Page 46 of Theirs to Desire (Club M: Boxed Set)

FIONA

I thought I had it bad with Raymond. When Adrian tells me what Katya’s note says, I realize how lucky I’ve really been.

As I suspected, Katya Simonova is Russian. She’s the daughter of a reporter who had been quite critical of Putin’s policies. Unfortunately for him, his writings were noticed by the government, and as was far too common in Russia, he disappeared last year.

Fearing for their lives, his family fled Russia and immigrated to Canada as refugees. They spent almost six months there, frantically searching for news of what had happened to Viktor Simonov.

Then Katya received a tip that her father might still be alive.

The Russians were doing a deal with the Department of Defense for the purchase of some spare missile parts.

Katya came to Washington to beg the senators in charge of that deal to pressure the Russians for word of the missing journalist.

One of the senators was Theodore Downing. He turned down many requests for a meeting, and Katya, in desperation, finally ambushed him at a party.

At that same party, the senator’s son took a dangerous interest in her.

At the start, Raymond promised to intercede on her father’s behalf if Katya had sex with him. But the situation quickly spiraled out of control. Raymond had started beating her, sharing her with friends without her consent.

And last month, after she tried to escape back to Canada, he stole her passport and held her prisoner.

Katya was trapped, with no friends to turn to, no means of contacting her family, and no way of knowing who to trust. Until last night.

“That poor girl,” I say out loud, absolutely aghast. “What are we going to do?”

Adrian looks grim. “He’s gone too far this time,” he says, opening his room door. “The senator might turn a blind eye to Downing’s activities in Thailand, but he’s not going to be able to sweep this under the table quite as easily.”

I kick off my high heels and sink on his bed, flexing my toes in relief. “You think he’s going to disavow Raymond?”

Adrian nods. “I’m reasonably sure of it. The senator cares about Raymond, but he cares about his career and reputation more, and this is kidnapping. Raymond Downing has finally crossed the line.”

Brody pulls his phone out of his pocket. “Let’s retrieve the passport.”

“You can do that?”

Any other day, he’d have grinned. Not today. “Yes,” he says soberly. “We can do that.”

“I don’t want Raymond to get away with it.”

“He won’t,” Brody replies. “Once my team finds the passport, they’ll call the cops and get them there. Downing’s going to find out that actions have consequences.”

“Will he go to jail?” After what he did to Katya and to that poor prostitute in Thailand, I hope they lock the cell and throw away the key.

“Kidnapping. Blackmail. Rape. Assault. He can’t dodge all the charges.”

“Only if Katya testifies.”

Adrian gives me a humorless smile. “He isn’t going to get away with this,” he says. “Trust me.”

Always.

“While you get the passport,” Adrian says to Brody, “I’m going to find Xavier and make sure Downing doesn’t leave the premises. Fiona, want to come with me? You made this happen, after all.”

I get back on my feet and fumble for my discarded shoes. Funny how these things work. I’d been brought into Club M to investigate a blackmail attempt. A photo of Maria Dumonte, strapped to a red Saint Andrew’s Cross had started all this.

A red Saint Andrew’s Cross.

The truth strikes me like lightning. Of course. How could I have missed it?

Adrian notices the change in my expression. “What’s the matter?”

“I just realized why Xavier doesn’t seem to care about Maria Dumonte’s blackmail attempt,” I reply. “Let’s get Raymond sorted out, and I’ll tell you all about it.”

Henri tells us that Xavier is on the club floor. We find him near the bar. Maria Dumonte is chatting with him, her eyes sparkling. As I watch, she reaches out and touches his arm, an inviting smile on her face. She’s clearly besotted with him.

We approach Xavier. “Can I talk to you for a few minutes?” I ask. “Alone?”

He surveys me with an inscrutable expression. “Of course,” he says. “Maria, if you’ll excuse me?”

Maria gives me an evil look. Oh, honey, I’m not interested in him, I want to assure her. I have my own dominants, and I wouldn’t exchange them for the world.

Xavier leads the way to his office. Brody catches up with us on the way, giving Adrian a meaningful nod. “It’s taken care of,” he says. “Team’s on premise. They’ll call me once they locate the passport.”

“What’s going on?” Xavier pushes open the door and gestures to the chairs in front of his desk. Adrian and Brody sit down, but I remain standing. Adrenaline is surging in my blood.

Adrian speaks up. “It’s Fiona’s story,” he said. “She should tell it.”

My heart warms in appreciation of their support. “You were looking for something on Raymond,” I say. “I think we’ve found it.” I explain the contents of the note. “We need to keep Raymond here in the club, and keep Katya safe until her passport is found and the cops are here.”

Xavier’s expression grows cold as I tell my story. He picks up his phone. “Bring Downing and his submissive up here,” he says to the person on the other end of the line. He hangs up and turns to me. “I owe you a debt of gratitude, Fiona. How can I ever repay you?”

“I’m sure we’ll find a way,” I reply, thinking about the motel in Mississippi. “You knew Maria Dumonte was never being blackmailed, didn’t you?”

He gives me a searching look. “I had my suspicions. Maria is rather transparent in her affections, and the blackmail seemed like a cry for attention. How did you find out?”

“The color of the Saint Andrew’s Cross.” I pull the photo from my purse and slide it toward him. “I should have noticed right away. All the equipment here is black and silver. The cross in this picture is red.”

Adrian and Brody lean forward. “I’ll be damned,” Brody says. “Good catch, Fiona.”

Brody’s phone rings. He listens briefly to the person on the other end of the line, and he hangs up. “They have the passport.”

Yes. Raymond is finally going to get what he deserves.

“Good.” Xavier leans back. “Let’s talk to Downing.”

Brody gives me a warning look. “If Downing’s on his way up, you shouldn’t be here.”

Listen to him, Fiona. This isn’t about you. It’s about Adrian.

But adrenaline is coursing through my blood, and I ignore his warning. “You’re here,” I argue. “Adrian’s here. And I have a black belt in Taekwondo, remember?”

He gives me an unhappy look but doesn’t say anything. A knock sounds at the door. “Come in,” Xavier says, his voice as hard as steel.

“What the fuck?” Downing splutters as soon as he sees all three of us in Xavier’s office. “What’s this about, Leforte?”

“This evening,” Xavier says coldly, “I received confirmation that Katya Simonova isn’t staying with you out of her own volition.”

“You asshole, you took her passport,” I snap, my tone incensed. “You kidnapped that poor woman. You’ve been raping her for the last three months.” It feels really good to finally stand up to Raymond. To say the words I never was able to say before. It feels cathartic.

I would have never been able to do this without Brody and Adrian.

“I don’t know what you are talking about.” Raymond’s eyes dart around the room. “Katya is free to leave anytime.”

“Really?” Xavier looks at Brody. “Your men are on the way with the passport, yes?”

Raymond goes pale. Then he suddenly takes a threatening step toward me. Out of nowhere, a knife appears in his hand. “If you want your precious submissive alive,” he snarls to Brody and Adrian, “You’ll all stay away. Then again Lockhart, your submissives tend to die on you, don’t they?”

Adrian’s face goes deathly white, and my heart stutters with fear. Not because of the knife. Because of the look of agony in Adrian’s eyes.

What have I done?