that.
Blinking back tears, she stepped inside. On the bed, Glock sat erect, ears pricked forward. The fighting was affecting him too.
Damn them, she wasn’t going to stay and have Galen yell at her some more. Hear them yell at each other. She’d done that, broken the two apart. Made them hate her.
The trembling inside Sally increased as she shoved her laptop and her clothes in her school backpack. Her hands shook as she secured pillows around the outside with a belt.
If only she could turn back time, keep the words from spilling out. Why had she told them?
But she had. She pulled in a breath and stared down at the backpack. Was she really going to leave? Run away?
She should stay. Talk to them. Maybe if they calmed down…?
The shouting grew even louder.
What had she done?
She’d hurt them, the two men she loved. Because she was selfish and stupid.
A sob welled into her throat, choking her.
He rubbed his furry cheek on her chin, marking her with his scent. Establishing ownership.
If only her Doms had done the same.
After setting the cat outside her bedroom door, she turned the old-fashioned key, removed it, and jammed a bunch of twisted-up bobby pins into the large keyhole. “Unlock that, you j-jerks.”
On the tiny balcony outside her bedroom, she used another belt to dangle her pillow-padded backpack over the side before letting go. Carefully, she crawled over the railing and hung by her arms.
With a small
After tossing the pillows behind the bushes, she slung her backpack over her shoulder and ran down the drive to the road.
In the darkness, she frowned at her phone. Who lived close? Who wouldn’t tell on her? Jessica or Gabi.
Gabi was closer, but she’d try to counsel her. Get her to talk to the men.
Sally’s lips tightened. She’d had enough yelling to last her a lifetime.
“Jessica, are you busy right now?”
Watching Galen rummage in the freezer, Vance rubbed his aching jaw. Caught a good one. More than one. His ribs would be purple tomorrow.
Galen tossed over a pack of frozen peas. “Need more than one?”
“Probably.” Vance grinned ruefully. “I’d forgotten how much brawling hurts afterward.”
“We’re getting old.” Galen applied a bag of frozen corn to his left cheekbone, which was already swelling. “And I’m an idiot.”
He wasn’t the only one. Vance frowned. Why the hell had he jumped into the altercation like that? He’d made it worse. Hell. “She hit all your triggers.” And done it far too soon after she’d said she loved them. Nothing would have set Galen up so perfectly for a fall.
But Galen had overreacted in a fucking major way. “Bad timing all around, bro.”
He caught the flicker of a dark glance and realized what he’d said.
One drunken evening, Galen admitted he felt Vance was the brother he’d never had. They’d never spoken of it again.
Well, tough. Tonight Vance wasn’t in the mood to worry about Galen’s hang-ups. “If I can’t beat up on the guy I consider a brother, who can I use as a punching bag?”
Galen froze, then snorted. “I scored the most hits, you asshole.”
“Maybe. But mine were more effective.”
“Point.” Galen touched his jaw gingerly. “You think she’ll feel sorry enough for me to keep from killing me?”
“She has a soft heart.” And considering the way she could ignite… “And a temper. I’d call it fifty-fifty you’ll survive the next hour.”
“Thanks.” Galen pulled in a breath. “I can’t believe I lost it like that. Some fucking Dom I am.”
“Scene was over. Aftercare was done.” Vance studied his partner. No matter the provocation, Galen wouldn’t have reacted like that during a scene—he kept his control too tight. But after? Yeah, his defenses had been way down. “You didn’t react as a Dom but as a lover.”
That got a wince. “Makes it worse.”
“Nah. Lovers are allowed to explode if a little female puts her pretty ass in danger.” Vance’s gut tightened as his own anger surged.
“That in the rule book somewhere?”
“Hell, yeah. If you hadn’t yelled at her, I would have.”
“Best it was only me.” Galen glanced at the liquor cabinet but shook his head. Neither of them resorted to alcohol for liquid courage or solace. “Guess it’s time to beg forgiveness.”
Vance nodded and started to rise.
“No. Give me a minute to bear the brunt of her anger—I deserve it. If needed, you can play good cop.”
“Got it.” Vance held the frozen vegetables to his face as he listened to Galen’s footsteps climbing the stairs.
A knock. “Sally?”
If she answered, her voice was too faint for Vance to hear.
“Sally, please answer the door.”
Silence.
“I’ll give you space if you want, but right now I need to know you’re all right.”
Silence.
“Open the door.
Nothing happened. Vance frowned. When Galen punched up the power in his voice, all submissives—and quite a few others—responded.
Silence.
With a grunt of pain, Vance rose. Where the hell had they put the extra key to that room?
Not long after, Vance managed to shove out the metal crap she’d pushed into the lock, insert the key, and unlock the door.
Galen walked over to the unrumpled bed. “She hasn’t been in the bed.”
“Shower and tub are dry.” Vance glanced at her desk, worry increasing. “Her laptop is gone.”
Galen limped down the stairs.
Following, Vance held his aching ribs.
The grassy area under her balcony showed she’d jumped. And walked toward the drive. Her old red Toyota was still parked, blocked by Galen’s black sports sedan.
In the cold twilight, Galen’s face looked stark with worry. “Where the hell did she go?”
Early that morning at the airline terminal, Sally slid out of Jessica’s car.
How could she have been so stupid? She should never have told them about her hacking.
Should never have fallen in love.
Jessica pulled the backpack from the trunk and set it on the curb. “I’m going to park the car so I can sit with
