The Red Door (The Door Series Book 1) (16 page)

“This club.”

“No.” I watched as Mitch shook his head and stood walking away from his desk.

“They ran it and found out I was from here and knew I had been a member of this club. So they sent me here as the lead over my team, but let me know that there was someone else undercover. Diana?”

“Fuck Alex. This is a little soon don’t you think. We don’t have shit.”

“And we won’t, not without their help. We both know they’re clean. We need their eyes and ears. We don’t have time to go back four years or more. Adam has been a member for over ten years. Mitch has been here the past five years, and we won’t get to the personal information without him. It’s locked up so tight none of our people could get into it. It is past time to bring in Adam and Mitch.”

“I don’t agree so if everything gets fucked up, it’s on you. I want to rush in and be a savior, too, but this is not time to play a goddamn super hero.”

I rolled my eyes at her. “I’ll take that Wonder Woman. Now state your creds, please.”

“Diana Smith. Homeland Security. That’s all you get.”

“Your real name.”

Diana smirked at me. “Diana Smith.”

“Fine. I’ll give you a number to pass to your team so they can get in touch with my team.” I looked over to see Mitch and Adam’s faces. Anger. No doubt about it, they were pissed. “I guess until Diana gets the green light I’ll lay out my end. Four years ago two girls went missing. One you’ll probably remember. She was barely eighteen and was a new member of this club. She was a member for two weeks and under the wing of Brenda and Mason Hammond.”

“Shit!”

“Fuck.”

I looked from Mitch to Adam. “Went by the name Carrie Reynolds. From the video I saw, she was still a virgin when she was taken. And they videoed everything and sold the tickets to watch the live show both in person and through the internet. Needless to say it was not pretty. When she passed out, they kept the cameras rolling as they then sold her off to the highest bidder in the audience. When the highest bidder won her, everyone left the room, but the tape kept rolling. He used her off and on for hours in ways I do not care to explain, until her death, and then left the room turning off the lights behind him. Later someone else came in and used her again. This was repeated over and over. We were able to see silhouettes of the men coming and going and figured from the different sizes and heights that at least three different men had her after she died. She had no peace even after death.”

“Goddammit!” I looked up to see Adam punch the wall. It was the first time I had ever seen him lose his temper. As morbid as our thoughts were at this moment, I was fascinated by his emotional display. “I hope when you traced down that web address that you didn’t make their deaths easy,” Adam said while staring me down. I didn’t need to comment for them to know no one was caught. If they were, neither Diana nor I would be here.

“You didn’t. You didn’t trace them? God, Alex. What the fuck?”

“We received recording of the video four years after the fact. No, we didn’t get them, but she is only one of the girls that were for sure in this club. The other girl was a college student brought in as a guest.” I looked over at Mitch. “Since you just started keeping a record on guests a few months ago you’ll have no paperwork on her, but I hope you will remember her. Her name was Kim Waters. She had brown hair and heterochromia, one green eye and one blue eye. Stood exactly five foot. Big smile.” I pulled out my phone and passed it around showing them a picture of the girl. “She was taken the same way though she wasn’t a virgin, but she was fresh and her eyes made her unusual. God, they were both so damn innocent.” I looked down at my boots and rolled my shoulders, trying to calm my temper. I had always been dominant even before I was into the scene. I didn’t understand how someone could abuse that trust.

I let Mitch see the confusion and pain on my face. “Are you sure she was taken from this club? I know I don’t remember everyone from the club, but I did try to get all the information down about the ones under twenty-one even if no one knew I was doing it.”

“Yes. She sent a text to a girlfriend before she came in. It said, ‘My date is taking me to The Red Door. Maybe you will not think I’m such a prude afterwards.’ The friend did say it was this club. She said Ms. Waters never dated and had only had sex once. She met this guy while she was mad and told him that she was looking for an adventure.”

“I hate this shit. This club was opened by my grandfather to help out those in need. It’s a private place to let our inner selves relax safely, not a front for illegal activity.”

“There’s more,” I said looking from each man before stopping on Adam, who was rubbing his hand and looking off.

