His to Punish (The Cleaners Book 2) (14 page)

“Hush, now girl. You’re beautiful and look thoroughly fucked.”

Jeanette flinched, and he shook his head at her reaction.

“That’s a very good thing in my book, and fuck what anyone else thinks. Besides, I pay this place enough hard cash to turn a blind eye. They do a good enough job of looking after my mum, but they have zero business turning their nose up at anything I do.”

He paused when he noticed the quiet intensity in which Jeanette was studying him.

“How long has she got?” she asked, and Ty swallowed hard against the sudden sharp pain slicing at his insides.

“I don’t know. No one knows.” He scrubbed a hand across his face, and closed his eyes to stop the tears lurking there. He wasn’t a fucking pussy, damn it.

The feel of Jeanette tugging his hand off his face made him scowl at her, but it didn’t seem to faze her.

“Stop pretending to be the big bad,” she said. “Even serial killers love their mothers, especially when they have a mum like yours.”

“Is that what I am in your eyes? A serial killer?”

His voice sounded far too fucking hoarse even to his own ears, but fuck him, if her answer to that question didn’t mean far too much to him.

“Are you?” Her whispered reply left him reeling, and it also forced him to take a good, long look at his life.

“Serial killers are psychopaths. I’m not. Have I killed? Damn straight, baby, and I’ll continue to do so when it’s necessary. There’s a lot of bad shit happening out there, and if I can make a small difference by whatever means, legal or illegal, then you can bet your cute ass that’s what I’ll do. Do I sometimes get a kick out snapping some asshole’s neck?”

She gasped at that question, and Ty swallowed down the rapidly rising bile at her horrified expression to his words and continued.

“The fuck I do, yes. There’s great satisfaction in seeing the lights go out in some cunt’s eyes, and before you ask, yes, sometimes I go hard. Guess that makes me a monster, after all, but you’ve asked me a question, and I’m not going to lie about it. Do I need violence to get off? Nope, but it sure gets me in the mood.”

He let his words sink in, and when Jeanette didn’t take off down the path screaming her head off he relaxed a little.

“I
am
the big bad, titch, don’t ever think I’m not. We all are, but we don’t go ‘round killing indiscriminately, despite what you might have been told about us, and despite the treatment you’ve received at our hands so far. If we were, we’d have killed you the minute we found out who you were.”

Jeanette flinched but she also slowly nodded, and the weight crushing his chest slowly lifted.

“I realize that … Sir.”

She offered him a tremulous smile, and giving into the need to taste her again, he kissed her. Jeanette fisted her hands in his shirt, and kissed him back. It took tremendous effort to break the kiss, and even more to will his burgeoning erection away.

“We should get going. Huntly wants you to sign a contract, and I dare say there are things you need to do to prepare for dancing tonight.”

He smiled grimly when she slowly nodded, his blood reaching boiling point already at the thought of other men lusting after what was his.

“That’s all I’ll have to do, though, right? Dance?”

Ty framed her face in his hands, nodded, and kissed her again, putting all his unsaid emotions into the kiss, and this time when they drew apart he stood up, taking her with him.

Wordlessly they righted their clothing, and after Ty had checked they were unobserved, they exited from their hidey-hole.

Ty ignored the curious glances aimed their way, and once they reached the cool interior of the hall, he gently extricated his hand out of the death grip his girl had on him, and steered her toward the toilets.

“Go freshen up a bit. I’ll meet you back out here.”

Head down, Jeanette took off toward the ladies’ as though the hounds of hell were after her, and chuckling to himself, Ty took the door marked
Gents.

When he reemerged five minutes later, he wasn’t surprised to see Jeanette hadn’t come out yet. He leaned back against the wall to wait, only to be approached by Anton.

“Glad you’re still here, Mr. Mason,” the other man said, and Ty frowned at Anton’s odd tone of voice.

“Is my mother okay? Has something happened?” He stared up at the wide staircase leading to the residents’ rooms and breathed a sigh of relief when Anton shook his head.

“No, Theresa is fine. Well, as fine as a lady of her age with a fatal heart condition is ever going to get.”

Ty swore under his breath, and Anton put a hand on his arm.

“Look, son,” he paused when Ty shook his hand off and glared at him.

“I’m not your son, Anton.”

