Page 15 of Dirty Discipline, Vol. 1

A week later at the Triple K farm, Bunkie, Louisiana…

“Keith just turned off the main road, Kaden. They should be here in fifteen minutes.”

“I still don’t know why I agreed to do this. I don’t have time to play babysitter to some little chit who was stupid enough to play grownup games and got her fingers burned.”

“Perhaps because Slade saved your life when you were on that last tour in Afghanistan?”

Kaden slanted an intransigent look at his younger brother, Kevin. “I paid that debt back more times than I can count,” he muttered but with less ire.

“You make it sound as if Slade is taking advantage of you.”

“Slade is too much of a gentleman to do that and no, he would never take advantage of a debt I actually don’t owe him in the first place. He did what any other soldier would have done at the time.”

“Exactly, and you agreeing to protect his niece is what friends do for each other.” Kevin smirked. “Besides, I hear the little chit is quite a looker. Keith literally gushed when he spoke to me on the phone as she got off the train.”

“Our little brother is twenty-five getting high on his own testosterone. You can’t take what he says too seriously.”

Kaden was annoyed. As the owner of a black ops recovery and protection company, he was a busy man. He didn’t have time for this nonsense. It was bad enough he was saddled with a young girl. Now he had to make sure the men kept their dicks inside their pants. The prospect of what lay ahead just went from bad to worse.

“Besides, since she’s Slade’s niece, she must definitely be too young for any man on this farm to gush over. Make sure all the ranch hands know that. No one winks at her, or they’ll have me to deal with.”

“Got it.” The offices of Triple K Secure were in the basement of the barn tucked away safe and sound to ensure optimal confidentiality to the customers they served. Kevin opened the door and led the way up the stairs. “We should get up there. They’re probably already here.”

“I better take this,” Kaden said as his cell phone chirped. “Slade, your timing is impeccable,” he said as he answered the call.

“Is she there?” Slade’s concerned voice triggered alarm bells.

“Keith went to pick her up. They should be here anytime. Are you going to tell me what the hell is going on? I can hardly protect your niece properly if I don’t have all the information.”

“A year ago, Sage led an intel-gathering operation into a hedge fund empire involving banking conglomerates. She uncovered proof of Wall Street fraud and the largest Ponzi scheme in history.”

“That’s hardly something that should put her life in danger.”

“They weren’t ordinary people but wealthy investors, bankers, and fund managers. They were fooled and suffered losses based on impressive, but fictitious returns that were supposedly being invested in blue-chip shares. The fund empire also engaged in portfolio hedging by buying options on the S&P 500.”

“Similar to what happened in 2008, I assume.”

“Exactly, except Sage wasn’t convinced they had the main player from back then even. The FBI held back on arrests because the findings were ruled inconclusive. The case went cold. Sage received an anonymous tip a couple of months ago and started digging into the case again. She recently found a connection between the current scandal and the hedge fund managers in 2008. There are two implementers in the current scheme that were also involved in 2008. One is a Chief of Police, and the other one is a congressman intending to run for president in the next election.”

“Let me guess. The operation and intel she uncovered were leaked, subsequently exposing them. She then became a threat.”

“Exactly. She’s my responsibility, Kaden. I promised my brother when he died that I would take care of her. Three days ago, there was an attempt on her life. I can’t let this go. I need to get her out of danger until the entire scandal is blown open.”

“How far is that from happening?”

“According to Sage, she finally has the names of the two players I mentioned earlier. She started looking into them. I assume the assassination attempt means she stumbled upon something that could bring it all together. Once she uncovers what it is they’re trying to hide, all information will be handed over to the FBI director. She wants to be absolutely sure this time that they have enough evidence to indict, prosecute and convict to finally put all the guilty parties behind bars. The exact time frame is unclear, but it shouldn’t be much longer.”

“Very well. At least now I know what we’re dealing with.”

“I’ll be back from Seattle this weekend. I’ll come for a quick visit.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you…” Kaden’s voice drifted off as Keith parked the GMC truck. With surprising speed, he jumped out to open the door for his passenger. “Well, I’ll be fucked.”

“What was that?” Slade’s voice sounded far off.

“Nothing. We’ll see you the weekend.” The desire to ask his friend about the guest he had sponsored at Club Rogue the previous week evaporated. He had tried to find Sheila Lovett, but all the information she had supplied on her application had proved to be false. The week had become very busy and apart from the quick conversation with Slade two days ago about protecting his niece, the search for the errant submissive was pushed to the background. Now, there was no need to probe him for information.

His voice lowered as she looked up, her face growing pale as she recognized him. “So, what do I call you today? Sheila Lovett, Sage Lewis… or Patty Cakes?” His voice was deliberately dark and warned the shocked woman to tread carefully.

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