“Never mind.” Ink shook his head and turned back to the bar, knowing engaging would only lead to more trouble. The Old Ladies’ laughter as they walked away made him question his own sanity.
Highdive sat down next to him and sighed, probably imagining the good-natured ribbing he was going to endure.
“Hey, Brother. They are in fine form today.” Ink decided not to tease, since he had been beaten by the woman as well.
“That they are.”
Highdive’s role as Enforcer for the Club meant he appeared distant at times. Having to be the one to enforce rules inside and out of the Club wasn’t something Ink envied. While the other Brothers formed close relationships, his friend was forced to stand on the outside. The feeling of isolation among such a close group had to be difficult.
Because of mutual interests outside of Club business, they had grown close. They spent a lot of time together at the local BDSM club. Highdive was a master of Shibari and had taught him and Hannibal the basics of the art of rope bondage. The ways his Brother could tie up a woman were beautiful and often pleasurable for whoever he chose to be his sub for a night.
His brother’s body was tight, and it was unlikely to be the result of spending a few hours on guard duty. “What’s on your mind?”
Highdive took a deep breath. “You’re going to be hooking up with Jade again.”
The man’s words were a statement, not a question. He wondered if she had mentioned it and why that would cause his Brother stress. Did Highdive want Jade for himself? Ink’s muscles clenched as a wave of territorial anger spiraled up from the darker parts of his soul.
“We are. How did you know?”
“Her gym is the Old Ladies new interest. So, we’re tapped into her security. She only has cameras in the main gym, but Hannibal carried her down missing some pieces of clothing.”
Anger and relief simmered in a strange mix in his stomach for a minute. Highdive didn’t want Jade. Knowing they were invading her privacy like that bothered him. He took a sip of his drink and fought back the unreasonable feelings.
It only made sense. The Dark Sons were protective of their women. If Ink had taken a minute to think about it, he would have realized that his Brothers would have already done everything in their power to make sure the place was safe. Hacking into her security and computer systems would have been the least they would do.
“Is us seeing her a problem for the Club?”
Highdive took a long drink. His hesitation raked along Ink’s nerves. “I don’t like to interfere, but I’m not sure you want to get wrapped up with her mess.”
Ink finished his drink and pushed the glass away. “What’s that supposed to mean? Exactly.”
“The place is safe enough for the ladies to go visit, get their workout, and leave. Jade’s another story.”
What could the little bundle of gorgeous submission be involved in that would cause his Brother to not only hesitate but bend the rules to tell Ink about it? “That’s not enough to go on.” He tried for levity. “What is she, a secret cannibal?”
“No. She’s as straight and narrow as a woman can be.”
“Then what?”
“That partner of hers, he’s in a mess pretty deep.”
“What kind of mess? What kind of blowback are we talking about?”
After meeting the guy, it wasn’t hard to imagine the fucker getting himself into a mess. Entitled assholes believed the world owed them something and never looked too closely at any deals that came their way. When their mistakes came back to bite them, they would blame everything and everyone but themselves.
“If it is only the women going there and having fun? The worst blowback on the Club is that the place goes under and we have some disappointed women.”
“And for Jade?” He shouldn’t be worried about her already, but he was. He didn’t want to see her lose her dream because of some bad choices she had nothing to do with.
“The man’s up to his eyeballs in all sorts of debt. Both with the banks and alternative lending sources. She probably doesn’t know he’s used the business as collateral with some people who won’t care if he doesn’t legally have the right to do so.”
“That man’s slicker than a slop jar and she doesn’t know it.”
“Yeah. He’s got a gambling problem, and your woman bails him out every time.”
“Not my woman.” The response was instinct, but if she was in trouble, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from getting involved.
“Of course not.” Highdive snorted. “Guess you don’t need to hear the rest then.”