Chapter 12

Jen crossed her arms in front of her and eyed him. “You want my number?”

Nathan shrugged. “I’m curious. You sort of inherited me from Kate, and I know about Charles so—” He spread his arms, hoping she’d take the hint.

“No.” The look and tone sent him mentally back to his house and down into his basement. “I’m not telling you that. It’s none of your business.” She wagged a finger at him. “Not happening.”

“No,” Nathan repeated. “Because of the rules.” The anger surged up and out. “The same rules that say I can’t kiss you or be with you outside of the appointments. The same one we’ve crashed through multiple times over the past few weeks?”

“Yes.” The one firm word held him in place. “Not because of what’s between us. You and I might have agreed to break the rules, but they didn’t give their permission for me to gossip about them. I owe them their privacy.” She locked eyes with him. “And don’t play the rule card with me. You could have said no. To any and all of this. You had full control over everything.”

“And do what? Leave you in danger?” He clenched his fists. “What sort of a man would I be if I did that? What sort of cop would I be?” He drew a staggered breath, the words coming without effort. “What sort of sub lets his Domme go into danger?”

Her steely glare pulled his anger down a notch.

“I can take care of myself. I’m not a helpless waif, stumbling around.” She gestured toward the living room. “You want to tie on some boxing gloves and have a go? Or wait until Tanner shows up and you can put on a display?”

Nathan paused, seeing the wisp of fear in her eyes.

He berated himself.

This isn’t about you and your hurt feelings.

This is about keeping her safe. And others who might get caught in this madman’s path.

He licked his lips and chose his words with care. “I guess—I guess I didn’t want to think there were others in your life.”

“I know. And I’m sorry things twisted around like this. But you knew this. It wasn’t a secret,” Jen replied. “I know you had Kate before me.”

The memory, usually a pleasant one, rubbed on raw nerves. “And you don’t wonder what she was like with me?” He couldn’t hold back the words. “You don’t think about what she did, how I reacted?”

“No. I don’t.” She stepped forward into his personal space. “That was something that happened between the two of you. I can’t match that, nor do I want to try.” One hand lifted to stroke his cheek. “Your experience, your relationship with her was unique. Like ours is. And I won’t ruin it by making base comparisons.” Her gentle smile almost undid him, dissolving his anger like a drop of water on a grain of salt. “It’d be like trying to choose one precious gem over another.”

Nathan frowned despite the soothing touch of her fingers. “Rubies aren’t the same as diamonds.”

“True. But each one is special in its own way. You can’t replace one with the other. Each is perfect where it is, when it is.”

The soft-spoken words soothed his fears away, and he sighed.

She smiled, and for a second, Nathan thought she was going to move in and kiss him.

He resisted the urge to lean in, pull her into his arms. It had to be what she wanted, not what he needed right now.

At the last second, Jen pulled back and retreated to the far end of the counter. She chewed on her bottom lip. “You know Wendy’s going to be upset. About everything.”

Nathan tapped his chest, allowing her to change the topic. “Neither of us started this. But it’s got to be dealt with, and right away, before someone else gets hurt. We need to find out if this is a concentrated attack on HP clients or if it’s targeted on just you.”

“If it’s on me—” She drew a shallow breath. “Lucas Tanner. I’d bet on it.”

“I agree. But let’s not go there right away. We can’t afford to be blinded to any other possibilities.” Nathan ticked the points off on his fingers. “Let’s go down the list. Angry coworkers. Pissed-off subs at the club. Family members. Friends.” He paused, waiting for her reaction.

Jen chuckled. “That’s a short list. My coworkers don’t know what I do, and I’m on good terms with all of them.” She sucked in her breath. “I haven’t been to the club in weeks. I hadn’t been with anyone long before that. I basically did nothing but watch.”

Nathan’s heart skipped a beat, seeing her at one of his imaginary clubs, sitting at the bar and not going with anyone.

Mine.

“My entire family’s out West and they definitely do not know what I do. My coworkers are basically my friends. Them and the club members. And if they had a problem with me, it would have come up in other ways than pounding on Charles.”

He stayed quiet, letting her make the connections.

“Okay. Let’s say it’s Tanner. Let’s say the bastard has had it in for me since I broke his nose and helped send him to prison. Why isn’t he coming right at me? Why this damned dance?” She clenched her fists. “I’m not afraid of him.”

