She let out a frustrated sigh but relaxed into my grip. “He needs to understand what’s at stake.” Kate was trying so hard to play the part and failing miserably. I wanted to kiss her right there. We were in this together.

  I turned my attention back to Thomas. “I really don’t care what others think. The decision by Stripes’ Board is a convenient cover, but we’ve found it works for us.” We had so much work to do before that happened.

  “Really?” He still gave me that look that said he didn’t believe us. “And just like that the Mistress of Pain submits to you?”

  “Yes.” I didn’t elaborate. I didn’t need to justify myself to him.

  He glanced at Kate. “So, you accept him as your Master?”

  Kate looked up, then quickly averted her gaze. “I’m trying to, but I’ve spent many years as a Domme. It’s unrealistic to think I won’t have…difficulty changing roles. But the truth is I want to see where this goes.”

  Shit, I loved the sound of that, but a small piece of me worried she was acting to convince Thomas. It hadn’t escaped my notice how she didn’t look at me.

  She continued. “If you’re expecting me to be a perfect slave while I’m here, I’m going to fail. I have many habits to break—like speaking up when I shouldn’t. But frankly, I don’t care what you think. The only person who matters is Jake, and he knows…”

  God, I wanted her to finish that sentence, but she let her words trail off, leaving me to wonder what would have followed.

  Thomas’s skepticism remained. “I trust you’ll keep her in line?”

  I tried to move this awkwardness along. “Kate needs to do her job. I hope this won’t be a problem?”

  Thomas regarded Kate with an appraising expression. “Kate Summers, I don’t know if your Master has had time to explain how things are run here. I’m breaking many rules granting access like this.”

  “Of course, Master Thomas,” she said, her voice low and contrite, gracious even.

  I breathed out a sigh, grateful she wasn’t making a fuss.

  He looked at me. “She’s not permitted to wander without you at her side.”

  “Of course.” Like I would leave her alone.

  “Master Thomas,” said Kate. “Maybe we should start with the members list?”

  “She hasn’t been properly indoctrinated.”

  She handed him a business card. “If you could e-mail the list to my assistant, she can begin the background investigations. I’m interested in two things today. I want to check out the woods where the girls were taken, and I’d like to take a look at all your outbuildings. And if you have a van we can borrow, I’d appreciate that as well.”

  Thomas tucked her business card into his pocket. “Why the outbuildings?”

  “I’m eliminating them as possible crime scenes.” She lifted her chin and stared him down. “I can do the legwork now, or the police can when their warrants clear. Captain Marshall is happy to rely upon my assessment of the Edge grounds and hold off on those warrants. The more cooperative you are now, the less interference you’ll experience with the police later.”

  He pursed his lips and blew out a breath, shifting his feet to a wider stance. “I watched the videos, and those buildings aren’t here.”

  “We watched the same video,” she said, craning her neck. Kate’s hand reached down to cover the one I had wrapped around her waist. She gave my fingers a squeeze. “I think we can agree they were abducted here. Whether or not they were murdered here is something yet to be determined. You’re doing yourself a favor in granting me access to your property and files. The police are waiting for my report in lieu of processing warrants. Slave or not, this job will be done by me.”

  Thomas’s face turned beet-red. “Any other time, Miss Summers and I would have you bent over my knee or tied to a post for your insolence.” He turned to me. “Control your slave, Jake.”

  I gave Thomas a shrug. “You said you watched those tapes. Kate’s damn good at what she does. Let her work. That doesn’t happen if I control her.”

  The fine lines at the corners of Thomas’s eyes tightened. “Fine. But she goes nowhere without you. And if you have to leave her, you assign a caretaker to watch over her in your place. I’ve assigned Michael to her for today as well as the weekend.”

  I liked Michael and had known him for a couple of years. A new Dom, he’d been apprenticing at the Edge for some time now. Gentle and considerate, he would see her introductory weekend went off without a hitch.

