Lachlan turned his head, his chest heaving. There was such rage on his face, his dark eyes unrecognizable.

  “He fucking hurt you,” he said, smashing the weapon against Jeffrey’s face then pressing the weapon against the man’s temple. “He deserves to die.”

  “Don’t,” I tried again, wincing as the rope was removed from around my neck.

  “Get her out of here!” Lachlan bellowed to the man holding me. Then I realized who it was. Jameson.

  “Please… don’t.”

  Another series of sounds caught my attention, bodies filling the room.

  “Lachlan. We’ve got it. Let him go.”

  I recognized Detective Barker’s voice and pushed hard against Jameson. When he let me go, I slowly eased from the bed. “Don’t, baby. Be with… me.”

  I’d never seen such emotion on the man’s face, Lachlan’s breathing ragged as he tried to process that he’d saved me.

  “Come on, buddy. Let me take him in. Okay?” the detective pressed. “Give me the gun. He’s not going anywhere.” He held out his hand, nodding in encouragement.

  Lachlan shifted his attention in my direction, a slight smile crossing his face. The seconds ticked by as he made his choice. Then he pulled away, handing the weapon to the detective, barreling toward me. When he wrapped his arms around me, I finally allowed myself to become emotional, tears streaming down my face.

  “God, I almost lost you. Oh, baby. I’m so sorry. I’m so… sorry.” He cupped my face, easing me away so he could look into my eyes. “God, I love you.”

  “You saved me.” I clutched his shirt, still gasping for air, the heaviness in my heart just as suffocating as what Jeffrey had done.

  “I’m taking her out of here. Don’t fucking try and stop me,” Lachlan told Detective Barker.

  As the detective glanced from one to the other of us, he shook his head. “You played a dangerous game.”

  “Yeah? Because it was necessary,” Lachlan barked.

  “What about the information you promised me?”

  Lachlan huffed and Jameson took over. “You’ll have it but not right now. We are taking Ms. Winston to receive medical attention then home where she belongs. You have everything you need.”

  The detective threw his look from Jameson back to me. “Very well, but you’ll need to come to the station first thing in the morning to answer questions. And I’ll have a hell of a lot of them. Bring the information with you or so help me God, I’ll put all three of you behind bars.”

  “I’ll need my weapon back, Detective,” Lachlan snarled in return.

  “Right now, it’s being booked as evidence.”

  “I’ll grab her things,” Jameson said, his tone as enraged as Lachlan’s.

  As Lachlan led me from the room, I took another glance at Jeffrey. If only I’d followed my instincts, then maybe none of this would have happened.

  “I almost lost you,” Lachlan whispered once we were in the hallway. He cupped my face gently, his eyes darting back and forth.

  “You didn’t,” I struggled to say, the ache in my throat intense. “You saved me.”

  “Not soon enough, baby. Something like that will never happen again. Never.”

  As he pressed his lips against mine, the same swell of emotion I always felt when in his presence became the warm blanket I needed.

  “I know.” I closed my eyes, finally able to feel relief.

  And love.

  Protectors came in all sizes and shapes, often unsung heroes never seen or heard. I’d found my perfect hero, a man ready to die to keep me safe.

  My friend.

  My lover.

  My master.

  CHAPTER 25

  Lachlan

  “Christ,” Jameson said as he flanked my side staring at the television. Barely forty-eight hours later and the entire town was in chaos.

  “Unbelievable.” While I’d had little time to delve entirely into the documentation Davidson had sent via courier, the ripple effect throughout the city and beyond was incomprehensible. There’d been at least a dozen arrests made with more anticipated, all of them making national news. From leaders of major corporations to judges, members of Congress and law enforcement, the underground society was farther reaching than I’d previously suspected.

  They’d made the arrests so quickly that I knew the underground organization had been under scrutiny for some time, although the detective had refused to corroborate my theory.

  “You’ve used that word four times this morning alone,” he teased.

  “Don’t you have a plane to catch?” I threw back, noticing he’d already poured a glass of scotch. My buddy had made himself at home, my home, including rearranging the furniture in my office before the sun had risen in the sky.

  That’s what he’d always done when he didn’t feel in control of a situation. Hell, I wasn’t certain if I could feel in control for a very long time. I’d thought up to this point I had a solid handle on what went down in the bowels of the city.

  Think again, dumbass.

  The reports continued to stream in, the FBI taking over from the DC police hours before. I hadn’t been privy to any additional information that Davidson had provided. Granted, I’d made a copy, planning on ripping apart membership in the club. The bastards had used Carnal Sins as well as Club Darkness as their stomping grounds, something I’d made Gregory aware of. Neither one of us liked to be painted as fools.

  “I knew you needed help.”

  I laughed, shaking my head as I walked away from the television. Maybe I’d indulged in a glass or two, at least while Lark was still being questioned. I fucking hated it. The FBI needed to hear the same damn shit she’d told the police. “Yeah, maybe you’re right. You up for staying for a few days?”

  “I think I can manage since I no longer have the heat from Senator Winston to deal with.”

