Stone, Rayna - Safe Haven (Mastering Holly Oaks 2) [Siren Publishing Classic] (7 page)

“Hey, beautiful. You look incredible.” Troy eyed her with such hunger that she wanted to launch herself at him. When he leaned in to kiss her, she melted into his embrace. He wrapped her in his arms and opened her mouth for his kiss, thrusting his tongue into her mouth and pulling her pelvis to him. By the time he finally broke away from her, she was clinging to him for the strength to stay on her feet. “Later, love. We wouldn’t want to steal the show tonight. Besides, I have a competition to win.”

Kelly looked to what had captured his attention. There was a section of the room closed off with rope and a rapidly lengthening line. The wall was filled with blue and pink balloons saying “It’s a Boy” or “It’s a Girl” with numbers written on them with black marker. “You guys are really going to whip balloons?” She looked to Kat and saw the evil glare she was giving Jay.

“That’s not the only game, sweetheart. You know those parenting exercises they used to make high school kids go through? They had to carry around an egg and try not to break it?”

Troy’s gleaming eyes gave Kelly a little chill down her back. “Yeah, what about it?”

His smile was even more unnerving. “Well, check out the little subbie game.” He turned Kelly around so she could see a group of Doms with their subs. The women were naked from the waist up with nipple clamps that were connected to a harness engineered to hold an egg between their breasts.
Holy shit
. They had to carry the egg without letting it fall and break while they raced across the room. No fucking way. She was not going to get clamped and strapped up to carry a freaking egg with a smiley face drawn on it. And the game was rigged, as far as she could tell. If the poor woman had small breasts, the egg wouldn’t sit in the pouch without tilting and falling out with the first step. If her breasts were too big, the jiggle and sway made the damn egg too unstable. Once the egg broke, the sub was out of the game and subjected to the punishment of her Dom’s choice. Kelly looked at Troy defiantly. “No, Troy. You are not rigging me with an egg.” He seemed rather crestfallen. Well, tough shit. She wasn’t exactly the game-playing sort. She knew most of those women were getting excited and having fun, but it just didn’t do it for her.

“We could totally win this game, honey. I’ve got the single tail competition in the bag. None of those guys have my precision. If we win this one, that’s two. All we have to do next is guess Kat’s measurements. Whoever wins three games tonight gets a year’s membership for free. I don’t really need the membership money, but I’ll admit I have a bit of a competitive streak.”

Kelly would do just about anything to make him happy, but to be honest, she just didn’t feel like her submission went so far as to play games in the club. In fact, if it hadn’t been for Troy wanting to assure her of her safety, she didn’t think she would have wanted to scene at the club even that first time.

She loved giving him control in bed. She didn’t want to be the aggressor. She wanted to be ravished and to please him. There was no doubt that she loved the pleasure pain and techniques that many in the lifestyle utilized, but she wasn’t a hardcore submissive. Would Troy be able to accept that? Would that be enough for him? She must have been showing her uncertainty because Troy’s playful demeanor changed as he tilted her face to his. “What’s wrong, baby? We don’t have to play the egg game, Kelly. I would never make you do anything you’re not comfortable with.”

Kelly took his hand and led him through the crowd to her office. Once they were finally alone, she felt comfortable enough to express her concerns. “Troy, I don’t think I can really be the kind of submissive that finds gratification following protocols and scening here at the club. When I was with Flynn, I was a deeply submissive person. To be honest, I would have probably been capable of living the lifestyle 24/7. But since then, I’ve lived on my own and cultivated a very assertive personality. I still crave being able to let go of some of that control in sexual situations, but I just don’t know if I’ll ever be able to immerse myself enough to want a Master again. I like the kink, I love that I can trust you to dominate me in bed, but I just don’t think I’ll ever want to strip on command or play games with everyone here. I was actually hoping to restart training, maybe have you help me initiate people into the lifestyle. I feel more comfortable as Mistress Kelly in public, but I want to be yours in our private lives.” She was afraid that she would be taking away too much of what Troy wanted in his life, in a woman. She felt like maybe she wasn’t cut out for any of this anymore. How could he accept only dominating her sometimes? Not being the Master he had become? God, would she lose him just when she was able to open her heart?

