themselves, they’d soon heard. But November fourth, her forbidden hours with Hammer… Almost no one had known about that. “If the witness is also the thief, that rules both of them out.”
Carrying a plastic bag of candy, Bryn bustled back in the kitchen with a frown. “She’s right, and the person who nicked the video is someone else entirely.”
“So we’ve got two people to look for?” Liam clenched his jaw. “Two needles in a bloody haystack?”
“Yes, son. Your witness is somehow obscured, hidden. But now that I’m thinking about it, I sense it’s a woman.”
Beck winced. “That actually narrows it down less. The number of women Hammer has pissed off over the years… I’m not sure I can count that high. Can you give us anything else?”
Bryn frowned. “She’s a blonde. In her mid to late thirties.”
The entire table groaned.
“The last eight years have pretty much been a parade of thirtysomething blondes.” Beck turned to her. “Until Raine.”
When she really thought about all the women Macen had slept with for years, it was a stab in the chest. No, they hadn’t been together then, but he’d known how she felt. “An endless parade.”
Seth nodded. “He did—I mean, he liked—a lot of blondes back in New York, too.”
God, could this conversation get any more painful?
Liam rubbed her back and whispered in her ear. “He loves you.”
Raine did her best to hang on to that.
Beck just shook his head. “Tell you what, Seth. You investigate everything north of the ten. I’ll take everything south. We might track down all the blondes he nailed in the next…three to five years.”
“Can we stay on task?” Liam demanded. “Focus on club members from the early days.”
“The first one who pops to mind is Erika,” Beck said.
“I remember her. She’s the bitch who asked me if I was Hammer’s sister and dropped her panties in front of me just before he came into the room.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t claw her eyes out.” Liam cut a bite of the casserole and fed it to her.
Raine chewed and swallowed. “I wanted to. But I was only seventeen. She was just the first in a long line of women.”
Beck nodded. “Erika wanted marriage, and Hammer wasn’t interested. She didn’t last long. Why wait years to get revenge?”
“Kenneth is on the right track,” Bryn insisted. “This witness is a woman scorned. She’s very angry.”
“Maybe Angel,” Beck suggested. “She had her hopes pinned on him for a long time.”
Yeah, Raine remembered that skank, too. “Didn’t she finally give up on Hammer and move to Denver with some new Dom last summer?”
“Yep. She seemed happy. Amber waited around on Hammer for years, too. But I heard she got married, if you can believe that.” Beck looked stunned. “I mean, I know a lot of kinky girls, but damn… I heard she even had a baby.”
The jealous witch had enjoyed gossiping about Hammer’s prowess every time Raine walked into the room. “Wow, her husband must have his hands full.” She was just glad it wasn’t Hammer. “But she hasn’t been here in…a year?”
“And if she’s married, why ruin his life now?” Beck asked. “He’s still friends with Tiffany and Misty. But they never clung to him, so I can’t imagine they’d resent him now.”
As much as Raine hated to admit it, they were decent women. “No, they respect him. Brandy?”
“That’s her name!” Beck said. “The one with Carl now. Miracles never cease, because she’s into him, too. I don’t get that.”
Raine didn’t, either. But they both seemed way too happy together to want to screw up Hammer’s life. “Chastity?”
Beck shook his head. “She came over to my dark side a couple of years ago. I don’t think she’s played with anyone else since. She doesn’t seem to have any beef with Hammer. She might have one with me… I haven’t paid attention to her in months.”
“You might want to fix that,” Seth suggested.
“I have other interests now.” Beck looked serious—and pissed off.
“Guys,” Raine encouraged. “Come on. Focus. Kristen?”
Suddenly, Seth rubbed at the back of his neck. “Yeah, I might have gone there. More than a few times.”
“Last December?” Raine raised a brow at him. “I wondered why she wasn’t trying to get Hammer’s attention anymore.”
“You and Kristen?” Beck looked smug. “That’s very interesting news.”
“Since I took Heavenly to lunch yesterday and kissed her, that’s over.”
“You’re lying.” Beck stared the man down. “Heavenly doesn’t trust you.”
Seth shrugged. “Ask her…but then to do that you’d be tipping your hand, wouldn’t you? And for the record, I texted Kristen and told her we won’t be playing again.”
To prove his point, Seth opened his text messages and slid his phone across the table. Sure enough, he’d sent the faux blonde sub the Dear John equivalent via iMessage.
“Happy?” he prodded Beck.
The doctor looked ready to kill.
