Dusted Star

Chapter Seventeen

Juan listened asKyle and Kent related the conversation they’d had with Lakyn’s manager a day and a half ago and the results of their investigation. Seething, Juan silently vowed to make the bastard’s life miserable for the fear he’d instilled in Lakyn. Between his and Trac’s families, they had more than enough resources to make certain the man’s management days were over.It didn’t matter his motive hadn’t been evil. If the dumb bastard couldn’t figure out a better way to keep Lakyn safe, he was too stupid to have a hand in her career decisions. Before he could give voice to his concerns, Lakyn sprang to her feet and began pacing.

“What brand of crazy do they lace the Kool-Aid with down here, anyway? Am I supposed to believe the manager I’ve had for over a decadetried to kidnap me to keep his ass out of trouble with my brother? I might believe you if you said he was trying to pick Coop up, but this? I can’t believe he’d even have the resources to pull it off. Hell, the only men he knows are so metro they’re almost… well, never mind. As if that isn’t enough to qualify as a full serving of fruit salad, we have to add the nutty news the pissant who triedto smear me up a rock wall has sought the protection of the local police? And they are giving it to him? What the ever-loving hell? Am I the only one who keeps looking for that Funk fellow who used to do Candid Camera? Seriously, this has to be a fucking joke.”

Juan, Trac, and Cooper all three growled her name, but it was Cooper who chastised her for her deplorable language.

“Knock it off, littlesister. I understand your frustration, but your foul mouth isn’t going to solve anything.”

“It can’t fucking hurt either, and I have a news flash for you,big brother, you’re not the boss of me.” Okay, so it was a third-grade response, but damn it all to shiny doorknobs, this whole situation was so out in left field, it wasn’t in the damned ballpark. “I can use any language I want, or I can goto the range and blow some shit up—your choice.”

Juan might not like her talking like a common streetwalker, but given the options, he’d rather keep her from joining the ranks of the other women at Prairie Winds who had a strange attraction to explosives.

Note to self, keep our woman away from Lilly West.

*

Trac’s palm wasitching so bad, he’d finally given in to theurge and rubbed it on his jeans. Kent’s chuckle told him the club owner knew the little sub going toe-to-toe with her brother was spoiling for a fight, and a good paddling would go a long way to help both Lakyn and Trac vent their frustration. The next time the little spitfire paced by him, Trac wrapped his large hand around her wrist and pulled her close, so he could whisper in her ear.

“I’mgoing to give you the paddling you are begging for. I prefer to wait until your brother isn’t in the room, but you’re really testing my resolve to protect your privacy, Princess.” He was pleased to hear her gasp of surprise before he pulled back and was even happier to see the pink flush staining her cheeks when he leaned back. “That language is beneath you, Lakyn. You are too intelligent to limityourself to words any kid in junior high school knows.”

Trac didn’t ordinarily care what kind of language a woman used outside of a scene, but Lakyn wasn’t just another sub he and Juan were playing with for a few days. As hard as he’d tried to keep his feelings for her casual, they’d morphed into something much deeper. After Kyle briefed them earlier, he and Juan discussed returning to New Yorkwith her until she could find a new manager. There was only one problem with the plan—he was already so invested in the relationship, he had no idea how he’d ever be able to walk away when Lakyn replaced her manager and returned to jet-setting around the world.

Refocusing his attention on the woman standing in front of him, Trac pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead, savoring the feel of herwarm skin against his lips. Lakyn Storm was a contradiction on so many levels, and he didn’t for a moment believe she’d been the one standing up to Cooper.

Lakyn Hicks was still the frightened little girl lost in the woods, the one who’d waited patiently and hoped upon hope her big brother would find her. Lakyn Storm was brassy with a façade that defied people to see her as anything less thana force of nature. Her confidence shone through in photographs and the roles she played, but it was built on a foundation of shifting sand. For just a moment, Lakyn Storm had let him see the soul where the two women met, and she’d stolen his breath. Trac still planned to have her bare ass draped over his lap, simply because it pleased him, and he never backed down on a promised punishment, but thegift of her trust—that brief glimpse of her vulnerability made him change his tone with her.

“Behave yourself, and we’ll take you to the range later today. You can shred some targets, maybe we’ll even do a bit of wagering.” The light that sparkled in her eyes made him chuckle. “Don’t give up your career for the poker tour, Princess. How you can be such a talented actress and so amazingly transparentis a mystery to me.”

“It’s easy… because most people don’t bother to look any deeper than their own preconceived ideas.” Trac was startled by the simple but accurate observation. There was a part of him that admired her wisdom, but a larger part felt his heart clench, knowing it was a hard-learned lesson. For a few heartbeats, Lakyn let down her guard, and Trac saw the pain and vulnerabilityshe usually hid so well.

