Out of the Ashes (Trust Book 2) Read online

  “No. It might be a little embarrassing at first, but I’ll get over it. I’ve got to stop ducking into empty rooms and broom closets every time I see him anyway. It’s humiliating how much of a chicken I am! I’m making this out to be a big deal and it really isn’t, and you're right about him. Lucas has that ‘I’m up to no good, but you have to love me anyway’ look.”

  Snickering some more, I nodded. This was probably bigger in his mind than in Lucas’. Picking up my cell phone, I called Lucas.

  “Lucas, it’s Alexi Baker.”

  I’d barely gotten the words out of my mouth before he lost it.

  “What in the world are you doing, calling me at work? You know that’s not allowed!”

  Lucas sounded angry, hard and vicious. He had a way of taking a sub down a peg or two with just the tone of his voice.

  “I’m not calling about that. I would never do that, I know the rules.”

  I could feel the sub in me respond to him even through the phone.

  “Well? What is it?”

  Realizing I stopped talking for a second I hurried to tell him, but seeing the look on Sam’s face made me blush. I was using my own sub voice and hadn’t realized it.

  “We need your help with a special case. Could you meet us in the SVU conference room? We’ll need your help in an undercover operation, and Detective Baker is filling out forms so we can start this case quickly.”

  Silence was all I got from his end for a few long seconds, and it made me nervous.

  “What kind of operation is this? I have cases I need to work on, but I can give them to someone else. What is it we’ll be doing?”

  “I don’t want to talk over the phone. Can you meet us?”

  “On my way.” Lucas stated, before hanging up ending the call.

  Lucas angry made my skin tingle and throb. Knowing I was already facing possible punishment because of the phone call, I had to get myself together so I could explain.

  Some Dom’s take the mask of dominance off when they leave the club. Master Lucas was a 24/7 Dom. There was no mask to take off. Hanging up the phone, I looked at Sam.

  “He wasn’t too happy to get that call, not that I was expecting anything else.”

  Trying to smile at Sam, I knew I failed. I was a jittery mess until Lucas got there. Seeing the door open, and the thunderous look on his face, I was glad I had a valid reason.

  *************

  Lucas

  Alexi was always in the middle of some kind of trouble. He was a brat and everyone knew it. Always flirting and taunting his ex, Chase Hamilton, the Owner of Darkfall. The break up had given me the chance to get a hold of that boy, now I just had to catch him. He would be my boy if I had any say about it, and it would happen soon.

  Walking into the conference room my eyes first connected with Detective Baker. I made the mistake of drinking with him after hours one night, introducing him to the fact that he rather enjoyed being spanked. He looked away quickly when I started to smirk. Subbies were always fun to play with, but I didn’t have time to mess with him. At least he hadn’t run into a closet or something like that this time. He thinks I haven’t noticed him running away, hiding, but I have.

  “This better be important, I don’t want to do undercover again. But it must be big if you’re calling me. Tell me what happened and we’ll see if you still deserve punishment.”

  Looking at Alexi was pure magic. He was too graceful to be a cop. There was dancing and music in the way he walked. I, of course would never tell him that, it would just go to his head. And the last thing Alexi needed was a bigger head.

  “Chase was here...”

  “What?! Wait a minute, he didn’t pull any of his shit, did he? This has gone way too far. Your constant mudslinging back and forth is bad enough, but if he did it here he has stepped way out of bounds.”

  “No! No, he wasn’t here for that. There’s a problem in the clubs and he came to us for help. The only way we can figure out how to get more information is to go undercover. I think taking advantage of the fact that Chase and I have been bickering will be a good enough reason for us to fit in with this problem. You aren’t widely known, no one really knows your kink yet and we can use that to our advantage.”

  Alexi was shaken and more than just nervous. He was excited, but I think I knew why.

  “So, I’ll be undercover with you as my sub?”

  Loving the idea already I smiled, allowing my most dominant side to come forward. Letting Alexi and Sam see it, watching the shiver go through both of them. This part of me was always there, but I had learned to tamp it down a little in the last few years. Watching Alexi swallow, I could see the desire in his eyes, he wanted this and it might be the perfect way to make him mine.

  “Alright, you’ve made me more than curious. What’s the operation supposed to be about?”

  “I’ll give the Cliff notes version cause that’s pretty much all I’ got.”

  Alexi took a deep breath, but just before he started talking Sam interrupted, red faced and already heading to the door.

  “While you go over this, I’m going to get the guy from lock up and put him in an interview room like we discussed.”

  I knew I made the guy nervous and I thought it was rather amusing. He would come to figure out his kink in time. I’d started his mind revolving and now it would be up to him to accept the scene or not. It wasn’t my problem to deal with. Now Alexi? He was mine. Watching Sam high tail it, I smiled, but when I looked back at Alexi he was shaking his head.

