Gabe

Bumper to bumper traffic isn’t unusual on a Saturday night in the downtown core of San Francisco, but it made the drive to Afterglow slow. Far slower than I intended considering McKenna’s sitting next to me, her eyes glued on her cellphone.

Regardless that I’m less than pleased with her reading material, my gaze falls to her arm where a Band-Aid rests over the crease where Ryder’s team drew blood from her. There’s nothing about any of this that I like, and the silence is killing me, making my car feel small and lacking in air. “Is it really necessary to read those articles?” I ask.

“Oh, yeah.” She grins. “Totally necessary.” Her finger scrolls down the glass as she reads that damn article in Gotcha! outing me as Afterglow’s owner. The same article that had stolen the last strands of my control.

Stuck behind the wheel of my Audi, I bite the inside of my cheek and tap my finger staring out into the sea of lights. We’re only a few blocks away from the club, but I’m as impatient to get there as I am to stay away. I never intended to show McKenna this world; I’m not sure what she’ll think.

She finally exhales deeply, obviously done reading the article. “How did I not know this about you?” she asks.

I give her a quick look, trying to gauge her mood, and fail miserably. She’s locked her emotions up tight. “You didn’t know about it because no one except a few trusted people knew this about me.” I pause then snort. “Until the media got ahold of it, of course.”

“I see,” she says, nibbling her lip, watching me closely.

The air in the car feels thick and dry, and I shift against my seat as she suddenly begins to chuckle.

“And there’s that laughter again.” I sigh.

“I’m sorry,” she says, failing at fighting her grin. “I never would have thought you were kinky. I mean, alpha? For sure, but kinky . . .” She smirks. “I can’t picture you in leather chaps.”

“Leather chaps?” I slam on the brakes to glare at her, causing a horn to blare behind us. “I do not wear leather chaps.”

“Totally kidding,” she says and winks. “Just trying to lighten the mood.”

Not amused in the least, I glance in the rearview mirror, watching the man behind the wheel shake his fist at me. “Consider it lightened,” I tell her, driving forward.

“You know,” she adds, voice soft, “you can relax about all this. I see you over there all tense, looking about ready to jump out of your skin. But this is fine. I don’t care at all that you own this club. In fact, I’d say I’m intrigued by the idea.”

I glance sideways, finding her cheeks flushed, a telling sign she’s more interested than offended. The cars in front of me begin moving faster, but for this second, I focus on her torso, watching her breathe, seeing her chest rise and fall quickly.

Excited, hmmm?

“You should go,” she says, pointing to the front window.

I take note of the heat in her eyes before I put my attention back on the road, quickly getting the car up to third gear. Silence falls between us again, until we’re a block away from the club, and I can’t stand the quiet. “What’s on your mind?” I ask her.

“I’m wondering what your mother thinks about you owning this club.”

“I told her the story was fake.” I downshift into second gear, the engine a low purr.

“She believed you?”

“Why wouldn’t she?” I downshift into first gear and then slow to halt at the red light. From our spot, Afterglow’s bright neon lights glow into the night. “She has no reason to doubt me.”

McKenna gives me a questioning glance. “You’re not one to lie. Why the dishonesty?”

“Because it’s an unnecessary fact that my mother doesn’t need to know.”

McKenna’s brows pull together, shoulders curl. “It’s a fact that the world doesn’t need to know.” And my brother is the one who told your secrets is what she doesn’t say.

Regardless that I’m uneasy about bringing McKenna to the club, relief that we’ve arrived fills me as I pull over to the curb, stopping in front of the valet. Not because I want to avoid quiet time with her, but because my shame for how loyal she’s been to me is overwhelming. Never once had McKenna read a tabloid article, nor did she listen to a word of gossip; I’m seeing her loyalty toward me in ways I never saw before, and it solidifies my loyalty to her.

I roll down my window before the valet can open my door. “We’ll be just a minute.”

“Not a problem, Mr. O’Keefe.” The valet backs away, standing with hands laced behind his back.

McKenna chuckles. “Mr. O’Keefe.” She stares at the valet before she smiles at me. “Sometimes I forget how much of a big deal you are in San Francisco.”

“That’s what I like about you.” In fact, that’s what originally drew me to her. The way McKenna sees me is very different than the way the rest of the world does. She makes me feel like the guy who worked behind a bar and loved it enough to make a career out of it, instead of a multi-millionaire. “Any other questions before we go in?”