  “Who’s Michael?” Kate looked at me. “The fewer individuals who know about why I’m here the better.”

  “Michael is the only other person at the Edge who can be trusted with what you’re doing,” said Thomas. “He’s already been briefed as to the purpose of your visit.”

  Michael’s involvement surprised me. Thomas must be more concerned about this than I realized. I was glad to see him taking the case seriously.

  “After we spoke, I ran the lists, looking for alibis. The only people who weren’t in the local area around the dates those two girls were killed were Michael and myself. We’re the only two Edge members who can’t possibly be your murderers.” He pointed at me. “Hell, even you’re under suspicion.”

  My skin itched with his finger directed at me. I turned to Kate. “Why do you need a van?”

  “The tech team has a theory they want me to explore. They were able to isolate the road noise from the video and think we can use it to narrow the search grid to find the second crime scene.”

  She put her hands on her hips and leveled a heavy stare at Thomas. “No one thinks the girls were murdered here, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be thorough. I will also need to speak with the members.”

  Thomas’s mouth set into a hard line. “I don’t think that is such a good idea.”

  “I know how to be discreet. Once I have a look at the list, I’ll have a better idea of whom I need to talk to first. I was planning on using this weekend to begin interviews.”

  Thomas huffed a laugh. “A slave interrogating the Masters? I don’t think you understand how this place is run.”

  “You’d be surprised how much I can learn by observation alone. That, plus a few strategic questions, is all I’ll need.”

  “Now that is something I’d like to see.” He crossed his arms and slowly shook his head.

  So would I. I had no idea how Kate intended on interviewing the members.

  “You’ll know soon enough, Master Thomas. Do you have a van we can borrow? If not, I need to arrange for one to be brought over.”

  “We have several. Just let Michael know what you need, and he’ll bring it around.”

  “Thank you.” She stepped forward and lifted up on tiptoe to give Thomas a kiss on the cheek. “I’m sorry if you find me insolent. I’m relearning this as I go.”

  He wrapped a leathered arm around her waist and pulled her close. “Ah, sweetie. I get what you’re trying to do, both for the girls and for Jake.”

  “Of course,” said Kate. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to go take a look at those woods.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Kate

  Jake led me around the grounds before we headed off to the woods. We checked out each of the outbuildings, and none matched the video of the first girl’s murder. He held my hand the entire time, giving quick squeezes to telegraph his affection.

  I had never walked hand in hand with a man before, excluding the random high-school crush. The few times I stole my hand back, Jake was quick to recapture it. At first this annoyed me, but I allowed myself to sink into my new role. A submissive wouldn’t tear her hand out of her dominant’s grasp. A Mistress would, but that was no longer my place.

  I hadn’t expected any of the buildings to match the video, but like I told Thomas, I needed to be thorough.

  To say the Edge impressed was an understatement. Millions had been invested in this place to turn it into the perfect adult playground. Purebred mares, geldings, and the rare stallion lined immaculate stables. Jake said they used them for polo matches and fox hunts in the woods. There were also dog kennels attached to the stables, filled with the happy yips and barks of prized bird dogs. Those I knew a little more about, and we wandered the kennels, letting the friendlier dogs lick and nuzzle our palms while we laughed at their frantic scrambles to love us to death.

  My father had been an avid hunter. We had never been rich enough to afford a hunting dog and had always lived in the city. An inappropriate place to raise a dog. He didn’t need one, though, because he had enough cop friends who took him hunting with their dogs. When I was old enough to hold a rifle, he took me along. I missed those times, walking the fields with my father, watching the dogs run the birds.

  While the kennels and stables impressed me, the attached fetish pony-play and kennel-play areas had as much or more invested in them as the cash spent on the horses and canine companions. I’d never been one for those particular kinks, but I admired the attention these men put into every detail.

  They had also built an entire series of outbuildings dedicated to old-world play. The various contraptions spread out in the village square mock-up had me thinking it had something to do with witch trials.

