Chapter 21

      “There it is,” Andre said as we cruised down the deserted highway at a speed only a cop could get away with.

      “Wow,” I murmured.

      The large stone and cedar building cut an impressive silhouette against the star-flecked dome of sky, the behemoth seeming to grow straight out of the sprawling land around it. Warm lights glowed from some of the windows and the front entrance, but everything else about The Ranch screamed, Exclusive! Private!

      Andre slowed down as we drove by a sign for Water’s Edge Vineyards. He cruised past the entrance for that building and turned left onto an unmarked drive a quarter mile farther down. A wide, low gate stretched across the road, and he pulled to a stop.

      “This place is at a vineyard?” I asked, squinting to see if I could make out any of the grounds in the dark.

      Andre rolled down his window and pressed his thumb to a touchpad that was mostly covered by creeping vines. The machine scanned Andre’s fingerprint, the little green light piercing the blanket of night around them. The smell of wildflowers drifted into the car. “The owner, Grant Waters, owns both. He tells anyone who asks that the big building is his private residence.”

      The touchpad beeped and the large wooden gate, which looked far from electronic to the naked eye, swung open smoothly. Andre pulled forward, gravel crunching beneath the tires.

      “How do people even find out about this place?”

      He gave me a sideways glance, his expression unreadable in the near darkness. “The local BDSM community is pretty tight. You know the right people, have the right amount of money, and you’ll hear about this place.”

      I gnawed on that for a moment. “So this is your thing, too?”

      “I’ll take ‘Things I Don’t Want to Discuss with My Sister’ for five hundred, Alex.”

      I huffed. “Stop being such a prude. After what you told me tonight about you, Jace, and Evan, I don’t think much else could shock me.” Then another thought hit me. “Wait a second, if this place is so elite and expensive, how did you get in? No offense, but I can’t imagine a detective’s salary qualifies.”

      He sighed, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel. “No, it doesn’t. Just the application fee for a dom is ten grand, then there are annual fees.”

      “Holy shit,” I said, unable to stop myself. Had Foster spent that much to come here? That’d pay for rent on his apartment for almost a year.

      “But I came in as Jace’s guest and got to know the owner. He waived the fee. Plus, I think he likes having a cop on the premises if needed.”

      Andre pulled into the parking area and found a spot. I glanced around at all the luxury vehicles lined up in the crude country lot, amazed by the number. There were this many people out at some sex resort on a Friday night? I scanned the lot to see if I could catch sight of Foster’s SUV, but I didn’t know cars well enough to distinguish between one or the other in the scant moonlight.

      Andre cut the engine, then held on to the steering wheel, staring forward, not moving.

      “What’s wrong?”

      The seat groaned beneath him as he adjusted himself to turn toward me. “I’m trying to stop myself from driving you back home or at least putting my hands over your eyes when we walk in. I’m not ashamed of this lifestyle, but I can’t help wanting to shelter you from it all. Things here can be intense. Can’t you wait until Foster’s back home, and you can talk to him then?”

      I shook my head. I’d considered that. But knowing Foster was here had urgency building in me. I knew I had told him good-bye, that I had no right to be jealous if he was with some other woman tonight. But even the thought of him touching another had me ready to storm the castle and take him hostage. “I need to see him tonight. Here. In his element.”

      Her brother still didn’t look convinced. “Cela, you’re …”

      “Going to be fine,” I finished for him. “Dre, I think it’s sweet that you still want to protect me, I do. But I’m tired of always doing what I’m ‘supposed’ to just to make sure you, Papá, and Mamá can feel like I’m safe in my little bubble.” My gaze swept over the building. “There’s a guy in there who made me feel really, truly alive for the first time in maybe forever. I’m not pretending to understand all of this or even my reaction to it. And he may run me out of there. But if I don’t get answers to some questions, I’m always going to wonder.”

      Andre stared at me for a long few seconds and then the corner of his mouth lifted like a white flag, signaling my victory. He reached out and touched the tip of my nose. “When you’d get so grown up?”

      I snorted and reached for the door handle. “Apparently, during the time you were falling in love with your harem.”

      “Touché.” He laughed and climbed out of the car. “And, for the record, Jace would be totally offended that you called it my harem instead of his.”

      “Would he now?” I got out and peered at my brother from over the top of the car, a question hovering on the back of my tongue. I shouldn’t ask, but I couldn’t help myself. Curiosity and I were too old of friends. “So is Jace the one, you know, in charge of things within the relationship?”

      I couldn’t imagine anyone bossing my brother around, but there was something about Jace that screamed confident authority—a presence about him.

      Andre leaned his forearms along the top of the car, his eyes wary again. “Is it important for you to know?”

      I fiddled with the strap of my purse, trying to look nonchalant. “I just, well, I’m new to all this, and I was wondering if the