Her eyes search mine. Then, “Why do you keep this part of your life a secret?”

The answer could backfire in epic proportions. But trust needs to rebuild, so I refuse for there to be lies between us. “When I bought the club in my twenties, I used it as a place to meet women who enjoyed sex.”

“In a manner that you controlled, you mean?”

She never did miss a thing. “That’s right. My terms. My house, so to speak.”

I see her mind working in the amazing way it does, while she’s figuring me out. She doesn’t judge. She wants to understand. It’s a beautiful trait.

She finally asks, “Because you were worried that your active sex life would get out in the public?”

“The world loves a scandal, doesn’t it?”

She snorts a laugh. “It certainly does.”

I glance at the front door, watch a couple gain entrance before I address her again. “Have you ever been to a sex club?”

“No.”

I can’t ignore that fact. “Perhaps it would be better if you wait here.”

She barks a loud laugh, hand on the door handle. “Yeah, right, O’Keefe. As if I’m not going in there with you.” Then the door is open and she’s getting out of the car.

I sigh, unbuckling my seatbelt, knowing I had to at least try to avoid the inevitable. This world and McKenna were never supposed to intertwine. I’m uneasy about how this will turn out as I exit the car, leaving the keys in the ignition. “I don’t anticipate we’ll be long,” I tell the valet.

He nods in understanding, and then he’s in my car, driving to park it around the back of the club. The streets are busy, the bars and nightclubs in full force, and I glance from left to right, looking for any paparazzi.

Confident no one is following us, I place my hand on the small of McKenna’s back and lead her to the door. Gerald, the bouncer who’s worked here for a couple years, smiles in greeting. He’s got the bulk, the brains, and the brutality when called for. “Welcome back, sir.”

“Thank you, Gerald.” I move closer to him, keeping the conversation private. “If you happen to see any paparazzi or photographer of any kind, remove them from the area.”

Gerald smiles, half deadly, half amused. “I’d be glad to, sir.”

I nod in thanks and gently guide McKenna toward the door. She glances up at me, smiling. “I have a feeling he might enjoy that task.”

“Don’t be fooled, he would love every minute of it,” I tell her simply. “That’s why he mans the door.”

When we enter the club, there’s techno music coming from the speaker above the front desk. For most people, they’d think they were entering a typical nightclub, only at this nightclub, most people are naked or close to it. And they’re also having sex. Swingers, kinksters, and everything in between; Afterglow hosts them all. Public rooms, private rooms, theme rooms, a dungeon, an orgy room, the three floors of Afterglow are a sexual playground.

I stop at the desk, smiling at Tammy, Afterglow’s second longest employee, who’s sitting behind a computer. “Good evening, Mr. O’Keefe, nice to see you.” Her bright blue eyes surrounded by thick dark lashes survey McKenna. “New membership, sir?”

I shake my head but turn to McKenna. “To enter you’ll need to sign a non-disclosure.”

“That’s fine.” She smiles.

I regard her, unsure if she’s as steady as she seems, or if she’s putting on a mask of bravery. It’s something I intend to find out, but for now, I stay on task and say to Tammy, “We’re here to talk with Trevor. Is he in tonight?”

“Yeah, he’s in his office now.” Tammy reaches into her filing cabinet and takes out a piece of paper. “Here’s the non-disclosure. It’s nothing complicated. No photography. No videotaping. No violence. Standard stuff.”

McKenna chuckles softly. Standard to those in this club. Not standard to her. Regardless, she grabs the pen off the desk and quickly reads each point then signs and dates the bottom.

Tammy takes the paper back. “If you change your mind and you’d like membership, just let me know.”

“Thank you, Tammy,” I tell her.

I return my hand to McKenna’s back, moving her into the hallway. Each door we walk past, she peers in.

Eventually she turns to me and frowns. “All right, where are the crops, the screaming, the orgasms?”

“For the most part,” I say with a grin, “what you’ll see will look no different than any other nightclub, because we’re on the first floor.” I point to the room on the left. “Bar.” Which was in full effect, most people sitting around the bar, with some at the tables and couches. “Quiet area.” I point to the right as we stride by.

McKenna nibbles her lip. “So . . . the good stuff . . . that’s all upstairs?”

I nod in the exact moment my name’s called.

