The Bond (Unbroken Raine Falling 4)

“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.”