Page 37 of Royally Lucky

Kendrick had been to his fair share of BDSM clubs and was a member of several. As a Dom himself, there was a vast difference between consent and non-consent. He was pretty sure none of the people inside were there of their own volition. Kendrick couldn’t live with himself if he didn’t do something to get them out.

“Basically, Frankie Boy has his very own playroom set up down here that he shares with others for a fee. We'll soon find out whether or not he’s into buying and selling,” Kendrick said. He cleared his throat. The notion of finding trafficked people inside with less than a dozen men with him to help free them didn’t intimidate him.

He looked over toward Andre, seeing the resolve in his eyes, and knew his best friend and bodyguard would lay his life down if it came to it. Not that Kendrick wouldn’t do the same. They were family, and family did what was needed to protect one another. An image of a drugged Sutton, as he’d found her lying in the darkened room by the ocean following the kidnapping still threatened to send him to his knees.

“Can you see how many are inside this pseudo club?” King asked. The president wore a backpack slung over his shoulder, making Kendrick wonder what weapons he had on him.

They began walking the long hallway while Keys tapped on his computer. The wait filled him with more images of what could be happening. Shit. He needed to focus on other things.

“Okay, from my perspective, I calculate thirteen men, not including Frankie and whoever might be in the rooms down the hallways. By the way, there are two different hallways withsimilar layouts. They’re both on the east side of the room. One is directly to the left of the entrance behind the first bar. The other is farthest from the entrance and a little harder to notice if you’re not looking. You have to go all the way through the club layout and get close to the stage area. Once you stand and look up at the stage, you’ll see a black beaded doorway if you turn to the left. Behind it is another door. You’ll need a keycard to gain access inside, just like the other door. I watched a man try the door but get frustrated when denied access. A hulk of a man came up to him, and there was some exchanging of words before he was allowed entrance.”

“I’ll head that way first.” If they were taking Sutton, he was sure it would be to a location that was harder to get into.

“I figured you’d say that. When you get inside, get a keycard from any of the patrons. After that, I’ll ensure you can get into those hallways unhindered, aside from the guards who will come out of the woodwork. Be prepared, brothers.”

Kendrick and the others went silent. The next corner they turned showed two large arched doors handled by a mammoth of a man.

“I got this.” Cosmo, who had been silent through their entire trek, spoke. He wore a suit and tie with shoes that Kendrick knew cost more than most spend on their wardrobes.

“Name,” the man barked.

“Cosmo.” As the man lifted his arm to speak into his watch, the brother punched his fist forward. Blood splattered in an arc, coating the wall to the right. Cosmo’s other hand went to the back of the huge man’s head while he efficiently slid the blade across the dying man’s throat. Cosmo helped the man to the ground, wiping the blood off his knife, and stepped back. Drops of crimson dotted his pristine suit.

Cosmo reached inside his jacket and pulled out a large napkin, wiping off the rest of the blood on his hand. “Stupidfucker. He should’ve realized I wasn’t on any of his lists. Do I look like a regular to you?”

After cleaning the visible blood from his hands and face, Cosmo waved toward the doorway. “Shall we?”

Kendrick reached inside the dead man’s jacket and pulled out a keycard. He held it up, letting Keys see it. “Do you need to configure it or some shit?”

“You’re good to go. I guess there’s nowhere to hide the body?”

They all shrugged while Cosmo straightened his suit as if he hadn’t just slit a man’s throat. Kendrick’s lips twitched in a somewhat wistful smile, and he sighed. If he could recruit the brutal bastard, he’d do it.

Cosmo held up his hand. “I know. You’re half in love with me, but I’m taken. My ole’ lady would literally skin you and I both alive and probably have a recipe on how to cook us for the brothers to eat us without realizing what it was she’d served them.”

Duke groaned. “Don’t even talk about cannibalism, fucker. You know I have a weak stomach.”

“Says the man who came back from New York with a whole new set of torture skills.” King slapped his younger brother on the shoulder as he spoke.

Kendrick ignored their banter as he stepped up to the entrance and placed the golden keycard in front of the reader. “Reader, boys?” His eyes focused on the red bars that blinked red and then green. When the door's locking mechanism disengaged, he shoved the heavy double doors open.

They saw what Keys hadn’t told them as they walked into the dimly lit space. Scantily clad women sat around the booths where several men gathered. At the same time, he noticed a few young men with collars and leashes who appeared to be takingup spaces with men and a couple of women vying for their attention. Kendrick bypassed them, heading for the back.

“Keys, we need to know about the ones in here. Make sure they’re not casualties when we leave,” King said, glaring at the tables as they passed.

Chapter Eighteen

Sutton shivered under the cold air coming from the vent above her. She glared at the man across from her and crossed her arms. “You know Kendrick is going to kick your ass the second he finds me with you.”

It was a statement, not a question.

“Oh, I have no doubt he’ll try, but I enjoy a good fight.” Her captor, driver, savior—whatever you want to call the man who’d kidnapped her from the clubhouse cracked his neck from side to side. He was devilishly handsome with long, wavy hair. Heck, many women went to salons and paid a lot of money to get their hair to have that hombre appearance and still couldn’t pull it off. Yet she was sure he was completely natural. And, to top off the not-fair meter, he had bright blue eyes that sparkled. Even when he talked about fighting a man like Kendrick, who was known as the head of the mafia, for crying out loud, the shithead grinned, showing off two dimples. It was as if the heavens shined down on his mother when he was born and gifted him with all the looks and charisma and a double dose of insanity. How was the man not scared shitless?

“So, how do you like working at the smaller hospital, Doc? Think you’d like working in another city like Chicago?”

“I’m not a doctor. I’m a Physician Assistant, but yes, I can do a lot of what they do as doctors. Still, I practice under the supervision of a physician, while a doctor or someone with an MD can do so independently or within a hospital. Essentially, I can perform many tasks like them, including taking medical histories, performing physical exams, ordering tests, andprescribing medications. I have helped during surgeries, but nothing extreme.” She was rambling but couldn’t stop herself.

“You don’t remember me, do you?”

---