Trevor Pilon, the man who heads up Afterglow, strides toward us. He’s the type of guy you want on your side. Tall and fit, he could stand his own against any threat. Yet his kind brown eyes soften him slightly. It’s a trick that I’ve seen him use many times over. When he needs to be soft, he can be. When he needs to be firm, he’s that, too. It makes him a talented businessman, and it’s why I pay him a ridiculous amount to handle running Afterglow when I decided to take more of a backseat role in the club’s inner dealings.

“An unexpected visit,” Trevor says with a smile, offering his hand when he reaches us. “Nevertheless, a good one.”

“I apologize for not calling first.” I return the handshake and gesture. “Trevor Pilon, this is McKenna Archer.”

Trevor takes her hand and kisses the top. “It’s certainly my pleasure to meet you, McKenna.”

I snort as Trevor’s never been a man not to admire a pretty lady, nor is he the type of guy that wouldn’t flirt with a lover of mine. Perhaps that’s why I like him so much, too. He’s my equal. “Do you know Evan Archer?” I ask him, bringing us back to task.

He gently lowers McKenna’s hand. “I take it this is a relative.”

She nods. “He’s my brother.”

Just like that, the warmth in Trevor is gone, replaced by hardness. “What does Evan Archer have to do with the club?”

“Exactly the question we need to answer.”

Trevor studies McKenna again, giving her a little more of an examination, and then nods. “The name does sound familiar. Come back to my office, I’ll need to look at the files there.”

We follow him down the hallway. With each room we pass, McKenna’s interest grows. Her cheeks are flushing, she’s eagerly licking her lips, and her pupils are dilated. It’s an interesting development I can’t ignore, and it’s piquing my interest to find out what she’s so curious about.

When we enter Trevor’s office, I find it much the same as my last visit. Simple furnishings, a cherrywood desk resting in the middle of the room with a black swivel chair in behind, and four filing cabinets against the wall. The only difference is the red chaise that hadn’t been there the last time I’d visited him. “Ah, I see my birthday gift to you arrived.”

Trevor chuckled and shut the door behind us. “It did. Again, thank you. I’ve enjoyed it, believe me.”

McKenna watches the exchange between us with a cute look, obviously trying to decipher what he’s saying. Her brows eventually shoot up, as she clearly put two and two together, and her cheeks flush crimson. She glances at me then and smiles, far too innocently for the place she’s in.

It’s in this moment that I can’t help but look at her and think that back in the day when I first opened this club she would’ve been my choice of lover. Innocent, but daring. Sexy, but sweet. Blood rushes to my cock, and I’m not sure if that’s caused by my reaction to being in this place with her, or if it’s her curiosity tempting me.

“So,” says Trevor, garnering my attention while he moves to the first filing cabinet. “Evan Archer.” He opens the top drawer and then takes out a file, reading the pages within. “Yes, he’s been a member for just shy of a year.”

I move to the open leather chairs in front of Trevor’s desk and gesture at McKenna. Once she takes her seat, I drop down into the other, keeping my attention on Trevor. “Any idea who he came in here with?”

McKenna turns to me, eyes confused. “Came in here with?”

“A person can’t simply come in here off the street and get membership,” I explain. “It’s a vetting process, and almost every person knows a member first, which is how they get in. It keeps the club safe.”

“Gotcha.” She nods.

“It looks like Sally Green was his connection,” Trevor says, placing the file back in the cabinet and then smiling at me. “Tonight is your lucky night.”

“Why is that?” I ask.

“Because she’s here.”

McKenna

I can only recall once that I’ve been rendered speechless, and that one time was when Gran talked to me about sex. Now I can say it’s happened to me twice, because that’s the state I’m in when a drop-dead gorgeous brunette with legs that go on forever enters Trevor’s office. It’s not her beauty that stuns me though, it’s the fact that she’s wearing nothing but a pair of black heels and black lace panties.

“I better be seeing this wrong,” Gabe states, fury in his eyes.

Trevor’s on his feet, the swivel chair crashing into the wall behind him. “Jesus Christ, Sally,” he roars.

“Oh, no.” Her bright blue eyes widen as she takes us in.

“What in the hell were you thinking? You know that the lower floor of the club requires a state of dress.” Trevor scolds, moving to the chaise and grabbing a blanket off the top. He drapes it over her shoulders, covering her up, and shoots Gabe an apologetic look. “Please forgive her. I can assure you this is not a regular occurrence.”

Gabe’s glare seems permanently stuck on his face, and I begin to see that it’s more for making me uncomfortable than anything else. “It’s okay,” I tell Sally with a smile, trying to save her from Gabe’s wrath. “Honestly,” I add when no one moves, the tension in the room so thick a sword couldn’t even cut it. “It’s fine. Please come in and take a seat.”

