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Gage stopped at a red light and looked her way. “Don’t give me that. If it was a work thing, you could have told him and he would have gone with you or sent me to watch you. You snuck out, which tells me you knew it was stupid.”

“Stupid? Maybe. But it was work related. This is my fucking job. Does he just stay home and hide if there’s a chance he’ll get shot? No. He goes to work and does his job even when his job is protecting an ass-wipe like Corbit Upwood. So why am I different?”

“You had direct orders to go into a club where you know people have actively tried to kill you?”

“Journalism doesn’t work that way, Gage.”

“I’ve worked with embedded journalists before. They accept the danger, but they also stay back when it’s more likely to get them killed than not. This is too dangerous, Carrie. Now, if I were you, I would stop trying to make your case with me. I’m not the one sleeping with you.”

“I assume that’s where we’re going?”

Gage flipped his blinker on. “You bet your ass it is.”

Her phone buzzed, and she expected it to be Peter. She was surprised he hadn’t blown up her phone. He’d just sent Gage to get her. She didn’t know if that was a good thing or not.

29

PETER paced while he waited for Carrie and Gage to arrive. He didn’t know what Carrie had been thinking, but he was ready to chain her to his bed for being so reckless.

The door opened, and Gage stepped in first. Carrie followed with her head down.

“Please don’t be mad.”

Gage dropped onto the sofa, but Carrie remained in the entry. Peter closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. He had to rein in his anger to keep from stepping on her triggers.

“I’m listening, little one. Tell me everything.”

Her eyes flew to his, and tears glistened in the corners.

“I discovered that the parent company that owns the Doll House is in the black budget. I also assumed whoever RIP is has been at the Doll House. Peter, I had to go back, and I knew you would say no.”

He wanted to argue with her, insist that if she’d just come to him, he would have been reasonable, but that was likely untrue. He was anything but reasonable about Carrie and her safety.

“You don’t have to stand by the door. Come sit down.”

She took a shaky breath and obeyed, sitting in the recliner.

“Did your little outing get you anything?”

“Other than an angry Dom?”

He gave a mirthless laugh. “We’ll talk about that part later.”

“Do you know anyone named Ripley?”

Peter and Gage both stiffened and stared at her. “Where did you hear that name?” Peter asked.

“So you know him?”

Gage answered first. “We know him as Boomer.”

“Fuck, why didn’t I think of him sooner?”

“Son of a bitch, I did see him in your parking garage, then.”

Peter held up a hand, silencing Gage. “Where did you hear that name, Carrie? I won’t ask again.”

“He’s a bouncer at the Doll House, but the girls all say he works for Mr. Carranza.”

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