Liam shut the laptop.
Adam shook his head. “That doesn’t mean a damn thing. We’ve all talked like that.”
“Yeah, well, he did come after her money,” Liam pointed out. “At least she hasn’t killed the fucker yet. Tell her my services are for hire if she decides to off the asshole. I don’t like anyone telling a sweet little sub that she’s a pervert. He sounds like an asshole who doesn’t want the responsibility of caring for a real woman.”
“She isn’t going to kill her ex.” Adam was sure of it. She might talk big in a room full of supportive women. She might even kill his ass off in one of her books, but Serena Brooks was incapable of actually swatting a fly. Her dumb choice of guard dogs proved her soft heart.
“She doesn’t have to kill him,” Jake said. “She just has to make him look really bad. Maybe get him sent to jail. Then he couldn’t come after her money.”
Ian pointed his spoon Jake’s way. “What he said. Dean, I always thought you were the muscle. You’re the brains, too. What’s Adam here for?”
“Fuck you, Tag.” He turned to Jake, but there was no point in arguing in front of an audience. The morning with Serena had softened Jake up, and now all that work was gone with a five-minute video from a year before. It was time to turn to the case at hand. “Do you have anything beyond a couple of careless words caught on tape?”
“Touchy.” Liam brought up a new document on his laptop. “Nothing special. Eve’s got the duty of reading the books. I know she’s paying special attention to the book where Amber Rose’s heroine is stalked by her ex-husband.”
Fuck. None of it sounded good. “How are her financials?”
“Healthy. But everything is connected to her books. She has deposits from her publisher and her agent. Almost all of her money is from those electronic books everyone loves these days. She sells almost everything online. She’s a prolific little girl. In the two years since she started, she’s put out almost fifteen books. Which explains the fact that she doesn’t seem to date. She never leaves her computer.”
“Being that isolated can do odd things to a person.” Ian finished up his lunch. “She’s obviously obsessed with her work.”
“The same could be said of you.” Adam felt fidgety. None of this had gone as planned.
“Do you have a list of her friends?” Jake asked. “I’m going out to talk to her ex-husband this afternoon. I could make the rounds.”
Jake’s tone had flattened. It was his professional voice, the one he used far too often these days.
“She’s having lunch with a Bridget and a Chris tomorrow.” Adam glanced down at the photocopied pages in his hand. They neatly detailed the rest of Serena’s week. Her office came with a handy copy machine. If only all clients were so easy to deal with.
Liam had a ready answer. “Bridget Slaten and Chris Roberts. Both writers. And yes, Chris is a man. He writes romance as a woman, though. His pen name is Cherry Sparks. Who comes up with this shit? And Bridget writes as Dakota Cheyenne. Do you think they just go to a local strip club and ask for names?”
“So she’s close to these other writers?” Adam asked.
“As far as I can tell, they’re the only people she has regular contact with besides the police.” Liam leaned against Ian’s desk.
“Lara said Serena plays it close to the vest. She lost most of her friends from before the divorce. Bridget and Chris are clients of Lara’s, too. They met at a party and have been tight for almost two years. Bridget took Serena under her wing.” Ian passed two folders their way. “That’s everything we have on those two and on the ex.”
“You need to check into some asshole named Master Storm.” Jake flinched a little as he said the name.
Ian stopped as though waiting for the punch line. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
Adam rolled his eyes. “She’s researching BDSM.”
“Did she find a Douche-Bag Dom site and ask for a mentor?” Ian asked. “Tourists. Bring her to Sanctum. It might be a good way to keep track of her. But she comes in on your leash, Jake.”
Jake’s head shook and the scaredy cat actually took a step back. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. She can come in with Adam.”
“Adam doesn’t have Master rights at Sanctum,” Ian pointed out. “He’s never completed the course.”
There was a reason Adam hadn’t completed the course. Ian taught it. He had to take Ian’s shit eight to ten hours a day. He didn’t need to go to a club and take some more. Ian was notoriously hard on Doms. But he liked the idea of taking Serena to Sanctum. It was a place where Jake felt comfortable. Serena would be thrilled to walk into an underground club. She would be forced to rely on Jake, and Jake would be forced to take care of her. It was perfect.
“Jake can have official control,” Adam said. “You’re right. It’s a very good way to keep track of her and observe her behavior. You can watch her for yourself, Ian.”
Ian seemed to consider the idea. “I’ll watch her carefully. You can tell a lot about a sub during a scene. She wants to research BDSM? Push her limits. She’ll learn quickly whether or not it’s really for her. In fact, why don’t I run a scene with her?”
“No.” Jake practically barked his answer. “If she comes in with me, I’ll run her scenes. No one touches her except me and Adam.”
That was what he wanted to hear. When Jake turned into a possessive caveman, it meant he was engaged, whether he liked it or not.
“Fine.” Ian sat back in his chair, and Adam suddenly realized that Ian had been testing Jake. Sneaky, manipulative bastard. “Make sure she’s properly dressed. I don’t allow tourists in my club.”
Adam sighed. Little Serena would be in fetish wear and no shoes or she wouldn’t get the knowledge she sought. She would do it. It would be far too much temptation for Serena. And he intended to make sure that Serena was too tempting for Jake.
“I’ll handle everything,” Adam promised smoothly as he got out of his chair.
“I just fucking bet you will,” Jake said under his breath, his tone assured retribution.
Ian ignored them. “I’ll let Eve know you’re ready to pick up your charge. Somebody call and give me a report on how the meeting with the ex goes.”