Shifting her bag on her shoulder, McKenna stared back at Stephen, seeing the crazed look in his eye. She still had a hard time understanding how he could’ve gotten so greedy that he resorted to blackmailing. She wondered whether his father even knew, but then again, if the Crawford’s were working to cover up environmental problems that would ultimately cost them a fortune, she could see how he might.
“What did you have in mind, Mr. Crawford?”
“Please, call me Stephen. It’s not like I haven’t seen you intimately.”
McKenna choked on the bile that threatened to come surging from her throat. She knew exactly what he was referring to, but it made her sick to think of what perverse things he might’ve done while looking at her pictures.
“Those were tastefully done, by the way,” he added. “I would’ve much preferred to see more of your pretty pink pussy, but now that you’re frequenting the club, I figure I might just get my chance.”
“Not in this lifetime,” McKenna bit out, her fury overshadowing any self-preservation she might’ve had.
“See, that’s where you’re wrong,” Stephen said as he lunged toward her.
Before McKenna even knew what happened, Stephen was flying the opposite direction, his arms flailing as he lost his step and went crashing into the wall.
In the next instant, she was in Tag’s arms, and she wasn’t sure whether she was the one shaking or if his rage was vibrating right through his limbs.
~*~*~
Tag didn’t know how McKenna had ended up alone in her office, but the first thing he did after the police escorted Stephen Crawford off of the premises was call Alex. He demanded that the security guard now permanently assigned to Sensations, Inc. be there until everyone went home. And if he had a problem with that, he could find a new job.
The second thing he did was take her home. To her house. She was a little shaken up, but he was pretty sure he was more upset about what happened than she was. Tag had to admit, he was rather impressed with the way she was handling Crawford when he showed up. Had it not been for the phone call he received minutes before from Chase Reed, things could’ve turned out very different.
He suspected Chase would’ve intervened if necessary, but he was still trying not to blow his cover. Since he was now a member of the club, with the same level of membership as Stephen Crawford, he at least could keep tabs on the guy.
Luke or Logan weren’t thrilled with their newest member because according to Logan, they were just layering a problem over a problem. If the other members got word that they had a UC in attendance, Club Destiny might just go to shit faster than if the member list was leaked.
But, it wasn’t like they had much of a choice these days. They could either continue to try and Band-Aid the problem or give up and allow the walls to come crumbling down around them. Fortunately, no one knew that Stephen Crawford had already sent the pictures to McKenna, and if Luke or Logan were to find out, Tag wasn’t sure he’d be able to protect them from themselves.
He might’ve been slow in understanding the reason they would go to any extreme for the one they loved, but since finding McKenna, Tag finally got it. And tonight, his only intention was to hold her close and ensure she knew just how much she meant to him.
Chapter Forty
The following morning, Tag was sitting at the breakfast bar in McKenna’s kitchen watching as she moved back and forth, effortlessly putting a breakfast together that was better suited for an army than just the two of them. She seemed a little nervous, but he wasn’t sure why. The only possibility he could come up with was she was still shaken up from Crawford, although she seemed better than all right the night before.
Tag smiled as he remembered.
“What are you smiling for?” McKenna laughed as she turned on him and Tag laughed right along with her.
“If you only knew.”
“Oh, I think I’ve got an idea,” she teased, turning back to the stove.
When Tag’s cell phone rang, interrupting their perfect morning, he was tempted not to answer it. Since that had never worked for him before, he snatched it up from the bar and growled when he saw who it was.
“Murphy.”
“Where the hell are you?” Logan quipped, and Tag almost thought there was a smile in his voice.
“Why the fuck do you always ask me that?”
“Because I can. Now answer the damn door.” The line disconnected and a second later, the doorbell rang. McKenna stopped in her tracks, staring back at him, but she no longer looked happy.
“I’ll get it,” Tag told her.
Walking to the front door, Tag pulled it open, expecting to see Logan, but he was not expecting to see everyone else.