Crash Into You (31 page)

Reid’s body jumped in response and the muscles in his back flexed as he automatically tried to turn over, but the metal cuffs clinked against the frame. He jerked his hands back, fighting against the restraints. “What the hell?”

Brynn stepped around the side of the sofa bed until she was in his range of vision and tossed the Caldwell file onto the bed next to him. Papers slid out of it and scattered along the sheets. “So is every word that comes out of your mouth a lie or do you just save that for me so you can enjoy fucking me over again and again?”

He blinked in her direction, his eyes widening when he saw the documents in front of him. “Brynn, I—”

“Don’t,” she said, her voice deadly calm. “Don’t even try. I don’t need to hear more piles of bullshit.”

“Brynn, I know, I’m sorry. I couldn’t tell you. You wouldn’t—”

“What? Wouldn’t have helped you use my sister to free a goddamned
murderer
?” Her voice was rising, but she couldn’t stop it. She wanted to scream at him, to pummel him for the betrayal, to make him hurt as much as she was right now. “He
killed my mother
, Reid. Left her to die alone. What part of that don’t you get?”

“Hank’s not a murderer,” he said, his own voice almost meeting her volume. “I know you want to believe he is. Want to know that the killer is locked up tight and that everyone is safe. But
they’ve got the wrong guy
. All the new evidence points to someone else. And if I don’t get this conviction overturned, no one is ever going to look for the real murderer. He could be out there hurting other people as we speak.”

“Stop it!” She wanted to put her hands over her ears so she could block out the image he was painting. None of that could be true. Hank was the one. Had to be. He was the only one who had motive and access. The thought that someone else had done it and
was still walking around free… No. No. No. She couldn’t go there. This was simply more of Reid’s bullshit. “You just can’t let it go because you lost the case. You want him to be innocent, so it must be true. Because God knows the almighty Reid couldn’t be wrong about anything. Couldn’t actually lose a case.”

His face flooded red. “Goddamn it, this isn’t about my fucking ego!” The restraints scraped against the metal frame as he attempted—unsuccessfully—to get out of his prone position. “Now come on and uncuff me. We need to talk about this rationally.”

She snorted. “Sorry, I’m all out of rational for tonight. Enjoy your evening.”

She spun on her heel and headed toward the door.

“Brynn, wait! You can’t leave me like this.”

“Watch me.”

To hell with it all. She’d find her sister on her own tonight. She didn’t need Reid or anyone else for that matter. She’d taken care of things on her own her whole life, why stop now. She glanced back at Reid, who was pulling at his cuffs again. The room’s phone was within reaching distance if he worked for it, but it would take a while. Perversely, she hoped he had to call someone to find him in this position. She’d love to see how Mr. Big Bad Dominant liked that.

He met her gaze. “Don’t do this.”

Without another word, she turned and walked out of the cabin.

now

Brynn stepped onto the porch and slammed the door behind her, ignoring Reid’s last plea. Her hand was shaking when she released the knob.
Dammit
. She needed to get ahold of herself. She sucked in a deep breath, trying to quell the angry tremors coursing through her.
Focus on why you’re here.

She closed her eyes and repeated the mantra in her head until her heartbeat slowed to a semi-normal pace. She didn’t have time to worry about Reid or her broken heart right now. She’d deal with both of them another day. Tonight was about finding Kelsey.

She straightened her shoulders with renewed resolve and stared out into the night. The air had turned a bit cooler and fog hung low over the dark grounds, giving everything an ethereal feel. If she had been there for different reasons, it would have been the perfect evening to hang out in the rocking chair and sip wine while listening to the sounds of the night come to life. But a normal evening never seemed to be in the cards for her anymore.

With a sigh, she crossed the wooden slats of the porch and headed down the steps onto the slate path. She looked toward the
main complex they had come from the night before. All the windows in the house were lit up and paper lamps lined the winding paths that snaked out from the back of the building. The house was modern rustic—an enormous home constructed with dark logs and Texas stone. Anyone driving by would assume it was the vineyard tycoon’s mansion. Nothing about it even hinted at its real purpose.

