Page 38 of Their Domme

“What areyoudoing out here?” Ansel countered.

“Need to make a quick call and have a smoke. Nic shared something else before she passed out.”

“Not inside,” Ansel said dryly as I pulled out my pack of smokes.

Without breaking eye contact, I pulled out a cigarette and lit it, blowing smoke in his direction before turning to my uncle. “I’m calling Wrenn.”

“Smart.” Rhodes rubbed the back of his neck. “Let’s go out back. Everyone else is out there, I think.”

“Almost everyone,” Ansel said as he reached forward, calmly snagging the pack of cigarettes from my pocket and crushing them before dropping it on the floor. “Not in my house. If you decide not to listen again, I’ll make you eat the pack by shoving it down your throat.”

“My mother did that once,” I told him coldly as I inhaled again. “Threw up everywhere. After that, she was fine about the smoking because it was better than the puke.”

My nonchalant response made him stare at me with cold eyes before he spun on his heel and strode down the hallway, into the living room, and out to a pool. Vas and Sacha both looked up when we walked outside, while Oliver’s eyes were trained on the laptop he had somehow magically gotten ahold of.

“What’s wrong?” Sacha asked, his laser focus starting on me before his eyes glanced behind as if Nic might appear in my shadow.

“She’s asleep, and Alexei is with her.” I took a long drag of my cigarette and unlocked my phone. “Need to make a call.”

“That’s more important than being in there?” Vas snarked as I hit Wrenn’s name. I didn’t bother to answer Vas as I listened to the phone ring before she picked up.

“Where the actual fuck have you all been?” Wrenn bitched by way of greeting. In the background, I heard a bunch of people talking amidst the wail of sirens. “Shit has hit the fan big time, and no one has been able to get in touch with any of you three.”

“We have Nic,” I told her, my eyes narrowing as I exhaled. “What’s happening there?”

“Do you have Rhodes there?” she asked, and I arched an eyebrow. I wouldn’t normally put up with this shit, but I was somehow okay with the fact that she was comfortable around me, or maybe just that exasperated enough, to talk to me that way.

“Yes.”

“Good, ‘cause he needs to hear this shit too.” There was some shuffling and yelling before she ordered, “Speakerphone, Maksim, we don’t have all night.”

“You’re getting mighty bold,” I crooned, amused that she thought she could order me around.

“Put the phone on speaker, Maksim, before you don’t have a dick to fuck Nic with,” she threatened sweetly, and I let out a bark of laughter before hitting the speakerphone button.

“We can all hear you.”

“There’s a fire at the compound.” Wrenn dropped the bombshell like it was nothing, and Rhodes’ face became red with rage as he started to move toward me and the phone. “Don’t come down here. The place is crawling with cops. The fire mainly affected the women’s quarters. Most of them didn’t make it out.”

“What?!” Rhodes hissed.

“The children did.” Wrenn kept going, words pouring out of her like she was on a time crunch. Maybe she was. “Social Services is placing most of them. The majority of the club made it out fine, a few issues with smoke inhalation, but Razor has been keeping everything together since the cops showed up. They’re asking where the three of you are, which I am very specificallynotasking you about.”

“Noted,” I interjected.

“But it’s bad. When you do get back here… I hope nothing too important was here because they’re still fighting the fire, and it doesn’t look like there will be much left once it’s done.”

Rhodes let out a string of curses before he kicked one of the chairs. Ansel eyed him before he stepped closer to the phone I was holding out.

“Did you hear what kind of accelerant they think was used?”

Wrenn didn’t answer for a moment, though we heard her breathing over the line. Sacha looked at the older man and rubbed a hand over his beard. “Why does that matter?”

“Because I know a lot of people besides you Russians who enjoy it,” Ansel said coolly.

“Answer him, Wrenn,” Rhodes ordered roughly.

“Old-fashioned gasoline,” Wrenn replied with a hint of amusement. “Or that’s what they’re speculating from the few conversations I’ve overheard.” There was a momentary pause before she exhaled, the sound shaky. “Is Nic okay?”

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