Sally gives me a cute smile that looks far too innocent considering her nakedness then sets her attention onto Trevor. “I’m so sorry, sir. I thought you were calling me in here for . . .” Her gaze falls to the chaise.

Gabe snorts, draping a hand across the back of my chair, sliding his fingers over my nape. “I never should have bought you that.”

Trevor chuckles, and the tension slowly evaporates from the room. He returns to his seat and gestures to that gift he obviously puts to good use. “Go on, Sally, take a seat. Gabe and McKenna have some questions, if you don’t mind sparing a few minutes of your time.”

“Questions?” Sally slowly takes a seat, eyes on Trevor. “Is everything all right?”

Gabe interjects before he can answer her. “You proposed Evan Archer for membership to the club, yes?”

“I did.” She looks from Gabe to Trevor to me, expression becoming more and more alarmed. “Was that not all right? Am I in some sort of trouble? Oh, God, and then I came in here like that—”

“You’re not in any trouble,” I assure her, only imagining how unsettling this must all be. Both Gabe and Trevor are guys you don’t really want to mess with, and I’m a stranger to her.

Gabe stays perfectly silent next to me.

Trevor, however, grins darkly. “Well, she’s not in trouble with you, no.”

I can’t help but notice the way Sally shivers, and her faces flushes with clear desire. Trying to stay focused in this place is no easy task I surmise, but I do my best, saying to Sally, “We really need to talk to Evan. Do you know where he is?”

“Why?” she asks, glancing from Trevor to me. “Is Evan in some kind of trouble?”

I’m no expert on how to handle any of this so I look at Gabe and find his eyes are fixated on Sally, looking for any hint of deceit, I’m sure.

“How do you know Evan?” he asks.

Sally shifts on the chaise, pulling the blanket farther over her crossed legs, obviously to pretend she’s not half-naked while we’re all clothed. “We dated for about a month a year or so ago and have been close friends ever since.”

My brother might not have told me everything, but some things he does tell me, and girlfriends fall into that category. “He never mentioned you to me.”

“I’m not really that surprised to hear that,” she says with a half-shrug. “What we had was very casual, more fun than anything else.” She pauses, her eyes narrowing on me. “I’m sorry, but who are you to Evan?”

“I’m his sister,” I reply.

“His sister?” Sally uncrosses her legs, only to cross them again. “How strange, he never told me about a sister. Do you live in the city?”

I nod. “I do.”

Gabe turns to me and offers, “He may have not wanted to share this part of his life with you.” To Sally, he then asks, “Is there a reason you look so surprised that he has family in the city?”

“I’m just surprised that he didn’t tell me,” is her reply, which seems truthful. “He really wasn’t the type of guy to stay tight-lipped about things.”

“Or maybe everything he told you was fictitious,” I offer, and that’s my anger rising. Friend of his or not, this woman does not know my brother better than I do.

Her gaze quickly casts downward. “I suppose that’s possible.”

I sigh, reining in my emotions. She doesn’t deserve them. “You said you two were close, so how close is close?”

“Very close in friendship terms,” she says, looking at me again. “There just wasn’t that romantic spark that kept the relationship going. We both knew that, but we see each other all the time still.”

Good. That’s exactly what we need. Gabe didn’t miss the opportunity either, asking her, “Did he seem unsettled lately at all? Any sort of trouble following him?”

“No, nothing like that,” she says.

I can’t give up yet. She must know something. “Did he talk about enemies or anything like that?”

She shakes her head. “No, I’m sorry.”

“No financial trouble?” Gabe asks.

“Again, no.” She grabs the front of the blanket with one hand, tucks her hair behind her ear. “The last time I talked to him, he was totally fine and actually sounded happier than I’d heard him sound in a while.”

Not what I want to hear. Having a name would make this all too easy, but when was anything in my life easy? I turn to Gabe and state the obvious. “Maybe what we found at that hotel . . . maybe that had nothing to do with Evan.”

Gabe nods in agreement then turns to Sally. “You said you talked to Evan recently. When was that?”

Sally’s lips purse, her gaze lifts to the ceiling. “I think about two nights ago.” She pauses, brows drawn together. “You know, I wonder . . .”

“Now is the time to speak up,” Trevor states.

