Siren Enslaved

Chapter Six

Finn pushed through the door to Christa’s Café with a heavy heart. He hadn’t slept the night before, and he felt the lack in every weary muscle. He’d stared at the ceiling of his crappy motel room and wondered where the hell Dani was spending the night. A hundred scenarios had played through his brain, most of them ending in something terrible. It was all his fucking fault since he’d been the idiot who let her go. He should have seen that she was terrified. He probably had, but he’d been terrified, too. He’d been thinking about himself. He’d been thinking about the fact that he was going to lose her. He hadn’t thought about what Dani was going through at all.

He looked around the café. It was half-empty this early on a Sunday morning. He forced himself to walk up to the counter. He wasn’t leaving this town until he found her. He’d made the decision last night that he was hiring a private investigator the first chance he got. He’d gotten a good look at the car she’d jumped into. There couldn’t possibly be too many Audi R8s in the state of Texas. It was a hundred thousand dollar car. Whoever owned it was probably from a big city. Given Willow Fork’s placement in Northeast Texas, he would bet the man was from Dallas. He had the first two letters of a license plate. He would figure it out in the end. He had a ton of resources. Though he was a corporate lawyer, he’d done a bit of time in the prosecutor’s office. He still had connections there, and those lawyers knew cops. When he knew who she’d run away with, he would track the asshole down and find his girl. If Audi guy had taken advantage of her, then Finn would figure out a way to ruin him.

“What can I get you?” The woman behind the counter had dark hair and a professional smile. He’d seen that smile every single time he came home. Christa Wade had always been kind to him, so he always gave her his business.

“Coffee, black.” Finn couldn’t stand the thought of eating at this point. His stomach churned at the smell of food. He could barely stand the thought of coffee, but if he didn’t have a cup, he’d be a zombie by noon.

“That all?” She looked up from her notepad for the first time. A wide smile covered her face. “Hey, Finn. How are you doing? You okay?” Her voice took on a distinctly sympathetic tone. She reached out and covered his hand with hers.

This was why he’d really come in here. He knew he’d find a friendly ear to bend. “I’m fine, Christa. I’m just worried about Dani. I can’t quite believe she did something so impulsive. It’s not like her.”

“Well, I was thrilled. Let me tell you, when I saw her take off, there was a part of me that wanted to tackle Jimbo to make sure he didn’t catch her. Of course, turned out I didn’t need to. What a jerk. He was hitting on high school girls at the reception. Dani was right to get the hell out of there. Even if Jimbo wasn’t a cheating SOB, Dani should have run because his momma is one crazy bit…well, you know what I mean. She would have made Dani miserable.”

Finn sat back against the bar stool. “I know. She was making a huge mistake, but I can’t see how running off with some stranger is going to help it.”

She should have told him. He would have carried her out, put her in his car, and been on the way to Dallas before anyone knew what was happening. She’d never have to come back to Willow Fork if she didn’t want to.

Christa patted his hand. “I know it’s a little crazy, but it’s for the best. Don’t worry. She’s in excellent hands. Abby will make sure she’s fine.”

His eyes suddenly focused. “What do you mean? Abby Barnes knows where Dani is?”

Christa nodded. “Oh, yes. Don’t worry a bit. I talked to Abby last night. Dani spent the night at the ranch. Jack will look after her. Abby said she was upset, but she’d calmed down by dinnertime and was going to spend a couple of days out there. It’ll do her good. She can play with the kids, and Jack will scare the shit out of Jimbo and any of his relatives if they go after her.”

Finn only heard part of what Christa said. “She’s at Jack Barnes’s ranch? How did she get out there?”

Christa put two hands on the counter. She leaned in and looked around. It was obvious to Finn that gossip was on her mind. He leaned forward, eager to find out everything she knew. “That guy whose car she jumped into was one of Jack’s oldest friends. He’s from Dallas, some real rich guy. Name’s Julian Lodge. He took her out to the ranch.”

Finn breathed a deep sigh of relief. She was out at the Barnes-Fleetwood Ranch. At least he knew she was alive. “That’s good news. She left me a voice mail that told me nothing.” The voice mail had asked him for forgiveness, and she’d promised to call him later.

Christa waved a hand. “Don’t worry. She’s fine. Abby says she’s well on her way to recovery, if you know what I mean.”

