Page 3 of The Reluctant Siren (Texas Sirens: Legacy #2)

Niall Griffen liked The Hideout. He liked walking in and having the guys around him give him shit and handing it right back to them. He liked the camaraderie.

He was almost certain this club was some sort of CIA front, and he weirdly liked that, too.

Of course what he liked most about the place was the thing he wasn’t supposed to like at all.

Maybe like wasn’t the right word. He was certain Jensen wanted him to like Harlow Dawson. He was also certain Jensen didn’t want him to think about her every second of every fucking day since he met her.

“Hey, Griffen,”

a voice called out. “Wait up.”

He turned, still holding both his gym bag and his kit. He usually left his kit here in his locker, but he’d spent the night before ensuring all his equipment was well taken care of. He’d spent time ensuring the leather falls on his flogger were soft and glossy and ready to use in case Harlow decided she needed a session.

Luke Taggart jogged up, carrying his leathers in a garment bag over his shoulder, his knife case in his other hand, and his kit dangling from there as well. It looked like he was coming straight from his job. Which was surprising since it was Friday night and he worked at his father’s restaurant as a chef and usually handled the dinner rush. On Fridays and Saturdays he tended to not show up until after midnight, but he often was in early on Thursdays. Luke was a big, muscular man with sandy hair and a smile guaranteed to knock the socks off every sub within a hundred feet.

He also had a bit of a reputation for sleeping with as many of them as he could.

Luke often played with Harlow, and though he knew damn well she wasn’t one of his bed buddies, it still made jealousy rise every time he saw them together. Which wasn’t a good thing since she was his best friend’s girl and he was supposed to watch over her.

“What’s up?”

“You own the gym on Good Latimer, right?”

Luke asked.

He bought the space right after moving to Dallas. He’d always intended to put down roots in a city but hadn’t made the decision before Jensen showed up on his doorsteps six months before, and he reluctantly agreed to watch over the woman he loved.

And a whole new world opened for him.

“That’s my gym. Why? You looking for a new place to work out?”

Niall pushed open the door to the men’s locker room, holding it for Lucas. He had no doubt Luke Taggart had a gym. The guy was in excellent shape.

“Yeah, kind of. I’ve been going to this place close to Top, and it’s getting overcrowded, if you know what I mean,”

Luke explained.

“He means he’s slept with too many women at the gym, and he needs a new hunting ground.”

Gabriel Lodge sat on the sofa inside the locker room. The actual lockers were in the back along with the showers and pretty much anything a guy could need to be presentable for playtime. This space was more like a lounge, complete with a TV and a fridge stocked with soda and mineral water and beer—though they drank it sparingly. If a dude was playing, he better not over imbibe or he could find himself on the street and not welcome back.

It was one of the things he loved about this club. They deeply cared about safety and consent.

“That is not…”

Luke sighed.

“Okay, it might be a bit of the problem, but I’m not only asking for me.”

“But you are also asking for you.”

Gabriel Lodge was in sweatpants and a T-shirt, a bottle of water in his hand and a bit of what looked like sawdust on his sneakers. So he’d likely been here for hours, working in the shop on the third floor. Niall thought his latest project was a complete redo of one of the play spaces. Despite the fact that the man came from a ridiculously wealthy family, he loved to work with his hands.

“Tell me which one got too clingy.”

Luke’s blue eyes rolled.

“No one got too…”

“It was Sally Eight Pack.”

Seth Taggart, Luke’s cousin and roommate, threw the name out with a big grin on his face.

“She showed up at our place three times last week. He slept with her once but made breakfast the next day. His crème br?lée French toast. I told him not to do it. I warned him that recipe is magic. Even I kind of want to hug him when I eat it.”

“She’s fine,”

Luke argued and sighed again.

“But the truth is it would be better if I get a fresh start, and there’s something else.”

“Is it the chick who can bench press you?”

Seth asked.

“Fine. It’s all of them,”

Luke shot back with a shake of his head as Gabriel laughed.

“But beyond that, we have a couple of new guys working the line who are looking for a gym that can meet their somewhat unique needs.”