“Carrie was under the Hammond’s wing. They were caring for her four years ago. When she went missing they were the ones saying she was taken. They wouldn’t drop it. Remember Adam? Two months after she went missing, the case was dropped into unsolved, but they pushed harder and rattled national press. A week later their house burned with them in it.”

“No!” Adam said shaking his head. “No. That was faulty wiring. Those are not connected.”

“If you say so, but Mason managed to forward a threatening email he received that night before he died. It said ‘Sleep easy knowing that soon your pure angel, Ari, will have the same fate as Carrie. We so love her purple eyes.’”

“God Almighty Christ, Alex. Ari is safe. Right? She won’t come here unless it is through the two of you, right? This bullshit going on between the three of you will be worked out. Between you two, Holly and me, and Diana, we will keep her safe. Right?”

“Yes, Ari will be safe. And she is ours. She’ll get over this little fit and realize she made a mistake,” Mitch said looking right at me, making sure I knew where the mistake laid. “Now is the time for you to agree with me. To tell me that the time we spent with her meant something more to you than just your fucking job.”

I was pissed but wasn’t going to get into it. I kept quiet and waited.

“That’s why you didn’t take her? You didn’t want it on your conscious, that while working on this case to protect her, you were fucking her over, too?”

“Fuck you, Mitch. If you don’t think I wasn’t in this room one hundred percent Friday night, then you’re fucking wrong. Yes, I have a job to do, and it coincides with taking care of Ari, but that night meant as much to me as to you if not more. If I didn’t have to keep up appearances I wouldn’t have gone out to Diana. That is part of this. You know how much of a Dom I am and to be a switch to get information kills me, but I will do it to see these bastards go down.”

“How is being a switch helping you?”

“So far it hasn’t helped any. We have no leads and everyone in this club seems legit, but there has to be someone who isn’t. We were hoping by keeping all options open that we would be approached. Not happening yet.”

“By being a switch you thought a sexual predator would approach you?” Mitch scoffed.

“Yes. I’m being a switch in this role. Diana a Domme. There are other roles being filled that you have no business knowing about right now. They are not just virgins being taken, but adults who can be broken, too.”

“And you think someone is going to think they can break you?”

“Yes, Mitch. Because I come off confused while being whipped. I do it but never get off on it. I get the shit beat out of me by a sexy hot woman willing to take me, but I never get hard. It doesn’t do anything for me. That’s what they see and why I seem confused.”

“Maybe you need someone else beating you. I am more than willing beat the fuck out of you. I don’t doubt I can make you enjoy it, too.”

“Don’t think I wouldn’t try it, Mitch. I will do just about anything to catch this sick fuck.”

“Alex, not to get completely off subject, but while being my sub doesn’t do it for you sexually, it does do something for you. You have to admit that. I’m not saying this because I am the one who tops you, but because it’s the truth. All of us in this room know it. Everyone in the club knows it. You are confused; it isn’t just you trying to act that way. You need to be honest with yourself and figure out what need it fulfills or what need it’s helping you forget. I’m beginning to think it is not you, but me who’s the problem. I am supposed be willing, but you’re not my type. I need to find a young girl who’s a masochist and let Mitch take my place with you. On another note, we need to bring Ari into this,” Diana stated.

“Not a chance,” I said in a low pitch voice, but loud enough for everyone to hear me.

“Yes. I’ve been told to find someone who could be brought in, and if I would have known about the email, I would have brought her in sooner. This is not a decision you can make. It’s an order given to me. She’ll be safer under all of our watch if she is brought in officially.”

“No. She’s no part of this.”

“Yes, she is. She’s the target and the person they want.”

“Shit!” I roared while rubbing my hands over my head wishing I had some hair to pull to release some frustration. I knew she was right, but I wanted her as far away from this as I could get her. “Fine we’ll tell her, but it’s her decision to get involved. If she says no, then you find someone else. And at the first sign of trouble I’m hauling ass with her and no one will find us.”

“No problem. So when do you want to do this? Friday? Before the club opens?” Diana asked looking at each of them.