“I didn’t say you were. And yes, you’re right,” Nathan admitted. “If it’s him, I don’t know why he hasn’t made a direct run on you instead of hitting Charles. It takes a lot of work for him to follow you around and track where you’re going, figure out who your clients are and then plan out his attack on Charles. What’s the point?” He gave a shrug. “It doesn’t make sense no matter how I spin it. All we can do is see what Wendy says. She’s got more information than we do. There might be something we’re totally missing. Might change everything.”

“That’s true.” Jen touched his bare forearm, making the tiny hairs stand at attention. “Before she gets here, I want to thank you for all you’ve done. You’ve gone above and beyond the call of duty, and you didn’t have to. You could have blown me off and told me to take care of it myself.”

“As if,” he replied. “I won’t ever abandon anyone in trouble. Especially you.”

“I know.” She shook her head. “Sorry for being bitchy before. I hate not being in control, and you took a hit there.”

“That’s what I’m here for.” He chuckled. “At your command.”

Jen let out a soft giggle in reply.

A perfect peace settled between them, the silent seconds ticking off.

Nathan hesitated.

He wanted to kiss her.

He knew that wasn’t a good thing, not right now. Not in the middle of all this.

He settled for a smile. “Go sit on the couch. I’ll do up these dishes and start another pot of coffee. Wendy’s going to be here soon, and the least we can do is offer her a fresh cup.”

Get thee hence, temptation.

“I’m going to go get tidied up.” She tugged at her sweat-stained shirt. “At least put on something dry and decent.” Jen kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you. Again.”

She trotted out of the kitchen.

Nathan turned the water on, trying to tamp down the desire curling in his gut for the woman so close and yet so far away.

Mixed with bare, raw fear for her safety.

A knock at the door brought him out of his introspection. Nathan reached for the dishtowel and wiped his hands. He headed for the front door barely beating Jen there.

She had replaced the T-shirt with a pristine white blouse now tucked into her jeans.

Nathan waved her back and peered through the spyhole.

It showed a single woman standing there, glaring at him.

He recognized her immediately.

“Wendy?” Nathan asked automatically.

She put her hands on her hips. “Yes. And the woman who’s going to kick your ass if you don’t open this door within two seconds.” A finger pointed at the peephole. “And you’re not going to enjoy it.”

Despite the situation, Nathan found himself grinning.

Nathan opened the door and studied the woman standing in front of him. She wore a black T-shirt and jeans, the leather jacket zipped up almost to the top. The matching hobo bag purse hung against her hip.

Her long blonde hair was pulled into a tight braid and draped over her left shoulder. Her eyes met his, and Nathan had to fight the urge to step away, concede the ground to her.

He bowed his head, enough to satisfy his need.

“Nathan,” she said in a low steady voice. “Good to see you again.” She looked over his shoulder. “Jennifer.”

“Please come in,” Jen said from behind him.

Nathan stepped back and let Wendy enter the hallway, feeling his heart race. He closed and locked the door, double-checking the dead bolt before facing the two women. “May I get you a cup of coffee? Tea?”

“Coffee would be good. Cookies if you have any.” She patted her stomach. “I always have room for the sweet stuff.”

“Cinnamon rolls work?”

Her bright smile soothed his nervousness. “Ooh. Please. If I weren’t already married—” Wendy shot a saucy wink at Jen. “I like him more now.”

Jen laughed and tilted her head to one side. “When he behaves, he’s quite the useful one.” She reached out and put her hand on Nathan’s shoulder.

It was like being touched by a live wire, the surge of desire shooting through his veins.

Nathan grinned and moved toward the kitchen. “Coffee coming up, and I’ll get those rolls heating up right away. How do you take your caffeine?”

“Today I take it black,” Wendy said.

The two women followed him into the kitchen as he opened the cupboard to get a clean dish.

“Here,” Wendy said from behind Nathan. “You look like you need this.”

He turned to see Wendy pull Jen into a tight hug. Jen didn’t resist, burying her face in the shorter woman’s shoulder as if they were long-lost sisters. A deep sigh escaped Jen, tearing at his soul.

“It’s going to be fine,” the older woman announced. She glanced at Nathan, and he saw the concern in her eyes. “You did the right thing calling us. Evan’s already activated our official procedures.”

Jen sniffled but didn’t pull away. She looked up and frowned. “Procedures?”

Wendy let out a laugh and released her. “My dear girl, do you think you’re the only one who watches the news? We’ve got a system in place for this sort of thing. Scans social media, the news feeds looking for keywords and so forth. I don’t understand all the programming stuff—that’s not my strong point, but I know it basically squeals like a pig if something comes up involving any of our clients or personnel. It fired off as soon as the news report went out at noon.”