Oh, now he was interested. Top was known for hiring veterans and training them in the culinary and hospitality arts. And many of them were disabled. Niall was interested in physical therapy. After he left the Army, he got his four-year degree in kinesiology, with plans to work on his DPT. Some day.

“I’m kind of spare right now, but I’m absolutely interested in working with vets if that’s what you’re talking about.”

Lucas nodded.

“I am. There’s a physical therapist a couple of the guys have been seeing, and he recently lost his space. The building owner upped the rent on everyone. He’s looking for a place where he can work. He has some of his own stuff, but he relies on gyms for the big equipment.”

If all he needed was basic equipment, Niall could help.

“Sure. Have him come by.”

“Thanks, man,”

Luke said with a grin.

“He’s a good guy, and he can probably give you a cut of what he makes. Though he’s paid through the VA, so it’s not a lot.”

He believed in some serious karma.

“He can use the place for free. You, on the other hand…”

“Can pay a full rate,”

Luke agreed.

“And hey, I heard all of your clients are either dudes or women who play here, so how much trouble can I get into?”

One of those clients was Harlow. When she found out his gym was two blocks from her office, both she and her partner Ruby had signed up. After that a bunch of the women from The Hideout joined. He made sure they had a safe environment to work out in. One of his personal trainers was a friend of Harlow’s.

It struck him how comfortable he’d gotten here. How much he depended on these people as his community.

Would he lose them all if they found out why he was here?

It wasn’t like he was with Harlow.

Guilt bubbled up. She didn’t belong to him. Of course she didn’t belong to Jensen either. She had never once mentioned his name, but he knew she still thought about him. It was precisely why she hadn’t dated, but he couldn’t figure out if it was because she was still tender over what had happened and didn’t want to get hurt again or if she still loved him.

And he wasn’t sure it mattered since it was so clear to him that Harlow needed more than Jensen could give her. Jensen could give her the dominance she craved. He could be strong and handle the dark shit, but he wasn’t tender. She needed tenderness, too.

Lately, he’d started wondering if maybe she needed them both.

“So much trouble.”

Seth kept ragging on his cousin, but that was their love language.

“Like you’re any better,”

Gabriel pointed out.

“You’re every bit the man whore he is. You are seriously risking your futures, young men. What woman is going to have you when they find out you have a triple-digit body count?”

Seth’s hand came to his chest like he was deeply offended.

“I thought we weren’t supposed to use words like whore and body count because we all know it doesn’t matter how many frogs you kiss. It’s about settling down one day with the right one. At some point, the right one is going to stop running and everything will be fine. Now, while I’m waiting, I have more frogs to kiss. Someday my princess will come and all that.”

He grinned salaciously.

“She will, you know. Come that is.”

Gabe shot Seth his happy middle finger.

“You are talking about my sister, you pervert.”

“I offered you mine.”

Seth was completely unimpressed.

“You lost out on Tash. You escaped Kala. Only Kenz is left. If we were in the olden days, I assure you my father would give you many goats if you would take her off our hands.”

“Yeah, well, my dad probably has some things he would love to give to you,”

Gabe threatened.

“And yet, I still try,”

Seth replied.

“At least I’m not this one. He’s not waiting for his true love. His true love is a perfectly cooked branzino.”

“Hey, that is a hard fish to handle,”

Luke shot back.

He walked to the lockers, his cousin still arguing with him.

Gabe sighed as he watched the Doms leave.

“I’m afraid his princess is trying very hard to escape her fate.”

“We talking about Chloe?”

Niall knew he should keep on moving. He shouldn’t sit down and gossip with a dude who was rapidly becoming his friend.

It felt good to have friends. For so long there was only him and Jensen, and then he hadn’t even had Jensen. It felt right to be in this place, to help out the people around him. To be a good friend and a good Dom.

Gabe nodded.

“Yeah, my sister is…I don’t even know. She’s in denial and trying so hard to please our parents, who don’t need to be pleased. I think she’s afraid. And she’s not the only one. I can’t fix anything with my sister. I honestly don’t even know if it could work between Seth and Chloe. Seth is a goofball, and I think she needs something else, but I might be able to help you out.”