Far from looking suitably remorseful the older man grinned.

“Once you get to my age, you’re all youngsters. Figure of speech, only, I don’t mean no disrespect, and I know I’m overstepping the mark here, but don’t leave it so long until you come to visit her next time, especially not looking like that.”

He gestured to Ty’s face, and Ty’s scowl grew in proportion to the need to rearrange this man’s face with his fists.

As they were in public, however, and a wide-eyed Jeanette approached them now from the ladies’, he tempered his words, and voice, and slowly relaxed his fists.

Even so, some of his thought processes must have shown on his face, because Anton’s smile slipped, and he took a step back.

“Don’t you think I fucking know that, man? Why do you think I stayed away all this time? I didn’t want her to see me like this.”

Jeanette stepped closer and slipped her hand in his in a silent gesture of support, which worked wonders at deflating some of his anger.

“She’d rather see you battered and bruised, and know you’re alive, son. Your mother is a shrewd woman. She knows what you do.”

Chapter Fourteen

Ty’s arm jerked in his surprise, and Jeanette squeezed his hand to help. Why it mattered to her she couldn’t even begin to fathom, but hearing his mother knew of his real job had clearly come as a shock to Ty.

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”

Ty’s voice could have cut glass with its clipped cadence, and to hide her body’s immediate response to
that
tone of voice, Jeanette snuggled closer into his side. It had the added advantage of hiding her disheveled appearance somewhat, as there were far too many people milling about. She’d been utterly horrified to see her reflection, because she looked like she felt. Dragged through a hedge backwards, with a stupid grin on her face, her eyes far too bright and shiny. In other words, like a woman who’d just been laid, and damn good at that.

Choosing to ignore the conflicting emotions bombarding her insides, she’d dashed inside a cubicle, and cleaned up as best she could. Her sopping wet knickers were ruined beyond repair, so she chucked them in the bin. Going commando under her jeans felt oddly freeing, and certainly beat the feel of damp undies.

She should have known that the surprises weren’t over yet. Her whole life seemed to have been turned into one giant rollercoaster ride from the minute she clapped eyes on the man, who now ran a hand over his face in a telltale gesture she was fast coming to love.

Her heart turned over and missed a few beats at the mention of the L-word, just like it had done when Ty’s mother had pinned her in place with her far too knowing gaze and had asked if Jeanette loved her son.

What she felt for Ty was just lust, that’s all. It had to be, because any other alternative didn’t bear thinking about.

He’s a goddamn killer, remember that.

So what if there was much more to him than that? So what if his voice shook as he addressed Anton?

“She can’t know. She would have said something to me.”

Despite herself, Jeanette pressed closer still, and there was something almost desperate in the way Ty put his arms around her and pulled her in front of him. It meant she couldn’t hide behind him anymore, but somehow, that didn’t matter. Not when the arms holding her tightened and he nuzzled briefly into her neck and inhaled.

She heard him swear softly for her ears only, as Anton resumed talking. Jeanette stopped listening, far too aware of Ty tensing around her, and when the two men at long last parted company, she wasn’t entirely surprised at Ty simply pulling her along and back to the motor bike.

He looked deep in thought as he helped her back into the jacket and helmet.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she finally asked as he shoved his own headgear on.

“No, there’s no point. She must be so fucking disappointed in me.”

Jeanette’s bruised heart broke a little more for him, and she shook her head.

“I don’t think anything you could ever do would disappoint her.  Your mother loves you. You’re lucky.”

Ty’s gaze intensified as he focused on her, and he surprised her again when he smiled. This moment, right here, he didn’t look like the hard-nosed killer he was. Instead a myriad of emotions chased each other across the darkened landscape of his eyes. Like fireworks in a night’s sky they exploded in his dark gaze in flecks of amber which held her spellbound. He looked as though he cared, truly cared, and that thought really shouldn’t make her feel giddy with happiness. It did, however, and Jeanette found herself smiling back at him, like a besotted, lovesick fool.

“I know I am, titch.” He paused, flicked his visor down, and the resulting click in her ear told her he’d also switched the intercom on.

“I’m sorry you didn’t have that growing up, and for what it’s worth, I think you’ve grown into a remarkable young woman that any mother ought to be damn fucking proud of.”