  From stocks, to dunking tanks, to other devices I would need to research later; there were some men with rather kinky minds who called the Edge their weekend retreat.

  I gave Jake a sideways glance, wondering exactly where his true desires lay. I didn’t read people wrong, and I didn’t think I’d crossed my wires with him, but this place was off the charts. For the first time in a long time, I felt a little out of my league.

  The sun had risen high in the sky by the time we reached the boundary of the woods. Several hours of the day remained, but we were losing light. I wished we’d left town before noon, but that damn meeting at the precinct delayed us.

  “Here it is.” Jake swept out his arm and gestured to a set of chest-high wooden posts staked into the ground. “The beginning of the run.” He made it sound ominous. “It’s the start of where the chase begins.” A glimmer of excitement flickered in his eyes; then he frowned.

  I understood what must be going through his mind. His playground had been tainted by the murders. “So, is this where the girls were taken?” My gut clenched, thinking about the excitement the girls must have felt that later turned to terror. I bit my lower lip, watching the conflicting emotions scrawled on his face. “Is this a place you like?”

  He glanced at the beginning of the path and rubbed at the back of his neck. “Yeah, but it feels different now.”

  Certainly it must. “I hadn’t pegged you for someone who enjoyed takedown scenes.”

  His arms fell to his sides. “It’s not something I do with just anyone. It takes a lot of trust.”

  “Do you just chase, or is it more…involved?” I needed him to divest himself of all this civility around me. “Do you trust me?”

  “We’re nowhere near that point yet, but someday I hope to.” His shoulders bunched. “But maybe not here.”

  These particular paths would forever be tainted, but there was hope for us. “You do know I’ll kick your ass.” I loved challenging him, but he didn’t take the bait.

  He shook his head. “I doubt it. I play to win.” His gaze slanted to the path, another frown furrowing his brow.

  “Promises, promises.” I stole a glance into the woods, following the angle of his gaze.

  The thick trees looked like a great place for a game of seek and evade. It was a shame we had work to do. From what little he’d shown me last night, he could easily take me down. Hard-ass Jake’s strength was nothing to ignore.

  “So tell me, do you recognize any of the footage from the first girl’s capture?” I knew he’d recognized the woods from Elizabeth’s video. I wasn’t sure if the same went for the other girl.

  “Do you have her video?”

  I handed him my phone. “Here.” I put my hand on his. “Turn the sound down, please. I can’t stand to hear it again.”

  His deep-blue eyes softened with compassion. “Sorry, I forgot. Are you okay to do this?”

  “As long as I don’t watch, I’m good. The images are what trigger me the most, but I’d still rather not have to listen to it again.” I headed down the path. “Just tell me when you see something you recognize.”

  He clasped my phone, swiping at the screen as he walked, fingers moving back and forth over the touchscreen. His frown deepened. “This is strange.”

  “What?”

  “It’s just…”

  I grabbed my phone. He’d paused and blown up the screen. The image was of our victim, her hands bound against a gnarled tree trunk. The tree stretched shattered limbs into the air, a perfect specimen for strapping a willing subject to. Except she didn’t look willing. At least, not anymore. Fear rimmed her eyes. Perhaps this was when she first realized the game she thought she played was no longer one for fun. Was this the moment she understood her life might be at risk?

  I didn’t want to think on that. I forced my attention away from the girl’s face and to the forest behind her. How was I supposed to find this tree? Oh, wait. I turned to the expert who knew these woods best.

  “Do you know where this is?”

  His Adam’s apple bobbed. “I do.”

  Then what were we doing here? I pointed down the path. “Lead on.”

  The drawing together of his brows alerted me something was wrong, but we needed to get a move on. We were losing the light, and the shadows were already thick beneath the trees. I moved down the path.

  When he didn’t join me, I turned around. “Is there a problem?”

  He shook his head. “No, no problem.”

