Unbridled and Unsaddled [The Double Rider Men's Club 9] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (19 page)

Clay couldn’t think of a single way to help the situation. But he wanted to.

“Is there anything you can do?” Stella asked.

“I’m not sure. What do you want me to do?” Quite a few retribution fantasies crossed his mind, but were quickly dismissed. Revenge would make him feel better, but it wouldn’t help anything.

“I don’t know exactly. I just hate to see her treated this way.”

“Tell you what, I can try to find out who took the pictures. I can talk to the author of the article and see if he’ll name his sources, but he won’t, and ultimately he doesn’t have to.”

She pushed out a long sigh. “Can you make the parties responsible stop putting any more stupid articles in the paper?”

“Likely not. And an attempt of that nature would just make it worse.” Clay pictured headlines the likes of
What are they trying to hide?
being splashed across the front page instead of the community section. He couldn’t think of anything constructive to say or do regarding this matter. He liked Sabrina, too. He hated to see good friends mistreated in the public eye.

“Have you talked to Sabrina yet?” Clay asked.

“No. I tried to call her cellular a couple of times, but just got her voice mail. I’m sure she’s been inundated. I’d love it if she is just busy and turned her phone off. I don’t even know where she is right now.”

Clay knew exactly where she was. The cabin he’d arranged for Parker, Drew, and her for after the stadium event. He glanced at the clock. It was early. Perhaps they hadn’t seen the paper yet. He hated to interrupt them, but perhaps this situation warranted a visit.

“I’ll try to get a hold of her and see if there is anything I can do to help. If nothing else, I can tell her we support her.”

“Thanks, Clay.”

“You bet.” He hung up, but his mind still raced with what he could do.

After he talked to Sabrina, Drew, and Parker, he’d look into finding the photographer of those grainy pictures. Perhaps an agenda would be apparent once he discovered the photographer’s identity. He’d then try to discover who, if anyone, was out to get her. Finally, he’d do whatever he could to keep that person from doing it again. It was the least he could do for a friend.

* * * *

Parker lowered his paper when Sabrina made a sound that was a cross between a gasp and a cry. He looked up from the sports section to see her ashen face. Eyes wide as if in horror, her mouth dropped open all of a sudden. She looked like she was in the middle of a silent scream after the shock of a lifetime.

“What’s wrong?” Parker asked. “What is it?”

Drew lowered his paper and looked at her, too.

She stood up, backed away from the table, and knocked her chair over on its side. Her head started shaking back and forth as if she was in denial.

Both he and Drew stood and surrounded her. She clutched the paper to her chest and wouldn’t let them see it.

“No. Please don’t look.” Her anguished tone made his heart clench. “It’s not good.”

“I can tell
that
just by your reaction.” Parker gently took the paper from her fingers.

“I don’t know what to do. This is terrible.”

“Don’t worry. Whatever it is we’ll deal with it, okay?”

He looked down at the headline, and his eyes widened.
Shit.
Love triangle? Really?
He truly hated the press some days.

“This is my fault. I’m so sorry.” She backed away from both of them and stepped out of the kitchen. “I need to…”

He didn’t hear the last part of what she said before she took off toward the bedroom. Probably wanted to get a tissue or wash her face.

Parker straightened the paper to check out the side by side photos and read the article. The pictures were slightly blurry, taken obviously from a distance with a substandard camera. One of each of them with Sabrina.

“Who the hell cares about either of us after all this time?” Parker asked.

“Shit. Is that
each
of our pictures in the paper with her? Does everyone know about our threesome lifestyle? I was afraid this would happen. I’ll be screwed at work if this isn’t handled carefully. Shit. I hate losing my privacy again.”

“Relax. The article isn’t even about the love triangle aspect. They don’t even mention it again. It’s just about our rivalry and a possible future match between us. Then something about a local charity and the County Western Day coming up. No one knows about our new lifestyle.”

“County Western Day? That sounds familiar.” Drew stared up at the ceiling a minute. He snapped his fingers. “I remember now. That guy she works with, Ben something, brought it up when he dropped Sabrina’s name without talking to her. Maybe he’s behind this.”

“Oh yeah? Maybe we should go have a word with the jackass.” Parker scanned the article again then huffed. “And look. The author of the piece is the same guy from back when we were active in the circuit.”

Parker recognized the author of the article as the guy who’d predominately written about them years ago. He probably laughed with glee over being able to rehash old material with minimum input. He recognized the Western Day thing as something Ben had brought up during their unfortunate meeting at Sabrina’s doorstep.

“Perhaps this is a dig because I refused to play along with the rodeo idea.”

Whatever, the reason, he wouldn’t let it ruin their relationship with Sabrina.

There was the sound of a car door out in front of the cabin and then a car started and revved. He looked at Drew and then all around himself.

“Did she leave? Sabrina!” he called out to the doorway of the kitchen.

Parker headed for the bedroom with Drew on his heels. She was gone. Her overnight bag was missing. He was suddenly furious that this stupid article had been published. She blamed herself.

They both turned to the sound of a car pulling back in. Drew smiled at Parker. “Either she forgot something or she decided not to run out.”

“I hope she decided not to run.”

There was a sudden knock at the front door. Parker crossed the room and pulled the door open. Parker realized quickly that she hadn’t forgotten anything and the running out part was most likely a fact when he saw the tall security guy for the DRMC filling up the doorway.

Clay had a surprised look on his face. He shot a thumb over his shoulder and asked, “Did I just see Sabrina leaving?”

