Empowered [Sexual Magic 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (21 page)

“Simms,” she said softly, her glance bouncing between the three men.

The girl still looked unnerved, though she’d perked up some.

“Natalie Simms. Ralston here is going to have dinner with you in our place, should you be agreeable.”

Natalie licked her lips and looked past them to the milling crowd in the lobby then back at the constable. Finally, she gave one slow nod. “That’s fine,” she said softly. “I believe I would enjoy that. But, Sirs.” She turned to Noah and Gabriel. “Maybe I could come up to your room later? Perhaps nine or so? What room are you in?”

Madelyn’s irritation returned full force, and she stepped forward, inserting herself between her men. “No, I’m sorry, that won’t be possible. We’ll be in the middle of something.”

The sexual connotation of “something” was not lost on the girl and her lips tightened.

“Tomorrow? I’m off tomorrow. All I need is your room number.”

“We’ll find you,” Madelyn snapped, drew a breath, and softened her tone and expression. “Really, we don’t want your evening to be a waste. Go on, enjoy your dinner with the constable.”

Ralston took command, taking hold of Natalie’s arm and turning her from them. “Good night. Mr. Bishop, I’ll catch up with you in the morning.”

“Yes, thank you.”

The tension in Noah and Gabriel was palpable and Madelyn shifted, mouth dry. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

Noah shook his head. “Upstairs.”

“We’re not eating?”

Gabriel turned her and with Noah imprisoning her other side, she had no choice but to follow their footsteps toward the elevator. She was really beginning to hate that brass box.

“We’ll order room service.”

The ride was made in silence. When they finally reached their floor, Gabriel held her back as Noah stepped out, checked both hallways, then motioned them to follow.

“What’s with all the cloak and dagger stuff?” she muttered.

Noah opened the door and again Gabriel held her until the all-clear had been given. She stepped into the room, fear mingling with exasperation. “Okay, we’re here, we’re safe, no boogeyman in the closet. What is going on?”

“Oscar was murdered.”

She waited, but nothing else was forthcoming. “Yeah,” she drawled out. “We pretty much figured that out.”

“Ralston confirmed it. But he also told us the boy had been drugged.”

“With what?”

“He said he wouldn’t be able to say for certain until the tox reports come back, which could take weeks, but he seems to think it was some sort of pain inhibitor.”

She swallowed hard, her mind immediately flying to Krista and her sick desires. “That’s quite an assumption without confirmation. What on earth made him think that?”

Gabriel shook his head in disgust. “He found a broken vial of fentanyl near the beach where Oscar’s body was located. She’s not only crazy, she’s sloppy.”

Madelyn wrapped her arms around herself then melted into Noah when he pulled her close. “It will be okay, my love. Nothing will happen to you, I swear it.”

“I know,
mon coeur
, I trust you.”

But in her mind, terror ran rampant.

“We need to alert the Council.”

“I’m going to call Clarissa in a moment,” he said and rubbed the goose bumps from her arms. “Let’s get something to eat first.”

She was definitely not hungry.

“I don’t want anything.”

“Tough,” Gabriel said. “You need to eat.” He speared Noah with an equally hard look. “We all do.” He stalked to the desk and picked up the leather-bound binder, opened it, and flipped through pages. He turned it around and held the menu out to them. “Pick something.”

Her lips twitched and she bit down hysteria-tinged amusement. “He’s bossy,” she whispered sotto voce to Noah.

“Yeah, he is.” Noah sounded ridiculously pleased. “We should do what he says. I’ll take a steak with mashed potatoes. Medium rare. And a six-pack of beer.”

“Fine,” she sighed and grabbed the menu. “What do you want?” She looked at Gabriel as she said it.

“Same thing as Noah.”

She rolled her eyes and walked to the desk, plopped down at the comfortable chair, hauled the phone close, and called room service.

“All right, ordered. Forty-five minutes or so. What do we do in the meantime?”

Gabriel settled onto the couch and patted the cushion next to him. “I bet there’s a ball game on somewhere.”

“Oh God,” she groaned.

Noah edged her out of the chair. “Scoot,” he said. “I’m going to call Clarissa. We’ll wait to make any decisions until after I’ve talked to her.”

Madelyn kissed him on the top of his head as he sat down then made her way to Gabriel’s side. She sank onto the couch, squeaking when he hauled her against him.

