Page 41 of Lesson In Faith

“Get into bed, little owl. Those sweet dreams are waiting, darlin’.”

Violet cleared her throat. “Drink the tea, Tamsyn. It’s herbal, it will help you sleep.”

She really wasn’t going to need any help in that respect, Merrick thought as she dutifully settled under the covers and reached for the cup. He could already see her busy brain switching off, barely running on autopilot as she took a careful sip.

When the cup tipped, coming precariously close to spilling said tea over the covers, he stepped in to rescue it, setting it back on the table before tucking the owl stuffie under her arm and pulling the duvet up to her chin.

He thought he’d gotten away with stroking his fingertips down her cheek, but Violet’s grin when he turned around told him otherwise. Before the Mistress could let loose with mischief in her eyes, he jabbed a finger at her.

“Not a damn word, Vi. Not one damn word.”

Her laugh was statement enough, damn her.

*

Tamsyn

“Another fucking breach.”

Sucking her bottom lip, she didn’t dare make eye contact with the dark-haired man standing like a king in front of the fire. The flames flickered behind him, projecting him as larger than life and all-powerful.

It was horribly reminiscent of being summoned to Jedidiah’s office for punishment.

“One of the only conditions of her staying here was that she didn’t leave the cabin, Merrick. Do you have any idea of the legal ramifications we’d be facing right now if Blake hadn’t stopped? Rape in a BDSM resort? The fucking media would scalp us. Fuck the media, the goddamn politicians would shut us down before the ink was dry on the police reports.” Elias’s voice was flaying her open with every word, making her bleed from invisible wounds. “She’s a liability. You’ve done all you can for her, Merrick. Perhaps it’s time we get the cops involved now.”

They were sending her away.

Worse, they were handing her over to the authorities—it was no secret Jedidiah paid several Denver officials to keep Ridge Point off the radar. Money or virgin brides, she wasn’t sure, but if one of those officials was a city cop, word would get back to her father about her whereabouts.

Trembling, Tamsyn pressed deeper into the couch. She wore brand new clothes, a luxury she’d never had before. The jeans were stiff, but she loved the dark blue color. The T-shirt wasn’t new—it was another one of Merrick’s she’d stolen from the laundry basket, and it smelled just like him. Beneath the pale gray hoodie, her beloved owl stuffie nestled between her breasts where no one could steal him.

She’d called him Foxy because… well, she could.

Merrick stood behind her, his hands on the back of the seat. “Exceptional circumstances, Elias. Everything that happened last night kicked off because six guests decided it would be fun to run riot on club grounds, against club rules, and disturb everyone in the vicinity.”

Eli’s eyes turned to blue fire. “Don’t remind me.”

“I will fucking remind you,” Merrick fired back, undeterred by the curt, cold accent. “Tamsyn was asleep in her own damn bed when those subs started screaming. She was alone, she panicked, and she did the only thing she could—she ran to find me. If you want proof of how scared she was, there’s a wet patch about six feet down the hallway behind me where Violet cleaned vomit off the carpet at one a.m. this morning.”

“But she didn’t find you, did she?” Those hard eyes landed on her.

“Callie has triggers, doesn’t she? Does the fear stop after the first crack of a belt or does it multiply until her mind switches into survival mode?”

“Low blow.”

“No, it’s not. Tamsyn is no different to your wife, Elias. She’s been abused, assaulted, and her brain is wired to certain stimuli. She can’t vocalize her triggers; hell, she doesn’t know half of them. She ran out of the fucking cabin in a robe and bare feet because she was terrified.” Merrick’s tone was just as deadly as his friend’s; they were like two swords swinging in testing arcs, waiting to clang together. “Yes, she ended up in an orgy. Yes, she was damned lucky Blake had his wits about him. But at the end of the day, all she wanted was protection from the threat lurking outside her fucking window.”

“For God’s sake, Merrick, cut her loose. The cops will have more resources—”

“Bullshit. If Grit can’t find a missing person’s report on her, there isn’t one. What the hell are they gonna do with her? Take a statement, for whatever that’s worth, then kick her out on the street, that’s what. Maybe she finds a shelter, maybe she doesn’t. Maybe she gets mugged and raped, maybe she doesn’t.” Word by word, Merrick’s voice turned black until it was darkness incarnate. “Over my dead fucking body.”

Elias clenched his jaw. “I cannot allow a mute to run around the club, Merrick. I don’t care that she can’t talk, I’m concerned about her welfare. The guests are carefully screened, but that doesn’t mean someone won’t take advantage of the fact she can’t give consent or scream the goddamn club down. She needs a voice if she’s going to stay here.”

“I am her voice.”

A shiver ran down her spine at the confident way Merrick said those four little words.

“You understand the commitment you’re making here?” Elias asked after a few seconds’ pause. “She can’t be left alone in the club until she finds her voice.”

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