He didn’t, and he didn’t like the saucy wink Christa gave him. Just what kind of recovery were they talking about? “Who’s this Julian person?”

Christa turned and poured him a cup of coffee. She slid the mug in front of him. “Abby said he’s really intimidating. He has a ton of money and owns a club or something. I don’t know. There are certain things me and the BFF don’t get into, if you know what I mean. I love Abby and support her every decision, but she’s a little closemouthed when it comes to her sex life. Trust me when I say it’s frustrating. When you have two amazingly hot guys, you should share. Right?”

“She’s met this Julian?” Finn couldn’t care less how much Abby Barnes shared with her best friend. He wanted to know about the guy who had spirited his girl away.

“She said she’s known him for a couple of years, but Jack has known him for more than two decades. He used to work for him or something.” Christa’s eyebrows rose. “Apparently he and Dani are getting along really well.”

Finn’s spine straightened. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Someone from a booth near the window waved his hand. Christa nodded toward her customer. “I’ll have to get back to you, Finn, but don’t worry about Dani. She’s in good hands. There’s no way Jack or Abby or Sam lets anything bad happen to her.” She winked his way. “Be back in a bit. Think about breakfast, okay?”

She walked off to take the other customer’s order, and Finn pulled out his cell. If this Julian person was a friend of Jack Barnes’s, then maybe one of his coworkers knew who he was. Finn worked for one of the most prestigious law firms in Dallas. They knew all the power players. He dialed the person most likely to know this Julian guy. As luck would have it, Finn knew the lawyer who handled the Barnes-Fleetwood account. He was more than Jack Barnes’s lawyer. He was Jack’s brother.

“Hello?” Lucas Cameron sounded like he was half awake. Lucas Cameron was a couple of years younger than Finn, but they had bonded almost immediately. They had a lot in common. Lucas had spent some time in Willow Fork, and they were both bisexual. Lucas was a gorgeous man, but Finn had known from the minute he met Lucas that they were destined to be friends and nothing more. Besides, both he and Lucas had fucked-up love lives. Both of them seemed to want women they couldn’t have.

“Hey, Lucas, it’s Finn.”

“Good for you, Finn,” Lucas growled into the phone. Finn could hear a soft voice in the background. “Go back to sleep, Lexi. It’s nothing to worry about. What do you want, Finn? I thought you were on vacation. This better be an emergency.”

Finn got straight to the point. This was an emergency for him. “I need to know everything you can find out about a man named Julian Lodge.”

“Julian?” Lucas suddenly sounded wide awake. “What’s going on with Julian? That’s my account. He hasn’t called me. What’s happening?”

“Nothing in his business. I need to know for personal reasons. He’s seeing someone I know.”

There was a snort from the other end of the line. “Seeing? Julian doesn’t see people. Julian screws people six ways to Sunday, but only after a very careful vetting process. You should see some of the shit he has me dig up on his potential subs. Wait. I thought you were going back to Willow Fork. The only person you like in Willow Fork is Dani. Are you telling me that Julian is fucking Danielle Bay?”

“You put him on speakerphone now, Lucas.”

Damn it. Finn cursed inwardly. He should have remembered that Lexi had spent time here. Lexi Moore was Abby’s daughter and involved with Lucas in some weird way no one could quite figure out. Lucas was madly in love with her, and she often spent the night with him, but Lucas insisted they were just casual. Lexi had a friendly relationship with Dani. Damn, now he had to deal with Lexi. Lexi was sometimes a pain in the ass. She ran an art gallery and could be a bit bossy.

“Finn, what’s going on with Dani and Julian?” Lexi sounded fully awake and in charge now.

Finn sighed. “I don’t know. I just know that the wedding was a bust. Dani walked into the church in her wedding gown, turned, and ran away.”

“Yes.”

Finn could practically see the fist pump Lexi was undoubtedly giving. Lexi had declined to come to the wedding, giving some excuse about a big gallery show, but Finn knew the truth. After Lexi’s own wedding had been cancelled at the last minute, she couldn’t handle talking about anything vaguely marriage related.

Finn continued, not willing to listen to Lexi’s inevitable lecture on how futile love was. “She ran down the street and hopped into some guy’s convertible.”

“Audi?” Lucas asked.