The words settled deep inside Jeanette’s hurt soul. Neither one of them said anything, as Ty started the engine and cruised out of the car park. Jeanette simply hung on tight, and once they reached the open road, she had to concede there was something about being on the back of a motorbike, handled by a clearly experienced rider. She’s been too terrified to let herself enjoy the ride over, but as she relaxed into the knowledge that Ty had her, she took note of other things. The feel of the wind rushing by, the steady vibrations which added delicious pressure to her core, the hard muscles she was touching under her fingertips. With a sigh, Jeanette snuggled in, and screeched in delight this time, when Ty expertly took a corner, and straightened them up again with ease.

His amused laughter rang in her ear.

“That’s my girl. Starting to enjoy this now?”

“Maybe.”

Ty reached back to pat her thigh with his gloved hand, and she bit back a grin.

“Minx.”

By the time they finally pulled up outside the club, and Ty had secured the bike out back it was late afternoon, and the inside of the club was a hive of activity.

Susie was busy behind the bar, and Ty handed Jeanette over to a curvaceous blonde.

“Meet Kim. She’ll show you around backstage, and get you your outfit to dance in. I’ve got to see Huntly.”

“Ah, okay.”

Ty dropped a quick kiss on her lips, slapped her ass, and disappeared, leaving a Ty-shaped hole in her heart.

Jeanette hadn’t been aware of staring after him until Kim snapped her fingers in front of her face.

“Earth to the newbie. I know Ty has a rather cute ass and all that, but focus here, will you?”

Susie laughed and regarded her through narrowed eyes, while she continued to polish the glass in her hand.

“Did something happen while you were out riding with him, Jeanette?” Susie asked. “You kinda seem different.”

“Riding, huh? Bet she rode him hard or vice versa.” Kim laughed, and Jeanette fought the blush stealing into her cheeks.

“Nothing happened okay, well, other than meeting his mother.”

Susie almost dropped the glass in her seeming astonishment, and Kim whistled through her teeth.

“Well, I never. Ty dotes on his mum, according to Josh, so, he must really like you, huh?”

Susie shrugged at those words, and Jeanette thought it wisest to simply stay quiet on that subject.

“Oh come on, it’s obvious. I bet you all my tips tonight that Ty’ll hover around you like a mother hen when you’re dancing. Heaven help any punter trying to cop a feel.” Kim laughed as though she’d just made the biggest joke over, and Jeanette swallowed hard to rid herself of the rising panic in her gut.

“That’s not gonna happen, is it?” she asked, hating the shakiness of her voice, and Kim visibly sobered.

“Not unless you’re okay with that. The boss runs a tight ship here, and makes sure we’re all safe. Talking of the devil, I think he wants you.”

Kim took Jeanette by the shoulders and turned her in time to see Huntly stroll up. Dressed, as ever, in an impeccably tailored business suit, the club owner’s expression gave nothing away, as he slowly looked her up and down, and then smiled.

It didn’t reach his eyes, however, and he seemed preoccupied when he addressed her.

“Once Kim has shown you around, swing by my office and sign your contract, will you, girl?”

“Which one?” Jeanette asked, and Huntly stopped mid-adjusting his cufflinks and this time gave her his full attention.

“The one you asked for. Mason phoned me to say you changed your mind and want to dance only. Is that not correct?”

“No, yes … I mean…” Aware that she was babbling, Jeanette slammed her mouth shut, and not knowing what to do with her hands shoved them in the back pockets of her jeans. The action stuck her boobs out, and the already stretched material of her tee thinned out further. Huntly’s gaze briefly dropped to the girls, and then returned to her face. A slight smirk played around his lips this time, and for some reason that made Jeanette even more nervous.

“Hmm, Ren tells me you’re not usually lost for words, so out with it, girl. Do you want to dance in my club or not?”

The mention of her sister’s killer made her gut churn, but the usual flash of simmering hate didn’t come this time. With a burst of sudden insight Jeanette realized that she couldn’t hate the man for what he’d done. As everyone had been at great pains to point out from the beginning, the sister she mourned was a very different person from the one these guys had known and dealt with. Forcing her mind back to the present, she pushed her shoulders back more and shook her head.

Kim gasped, and Susie swore under her breath as Huntly’s gaze turned to sharp steel. She was reminded of the old saying to not provoke the sleeping tiger, and hurried on to explain.