* * * *

Troy ached for Kelly just listening to how unsure of herself she sounded. He understood how confused she must feel. She had been shown one way to live this lifestyle by a man who manipulated her. Then she had assumed a tightly controlled personality that wasn’t exactly her nature either. Now she felt that if she wasn’t all or nothing as his sub, he wouldn’t be able to accept her. He’d never wanted a slave. He needed who she was now.

“Kelly, I told you once that we were going to do this our way. I think our way is pretty fucking amazing. I don’t want you to kneel at my feet. I need a woman who can support me, too. It’s pretty stressful to be in a relationship where your lover is always looking to you to make the decisions. I like knowing that I can be strong for you in the same way you can be strong for me. I like that you want to let me be the more aggressive lover, that’s in my nature, but I don’t need all the protocols either. We don’t need to live this lifestyle by some manual, honey. That’s the beauty of it. We get to make our own rules. I actually think that your training here is invaluable. I’m proud of what you’re able to show others. I’d be honored to be a part of it. We can keep our private lives private.” He caressed her face with the back of his fingers. “As long as you let me redden your ass from time to time, I think we’ll be just fine.” He winked at her, loving that he was rewarded with her laugh.

* * * *

Kelly rested her head against Troy’s chest. The feeling of relief was almost overwhelming. She had been so immersed in protocols and rules that she almost lost sight of the many couples that practiced elements of BDSM without all the structure. Knowing that Troy would love her and work with her to find their own path only reinforced her faith in their ability to have a future together.

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. “Hey, guys? I really hate to interfere with whatever’s going on in there, but we have a bit of a situation out here.” Jay’s frantic voice had them both running to the door. Troy reached it first and lunged out to the main room as soon as he saw how pale Jay’s face was. She looked to Jay for an explanation. “I think Kat’s going into labor. We need to get her to the hospital, but she’s screaming for you and won’t budge.” What the hell? Why in the world would Kat do that? She was the one who kept warning that they better get her to the hospital in time to take every drug available.

When Kelly got to the table she could hear Kat screaming at Mac that she wasn’t going to deliver her baby with feathers painted on her body. As soon as Kat saw Kelly, she looked utterly relieved. “Kelly, you need to wash this shit off. I cannot go to the hospital looking like a sparkly bird! It just isn’t dignified!”

Kelly looked at Mac incredulously. Why the fuck hadn’t he just thrown her in the shower the minute the first contraction started? They could be on their way already. “Mac? Why won’t you let her shower?”

Mac gave her an exasperated look in return. “She won’t let me touch her. Please help her get cleaned up so we can get the fuck out of here.”

Kat was smacking his hands away. “You already did enough, Mac. Get your fertile hands off me right now and tell Jay if he so much as tries to hold my hand again I’m going to rip it right off. Oh, fuck!” Kat doubled over in pain.

Kelly quickly helped her to her feet and started walking her to the locker room. “Let’s get you in the shower. I cannot believe how goddamn pigheaded you’re being. I’m telling you right now, I am not delivering this baby. Won’t go to the hospital with feathers on? Jesus, you’re unbelievable, you know that? No more kids, Kat. I mean it. I’m telling that fucking doctor to tie your tubes as soon as this baby’s out.” Kat was just waddling beside her and telling her the doctor could just rip the fuckers out of her body if he wanted.

As soon as Kelly finished hastily scrubbing Kat clean, Mac barged into the changing room. He picked Kat up and practically ran for the door shouting that Kelly was to go with them. Troy would meet them at the hospital later. He’d been called to a crime scene.

Chapter
Eight

Troy could feel the ice forming in his veins as he listened to Dispatch giving the coordinates that would take him to another dead woman. It’d be a miracle if he didn’t drop the phone from his shaking hands.

“Detective, did you hear me? The caller confessed to being the killer! He demanded that you personally get out to this crime scene.” Misty had been running the lines at Dispatch for years. He’d never heard her so excited before. Yes, this was a new development, contact from the killer, but Troy wasn’t feeling excited. He was feeling nauseous.

