His Obsession (22 page)

“Are
you ready to leave?”

“Yes.”

The
drive home was quiet, and when they walked inside Stephen went straight to his
office. He phoned his lawyer giving him a run-down of all the problems
happening with the club. His lawyer sounded pissed with the instructions, but
he agreed to sort it out. After some time, Stephen shut down the computer and
took a small drink of whiskey before making his way upstairs. The light in the
bedroom was off. Ursula lay in the bed. He didn’t know if she was asleep or
not.

He
threw his clothes to the floor getting in behind her. “I love you,” he said.

“I
love you, too.”

Stephen wrapped his arms around her,
holding her close. There was nothing he wouldn’t do to keep her safe.

“Make love to me, Stephen.”

Turning
her to him, he kissed her deeply. For the rest of the night he loved her body
showing her with more than words how much he loved her.

Chapter Seventeen

Over
the next few days Ursula spent as much time at Possession as possible. She
liked the comfort it provided. Also, she didn’t have to stay at home while
Stephen went to the club. Most of the time Violet sat in one area waiting for
Cadeon
, but Ursula liked exploring every area of the club.
All the rooms were a mystery to her. The staff opened up to her about the
running of the club. She liked being at the club while Stephen went about his
business. After they’d made love a few nights ago, he’d told her everything
that was happening at the club. She had learned a great deal about the
problems.

All
she wanted to do was help him the best way she could. He liked her presence,
and it helped him deal with everything. There were a lot of discussions with
several men entering his office. James stopped by to see her, but Sean and
Lucas spent a great deal of time with her. The other men who frequented the
club left her alone. She liked knowing she’d have peace and quiet.

Her
family were excited about her engagement. Ruby was nervous about her marrying
so young. She knew the moment her mother came to town she’d be instructed to
take a pregnancy test. Ursula smiled at the thought. Stephen hadn’t known she
was on birth control. When she’d told him she was
,
he’d asked her to stop taking it. She didn’t want to start a family straight
away. Spending time with the man she loved meant more to her than anything
else.

Lucas
stopped near where she stood waiting for Stephen outside his office. He began
talking, and soon she was hanging onto his every word as he told a joke. When
it got to the punch line Ursula couldn’t help but chuckle. He always made her
laugh, and she found him charming.

“I’d
better go inside and see what the damage is.”

“He’s
been in a good mood,” she said.

A
picture fell out of his back pocket. She reached out for it.

“Lucas,
wait.” She picked up the photo. He turned to her. “You dropped this.” She gave
him the photo.

“Thanks,”
he said, taking it from her. She noticed he hesitated a few moments while
staring down at the picture. “It’s my sister. She’s,
erm
,
she’s not with us anymore, but I like to keep a picture of her with me.” He
showed her the woman in the photo. Ursula frowned. She recognised her.

“I
know her.”

Sean
walked into the hall before Lucas had a chance to talk. “What are you looking
at?” He saw the photo. Lucas pushed him out of the way.

“What
do you mean you’ve seen her?” He moved closer. She knew something was wrong.

“I
thought I’d seen her, but if you said she’s gone then it can’t be her,” Ursula
said. Lucas looked frightened.

“When
did you see her?” Lucas asked.

“Wait,
what’s going on?” Sean tried to move Lucas out of the way.

“She
knows where Isabella is.”

Both
men crowded her bombarding her with questions. She didn’t know what to do. They
were both larger than she.

“Get
the fuck away from her,” Stephen yelled pushing both men out of the way.

“She
knows where Isabella is.” Lucas shoved the photo up into Stephen’s face. She
gazed at the photo and saw the same woman from the park.

Stephen
turned to her. “Do you know the woman in this photo?” he asked.

“I
went walking in the park a few weeks ago and bumped into a woman who looked
very similar. She was dirty like she spent most of her time on the streets. The
resemblance is remarkable from what I remember.”

“What
park?” Sean asked.

Ursula
gave them directions, and both men headed toward the door.

“Where
are you going?” Stephen called back.

“This
is the first real lead we’ve had. I’m going to go find my sister,” Lucas said.

Cadeon
and the others left with the two men. Ursula looked
at Stephen. “I could be wrong.”

“But
you could be right. It has been over five years since either of those men
have
seen this woman.” He gave her the photo. “I’m going to
help them look.”

She
gazed at the picture then followed him outside. “I’m coming with you.”
Everything was moving so fast. Ursula didn’t know if she could keep up with
everything. Stephen drove in the direction she told him.

“Stay
here,” he said when he got out of the car.

“You
can’t expect me to stay here while you’re all looking for her.”

“That’s
exactly what I want you to do. This is dangerous. I want you to be safe.” He
kissed her then walked off inside the park. She watched as they walked round
the park where she’d bumped into Isabella. With a sigh of frustration she got
back in the car. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out the photo, flipping
the card between her fingers. She glanced down at the photo in her hand,
putting the light of the car on. When she’d seen her, she’d been upset, but she
was sure it was the same woman she’d bumped into in the park.

Ursula
saw the lights of their torches as all the men ran ‘round the park looking for
the woman. She felt wrong sitting in the car while the others were out looking.
There was a free torch, which she grabbed, and then began searching. The bushes
were thick, and the darkness made them scarier.
 

Everything
was moving fast, and she felt she was struggling to keep up. “Isabella?” She
shouted the woman’s name to no avail. The cold was bothering her. She wrapped
her jacket around her body trying to keep out the chill. Sean stopped beside
her.