“I mean I would rather not have anything at all to do with the club and everything that goes on in here, but as you won’t just let me walk away, yes, dancing is all that I want to do. I’m not a whore.”

Huntly’s gaze softened just a tad as he continued to study her, and he eventually laughed.

“No, you’re not, are you? Besides, Ty would probably take a swing at me if I put you to work like that, and I rather like my face the way it is.” Huntly winked at her, an action so at odds with his stern persona that Jeanette could only stare and blink. She was also uncomfortably aware that she wasn’t immune to the man. There was something dangerous, yet oddly intriguing about Owen Huntly, and any woman would be hard pushed to resist him, should he turn on the charm.

“I don’t know about that.” Jeanette murmured her reply and dropped her gaze to the man’s tie.

“No, hmm, is that why Ty is standing right there watching you like a hawk then, even though he’s got work to do?”

Huntly grasped her chin while he spoke, and sure enough Ty stood by one of the doors leading out back, arms crossed over his massive chest, and looking as though he wanted to kill Huntly.

Jeanette offered him a tremulous smile, and Ty’s tense features relaxed a little, when Huntly let go off her.

“I value my Cleaners, and I like to keep them happy. Ty has very much claimed you as his own, which means you’re off limits to anyone, including me.” He grinned when Jeanette startled and looked up at him. “More’s the pity.” Again with that wink, which left Jeanette to simply stare up at him.

“So, now that we cleared that up, sign the contract, and dance your luscious ass off tonight. You’re one of us now, and we’ll keep you safe from everyone.”

It was on the tip of her tongue to ask who would keep her safe from the lot of them, but Kim’s shake of the head stopped any further argument.

“Are we clear here, or do I need to demonstrate further?” Huntly asked, and Jeanette shook her head.

“Crystal. I’m safe as long as I do what’s expected of me.” Huntly gave her one last look and turned to leave. Jeanette didn’t know what possessed her, but she blurted the words out without thinking. “Otherwise I’ll end up like my sister, right?”

Huntly stopped mid walking away, and you could have heard a pin drop in the club, as everyone seemed to look at her. At least Ty wasn’t staring at her anymore. He must have left to do whatever it was Huntly needed him to do, because that doorway was empty, and Jeanette breathed a sigh of relief. Somehow she got the impression her ass would be red raw for this outburst anyhow, but she wouldn’t have put it past Ty to march over here, bend her over the bar and deliver that punishment right now for speaking to his boss like that.

As it was Huntly looked ready to deliver such treatment himself, when he turned round and stalked back toward her. Jeanette took several steps back until the edge of the bar stopped her and she focused on Huntly’s Adam’s apple, as he put one arm either side of her, effectively caging her in against the bar.

“Ty’s girl or not, watch your mouth about her. What happened to your sister will not be repeated, ever. Not least because I know better than to trust another piece of wet cunt.”

Jeanette gasped at the cruel words, but Huntly wasn’t done yet.

“Don’t ever bring that bitch up in front of me again, are we clear?”

“Yes, sir. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that the way it came out, it’s just … she
was
my sister, and I guess, I have a hard time letting it go, that’s all.”

Huntly continued to stare at her without an ounce of compassion on his features, and she hurried on to make herself clearer.

“I will, though, sir, please, I promise.”

“Good, and for the record. If you betray the Cleaners and thus me, I’ll rip you apart myself, girl.” He smiled grimly at her horrified gasp. “Ty says you can be trusted. Don’t let him down.”

With that he pushed away from the bar, and Jeanette drew much needed air into her lungs.

“God, Jeanette.” Susie shook her head at her, and Kim looked all but ready to sock her one.

“Jesus, girl, have you got a death wish talking to him like that? You must be a damn good dancer for him to even let you up on stage after that. Enough of this now, come on and show me what you’ve got.”

Kim turned on her heel, and knowing better than to argue, Jeanette followed the other woman.

Dancing was something she was very good at after all.

****

Ty scowled at the woman gyrating around the pole as though she had danced like that forever. Jeanette wasn’t dancing, she was
one
with the fucking thing, and Ty bet his hard-on that every man in the place sported a boner to rival King Kong’s watching his girl dance.