Ian’s brow furrowed, a sure sign that he wasn’t happy. “I told you to expect Eve. And this is Liam O’Donnell. He’s running the op. He’s the one who found the connection between Molina and Eli Nelson.”
Damon turned to Liam, holding out a hand. Would the big guy want to shake his hand if he knew he was likely considered a traitor by his government? Liam didn’t miss a beat. He shook Damon’s hand. “Nice to meet you, O’Donnell. Your crew is in the meeting room. And I’ve offered everyone who has rights at Sanctum the same rights in The Garden. Feel free to enjoy the club. Especially that pretty little brunette your boys brought with them. From what I understand, she’s a bit of a celebrity. Siobhan back there says her books are all the rage.”
Ian’s face went cold. “They wouldn’t.”
Liam bit back a laugh. Someone was in serious trouble. “Oh, I bet they would. They just got married, Ian. I would bet little Serena didn’t like her boys heading off to Europe without her.”
“I’m going to kill them.” Ian strode into the dungeon and toward the lifts. Liam followed, Damon’s laugh echoing through the big room.
The Garden was very different from Sanctum, the club Ian owned in Dallas. Sanctum was a dungeon, and it looked that way. The Garden was pure theater. It was one of the most unusual spaces Liam had ever been in. There was a large hole in the dead center of the building, a massive skylight that allowed light to fill the space. The big dungeon was decked out as a decadent, wild garden, with vines and dark plants seeming to permeate the walls. Liam didn’t really look, though. He was on a mission, and a bunch of night-blooming flowers weren’t really his thing. He did see a couple of clever scene spaces. St. Andrew’s Crosses dominated one wall, and there was a space with plush spanking benches. Damon Knight seemed to thrive on the drama of his dungeon space.
Ian jabbed at the lift button, his impatience seeming to grow by the minute. Liam followed him into the lift.
The idea of having Master rights at the club was something to be grateful for. He would need the outlet. Spanking a lovely sub would be a good way to unwind at the end of the day. Maybe Siobhan needed a partner. He could get into that.
The lift walls were glass. Liam stared out and down as they rode up to the fourth floor. He could see the dungeon below him.
A sudden vision of Avery Charles among the winding vines assaulted him. Her luminous skin would make her look like a pearl among the dark plants, like a flower blooming in the gloom. He’d mostly seen her in the sun. Would she illuminate the darkness?
The lift doors opened, and Liam was startled out of his vision. He was getting to be as bad as his friends. He felt a grin light his face because those friends of his were about to get their asses kicked. Ian looked like he was out for blood.
The fourth floor looked more like an office space. Liam stepped out of the lift and it was like he’d been transported back to the real world. He followed Ian toward the boardroom.
Liam pushed open the door to the meeting room. The boardroom was brightly lit with an expensive looking conference table and chairs. High-tech computer equipment sat on a desk in the corner, and a big projection screen covered the far wall.
Adam Miles sat at the desk fiddling around with the equipment. Alex McKay looked over his shoulder. No problem there. And then he saw Jacob Dean. Jake was in the corner quietly talking to a pretty brunette. Liam felt a smile cross his face. That brunette wasn’t supposed to be here. She wasn’t anywhere close to being a member of the team. Thank god. Ian would crawl out of his backside now that he had a new target.
“Jacob Dean,” Ian began in the icy voice that must have scared the crap out of every soldier he used it on. “Do you want to explain to me why your wife is in my boardroom when she should be safely back in the Lone Star State?”
“I told you this wasn’t the way to tell him,” a low, feminine voice said. She didn’t try to hide her amusement as she rose gracefully from her seat. Eve St. James. Liam couldn’t help but smile. The resident shrink had a calming presence about her. Eve was gorgeous, with sleek blonde hair and a lovely face that was always perfectly made up. She was the very picture of serene, competent femininity. She winked Liam’s way. “I think I told you both you should hide her and pray Ian never found out.”
Jake pushed Serena behind him as though Ian would attack at any minute. “Now, Ian, we need to talk about this.”
Adam got up, scrambling away from the desk to put his own body in front of Serena. Did they really think Ian was going to kill the girl? “She had to come with us.”
Ian crossed his arms over his massive chest. “Oh, I would like to hear this one. Has Serena been surgically attached to one of you? Has she developed a medical condition in which she must be around one of her Masters or she’ll die? Submissivitis?”
“Ian, we just got married. You can’t expect us to leave our wife behind,” Adam argued.