Page 140 of Theirs to Desire (Club M: Boxed Set)

KIERA

I t’s been eight years since I saw Bianca.

For eight years, I thought she was dead. For eight years, I wrestled with my failure to protect my younger sister. For eight years, there was a gaping wound in my heart, one that never healed.

But she’s alive, and even more incredibly, she’s here at Club M.

There are tears, of course. I turn into a weeping faucet as I hug my baby sister, and she’s not much better. I cry for the wasted years, I weep for the horrors that Bianca has had to endure, and I mourn the irrevocable loss of her childhood.

But there’s also joy, and a profound gratitude. This is a miracle. If someone told me three months ago that my sister was alive and I would be reunited with her, I would have laughed bitterly and wondered what sort of mind-altering drugs they were on.

We talk for hours. Bianca doesn’t want to talk about her life, so she asks me questions about mine, and I fill her in on what I’ve been doing in the last eight years.

I tell her about going into witness protection, changing my name, and moving across the country to start over.

“I was so naive,” I say bitterly. “Detective Armstrong told me you’d died in the bar fire.

The body I saw was charred beyond recognition. I was such a fool.”

Bianca shakes her head. “You weren’t the fool. I thought Greg loved me. He promised me a better life, and I believed him.” Her eyes are bleak. “Then it went to hell, but by then, it was too late. I thought I was all alone.”

“You were fifteen,” I tell her fiercely. “Nothing that happened to you is your fault.”

Two people did this to us. Greg Dratch, motivated by lust and greed, preyed on a child. Miles Armstrong wanted the head of the Kitai Bratva in jail. He’d lied to me. He made me believe that I was all alone, that my sister was dead. All of this to ensure I testified at Vladimir Sirkovich’s trial.

She gives me a small smile. “You’re always on my side, Ki. I don’t deserve your support.”

“Yes, you do.” I keep talking before she can protest again. “Anyway. I moved around a lot at the start, and then I came here, and I started working at Club M.”

“My straitlaced big sister working in a sex club.” She smiles wryly at my look of surprise. “I have heard of it, Kiera. It’s pretty well known in the right circles.”

“Yes, well. It paid well, and that’s all I cared about at the start.

” I always needed the money. Moving was expensive.

Apartments I could rent on a short-term basis weren’t cheap.

I needed a cash reserve so I could run at a moment’s notice.

“It was eye-opening though. On my first day, there was a wax play demo on the main floor. I didn’t know where to look.

” My cheeks heat. Less than an hour ago, Nolan and Caleb had dripped wax over me, and I’d come harder than I’ve ever come in my life.

“The guy who was here earlier, he said he was dating you.”

I blush harder. “Nolan. Yeah.” Oh God, this is awkward. “There are two of them, actually. Nolan and Caleb. I met them at the club. They were the ones that found you.”

Her eyebrows climb. “Two guys? You?”

“I’m not as straitlaced as you think I am,” I say defensively.

Bianca chuckles. “I’m just teasing you. I’m grateful to them. I never thought I’d see you again.” Her expression sharpens. “Membership here isn’t cheap. They’re rich, I assume. Do they respect you? Do they treat you well?”

“They’re pretty great.”

“How did they find me?”

“It started with a photo of Greg Dratch on Caleb’s computer.

” I tell her the rest of it. How one of Caleb and Nolan’s friends had remembered seeing Bianca in a party in Colombia.

She’d had a photo. That picture had led to Caleb’s analyst locating Bianca in New York.

“Nolan’s been after Martinez for a long time,” I finish.

Fear flashes across Bianca’s face when I mention Martinez. “Kiera, listen to me,” she says urgently. “I warned Nolan already, but he didn’t take me seriously. I understand Luis better than anyone else. I had to; knowing every single one of his moods has kept me alive. Luis is…”

Her voice trails off. She swallows hard.

“When Luis gets angry, he goes cold, and he gets even. I was his possession; I got away. In his world, there’s no forgiveness for that kind of betrayal.

Luis is smart, cunning, and obsessive. He’ll kill the crew that rescued me.

He’ll kill Caleb and Nolan, and he’ll murder their families.

He’ll slit your throat, and he’ll make me watch, because that’s who he is.

And then he’ll take me back to his condo, and I’ll never sleep again, because I’ll know it’s only a matter of time before he kills me too. ”

She’s terrified. I put my hand on hers, and her skin is cold. Icy. “Listen to me. Caleb and Nolan will protect us.”

“For how long, Kiera?”

“As long as it takes. They’ll find Martinez. Nolan’s amassed evidence of his wrongdoing. He’ll go to jail, and we’ll be safe.”

Bianca stares at me, stunned into silence.

“You’ve never been a fool,” she says at last. “Kiera, Luis owns the cops. Even if he goes to jail, you don’t think he can reach us from there?

Vladimir Sirkovich was in jail serving a life sentence, and you still changed your identity and ran for your life. ”

She’s right. I spent eight years looking over my shoulder, waiting for my past to catch up with me. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life that way.

