Page 8 of The Reluctant Siren (Texas Sirens: Legacy #2)

Six days later Niall looked over the building where they would soon be attempting to make contact with a young woman Harlow hoped was working there.

They had been over the case four times now.

He’d gotten comfortable in Harlow’s office and liked her partner, Ruby Lockwood.

Like Harlow she was smart and capable and funny.

Hanging with them and Harlow’s cousin Gigi had been incredibly fun.

He enjoyed watching the three of them plot and plan while he made sure they were fueled with lattes and croissants from the nearby French bakery.

He was rapidly falling for this woman and the life around her, the life she could offer him.

He was damn straight loving the man he became around her.

He felt happier, more settled, and focused on the future being close to Harlow.

And he hadn’t even slept with her yet.

He was taking it slow, though he rather thought she was going to get frustrated with him and then his Valkyrie princess was going to force the situation.

He had to tell her the truth before he took her to bed.

Not that he hadn’t. She’d slept at his place the first couple of nights, and they’d slept at her place last night. He’d stroked her and cuddled her, then slipped out of bed when she was asleep and took the coldest shower in the world.

He had to tell her.

“According to the plans Ruby found, there are three entrances. The main we’re going into, one at the back of the building, and one on the east side that leads to an alleyway. It dumps out onto Taylor Street,”

Harlow said, standing beside him on the busy street. She had a trench coat on, covering the fairly modest fet wear she selected for the evening.

She wore boy shorts and a lacy bra that covered as much as any swimsuit would, and the four-inch heels made her legs look a mile long.

It also meant she was almost eye to eye with him since she was tall all on her own.

Her hair had grown out since he first met her. She’d had an electric blue bob, and now it was a deep purple and brushed the tops of her shoulders.

She was too gorgeous, and he was a jealous asshole because he didn’t want to take her in there.

He didn’t want other guys looking at her.

Not in that place. At The Hideout it was fine because everyone knew how to behave and would treat her the way they should. He had no illusions Decadence was the same.

“Are you okay?”

Harlow asked, her eyes wide as she looked at him.

He nodded.

He wasn’t going to admit that his inner caveman was dying to make an appearance.

He had a brief fantasy of tossing her over his shoulder, shoving her in his piece of shit Jeep, and making for Jensen’s old place a few hours west of Fort Worth.

It was a ramshackle house set on what was left of his family’s ranch.

Up until a couple of months ago Jensen’s aunt had lived there and kept the place up, but she recently moved to be near her daughter and grandkids, so with the exception of needing a cleaning, the place was ready to stay in.

More importantly, it was isolated and he could keep her safe forever.

He would call Jensen and tell him to finish his shit up and meet them there and they would work everything out.

“Yeah,”

was his reply because he was a man who knew how not to piss his woman off.

“I’m good. A little nervous.”

She softened immediately, going up on her toes to kiss him. She did it more and more often now. Like she couldn’t help herself.

“There’s nothing to be nervous about.”

He was lapping it all up. Though his dick was definitely complaining.

“I don’t want to fuck this up for you. What if I say the wrong thing and she runs?”

“You won’t say the wrong thing,”

Harlow assured him.

“You don’t have to say anything at all. Let me find her and talk to her. I’m going to try to figure out how bad the situation is before I tell her who I am. I might not even do it this time. It might take a few meetings to get her to trust me.”

So they would have to do this again. He better get used to it because Harlow loved her job, and he wasn’t sending anyone else in with her.

“Then we should get to it. I’m going to tell anyone who asks that we’re just exploring. I’m not going to give away the fact that we know what we’re doing.”

He wasn’t telling her anything she didn’t already know since this was her plan. He was simply reminding himself.

“We’re ready, babe.”

She put her hand in his.

“Let’s do this thing.”

She seemed eager, anticipating the job like it was going to be fun.

See, this was why he got out of the military. He was not the dude who liked an adrenaline rush. As they crossed the street he had to wonder what shit Jensen was up to tonight. He’d been careful about not telling Niall anything specific about what he was doing. He wanted Niall to have what he called plausible deniability.

