Page 9 of Shrouded Desires
“Damnit, Raine, that’s not what I meant.” The frustration in Maxwell’s tone was clear. “I know you. You get something in your head and you run with it. I don’t want you fighting Storm on club business. Despite him not playing an active role in the running of it, he’s just invested as I am in it. He’s not going to run it into the ground.”
“Good to know.” He grabbed a tissue and pressed it against his now bleeding hand. But the pain there was nothing compared to the sudden tightness in his chest that was a precursor of an approaching anxiety attack. He needed to hit the personal gym in the basement - now. “Is there anything else, Master?”
“Yeah.” There was a moment of silence as if Max had covered the mouthpiece with his hand. “Feel free to fight him on anything other than the club.”
“What?” Confusion swirled through him only adding to the building pressure.
“Yeah. Stir him up, Storm needs to be reminded that every sub isn’t going to fall at his size thirteen feet.”
“Okay.” He croaked before dropping the tissue and the phone with a jangle into its cradle. Then he rushed for the door and the waiting refuge in the basement.
* * * *
Drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, Storm sat outside Redemption. In the hours since his conversation with Max, and after checking on Lizzie, he’d driven around trying to wrap his mind around what Max had revealed about Raine. He’d obviously jumped to conclusions about the other man, and now wasn’t looking forward to eating a big piece of humble pie. Raine Donovan wasn’t Max’s lover, but a true service sub that had been abused more than once. He was also Lizzie’s best friend, which had led to Max offering his protection as a favor to his own submissive.
None of which should have changed things, but in Storm’s mind it did. He felt like he’d kicked a goddamned puppy. And after his confrontation with Tony, it was like pouring salt in an open wound. He knew he came off as an asshole, and most times reveled in it, but he never wanted to hurt anyone, any more than he wanted to be hurt himself.
“Get it together, old man. No time like the present to go and fix things.” He squeezed the steering wheel one more time, then exited the car to head into the club. After using his executive swipe card on the owner’s entrance, he entered the dark hall and punched in the code that Max had given him. It would allow him to come and go sight unseen. Because the last thing he needed was for it to get back to team management. With a bit of discretion, he’d be able to fill in for Max until the other man was able to return, and none, he hoped, would be the wiser.
Walking down the hall, he noted the changes that Max had made in the five years since they’d opened the club. It’d been at least two years since he’d physically been on site, and he’d never been big about talking decorating schemes on the rare occasions they discussed business. But now that he was here, he couldn’t help but be struck by them. The dark paneling on the walls had been replaced with a creamy white lat board, making the hall seem lighter and a bit airier. The beige carpets had been replaced by blonde wooden flooring. Even the dirty bulb light fixtures had been replaced with ornate but delicate sconces. Everywhere he looked he could see Lizzie’s touch.
“Shit, did she decorate the whole damn club?”
There was no answer as he moved down the hall to the office that Max had commandeered the first time they’d toured the building. Pushing open the door, he sighed. The office was a complete embodiment of Max. Strong, with an understated dominance that only a fool would overlook. On the desk he could see an open binder. Obviously Raine had been in the office already. Paying vendors? Or had he taken a glance at the bookwork and been too upset to work on it? He frowned as he drew closer to the desk. This time he spotted a wadded-up tissue with blood on it.
Ice coursed through his veins. “Fuck.” He needed to find the other man now. Before he’d left the hospital, Max had revealed that Raine also had a tendency to self-harm when under stress. “And his master having a heart attack is definitely stress. He grabbed his phone from the clip on his belt and dialed Lizzie’s number.
She answered promptly. “Master Storm?”
“Quick, tell me where Raine would go if he wanted to self-harm?”
“The sauna off the gym. Master does random checks of his room. Find him, Master Storm.”
“I will.” He promised as he jogged down the stairs to the basement gym. It had been his own request when Max had remodeled. He shoved the phone back in its holster before bursting through the entrance to the gym, thoroughly startling the man running on the treadmill. He was wearing nothing more than a pair of boxers. Scattered around the equipment were his clothes.
Storm stumbled to a stop, surprise filling him. He’d expected to find a nasty scene like the one he’d witnessed the one time that Max had brought him in to deal with Lizzie, when Max himself had been out of town. But there were no blades in sight, no blood running down arms or legs. Just a hot sweaty man running on the treadmill with his hair plastered to his forehead.
“You’re okay?” The words came out harsh. “I found blood in Max’s office.”
“Cut. Myself. On. Letter. Opener.” Raine continued to run, the words coming out on pants.
“Okay.” Storm exhaled, striving for patience. It wouldn’t do to lose his temper again. “That explains the blood in the office if that’s the truth, but I’d feel a lot better if I checked you over. People who self-harm have a tendency to lie about it.”
Raine shot him a glare but continued to run. “No. Need. I’m. Fine.”
“Not an option.” Storm crossed his arms over his chest. “Max left me in charge and you…”
“Can. Get. Bent.” Raine smacked a button on the console and slowed to a jog, his chest rising and falling with his heavy breathing.
“Excuse me?” This time there was no controlling the anger that rushed though Storm. If he’d been any other submissive than one that had been abused that had been left in his care, he’d have yanked the man off the treadmill and over his leg for a sound paddling.
“You…heard….me.” His breath wasn’t coming so fast as he slowed to walk.
“Damnit!” Storm slapped the emergency stop, halting the machine. Raine caught himself on the arms of the treadmill as the belt jerked to a stop. “You will pay attention to me.”
“Does it have to do with the running of the club?” Raine asked, without looking at Storm.
“No...” Frustration beat at him. “Max left your wellbeing in my hands and…”