“Are
you sure it was her?” he asked.

“She
looks very similar. I can’t guarantee.”

There
was a noise in the bushes. They froze as the sound came again. Sean pushed the
leaves out of the way. He took the torch from her and shined it through the
darkness. There on the ground lay a body curled up.

Sean
went towards it. Ursula followed behind. The tension in him couldn’t be
mistaken for anything else.

The
body didn’t move when he approached. He handed her the flashlight. She pointed
the light near the body’s head. Sean turned her over.

“Isabella.”
He cried out her name holding her close. “She’s freezing.” He pulled her in
close. His shouting alerted the others. They helped them out, Stephen shooting
her a glare as they walked. Lucas took her from Sean. They pushed her matted
hair off her head. She was pale, thin, and looked dead.

Stephen
wrapped his arms around her as they checked her pulse. “She’s got a pulse, but
it’s weak.” There was no movement from her.

The
next few hours went by fast. Sean and Lucas drove Isabella to the hospital.
Cadeon
left to be with his woman while Tate and Kevin said
they were going home.

“You’re not going to Rebecca’s
tonight?” Stephen asked.

“She’s
been on edge. We don’t want to scare her. After tonight I just want to go
home.”

“We’re
going home,” Stephen said.

Ursula
didn’t argue as he drove back to his place. He was silent. The anger inside him
could not be mistaken. She watched him lock the door then turn ‘round to her.
Stephen pressed her up against the wall, his anger clear.

“Do
you have any idea the kind of danger you were in? Anyone could have been there
tonight. I asked you to stay in the car,” he said.

“I
wasn’t going to leave you alone. I’m not built that way, Stephen.”

“You
don’t understand anything I’ve told you. There is a man looking to bring me
down. He’s not against using you to get to me. I’m talking about selling you,
Ursula. He trades women as whores. This is what he does.”

“I’m
right here. Nothing happened.”

He
cupped her face, caressing her cheek with his knuckles. “If anything ever
happened to you I wouldn’t forgive myself.”

“Nothing
is going to happen to me. I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.” She grabbed
his face to kiss him. He let her. Their passion clawed at them until they were
up in their room, making love on the bed.

They
were too distracted to hear the phone, which rang until it cut out.

****

Stephen
pulled out of Ursula quickly to answer the phone. She moaned in protest. Their
lovemaking had gone deep into the night, and he hadn’t wanted to leave the snug
fit of her pussy.

“Hello,”
he said.

“Stephen?
You need to come to the hospital.”
Cadeon
was on the
line.

“What?
Why? Is something wrong with Violet?” He rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Ursula
turned on the light. He caught a glimpse of her red ass from his hand the night
before. His cock stirred at the thought of taking her again. She’d become
insatiable in the last few days. She wanted him constantly.

“Violet
is fine. Rebecca Black was attacked in her home. She’s in the hospital. Tate
and Kevin are ready to kill. We were all distracted, Stephen. Lucas and Sean
finding Isabella that easily after all this time was a trick. Also, before you
get here, turn on the news.”
Cadeon
hung up.

Stephen frowned at the cryptic
message, his heart pounding.

“What’s going on?” Ursula asked.

“Rebecca
has been attacked.” He turned the television on and flicked to the news
channel. Ursula gasped while he felt immeasurable anger. Someone had exposed
his club. James came onto the camera trying to get past the press as he got
into his car.

“Exposed,
a club designed to lure women for men’s pleasure or simply a rich man’s
control. This is Anna Stern reporting live outside the location of Ravage. A
BDSM club, which is connected to Club Possession another local—”

He
turned the television off, unable to deal with the rest of what the woman would
say.

“Is
this bad?” she asked.

“It’s
bad enough. First, we need to get to the hospital. I don’t want you at home
alone. If the media are determined to run this story then we need to stick
together. They’ll be hitting here next.”

Stephen
dressed and called for his security team to pick him up. Ursula ran to get
dressed as he went to his office. He’d begun dressing while talking with
Ursula. He buttoned his shirt up as his mobile phone went off.

“Hello,”
he said without looking at the caller’s number.

“I
never meant for that woman to get hurt.” It was the voice of a man on the line.

“Who
is this?”

“He’s
going to call you in an hour. It’s a trap. You need to be waiting. I signed on
for money. I didn’t sign on for this,” the man said.

“Paul?”

The caller hung up.

Stephen
was more confused. Another call came through as Ursula walked into the room. It
was his security team letting him know they were ready. Getting out of his
house became similar to a jigsaw puzzle. There were paparazzi everywhere. The
driver had to dodge all the people who stood in the way.

When
they arrived at the hospital there was more press. His lawyer had everything in
place for Dane to be transported out of England. Ursula was shaking. He wrapped
his arms around her as they got out.

“Is
it true you abuse young women?”

“How
can you be engaged to him?”

The
badgering questions kept coming. Stephen rushed her inside. She covered her
ears. The nurse was waiting to escort them upstairs. He recognised her from the
last time Rebecca had been in the hospital.

James
and
Cadeon
were in the waiting room. Violet lay
curled on the chair next to her man fast asleep. Tate and Kevin came out of one
room while Sean and Lucas came out of the other.

All
four men looked like they’d seen death.

“What
happened?” Stephen asked. Ursula helped him to focus.

“A
couple of guys broke into Rebecca’s place. They trashed everything and then—”
Tate couldn’t finish.