Page 8 of Chandelier Sin
“The number panel in the elevator,” I said.
“What about it?” said Jake.
“It’s wrong.” I dragged my fingers through my dark hair.
Eve had to have snuck through a secret doorway. That left me concerned that some VIPs had even more areas to hide their deviousness.
“Wrong how?” asked Jake.
“It’s missing a floor. On purpose.” I looked around. “They’re hiding something.”
A young woman was led into the chamber by a rough-looking Dom.
She was blindfolded—not unusual in this place. Though it was an interesting choice to have her wear ordinary lacey underwear, like she’d stepped in off the street. The olive-skinned sub had a youngish vibe.
She reached out her hands to help find her way, reminding me of a painting.What was it again?Paul Delaroche’s depiction of Lady Jane Grey during her last moments. Imagery you never forget.
Though this scene wasn’t half as brutal, it still left a bad taste in my mouth when I realized what would come next.
“They’re going to auction her,” I said.
“Jesus,” said Jake, showing concern.
The beauty in there washistype. Maybe she reminded him of a younger version of his ex-wife, Rylee. Their on again/off again relationship tortured them both. This submissive promised a fresh start for him. If I was thinking that, maybe he was, too.
Except we’d all agreed not to date anyone here.
Not until we’d secured the place as ours.
I squeezed Jake’s shoulder to remind him we were here to rescue the subs with subtlety.
“Have you seen her before?” asked Greyson.
“I’d have remembered.” Jake was zeroed in on the mystery woman.
I’d just had my own moment with Eve. There was no judgment here. Just close friends watching out for each other.
The chamber went deadly quiet.
The blindfolded woman was trembling. Some men might find that alluring. We didn’t. Any hint of coercion was a warning that things needed to be brought to a swift end.
Jake’s back stiffened. “I’ll go in.”
“We should all go,” I said.
He gave a shake of his head to make his point. He was probably right—more than one of us going in might piss off the guests.
“Good luck,” I said with a smirk.
Jake made his way into the chamber, much to everyone’s annoyance. Within a few minutes, he’d cleared the room of guests.
When the submissive finally removed her blindfold, Greyson and I swapped a wary glance. She was stunning. Jake would find it hard to dismiss her.
Greyson nudged my shoulder. “We should start interviewing the subs. One by one, getting any intel that might be useful.”
“That’s the plan.”
He rolled his eyes. “Ready to build that house?”