“Mitch?”

“Of course. Doesn’t matter what I think or that it’s my club. Friday at eight.” I ignored his tone and looked at my brother.

“Adam?”

“Yeah, both Holly and I will be here.”

“Okay, until then, think back to any other girls who went missing or what you can remember about these two. See you Friday.”

I walked out into the bright sunlight and wishing I felt the heat the same way I did last Friday night. Ari coming home now moved the stakes up and put everyone around her in danger. The type of danger I could feel in my soul. I knew this would end badly, I could sense it. The scales were weighted down on our side and theirs was empty. We had no idea who they were while we walked around with big targets on our backs.

Aurora

I spent my day signing the remaining papers at the bank and calling the utility companies. I would have everything but the gas on by Friday. And since the hot water heater was electric, I would be able to move in on Saturday. That morning Michele asked me to stay the remainder of the week at their house. It was a little weird, and I tried to decline, but she butted in saying, “Laundry, plus food and the room charge is too much. I let it go too long. You’re coming home and staying here. I’ll send the guys after you if you don’t come yourself.”

I knew if I told her no, she would figure out why, so I packed my bags to head back to David and Michele’s house. Plus, after thinking about everything Jackson had said, he was right. It was smart to go to the club and find out if it was what I truly wanted. I knew it was going to be hard to see both Mitch and Alex, but I had a club membership and didn’t figure they would revoke it because of what happened.

I looked up as I heard someone knock on the door. Walking over looking through the hole it was not who I was expecting, but I felt excited all the same.

“Jackson. What are you doing here? I told Michele she didn’t have to send out the cavalry.”

He walked in and shut the door leaning against it with that same grin on his face.

“I hear we’re roommates for the week. And I hear it was my mom’s idea, and you didn’t put a stop to it.”

“I...”

“Have you made up your mind then? Are you sure about going to the club as my guest?”

“Yes. I think it is a good idea. It will be uncomfortable running into Mitch and Alex, but I can deal with it.” I threw my head back and sniffed the air, like I was above it all. I watched him laugh and joined in.

“Good, but know that this isn’t permanent in any way. If you do decide to go back with them, just make sure they lay everything out for you and are honest. We are not in a relationship so there is no breaking up here.”

“I know, Jackson. You doing this as a friend trying to help me was the deciding factor.”

“You also need to know that even saying this I am not going to change who I am there. And I am different there, Ari. I am a man, and I respond sexually to lots of things. If I respond to you, don’t get uncomfortable. It isn’t personal.” He smiled.

“Okay. I don’t know how to respond to that.”

“You don’t have to, just stating a fact. I am sure you will respond to some of the things you see, too.” I nodded my head not wanting to admit he was right.

“Okay for your first lesson I want to touch on a little of what a Dom feels for his subs. You need to know a Dom does not make love. Unless you’re in a committed relationship or are collared physically or metaphorically by your Dom, then there are no feelings of love. What you felt was strong, right?”

“Yes,” I whispered not liking where this was going.

“But did they say they loved you?”

“No.” I felt my eyes water. I was so fucking stupid.

“No, because a Dom will not let himself love unless the person is his completely and that completion comes with a type of ownership. Yes, there are exceptions, but in this club they are few and far between. I’m sorry this lesson was a hard one but you need to know how emotional sex can be. This life is a hard one. It doesn’t matter if you are a Dom or a sub. You’re going to feel both the highs and lows that come with it. You’re my friend, and I never want to see you hurt. This is probably the hardest lesson you’ll have to learn. I do love you, Ari, but as a friend. I won’t ever have sex with a sub thinking it’s love when I know it’s the sexual high. The subspace. You have been alone a while, and the first time someone came along and offered you more, you jumped on board. I know that you had a crush on Alex growing up; even if I didn’t overhear you and Becca talking, I saw the yearbooks with the hearts and notes in them. You have to remember, that it has been ten years since he has been back to town, and he’s not that guy anymore. No, I don’t know him, but do you know anything other than the feel of his cock?”