  I added a single ice cube, grousing under my breath about Marshall Winston. When Lark had told me just how controlling the man had been in her life, all I could think about was breaking the senator’s neck. At least with his arrest, he’d have some quiet time to think about all the shit he’d put her through. “Lucky bastard,” I told him. “You owe me one.”

  Jameson laughed, which was the first time one of the three of us had done so after leaving the hotel. Thank goodness Lark’s larynx hadn’t been damaged, just bruised. Other than the ugly bruises already yellowing around her neck and the emotional damage after learning her father was behind Davidson’s murder, she would make a full recovery.

  That didn’t mean I wasn’t still livid, ready to hunt down the other members.

  My buddy scratched his head as he took a seat on the couch. “I still can’t figure out why Davidson made the confession to you. Why not the police?”

  “I’ll venture a guess he wasn’t entirely certain how far reaching the underbelly went. He knew what I’d do when I got my hands on the information.”

  “Yeah, bull in a china shop,” he retorted. “Still, the whole damn thing is sketchy in my mind. Davidson accidentally killed Claire Kenwright during a session of breath play.”

  “Yes.”

  “Then after the police questioned you, one or more of this group decided to make you a convenient scapegoat.”

  “Or at least put questions in the minds of the police.”

  “Why didn’t one of their members just squelch the whole thing?”

  I thought about his question and sighed. “Because of who Claire’s father was. I’m going to bet the good senator of Wisconsin wasn’t a member of this glorious society.”

  “He wasn’t.”

  “How do you know?”

  Jameson lifted his eyebrows. “You forget. I also have a photographic memory. How the hell did we get a second victim?”

  “I guess that’s what the police will need to figure out. Maybe Davidson was pushing the group or threatening them. I think the promise Marshall made regarding Lark and the arrangement for marriage was an effort to keep his mouth shut, but I’m just speculating at this point. From what I read of Davidson’s confession, he wasn’t privy to the inside workings of the group. However, it was obvious the man sensed he had a target on his back.”

  “They have a hierarchy?” he asked, half laughing.

  “Why the hell not? You have that in politics, education, the medical field.”

  “True enough. Davidson thought he’d be protected by the group. Then he was arrested.”

  “Exactly. Maybe that’s when the marriage contract was proposed in the group’s effort to keep him quiet. Then the other girl died, and he realized he was on the chopping block.” One thing that had struck me as interesting was that Davidson had mentioned the requirement for heirs. The underground had built an entire society around the need to control the world.

  “And her boss was coordinating all this?”

  “It would appear so.”

  “Jesus Christ. Glad you picked DC and not me.” His eyes lit up as he made the statement, only he knew as well as I did corruption was rampant everywhere.

  What I wondered now was just how far they’d go to protect their own.

  “Who was the person Lark saw at Club Darkness?”

  “She was right. Jeffrey was a guest of another member. We didn’t look closely enough at the list of guests.”

  “So he’d been watching her.”

  “Exactly.”

  I moved toward the window, staring out at the darkness. I had about a thousand things I needed to say to Lark, but she’d seemed so fragile after being rescued that I couldn’t do it. But the fact she was being forced to relive the nightmare ten times over kept my anger just below the surface.

  She’d begged me to remain calm when the FBI had arrived, determined to handle their interrogation alone. God, what an idiot I’d been all the way around.

  “If I hadn’t sent her away…” How many times had I made the statement in the last twelve hours alone?

  “Stop it, man. You saved her. You’re the big hero. You got yourself a spot on the morning news.”

  “What?” I threw a look in his direction. “What are you talking about?”

  “Somebody let it slip you saved Ms. Winston’s life. Given the loss of two other daughters of senators, that’s big news.”

  “I think given the circumstances you can call me Lark.”

  Hearing the still husky tone to her voice was almost enough to push me over the edge. I wanted to beat the shit out of someone. Anyone at this point. I moved toward her and she gave me a sly smile.

  “Lark it is,” Jameson said.

  Her eyes flitted toward the television, and I almost bolted toward it, but Jameson beat me to it, flicking the TV off completely.

  “How are you?” I asked.

  “For the umpteenth time, I’m a big girl. You don’t need to worry about me.”

  “That’s my job,” I told her as I rubbed my hand down her arm.

  “Oh, yeah? Why is that?”

  “Because I care about you. Because you’re not going anywhere. Because I’m your master.”

  “Are you going to chain me to your bed?” she cooed and pressed her body against mine. “Big boy?”

  “That does it for me. I’m out of here,” Jameson said, refilling his scotch then heading toward the door.

  “Incidentally, we’ll have company for a couple days,” I told her.

  “Oh, yeah?” she purred. “Then I have an idea.”

  “Uh-oh,” Jameson sighed, stopping short before he reached the door.

  She gave me a mischievous look then backed away so she could look him in the eyes. “My bestie needs a date for the wedding.”

  “Wedding?” he croaked.

  “Yep. She’s beautiful and you’re insanely gorgeous. But you need a tux. Can you handle that?”

  Jameson turned toward me, his eyes asking for help.

  I shrugged. “The lady gets what she wants.”