She relaxed into his warm body, feeling safe and secure in his arms.

“Tell me more about Krista. Did you know she was capable of murder?”

Madelyn shivered, and the feeling of security immediately fled.

“No,” she whispered. “I knew she was obsessed, but I never really believed she would go this far.”

“Obsession can often become deadly.”

She nodded. “When we first met her, she was very charming. Charismatic, you could say. Very likable and open and friendly. It was an act, I know now. But there
is
something about her that’s very compelling. People are drawn to her like flies and honey.” She scoffed. “Winslet is just one example.”

“What tipped you off that she was nuts?”

The memory shook her to the core. Sweat beaded her upper lip, and her teeth chattered suddenly.

Gabriel hugged her tighter. “Hey, you don’t have to talk about it, if you don’t want to,” he whispered, lips tender at her ear.

She closed her eyes and shamelessly soaked in the comfort he offered. “No, it’s all right. We’d been with her for an entire day, observing, making suggestions, showing her different techniques. She already knew about our abilities, it’s one of the first things we tell to our clients so there is little cause for them to worry over hurting me.” Madelyn twisted her fingers together. “She was captivated by the knowledge. I saw the way she appraised me with her eyes when she watched Noah work me over.”

Gabriel shifted on the couch, drawing her deeper into his embrace. His cologne wafted over her, and she inhaled the spicy scent. She snuggled closer and played with the hair on the back of his hand and wrist.

“When her turn came to use the whips on me, she started small. Light. Almost tentative.” Her brow furrowed at the memory. “We were so stupid,” she whispered harshly. “Not to pick up on what she was doing. Making us feel secure and safe and confident.” Madelyn swallowed and shook her head, giving a small self-deprecating laugh. “The worst part is that she’s really good. She’s got the Midas touch when it comes to delivering a whipping. She knew exactly how to lay the leather so I felt it the most, enjoyed it the most.”

Gabriel grunted, his hand flexing on her knee. She tipped her head up to look at him. “Do you know, I almost quit the whole lifestyle after her? I decided if I couldn’t figure out she was psychotic from the get-go, I would never be able to figure it out about anyone. I couldn’t stand the idea of living with that fear. Bondage is such an experiment in trust between all parties. Once it’s broken, it’s nearly impossible to regain.”

He hissed, and again his fingers tightened on her. “I’m so sorry about the bullwhip strike. I swear, I never meant to hit you.”

She twisted and cupped his jaw, stroking her thumb along his bottom lip. “Stop worrying so,” she demanded softly. “It was my own fault. I moved into your reach on purpose.” She shrugged. “It’s why I couldn’t desert the lifestyle after Krista. I need it too much.”

He nodded and kissed her finger. “Finish your story. Get it all out.”

“There’s not much left,” she said. “The first day everything was fine. The next, I received a phone call from her, asking me to meet her somewhere. Alone.”

“And you went?” he asked sharply.

She frowned. “It wasn’t the first time. It happens all the time, actually. Clients often feel freer trying to dom me without Noah around. He can be intimidating, you know.”

Gabriel chuckled. “Yeah, it’s one of his better qualities.”

She smiled, heart screeching to a stop before kicking back into a frenzy. “You like him?”

“Yeah, I do. He’s a great guy. Except for his misinformation about baseball.”

Madelyn mentally rubbed her hands together and cackled in glee. Oh, this was excellent. Excellent. She’d noticed the grudging, hidden admiration Noah had for Gabriel. Now that she knew it was reciprocated, things were definitely looking up.

“Quit stalling,” Gabriel murmured. “Food will be here soon.” He looked over her head then back down. “And Noah will be done with his call, too.”

She nodded. “I went to meet her. It was a trap, but I didn’t know until it was much, much too late.
Mon Dieu
.” Her throat went as dry as the lining of a cat box. It felt graveled and dusty. “She fed me some line about perfecting technique and being nervous around Noah. Wanted to make sure she got it right before we met again. I let her truss me up, bind me so I could not escape. And before you jump on me, that, too, is normal. It’s part of what we do, who we are. This time, though, she asked if she could gag me and use the finger system for safety. I had no inkling of what was in store. I didn’t get a bad vibe from her at all, so I said yes.” Her brow furrowed and she nibbled on the tip of one manicured nail. “I don’t remember too much after that except the pain. God, it hurt.
Trop mal
. I could not breathe or see or scream. She ignored my signals to stop.” The pounding in her heart echoed loudly in her head and sweat formed on her upper lip. She scrubbed it away, forcing the fear back. She was safe.

