffed.

  “Take a hike, Joe. Let me handle this… gentleman on my own.” Daniel tossed his napkin onto the table, guzzling down his drink and immediately searching for the waiter.

  “You sure?”

  “Just go. This fucker I can deal with.”

  While Dan sounded reassuring, the way his other hand was clutching the envelope meant he knew I was deadly serious.

  Joe gave me a nasty look before storming off. Then Dan leaned in. “I don’t know what the fuck you think you’re doing but you won’t get away with it.”

  “I’m going to make this very easy for you. I’m finished with playing games. I had a nice discussion with Mr. Visage. All accusations leveled against Philip Dumas have been shoved under a fat rock. I am totally aware that both you and Senator Collins are responsible for making several phone calls to the French Parliament and members of law enforcement. Your plans to shut me down have been derailed. Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to cease all communications with Santiago. You’re going to make certain that Welsh Pharmaceuticals isn’t pushed out of business and you’re going to help our police chief with criminal investigations against the cartel and the Bratva. Given your influence, that shouldn’t be a stretch for you.”

  “I can’t do that. You’re out of your mind if you think I can.” He huffed and looked away. “They’ll kill me.”

  “That’s not my problem. You got into bed with criminal elements. That’s entirely on you. Besides, you’re more powerful than you give yourself credit for. I’ll be happy to give you twenty-four hours to think over my proposal.” I rose to my feet without providing the consequences should he not follow through with my request. He snapped his hand around my arm, hissing under his breath.

  “What about my son? You can’t ruin his entire life.”

  I gazed down at him, almost feeling pity. Almost. “Maybe it’s time you deal with your son’s punishment. If you do so, charges will be dropped.”

  “You’ll pay for threatening me.”

  “I have no problem with watching you try, Judge.”

  “What if I can’t?”

  “Then as I said, it’s simple. I’ll hand over the photographs to a friend of mine at channel nine. Since he has a national syndicate, I’m certain he’ll know what to do with the information provided.” I yanked my arm away, grinning at him. Then I walked away.

  There was no need for violence when valuable information was at my disposal. Perhaps Manuel was indeed correct that given the bank of knowledge I had, I could venture out in ways I hadn’t allowed myself to imagine.

  As I walked out into the sunshine, my grin widened. Today was going to be a very good day.

  I was halfway to my car when my phone rang. “What’s up, Jagger?”

  “Did you drop Alexandra off to get her truck?”

  Exhaling, I stopped before reaching my vehicle. “What did you just say?”

  “One of my other men called saying Alexandra rushed into the club. He was coming in to open up and noticed her in the parking lot. Before he had a chance to say anything to her, she sped away in a hurry. Did something happen?”

  Fuck me. “Where are you?”

  “About to get some groceries. Why?”

  “Meet me at her condo. Round up a couple of the other guys.” I jumped inside the driver’s seat, immediately starting the engine.

  “What the fuck do you think happened?”

  I twisted my hand around the steering wheel. “I think my sweet Alexandra has gotten herself into a mess.”

  “What the hell are we going to do?”

  “We’ll go hunting if necessary.”

  “About damn time.”

  After I ended the call, I immediately dialed her number. When it rang several times, I knew there was an issue. As I headed out of the parking lot, I reached into the glovebox. I’d also learned a long time to ago it was best to keep a weapon inside every vehicle.

  Just in case.

  Thirty minutes earlier

  Alexandra

  I almost pounded the elevator doors, they were going so slowly. What the hell was taking so long? I paced back and forth, cursing under my breath. Charlotte was possibly just ignoring me, but if that was the case then I’d smack her across the face. I couldn’t believe she wouldn’t return my calls.

  God. What if something happened to her? I’d never forgive myself for going to Paris. No. It was my life and Jameson had been right. I couldn’t force her to do anything she wasn’t ready to do. I’d tried that once before. When the elevator beeped, I almost jerked it open with my fingers. I raced out, immediately struggling to find my key, almost tripping since I wasn’t paying any attention to where I was going.

  Even my hands were shaking when I finally managed to snag it from the bottom of my purse. I rounded the corner, half expecting to see the door busted open. Nothing seemed amiss but I remained rattled as I pushed the key into the lock. When I opened the door, I didn’t notice a single sound.

  Oh, my God. The place was trashed. My nerves rushed to an edge I’d never been to before, my mind fuzzy about what to do.

  “Charlotte?” I closed the door behind me. Her car was parked in the usual spot in the garage, but it was obvious by her bad parking job that Jagger had been right that she’d returned at least once. After tugging the phone from inside, I tossed my purse onto the couch, glancing toward the kitchen. Then I heard something. What was it? Shaking, I took another step toward the bedrooms. This was bad, so very bad. “Charlotte?”

  When the yelp turned into a scream, I started to run toward it.

  “Run!” Charlotte yelled.

  I backed away, bolting for the door when a hand grabbed my wrist, swinging me around. Before I had a chance to scream, a hand was placed over my mouth, the phone knocked from my fingers.