Because it was almost certainly criminal shit.

They’d talked around the Jensen issue, Harlow not saying much more than she’d had a passionate affair that ended when the guy fucked her over in an unpleasant way. But he had to wonder if Jensen’s unique style wasn’t more of what truly called to Harlow. Would she wake up one morning and decide Niall was boring and ordinary? He was the guy who made her coffee every morning and watched TV with her. He wasn’t the guy who swung in and swept her off her feet and into some wild adventure.

When she saw Jensen again, would she realize what she truly wanted?

And where the hell was the guy? Niall had called the burner number Jensen gave him to use in case of emergencies. This wasn’t an emergency, but he would have liked some advice on how to handle himself. Maybe some background on the club. Jensen was excellent at research.

Or maybe he hadn’t wanted to feel like he was alone in taking care of her.

He didn’t even know where his best friend was living at this point. He knew Jensen was in Dallas and working at a business that was a front for a criminal organization. From context he’d figured out Jensen was some kind of bouncer, so it was a club or a bar, of which there were almost a thousand in Dallas proper alone. When he took in the close suburbs, the number jumped considerably.

“Hey, it’s going to be fine,”

Harlow said as they approached the door.

“This is a simple case. If I can’t get Miranda to come with me, I have to give her mom all the info I have and let the police deal with it if there’s anything illegal going on. She’s an adult. I can’t kidnap her.”

“Kidnap? You’ve kidnapped someone before?”

She gave him her “what, me”

look.

“I wouldn’t call it kidnapping. I would call it liberating. And it wasn’t a person. It was a poodle. My client totally had every right to her dog. Her asshole ex was starving the poor baby. I would leave the human extractions to the professionals. Ruby and I are more like intelligence gatherers. That’s what we’re doing tonight. Getting a lay of the land.”

He could do that. He brought her hand to his lips.

“I will follow your lead.”

He took a deep breath as the big guy at the door opened it for them.

“Welcome to Decadence. Please check in at the front desk,”

he said with a nod.

That was when Niall caught sight of the gun in a holster under the doorman’s jacket.

Harlow squeezed his hand as though she knew he’d seen it and it made him antsy. It wasn’t like he hadn’t spent his life around firearms. He didn’t like going into a club where they were apparently needed. Oh, he was certain there were a shit ton of weapons at The Hideout, but everyone knew everyone else.

He guided Harlow to the big desk inside the foyer. A pretty woman with hard eyes stood with a clipboard. He gave her their names. Well, the ones Ruby faked for them, presented his card—another fake since Ruby was apparently good at them—and they were shown where to leave their coats and bags. He wasn’t sure the lockers they were offered would keep anyone out but they used them. They were allowed on the dungeon floor with no lecture on rules whatsoever.

He was pretty sure there were no rules here. The Hideout required a six-week course, psychological examination, and a vote by the board to get a foot in the door. This place required a hundred-dollar cover charge.

The thud of industrial music hit him first, and then the sound of someone groaning to his left.

There was a small scene space being used, and a sub was tied up and being spanked. Her head was down, and it was clear she was gagged.

Outrage sparked through him because her hands were empty. Her legs were tied down. There was no way for her to indicate she’d had enough. He’d been taught when the sub wanted a gag, there still had to be a clear way for the sub to safeword out. Usually, they would hold something and drop it or squeeze it if it made sounds. Or they could raise a leg.

This sub was given no options but to take whatever the top was giving.

Harlow went on her toes but instead of kissing him this time, she whispered in his ear.

“I am begging you not to get us kicked out, Sir. I know you are outraged because you’re a good Dom, and I promise we will report this place, but Miranda Falls might be in real, life-threatening danger. Please.”

He took a long breath and let it go. She had a job to do and he would wreck it if he protested, and very likely nothing would come of it.

But it made his gut twist to walk away.

“Thank you, Sir,”

she said quietly.

“Let’s go and get a drink. If she’s working here, she’s likely a server. I can already see one walking around.”

“They’re serving on the floor?”

He had to keep his voice down.

She winced but started moving.

