Page 39 of Lesson In Faith

“Near the wall. She was sick before she left the house.”

Merrick sat Tamsyn on the edge of the bed, then practically threw himself on top of her when another scream penetrated the walls of her sanctuary. The sound was obviously a trigger; her reactions weren’t staged, there was no thought behind them. She was relying on memories and instincts to escape whatever trauma was linked to screaming.

Digging into his pocket, he pulled out his phone and speed dialed the security office. Turning it on to speaker mode so he had both his hands free, he listened to it ring impatiently.

“Club security. Oslo here.”

Fuck, he didn’t need an underling. “Get me Grit. Now.”

“Grit’s off-duty tonight. I can help.”

Yeah, he wasn’t illuminating Merrick with confidence. From his tone of voice, Oslo was bored stupid, not watching the fucking cameras to make sure guests were undisturbed by other irresponsible guests trying to die in the cold, and probably indulging in some porn to pass the nightshift.

Merrick ended the call and went straight to the source.

Grit answered his cell after several long rings. “Fucker, it’s nearly one a.m. and it’s my night off.” Breath slightly labored, he added, “What the hell do you want, Merrick?”

“We have a problem.”

“Call the office. I have a team for problems.”

“I’ve had the displeasure. Oslo doesn’t seem like the real switched-on type, Grit.”

There was a pause. “He’s new to the team.”

“I think you’re paying him to jack off,” Merrick said bluntly. “How many calls have you had about screaming within the club boundaries?”

“Well, seeing as it’s mynight off, I wouldn’t know that. It’s a sex club, big guy. There’s usually one sub or another with a pair of lungs on her, threatening to shatter a window.”

When Tamsyn stiffened again, Merrick slid his hand under her neck and squeezed gently. Barely any of his weight was on her, he was just using his body as a cage to stop her bolting again. “There are at least three male guests running around half-dressed, chasing subs dressed as prey. I’ve only seen one woman, but I’d guess there are more. It’s too fucking cold for them to be doing hunt and capture scenes outside, Grit, which puts Evander and Eli’s ass in the sling if anything happens. Not to mention, they’re disturbing other residents.” He wiped away a tear clinging to her lashes when she realized she couldn’t get away. “Myresident, if you get my meaning. Apparently she has triggers.”

There was a lot of cursing. Grit’s phone took a tumble if the clattering was any indication, then a sweet, slightly insane female voice replaced the grumpy Master. “You know how to spoil a girl’s good time, Merrick, do you know that? We were heading for a record.”

Merrick chuckled. “Hey, Tabitha. Please don’t tell me what record.”

“I should, because you made us lose our streak.” Grit’s fiancée was indeed on the insane side, along with several other traits that made her incredibly dangerous when she was in the wrong mood. “At your behest, my lover is leaving our nice, warm bed and getting dressed. I should punish you for that.”

“Don’t threaten the other Masters, little tiger,” Grit admonished her from a distance.

“Why not?”

“Because that particular Master can punish you in ways I only dream about. Be polite, or I’ll let him have you for an hour.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” she hissed.

“Try me.” Grit’s voice was clearer, louder now. “Merrick, I’m heading to the office now. I’ll dispatch a team on the way over and get them to round the yahoos up. Can you confirm four individuals—three male, one female?”

“That I’m aware of.”

“Okay. Leave it with me.” The line went dead.

Merrick met Tamsyn’s jittery eyes and stared into them until they focused on him. Only him. “Were you listening, little owl? The screaming is going to stop. It’ll take a few minutes until security finds and escorts them inside, so we’re going to suffer just a little longer. No one’s being hurt and, more importantly, no one is hurtingyou.”

Something flickered in the tawny brown.

“Is that what sent you running earlier?” He frowned down at her, thinking. If she’d ended up at the orgy around midnight… “You were asleep, and the screaming woke you up so you tried to find me?” Piecing it all together was an unpleasant business. “You got sick in the hallway, bolted across the grounds until you reached the big cabin, and got your pretty ass dragged into an orgy.”

Miserably, she nodded.

---