She nodded at Nathan as he busied himself with making a fresh pot of coffee and reheating the rolls. “I was already going over the situation with Evan when you called. I’m glad you did, because we all need to be on the same page for this.” She gently maneuvered Jen toward the living room and glanced back over her shoulder at Nathan. “We’ll be in here when you’re ready.”

Nathan spent the next five minutes setting up a tray with three mugs of coffee, the remaining warm rolls and a stack of napkins before carrying it into the living room. The two women looked up as he prepared to place it on the dark rosewood table in front of them.

The sadness on Jen’s face startled him, the deep shadows under her eyes back in full force along with the pain.

A bolt of anger shot through him as he put the tray down and sat next to her. He flexed his fingers in an attempt to release some of his rage.

When I get hold of this asshole—

Wendy looked at him directly, and he felt her calmness wash over him. It didn’t dissipate the fury but overlaid it with a quiet determination, a soothing armor over the raw wound. Her expression was as if she’d heard his very thoughts.

“Whoever this is will pay. You can be sure of it.”

Nathan wasn’t sure who she was talking to, so he focused on handing Jen her coffee and then Wendy.

“This isn’t your fault,” Wendy said.

Nathan glanced at Jen and then back to Wendy, realizing she was talking to both of them.

“This is not your fault,” she repeated. “However this turns out, I need you both to believe this. Neither of you have anything to feel responsible for. This is not of your making or your doing.” Her stern tone left no room for discussion. “Understand?”

Jen nodded. Nathan passed her a fresh napkin before placing a roll on a small plate and giving it to her.

She didn’t look at him. Instead of saying anything, he repeated the action for Wendy.

“This has been an ongoing worry since we started Hooded Pleasures. A slip of the lip, an angry ex-client, prying eyes looking for a scandal. The problem here is figuring out who’s the real target.” Wendy took the cinnamon roll from Nathan and smiled. “Thank you.”

Nathan nodded before drinking his coffee.

Wendy hummed her approval of the chewy sweet treat, biting off another small piece and eating it before speaking.

“We’ve already gone to the hospital and talked to Charles.” She put up her hand in a preemptive strike. “It was after your visit, and he didn’t mind seeing me. He was actually grateful for your visit—it helped him see things a bit differently. No”—this was to Nathan—“he won’t amend his police statement, and I can’t push him on that. It’s his life and his call. He does agree terminating our arrangement is the best course of action so far, and he’s open to possibly returning to HP depending on the outcome of this investigation.” She looked at Nathan with a neutral stare. “He was surprised to see you and glad you could carry his farewell to Danielle personally.”

Nathan stayed silent, not knowing what to say.

There was going to be a reckoning for his visit.

He just wasn’t sure when it was going to be.

“Charles became our client because he feared going to a club. He could have been the actual target.” Wendy pulled a warm piece of sweet dough off with her fingers. “Family, friends, associates wanting him to leave HP. Instead of talking it out with him, they force him to quit the hard way.”

“Pretty hard core,” Nathan said.

“Very. But not impossible. People undergo kidnappings and deprogramming from cults all the time. Some would view his lifestyle as a cult.” She sipped the coffee before continuing. “However, after talking with Charles, it seems unlikely, as you already know. Aside from his sister, there’s no one else who knew about his contract and his desires. He’s happy at his workplace with little conflict and no competition from rivals who would stoop so low as to threaten him physically. He was very discreet about Danielle’s visits.”

Wendy looked at Jen. “Obviously not discreet enough. I’m willing to take Charles at his word but we’ll be following it up with our own investigation to make sure he’s not glossing over something because he doesn’t like how it looks. That’s happening as we speak, so let’s move on.”

She stared into her mug. “This leads us to the next possibility. It could be someone angry with HP. An effort to shut us down. Competitors, unhappy ex-clients, fanatics looking to restrict our freedom.”

Nathan shook his head. “It’s not an efficient way of going about it. Takes time and effort to track down the clients, find out where they live and where they work. It’d be easier to target the Doms and Dommes, and more effective. If you don’t have any employees, you can’t meet any demands, and if you turn away customers, you go out of business.” He paused. “In my opinion, of course.”

Wendy smiled. “An informed opinion is never a bad thing. And you’re not wrong in your thinking. There’s a reason why we ask our people to dress casual when they enter and exit a home, why discretion is the word of the day—it’s an ongoing effort to stay as far under the radar as possible.” She took another sip of coffee. “The good news is we haven’t had any other reported injuries among our employees for the past few months, according to our records.” A sly grin appeared. “At least none that don’t have a good reason for being there.”