“I need help?”

A brow cocked over Gabe’s dark eyes.

“You think no one notices how you look at Harlow?”

Fuck. He slumped down on the sofa across from Gabe. He was deeply aware that Gabe was on the board. He made membership decisions. Had he found out why Niall joined? Was he about to get kicked out?

Although he had said he wanted to help him.

“She’s…special.”

“She is,”

Gabe replied with no small amount of sympathy.

“She’s a cousin to me. Oh, we don’t have blood between us, but she’s my family. I think you’ll find our parents all kind of bonded together. They were the misfits, the left behinds. My dad had all the money in the world but no one in his family cared about him growing up. When he was older he found out his friends could become his family.”

“Yeah, I get that.”

“I know. I read the background report on you,”

Gabe replied, but there was no gotcha in his tone.

He knew what they would find.

“I got kicked out when I was in my teens. I lived with a friend, but that couldn’t last forever. There wasn’t a lot in the small town I grew up in.”

“You went into the Army to get away?”

Gabe asked.

“I went into the Army because I didn’t have anywhere else to go,”

he admitted.

“Yeah, I figured. You did good work there. You got out, got your degree. You take care of the people around you. And that is why I’m going to ask you to be patient with her because she’s curious about you in a way I haven’t seen from her since we were in high school,”

Gabe said.

“Look, Harlow has a lot to deal with. You know about her family?”

He nodded.

“It’s like yours. She’s got two dads and a mom and everyone is happy.”

Gabe’s lips curled up.

“I’m glad to hear you say that. It’s not what I tend to hear. You would be surprised how many people I’m interested in get scared off when I talk about my family.”

“There’s nothing wrong with your family. And nothing wrong with hers.”

“Well, you haven’t met my Uncle Chase,”

Gabe said with a whistle.

“He is…incredibly interesting.”

“I think she calls him her deranged dad.”

He listened. It probably made him a pervert, but he sat in the bar and sipped his beer and listened to Harlow talk to her friends, hoping for any tidbits of information she would give them.

“From the stories I’ve heard Chase is the smart but overprotective one and Ben is what she calls her reasonable dad.”

“You are not wrong,”

Gabe agreed.

“Chase is one of those people with such a high IQ he sometimes finds it hard to fit in with the regular folk.”

Niall nodded.

“I’ve known a couple of people like that. I also know no matter how much she complains, she loves him.”

“She does, and I actually think he’s going to approve of you.”

He wasn’t sure Gabe was being realistic.

“Uh, she would have to agree to spend time with me before he could approve of me.”

Gabe took a deep breath and studied him for a moment as though trying to figure out his next move.

“You’re not the only one who listens in on a bit of gossip.”

“I thought not gossiping was one of the rules of the club.”

Was it gossip if one simply listened?

Gabe snorted, an oddly regal sound.

“Sure. All clubs run on gossip. The rule is there so we can spank pretty subs who get caught. You know there are two sides to this club.”

This was a clear truth he’d learned quickly.

“Yes, the ones associated with McKay-Taggart and the ones with Lodge Corp, though you all seem to be friends.”

“We kind of grew up together, though my side of the family is more spread out than Seth and Luke’s,”

Gabe explained.

“Anyway, the other side is known for being involved in the security business, and we all know there’s security in information. I’ve found subs love to gossip, and they also love to please their Masters by bringing them important news.”

“You mean you have them spying on each other.”

“That’s such a loaded word. I rather think of it as keeping informed. I know we have a board, but for the most part our board members are mostly off on assignment for ‘McKay-Taggart.’”

Gabe put air quotes around McKay-Taggart.

“So it’s up to me to watch out for any problems that might arise. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

Niall nodded his agreement.

“You are a control freak.”

“Says the man who also wears leathers and tops subs nightly,”

Gabe said with a chuckle.

He wasn’t wrong.

“You like to make sure everything is running smoothly and that your family is safe and happy.”

“It’s probably a bit of both. I think Harlow is going to ask you for a favor tonight.”

