Part 5 (2/2)

Jason shook his head, nowhere near done. ”How dare you show up here at my club after two years? The only excuse I ever came up with in my mind for your stupidity was that you had contracted some incurable disease and selfishly left to avoid some misguided notion that you didn't want Lori to watch you die a slow death.”

Jason stepped up to his old friend and leaned into his face. ”Here you are, and you aren't f.u.c.king dead. That really p.i.s.ses me off.”

Jude hadn't said a word. He'd let Jason rant until he was exhausted and had said his piece. He wasn't an a.s.s about it. He maintained eye contact the entire time, which infuriated Jason more.

”I'm sorry.” Jude was tired. His eyes were bloodshot, and dark circles surrounded them. The man looked like he hadn't slept in weeks.

Jason found it hard to care. ”That's it? You're f.u.c.king sorry?” He flung his hands up in the air in exasperation.

”Yes. Unfortunately that's all I'm at liberty to disclose.”

”At liberty to disclose? What sort of highfalutin jargon is that?” He turned and punched a hole in the drywall, thankful he'd missed a two-by-four.

”It's all I've got, man.” Jude dipped his head.

”Well, it's not good enough.” Jason flexed his sore fingers. ”You were my friend. Forget what you did to Lori. I thought you and I were friends. You were the head Dom at my club. You nearly ran this place. I'd have given my right arm for you. What the f.u.c.k are you doing back here?”

”I'm going to retire soon. I came back to finish my last year with the Army National Guard unit.”

”Retire? You're what? Thirty-eight?”

”Yep. That's twenty years in the military.” Jude stood, his hands hanging loose at his side. ”I wish there was something else I could say.”

”Well, if there isn't, then there's no reason to continue this conversation.” Jason pointed at the door. ”Get out. Get the f.u.c.k out and don't come back here. Stay away from Lori. Stay away from Emergence. Whatever rock you crawled out from under, go back there. Leave.”

Jude nodded. He didn't say another word. He lifted his head and walked out the door.

Jason stood rooted to his spot as he listened to the back door to the building open and slam shut. He shook as he lowered his arm finally. ”f.u.c.k.”

Carlton saw the car pull out of the back parking lot as he pulled in. He eased into his spot, gripping the steering wheel and taking deep breaths before he exited the car.

When he entered, he found Jason standing in the middle of his office, wincing and flexing his hand. A quick glance behind the man told him why. ”You okay?” He grinned. It wasn't funny, but he'd never seen Jason angry enough to punch anything. He knew the man would never harm another human being, but he was surprised to find he'd at least gotten p.i.s.sed enough to hit something inanimate.

”Did you do that before he left or after?”

”Before.” Jason shook out his fingers. ”It took every bit of willpower I could muster to avoid punching the b.a.s.t.a.r.d in the face.”

Jason stomped across the room and sat at his desk. He spread his fingers wide on the surface and breathed deeply.

Carlton waited a moment before he continued, ”Did you at least learn anything?”

”Not a d.a.m.n thing. That jacka.s.s sat there in that chair...” he nodded to the one Carlton had vacated earlier, ”...and listened to me scream and yell at him for ten minutes. He didn't so much as flinch. And when I finished, he had nothing to say for himself. Infuriating man.”

”Jeez.” What the h.e.l.l was Jude all about? ”I a.s.sumed the man had died.”

Jason laughed so hard, Carlton jumped. ”That's exactly what I told him. Without the body bag, I don't want to see his rat face in my club.”

”Okay then. Duly noted.” Carlton stepped back. What else could he do? ”Did you check on the women? Are they okay?”

”Yes.” Jason shuffled papers in front of him, not looking up, his hands shaking, though he tried his d.a.m.nedest to hide it.

Carlton swallowed. He would have liked a bit more information than that, but now wasn't the time to harp on the issue. ”Okay. I'll leave you alone. Yell if you need me.”

When he reached the door, Jason called out, ”f.u.c.k no, they aren't okay. Did I just tell you yes?”

Carlton spun around to see Jason's expression, but Jason was already clicking the mouse of his computer, not glancing in Carlton's direction.

Evidently, if Carlton wanted more details, he was going to have to go check on the women himself.

Jude sat outside Lori's apartment in his truck, watching her front door as though on surveillance. If anyone saw him they would surely call the police. He felt like a pervert.

Getting her address had been fun. There was no way he could have asked Jason for it, considering how angry the man was. So, Jude had used Google. Search engines gave out way too much information on people. It unnerved him.

It wasn't that he intended to confront her. Jason had made it clear she was off limits. He just wanted to see her. He wanted to know she was okay. At least that's what he told himself.

”If you hurt her, you're going to have to answer to me.”

Jude jerked in his seat at the sound of the voice outside his open window. He turned to find the gorgeous submissive from Friday night standing tall at his side, her weight on one leg, a suitcase next to her.

She narrowed her gaze at him. ”What do you want anyway?”

He opened his mouth, but the truth was he had no answer. He'd found himself tongue-tied a lot lately. ”I don't know.”

She stepped closer, her face inches from his. ”Look...” she glanced around, ”...I'm not stupid. I know you love her. And I know she once loved you too. I can't tell you how she feels now. I don't think she can either. But if you're back from the great beyond and intend to stay, don't torment her. Man up. Come to the f.u.c.king door and tell her what you have to say.”

He swallowed around the lump in his throat. ”That doesn't seem prudent.”

”Why? Because Jason told you to stay the f.u.c.k away from her?” She tipped her head to one side and leaned closer as though this were a great big secret and she didn't want the neighbors to hear. ”Don't look at me like that. I'm sure you met with him. No, he didn't tell us, but I'm an astute woman. And I know what he would have said to you.”

”You're right.”

She c.o.c.ked a hip. ”Okay then. Listen, I've been with Lori for a year. I'm not happy about this, but I'm not stupid. Let me make a suggestion. You have clearly lost your words for the time being. How about you go back to wherever you're staying and think long and hard about what you're about to do. If it seems there's no other option than to face Lori head-on, then do it. But don't come in half-c.o.c.ked without a clear intention. You owe her that much.”

Jude stared at her, unable to respond.

”That's what I thought.” She shook her head. ”Consider people's feelings for a moment. I love Lori too. She's my Domme. If you f.u.c.k with her, I will hunt you down.”

Margaret turned and walked away. She pulled her suitcase toward a car and loaded it in the trunk. Another bag was slung over her shoulder, and she tossed it in the backseat before she entered the vehicle. Without glancing back, she drove away.

Holy f.u.c.k. Had she left Lori? It sure looked that way. Maybe she hadn't moved out entirely, but obviously they'd exchanged words. He turned his gaze toward the front of the apartment. Lori was in there.

But Margaret was right. Dammit. Jude slammed the steering wheel. He'd done that a lot lately. Soon his palms would be bruised. He couldn't just charge into Lori's life without a plan. He needed to think. Get his s.h.i.+t together. Figure out what he was going to say. If she'd been with Margaret for a year, then she was going to be hurting. Stepping into her world today would be cruel.

He started the engine and pulled away from the curb. He needed to think and he needed to do it with a clear head. No more drinking himself to sleep at night to visions of Lori sucking him off at his feet.

He'd been crazy to come back here. But he was here now, and Lori was under his skin. He had no idea what he'd hoped to accomplish coming back to town. He'd learned some details, though, that might be influencing him. She wasn't married. She wasn't with another Dom. She wasn't even with a man. He knew she'd experimented with women in the past, before his time, but he hadn't expected to find her living with one. And he certainly hadn't entertained the idea of her being a Domme.

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