“Yeah. The next thing I know, she’s gone, and I just heard Christa say that she’s at Lexi’s mom’s house recovering nicely. What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“I think it means that my mom is taking care of her. Dani is a sweetheart. She thought about it and rightly panicked. Stop worrying, Finn. Mom and Sam will get her laughing, and Jack will make sure that asshole she was going to marry doesn’t hurt her.” Lexi yawned. Finn could hear her covering her mouth. “And Julian will be perfectly polite. He always is.”

Lucas spoke up. “Sweetheart, did you think about the fact that Dani is incredibly submissive?”

Lexi got very quiet.

“Will someone just tell me what’s going on? And who the hell is Julian Lodge?” Finn was moving past frustrated.

“Julian Lodge is my biggest client.”

“I thought that was the Masters’ account.” Lucas was already a legend at the firm. He’d walked in the door with a billionaire as a client. The Masters’ account covered the Masters Fund, a superrich group of investors.

“Julian Lodge is Julian Masters.”

Finn nearly dropped his coffee mug. Dani had jumped into a car with a billionaire? What were the chances of that? Finn thought about it for a moment and calmed down. What would a billionaire want with his Dani? Dani was sweet and beautiful. Finn thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world, but she didn’t have a Hollywood glamour. She was a small town girl. Now that he thought about it, she’d been really lucky. She’d managed to find someone who could take her to the one place where she would be perfectly safe. Yeah, this was a good thing. He’d sit in the café and have a little breakfast. When the stores opened, he’d find the nicest bouquet he could and then go out to the Barnes-Fleetwood ranch and talk to Dani. By this evening, he’d have her on the road to Dallas. He’d have to remember to send Julian Lodge a Thank You card.

“Finn, are you okay?”

Finn laughed a little at Lucas’s nervous question. “Of course. I just wanted to know she was safe. It sounds like she’s in good hands.”

Lexi’s husky laugh poured into Finn’s ear. “Damn, I’ll say. I kind of wish I was in her place.”

“Alexis!”

Finn held the phone away from his head as Lucas had a few choice words for his…well, whatever Lexi was to him.

“Sorry, Lucas. I know it’s a little perverse, but that man is sexy as hell. Oh, he scares the crap out of me, but I don’t know a sub alive who wouldn’t do just about anything to kneel at his feet. If he’s decided to train Dani, then all I can say is good for Dani.”

“Are you talking about that BDSM crap you’re always going on about?” A cold chill went through Finn’s system. Why Lucas wanted to spank Lexi, Finn had no idea. But the thought of Dani, sweet, eager–to-please Dani, in the clutches of a leather-clad sadist had him reaching for his keys.

Lucas sighed. “It isn’t crap, Finn. If you would just come with us, you would see. The club Lexi and I go to is Julian’s. He’s an expert. There’s nothing to worry about.”

But Finn wasn’t listening. He threw down some cash to pay for his coffee and ran to his car. Like it or not, the Barnes-Fleetwood family would be waking up early this morning.

Dani woke to the sound of something thumping. The pounding was rhythmic and pulled her from the sweetest dream. She sat straight up in the enormous bed and looked around for Julian. He wasn’t in the room with her. The door to the bedroom was open. She stretched and felt the most delicious soreness permeating her every muscle.

Wow. Last night came rushing back, and all she could think was wow.

Julian Lodge was absolutely the most insatiable, perverse, decadent man she’d ever had the enormous pleasure of meeting. Now she understood why women chased after a man. If other men had half the skill and wild imagination that Julian had, she might have to chase down a few.

Except that she couldn’t imagine doing anything like that with another man.

An image of Finn with her and Julian flitted across her brain.

It worked for Abigail Barnes. Why couldn’t it work for her?

Dani let the thought go. She wouldn’t be able to keep Julian for very long, much less convince Finn to give a girl a whirl. It was a little fantasy, but that was exactly where it would stay. She’d made the decision last night somewhere between orgasms eight and nine that she would hang out at the ranch while Julian was on vacation. It would do them both good. He said he’d been celibate for a while. She couldn’t imagine why, but he seemed really happy to end it. If it was okay with Julian, she would enjoy this week with him. After that, she would have to decide what to do, but whatever the future was, it wouldn’t involve Julian. He would go back to Dallas and whatever job he had there. She would pick up the pieces and figure out what to do with the next fifty years of her life.