Nathan couldn’t help returning the smile despite the seriousness of the situation. “So you don’t think HP is the target?”

“Not at first glance. We’re gathering evidence and searching our files, but there haven’t been any other outright attacks on clients recently or on any of our people. I’m putting a caveat on that ’cause we’re just starting the hunt, but nothing’s jumping out in front and screaming for attention like the situation with Charles.”

Wendy looked at Jen, who had remained strangely silent through the last few minutes. “The last option we need to explore is that you are being targeted personally. Someone who doesn’t want you doing what you want, what you love to do. Your thoughts?”

Jen paused and Nathan saw the confusion in her eyes.

Name Lucas Tanner and risk pointing the finger at possibly an innocent man and destroy his chance at a new life. She wanted to believe in his redemption, believe he had put all this behind him.

Don’t name Lucas Tanner and risk more people getting hurt.

“What resources does HP have?” Nathan asked, buying his Domme time to gather her thoughts.

Wendy eyed him, and his heartbeat increased.

She knew what he was doing.

He couldn’t tell if she approved or not, but he’d be damned if he’d let Jen down.

“We have lawyers and private investigators on speed dial. Not to mention a variety of ‘friends’ we can call on for advice, off the record and off the books.” Wendy winked. “You’re not the only cop who likes to serve.”

Nathan’s mouth went dry as he contemplated the truth behind her words.

Do I know any of them?

He thought about the tough desk sergeant at his own division. He was a gruff type, but it wouldn’t be impossible to see him on his knees in front of a woman like Kate.

Maybe that detective over in Internal Affairs—

His thoughts were interrupted by Wendy clearing her throat. She was watching him and judging from the scowl she wasn’t happy with him mentally wandering off.

“Sorry,” Nathan muttered.

She turned her attention to Jen, who had now finished her coffee and was studying the bottom of the mug. “Jennifer?”

“There’s a man,” she said.

Wendy nodded.

Silence drifted across the table.

It was a full minute before Jen continued.

“I’m torn here. I think it’s him, but I want to give him the benefit of the doubt.” She looked at Nathan. “I have to.”

“Yes,” Wendy said before Nathan could answer. “Definitely yes. I understand your concerns. But if we can clear him of this entire affair, it’ll be better for all of us, especially him. Give us one less target to focus on and let us allocate our resources more effectively.”

Jen turned her attention back to her empty mug. Her tongue flicked out to wet dry lips.

Nathan itched to move closer, to wrap his arms around her and tell her to give it all up, give what she knew to Wendy.

But that wasn’t his choice to make.

And interfering would only make it worse.

So he sat there and watched her struggle with the decision.

Wendy finally put her mug down on the table and folded her hands in her lap. “I won’t force it out of you. But I will tell you the researchers will find out during their investigation. I’d rather have you trust us with that information and save everyone the time and trouble.” She tilted her head to one side. “Please. Let us carry this weight for and with you.”

He felt the love and concern surge outward. This wasn’t an employer making demands of an employee. This was one woman asking another for help, the need going both ways and the support without any limitations or restrictions.

Jen sighed in surrender. “Name is Lucas Tanner. Just got out of jail on parole for assault. According to Nathan, he’s in a halfway house and reporting to his parole officer on time.”

Wendy’s eyebrows rose.

Nathan took over, sensing the head Domme’s disapproval. “The long and the short of it is that he used to beat his wife. She dumped him and went for medical help to the clinic Jen works at. Tanner comes after her; she’s already left for a shelter, but he doesn’t know and no one’s going to tell him. Hit one of the nurses trying to get to his wife. Smart doctor hit the panic button, but they had to deal with Tanner before the cops arrived.” Nathan nodded at Jen. “She caught him when he wasn’t looking and clocked him. Now he’s out, and I think he’s coming for her.” He looked down and saw his hands clenched into tight fists.

“Nathan.” The single word brought him up to meet Wendy’s eyes. “It’s okay.” She patted the air with one hand. “It’s okay.”

She looked at Jen, waiting for a response.

“It’s true,” Jen admitted. “There’s been things that have happened, things that I thought might be his doing.” She avoided looking at Nathan. “I didn’t want to jump to any conclusions because it wasn’t anything I could take to the police. Random stuff that on its own doesn’t mean anything. Until you put it together, and then—”

“Like what?” Wendy asked.

“One of my tires went flat after visiting Nathan. I didn’t think anything of it, figured I’d run over a nail on the way home.” She swallowed hard. “Another time someone keyed my car. I don’t know exactly when but it was after I was with Nathan.”