Then there’s Nala, Caleb’s niece, who is still plagued by nightmares. If something were to happen to her…

“We’ll think of something.” I make my voice reassuring. “You’re not alone. Eight years ago, I should have done a better job protecting you, and I didn’t. I won’t fail you again.”

At some point in the night, Henri wheels in a room service cart, filled with food and drink. At two in the morning, when my eyes are beginning to shut from exhaustion, there’s a knock on the door. It’s Nolan and Caleb. “Hey,” Caleb says. “You doing okay?”

Warmth blooms in my chest, and a tidal wave of love overwhelms me. “Yeah. Thank you so much. I don’t know how I can ever…”

Nolan tilts his head to one side. “Were you planning on finishing that thought, Kiera?” he asks, his voice silky.

Oops. They don’t like me keeping score. “No.” I turn around and wave my sister forward. “Come meet Caleb.”

Caleb shakes Bianca’s hand. “It’s so good to finally meet you.” He gives her an apologetic look. “I know it isn’t ideal, but for the next few days, it’d be safest if you stay here in your room.”

“Of course,” my sister replies. “I completely understand.”

Her tone doesn’t betray her, but she wraps her arms around her waist, hugging herself. Her fear is palpable, and I hurt for her.

I need to make this better.

Caleb sees it too. His expression is worried when he turns to me. “Do you want to spend the night here, or head home?”

They’re so considerate. I’m so lucky. “Here, please. If that’s okay?”

“Of course.” He hands me a key card. “For the room next door.”

“Will you stay too?”

“We’ll be happy to.”

When Bianca is finally asleep, I make my way next door. It’s almost four in the morning, but Caleb and Nolan are awake, talking to each other in low voices. “Hey.” I sit on the couch between them. “It feels like ages ago, but I had a really good time tonight. Downstairs, I mean.”

Nolan puts his arm around my shoulders, and I lean into him. I’ve had time to think. I’ve reached a conclusion, and Caleb and Nolan aren’t going to like it. “So, Luis Martinez. Be honest with me. What are the chances that he disappears?”

“Fifty-fifty,” Nolan admits, his voice weary.

“He’ll be off-balance tonight, but tomorrow, he’ll start investigating who snatched Bianca.

” He runs his hands through his hair. “I talked to Aydin, the leader of the team that got Bianca out. They had to move quickly—your sister was running out of time. She was supposed to go to Cancun with Martinez, but at the last minute, her plans were changed. Martinez has his eye on someone else.”

My skin goes cold. “He’s tiring of Bianca.”

Nolan nods soberly. “Bianca knows too much about Martinez for him to let her live. Omer’s instructions were clear. Bianca’s safety was the priority.”

“But,” Caleb says. “Shots were fired, and one of Lockhart & Payne’s team was injured.

Martinez’s guards saw Rachel take a bullet.

They’ll be looking for the hospital to which she was taken.

From there, they’ll find her identity, and figure out who her employer is.

Lockhart & Payne provide private security services, and they never divulge their client list. Martinez will go underground until he identifies his adversary. ”

“Bianca says he won’t let this go,” I tell them. “He’ll come after us.”

Nolan sighs. “He’s already tried. He called Detective Armstrong a couple of hours ago, demanding to know your location.”

“And?”

Caleb’s smile doesn’t reach his eyes. “We’re not going to let Miles Armstrong answer his phone, Kiera. Nolan and I are fanatical about your safety, and the corrupt detective is a weak link. We have a team on him. He’s not going to get an opportunity to talk to Martinez.”

“What if he does?” I lean forward. “Hear me out. I spent eight years in fear. I don’t want to repeat that experience, and I don’t want that for Bianca either.

She needs to feel safe, and the only way for that to happen is if Luis Martinez is put away.

” They’re really not going to like this.

“He’s off-balance tonight. We need to strike while the iron’s hot. ”

“You have an idea.” Caleb sounds resigned.

“What if Armstrong were to tell Martinez where I am? Then he’ll come here, right? Right now, Martinez doesn’t know we took Bianca. As far as he’s concerned, I’m just a bartender who works here. Club M is a controlled setting. We could set a trap for him.”

“No,” Nolan says flatly. “It’s too risky.”

I lift my chin in the air. “Tell me what the alternative is.”

“We’ll figure something out.”

“Nolan, you searched for this man for years, and you had no idea what he looked like. If he goes underground, has plastic surgery, changes his appearance, how long will it take you to find him again?”

His lips tighten. He doesn’t reply.

I take his hand in mine. “I won’t be in any danger. I’ll be in the club. It’s safe, otherwise they wouldn’t have brought Bianca here.”

“It is a good plan,” Caleb admits reluctantly. “Luis Martinez is off balance now. As soon as he finds out Lockhart & Payne is involved, he’ll go on high alert. Our best shot is to get him before that happens.”

Nolan grimaces. “I hate this.”

The two of them exchange a long glance. I hold my breath. They’re on the verge of giving in.

“Fine,” Nolan says, his voice unhappy. “We’ll get Armstrong to give up your location.”