MenageaDare (32 page)

It turned out that the three of them worked very well
together as a ghost hunting team. Jax had taken to the darkness and the
silences with ease and had a steady hand.

The fact that Jax had coaxed the unnamed female to answer
his question had impressed Remy. It had taken time to retrieve the EVP and
there’d been a moment on caught on video right about the time the EVP was heard
when a trigger object in the room was moved.

A trigger object, something used to lure an entity into
speaking or revealing themselves such as a ball or a doll or a flashlight, was
a common part of Remy’s hunts. In this case, he’d chosen a pair of Eve’s shoes.

It was widely believed by the Dare Hotel staff that the
floor they were investigating was haunted by women who’d once been part of the
brothel. Stories of a young soiled dove’s strangulation death at the hands of a
cruel cowboy had abounded.

The pair of red stilettos had been placed on the floor in
the center of the room and Jax asked if anyone wished to try them on. The shoes
not only moved, they were turned upside down, heels up not just knocked over on
their sides.

They’d not noticed during the video shoot because the camera
had been stationary and the room was pitch black. Had he, Jax or Eve gotten up
from the bed to check the view from the video camera they’d set up, they’d have
a better idea of what happened.

Pausing in the middle of his work to stretch his tired
muscles, Remy was caught by surprise by the puff of sea breeze. The scent
lingered, as if someone passed one of those motion-activated air fresheners.

The breeze became stronger. Remy carefully grabbed his EMF
detector so as not to frighten off his visitor. The detector spiked seconds
before the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, chasing all the way down his
arms. He had a room temperature gauge sitting out on the desk. The air around
him dipped several degrees.

Setting aside the EMF detector, he hoped whoever joined him
in the room used the energy from the device to communicate with him and turned
on his EVP recorder.

“Hello, my name is Remy. I’m a friend of Jaxon’s. Are you a
friend too?”

He gave it time, repeating himself and backtracking on the
recorder until words came through. “Wilksie…Private.”

Excited, Remy set the recorder on play, turning on his
spirit box that would create white noise that ghosts found easy to communicate
through. Some were jammed AM radios caught in a continuous sweep of the dial.

Remy’s offered white noise and a series of digital words
that some believed ghosts used to communicate. He used the static of white
noise, trying to avoid the digital dictionary creating a false answer or word.

“Your name is Wilksie?” Remy asked his friend. He didn’t
shout, as he thought shouting or being too intense unless absolutely necessary
frightened entities away.

Vaguely, he heard an “Aye”.

“What happened to you Private Wilksie?”

“Whipped…pillory…desertion,” Wilksie claimed through the
static. “Hungry. Fell asleep.”

“I’m sorry, Wilksie. You have my sympathy. You like Jaxon’s
home, yes?”

“Aye, sir, tired.”

“Thank you, Wilksie. Peace to you, rest.”

Wilksie went quiet after that. The EMF detector stopped
blinking. Everything went back to normal.

Remy saved the recording, planning to play it for Jax and Eve
later. Feeling safe where he was, he kept working, getting more than enough
data that would enable next weekend’s hunt to be better than the original.

Jax knew he was in love when he arranged for Remington and
Evelyn to meet his mother. Fortunately, she’d been lucent and friendly,
especially with Evelyn.

The trip to Carson City had been fun too. They’d reserved a
lovely hotel room with a bed big enough for the three of them to snuggle in at
night. During the day, they’d visit his mother and Gerald then tour the city,
gathering historical information for Evelyn’s research on Jax’s paternal family
tree.

Upon returning to his house, they’d fallen into a routine,
becoming accustomed to each other’s habits and idiosyncrasies. Aside from
weekends spent in town for Remy to conduct more paranormal investigations, Jax
worked a couple of days a week at his club and his lovers came with him, using
the time to explore the town and arrange for more investigations.

One thing he’d learned since meeting Remington and Evelyn
was the ghosts didn’t act or appear on command. But Remington had caught some
interesting EVPs in the local cemetery and an unexplained white mist in one of
the jail cells during a time when no one was in it or in the building.

Remy was still working to understand it, but for the most
part, his favorite EVP was a question and answer session with the entity that
seemed attached to a particular room in Jaxon’s home, the red room.

Evelyn had fallen in love with the historical society and
the museum, spending much of her time there. Remy had asked Sawyer for a tour
of his ranch and apparently picked up some evidence regarding Sawyer’s
grandfather.

When the three of them weren’t in town, Remy often retreated
to his favorite room in the house, the red playroom, and studied hours of
information he’d gathered from the Dare Hotel, jailhouse, cemetery and boarding
house. Evelyn spent time on her research, making herself at home in his library
where she belonged.

Jax hadn’t taken her or Remy to his dungeon yet. He’d
planned to, but getting to know his lovers took precedent. His way of teaching
Evelyn was drawing her into mild scenes between him and Remy, letting her see
that his mastery of a switch wasn’t about pain. It was about pleasure and
sensuality.

In the meantime, he put in the work necessary to transform
the first book in his Vampire-for-Hire series into a screenplay. There was
still a lot to do, but he’d made progress over the last three weeks and he’d
often work for hours, coming out of his office for food and necessities.