Not going there. Dani shoved the covers back. She walked to the closet and hoped that she could find a robe or something. It appeared Julian’s clothes had been neatly hung. There were elegant dress shirts and slacks. Not a single pair of jeans. That was a real shame, because his ass would look good in a pair of Levi’s.

“Where is she, you perverted motherfucker?”

Dani turned to look out the open bedroom door. Was that Finn? She quickly pulled a dress shirt off the hanger and shrugged into it like a robe. The clothes she’d worn last night were downstairs, strewn across the living room. It would have to do.

She rushed out of the bedroom. She could hear someone talkingJulian, she thoughtbut he was speaking quietly. Finn was not.

“You better show me where you put Dani right now, or I swear I’ll make you wish you had.”

“I wouldn’t threaten me, whoever you are, although I suspect you’re Danielle’s ex-fiancé. Might I just speak for her? She has no intention of marrying you. She made herself very plain yesterday.” Julian’s voice was low and had almost no emotion to it.

Dani ran through the playroom toward the stairs. She hadn’t known Julian for very long, but she’d already figured out that he was at his most dangerous when he was perfectly, completely calm.

“I’m here, Finn.” Dani had no idea why Finn had decided to go commando on Julian’s ass, but he would lose that little battle. Julian was one amazing specimen. While Finn was incredibly fit, Dani figured Julian would fight dirty. It was best to stop the fight altogether. Dani raced down the steps.

Finn wasn’t alone. It looked like the entire clan was invading her and Julian’s little love nest. Jack Barnes was dressed in denims and a T-shirt. Sam Fleetwood hadn’t bothered with a shirt. Abby had wrapped a robe around herself and had a hand on Jack’s arm.

“Thank god.” Finn let out a deep breath and started toward her.

Dani tripped on the last step and started flying. One minute she was going to break her neck, and the next she was wrapped in Julian’s arms. He was wearing a pair of slacks and nothing else. His chest was male model perfect.

“Slow down, little one.” His gray eyes seemed warmer this morning. His hands tightened around her briefly, and then a wall slammed between them. “Your fiancé is here.”

“I’m not her fiancé. Now let her go.” Finn started to reach for Julian, but Sam stopped him.

“I really wouldn’t do that. Look, man, I know you’re pissed, but you don’t want to fuck with him.” Sam pulled Finn back.

Julian set Dani on her feet and immediately let go. She felt the loss of the intimacy. This was not the way she’d seen the morning going. She’d expected that she and Julian would spend some time in bed and then plan out their day. He didn’t look like a man desperate to spend time with her now. All of Dani’s self-doubts came creeping back. She turned from Julian to look at Finn.

“What are you doing here?” Dani asked. She’d left a message on his voice mail telling him she was okay. How had he even found out where she was?

He pulled away from Sam and walked straight to her, catching her hands in his. “I came for you, of course. Dani, you don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into. You have no idea who that man is.”

A bitter smile passed across Julian’s face. “And I suppose you do, whoever you are.”

“His name is Finn Taylor. He works with my brother, and he grew up here.” Jack didn’t look impressed. He watched Finn like he was waiting for an excuse to do something really nasty. What the hell had Finn done to put that black look on Jack Barnes’s face?

“Ah, so he works at a law firm in Dallas. The law firm where you and I are the biggest clients. That is interesting.” There was a silky threat in Julian’s voice.

Finn didn’t seem to care. “Fine, get me fired. I’m still not leaving Dani here. I’m not going to let you beat the hell out of her and call yourself her Master. You’re a sick fuck. Jack’s own brother is the one who told me.”

“Somehow, I think Lucas would have used different words,” Jack said slowly. He smiled and moved forward. Abby had dropped her hand, a sure sign that Jack had been let off the leash and things were going to get bad fast.

Dani needed to get the situation under control and quickly. “Will you calm down, Finn? I don’t know what Lucas told you, but Julian has been nothing but nice to me. He got me away from the wedding and helped me find a place to stay. I’m very grateful to him.”

“Yeah, I bet I can guess exactly how he wants you to show your gratitude.” Finn turned back to Julian. “You better be glad you slept on the couch.”