Sally nods at him, and then says to me, “I’m not sure if it matters or not, but he did tell me that night on the phone that he was going to a poker game.”

Gabe’s fingers freeze mid-stroke on my nape. “Do you know with whom?”

“Sadly, I don’t,” Sally replies.

While Gabe sat up and took notice, I sank down in my chair feeling somehow defeated, even if I’m beginning to think maybe that blood doesn’t belong to Evan. But if it’s not his blood, where is my brother? I reach up, rubbing the side of my temple, not letting this situation get the better of me.

Just as the throbbing intensifies, Gabe squeezes my nape comfortingly, and he presses on. “Did you get the feeling this was a personal game of poker or something bigger?” he asks Sally.

Sally pauses. Then, “It seemed bigger, like the stakes were high. Evan told me that he’d come into a lot of money recently and that he was excited for the game.”

On one hand, part of me wants to keep my mouth shut, watching Gabe’s jaw muscles clench, but I can never avoid that truth. It’s the elephant in the room. That money was earned by spilling Gabe’s dirty little secrets to the world. And no matter how much Gabe wants to overlook that someone in my family did this to him, I can’t. It’s there, the guilt of that, every second, every minute, every hour. And until I find Evan and he somehow rights this wrong, that will still be the truth.

On the other hand, this is my brother, my only family. And I’m beginning to wonder if Evan has gotten involved with a loan shark.

In my heart, no matter how angry I am at Evan—and if he is safe I will then consider all the ways to beat some sense into him—I know a part of me will forever be broken without him. “Just one last thing,” I say to Sally. “Did Evan ever mention where these games were held?”

She shakes her head. “Again, I’m so sorry that I can’t give you more information, but that’s all I know. And I’m guessing by all these questions that something’s wrong?”

“We can’t find him, and I’m worried about his safety.”

Her face fills with emotion, and in the honest concern in her expression I see she cares for Evan. “If he calls me or if I see him, I’ll let Trevor know so he can call you.”

“We’d appreciate that,” Gabe replies. He turns to me then, studies my face long and hard, and then sighs before adding to Sally, “Thanks for taking the time to talk to us.”

“I hope, truly do hope, everything’s okay,” she responds.

I don’t know if it’s her words, her worry, or something else, but the reality of Evan’s absence suddenly crashes into me. It’s like I don’t even know my brother, and right now, I only want him back. I want him safe.

Gabe’s warm voice suddenly pulls me out of the coldness. “Would you mind giving us the room for a minute?”

“Not at all.” Trevor rises and quickly ushers Sally out of the room.

When the door clicks shut, Gabe leans forward on my chair and takes my hands in his, asking softly, “Are you all right?”

“Yes.” I shake my head. “No.” I shake it again. “I don’t know.”

His thumbs brush the backs of my hands, his warmth chasing the ice away. “While I have an idea, first we need to discuss this. I must report our findings to Ryder.”

“Right,” I say, pulling myself back together. “What are you thinking?”

Eyes fixated on mine, he says, “There are two things in what Sally said that interest me. One, it’s possible that Evan has pissed off a loan shark.”

I nod. “It’s something I considered, too. But what’s the other reason you’re thinking?”

“He’s talked too much about the money he’s received from the tabloids and someone wants it.”

My stomach roils as that possibility is one I hadn’t considered. “I’m still counting on the fact that it isn’t Evan at all, because those options aren’t good.”

“No, McKenna, they aren’t.” Gabe reaches into his pocket and takes out his cellphone, dialing Ryder.

“Any news on your front?” is how Ryder answers the call.

“We’ve had an interesting development,” Gabe reports, and then he proceeds to update Ryder on all that Sally told us.

“That is an interesting development,” says Ryder when Gabe finishes. “Let me see what we can find out on this poker game.”

“Any word on the DNA of the blood?” I ask before he hangs up.

“Not yet,” Ryder replies, his voice gentler than when he talked to Gabe. “These things take time. Believe me, when I know, you’ll know.”

The phone line goes dead, and Gabe tucks his cell back into his pocket, turning all his focus back onto me. He leans forward, getting oh-so-close, letting me feel all the warmth he exudes. “Now for that idea I had, we can either go home, curl up, and wait for Ryder to call. Or how about I show you around the club while we wait for his call?”

My mouth parts, shuts, then opens again. “Seriously?”

“Seriously,” he says with a knee-weakening smile. “The choice is yours.”

A slow heat tickles up my spine at the promise in his eyes, and I grin. “Show me.”