“He does this often?” Jane asked.
“At least once a month. He’s been doing it for years,” MaeBe replied. “He’s in a high-stress job, and this is how he relaxes. He plays every week, but the third Friday of the month is his touch night. Do you want to go in?”
“Sure. I’ll give him a little surprise,” Jane said before she walked in.
MaeBe glanced over. “She seems nice.”
They watched as Jane moved into the room, the blue light coating her skin as she approached the sub. The sub’s mistress stood back, watching but not talking at all.
“I don’t know.” She was trying not to be naïve. “She’s involved with Nolan, so I have to wonder how much she knows about his business. And that tattoo thing sounds more like a threat. Like she’s collecting the names of the people who wronged her.”
MaeBe frowned. “It is kind of weird to put their names on a dagger. I would not want to be K. I think she’s got what my boss would call crazy eyes. Sometimes, though, he says I have crazy eyes, so maybe I shouldn’t judge. What do you think she’s going to do? Soft or hard?”
Jane was looking over the impact toys, her hands brushing over the falls of a flogger.
“I’m not sure.”
Jane straightened up, her hands going to the bottom of her corset as though pulling it down, and then she turned, leaving the toys behind and approaching the sub.
Jane touched the sub gently, her palms smoothing out over his back, and a shudder went through the older man.
Then she stepped back and turned, and for a moment, the mask slipped and Maddie caught a glimpse of her face. It was over in a second and Jane adjusted her mask.
But it was enough.
Maddie knew why she recognized Jane.
Jane was the woman who met with Nolan. Jane worked for The Consortium.
She was about to whisper the revelation to MaeBe when Jane joined them, an oddly triumphant smile on her face. “I think we should find the men.”
Maddie nodded. “Yes, we should do that.”
A loud moan burst from the sub in the touch room. The Domme moved in. He howled and fought against his bonds. Maddie watched in horror as white foam rolled from his mouth.
“We need medical,” MaeBe yelled.
Jane sighed and reached behind her, pulling a small gun from the back of her corset. “Well, that worked too fast. MaeBe, darling, shut your mouth before I kill you. I don’t want to kill you. Yet. We have things to talk about. So let’s you and I and Maddie walk out that back door right there.”
Maddie glanced over but the mistress was trying desperately to save her sub. There was no help from that corner.
“Maddie, run,” MaeBe began.
There was no sound, but suddenly MaeBe’s left arm bloomed with blood and Jane had a hand on the back of her neck. “I wasn’t joking. Madeline, run if you want your friend to die. Or you go over there and open that door for me.”
She glanced over and sure enough, there was an emergency door.
“MaeBe, if you try that falling shit on me, I’ll put a bullet in your head and your boyfriend will find you laying right here,” Jane was saying. “And then I’ll kill him, too.”
MaeBe grimaced but remained standing.
Maddie took a deep breath and went to open the door. She prayed Deke would get to them in time.
* * * *
Deke walked through the main lounge, letting Josh Hunt do most of the work. He was the one who knew the club, after all.
“This is where most of the members begin and end their evenings,” Josh explained. Byrne had been gamely following them for fifteen minutes, asking questions every now and then, but mostly listening. “The bar is fully stocked, but alcohol is limited to one drink before play. After, you’re welcome to have as much as you like, though the bartender will take your keys if he thinks you’ve had too much.”
“Well, I’ll have a driver most of the time,” Byrne replied. “Though I drove us here tonight. I didn’t want to bring anyone else into it until you decide on my membership.”
They moved further into the lounge, Josh introducing Byrne around.
Deke hung back.
“I think I’m going to go find MaeBe.” Kyle had been by his side, despite the fact that he wanted to be velcroed to his girl.
“We’re meeting up with them in ten minutes or so. Stay calm, man.” The last thing he needed was a Kyle freak out. “We get through tonight so we can do the job tomorrow.”
“Something’s wrong with Jane,” Kyle insisted.
Kyle hadn’t even been there when they’d met Jane. He’d been in the office talking to Drake, who’d been glued to his computer for hours. Kyle had been holed up with him for much of the time, but both men were being quiet about what they were up to. He was going to have a long talk with Kyle tonight because he needed backup tomorrow—not a dude who looked like he was working with the Agency again. “What’s wrong with Jane? Give me something I can work with.”
Kyle huffed. “I don’t know, but Drake’s looking into it. He needs more time. Have we thought about the fact that she shouldn’t be around MaeBe?”
“Jane checked out. MaeBe didn’t find anything wrong with her background,” Deke whispered, frustration welling. “She’s got years of data, and MaeBe didn’t think it’s been faked. She checked it with her contacts at the actual platforms. Do you not believe that MaeBe is capable of doing her job?”
“Of course not. She’s great, but there are people out there who can do terrible things and she won’t even be able to conceive that it could happen,” Kyle countered. “Have we considered that Jane could be The Consortium agent?”
“Maddie didn’t…” He realized something he hadn’t thought of before. “I never had her look at Jane’s file. There didn’t seem to be a reason since we were meeting her in person. But she didn’t say anything tonight. Surely she would have seen her in the locker room.”
“Unless she was already wearing that mask,” Kyle pointed out. “We don’t know how quickly she put it on. She was already wearing a wig when she and Byrne got here.”
“All right.” He hadn’t thought to talk to Maddie about the background checks. He’d wanted to spend his time with her on other things. “I’ll have Maddie take a look at the pictures we have of her. Is there something else that bothers you? Something new?”
Kyle hadn’t liked Jane since he’d first taken a look at her picture.
Kyle’s jaw tightened. “When she walked in tonight, I noticed something. She was wearing a pendant. It’s the same pendant I gave to my partner, the one who died. I don’t think it’s a coincidence.”
He’d noticed the necklace. It was a lot like one Charlotte wore. He knew it was expensive because Ian had moaned about it for weeks. “Because she’s wearing a necklace?”
“Because she’s wearing that necklace,” Kyle insisted.
“A lot of women have similar necklaces,” Deke replied. “Charlotte has one, though it’s blue and not black. I think it’s popular among wealthier women.”
“Things have been happening lately, and I’ve started to wonder if they’re all coincidences. My family has had a terrible run of luck. MaeBe’s had some, too. What if Julia had friends in The Consortium and they’re fucking with me? What if they’re coming after my family? Wearing that necklace would be a way to taunt me. I bought that necklace for Julia. I put it around her throat when I thought we were meant to be, before I found out she was a psychotic narcissist. Julia could be charming. People liked Julia. What if one of her sisters in that group wants revenge on me?” Kyle asked.