Green Broke Woman (25 page)

She brushed away the tears, but new ones
replaced the absent droplets on her cheeks.
“For what?”

“What happened to
Miranda.
”
His expression contorted into the most tortured look she'd ever seen on a man.

The words startled her. “What happened to
your sister? I thought you said she met two
Doms
online and went to New Orleans to meet them. Is she not happy with them?”

Keith got a humorless smirk on his face as he
glanced up at the ceiling as though images from the past were hanging from the
wooden beams. “That's the story. Miranda met two
Doms
and stayed behind in New Orleans to live happily ever after with them.”

“Is that not what happened?”

He shook his head, tongue swerving over the
front of his teeth. “No. Not by a long shot.”

“Then what happened? Why would you make up a
story like that?” Her scalp crawled with worry when she noticed the way his
mood changed.

“It should have been me.” A single tear
trickled down his cheek before his eyes took on a glassy look.

“What?”

“A few months ago, Miranda wanted to go to
Mardi
Gras
. Travis told her no every year. He said it
wasn't safe for her. The intelligent bastard was probably right. Anyway, she
met these two
Doms
online.”

“From New Orleans?”

“No, from here in Lexington.
They're two of the
Doms
at the Black Dragon.”

Kayla's eyes widened. “Oh wow. Did she meet
them in person?”

He shook his head. “No. She always wanted to
go to the Black Dragon, but Travis and Jake wouldn't let her. They didn't want
to see their baby sister involved in the kind of things they were.”

“She's an adult. It's not really their
choice.”

“That's what I thought. She was supposed to
meet the two
Doms
in town for lunch, but not until
she and I came back from the Mardi
Gras
. She told
Travis and Jake that she met two
Doms
online and
wanted to go to New Orleans to meet them. It was just a ruse so they wouldn’t
know we were going to Mardi
Gras
. They didn't want her
to go at first, but I talked them into it.
Told them I would
protect her.”
Keith rolled his eyes and shook his head, raising his eyes
to heaven. “We shouldn't have gone. Christ, if she'd just met with the two
Doms
here in town first, I'm sure she would have forgotten
all about her Mardi
Gras
itch.”

“What happened in New Orleans?”

His eyes closed. “We were watching the
parade. Miranda wanted some beads. The kind you get from flashing the people on
the floats. I shouldn't have let her do it. I turned my head, and she did it
real quick. The guy threw her some beads. I had to use the bathroom, so I left
her alone for a second. I was pissed off when I got back and saw how many beads
she had. She said she wanted one in every color.”

“She always was the crazy one.”

“I shouldn't have let her do it. I was just
trying to be a good brother, you know. Let her have a little harmless fun and
get a souvenir from the parade.” He took a long swig from his bottle. “Jesus,
if I'd known what would happen because of it, I'd have locked her up at home in
her room and never let her out.”

“Where is she?” Kayla asked, feeling her
scalp tingle with alarm.

“I don't know.” His voice broke and his eyes
watered, expression tightening with anguish. “We went drinking.
Just a few.
We were tipsy when we headed back to the hotel.
I don't even remember where we were. I thought it was the French Quarter, but
it was dark and secluded, so it couldn't have been. This man came up to us,
wanting Miranda's number. He said she had nice tits.”

Kayla watched Keith's hands clench into tight
fists.

“He was in the crowd and saw her lift her
top. She told him no. I saw he had a buddy approach. I warned them to get lost.”
Keith's timbre lowered, and his eyes housed despair. “When one of them grabbed
her, I punched him. The other guy pulled out a knife.”

“Is that where you got that scar?” Kayla
pointed to the long slash on his ribcage. She'd wondered about it, but hadn't
known how to ask.

He nodded.
“Yeah.
I
never even saw the third guy. I fought the two of them while the other one
dragged her off with a gun to her head.” His voice broke, and his eyes watered
again. “The last thing she said to me was 'Keith, don't let them take me.'”

Kayla wept and grasped his hand. “Keith, I'm
so sorry.”

“Someone hit me over the head.” He wiped his
nose on his arm and sniffled. “When I woke up she was gone, and I was bleeding
like crazy. I looked everywhere for her. When I got back home, I couldn't look
Travis and Jake in the eye and tell them what I let happen, so I told them she
liked the two
Doms
and stayed with them. I convinced
them they were good guys and she was happy. I even wrote a couple of fake
letters from her to keep them from worrying.”

“Keith, you should have told them. She's
their sister.”

“I know, but they would hate me. I couldn't
let them feel the way I felt when I lost her.”

“Does Jason Adkins know? He mentioned
something about New Orleans to you.”

Keith nodded. “Yeah, he knows. He and Armand
are the only ones who know the truth and the police in New Orleans of course.”

“Are Jason and Armand the two
Doms
she met online?”

“Yeah.
She knows Armand’s name. Jason goes by Master J online, so she didn't
know he was her ex. Frankly, I always wanted them to get back together. They're
perfect for each other.” Keith's head dropped. “Not that it matters anymore.”

Kayla wiped her eyes. “Keith, what happened
was ... horrible, but it's not your fault.”

He rolled his eyes. “Yes, it is, Kayla.”

“But it's not.”

“Look, I appreciate what you're trying to do,
but it is my fault. I'm the one who went with her to New Orleans. I didn't stop
her from flashing her tits at the parade. I got fucking wasted—”

“You said you were tipsy.”

