“A dom named Roman. I don’t know his last name. Rachel, one of the submissives attending, invited me. No last name for her either. I know that sounds reckless—”
“No one’s judging,” Emily quickly put in.
“What about an address?” Alec asked.
“It was off West Lake Dr. I don’t remember the house number, but it’s stored in my GPS.”
“I’ve got a few matches,” Callan said, turning the screen toward her.
Julia blinked. “That was fast.”
“That’s because I’m really good at my job,” he said, tone teasing.
“He is, but don’t be too impressed. He used a program that converts video images to stills and stores them in a database,” Alec explained, showing her how to scroll through them.
After looking at only four or five faces, Julia stopped. She could hear his voice in her ear calling her a slut, could feel his fingers squeezing her throat.
She pushed back from the table. “That’s him.”
Alec reached over and zoomed in on his face. The others crowded around to look but shook their heads. No one knew him.
“We start there,” Dev said.
“Start where?”
With everyone focused on the screen, no one had heard the door open. Leland stood there, frowning.
Julia’s spine went rigid. She tried to avoid looking at him, but his presence, as always, pulled her in, and her eyes inevitably drifted upward. He was frowning, nothing new, but his gaze was fixed on her throat.
“A meeting’s in progress,” Dev said evenly.
Leland didn’t leave. He didn’t so much as twitch. “Does anyone want to tell me why Julia’s here, looking like that?”
“There was an… incident.”
“At The Underground?”
“No. It was a gathering at a private residence. But we’re handling it,” Alec said.
Leland’s voice cut through. Flat. Controlled. “Those bruises suggest otherwise. Who’s the motherfucker who put his hands on her throat? He’d better be in custody.”
Alec met his gaze and repeated, “We’re handling it, Leland.”
Dev was more specific. “We’re going to keep her safe. I’m putting a man on her.”
This was new information to Julia. “A man?” she asked. “Like in a bodyguard?”
“Yes.”
Her gaze shifted briefly to Leland then quickly away. With him, she would feel safe from anyone but herself.
“Not him,” she blurted out.
For one brief second, hurt broke through his control. She saw it pass like a shadow over his face before disappearing. She wasn’t proud of her rejection, but she had to protect herself first.
“Not him,” Dev agreed. “If Parker, or anyone else, makes a move, we’ll be ready.”
Julia hesitated. “Maybe I should go back to The Underground and let him make it.”
