Beck And Call (24 page)

“She is. Now, you really do need to leave and let her

rest.”

The doctor emphasized her directive by going to the

door. Keith bent low over Serena’s head and whispered

in her ear.

“I’m so sorry, Serena,” he murmured. “I promised to

protect you and failed, but I will make sure the one who

did this pays dearly. I’ll do everything I can to protect

you in the future.”

Serena heard him, but couldn’t get her eyes to open.

Her tired brain confused his voice with Master’s and

she sighed, thinking he had come. Her fingers curled

around his hand.

“Mr. MacLauren,” the doctor’s voice was impatient.

Reluctantly, Keith brushed a kiss on her temple

and left the room.

A college friend and former member of the Special

Forces who had gone into security was waiting outside

the door. Beyond him were five of the toughest-looking

men Keith had ever seen.

“Thanks, Ben.”

“No problem. These three will do a rotating

schedule at her door once they put her in a room. No

one in or out who hasn’t been approved by you. If the

police go in, these guys go in too so she will never be

alone.”

“Thanks,” he nodded.

Ben gave him a hard look.

“It really never occurred to you that someone might

do this?”

“I’m the one who fired them, not Serena,” he shook

his head. “Damn! What else could happen?”

“Don’t ask things like that,” Ben advised. “It’s never

a good idea.” He looked at the men. “Adams, you take

first watch, then Watson and then Jackson.” They all

nodded. Two left while Adams entered the room. “Any

idea who did this?”

“Her friends pulled the mask off long enough to see

his face,” Keith said quietly.

“Who was it?”

“Mark Hammond, my former PR VP…

“How could you?” came a shrill shriek.

“Damn,” Keith replied as Penny ran down the hall.

Watson and Jackson turned to chase after her.

With a scream of fury, Penny launched herself at her

cousin, hammering her small fists on his chest. He

easily caught her wrists. Ben raised his hand to halt his

men in their tracks.

“How could you do this to me?” she demanded,

struggling to get away from him. “You’re pathetic!

You’re jealous of Mark so you bribed Serena to lie. Just

like all those other women lied about Duncan and the

other men.” She gestured at Debbie who was talking to

the police. “So desperate for attention that—”

“We did not!” Debbie yelled, turning from where

she’d been talking to the police. “We did not lie!”

“And you!” Penny turned on Claire. “You just want

him for yourself so you—”

“What!” Claire protested. “I’ve had a boyfriend for

months. I wouldn’t date Mark for a million dollars.”

“Look at us,” Debbie demanded. “Do we look like we

had a good time with your fiancé? He attacked Serena

eighteen months ago and nearly raped her tonight,

ripping off her clothes before we could get to her!”

Penny didn’t move. She shook her head at Debbie’s

words.

“That’s impossible. Daddy and Uncle Ken said he

was a good man,” she whispered. “They said he was the

only one they’d approve of.”

“Then your daddy likes a rapist,” Debbie told her,

lowering the ice pack she’d been holding to her cheek.

“Does this look made up?”

Penny stared at the two indignant, bruised women

for a long moment then turned to Keith. Her

complexion was ashen, blue eyes wide with shock as she

faced him.

“Daddy said if I didn’t marry Mark by the end of the

year that he would cut me off and find a way to control

my trust. It’s all true, isn’t it? He…I can’t go on like this

anymore,” she shook her head. She wrapped her arms

around her narrow waist and bit her bottom lip. “No, I

won’t marry Mark, no matter what Daddy says or does.”

She whispered. Keith watched the conflict of emotions

on her face as she gazed at Debbie and Claire. Taking a

deep breath, she turned to face him squarely.

“Whenever someone talks about how successful your

company is, they get very angry.” She cocked her head

sideways. “Do you think all of that is connected?”

Keith studied his cousin. Normally frivolous and

ditzy, it seemed that his cousin had finally grown up.

Or had everything been an act? Given the revelations

he’d gone through the past week, could he trust her?

“Penny, what kind of game are you playing?”

“Survival,” she replied. “In our family, if you have

brains, you become a target. So I act like the

stereotypical blonde.” She smiled. “I did just graduate

from Vassar Magna Cum Laude. In business.”

A slow smile curved Keith’s mouth. This was going

to piss a lot of people off, but the idea of having even

one person in his family on
his
side nearly made him

dizzy.

“You want a job? I have a few openings.”

Penny’s jaw dropped and she gasped, before she

flung her arms around his neck.

“Yes!” she grinned up at him. “What do you want

me to do?”

“Come by my office tomorrow and we’ll figure out

what works,” he smiled, kissing her forehead. “The rest

of the family won’t like it,” he warned her. “Our fathers

don’t like it when they’re not obeyed.”

She nodded.

“I have some information that may help.” He gave

her a quick look and nodded. She smiled slightly,

relieved he understood her. “Now, I have to ask you

this. Did you really beat up Uncle Ken fourteen years

ago? I overheard Kevin and Kyle a few months ago, but

no one will answer my questions.”

“Yes,” Keith nodded. “I’ll explain it tomorrow.” He

looked at Ben. “Do you have anyone who can keep an

eye on her? If she sides with me, she could be in

danger.”

Ben gave him a hard look.

“Only myself.”

“Works for me,” Keith nodded, glad his friend

understood. Except for Serena, Penny’s safety came

first. “Don’t let her out of your sight.”

Penny’s gaze went from one man to the other.

