Sadistic Sherlock (Ward Security Book 4) Read online

  Sadistic Sherlock

  Jocelynn Drake

  Rinda Elliott

  Jocelynn: To Dad, Thanks for starting a life-long love affair for Holmes and Watson.

  Rinda: To Robert, for the constant support and belief in what I do. To Rachel, for listening when the self-doubt monster attacks and for being willing to plot at the drop of a hat. To Jocelynn, because I love working with you and the friendship we've formed is priceless!

  Contents

  The Ward Security Series

  Also by Jocelynn Drake and Rinda Elliott

  Also by Jocelynn Drake

  Also by Rinda Elliott

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Free Short Story

  Check Out Unbreakable Bonds

  About the Author

  The Ward Security Series

  Psycho Romeo

  Dantès Unglued

  Deadly Dorian

  Jackson (a novella)

  Sadistic Sherlock

  Also by Jocelynn Drake and Rinda Elliott

  The Unbreakable Bonds Series

  Shiver

  Shatter

  Torch

  Devour

  Blaze

  Unbreakable Bonds Short Story Collection

  Unbreakable Stories: Lucas

  Unbreakable Stories: Snow

  Unbreakable Stories: Rowe

  Unbreakable Stories: Ian

  Also by Jocelynn Drake

  The Dark Days Series

  Bound to Me

  The Dead, the Damned and the Forgotten

  Nightwalker

  Dayhunter

  Dawnbreaker

  Pray for Dawn

  Wait for Dusk

  Burn the Night

  The Lost Night

  Stefan

  The Asylum Tales

  The Asylum Interviews: Bronx

  The Asylum Interviews: Trixie

  Angel’s Ink

  Dead Man’s Deal

  Demon’s Vengeance

  Ice & Snow Christmas Series

  Walking on Thin Ice

  Ice, Snow, & Mistletoe

  Also by Rinda Elliott

  Beri O’Dell Series

  Dweller on the Threshold

  Blood of an Ancient

  The Brothers Bernaux

  Raisonne Curse

  Sisters of Fate

  Foretold

  Forecast

  Foresworn

  The Kithran Regenesis Series

  Kithra

  Replicant

  Catalyst

  Origin

  Crux Survivors Series

  After the Crux

  Sole Survivors

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the authors’ imaginations or are used factiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  SADISTIC SHERLOCK. Copyright ©2018 Jocelynn Drake and Rinda Elliott. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Jocelynn Drake and Rinda Elliott.

  Cover art by Stephen Drake of Design by Drake.

  Copyedited and proofed by Flat Earth Editing.

  Created with Vellum

  Chapter One

  Dominic Walsh had always dreamed of being on a movie set. Growing up, he’d loved action movies with lots of explosions, car chases, and brutal fistfights. He’d sneaked into tons of theaters, the darkness swallowing him up while a bigger, more exciting world flickered on the screen in front of him. It all seemed so much more glamorous and thrilling than anything he would be doing with his life.

  The reality, he discovered, was a massive disappointment. This…was boring as fuck.

  A major film production company had swept into Cincinnati to film some scenes for a new movie, and Ward Security had been hired to add an extra layer of protection for some of the actors. The local police and a second security company kept the fans and lookie-loos at bay. The situation became particularly dire when the lead actor started receiving death threats from a persistent stalker.

  Dom was spending most of his time acting as Trent Elrige’s dark shadow. The guy was putting up an impressive front that he wasn’t scared shitless about the stalker. He had that perfect George Clooney smile, the dreamy Brad Pitt eyes, and the “I’m just a normal kind of guy” personality of Chris Pratt. But there had been a few moments when he’d forgotten that Dom was following him. He’d let his guard down and stared off into space, his hand shaking slightly at his side as if the world were crashing down on him.

  Poor fucker.

  Did he even know what normal was anymore? He left his trailer to hit the set, and fans would scream his name. He’d travel from the set to his hotel and people would scream, demanding an autograph or a selfie. Ward Security put a hard stop to all selfies until the stalker was caught. They were too dangerous.

  So far, Trent was following all their rules, and it was a relief that he was at least taking the threat seriously. Of course, the intense schedule the guy was keeping with the shooting, interviews, and trying to make time for his fans while in addition having some private time, meant that Rowe was keeping them on a strict rotation. No bodyguard was allowed to put in more than eight hours shifts. He wanted his people to stay sharp.

  Right now, Dom was on rotation with Sven and Garrett—two of his coworkers at Ward Security—which made him laugh. Somehow Sven had drawn the short stick and was on the third shift. He could imagine Sven’s boyfriend Geoffrey throwing a massive fit. He didn’t have his giant Viking to snuggle with at night, and Sven wasn’t allowed to get any pictures, autographs, or sneak Geoffrey in to meet Trent.