Once she found her way to the bar, she selected one of the couches that were placed around the somewhat luxurious lounge. It was where it looked like they’d spent the most cash. There was an open love seat in a corner where they could see out over most of the club.

He sat down and drew Harlow onto his lap. He wrapped an arm around her waist and brought her close.

“This place is more dangerous than you made it out to be, princess. What do you know about it?”

A slightly guilty look crossed her face, and she leaned in.

“I’m worried it’s attached to a group that’s running drugs in the city. Don’t freak out. We’re still only here to talk to Miranda. If we can find her.”

“We’re going to have a long talk when we get out of here,” he vowed.

She twisted slightly so she could look in his eyes.

“I didn’t want to freak you out. And I’m not scared of whatever punishment you intend to mete out, Sir. I’m way more scared that you’re never going to fuck me.”

This was not the time nor the place, and a wave of guilt rushed through him.

“I promise you I will and you’ll be ready for me.”

She huffed, a bratty sound.

“I am ready. You’re frustrating.”

A young woman walked up dressed in fet wear, a corset, and what looked to be a thong. She wore ridiculous heels and set a couple of cocktail napkins in front of them. She was definitely not the woman they were looking for.

“Good evening, Sir. What can this one get you and your submissive this evening? I should warn you our bartender took a break, but this one has some experience.”

“I’m easy,”

Harlow replied.

“I’ll take whatever white wine you have.”

“I’ll have a beer.”

He wouldn’t drink it, but they needed to look like they fit in.

“This creature can handle that,”

she replied with a smile.

“Tell me they’re making you call yourself that,”

Harlow said.

He thought they were trying to fit in. Wasn’t asking questions like that going to get them in trouble?

The young woman’s eyes rolled.

“It’s part of the experience. We’re supposed to be like these submissives. I don’t know. It was something about us not having names so the clients can fantasize. It was a lot. This place is weird. I’m thinking of quitting. I’m kind of worried it’s a cult. But the bartender is heavenly. At least he was until he pulled his disappearing act. I don’t even know why I’m here.”

“It’s so hard to get a good job these days.”

Harlow was off, sounding soft and sweet and totally girlie, like she was the best friend you always hoped to have.

He sat back and watched her work. Within minutes of meeting, she knew the waitress was named Ashley and this was her part-time job. She also worked for an insurance company, but she was in a probationary period and kind of hated it and wanted to go back to school, but she didn’t have the cash and this place paid pretty well. Ashley told her the club was attached to some kind of corporate group, and they often hired people from the club for higher-paying work.

“Like three of the waitresses I trained with are already working upstairs and making serious money,”

Ashley was saying.

Oh, this was Harlow’s superpower. His baby was one of those people everyone opened up to. When he’d first heard the word private detective he’d had a vision of her in gritty situations, playing out those noir scenes in movies, but it hit him that this was the real job. Talking to people, getting them to say more than they should.

She was excellent at it.

“But I will admit the scenery is gorgeous, and I’m not talking about the décor,”

Ashley said with a knowing wink.

“Not that you need it. Your guy is hot, but I will say the new bartender is chef’s kiss hot, and he has that oh, shucks cowboy thing going for him. But the hottest guy here is the dungeon monitor. I’m not joking, that man is heaven. Master J. If you get a chance, take a look at him.”

She turned Niall’s way with a rueful grin.

“Again, not that you are not superhot, Sir.”

He had to chuckle at that.

“I appreciate it, Ashley, and my girl there is welcome to look as long as she comes back to me.”

Ashley looked to Harlow.

“I changed my mind. That attitude alone makes him the hottest. Girl, run. The guys here are mostly possessive jerks. But there are some fun things to do. I can take you to one of the playrooms. There’s some wild stuff in there.”

“Is this one bothering you, Sir?”

a deep voice asked.

He looked up and a middle-aged man in leathers stood there.

“Not at all. I find her amusing, and she’s being incredibly welcoming to my sub. We just got here and we already like it, thanks to that one. She’s an excellent sub and a good server.”

He had to hope this obvious authority figure hadn’t heard everything.