Currently in his office, Jax reached a stopping point and
eased back in his desk chair to stretch and think. He could use a break, maybe
take a walk.

Exiting his office, he found Evelyn behind the black cherry
desk he’d acquired several years ago. He liked the Victorian décor of the room
as it fit America’s Wild West era to a tee.

“Evelyn, love, I’m going to get some air. Would you care to
join me?”

She looked up and around, a pair of reading glasses perched
on her nose. She looked adorable, prim but sexy. He couldn’t wait to get her
alone in his favorite dungeon soon. Those glasses could serve as a prop.

“I wish I could, Jaxon, but I’m knee-deep in your
genealogical tree and don’t want to stop. This is fascinating.”

“I take it the contacts you made in Carson City were
helpful?”

“Oh yes, they were awesome,” she said, nodding.

“Since you’re working, I’ll head out for a bit. If Remington
comes out of the red room, will you let him know where I am? I should be back
by lunchtime.”

“I’ll make sandwiches with the bread I baked yesterday,” she
offered.

“That’d be great,” he agreed, shoving off from the doorway
to his office and heading right up to her, crossing into her personal space.

“Anything wrong, Jaxon?” she asked, pushing away from the
desk. Jax had to grab the chair to keep her from scooting back farther.

“No, although I’d appreciate it if you’d consider joining me
in my private dungeon this afternoon,” he said. “It’s time to begin your
training in earnest.”

Eve flushed brightly, lowering her gaze. “If you so wish it,
Master Jax, I am willing to join you.”

“Excellent.”

“Will Remy join us?”

“Not during your training sessions. His need to protect you
could interfere with your progress. Hear me now, baby girl, they will intensify
as you learn and you may get scared, but you’ll never need to be rescued.”

“I understand,” she said, continuing to look away from him.

Removing his hand from the back of the chair, he touched his
hand under her chin, bringing her face upward. Eve’s flush intensified, signs
of arousal becoming more evident.

“Your gift of submission is something I will cherish. Just
be honest with yourself. If something scares you, tell me. I can’t be a good
Master to my sub if she doesn’t trust me.”

“Master Jax, the other night you wanted use nipple clamps on
me and I refused.”

“It was your right to refuse them, no questions asked,
love.”

“I disappointed you,” she murmured, looking away. Not having
that, he brought her chin back around.

“No, you didn’t. If you’ll recall, Remington and I made love
to you. Even during a lesson, the power to stop a scene is in your control.
Have you thought of a safeword?”

“Yes, it’s boardroom,” she answered, no longer struggling to
look away. “Will you kiss me before you go?”

“I’d be honored,” he agreed, bending down close enough to
kiss her soft lips. He loved kissing her, she responded with enthusiasm and
passion and she tasted sweet.

Minutes later, he drew back, resting his forehead against
hers. She was precious to him. He would’ve told her he loved her but she seemed
distracted and he decided to tell her how he felt when they were in his dungeon
later.

Eve pushed her glasses up on her nose and went back to work.
She was so cute it took effort to leave her in peace.

In the kitchen, he found a small notebook in a utility
drawer and jotted a note for Remy. He’d asked Eve to tell Remy where he was
going, but on the chance that she became immersed in her research, Jaxon had
his bases covered.

Task done, he went outside through the garage. Remy’s small
camper was parked off to the side, his Toyota truck in front of it. In another
week, they’d both be gone as Remy and Evelyn had to begin the trek back to New
England.

He didn’t care to think about that right now, he needed to
see what he had to do to keep his lovers happy, whether they were together or
separated by distance.

Heading to the trails leading away from the mountain house,
he took the center of a three-pronged fork, hiking toward a clearing he’d
established where he could think and look out over Dare and the valley below.
On a clear day, he could make out the fencing of Sawyer Hamilton’s ranch and
the glistening blue water of manmade Dare Lake.

Dare Mountain wasn’t the biggest of the Sierra Nevada
Mountains, but it was peaceful with runoff and erosion from the taller
mountains around it smoothing out some of the jagged tops. Both experienced
hikers and climbers appreciated the more intricate trails that led to rock
ledges and cliffs on the other side of Dare Mountain.

Hiking aside, Jax simply needed to think and make peace with
Gemma and Niko. Though they were gone, they would forever remain part of him,
he’d come to believe they’d want him to fall in love again.

Alone in the library, Eve was lost in the history of Jaxon
Wynter’s paternal family. The book on Nevadan explorers turned out to be a gem.
Between that, research and correspondence with an historian she’d met in Carson
City, she felt pretty confident that Jaxon was a descendant of Oskar Thorolf.

Oskar Thorolf had settled outside of Carson City, married
and had a large family. Two of his six children died very young, causes
unknown, though four married and had children of their own. Interestingly,
Oskar’s children and their wives had been buried in the same cemetery and were
converted members of a Lutheran church.

When they’d visited Jaxon’s mother and stepfather, Gerald
Jacobson provided Eve with his stepson’s birth certificate. Although his birth
father’s name was unknown, information such as ethnicity, age, description and
religious background were there, confirming that his father had been Lutheran.