  It must have something to do with that tree. I walked back to him and laid a hand on his upper arm. His bicep flinched at my touch, the thick-corded muscle bunching beneath my fingers.

  Something was bugging him. “What’s with the tree, Jake?”

  He glanced up at the sky. “We need to get a move on.” He took off down the dirt trail.

  I stomped behind him in my boots and yellow dress. Seriously, he couldn’t have let me wear a sensible pair of jeans for this?

  The trail began as a broad dirt path, then split, narrowed, and divided again. The paths broke apart into a maze of well-maintained trails. I could see how this area would be great for hide-and-seek among Masters and slaves. There was no reason to go into the thick of the woods themselves. All the branching of the paths provided plenty of twists and turns to hide within. The deeper Jake led me inside this adult playland, the more the game revealed itself.

  Narrow paths opened up into green spaces, areas with benches placed in the middle of cut grass. Brass rings set into the wood served obvious purposes. Some of the meadows held posts with a single ring affixed to the top. Others had more elaborate constructions of wood and steel. My gaze lingered on a clearing holding a single post standing ten feet high. My imagination kicked into high gear.

  I could see myself fleeing down one of these paths, taking a trail forking to the left, running ahead of Jake’s pursuit. My legs would carry me far, there was no doubt about that, but his athletic body would have no problem keeping pace. I knew his strength, and it implied an endurance beyond mine. Eventually, he’d catch me, but I’d make him work for his victory. I wouldn’t be an easy capture.

  That post is where I wanted him to pin me, wrists strung high above my head. I’d stand, bound before him, in the middle of that meadow. He’d turn me to face the pole, exposing my back. My breasts would press against the unforgiving wood; my shoulders would strain against my body’s weight. There would be no sound of the whip snaking against a tiled floor. It would slither through the grass, or maybe I wouldn’t hear it at all. Perhaps the only warning I would have would be the ear-splitting crack the moment before it bit into my flesh.

  I chewed my lower lip, suppressing a moan.

  Memories of Badass Jake and his belt returned to me. My backside was still tender from his strikes. I hated that we couldn’t embrace everything we desired. We were still so new at this thing we were trying. I’d asked him to be hard, and he came through. The gentle buildup to a heavy scene had been lacking, but I couldn’t fault him for my mistake. I’d demanded something hard, and he delivered. What I didn’t understand was why I’d failed to handle the pain. I consoled myself with the fact that it had been years since I’d opened myself up.

  I discounted my odd reactions to Jake and his belt, figuring it would take time to ease back into my masochistic tendencies. It had always been about pain for me. This tenderness of his wasn’t something I understood, even as I found myself warming up to it.

  Jake disappeared down a bend in the trail, and I pulled myself away from the clearing with regret. Later, I would return to this. Another time.

  And then it hit me. In my fantasy I’d allowed him to bind my wrists. When had I crossed that limit off my never-again list?

  “Just a little farther,” he called out.

  He stopped, and I jogged to catch up to him. He held out his hand and waited for me to put mine in his. The warmth of his fingers curled over the back of my hand, and he drew me off the path, heading deeper into the woods.

  “Where are we going?”

  “To the tree.”

  “It’s not on the trail?”

  With a shake of his head, his jaw clenched. “No. This is a special tree.”

  “Special? How is it special?”

  He stepped over a log and helped me over it. “Some of us have made places that are for personal use.” Turning away, he stomped off. Branches broke under the heavy tread of his feet.

  Watching him walk away, I had to wonder what he meant. Personal use? He knew intimately the tree our victim had been tied to. My skin crawled with the implications. And he was bringing me directly to it. His path was sure and straight.

  This was where he liked to play, with someone strong enough to bear it.

  Only, he wasn’t aroused. His cock wasn’t hard. The frown continued to etch deeper and deeper grooves into his normally handsome face, making his disapproving scowl more ominous. Something disturbed him about the video and this scraggly tree.

 

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