  “Whatever... So I got called into this room about an hour ago. Chase and the Captain were here and filled me in on something that happened at Darkfall last night. Apparently, someone has resurrected something like the Hellfire Club. The Osiris Circle is some kind of cult or group, whatever. Chase took a sub aside last night when he thought he saw something off. He had Meat and Rafael grab the supposed Dom, keeping him isolated until Chase could figure out what the problem was. Long story short the sub had been kidnapped, raped and used by at least 10 other Doms, tortured and kept in a dog kennel off and on for three months. Chase called the cops, had the victim transported to the hospital, and is holding a meeting later at Darkfall to discuss it. He plans to bring in Simon and Aaron, and most likely all the other club owners he knows and trusts. Aaron’s FBI contacts can help us, and I’m sure Aaron will want to help this victim too.”

  As Alexi told me what was going on I got more and more upset.

  “What do we know about the victim?”

  I wanted in on this operation, I couldn’t stand the BDSM culture being used as a weapon like this. The idea that people would do something like this wasn’t new to me. I’d seen it for myself while working SVU in New Orleans for a few years. It’s why I transferred here. I was burned out on this kind of case, but I’d been here over six months and wanted in on this case more than anything now.

  “I looked him up in the computer, but there isn’t much to tell. Mason Brooks is a local student who went missing three months ago. Twenty-one years old, no record in the system, driver's license, but never so much as a ticket. Was reported missing, but no leads in the file.

  “It doesn't say whether or not they took his computer and phone to be analyzed by the tech people downstairs, but I would imagine they would have. I’ll look into that with missing persons, but I’ll tell you what Mason told Chase. Supposedly, he answered an ad on some BDSM site and yes, I’ve checked to see if there was anything weird with the site, but nothing yet.

  “He thought he was meeting a Dom for a bit of light spanking and bondage. Not what he got. He was tasered, raped, drugged and walked right out of the hotel with no problem. There's no telling what the so called Dom gave Mason in that shot. Too late for a drug screen on that, but the hospital is running all kinds of tests including drug screens and screening for STDs.

  “He’d been kept isolated from everyone but the other “Doms”, and can confirm at least ten different Doms that he had contact with. There's no
telling how many are involved in this thing, no telling how many subs either. He was never allowed to talk to any other subs, and has no idea who any of them are, or how many.

  “He’s at the hospital and under security from plain clothes officers. Chase sent a few of his own people to help guard him as well. He figured that having a sub there who understood the lifestyle and wouldn’t judge, would be a good thing. I agree. House Dom Leo is first with his sub, Bets. Then, Dom Eric and Marley, who’s been in a rough situation before. Eric isn’t Marley’s Dom, but as close to one as she’s ready to have right now.

  “Detective Baker has done most of the paperwork, thank God! I’ve been looking into the website Mason said he was on, trying to find something on this so called cult. The man Sam is going to get from lock up is Mason’s abuser. He’s refusing to give his ID, won’t speak to anyone, and is being a giant pain in the ass. Sam and I thought we would chain him up, put him in an interview room handcuffed to the table and then let him sweat for a while. They would have taken his fingerprints of course, and Sam thinks we might have to do facial recognition. He might not have a record so we’ll see what happens.”

  “Let me at the guy when you get an ID on him. Maybe Dom to supposed Dom will get him talking. If he’s as much of a prick as I think he’ll be, he won't talk to a sub or anyone else he deems below him. He just might think he knows how I, a real Dom, will react to this situation. He just might be our ticket in if I play it right. This goes against everything I believe in as a Dom, but if I can look like I’m helping him? Getting him out of a tight spot and letting him go… It just might work.”

  The look on Alexi’s face was priceless. He was appalled at the idea of giving the guy a pass on what he’d done to this sub Mason. I didn’t blame him, but maybe he would get on board with this plan.

  “You want us to let him go? Wouldn’t that be suspicious?”

  I could tell Alexi didn’t want to release this guy, I didn’t either, but he was starting to see the wisdom in it.

  “I don’t think so. Maybe you should go in and be a little submissive. Uncomfortable interviewing a Dom with such a ‘presence’. Act guilty for having to do this, then I come in. I take total control and punish you in front of the man. Get him to thinking that he and I are the same.”

  The plan was starting to form in my mind. Playing to the man’s dominant side just might give us an in. Thinking about this assignment made my skin crawl, but that just let me know I needed to fix this.

  .

  2 CHAPTER

  Lucas

  Thinking back to New Orleans, and why I’d burnt myself out of SVU there, hurt. I shouldn’t have even been involved with that case. Conflict of interest, but I couldn’t let the case go.

  My brother, James Scott, had been strangled in a “scene” that went way too far. His Dom, Lee Bouchet, had been extremely abusive and stalked James constantly. I hadn’t known he was in trouble until it was too late.

  My brother and I were adopted by different extended family members when our Mother went to prison for killing our father. That’s why we had different last names, and why no one questioned my involvement.