“I heard you, Misty, but are you sure these coordinates are correct? My GPS has this location in the middle of nowhere right outside of Holly Oaks. None of the previous crime scenes were outside the Denver city limits and none of them were out in the open. Are there even any buildings around?” This didn’t make sense. Was this poor woman lying in a field? Why in the hell was the killer changing his methods now?

“The officers on the scene said it was bad, detective. She’s strung up to a tree.” Misty’s voice was no longer excited. She sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

“Shit. Tell them I’m on my way.” Troy gave himself two seconds to clutch the steering wheel and focus before he tore out of the parking lot with sirens blaring.

As Holly Oaks faded into the background, Troy let the gravity of the situation settle onto his shoulders. The killer was ready to up the ante and bring Troy into his sick game. It wasn’t uncommon for the lead detective to become a target. Criminals wanted to know the people chasing them. But now Troy knew this bastard had been watching him closely. He was bringing his murder victims to Troy’s turf. Holly Oaks was no longer safe and neither were the people who were close to Troy.

When he pulled over next to the local deputy’s car on the side of the road, he could see they had already brought in lights and technicians. At least local law enforcement was following procedure. If there was any evidence here, hopefully it hadn’t been tainted. A young man in a deputy’s uniform approached him and asked for identification. Once he learned who Troy was, he blew out a deep breath. “The body’s over the ravine, sir. I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s like he built a whole scene for you. And I do mean you, detective. There’s a note and everything. And that poor girl. I’ve just never seen such a thing.” He looked sick and lost all at the same time.

Troy could understand. He had nightmares after his first homicide case and it was nothing compared to the way these victims had been found. He needed to see the scene and get that damn note. He would not be used as a pawn in this sick fuck’s game. There had to be a way to find this guy. The BDSM community was not that large, for Christ’s sake. How was he moving around unnoticed? Even wearing a concealing mask should spark someone’s curiosity. Someone had to have had a conversation with this guy. There had to be some clue out there as to who he was or how to find him.

Troy followed the deputy over to the scene and ducked under the police tape. What he saw before him was shocking to say the least. A young woman was dangling from a tree, bound by her wrists. Her whole body was covered in lash marks. Apparently the killer had narrowed down his weapon of torture to the whip. He used enough skill that he could have whipped her for hours without causing any mortal damage, but she would have suffered tremendously. He supposed that it was possible the killer committed the crime here, but the area was too clean. The grass on the ground wasn’t tramped down enough, and the tree branch she hung from was barely bending under her weight. He knew that any amount of thrashing that this girl would have done would have stressed the tree more. And the ground would be splashed with blood and flattened by the killer’s movements. Everything was too tidy for this to be the primary crime scene.

Next to the tree some clothing was perfectly folded. They had never found any clothing at the other crime scenes. Just the fact that it was there was significant. And right on top of the small pile of clothes was a single sheet of paper. As he carefully leaned over the evidence, he could clearly read the note. His blood chilled and his heart skipped a few beats as the killer’s message sank in.

Detective Davis,

Do you think your skill is as great as mine? I’ve spent quite a long time perfecting my technique with the single tail. Too bad we couldn’t compete tonight. Do send sweet kitten my congratulations on the birth of her baby.

Troy started to run back to his car shouting instructions that the evidence be processed immediately. He needed to know everything about the clothes. That was where the message really was. He knew not to hope for fingerprints on the note, but those clothes were important. Right now, he needed to get to the hospital and see for himself that everyone was okay. That bastard had been at the club. Right there in the same fucking room with him. He had been in the same room with Kelly.

Jesus, he must have set up that crime scene before the party. He wouldn’t have had any time to do anything but drive out here to leave his little note for Troy. He needed to call Kent at the club and find out the name of everyone that was there tonight. This guy had to have left as soon as Kat started her first contraction. The single tail competition was set to start within the hour. He would have seen Kelly and Troy leave to go to the office, and he would have seen them rush out with Jay. Had he made the call to the police as he was leaving the club? He could have just beaten the police to the crime scene, dropped the note, and taken off.