Princess, Juan and I are going to show you it’s safe to reveal the woman who fears rejection, the one who is convinced no one cares about anything but her beautiful face, the one I suspect has ambitions beyond the limits society is currently imposing on her. And we’ll always be ready to catch you if you fall, so don’t let anything stand between you and your dreams.

*

Cooper Hicks couldn’tremember the last time he’d been more disgusted by another human being. James Cox had to be the slimiest slug in the garden of criminals the Agency often hires to do its dirty work. Most of the lowlifes they recruited were smart enough to keep their mouths shut, but Cox obviously hadn’t gotten the memo, and he’d painted a large, glow-in-the-dark target on his back the minutehe’d walked into Parker Andrews’ police station. Of course, he’d already sealed his fate when he tried to hurt Lakyn—Cooper wasn’t the forgiving kind when it came to his little sister.

“I can practically hear the wheels spinning in your head.” Kyle West stood at his left shoulder, his body language radiating the same frustration Cooper was feeling.

“The son of a bitch will probably eventuallysing like a fucking canary, but you won’t be able to trust anything he says. Frankly, I’m not sure why we’re even here. What’s the point? We already know he was hired by the Council to lure me in.” The burning question for Cooper was how had Cox known she was on that tube? There was only one logical answer, and it burned Cooper’s ass to know how far his employer and their counterparts in other countrieswere willing to go to control him.

The subject had been the elephant in the corner of every room for the past twenty-four hours, and Cooper was getting damned tired of everyone walking on eggshells around him because he had a couple of broken ribs and a few bruises.

As the head of security and resident computer guru for The Prairie Winds Club, Micah Drake also had a very real stake in learninghow the man on the other side of the glass had gotten his hands on detailed blueprints of the Wests’ property. But Cooper suspected that wasn’t the real reason Drake was leaning against the back wall of the small observation room.

After the confrontation he’d had with Lakyn this morning, Cooper had been grateful Juan and Trac had taken his spitting mad sister to the range. Hopefully, she wouldbe more settled by the time they returned. Cooper didn’t blame her for being frustrated, hell, her entire life had been turned upside down and all roads seemed to lead back to him. Fucking hell, he was supposed to be her shelter in the storm, not the fucking wind itself. There was a very real irony in Juan and Trac finding her huddled in a damned dust storm; sometimes, fate had a strange sense ofhumor.

“Does she know about the chip?” And there it was—the confirmation he’d known was coming but had dreaded hearing. Micah’s voice hadn’t carried any judgment, he’d simply asked a question Cooper was embarrassed to say he hadn’t even considered as a possibility.

“Hell, I didn’t figure it out until a few minutes ago. I should have, but I was so far past exhaustion when I hit your gates, Iwas barely functioning.” Cooper had slept for almost twenty hours, more rest than he usually got in a week. “It’s the only explanation of how that prick knew she was on the tube.” Micah nodded as he pushed away from the wall and moved closer to the window.

“We knew as soon as Trac and Juan drove through the gate with her. They’re aware and have looked—well, hell.” Cooper smiled at the other man’sunease.

“It’s okay, Micah, I already know about Juan and Trac’s interest in Lakyn. As long as they treat her well and protect her, I won’t have a problem with their lifestyle. My sister is strong enough to say no, and it would be damned hypocritical of me to criticize her interest in dominance and submission when I’m a Dom. I’ve suspected she was a submissive, but she hadn’t shown any recognitionuntil recently.” Sighing and running a hand through his shaggy hair, Cooper looked at Kyle and hoped his smile reached his eyes.

“To be honest, I was damned suspicious when I learned the Wests’ wife had befriended my sister. Seriously, what are the odds of the two of them randomly finding each other on the internet? I swear that girl has been giving me ulcers since the day my parents broughther home.” Unfortunately, he’d been the only one interested in Lakyn’s well-being until she landed her first modeling contract. Their parents had blatantly exploited their only daughter, and Cooper shuddered each time he considered how much of her money they’d squandered before he’d threatened to contact the authorities.

Kyle and Kent both chuckled and assured him they’d had similar misgivingswhen they’d learned the women had been corresponding. Ordinarily, Cooper didn’t believe in coincidences, but this situation was turning out to be anything but average. Overall, the discussion had gone a long way to clear the air, and Cooper was grateful when all three men assured him if he joined their team, Lakyn would be protected as well. He hadn’t talked to Juan or Trac about their long-termplans, but he suspected his younger sister was going to have more protection than she wanted.