That was news to him.

“You got this from your gossip network?”

“Let’s say the walls of the women’s locker room bounce sound around a bit,”

Gabe admitted.

“If you’re in the shower area, you can probably hear anything going on around the lockers. Harlow and Ruby have taken on a case, and they need someone to go undercover with them.”

He tried not to let his surprise show.

“I thought they used McKay-Taggart when they needed bodyguards.”

He knew way too much about Harlow’s business and her practices. At first he’d researched them to be able to put Jensen’s mind at rest. Then he simply wanted to know everything about her. He wanted to put his own mind at rest.

Gabe sighed.

“Uncle Chase has been on edge since their brand-new receptionist managed to make herself a material witness in a drug trafficking ring trial. To say it went poorly is understating the word poorly. Chase lost his cool, but then something happened to Harlow a few years back.”

Niall was so curious about who knew the truth about what happened that day. He only knew what Jensen told him.

“Do you know anything about it? All I’ve heard is a case went bad, and she ended up in jail.”

“She doesn’t talk about it,”

Gabe replied.

“At least not to anyone who will tell the tale. I suspect there was a man involved, and he hurt her. Not physically. She would have defended herself and told everyone what a fucker he was. I think he broke her heart. She would keep that private. She would think that was at least partly her fault.”

It made his gut tighten.

“If some asshole hurt her, it wasn’t her fault.”

The closer he got to really knowing her, the more he thought Jensen might be said asshole. But his best friend had his own issues. It was hard for Jensen to trust anyone. It was definitely hard for him to trust that anything in his world would work out for the best.

“I agree, and I genuinely think she’s starting to get over it,”

Gabe said.

“I think watching our friends finally find the right woman for them has her thinking.”

“You’re talking about the cowboys?”

Josh Barnes-Fleetwood and his best friend Grim didn’t play often at The Hideout. They were closer to Austin than Dallas, but he knew Harlow had recently attended their engagement party.

“Yes. Josh and Grim and Nicole. You know she almost asked you to be her plus one.”

Gabe sat back.

It was a night for news. “She did?”

Gabe gave him a nod.

“Yeah, and then you mentioned you were going out of town that weekend.”

“I would have changed my plans.”

He had met Jensen in Fort Worth to give him some research he’d found. And to check on him. To make sure he wasn’t too far gone.

They’d talked about Harlow when they weren’t discussing the case. Jensen wanted every story, every detail about her life without him.

“I might have mentioned that you should have the choice, but she needed more time,”

Gabe replied.

“So are you going to say yes?”

He shouldn’t. They were in a perfect position right now. He could watch over her. Club gossip would reveal anything serious. He didn’t have to put himself in temptation’s way. Going undercover with her… It was a bad idea.

Or maybe it was time to think about what the world looked like on the other side of Jensen’s revenge.

He only saw two possibilities. One—he does what he meant to do and kills Hamilton and gets away with it and tries to get Harlow back. Two—Hamilton kills him.

There was a third. Jensen kills Hamilton and doesn’t get away with it. He goes to jail.

Two out of three of those possibilities left Harlow alone. And the other he wasn’t sure would work. Jensen loved her but he wasn’t good at groveling, and that is what she would need. She wouldn’t melt for him and forgive what he’d done.

Since they met in the second grade, Niall had softened Jensen. He calmed his friend and smoothed things over. Jensen made sure anyone who fucked with them never did it twice. It had been an excellent partnership.

But partnerships changed.

“I’m going to say yes, but I worry she’ll want a family like her own.”

A brow rose over Gabe’s eyes.

“You hiding a brother?”

“I might have a friend I’m close to.”

It was the first time he’d even come close to saying the words out loud. To tiptoeing around them out loud. What he wanted.

At first he’d thought he was completely fucked because he’d fallen hard for his best friend’s girl. Then he’d called himself an asshole since she was her own person and Jensen had been an asshole to her, so she didn’t belong to him. He’d spent a couple of weeks mentally justifying running away with the woman his best friend was hopelessly in love with because only one of them could have her.