“Well, she’s supposed to be working not talking, but I’m glad she’s made you comfortable. Go and get their drinks,”

he said to Ashley, who scurried off to do his bidding.

Niall held out a hand, and Harlow sank down onto his lap.

“It’s a nice place you have here. My sub and I are new to the lifestyle, and this is exactly what we’ve been looking for.”

If they were hoping to play in a hellscape. He didn’t say that part out loud.

“I’m Nate.”

It was the name they’d agreed on. Ruby had told him it was Nate or Nolan. He’d made some snarky comment about the name Nolan that earned him a hearty glaring from Ruby, who apparently liked baseball or something.

“Phil,”

the other man said and shook his hand.

Harlow cuddled close, her head down like she was slightly afraid of the big guy.

Or she was playing her part to perfection.

“Nice to meet you,”

Niall replied.

“We thought we would have a drink or two and then watch some of the scenes. Kind of ease in. I think it would help a lot if you would let some of the subs talk to mine. She’s on the fence but I’m invested. I want this to work.”

“I’ll see if I can send over one of our more experienced subs,”

Phil offered.

“This kind of lifestyle can offer a lot for a man. It takes us back to when things were good, if you know what I mean.”

Sure. When women couldn’t have their own bank accounts and couldn’t leave a man who abused her. Fucking asshole. This guy was why the lifestyle caught so much shit. He took something that was personal and individual, that demanded communication and understanding, and turned it into gender wars. But he smiled and agreed.

“I do indeed. So if you would help me convince her, I would be so thankful.”

Harlow cuddled in closer, her arms tightening.

“Will do,”

Phil said.

“I know exactly who you should talk to. I’ll see if she’s around. Hopefully she’s not taking an unexpected break like my bartender. You can’t fucking find decent help these days.”

He stomped off.

“You are so good at this,”

Harlow said, her hand coming up to caress his cheek.

He breathed her in because he could feel the tension in the air.

“I can handle the Doms. I spent enough time around my father and his friends to know how to act like an abusive prick who thinks he needs to control women.”

She kissed his cheek.

“I know this is hard on you, babe. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. When this is over, let’s go to The Hideout and play in a place where you feel safe. I know we’ve talked about keeping this relationship quiet, but I don’t want to. I want everyone to know.”

Fuck. She was ready. He had to talk to Jensen, but didn’t he owe her more? “I think that sounds perfect.”

He caught sight of a woman striding into the bar area. Phil stopped her and pointed back their way.

A familiar-looking woman.

“Hey, I think you’re about to get lucky.”

Harlow looked up and managed to keep her expression perfectly calm even though she was looking at Miranda Falls. Miranda wore fet wear very close to what Ashley was wearing but in a different color. She took the tray from Ashley, who stayed behind the bar.

Miranda plastered a big smile on her face as she approached them. She had her blonde hair up in a high ponytail and a hard look in her eyes that told him she didn’t want to be here, and it wasn’t merely about not enjoying her job. She walked with a bounce in her step like she’d been taught how to make those breasts move in a way guaranteed to get some great tips. Everything about the young woman screamed affectation.

“I’m going to convince her to take me to the ladies’ room,”

Harlow whispered.

“I think she’ll talk more freely there. Stay here and I’ll be right back.”

“Sir, I have your beer and a glass of wine for your lovely sub,”

Miranda said too brightly as she set the drinks down.

“Master Phil has asked that I show you around a bit.”

Harlow sat up and gave the sub a smile.

“That sounds wonderful. Could you show me to the bathroom? We don’t know our way around, and I don’t want my Master to lose this seat. It’s perfect since we can see everything and figure out what we want to do this evening. I have so many questions.”

He watched Miranda’s shoulders come down slightly, as though relaxing under Harlow’s brilliant smile.

“I like your hair,”

Miranda said quietly.

“I used to have pink hair. I’ll show you where the ladies’ room is.”

He waited until Harlow disappeared behind the door and then took his phone out of his pocket and texted the number Jensen left him.

Need to talk. Tonight. I’ll call later. Answer the phone.

It was all he could do because at some point tonight, he was going to tell Harlow everything.