Page 12 of Vengeance of Childhood Proportions (Till Death Do Us Part #7)

My family knew because I had no reason to hide.

I wasn’t ashamed and I never wanted any of them to find out by rumor or by happenstance.

My brother, Tony, and his wife, Estelle, did not agree with my lifestyle and did not want their kids exposed to it—which I was completely on board with.

A five year old and an eight year old had no business learning what BDSM stood for or what their Uncle Shawn did when he wasn’t at work.

What I did not agree with and absolutely hated was that Estelle did not allow me to be alone with my niece and nephew, as if I would hurt them or start showing them porn.

That pissed me off. But they weren’t my kids and, unfortunately, it was out of my control.

I got to see them at family parties and occasionally when they were over at my parents’ for the weekend and I stopped by.

That was it, though. I was not allowed to take either of them out for an Uncle Fun Day because it was common knowledge in my family that I was in the BDSM lifestyle.

I cursed when I found myself wondering if the little owl had anyone in her life that supported her lifestyle. Fuck, what was wrong with me?

Here I was standing over a dead woman’s body, who had been handcuffed and obviously tortured prior to being dumped in the back of a police cruiser, and all I could think of was the sexy owl with raven hair. Why couldn’t I get her out of my head?

After Mira and I finished up in Atelihai Valley, I ended up going to Snow Chains instead of heading to my house.

The place wasn’t incredibly busy yet since it was only four in the afternoon.

Joey was behind the bar and I saw his two helpers, Donna and Noah, stepping through the swing door that led to the kitchen.

Another employee, Liam, was setting up chairs before a stage with a steel bondage frame.

While nothing specific about the frame told me about the upcoming display, the white bucket of roses gave away that it was a deflowering.

Traditionally at Snow Chains , if someone lost their virginity on stage, each of the audience members gave them a rose afterwards.

I wasn’t here to question Liam about the performance, though, so I turned towards the bar where Joey was chopping up lemon and lime wedges for garnishes.

“Master Mal,” Joey nodded once. “A little early for your usual. What can I get for you?”

I leaned up against the bar. Maybe if I could just see the little owl again, I could get her out of my head. But fuck, my cock was not in agreement with that line of thought. My cock wanted inside her again.

“Joey. Is Dani expected in tonight?” It felt wrong calling her ‘Dani’.

The name didn’t fit her, like calling an actor by the character they portrayed instead of their real name.

I’d never been worried or got caught up on the name of a submissive before.

Sometimes, the first time I learned their name was when I saw it on the temporary contract we were both about to sign.

Joey shrugged. “Not sure, sir. She comes and goes without a schedule. Sometimes I don’t see her for weeks and other times she’s here nightly.”

Fuck. That was not what I wanted to hear. “Was she here recently?”

Joey paused to think and then nodded. “About a week ago, I think. She came in with Master Kade. She danced for about an hour and then left.”

I frowned. I did not like hearing that she had a Master. But she hadn’t been collared when I’d been with her and I hadn’t seen a Master hanging around the stage to indicate that his submissive was dancing for him.

Joey must have seen my scowl and rightfully interpreted it.

“They’re not together. At least, I don’t think they are.

They show up and leave together sometimes, but they’re never together .

Master Kade is friends with Valentino so they’re in here a lot and Dani really likes to dance.

I don’t know anything beyond that, though. ”

So she had a friend who was a Master. That was interesting. It didn’t explain why my stomach tightened at the idea, though. I should be happy to hear that the little owl had someone looking out for her, even if he wasn’t her Master.

And yet… It still pissed me off.

Fuck. That owl was going to be the death of me if I didn’t find her again quickly.

I reached into my back pocket for some cash and slid it across the bar. “Thanks, Joey.”

“You know we can’t take tips, Master Mal. I shouldn’t have even told you as much as I did with how much Valentino cares for discretion.”

I was used to tipping people for information and the act had been habit. I pocketed the twenty. “Sorry. Why did you tell me, though?”

Joey raised an eyebrow. “Sir, I’ve known you for years.

Watched you run through most of the submissives in this place and even watched you participate when a collared submissive is offered up to be shared.

I have never seen you ask about a woman you’ve been with, let alone twice now.

” The man shrugged. “Figured that might be worth a little rule breaking.”

As much as I appreciated his observation, it also pissed me off. I was not obsessed with this woman. I just needed to find her again so I could fuck her out of my system and call it a day. That was all.