  Jamie’s broken and bloody body was found dumped in a field. His body had been there for days before some worker found it. I’d seen the pictures and was there for the autopsy. I’d seen with my own eyes what that man had done to my brother and I promised Jamie, right then and there… I promised his murderer would be held accountable. Lee Bouchet would pay for what he’d done to my baby brother. I made the man pay alright. I wanted to kill him, but I knew what James would want, so I didn’t indulge in my fantasy. He was in prison for life and I had to settle for that.

  The emotional strain of that case was still with me. It had been Jamie, not just some victim. All my SVU cases were hard on me, but my baby brother’s case just about killed me. I needed a change of scenery and a chance to pull myself back together. I couldn’t stay in New Orleans because the memories of Jamie were everywhere. That was another reason I sat back and watched the fireworks between Alexi and Chase. We both needed time, so I wasn’t rushing it. Now though, I needed to stop all the bullshit. It was visibly painful for Alexi, constantly watching who Chase had next. It was time to take control of Alexi and this case would help, it seemed.

  “Okay, so is there a plan in place? Are we going to the meeting with Chase at the club? It’s just after twelve. We have enough time to talk to this supposed Dom, get your belongings, and make it to the meeting. If we’re going with my plan to let the guy go, we need to work with the other clubs.”

  Alexi still didn’t look happy with my plan, but he was willing to follow my lead.

  “I think it’s important to know how much the FBI is going to be involved also. They have a tendency to want to take over, and you don’t want to get sucked into their junk. You hate paperwork, and if you think we do too much? Shoot, if they fart they have to do paperwork on it.”

  Shaking my head, I didn’t want the FBI in on this. It was too dicey when they got involved, so we needed to be at that meeting.

  “Did Chase say anything about the other club owners? Which clubs might be involved? We need all the information we can get, but you know that. Are you reconsidering my involvement? Cause when we do this, start on the plan with me letting this guy go, we have to be on the same page.”

  Watching Alexi nod his head, a small part of me relaxed.

  “I don’t know how many clubs are involved but I’m pretty sure that Chase will most likely call and invite them to the meeting, at least the ones he knows won't allow this to happen in their clubs. Chase will warn them of the problem. He’s the one that knows the owners. I know a few, but not well, so I think we should follow his lead on that.”

  I felt a stab of jealousy when Alexi spoke about Chase. Like he knew him well and knew how he would react. I knew he did, but the jealousy was something I couldn’t control.

  “I am also not ‘reconsidering’ bringing you in. You're the best person to do this. I don’t like the idea of letting this creep go, but I see the wisdom in it. The slimy bastard will think he’s getting off scot free, unpunished, and that he can do just about anything now with a cop at his back.” Alexi’s voice was confident, he knew this just might work.

  “We’ll have to tell everyone so it isn’t a surprise to them, and we need to meet the victim. Make sure he knows what we’re doing, and that he needs to stay gone from the public eye. Needs to be put in a safe house until this is over.”

  I wanted to make sure the sub was taken care of and safe. The idea of what he went through turned my stomach.

  “So we interview and release the perp, then stop by the hospital to get Mason’s statement. Then we’re off to the meeting at Darkfall.”

  As Alexi finished his statement on the plan, Sam came back.

  “Okay, so the guy’s in belly chains and secured to the table. How long are we waiting for?”

  “Small change in the plans. Alexi you go ahead and start your interview and I’ll fill Sam in on our plan. I’ll be in to interrupt you in about five minutes. Remember you're a sub who’s trying to be strong, but failing.”

  *************

  Alexi

  Walking toward the interview room, I started to think. This might work but I needed to look scared when I interviewed the man. Embarrassed to be in there in the first place, to be questioning a Dom like this. I had to pander to this man’s ego, let him think I was cowed and controlled when Lucas came in.

  Making sure my disgust of this man didn’t show would be difficult, but I had to do it for this to work. Opening the door to the interview room, I slunk around the door and looked down at the floor before sitting down.

  “My name is Officer Weber, and I need to take your statement. I’m...uhm… I know you wouldn’t give your name, but I.. uh I need it to put on the file. Would you please let me know who you are?”

  Watching the man’s eyes flash at me when I said please, I knew Lucas had been right. This guy w
ouldn’t talk to me, and he’d realized quickly that I was a sub. I was using my respectful tone instead of coming on strong. This guy wouldn’t break, but he might just give us the in Lucas thought he would.

  “I don’t really know what’s going on, so I need you to tell me, Sir.”

  Throwing the Sir in made his eyes flash again. Darting my eyes up from the table I watched as he looked me up and down and I tried to remain scared and uncomfortable.

  “Why would they send in you?”

  The contempt in his voice said more than he thought. He kept silent with every other officer. Now that he felt he was more in control he was thinking himself so much stronger and dominant. Shuddering from disgust just looked like fear to this guy.

  Suddenly, the door flew open.