Page 1 of No Rules

PROLOGUE

SEVEN MONTHS AGO

As soon as Ryan walked out of Albany Airport, he wanted to turn around and catch a flight back to Austin. What the fuck had he been thinking, accepting a job in New York in the middle of winter? Cold didn’t even begin to describe the icy temperatures outside. The biting wind whipped up the snow that had accumulated on the sidewalks, and a layer of salty snow-mush covered the pick-up lane in front of the arrivals exit. Jesus, he should’ve brought warmer clothes. He always underestimated how much he wasn’t used to the cold.

A car honked and he followed the sound, raising his hand when he spotted Wander. He slung the strap of his weekend bag over his shoulder, then hurried to the car. After dumping his bag in the trunk, he slid into the passenger seat. “Fucking hell, it’s like Siberia here.”

Wander grinned. “And a good afternoon to you as well, sunshine. I see your disposition is as sunny as ever.”

Ryan buckled up. “Pretty sure you didn’t invite me because of my charming personality.”

A dismissive snort was his answer as Wander pulled away from the curb, merging into the slow-moving traffic.

“You said it’s a stalking case?” Ryan asked.

The grin slid off Wander’s face. “Yeah, and I can’t figure out what’s going on. That’s why I asked you for help. I hoped that with your experience as a detective and a PI, you might have a chance of finding out who’s behind this.”

“Gimme the Cliff’s Notes.”

Ryan had worked with Wander before on a few cases, and one thing he appreciated about the man was his ability to summarize and highlight the main points, unlike many people who got stuck on unimportant details.

“Jesse Beyer is the owner of a BDSM club here in the region called The Exchange. He’s forty-five, pansexual, divorced, and still has a good relationship with his ex-wife. He’s been receiving threatening emails and letters to his home address in which he’s accused of being a sexual deviant, with some biblical references. But they have escalated in intensity, with the threats becoming more and more personal. The cops couldn’t do much for him, and so far, my team has come up empty as well. There are no obvious suspects.”

Ryan didn’t even bother asking about business rivals or ex-partners. Wander would’ve checked out those angles first. “Is he religious himself?”

“No, and he never has been.”

Hmm, interesting. Religious fanatics weren’t as random in their targets as people often thought. Nine times out of ten, they had some personal connection to their victim. “I’m looking forward to digging into this. Sounds like a challenge.”

“It sure is, and I appreciate you flying in.”

Ryan shrugged. “I didn’t have another job lined up anyway.” He looked through his window at the white landscape. “Though I should have thought twice, what with the weather here.”

“It’s not that bad, yeah?”

“You’re from Boston, asshole. You were born in this climate.”

“You’re just weak, is what you’re saying.”

Ryan grinned. The company would make up for a lot in this case. He truly loved working with Wander. He wouldn’t exactly call him a friend, but that was more about Ryan being the quintessential loner than anything else. If Ryan had been a different person—or if he’d met Wander before his life had gone to hell—they might’ve become best friends. “Tell me about your team. Anyone new?”

Wander owned a company that provided personal security for people, and over the years, he’d become the go-to guy for people involved in the kink community or with non-traditional sex lives. Wander himself was an experienced Dom, just like Ryan. Well, like Ryan had been. He no longer considered himself a Dom.

“I have one newbie, a young sub named Alex,” Wander said, and Ryan blinked, refocusing.

“Still no women?”

“Not for lack of trying, but I ask a lot. I need people who are not only highly competent in personal security but also have the necessary background in kink. Or at least a familiarity with it, enough to be completely comfortable.”

With his clientele, that was a necessity. “Who else is on this job? I’d like to know who I’m dealing with.”

“Lowell, Jonah, and Caleb.”

Lowell was a former cop, and Ryan liked his analytical approach. He was also a Dom with some interesting kink preferences. Jonah was a switch, which Ryan always found fascinating. Ryan couldn’t even imagine himself as a sub, and how Jonah could switch between the two was a mystery. Caleb was a sub in training who loved serving others sexually. Ryan had happily availed himself of Caleb’s mouth and ass on a previous job.

“Is Caleb still single?” he checked.

Wander laughed. “Yes, he is. But our newbie might interest you as well. Alex is a horny little fucker and an absolute slut.”

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