She wrapped her arms around herself and started down the path in the opposite direction, knowing the other private cabins lay closer to the vineyards. The area got darker the farther away she ventured from the main house. Laughter and music floated on the air from somewhere in the distance, but no one seemed to be in her immediate area. Maybe this hadn’t been such a great spot to watch for her sister.

She reached the end of the path and the short wooden railing that marked the beginning of the rolling expanse of grapevines. With a sigh, she climbed onto it to sit on the top rung. At least Reid wouldn’t look for her here if he managed to escape.

Cabins dotted the land around her, but only two had lights on. The other guests must’ve already headed toward dinner and the party, ready for a fun night. Fun—what everyone else was here for.

She rested her heels on the middle rung of the fence, set her elbows on her thighs, and put her face in her hands, feeling drained and more alone than she had in as long as she could remember. How had everything gone so off course?

Her mom. Her sister. Reid. Her own life.

Was the universe bound and determined to take everyone from her? Each time she thought she had something to hold on to, it seemed to slip through her fingers like mist.

She hadn’t given over to self-pity in years, had sworn to herself that no matter what, she would create a safe and happy life for herself, her sister—help other women do the same. But as she sat on the fence inhaling deep gulps of the earthy air and feeling the
darkness of the night closing around her, fat tears tracked down her cheeks.

God, she was losing it.

The breeze shifted and the steady thudding of footsteps joined in with the rustling of the grape leaves. Her heart stuttered—he couldn’t have escaped that quickly, right? She lifted her head to find an imposing figure heading her way. She could tell from the sauntering gait that it wasn’t Reid, but other than that, she couldn’t make out much else. Great, just what she needed, uninvited company.

“Hello?” she called, hurriedly cleaning the moisture from her face.

The man closed the distance between them in a few long strides. “Well, hi there, darlin’. What are you doing out here all by yourself?”

Brynn gave Grant a once-over. Plaid shirt rolled up his muscular forearms, well-worn jeans and boots, stubble that was a few hours past a five-o’clock shadow—all matching up perfectly with that lazy drawl of his. If she hadn’t learned last night that he owned the place, she would’ve taken him for a cowboy who had wandered off a nearby pasture.

She cleared her throat, which had clogged with her tears. “Um, I just needed to get away for a minute.”

He stepped closer and into a patch of moonlight. His dark eyebrows dipped low as he took in her appearance. “Is something wrong?”

She sniffed and shook her head. “Um, I’m fine. Just needed a break. I don’t think the whole submissive thing is going to work for me after all.”

“Brynn, I had the pleasure of watching you with your master and Jace last night. Had you not told me about the fear you’re dealing with, I would’ve never guessed. You take to the role like it’s second nature.” The side of his mouth lifted a tick. “Are you sure it’s the sub part of the equation you’re struggling with?”

She shifted uncomfortably, his penetrating stare scattering her nerves. No question which side of the power exchange fence he played on. “Things didn’t go well with Reid.”

His tone turned deadly calm. “Did he break a rule with you? Push you too far? If he did, it’s important for you to tell me. I have no tolerance for that kind of thing here.”

She bit her lip. “No, nothing like that. He knows what I’ve been through and would never physically hurt me. We just… clash.”

“Ah,” he said, some of the tension in his stance easing. “He must be quite a master if he’s gotten under your skin this quick. Most doms don’t even crack the surface of a sub’s defenses until well into a relationship.”

She gritted her teeth at his knowing nod. “I’m not going back to his cabin.”

His eyes crinkled around the corners. “Fair enough. We can always get you another room. But I hope you aren’t going to skip the Bacchanal tonight. We only do it once a year—it’d be a shame for you to miss it.”

“I still plan on checking it out. Aren’t you going?” She glanced down at his outfit.

He chuckled. “I have to monitor the party to make sure everything goes all right. If I participate, it usually isn’t until late into the night, and by then, costumes aren’t exactly needed.”

Her cheeks heated. “I imagine not.”

He reached for her hand. “Come on. You’ll walk over to the party site with me. They already have the food laid out. Your master’s loss is my gain.”