Then he watched a threesome work their magic on the dungeon floor one night. Two men. One woman. Best friends and the woman they loved all of their lives. They were married now and happy. Just recently some of Harlow’s friends had come into town. Again, two best friends and the woman they shared. Half the damn members had two dads and a mom.

He wanted that life.

“Is he in the lifestyle? Because I’m afraid Harlow will require that kind of relationship. A soft one, of course. She’s extremely independent. She needs…”

Gabe began.

He knew exactly what she needed.

“A soft top to gently steer her into self-care and relaxation because she overthinks everything. She’s excellent at what she does but she can get lost in it. She needs someone to make sure she takes care of herself. And she needs a harder top to put his foot down when she goes too far, and she will. She’ll put herself in dangerous situations. She needs a harder top for sex because it’s hard for her to give herself permission to enjoy it. It has nothing to do with how she was raised or some trauma in her background. It’s simply how she’s wired, and a Dominant partner can give her that.”

Gabe looked at him like he was pleased at the words.

“And which role would you fill?”

“Oh, we both know I’m the soft top. It’s why all the subs who need a cuddle come my way. I can spank an ass and I enjoy it, but I hold back on the truly hard stuff and I’ll probably give in when I shouldn’t.”

“You are far more self-aware than I thought you would be. Excellent. You’ve given this thought because you’re interested.”

“Very interested. Gabe, I’ve been biding my time. She’s the only sub I’m truly interested in, but I worry her trust issues are going to be hard to deal with.”

Gabe stood and stretched, seemingly more comfortable than he was before.

“You’ll figure it out, and hopefully this friend of yours can see how amazing our Harlow is. Is there a reason you haven’t brought him by?”

“He doesn’t live in town.”

A lie but a necessary one.

“But he’s thinking about moving here. He doesn’t have a lot of family. I’m pretty much it now. And yes, he’s in the lifestyle. He’s the one who introduced me. He’s a good Dom.”

“I’ll need to see that for myself.”

Gabriel Lodge had pitch black hair he kept longish. He tied it in a queue when he was working, but now it brushed the tops of his broad shoulders. He was a leopard who led his pack with ruthless precision. There was no question he was the head of his half of The Hideout.

“Until he’s ready, are you going to take care of her? I think her new case is a missing persons, so she’s going undercover to ask some questions. You’re ex-military.”

It wasn’t a question. Gabe would know every answer. Well, not every one.

“Yes, I was an MP for most of the ten years I was in.”

“But you didn’t go into law enforcement?”

“I want to help people. People who want to be helped,”

he clarified.

“I didn’t find peace in what I did. I do managing my gym. For a few years I saw the worst of what people can do, how they behave. In the gym I see people trying. Sure, some of them are narcissistic douchebags who only care about their abs and getting the right shot for their Insta. But some of them are fighting to get their health back. To take back their mobility. I don’t run one of those shiny gyms where everyone looks perfect. I kind of seek out the ones who don’t feel comfortable in those kinds of gyms. That’s my purpose, but don’t think I’ve forgotten how to protect someone. I’ll take care of her.”

Gabe nodded and held out a hand.

“Good. I think I might like to check out your gym. I’m always looking for a new investment. I was blessed with a ridiculous trust fund. I view it the same way you do that gym. Sometimes the best investment you can make financially is to give money to people who will put it to the best use.”

Niall shook it. He wouldn’t mind taking Rich Boy’s money, especially since some of the vets he served could use specialized equipment.

“I won’t turn you down.”

Gabe held his hand.

“And I’d like to meet your friend soon.”

That could be a different story altogether. One he would have to step around but then he’d known this was a dangerous game he was playing.

“I’ll see when he can come up.”

As Gabe walked off, seemingly happy with the outcome, Niall had to wonder if this was how it fell apart.

Or if this was a real chance at putting it all together.

Harlow needed him. He could show her how good they could be together and maybe figure out how to soften her heart toward Jensen.

Or Jensen would kill him.

Or Gabe would kill him.

Or honestly, Harlow would kill them both.

Any way it went, at least he would know.