  His groan made her laugh. Priceless. “Fine. I’ll do it, but don’t you dare try and fix me up. You hear me?”

  “Scout’s honor,” she cooed, biting her lower lip as Jameson walked out, the man still grumbling.

  “Let me guess, you were never a Girl Scout.” I was shocked she wasn’t rolling in depression, but maybe I’d underestimated her instead of the other way around.

  “Oh, I was. It was mandated. But it lasted for all of ten days. They kicked me out.”

  “I didn’t think they did that.”

  “Well, they did in my case.” Her smile remained but I could see exhaustion in her eyes. I’d held her for hours, the silence we’d shared comforting.

  “How are you doing, my sweet little bird?”

  “I think I like that. Your little bird.”

  “It suits you. Always chirpy.”

  She lowered her gaze, taking the drink out of my hand. When she downed a solid third of it, I sensed she was ready to break down. “I don’t know how chirpy I can be for a little while.”

  “Completely understandable. Are the Feds gone for good?”

  “Somehow, I doubt it.”

  “Why don’t we sit down?”

  “I’m fine,” she said. Now I was in love with her defiance. That meant at some point, she’d feel safe again. And I was going to do my part in making certain she stayed that way.

  I wrapped my hand around her waist, pulling her with me as I headed for one of the chairs.

  “What are you doing?” she demanded.

  “Taking control, which is exactly what you need.” I pulled her down on my lap, keeping my arm wrapped around her like a possessive animal.

  “Stop worrying about me.”

  “That’s not going to happen. You’re all I’m going to focus on from now on.”

  She shifted in her seat, giving me the kind of look that could turn any man into ash. “So, you’re selling the club?”

  “Well, no, but—”

  She placed her fingers across my lips before I could finish. “Then stop worrying about me. While I’m angry and hurt, not only at my father for putting you in harm’s way, I’m also sad that this kind of disgusting underground society was not only allowed but condoned for so many years.”

  “Generations.”

  “See,” she huffed, grabbing my drink again.

  All I could do was smile, thankful that everything had worked out.

  “In fact, I think you need to pull out that black book of yours and take control.”

  I almost choked because she was serious. “I’ll take it under advisement.”

  “I’m serious. I’ll help you. I know Anastasia will as well.”

  “Don’t you go off halfcocked or you know what will happen.” I ran my hand down her chest, tweaking her nipple.

  “You still think you own me, huh?”

  “Baby. You belong to me for the rest of your life. It’s time you get used to it.” As she lowered her head, her breathing ragged, the beast inside of me wanted nothing than to devour her. But I’d wait. As with everything in life, good things really did come to men who were patient.

  “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  My father had a favorite quote he’d spouted off more than once. He’d told me that one day I’d learn that only by facing the worst atrocities could I learn to appreciate what had become the most important things in my life. I’d ignored him for the most part, refusing to take any advice from a man who’d thought ending a life was just a part of business.

  But now, I understood what he’d been getting at.

  “In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” The beautiful thought by Albert Camus came to me because the woman I held in my arms was the most important aspect of my life. Even with all the money in the world, power that could control a nation, nothing was as special or worth fighting for than the love of a beautiful woman.

  And I would honor that and her for the rest of my life.

  Lark

  “I hate weddings,” Jackie grouched even though she kept the plastic smile on her face.

  “Oh, come on, now. We get free booze,” I told her, holding my breath until she’d realized what I’d said.

  When she burst into laughter, I joined her, lifting my glass of champagne at the same time she did. We were both out of a job, at least temporarily, although my gorgeous master had proposed that I come work with his two corporate attorneys, forming our own office. And of course, we’d need a highly skilled office manager to keep us all on track.

  “At least you have a handsome date,” I told her, noticing how both Jameson and Lachlan remained the center of the attention at the reception. I’d even noticed Betsy giving them a onceover or two. Shame on the girl.

  “Yes, he’s absolutely incredible and a damn good kisser.”

  “What?”

  “Oops,” she teased, although she’d purposely let it slip. “He wanted to break the ice, so he said.”

  “That’s a good way to do it.” I wasn’t certain how I could be in such a good mood after being told my father had been arrested. Maybe all the years of his emotional and verbal abuse had taken enough of a toll I’d lost all ability to feel anything for him. I hated it for my mother but had a feeling she’d come out stronger than before.

  “I’ll say.” She licked her lips. “So, tell me. What are your plans with that hunky man of yours?”

  I allowed my gaze to linger on his insanely gorgeous body. There was no other man in the world who could look so buff yet dangerous in a tuxedo unless it was James Bond. “Well, I’ve been told I can’t leave the house without him being on my arm for at least two weeks. We’ll go from there.” I’d caught his eye, the look in his deep green pools mesmerizing me even from this distance. I took a not-so-subtle ragged breath and Jackie laughed.

  “You’re really into this whole BDSM thing, aren’t you?”

  “Not the acts themselves, but the trust and respect that comes with learning to obey.” The words popped out of my mouth as if I really knew what I was talking about.

  “Hmmm… Well, maybe I’ll have to give it a whirl.”