Troy hadn’t been in the club more than a few minutes after Kelly and Kat went to the locker room before he was called to meet the deputies out here. Jesus, was the fucker still here? Just watching him? He skidded to a halt to make sure there was a perimeter check of the area before he got into his car and peeled out. He was praying this wasn’t a trick to separate him from Kelly or Kat. As he sped down the highway he started dialing Kelly’s cell.

* * * *

“What the fuck do you mean you
think
the epidural is working? I’m fucking telling you I can feel
everything
!” Kat was screaming at the anesthesiologist. Her contractions were coming one after the other and Kelly was pretty sure if those drugs were working, she wouldn’t be trying to break the damn bed rails off. She really wished that doctor would stop telling Kat that she should feel some pain. Kelly was going to side with Kat on this one. That epidural was totally not working right. She kind of wished she could leave the room, but Kat had warned her to stay put under threat of imminent death if she tried to leave. Kelly had always joked with everyone that she didn’t want kids. The pain of the reality that she might never get the chance to have them was too great. Joking and denial were her means of coping. After seeing this event unfold, she was rethinking her desire to procreate. This looked extremely unpleasant.

The ob-gyn finally came into the room to examine Kat’s progress. It was a bit difficult to hear her over Kat’s cussing and predictions that she was giving birth to the alien baby from hell, but when the doctor confirmed that the epidural hadn’t taken, they all breathed a silent sigh of relief.
Thank fucking God
. They could fix this and get on with it. Then the doctor informed everyone that Kat was progressing too quickly to place a second epidural. Apparently the baby was crowning, and they needed Kat to start pushing. Kelly didn’t have time to scream that surely there was something they could do to stop said crowning. She was too busy rushing over to Jay, who promptly lost all color and started slumping to the floor.

“Jay! Wake up, Jay!” Kelly was slapping his face and shaking him as much as she could.

Mac looked to the floor and kicked his partner in the leg. “Wake up, Jay. You’re supposed to be helping out here, asshole. I’m going to cane your ass if I’m the only one that ends up with a broken hand, slave. Get the fuck up!” Jesus, could this get any worse?

The doctor was telling Kat that she needed to concentrate and push, Kat was begging Mac not to let her die, and Jay was coming around and looking like he might vomit. This was going downhill fast. Mac was normally a very level-headed man and knew how to handle Kat. Right now he just looked terrified and in desperate need of some help. Well. Someone needed to get this shit under control. Kelly jumped up and let Jay’s head fall to the floor. As soon as she got to Kat’s other side, she pinched her on the thigh as hard as she could.

“What the fuck, Kelly? Do I somehow look like I’m not in quite enough pain yet? What kind of psycho bitch are you?” Kat yelled.

“Listen up, Kat. This baby does not seem to care about how much pain you’re in. Since Mac has apparently stepped away from the land of the helpful, you’re going to have to listen to me. Stop whining and crying. I know it hurts. You can bitch at me all you like later, but right now you need to grow a pair and push that baby out.” Kelly already knew Kat still had her nipple rings. She had gone through a week of depression when the doctor told her she couldn’t breast-feed because of her medications so she never bothered to remove them. Kelly was going to use every bit of ammo in her arsenal to get this done. “If you don’t start focusing and pushing, I’m going to yank on your nipple rings to get your attention. How sensitive are your breasts, Kat? Shall we see which part of your anatomy hurts more, or do you think you can just deliver this baby?”

Kat gave her a mutinous look. “I hate you.” That was fine by Kelly, because Kat finally looked determined instead of panicked. She took a deep breath and pushed for all she was worth. It only took six pushes before Kelly heard the baby cry. Kat slumped down on the bed, tears streaming from her face as the doctor placed the baby on her chest. Kelly was mesmerized. She was so tiny, and rather pissed, but still the most beautiful thing Kelly had ever seen. Well, in a kind of wrinkled way, at least. After a few minutes, she stepped away so Jay could stumble to Kat’s side. She quietly stepped out of the room, wanting to give them some privacy now that the ordeal was over. Kelly smiled to herself as she headed to the waiting room. She had been there to see their baby come into the world. She had helped. Kelly felt like she had never accomplished anything as important as that in her life. It was crazy, horrific, and unreasonably messy, but it was a miracle, too. Maybe having a baby someday would be worth it after all.