  Of course, Sven likely found ways to distract Geoffrey from his poor mood. The sexy elfin blond might not be happy about this job, but his love for Sven would never waver. The two men were made for each other, and Dom couldn’t help but feel a little envious.

  He’d done the partying and sleeping around thing for a while. He’d had his fun. Hell, he’d thought he’d be having that kind of fun for a few more years, but then Abe Stephens stepped into his life, and well…plans were meant to be changed.

  Maybe.

  Abe wasn’t giving him a whole hell of a lot to work with. They’d been texting for months. Met up for dinner a few times. Dom had been careful to keep it all casual and fun. But every time he mentioned maybe something more, Abe would shy away. He gave every sign that he was interested, but something was holding him back. Was it the age thing? Or that he was a guy?

  Dom ran a hand over this face. He needed to focus on the job. Every time his mind drifted to something else, it was Abe who was dancing through his brain. If he fucked up this job, Rowe was going to skin him alive. Screw Rowe, he’d never forgive himself. He was good at protection. He just needed
to focus.

  “Girl trouble?” Trent’s deep voice broke into his thoughts.

  Dom looked up at Trent who was standing next to the mini bar, grabbing two bottles of water from the tiny fridge. They were in a conference room on the second floor of a hotel downtown. Trent had been needed for filming for only a few hours in the morning. After a massage and lunch that consisted of a ridiculous amount of protein, they’d retired to the conference room for a series of interviews before Trent had to be back on the set that night.

  “More like guy trouble,” Dom corrected him.

  Trent stared at him, confused for a second, before understanding hit him like a bolt of lightning. His mouth bobbed once before he finally said, “I couldn’t tell. I mean—oh! No, I mean, that’s cool.”

  Dom laughed loudly, rocking back on his heels. The poor guy’s face was so damn red with embarrassment. He’d never seen Trent Elrige fluster. The actor was smooth as silk with everyone he talked to; he made it seem like everything he did was intentional. Dom had just caught him so off guard that he couldn’t cover it.

  “Dude, it’s fine,” Dom said when he finally stopped laughing. “Yeah, I’m gay. And dating is that same kind of minefield shitstorm for us too.”

  Trent snorted. “Tell me about it.”

  Dom watched as a look of longing crossed over Trent’s face for a moment, the water forgotten in his hands. But then he shook his head and smiled crookedly at Dom. Yeah, there was definitely a story there. Was Trent in the closet? Or was it that he cared for someone he was having trouble snagging because of his complicated life? Ooooooh, Dom was dying to ask him. Digging around in Trent’s life would be such a great distraction from his own worries about Abe. But he kept his mouth shut. From what he could see, Trent’s privacy was pretty much nonexistent. If he managed to keep a secret or two to himself, then Dom was happy to let him have them.

  “I’ve always kind of wondered,” Trent started again. “Is dating hard when you’re working security? I’ve got some friends who have personal security on their payroll. They travel with them and spend a lot of time together. Not much time for dating.”

  Dom shrugged, accepting the bottle of water from Trent when he held one out toward him. “I haven’t done much long-term dating while working security. More of the short-term, ‘gone by morning’ kind of thing.” Trent chuckled and flopped down in one of the cushioned chairs around the small coffee table. “But this guy…he’s different. We’ve been friends for a bit, and he’s got a good understanding of the crazy schedule I have. We text and sometimes grab a bite to eat. Nothing big.”

  “But you would like something a little bigger? Maybe breakfast?”

  Dom huffed a laugh. Breakfast the next morning with Abe after a night of great sex? Yeah, that sounded like a big slice of heaven. He couldn’t imagine where things would lead with Abe, but he’d like to at least have the chance to try.

  “Breakfast sounds pretty good to me,” Dom agreed.

  Trent sat up in his chair and placed his unopened bottle of water on the table in front of him. “I know you don’t know me. I’m just some lucky schmuck who occasionally pretends to be a cop or a CEO or a super spy, but in those rare moments when I get to be a real human being, I regret all those times I didn’t at least push for a little something more. Even if it all blew up in my face, at least I would have known.”

  “I should ask for breakfast?” Dom asked with a wide grin.

  Trent snorted. “You might consider asking for dinner and a movie first, then see where it goes.”

  “I’ll give that a try. But first, you’ve got an interview starting soon with some reporter from Vogue. Or was it Cosmo? You gonna provide your top ten list of sexual positions?”

  Trent winked at him and gave his patented movie-star smile that he whipped out when the fans were about. Dom noticed that he’d tried the smile on him only one time when they first met and then promptly stopped when Dom had established that he was the law. “You need some new techniques to add to your repertoire?”

  “Oh, no. I’m good. Real good,” Dom teased, drawing out the last two words.

