My Addiction (Club Desire #2)(46)
He was about to give up on finding any useful information when Kathryne Fretwell walked into the dungeon and headed toward the locker rooms.
Her dossier picture hadn’t done her justice. Even in jeans and a silky-looking turquoise top, she was stunning. He couldn’t wait to see her in something more revealing.
He shook his head. His job was to run interference with the other subs so Dex could concentrate his investigation on Kate, as she liked to be called.
The entire place was still buzzing about the flogging scene between Dex and Kate. Merrick wished he’d been around for that.
There was nothing more erotic than a woman being flogged—at least if it was done right. And from all the accounts he had heard, it definitely had been.
Dex had a reputation in the lifestyle for being an excellent and very knowledgeable Dominant. Merrick had never frequented the same dungeons since his work took him all over the country, but the lifestyle grapevine was very prolific.
And Dex had been correct: the subject of the day, other than the flogging, was Mark Stanton’s murder. Scuttlebutt said pictures taken at The Dungeon were found at the scene, along with several incriminating him in various crimes.
Merrick hadn’t heard from any credible source if any of the gossip about the pictures was true, but if so, he would be interested to see if the new evidence would help close any of the dozen or so past cases against Stanton.
But for now, it was time to get to work.
He sent a quick text to Dex to let him know Kate was already here, and then headed to the lounge to see if he could find any of the subs Dex had mentioned.
As soon as he walked in, a pretty waitress with sandy-blond hair approached him.
“Good afternoon, sir.”
He nodded and slid into the nearest booth. “Hello. I’m Master Merrick. What’s your name?” Better to be straightforward. Easier to find what he needed that way.
“I’m Opal, sir. What can I get you?”
Bingo. She was one of the people Dex had mentioned. “Black coffee, and whatever you would like. If you have the time, I’m new here, and I’d love to get some information about The Dungeon.”
Her expression brightened, and she nodded eagerly. “Absolutely, sir. I’ll be right back.”
Merrick could see what Dex meant. He would have to tread carefully, since he wouldn’t be around long enough to sponsor her into the club. But he could always look for opportunities to pave the way for that while he was here. At least now he had an in with someone who might have knowledge of everyone who came through the front doors.
With the shooting of Congressman Fredericks, and Stanton’s murder, the stakes were being raised, and Merrick suspected the powder keg they were sitting on was about to explode.
A feeling that Dex shared, according to their discussion last night after he had left Kate Fretwell’s.
Hopefully they could get a handle on things before the fuse burned down.
Chapter 14
Kate glanced around her at the groups of subs in the locker room of The Dungeon. Many had red, puffy eyes like they had been crying, and every group was talking in hushed tones.
There was a much larger than normal crowd in the waiting area outside Master Ralston’s office, and she had to show her ID to gain access to the dungeon floor. She asked the security guard what was happening, but he said he wasn’t at liberty to say.
What the hell is going on?
So far, anyone she had tried to ask had hurried by without answering. Some had even given her hostile looks.
She sighed.
After Dex left, she’d taken a long nap. A shower had been enough to wake her up to take care of at least the work that couldn’t wait until tomorrow.
Then she had stopped by the hospital to visit Uncle Carl. She was happy to find he was out of intensive care and recovering quickly. He was still surrounded by his security detail and family, but they all made her feel welcome. It had been good to see him smile, and to feel the strength in his hands when he squeezed hers.
But on the way to The Dungeon, she had blared her favorite playlist off her iPhone instead of listening to the radio, like she normally would. She wondered if she’d missed a news report that would have explained all this.
Only one way to find out other than going to sit in her car and scan radio stations.
She approached a small group of subs who had been friendly to her in the past. In fact, several of them shared the same Doms she did. Which sounded horrible, now that she thought about it.
“Hey,” she said as she edged into the tight circle. “What’s going on?” She gestured around in a large motion. “I feel like I missed something.”
Joanne, an aspiring actress and screenwriter, began sobbing uncontrollably, and Kate felt like crap for having brought up an obviously painful subject.
In between sobs, Joanne glared at Kate over her cupped hands and finally bit out, “You hated Mark anyway, so why should you care?”
Kate was still at a loss, and she glanced around the circle at the other women for any clues. No one seemed willing to throw her a life preserver, so she tackled it head on.
“Joanne, I do not hate Mark. I think he’s an ass for trying to give me as a gift to that letch Balkins for a night. But I don’t hate him.” There was no pause in the sobbing, but Kate did see expressions of sympathy, and even understanding, from the other women.