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“Gina, Peter Webber, and Steven Bryson performing some twisted sex acts.”
“For fuck’s sake. Does no one obey the rules?” Archer roared. “No cameras. How many fucking times do I have to say it?”
Archer paused, and Flynn could just about hear the wheels turning. Since he agreed completely with the man’s rancor, he held his peace.
Finally, Archer grunted. “I suppose they were taken at Everlasting Manor, and if the pictures are found people will know the location. Jesus, this is why there are rules. If those pictures are discovered, some intrepid reporter will just keep digging until they discover the Society. Find the pictures, Flynn. That’s priority.”
“I’ll do my best, but, Archer, I can’t promise anything. This is fucked up six ways to Sunday. Hard to make any headway.”
“Just get it fucking done.” Archer dropped the call.
Easy for him to say.Flynn headed back inside to look for Harper.
She wasn’t in the salon.“Why am I not surprised?” Flynn muttered to himself as his gut tightened. This woman was going to be the death of him. If she wasn’t so damn curious, and smart, and spirited, it would be better. But he had to admit, those were the things that made her so attractive. He liked her nerve and her intelligence. The fact that she was so damned sexy was just icing on the cake.
He made his way to his room and got his gun, tucking it in the waistband of his jeans underneath his sweater. Leaving Harper unprotected was not an option anymore. He left his room, stumbled on the stairs, and grabbed the banister as it sunk in that somewhere in the last few days—day, actually—that he’d unconsciously moved Harper from hot sex partner to something more meaningful. That wasn’t good. Meaningful brought problems and vulnerabilities. As a monster slayer, having vulnerabilities was fucking stupid.
It seemed more expedient to find Harper by looking at the security feeds, so he went into the video room and looked at the feeds from the cameras in the house. Nothing. Did she leave? No, because he would’ve seen her car go. Where the hell was she? His gut tightened and adrenaline surged in his bloodstream.
He rewound the video to when he was in the library with her. She left and went upstairs to the third floor because of course she did. Why listen to him? While she had many traits he admired, it appeared she lacked common sense. Another feed caught her chatting on the phone, and a short time later she went down to the unfinished section of the basement.
“Fuck,” he snarled and lit out of the video room like it was on fire. He flew down the hall and entered the unfinished section within seconds.
If anyone hurt Harper, he’d kill them. It wasn’t a question or an idle threat.
“Harper?” he called out as he strode down the cement-lined hallway. No response. “Harper?” he called again.
He made his way down to the electrical panel area but found the area empty. He turned and retraced his steps along the wall until he came to the part of the hallway where the overhead vent was. If she was down here and hurt… He pulled his gun out from under his sweater and moved forward slowly.
The sound of someone shuffling reached him. He slowed his pace and lifted the muzzle of his gun. A few feet later Harper came into view. She stood in front of the wall running her fingers over it. He glanced around, saw she was alone and tucked his gun back under his sweater.
“What the hell are you doing?” he asked as he leaned against the wall, Goddamn, why were his knees wobbling like jelly?
“Ahh!” she yelled spinning around. “You scared the hell out of me!”
He stared at her. “Is there a reason you couldn’t stay in the salon?”
“I spoke to my father and he told me—”
“I thought we agreed you were going to do what I said. That it was dangerous for you, and you were going to stay in the public spaces. You told me you weren’t going to wander off on your own. Why couldn’t you fucking obey my order?”
She reared back as if he’d slapped her.
Then her eyes narrowed, and she jammed her hands on her hips. “You know what? I’m getting damn tired of this troglodyte attitude of yours. I get it. You’re the big strong man, out to protect me. And yes, I do need help but there’s no need to be so overbearing and dramatic. I’m not a child and I don’t need you hovering over me like I am one.”
He took a step forward and then another until he was well into her personal space. “You want to be here? You’ll listen to me. That was the deal. You want to go do your own thing, then I will turf you so fast it will make your head spin.”
She glared at him. “I did listen to you. I just didn’t agree.”
“Don’t fucking split hairs with me. Two people are dead and I’m trying to keep you from being the third.”
“You don’t have to tell me people are dead. I’m aware and I seem to be the only one doing anything about it,” she snarled back. “Now, do you want to know what I found out or do you want to stand there like a caveman and pound your chest some more?”
He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him, kissing her hard on the mouth. Her arms went around his neck, and she kissed him back just as hard. Teeth clashed together, lips were bitten. He sunk one hand into her hair and used the other to bring her hips closer to his. She ground against him.
God, he loved that she matched him. Not afraid to stand up to him and she didn’t take shit off him. It was the sexiest thing ever but, dammit she needed to listen to him.
He broke off the kiss and told her as much. “Honey, I can’t keep you safe if you don’t listen to me. I don’t want you to get hurt but I can’t be everywhere all at once. Can you work with me? Please?”