Seth just smiled. “I heard someone named Crystal was asking about Hammer yesterday.”
“She’s a redhead. Marlie?” Raine spit out the name with malice. “A.k.a. Ms. Nastysnatch?”
“That’s fitting.” Liam smiled her way.
Beck barked with laughter. “Absolutely. She’s a good thought. She hated you, princess. I heard she hit you.”
“She what?” River sat up straighter.
“Followed me to the alley behind the club and slapped me like a frustrated little girl.”
“That she did.” Liam tightened his hands on her hips. “There have been very few times I wanted to throttle a woman. That was one of them.”
“I told her off. And Hammer tossed her out.” She glanced River’s way. “We probably got it on video if you want to see.”
“But she wasn’t a member when you were a minor,” Beck pointed out.
“So she wouldn’t have witnessed Hammer supposedly ravishing me as a ‘child,’ true.” Raine would really have liked Marlie to be guilty of something she could go to jail for. “How about Honey? She chased Hammer for years. But she finally stopped last fall.”
It was Liam’s turn to squirm in his seat. Raine swiveled around on his lap. “You?”
“Well…I hadn’t been in LA long, and she seemed—”
“Nice?” She sent him a warning stare. “That better not come out of your mouth.”
“I was going to say…eager.”
“You mean horny.” She batted Liam’s shoulder. “Men… The question is, could she be angry enough with Hammer to want to screw up his life?”
“If she’s mad at anyone, it’s me,” Liam admitted. “But I don’t think she is.”
“Why would you waste your time?” Bryn tsked at her son. “You’d already met the love of your life.”
Liam had the good grace to look sheepish. “I thought she only had eyes for Hammer. And back then, I thought he would kill me if I touched her.”
“I had eyes for you, too,” Raine whispered softly for his ears alone before turning back to Beck. “The only other sub I can think of is Eden. I saw her come out of Hammer’s room a lot over the years.”
Every man at the table, except her brother, looked more than a tad guilty. Raine glanced at their faces. “Are you kidding me? All of you?”
Beck gave her a crooked smile. “Looks like everyone has plowed the garden of Eden, princess. Hey, we’re men. Not monks.”
“No one would ever think otherwise. Trust me.” Raine skewered Liam with another glance. “Anything else you want to tell me?”
“Nothing. Shouldn’t we focus on the problem, love? Someone else we should consider?”
Raine sighed. “No one in particular, but I think we’ve barely scratched the surface.”
The doctor stood and stretched. “She’s right. I’m sure there’s someone w
e’re just not thinking of.”
“I’ll scour the membership database while I’m at the club, see if anyone else pops out,” Raine said. “Maybe…I’ll come up with something. What about the security footage disappearing? Hammer fired the last tech, Bryan, for a reason…”
“Hitting on members.” Beck snorted.
Raine nodded. “Maybe he got mad and took the videos to blackmail Hammer?”
“Bryan has been gone a month,” Liam pointed out. “And he hasn’t sent Macen any demands. Besides, why would he have taken footage of you and me? Mum, you didn’t hear that.”
“Not a word. Just like I didn’t hear you this morning, either. Or last night.” She smiled faintly.
Raine turned four shades of red. Beck and Seth both howled with laughter.
“Your thief is still among you.” Bryn soothed Raine with a pat on the shoulder. “I can feel that. Proud of the deception, too. Be looking at the faces you least suspect.”
Raine couldn’t go through another round of conjecture just now. She didn’t want to look at any of her friends with suspicious eyes. Instead, she collected everyone’s empty plates and took them to the sink.
“Who has access to the security room?” Seth asked.
“The new tech, Lewis, is in there most.” Beck sat back in his chair. “He’s a snot-nosed nerd Hammer hired two weeks ago. Other than him, the DMs, including me and Pike. Dean. Donald. Hammer. Liam. Raine has a key. Am I missing anyone?”
No one with any reason to hurt Macen. “Sometimes the cleaning crew goes in there off-hours. We usually try to supervise them but…” Raine shrugged. “It doesn’t always work out.”
Liam shook his head. “So we have another bloody puzzle to solve.”
Raine put an arm around him. “We’ll do it. We have to.”
“I’ll help however I can.” River stood and smiled at Bryn. “Thank you, Mrs. O’Neill.” Then he turned and extended a hand to Liam. “Sorry if I’ve been a douche.”
They shook hands. “I’d have done everything I could to protect my sisters, too. And I’ve got six of them.”
“You poor bastard.” River smiled, then turned to Raine. “Call me if you need anything. I’ll do whatever I can to help you be happy.”
