Page 28 of Submitting to Daddy
The evening’s city lights filter through the thin curtains, casting a kaleidoscope of hazy light and shadows over the room. We’re sprawled on her bed, my back resting on a pillow against the wrought-iron headboard, and her head resting on my thigh. Aimlessly running my fingers through her rich chocolate hair, I stare down at her. She’s quiet and calm; it’s a strange kind of peace I haven’t felt in a long time. I brush my thumb over her uninjured cheek, watching her eyelids flutter closed as she sinks deeper against me. Her scent clings to me, soaked into my skin—bright citrus and spice. Every breath fills my chest with her.
I didn’t plan on staying this morning. I told myself I’d drive her home, make sure she was okay, and give her a tiny bit of space to recover. For a day or two—or at least a few hours. Butstanding on her doorstep, the pull between us was magnetic. I literally couldn’t bring myself to turn around and walk down those three flights of stairs. Fuck, even if I did make it down to the entrance, I would’ve barreled back up them before reaching the sidewalk.
What really fucks me up is how good today felt. Not just the sex, though that wrecked me in a way I’m still recovering from. It was everything in between. The two of us barefoot in her kitchen, making dinner and arguing about what kind of music to play while she danced in my T-shirt. We talked for hours, sharing stories about our childhood and our families, but each of hers felt like it had holes she wasn’t quite ready to fill.
A day of nothing but boring domestic shit. We didn’t go anywhere. We didn’t do anything big. And still, I felt… content.Normal. And that shit scares the hell out of me. Yet, I enjoyed every minute of it. I could spend every fucking day like this with her and not get tired of this kind of life.
My phone buzzes on her bedside table, a sharp reminder of the other world waiting for me. I ignored it a few minutes ago, not wanting to disturb Madison as she was falling asleep—and hoping it was a false alarm. Sliding my fingers from her hair, I move as little as possible when I stretch my arm out. Enzo’s name is flashing on the screen, and I know before answering it that there this isn’t going to be good news.
I swipe to answer. “Yeah?”
Enzo doesn’t waste time. “We’ve got a problem. Surveillance. Someone has eyes on the club. Maybe our apartments, too.”
I sit up straighter, my body instantly alert. “What kind of surveillance?”
“Cameras. Nik found two hidden in the back of the club. Somebody got inside—and we’re not sure how deep.”
“FBI?”
“Has to be. They’re quiet, clean. And Nik can’t find any trace of them being planted on the security feed.”
“Any idea what they’ve seen?”
Enzo sighs. “No clue. We don’t know if they were planted yesterday or during construction. Fuck. There were about a thousand guys in and out of this day and night before we opened and nearly as many every night since.”
My jaw tightens, and I let out a heavy sigh. “All right. I’ll call in a favor. Judge Ralston owes me for keeping his activities at the club quiet. If there’s a warrant, he’ll find it.”
“We better move fast, Cian. If they’re in this deep already, we’re fucked. Life without parole puts a real damper on shit.”
I hang up and look at Madison. Her eyes are closed, and she’s sleeping peacefully. Tenderly I lift her head and slip from beneath her, managing to slide from the bed without waking her. I pull the blankets over her, and she stirs for a second, but quickly falls back into slumber. Quietly fumbling around her tiny apartment in the dark, I find my clothes and dress. Before leaving, I kiss the top of her forehead one last time—tracing the soft lines of her battered face with my fingertips. “I’ll be back. ” I promise the words against her skin.
Slinking out of her apartment, I borrow her spare key so that I can lock the deadbolt. I pull my phone from my pocket and send Madison a quick message, knowing she keeps her cell on silent, so it won’t disturb her. Then a second to my brothers to let them know I’m on my way.
Rain slicks the roads, and the city lights cast a haze of neon across the pavement on my drive to the club. I drive faster than I should, weaving through cars as I make my way uptown. My mind races with the weight of how this could be the beginning of everything crashing down around us.
Walking into the club, everything looks like business as usual—girls on the stage and drinks flowing like Mardi Gras. But it doesn’t feel like any other night. The mood is sharp and electric. Enzo is pacing near the bar—his face tight and a half-empty whiskey glass on the counter beside him. Nikolai meets me with a grim look when I join them, his arms folded across his chest and his eyes still narrowed.
“These are what we’ve found so far.” Nik slides a glass of water with three cameras no bigger than my fingertip at the bottom across the bar.
“Do they have audio?” I ask.
“I don’t know. I sent a picture to Hawk. It’s his area of expertise.”
In disbelief, I shake my head. “And there’s really nothing on the security footage?”
“I have guys skimming through it again,” Nik informs me. “But it's weeks of footage, and so far, nothing stands out.”
“Fuck,” I mutter, raking a hand through my hair. “We think any of the staff were in on it?”
“Too early to know.” Enzo shakes his head. “But we vetted the fuck out of every person we put on our payroll to make sure this shit wouldn’t happen. It has to be a customer or from before we opened.”
“Check them all again. Just to be safe.” I know we went through everyone with a fine-tooth comb, but shit gets missed. Loyalties change. People get desperate. “Run backgrounds, credit checks, family ties. I don’t care if it’s the bartender’s dog walker—if they breathe near this place, we need to know everything about them.”
Enzo gives a sharp nod and pulls out his phone.
“I texted the judge on my way over,” I add, my fingers tapping along the edge of the bar. “But I’ll call him first thing in the morning. If a warrant was filed—sealed or not—Ralston will find it. He owes me.”
“And if it wasn’t a legal search?” Nik watches me with those unreadable, ice-cutting eyes.