Dani swung her head around to the couch. Sure enough, there was a pillow and blankets. He had left her. He’d come down here to sleep. “You didn’t want to sleep with me?”

“Our relationship isn’t about sleep, dear.” Julian enunciated the word sleep, and it had the intended effect on Finn. His face twisted and got really red.

“You don’t have a relationship with her. You don’t even know her.”

Julian’s lips rode up in an arrogant version of a smile. “I obviously know her better than you.”

“Stop.” Dani got in the middle of them. She put a hand on both chests. “I have no idea what’s happening here, but I want it to stop.”

Julian’s dark head came forward in a courtly gesture. “Of course. I am so sorry to have caused you distress. Please feel free to leave with your friend.”

Dani felt her eyes narrow. If he wanted her to leave, he should just say it. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Abby stepped forward, sympathy on her face. “Why don’t we head back inside, Jack, Sam?”

Sam glanced from Julian and Dani back to Abby. “Why would we do that? The show’s out here, baby. If it weren’t brutally early in the morning, I would say let’s make some popcorn.”

“Don’t think about snacks until after Julian decides if he’s going to kill Finn.” Jack took a step back, obviously more comfortable now.

Finn ignored their audience. “Dani, baby, I don’t care what happened with him. Let me take you away from here, and we can talk. Please, you don’t know who you’re dealing with. Lucas told me about him. He’s into all kinds of things.”

“And that’s important to you, why? Finn, you’re my best friend. I am asking you to walk away. I’m fine. I’m more than fine. I know what I’m doing. Please go back to Dallas, and I’ll talk to you on Monday.” She needed to figure out what the hell was wrong with Julian. He’d completely shut down.

“He won’t go back to Dallas, Danielle.” Julian’s eyes slid between her and her best friend, finally stopping on Finn, who paled slightly under Julian’s stare. “He won’t go anywhere without you.”

Dani sighed, frustration in her every breath. Did she really need to do this in front of her boss? “Finn, I’m an adult. I made the decision to spend the night with Julian. I know exactly what he’s into.”

“Did you know he sleeps with men?” Finn made it sound like an accusation.

“Well, let the lightning strike, buddy. So do you. He’s bisexual. Why on earth do you care?” Dani stared at Finn, waiting to see when the horns would grow out of his head.

“He’s upset because he wants you, little one.”

Dani softened slightly at Julian’s tone. She shook her head. “No, you don’t understand. We’re just friends. We’ve been friends since we were kids.”

The silence that fell over the room made Dani’s stomach turn. She watched Finn and saw the blood slowly drain from his face.

Sam leaned over to his wife. “Does Dani not know that Finn’s bi, too?”

“No, he’s not.” Dani said the words, hoping she could make them true. If they weren’t, then that part of her world that had always been the best piece was utterly false. She’d always known that she and Finn were meant for each other, just that one little twist of fate kept them apart. If Finn wasn’t gay, then he’d chosen not to be with her.

“Dani, I can explain.” Finn’s words fell flat and heavy between them.

Dani turned to Julian, hoping for something, anything from him. He looked slightly amused, but nothing more. There were no open arms for her to run to, no encouraging look. He was remote, untouchable. Despite the intimacy shared between them the night before, there was nothing between them now. Like there was nothing between her and Finn.

“Dani, I can explain.” Finn tried again, and this time he took a step toward her.

Dani moved back. “Don’t. I don’t want an explanation. I want a yes or no answer. Have you ever slept with a woman?”

Finn swallowed, the movement visible. He started to say something, but finally just nodded, turning his eyes from her.

“How many?” Now that the wound was opened, she couldn’t seem to stop picking at it to find out how deep it went.

“Damn, Dani, I don’t know. They didn’t mean anything.”

But they meant something to her. They meant the world to her. Tears blurred her vision as she turned, picked up her clothes, and started to walk into the small bathroom. She passed the couch. Julian wouldn’t have been terribly comfortable on it. He was too tall to stretch out. His knees would have been bent. Still, he’d chosen discomfort over sleeping beside her. She paused briefly at the bathroom door, but no one tried to stop her. She walked in, locked the door, and got dressed.

When she was done, she sat down on the toilet seat and put her head in hands. Her time with Julian was done long before she thought it would be. And her time with Finn…that was over, too.