Tracing the Thorolf name further, Eve came to believe
Jaxon’s grandfather, Gunther, was a Lutheran priest who’d married a woman named
Elise and had two children, Johannes and Astrid.

Eve then compared Johannes’ age to the date of birth listed
on Jaxon’s birth certificate for his father. They’d matched.

While she was confident she’d found Jaxon’s biological
father, Eve was saddened when she’d unearthed Johannes’ obituary notice in a
Carson City newspaper dating back to when Jaxon was twenty years old. She
really wished differently, although she’d managed to trace his family tree all
the way to Norwegian Quakers immigrating to North America.

Saving the information she’d input on a computerized
genealogical chart, she gave herself a little pat on the back. About to go in
search of Remy to see if he wanted lunch, she froze when her cell phone jingled
as if it were a landline.

“Hi, Dad,” she greeted, not having to see the caller ID to
know it was her father.

“I’m worried about you, Evelyn,” he said. It was the same
way they started every conversation they’d had since she left Salem with Remy.

“I’m fine, Dad. Actually, I’m happier than I’ve been in a
while.”

“Evelyn, something isn’t adding up with you lately. Each
time we talk, you’ve been evasive or in a rush to go somewhere. Why is that?
Where are you, really?”

“I’m in Dare, as I’ve told you a couple days ago. Remy’s
work is complicated and I’ve been helping Jaxon Wynter trace his family tree.
Remember a few weeks back when I said we were going to Carson City? Jaxon
introduced me to a historian there and he’s been incredibly forthcoming.”

“Interesting. At one point during your roadtrip you told me
you wouldn’t date Matt because of your feelings for Remington. I believed you,
but lately you keep bringing up Jaxon Wynter. Who is he to you?”

“Wow, that’s a lot of questions,” she replied, feeling
sixteen years old.

“You’re keeping something from me, Evelyn.”

“It’s complicated and I’d rather not talk about Remy or
Jaxon until we are face to face. Remy and I are leaving Dare in a week. We’ll
talk at length when I get home, promise.”

“We’ll talk now. What did Remington get you into? The truth,
Evelyn. What would you tell your mother if she was here?”

“If you really want to know, I’d tell her I’m in love with
them,” she blurted out hotly, her temper getting the best of her.

“Both of them?” her father shouted back. “That’s…that’s
immoral.”

“My relationship with Remy and Jaxon may be unconventional,
but it’s not immoral to us.”

“I’m booking you a flight home. No more ghost hunting. No
more gallivanting around Nevada with two men. I’ll not be disgraced by the
likes of you!”

“Disgraced?” she asked, deeply hurt.

“That’s right. You’re Bartholomew Stratham’s daughter and I
will not allow you to disgrace our good name or your reputation. Continue with
this relationship of yours, I’ll see to it funding for Remington’s reality show
is cut off.”

“You go after Remy, I’ll never forgive you,” she declared,
her protective instincts kicking in big-time, the pain of her father’s words
cutting deep. “I’ll come home when I come home and not a day before.”

Turning off her cell phone, Eve stared at it for a second or
two, realizing her vision had blurred. Sad, angry and confused, she dropped the
phone to the desk and let herself cry. When no more tears fell, she lifted her
head, determined to find Remy. Maybe the two of them could join Jaxon for a
picnic and talk.

Outside of the library, she listened for Remy. When she heard
nothing, she opted to give him a few more minutes. When he was listening to
EVPs or watching video, he preferred everything else around him to be very
quiet.

Heading upstairs to the bedroom, she stripped out of her
capris and tee shirt in favor of the turquoise dress Jaxon bought her in Carson
City. It was pretty, feminine and had a handkerchief hem that made it feel airy
and soft.

Dressed and feeling better, she made a quick trip into the
bathroom to check her reflection. Her eyes were beet red. The evidence of
crying had taken its toll. She knew she needed to call her dad and talk things
out, but right now she needed to think so she didn’t overreact or cause another
fight.

Taking the time to find a clean washcloth, she soaked it in
cool water and pressed it to her eyes. She’d have to fix her makeup afterward,
but she’d have to stop crying first. For on a day when she’d found success
tracing Jaxon’s family tree, it felt as if her own family ties were unraveling.

Remy worked well into lunchtime, his grumbling stomach
breaking his concentration and forcing him to take a break. After jotting down
some notes and saving the data on his laptop, he stood up, stretched and headed
out of the red room.

In the hallway, he closed the red door and made a beeline for
the kitchen. Once there, he scored a big apple. Chomping into it, he was in the
middle of chewing when a note on the bar caught his attention.

Jaxon had gone for a walk but he’d sketched a map of where
to find him. Hmm, Eve was working on Jax’s genealogical tree. When she was
working, she preferred to be left alone. He’d let her do her thing.

Adding his own message to Jax’s note for Eve inviting her to
join them if she finished, he placed the wallet on the counter and took off at
a steady clip.

With help from Jax’s map, Remy found a hiking path and came
to a wide patch of open land fifteen minutes later. The patch was manmade,
plush with rich green grasses and field flowers.