Dungeon Games (Masters and Mercenaries #6.5)(61)

The door opened and Ashley Paxon, soon-to-be Langston, walked in carrying a tray of what smelled like coffee. “Ryan won’t admit it but he’s scared of poop. Jill is trying to get him used to the quick change. If you don’t get in there fast, my baby girl will get it everywhere.”

Avery’s eyes widened. “I thought we agreed to not talk about poop around the civilians.”

Ashley grinned, looking even younger than twenty-five years. “Avery thinks if we lie and say it’s all easy that we can trick Big Tag into giving it a go. Grace is telling him that Carys is already almost potty trained.” Ashley shook her head gravely. “Yeah, so not true. As long as we keep him away from the Internet and baby info books, I think we can do it. Anytime a show with a baby comes on, Charlotte switches it over to porn. We’ll get him yet.”

Avery and Ashley had shown up an hour into her hospital stay with clothes and toiletries. They had sat at her side.

Derek had ridden with her in the ambulance. He’d made sure she was set up in a room and she hadn’t seen him since.

When he was done, she supposed he was done.

“Well, Li shouldn’t have called you. I’m fine.” She would have preferred to be alone. Avery and Ashley were just reminders of how singular she was. They were both happily married and starting their lives. She wouldn’t be doing that anytime soon. She hated the fact that she was thinking of her friends that way, but she’d settled into a nice little pity party.

“Li didn’t call me. Derek called me. He set everything up. By the time he called me, he’d already talked to Ryan and Jill and set up babysitting. They came by and picked up Aidan on their way to Keith and Ashley’s.”

Ashley set a latte in front of her. “Yep, he had Keith jumping. Keith’s sitting outside. He’s watching the entire event like it’s a soap unfolding in front of him. You should have seen Derek when the DA showed up. I thought his head was going to explode. He did that really quiet yelling thing.”

She’d seen him do it. Derek was at his most dangerous when he got quiet, his voice an almost arctic low. So he’d called her friends in. Why? Had he felt guilty? Did he feel guilty because she’d gotten taken or because he was leaving her?

How was she going to face him again? She could put a smile on her face and tell him she was alright, but she had no idea how she was going to watch him play with subs at Sanctum.

Now that she knew how it felt to have his hands on her, she had no idea how she would accept another Dom.

Maybe it was time to pull back a little. She could go to more meetings, maybe see a therapist and figure out a different way to handle her stress.

There was a knock on the door and Karina almost sighed with relief. The discharge nurse. Finally.

“I think Derek told you she wasn’t talking tonight,” Ashley said as Maia Brighton walked in.

She looked altogether too perfect in her Chanel suit and red-soled Louboutins. Even at this time of night, her hair was in a professional-looking bun, her accessories flawless. Karina had to wonder if she kept a stylist on the payroll.

Maia strode in like she owned the place. “Oh, Derek is busy with the never-ending paperwork that comes with keeping a killer off the street. You know, all in a day’s work. I thought I would take this time to point out a few truths of life to Ms. Mills.”

Avery frowned. “I’ll go get Li. He’ll take care of this.”

“I think I’ll just haul her out by her hair. I can do it, Karina. I’ve been going to the gym and she’s a little skeletal.” Ashley eyed the blonde like she was about to get her warrior princess on.

Maia smiled brightly. “Thank you. I do try to stay thin.”

If she let this go it could get ugly, and the last thing she needed was to embarrass herself by having Brighton come in to rescue her. She could handle a little mean girl all on her own. “Guys, why don’t you give us a minute? Don’t bring the men into it, please.”

Avery and Ashley stood and walked warily out the door.

“All right, give it your best shot,” Karina said, sitting up. “I’ve had a shitty day so you piling on is just the topper.”

“Touchy.” Maia sat her bag down. Karina was sure it was a designer thing that cost more than she made in a month. Maia sighed and stared at her. “I don’t like you.”

The feeling was mutual. “I don’t care.”

Maia shrugged. “I wouldn’t either. I do like Derek.”

“Then you probably shouldn’t have f*cked around on him. Did you have to sleep with his brother?”

She thought about that for a moment before speaking again, her voice taking on a softer tone. “I did that for different reasons than he thinks. He was gone for so long. I really did miss him. His brother looks a lot like him. It doesn’t matter now because I certainly can’t excuse the others. I guess we are who we are. We really can’t change that, can we?”

Oh, now she knew what was coming. Someone had looked up her records. Like Li had told her, sealed records didn’t always stay sealed. “Are you here to blackmail me?”

Maia laughed. “Oh, honey, you don’t have anything I need. At least not anything that’s yours to give. You are shockingly touchy for a former crack whore.”

“I never took crack and sure as hell wasn’t a whore.” Maybe her night wasn’t done. She could take all her newfound spare time and dedicate her life to making Maia’s hell. It could be her new hobby.