“I really don’t think—”

“Indulge me, Brynn. My mama taught me to make sure guests are satisfied. The club has clearly failed in meeting the expectations you had for your stay here, so at least give me the pleasure
of putting a good meal in your belly. Our chef Collette makes food so good, I’ve seen even the scariest doms get on their knees to beg her for seconds.”

She knew he’d just given her a command, not a request, but suddenly she didn’t want to be alone in the dark anymore. Wallowing would solve nothing. Plus, his easy charm made him hard to resist. He was like one of those drinks with the umbrellas—all that sugar disguising the true power swirling in the depths. Not until halfway through the beverage would you realize it was too late, that you’d already been knocked off balance.

She smirked as he led her back up the path. “I figured the owner of this kind of place would have a harem of beautiful slaves to hand-feed him dinner.”

“Only on Sundays. Can’t let myself get too spoiled, ya know?”

A snort escaped. “Right. Wouldn’t want that.”

They took a turn off the main walkway toward the east side of the property, the full moon lighting their surroundings with a silvery glow. Beyond the cabins and expansive vineyards, there was nothing but open land and the low swell of hills along the horizon. Breathtaking and so different from the flat Dallas landscape.

“How far from the city are we?” she asked.

“About an hour west of Fort Worth.”

“Huh. Didn’t feel like that long on the way out.”

“That’s ’cause Robbie drives a limo like Satan’s on his tail,” he said, gently taking her elbow and guiding her to another turn.

The music that’d been drifting on the breeze grew louder and a few hundred yards in front of them the sky filled with an orange glow. “Looks like the party started without us.”

“Ah, don’t worry. The night is young.”

Her heartbeat increased tempo every step they got closer to the revelry—both in anticipation of seeing her sister and in nervousness about her hair-trigger panic attacks. And God help her
when Reid got free and made it down here. She was going to have a seriously irate lawyer on her hands. Hopefully, she could talk to Kels before she had to deal with that.

The Bacchanal was set up in a large corner of an open pasture. The few trees that dotted the area had been strung with white twinkle lights, and large tiki torches had been placed strategically around the perimeter of the party to provide additional illumination. Some people were already dancing to the rhythmic beat of the music and some were sitting at the small tables that had been placed at the far end of the space, but most were around the long buffet tables that ran along the fence flanking the right side of the field.

A girl with fiery red hair long enough to cover her bared breasts greeted them with a smile. “Welcome, Master and Lady.”

“Thank you, Holly,” Grant said, giving the woman a soft, but chaste kiss on the mouth. “Don’t you look tempting, tonight.”

Holly dipped her head in thanks, then turned to Brynn to place a head wreath made of grapevines on her head. “Enjoy your evening.”

“Come on,” Grant said, putting his palm against the small of her back and leading her to the food area. “If you plan to enjoy the festivities, you need to make sure you’re properly fueled and hydrated.”

“Sounds like a sporting event.”

He glanced down at her, his eyes glinting. “Oh, darling, this is way more vigorous than any sport.”

She forced a smile, but her heart had taken up residence in her throat.

When they reached the food line, Grant handed her a plate and let her go in front of him. Lavish displays of fruit, cheese, and roasted meats filled the tables along with bowls of a creamy orange punch and huge decanters of some aubergine-colored liquid. Half-dressed male and female attendants stood on the other side
of the table filling glasses for guests. She pointed at the drinks and looked back at Grant. “What are these?”

“Ambrosia and fresh grape juice.”

An Adonis-like man clad in only a swath of material low-slung around his hips ladled some of the ambrosia into a cup for her. She thanked him, then smiled at Grant. “Bacchus may strike y’all down for having his festival with no wine.”

He chuckled. “Rules are rules, but we are honoring the harvest. I even have vats of grapes wheeled out later so people can experience crushing them. Wine will be made on these grounds—we just won’t be the ones drinking it.”

As attendants randomly piled food on her plate, she kept her eyes on everyone around her, scanning faces like she was looking through a line-up book at a police station. Every young blond woman caught her attention. She was seeing Kelsey everywhere and nowhere.