  Trent laughed, and Dom shook his head. At least the guy had some time to relax before yet another interview. A knock at the door cut off Trent’s laugh, and Dom went to answer it. Their fun was over for now.

  Opening the door only part of the way, Dom gave his best glare down at the young woman in the business suit with a large bag over her shoulder. She held out a badge that contained her press credentials. It all matched the information Trent’s assistant had forwarded over to Ward Security that morning.

  With a grunt, he handed back the badge and moved out of the doorway so she could enter. “I need to check your bag,” he said, keeping his body between her and the path to Trent.

  Her face twisted in a look of shock and anger. “They checked my bag in the lobby.”

  “They checked it. Not me.” He waved his fingers at her. “Hand it over or no interview.”

  She huffed and pouted but still handed over the bag while muttering under her breath. He ignored her shitty attitude, quickly searching through a bag that contained her wallet, lipstick, four pens, an iPad, a condom, and a tampon. At least she was prepared for just about anything. Without comment, he handed the bag back and ushered her around the corner, past the medium-sized conference room table to the two padded chairs and coffee table.

  Trent stood and warmly greeted her, apologizing for the added security precautions, which she smoothly brushed aside. For him, she was understanding and compassionate. Dom was just the help. Catching Trent’s gaze just past the reporter’s shoulder, Dom rolled his eyes and made a strangling motion. Trent smirked at him before directing the reporter to sit down so they could start the interview.

  Another knock at the door had him frowning at Trent.

  “That should be the refreshments I ordered for the interview,” the actor said, wincing a little when he realized that he’d forgotten to tell Dom. “I called down to the front desk this morning and set it up.”

  Dom’s heart slowed down again, and he turned toward the door. Peeking out, there was a man in the hotel livery with a cart covered in a white tablecloth. There were several dishes under silver covers and a bouquet of red roses.

  “What’s on the cart?” he demanded.

  “Um…j-just some fruits and a cheese and cracker tray,” the guy stammered. “Somebody placed the order this morning for it to be delivered at this time.”

  Dom stepped out of the way and motioned for the man to enter the room with the cart. “Set it up over there at the end of the conference table.”

  The guy paused and stared at Trent for a moment, who was busy answering a question the reporter had just asked about his current project. “I think it would be better over there.”

  “No.” Dom started to approach the hotel staff member, aiming to put his body firmly between Trent and this idiot when he saw him wrap his fingers around a knife far larger than what was needed to slice cheese or fruit. Goddammit! This was the stalker.

  The man screamed and charged Trent, but Dom grabbed one arm, swinging him away from the actor. The woman’s panicked screech filled the room, but Dom didn’t look from the man who crashed into the cart, knocking it over. He immediately rolled back to his feet and dropped into a fighter’s stance, the knife still firmly clutched in his right hand.

  “Get out of the way, Strawberry Shortcake!” the attacker snarled.

  “Are you shitting me with this?” He’d heard the nickname more than enough growing up. He thought reaching over six feet tall and two hundred pounds of pure muscle would fix things so no one dared to utter it again. But this asshat was obviously out of his mind.

  The attacker took a swipe at Dom, the sharp edge slicing dangerously through the air. Dom dodged the blade and countered by smashing his fist into the guy’s jaw. On a second swipe, Dom managed to hit a pressure point in his wrist. The knife clattered uselessly to the ground and the man stepped back, undet
erred.

  “Call security!” Dom shouted. He had this guy handled, but they’d need the police in there to take the asshole away as well as to question the hell out of the hotel to figure out how he got in.

  “Do you want me—” Trent started to offer, but Dom cut him off.

  “Just call for backup and stay away from this douchecanoe!”

  “I’m going to fucking kill you, Trent Elrige! You ruined my marriage!” the attacker screamed. He tried to charge around Dom to get at Trent again, but Dom remained firmly in his path. They traded blows, the man again surprising Dom with his fight training. The guy knew his shit, but Dom was better. The bastard stumbled back, wiping some blood off his mouth. There was an ugly look to his eyes, as if he was only too happy to kill Dom if it meant getting his hands on Trent. He took one step and Dom kicked him square in the chest, sending him reeling backward.

  The man’s large frame crashed through the plate glass window. Dom ran to the opening to see he’d hit the roof of a parked taxi cab one floor below. People outside the hotel screamed and panicked. Cops nearby rushed to the man, who groaned but didn’t try to get up.

  “Holy shit!” Trent said, standing next to him.

  Dom grabbed his arm and quickly ushered him deep into the room where the windows were darkened, and people couldn’t see him any longer.

  The door to the room slammed open. Garrett and three cops ran inside. Dom kept his body positioned in front of Trent while pushing him back against the wall. There was too much chaos, and the room was no longer secure.