Nathan heard a growl and realized it was his own voice.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he demanded.

“Because I wanted to believe it wasn’t him. That it was a prank, kids doing stupid stuff.” She shook her head. “I couldn’t prove anything. And if I’d gone to the police they would have asked where I was when it happened and I’d have to tell them and it’d lead to questions and to you, to us.” She looked at Nathan. “I couldn’t do that to you. Not then and not now.”

He paused, weighing her logic. She was right and wrong at the same time but he understood why she chose that route, even if he didn’t agree.

Jen rubbed her palms on her knees. “The clinic had a bomb threat recently.” She studied her hands. “Nothing came of it. But if it’s Tanner, I don’t see why he’d be attacking my clients. If he was upset with me, angry with me, he should be coming after me. Come to the clinic, see me there.”

“The clinic has upgraded their security,” Nathan said. “He’s not going to go there. It’s not about the clinic anymore.” He cleared his throat. “I need to get something.”

He went to the kitchen, where he’d tucked the file folder under the storage container he had brought the rolls in. Jen hadn’t seen it when he’d come in, or if she had, she hadn’t said anything.

Jen’s accusing glare nailed him as he reentered the living room.

He didn’t flinch.

Protect and serve.

Nathan sat down and opened the folder. “I took the liberty of getting the case file.”

Wendy made some sort of humming noise.

Nathan flipped through the pages. “This guy’s an abuser. Plain and simple. There were previous reports of domestic violence before Sharon Tanner came to your clinic. After he went to jail, she divorced him. Sharon died in a car accident only six months ago. No foul play suspected; it was a multi-car pileup on the highway.”

“At least she had some freedom,” Jen murmured.

“She did,” Nathan said. He looked at Jen. “Where’s the rest of the staff—the ones who were there with you when the incident happened?”

“The rest of the staff have moved on. One down in Arizona, retired. One in Florida,” she answered.

Nathan nodded. “Tanner’s going to have a hard time crossing the border if he wants to go for them. You’re the likely target.”

“Why?” she asked.

Nathan couldn’t help looking at her in disbelief. “You’re the one who stood up to him. You’re the one who put him down. He would have gotten a lot of ribbing about that all the way through the system. Big macho man gets taken out by a woman who breaks his nose?” Nathan couldn’t held back a smile. “He’d get teased and taunted a lot. And the last thing a man has is his dignity, his pride. Especially in prison.”

“I agree,” Wendy said. “Pride is a delicate thing.”

Nathan paused, taking in the statement.

What are you saying?

Jen interrupted his thoughts. “If he followed me around, found Charles, tracked Charles from his home to the bar, then he knows where I live and my routine. If he wanted to get to me, it’d be easy enough.”

“True.” Wendy held out her plate to Nathan. “May I have another?”

Nathan placed another cinnamon roll on it. “Of course.”

He felt her full attention fall on him, inspecting him from top to bottom.

She knows.

She knows there’s more between us than the usual HP relationship.

As if my being here didn’t scream it out loud.

He flinched mentally, remembering his previous use of the Domme's real name. He'd called her Jen, not Danielle.

Wendy wouldn't miss something like that.

The jig is up.

“You didn’t make these from scratch, did you?” Wendy asked.

He shook his head. “I might be good at a lot of things, but in the kitchen, it’s usually ‘add water and stir’.”

“Don’t believe him for a second. He makes great lasagna,” Jen said.

Wendy’s eyebrows rose, but she said nothing, focusing in on tearing the roll into smaller bite-size pieces with her fork.

“Good to have a man around who can cook outside the bedroom.” She lifted her mug. “May I have a refill?”

Nathan stood up. “No problem.” He took it and headed for the kitchen. Once he got out of sight, he leaned against the counter and allowed himself an internal grumble.

Damn.

Damndamndamn.

The cat’s out of the bag, and now I’m about to get clawed.

He refilled the mug and returned to the living room. He placed the mug back on the table in front of Wendy and returned to his position beside Jen.

Wendy popped the last of the roll into her mouth and wiped her fingers with a napkin. “So what do you want to do?”

Jen stared at her, mouth slightly open. “What?”

“What do you want to do?” Wendy repeated. “This isn’t the military. I can’t order you to keep seeing your clients; I can’t order you to stop seeing your clients. I don’t want to fire you, and I don’t want you to quit. I can’t make this decision for you.” She folded the napkin into a neat square and placed it on the table before sitting up ramrod straight as if finishing off afternoon tea. “What do you want?”