“I don’t need a bodyguard,” she said firmly.

“Penny, someone attacked Serena,” Keith started

patiently. “And if you don’t marry Mark and side with

me, you just became another target.” Mostly, he added

to himself, because they’d already gone after Serena.

She paled. Beyond them, Sanders’ radio squawked

and he answered in a low voice.

“Me? Keith, this is our family you’re talking about.”

“I’m not taking a chance,” he said gently. “Please.

Let Ben protect you.”

With obvious reluctance, she nodded.

“I hate Mondays,” he muttered. “I really, really do.”

Paul and David arrived and nodded at Keith before

going to Claire. Paul pulled her to him. Too grateful for

his strength to resist or protest his being there, Claire

relaxed against him.

“Are you all right?” he asked. His eyes went over

her face and he muttered an obscenity under his

breath. “Where the hell is he?”

“In police custody,” Sanders replied. “He was just

apprehended in his apartment. He’s being processed

and has requested his lawyer. I take it you’re the

boyfriend she just said she had?”

“Yes,” Paul nodded. “Are you done? Can I take her

home?”

“I’ll need her to come down to the station and sign a

statement.”

“Can’t leave Debbie alone,” Claire whispered.

Ben spoke up, looking at the last man at his side.

“Quincy will take you home,” Ben told Debbie, then

looked at Keith. “You need to get home as well. You’ve

been a busy boy today.”

“And tomorrow looks like it will be just as much

fun,” he sighed. “I hate Mondays. I really do.” He looked

at Adams. “If she wakes up, call me.”

“You got it,” he replied with a nod.

Exhausted, Keith drove home and rode the elevator

up to his apartment. Slowly he hung up his coat and

walked down the hall. Inputting the code, he opened the

door and entered the playroom. Closing his eyes, he

inhaled, imagining he could still smell Serena’s scent.

He’d kept her safe, here. Here…his eyes fell on the

spanking bench. Here, he’d been able to make sure

nothing hurt her. She had felt only pleasure here. Here,

he’d felt more joy, more contentment, more sexual

pleasure, more…just more everything. They had

fucked, talked, slept, and repeated the cycle until he’d

finally had to let her go. He hadn’t slept at all Sunday

night. He kept reaching for her warm little body and

she hadn’t been there. Because he’d let her go.

He went to the window. While their office suite

overlooked the lights of Manhattan, this view displayed

the river, the Statue of Liberty and the endless horizon

of the ocean. Serena had stood staring out at it late

Saturday night. Coming from the bedroom, he’d seen

her, pressed her to the glass, and fucked her from

behind. She’d been hoarse from her screams, but

managed to tell him she loved the sight of the ocean.

Would she want to come here again after tonight? He’d

promised to protect her yet failed miserably. Turning,

he looked at the spanking bench, the padded table

where he’d bound her and tormented every sensitive

nerve in her body until she’d begged him to fuck her,

the large X they hadn’t yet used, and the chest with all

his toys and gear.

She wouldn’t want to come back, and he couldn’t

imagine using anything on anyone else. Head bowed,

he left the room, closing the door behind him.

Keith concluded that Tuesdays were almost as bad

as Mondays. To take advantage of her social contacts,

he’d put Penny in PR to help Jason. Her obvious

delight in being able to do something useful had put

the day in the plus column. But just barely.

Flanked by Paul and David, he discussed the legal

situation all day. Mark’s firing was fairly cut and dried

especially after his attack on Serena the night before.

Duncan and the others, however, had already filed

lawsuits for wrongful termination. While Keith and the

company were media darlings and had the support of

the public, the legal situation was not as clear-cut.

Duncan and his underlings claimed they’d had nothing

to do with Mark.

Paul and David were working with the police and

private investigators to establish a link between

Duncan, Mark, and Keith’s father, uncle, and anyone

else. The police were skeptical when Keith brought it

up, but Penny had been able to provide more

information.

He’d called the hospital four times and each time

Serena had been sleeping. Guilt convinced him that

she’d realized he was Master. Because he had failed so

spectacularly at protecting her, he figured she was

avoiding him, that she didn’t want him as her

dominant. Returning to his penthouse, he put

something in the microwave and stared off into space.

When the appliance beeped, he jumped. Pulling the

cardboard container out, he stared at it, trying to

remember what it was. Standing at the counter, he ate

half of it before tossing the rest in the trash and

dropping his fork in the sink. Going to his room, he

didn’t bother turning on the lights. Letting his clothes

fall to the floor, he crawled into bed. It was nearly

midnight. Closing his eyes, he inhaled Serena’s scent

and flinched as if receiving a physical blow. Rolling off

the mattress, he went to his exercise room to work off

some demons.

On Tuesday he discovered another side of his

cousin. Penny liked to mother people. Apparently

deciding that Keith wasn’t taking care of himself, she

went to the cafeteria and brought him lunch. Barely

knocking, she came in, Ben a step behind her. Keith

nodded at him.

“I’ll keep an eye on her.”

“I’ll be at Serena’s desk catching up on my laptop,”

Ben nodded, stepping back and closing the door behind

him.

Penny sighed loudly.

“I really don’t think I need a babysitter,” she told

him.

“I really think you need a bodyguard,” he replied,

saving his document and slowly looking up at her. “It’s

not up for debate, Penny. I’ve already had calls from

both our fathers to send you back home.”

Grimacing she nodded and sat down.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, putting the sandwich