Safe
.

“What happened?” Gabriel asked, voice shaking. His hold on her was firm and secure. Again that feeling of absolute safety washed over her and helped shunt away the rest of the horrid mental aftereffects of that day.

“Noah found me. I don’t know how. But I went from being bound, bleeding, and in extreme pain to lying on the ground with Noah healing me. Even after a long while, I was so weak, I could hardly stand.”

“You could have died,” Gabriel said hoarsely.

“Yes.”

“Fuck.”

“Yes.”

“What happened to Krista?”

“I was so intent on making sure Madelyn didn’t die that the bitch got away.”

Noah stood behind them, hands shoved deep in his pockets, a ferocious, haunted frown on his face.

Madelyn rose, turned on the couch, and wrapped her arms about his waist. He shuddered and enclosed her in a tight embrace, his lips brushing along the top of her head.

“You did the right thing,” Gabriel said firmly. “You know that.”

“Yes, but she got away and attacked Mason. Krista damn near killed him, too.”

“I agree, psychotic is a good description for her.”

“I’m afraid so.”

“How did she get away that time?” Gabriel asked.

Madelyn withdrew from Noah and settled back on the couch. “Come sit with us.” She turned to Gabriel. “I distracted her, got her from the room while Noah cut down Mason. She’s strong, but I knew as long as I didn’t allow her to bind me, I would be able to escape.”

“Yeah? Why’s that?”

Madelyn winked at him. “I took up Krav Maga after the first time. That bitch wasn’t going to get the jump on me again. As soon as I thought Mason and Noah had gotten away, I took her down and ran.”

He stared at her, a new light of admiration in his eyes, then hugged her tight. “Damn, that a girl.”

Madelyn laughed. “Trust me, no matter what, she won’t ever hurt me again.”

“Damn it, Maddie,” Noah muttered.

She waved her hand then caught Gabriel’s quizzical look. “He’s very superstitious. He thinks if I keep saying she won’t hurt me, it will happen.”

“It’s taunting the universe,” Noah said defensively.

She rolled her eyes and looked at Gabriel to share her amusement but to her astonishment, found him nodding vigorously.

“Oh, you have got to be kidding. Don’t tell me you buy into that Karma crap, too?”

The tips of his ears reddened, but he looked stern. “I don’t know about Karma, but I know that cocky can get you killed.”

A knock sounded at the door, and she sprang to her feet, grateful for the interruption. “I’ll get it.” She practically sprinted across the room, feeling as though a dark shadow chased her.

Looking out the peephole, she saw the waiter with his rolling trolley.

She reached for the door, but Noah’s strong hand closed over hers and she was surrounded by both huge men.

“Who is it?” Noah asked.

“Room service.”

“Leave it outside,” he ordered.

She sighed. “
Ridicule
. He’s not going to attack me with the steak sauce.”

Gabriel growled at her. “Stay back.”

Infuriated, she yanked herself out of Noah’s grip, flipped the dead bolt, and wrenched open the door.

The young man who stood outside started and squealed in alarm.

“Sorry,” she said, holding out her hand. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

He gave her a grimacing smile. “Uh, yeah, sorry. We’re all a little tense after the incident.”

She didn’t have to ask.

The man’s eyes darted left and right as though he was afraid of being jumped at any moment.

Madelyn grabbed the trolley and pulled it forward. “We’ll leave this outside when we’re done.”

He pulled back. “No ma’am, I’m sorry, hotel rules. I have to serve you in your suite.”

“Of course.” She took a deep breath and gave him a bright smile. “Hold on, please.”

She pushed back into the room, closed the door, and leaned against it, glowering at both men.

They stood like silent Vikings, shoulder to shoulder, arms folded over their chests, and wearing identical annoyed expressions.

“He has to come in.” She held up her hand to stall their protests. “There are
rules
,” she stressed the word. “And we’re going to follow them. No sense making a ruckus that would only bring more attention our way,
non
?”