  “You’re not going anywhere, little dove.” The guy was huge, his black eyes piercing mine. As other men walked into the room, Charlotte dragged behind them, I noticed the expression on her face.

  One of utter terror.

  I struggled in the asshole’s hold, managing to kick him in the shins.

  “You’re a feisty little kitten. Aren’t you?”

  The son of a bitch had no idea. I twisted, almost able to get out of his hold.

  “It looks like we have two of them to play with, boss,” the guy holding me quipped, laughing in a deep, husky tone.

  As another man walked closer, I recognized him almost instantly. Unfortunately, he also recognized me.

  “Well. Well. We have two very valuable packages,” he growled. “This must be our lucky day. Get them out of here.”

  Jameson

  Jagger had managed to pull Danner and Gary, all three men well trained in both martial arts and weaponry. All four of us were armed, uncertain what we’d face. As soon as the elevator doors in the condo where the women lived opened, I took a deep breath, pulling the weapon into my hand. The hallway was quiet, devoid of any activity.

  The others followed behind me, remaining quiet as I headed for the condo. When I rounded the corner of the corridor, it was obvious there was an issue. The door remained ajar. I took long strides, clutching the weapon with both hands then kicking open the steel surface.

  “Jesus. Fucking. Christ,” Jagger said from behind me.

  The place had been torn apart, but I sensed the person responsible had no intentions of stealing anything. It was all about making a point.

  We fanned out and immediately I noticed Alexandra’s phone on the floor, her purse on the couch. I searched the living room then checked the kitchen.

  Danner returned from the bedrooms less than a minute later. “No sign of them but there’s blood on a dresser.”

  Rage kicked to the surface, the anger getting ready to tip me over the edge. I’d been a good guy for long enough. That would end today. If any harm had come to either woman, the son of a bitch responsible would face the kind of wrath where he’d beg for his life.

  “What now? We call the police?” Jagger asked as he flanked my side.

  “No. They’ll be dead before the police get their ass in gear. Now comes the hunting part.”

  “You think you know who did this?”

  “Not yet.” I moved through the condo to the bedrooms, glancing in one then the other. I doubted Diego would have his men destroy his own property. That wasn’t like the man at all.

  As I returned, I studied the room then exhaled. “We’re going to find Diego Santiago.”

  There was no time to waste. I bolted from the condo, determined to track Santiago down. I knew where he lived. Where he partied. Where he fucked. And every business he owned.

  I would find him one way or another.

  However, I had a feeling my initial thought that Diego was responsible was wrong. There was a game being played and I hadn’t been invited. However, if I was right then the responsible party knew how important Alexandra had become to me.

  My beautiful submissive had fallen into a trap of her own making.

  And because of her relationship with me. “We leave now.”

  We took two vehicles, heading toward Santiago’s estate.

  When I pulled up at the gate, iron railings surrounding the entire property, I rolled down my window and grinned for the camera as I pressed the button announcing our arrival.

  It took almost a full minute before a voice came on the speaker. “Yes?”

  “I’m here to see Diego.”

  “You are?”

  “Jameson Stark. I’m not leaving without speaking with him. I have something of interest for him.”

  There was no indication that my demand had been accepted or even taken to Diego, who was obviously there.

  “What if he doesn’t bite?” Jagger asked from beside me. He glanced at the soldiers walking the roof of Diego’s estate.

  “He’ll want to see me.”

  “You’re awful confident.”

  I slowly turned my head. “That’s what it takes to play with the likes of Diego. He’ll be curious of my intentions.”

  “What do you have?”

  “The ability to keep his ass out of prison.”

  “Now, you have me curious.”

  “Don’t forget. Curiosity killed the cat.”

  He snorted. “We’re out playing cops and robbers and you use that line?”

  Two minutes passed. Then three. While I wanted to slam my car into the gates, I knew within a few seconds, twenty or so men would surround both vehicles, all pointing weapons in our faces. I couldn’t risk lives.

  When the gate started to move, he chortled. “You have more power in this town than people give you credit for.”

  “Perhaps that’s the problem.”

  “Maybe it’s time for you to be Mr. Badass.”

  “Maybe I already am.”

  He laughed as I headed down the long driveway, parking in front of the house. As expected, two armed guards were waiting.

  When we exited the vehicles, one of the gruff-looking men came closer. “Leave your weapons here.”

  I turned toward Danner and Gary, both men as on edge as I was. This was a dangerous game, but Santiago wouldn’t assassinate any of us at this point. He knew better than to chum the waters with blood. I put my weapon on the dashboard, giving the soldier a hard glare.

  He frisked me, moving to Jagger as another man headed toward Danner and Gary.

  “Fuck this shit,” Jagger said under his breath.

  “Let it go,” I told him.

  As we were led inside, I marveled at the beauty of Diego’s home, although everything inside had been purchased with illegal drug and arms deal money.

  The room where we were taken was obviously Diego’s office. When I entered, he immediately stood, noticing the three men behind me.

  “If I didn’t know better, Jameson, I’d say you’ve turned to the dark side.”

  “If I didn’t know better, Diego, I’d say you had a soul, but that’s simply not the case.”