“Drunk, tipsy, the fuck is the difference
when you're intoxicated and you let some slimy assholes abduct your little
sister?” He kicked a barrel before a wave of calm overtook him again. “Fuck, I
need help.”

“Keith, please don't do this.” She squeezed
his hand, eyes burning when she saw the drop of blood trickling down his side.
“I know you're upset, but I'm sure the police will find her or you will, or
maybe Jason and Armand. But please ... please don't hurt yourself.” She wrapped
her arms around his chiseled waist. “I need you to be happy and healthy.”

Despite the fact that she momentarily forgot
the open wounds on his back, he didn't seem to feel any pain when she hugged
him tight. He simply massaged her scalp gently. She pulled back and saw his
blood on her hands. He was bleeding. Her lover was bleeding and hurting himself
because of remorse. She started to sob.

“It's just blood, little bird. Here.” He
handed her a towel.

She wiped her hands off. “I hate this. I hate
that you think hurting yourself is the answer. It's not. Keith?”

“That one guy looked familiar.” He stared off
into space.

“Which guy?”

“One of the men I fought with. It was too
dark. I can't remember their faces.” He shook his head. “I've seen that guy
somewhere before, but I don't know where.”

“We'll find her, Keith.” She gently tugged
his hand. “Please come back inside.”

“The clothes are wrong.”

“What?”

“The man who looked familiar, his clothes
were wrong.” Keith rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes. “I've
seen him before, but he wasn't dressed like that.”

“What was he wearing before?”

“I don't know. It was different, though. His
thumb felt strange, like he had a scab or a thick scar on his finger there. It
was too dark to see, but I felt it.” He sighed. “Of course my adrenaline was
going, so maybe I imagined it. The other two men were nothing special, but that
one ... damn, I've seen him somewhere before.”

“We'll figure it out, but please come to
bed.” She lightly pulled his hand, and this time he followed. “I'll clean you
up and get you bandaged first.”

****

Hugh sat in his hotel room in the dark with
his hands folded and resting against his chin as he pondered things. Virgil had
just texted him to say that Keith Langley was on his way over ... for answers
no doubt.

A knock at the door.
Hugh got up and opened it, feeling that
familiar sense of warmth he got whenever he saw one of the three Langley young
men that he loved like the sons he never had.

“It's really you,” Keith breathed.

“Come in.” Hugh held open the door and shut
it after Keith walked in. “Are you drunk?”

“Virgil drove me,” Keith explained. “I'm not
drunk. You still use a cane, huh?”

“You still wear your hair like a girl?” Hugh
shot back. “You can sit, you know.”

Keith remained standing. His voice and
fingers shook in the darkness that was only broken by a thin stream of muted
light from the street lamps. “Why?”

Hugh watched the other man's face closely.
“Why what?”

“Why did you abuse us when we were kids and
then magically become a semi-decent father after you got back from your mysterious
trip?” Keith sounded angry. “Why did Mom throw you out?”

“You never asked her?”

“She wouldn’t tell us.” He sucked in a sharp
breath. “You were an asshole, and then you changed and became my hero, and you
just fucking left without telling us why.”

Hugh set a folder on the table. “I'm not your
father, Keith. I'm your uncle Hugh.”

Keith stood in silence. “What?”

Hugh pulled out some papers and pushed them
across the table toward him. “That top one is a blood test that proves I'm your
uncle and not your father, and that bottom one is the medical records of your
father's death twenty-three years ago.”

Keith picked the documents up and studied
them when Hugh turned the lamp on. “But I don't understand. He came back from
that trip when I was nine.”

“No, he didn't. That was me. Trent and I were
identical twins, but I was never as jolly as him.”

“He was never jolly.”

“Exactly.”

Keith appeared contemplative for a minute.
“That's why you seemed different. You were better to us.” He frowned. “Why did
you pretend to be your brother? Were you in love with our mom or something?”

Hugh made a face. “Lord, no. I won't lie. The
woman is attractive, but she's a pill.”

“Then why did—”

“I'll explain later.” Hugh grabbed his coat.
“I want everyone there so I don't have to repeat myself.”

Chapter
Eleven: Evidence

The following night Kayla walked into the
Black Dragon with Travis. After cleaning Keith up and putting him to bed, she'd
met Travis in the hall, and he'd asked if she wanted to go to the club with
him. It was closed, but Travis had a key. He led her down a hall where the
theme rooms were.

He turned to her with a wicked little half
grin as he opened the door to the medical room and flipped on the light. “I
thought we might play doctor.”

She smiled, biting her lower lip. “Are you
going to give me a physical?”

“Of course, and I intend to examine you very
thoroughly. Now sign this first while I get everything together.”

She entered the room with him and took the
clipboard, feeling warm and ready when she read the questions. They had nothing
to do with her physical health and everything to do with her sexual interests.

Circle one answer for each
question.

1
.
 
Apple scented condom or unscented

2
. Orgasm
or none

3
. Anal
sex or not ready

4
. BDSM
or vanilla

5
. Sub
or slave

Each question made her wet and thirsty for
the hot stud putting on a white lab coat and setting out medical instruments
and sex toys.

The last question made her breath catch. He
wanted to know if she wanted to be their sub or their slave. She wasn't sure
she even knew the answer to that anymore.

“Are you all done?” Dr. Travis asked.

“Yeah.”
She handed him the clipboard, feeling coy.