Chapter 13
Monday, February 18
* * *
After spending the weekend climbing the walls in an isolated cell, Hammer was glad to be out of confinement. But having judge Arnold Ayers stare him down in a federal courtroom during his arraignment almost had Macen wishing he were still behind those bars. He sat beside Sterling, trying to keep a level head as his lawyer entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf, then waved off a formal reading of the indictment. Todd Wellington, the Assistant United States Attorney, strutted like a damn peacock, silently gloating, as if he had a million ways to malign Macen’s character. He gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to punch the asshole’s annoying face.
“Your Honor,” Wellington beseeched. “If you’ll look at the defendant’s extensive financial portfolio, you’ll see he has ample liquidity to flee the country. He’s a serious flight risk.”
“Duly noted, though it’s not a crime for anyone to be financially sound, Mr. Wellington.” Ayers raised his brows.
“Of course not, Your Honor. I’m simply stating that if the defendant is granted bail, he could easily charter a private jet and leave the country.”
“You’ve made your point.” Ayers nodded, an edge of annoyance in his tone. “Continue.”
“Thank you, Your Honor.” Wellington shot Hammer a victorious smirk. “Fleeing the jurisdiction of the court aside, we as civil servants, cannot in good conscience, allow a suspected pedophile to roam free. It’s our duty to protect innocent children.”
Hammer snarled at the AUSA before turning his silent rage on Wellington’s associates, seated on the opposite side of the room. The two ass-kissing minions in matching suits looked like bobbleheads, nodding at every derogatory remark.
Though his freedom was at stake, Macen found it hard as hell to focus on the proceedings. Behind him Raine and Liam sat, hands clasped. Beck, Seth, Bryn, and Duncan surrounded them.
If he were actually guilty—and single—it would be easy to leave the country and never come back. But could he really abandon Liam and Raine? He didn’t know. Asking them to upend their lives didn’t sound particularly fair, either. They’d be fugitives. If the law caught up to them, they’d all serve time in prison. Risking them and their child didn’t seem like an option.
As tempting as the fantasy might be at first glance, the reality…not so much.
Finally, Sterling stood and cleared his throat. “Your Honor, the AUSA’s claims are preposterous. My client poses no flight risk. Aside from being innocent of these ridiculous and unsubstantiated charges, Mr. Hammerman is an established business owner.”
Wellington scoffed. Sterling shot him a glare. Judge Ayers pretended not to notice.
“As I was saying,” Sterling continued. “Mr. Hammerman has roots in the community. If he were at all inclined to flee the country, he would have done so before his arrest. My client is here, in your courtroom, ready and willing to prove his innocence. Therefore, Your Honor, I implore you to set bond and allow Mr. Hammerman the opportunity to return to the community and his family.”
“Motion to grant bail is accepted.” The judge barely looked up as he shuffled papers. “Bond is set at one million dollars.”
Hammer barely had time to digest the fact that he’d be going home—to sleep in his own bed beside Raine and Liam—before Ayers set the date for Barnes and Wellington to present their pretrial motions.
“The trial will commence April first.” The judge slammed his gavel.
Hammer’s stomach pitched. “April Fools Day? You’ve got to be shitting me.” He turned to Sterling. “It can’t get any more fucking ironic than that.”
“Except you’re not the fool. They are.” Sterling jerked his head toward Wellington and the double-breasted dumb asses. “Their supposed witness will have to be God himself because, so far, the evidence I’ve seen shouldn’t impress a jury.”
“When do we find out who this mysterious witness is?” Hammer asked as Sterling stood and began shoving papers into his briefcase.
While the judge stood and retreated to his chamber, the trio of prosecutors filed out of the courtroom.
“Discovery starts today. I’ll touch base with Wellington after we get your bail processed and you’re free. As soon as he and I exchange findings, we’ll meet and begin strategizing.”
“Sounds good.” But Hammer was already standing, turning to fix his gaze on Raine and Liam. They looked back at him with longing and love. “When the fuck can I go home?”
“I’ll wait for the judge to sign the bail order, then personally deliver it to the clerk’s office.” Sterling gripped Hammer’s shoulder, seizing his attention from Raine. “They’ll take you to a holding area until all the paperwork is ironed out. Then you’ll be free to go.”
“Thanks.” He took a ground-eating step in Raine’s direction. “It won’t be much longer, precious.”
He wanted to wrap her in his arms and kiss her senseless when he saw the glimmer of hope and fear skitter across her face. She