Parker searched the front yard where her car had been parked, but wasn’t anymore.

“Looks like it.” He tried not to be shocked and disappointed, but he was. “Want to come in?”

“Just for a minute. If you don’t mind.”

Parker shrugged. “Sure. Why not?”

He stepped back and allowed Clay to enter.

Drew stood a few feet way. He asked, “Who’s this?”

Parker realized they’d never met. He’d done all of the negotiating with Clay up to this point. “Drew, this is Clay Forrester. He’s the security guy for the Double Rider Men’s Club. I told you I was talking with him in regard to joining the club here. Clay this is Drew Montgomery, the other man in our precarious trio.”

Drew extended his hand to Clay and they shook.

“Precarious?” Clay frowned. “That’s unfortunate.”

Parker shrugged. “Sabrina saw the article in the paper and took off. She was obviously very upset. She never wanted publicity over our shiny new lifestyle. Neither did we.”

“Yeah. That article is why I came over. Her friend Stella called and alerted me. She worried.”

“How do you keep the DRMC business out of the papers?”

Clay smiled mischievously. “I have my ways.”

“Would any of those ways be able to help us find out who did this?”

He shrugged. “Possibly. Would it be of any benefit to discover who took the pictures? I can’t promise anything, but I’ll certainly do my best. I usually get lucky when I go look for things. I used to be a good investigator, once upon a time.”

Drew nodded. “Sure. And maybe you could also check out a guy named Ben Welkins. He works with Sabrina.”

“I’ll see what I can do. I’ll call and let you know anything I find out.” After a lengthy glance around the main living room of the cabin, Clay turned and exited the cabin.

“So should we go after her or give her some space?” Drew asked the moment the front door closed.

“My heart says go after her, but my head says give her a minute to sort things out. I don’t know what’s best at this point.”

Drew crossed his arms. “Fine. We’ll give her the rest of the day. Then we get together later and go visit her apartment tonight.”

Parker paused for several seconds to consider their options. He finally shook his head. “Let’s give her until tomorrow. Maybe she’ll call us before then anyway.”

“Fine. But no later than tomorrow.”

“Agreed.” He didn’t have a better plan. After the sublimely ideal morning and last night’s perfection, Parker’s hands fisted until they ached with regret and anger that their bliss had been disturbed by those who should keep their noses out of private business.

He wasn’t a vengeful man, as a rule.
Live and let live
was his standard motto, but he pitied whoever had made Sabrina turn as pale as a full moon on a dark, starless night. That person needed to learn about hurting people’s feelings.

Parker had always been content with the notion that
what goes around, comes around
. And he’d also heard that karma was a bitch.

But occasionally revenge was justified, especially if providence took too long to act.

* * * *

Sabrina’s hands gripped the steering wheel after she parked in the employee parking log. Facing Monday morning after a sleepless night of worry hadn’t made her feel too well this morning. She needed to face the music.

Kurt didn’t like to have their projects put in the newspaper in a titillating fashion. He loathed bad publicity as if it were the plague. Everyone in the Peak Event office clearly understood his hatred of tasteless newspaper articles sensationalizing any event. He refused to do it.

Sabrina had always respected his decision in this matter and silently cheered his assessment of using the press in a less than stellar manner. As such, she had never purposefully gone that route. Unfortunately, she had contacted the two men in the article. She’d gone to them for a private event not associated with Peak Events, and now the world new about it.

Less than twenty-four hours ago, she’d been blissfully unaware of the major trouble about to release a terrible intrusion into her private life and threaten her job.

Kurt had always liked her. He’d told her she was one of his best employees. She planned to capitalize on this to try and keep her job. Hopefully he would understand she hadn’t meant for this to happen. Further she planned to promise her left kidney if allowed to stay and ensure that no further articles came about. She also hoped she could convince the paper to back off.

She checked her messages. There were several calls from both Drew and Parker. Stella had left her quite a few, as well. She wasn’t ready to face Drew and Parker yet. They had to be steaming mad about this, and she didn’t blame them. She hoped they would forgive her for opening them up to public scandal.

After she talked to Kurt, and probably lost her job for the mention of the County Western Day event alongside her rivalry-inducing, love triangle lifestyle being broadcast publically, she’d call Stella. They could commiserate, and maybe Stella would be able to hire her as a part-time catering helper.

Sabrina trudged into the office and headed straight for Kurt’s office. She heard his voice before she even reached his door. At the threshold to his office, she looked in and saw that he was on the phone. He looked up and motioned her come in and sit down. He didn’t smile. But he didn’t frown at her either, so maybe he didn’t know yet.

Crossing to his guest chairs, she glanced at the top of his desk. The despised section of the Sunday local newspaper was spread out before him on the desk.
Crap
.

“Well, I’d like to know that too, Art. It would have been nice to know in advance. I thought we were good enough friends that I’d at least get a chance to comment beforehand.”

Art? As in Art Wentworth, the manager of the local newspaper?

“Fine. You do that. Yes. Get back to me. Right.” Kurt dropped the phone handset into the cradle and pushed out a frustrated-sounding breath. He placed his elbows on his blotter and folded his hands together. His expression was that of a man who had tough decisions to make and likely they involved her future.

Before she could say the words, “I’m so sorry about the article,”
Ben burst into the room like a human tornado with a copy of the paper in hand and a shit-eating grin on his face.

Oh, great.
Just what she needed. Ben to race in here and gloat over her inability to keep a Peak Event project out of a scandalous article in the paper. She didn’t know exactly what she could have done to prevent it, but was likely about to find out.