If only

A grin broke over his face. “You’re definitely the woman I love.” He gave Andrea a quick kiss. “Find Jake and give him the bar, and if I’m not back before you’re ready to leave, text me.”

When he headed for the door with a determined stride, Sally stared after him. “He wouldn’t—”

“But yes. He will leave their bones scattered in the street for the dogs to chew.”

Sally’s mouth dropped open. Andrea really was a match for Master Cullen.

Andrea gave her a hug. “It will get better. Now I must do as Senor said.”

As her friend headed back to the bar, Sally realized everyone was looking at her again.

“So, I want to go over this a bit more,” Gabi said.

Jessica nodded. “I’m missing the logic too. They threw you out of the house because you made them late for work?”

“I wanted…” She wanted to hide under the couch rather than admit to her selfishness. With a sigh, she pushed her hair out of her face. She should own up to what she’d done. “They’d been so depressed, and I wanted to make them feel better.” Her eyes filled again. “I didn’t mean to make it all about me.” But she had.

“Go on.” Rainie prompted, “You jumped them in bed? Or forced them to endure blowjobs? Or cooked them an extra-big breakfast?”

“Last night, I attacked them with a water gun and started a fight.” Her lips curved for a second before quivering again.

“They were angry?” Gabi asked softly.

“I’ve never heard Galen laugh so hard.” Sally looked at her hands. “And yeah, there was sex.”

“So this morning, you pulled them back in bed and started to cry because you wanted more sex?” Jessica asked.

“No!” Sally shook her head. “I’d never do that. We just slept too late, and, well, Galen decided he needed… and Vance agreed.”

Rainie snickered. “I can guess how that ended. But sounds like they made themselves late. You didn’t.”

“But I did. It’s my fault. I asked…” Sally stopped, playing the morning back in her memory. “No. No, I didn’t. I didn’t whine. Or beg. Or even ask them not to go.” Relief was like an upwelling of clear water, so clear she could almost see to the bottom of her idiocy. “But still, they were late to work. They weren’t there, and people died.”

Kari was frowning. “Are you blaming yourself for those cops who died? Jeez, Sally, they died in New York. Yesterday evening. Galen and Vance couldn’t have prevented that.”

“New York?” Sally slumped back. “I…don’t get it. And the woman?”

“A forest in New York state. A couple of days ago. Someone saw a cabin burning, but the fire department was too late.”

The fire department? She closed her mouth. None of it was her fault.

“What else do you know?” Jessica asked Kari.

“Just that Sally was staying with us because Dan isn’t officially on the Association case.”

“So why did they kick Sally out?” Rainie asked.

Sally pulled in a breath as understanding lightened the darkness inside her.

“The Harvest Association?” Jessica asked. “But I thought they’d caught the head of the organization. That he was dead.”

“The arsonist is still running loose,” Sally said.

“Dan said the cops were shackled to something, so they couldn’t escape,” Kari said.

Gabi had turned the color of her white peasant blouse. “Shackles and death by fire. The Harvest Association signature.”

“That’s just sick.” Rainie’s lip twisted as if she wanted to spit.

“But if the deaths happened in New York, what does it have to do with me?” Sally asked. “I don’t get it.”

“Well.” Kari bit her lip. “This stays with us, right?”

Heads nodded.

“The two cops who died were the ones who’d shot that Somer guy. Galen shot him too.”

Sally’s eyes widened. “They think the arsonist is after revenge?” Oh fuck. “That the guy might come here?” A knife of worry slid between her ribs almost soundlessly. Galen was in far more danger than she was.

Gabi pursed her lips. “Galen is definitely the type who imagines worst-case scenarios.”

A chill crept up Sally’s spine. Because he’d lived through them. “I didn’t do anything wrong. And they do love me. But they don’t want to see me hurt.”

Kari nodded. “That sounds right.”

She leaned back, relaxing for the first time in hours. Nothing had changed—she was still ousted from the house, separated from the idiots she loved—and yet everything was different. “So Vance sent me away—and Galen let him—because there’s a chance some a-hole will decide to visit sunny Florida?”

She didn’t need an answer. Oh yes, that’s exactly what had happened. Because Galen wouldn’t take any chance that she might get killed as his wife had. She growled. “Those fucking dickless—okay, maybe not that—lily- livered, spineless, impotent—okay, not that either—chickenhearted, dim-witted, gutless Doms.”

Gabi snorted. “No Dom cookies for them?”

“There’s the Sally we know and love.” Jessica grinned. “What are you going to do?”

“Be nice if I could kick them to the curb.” She considered that glorious scenario and sighed. “Only that would hurt me as well.”

Gabi patted her hand. “I’ve seen shortsighted idiots do that though. I’m glad you’re smarter.”

Pulling out her cell phone, Sally powered it off. “I need to think and think hard before I talk to them.” And she started thinking about what she wanted to accomplish.

“These are the rules of combat,” Galen had said. “The time limit on making up is twenty-four hours, whereupon discussion must begin.” Yes, G and V figured they were acting for her own good, but…discussion? Hello?

“Don’t talk. Just use Mistress Anne’s cock-and-ball torture devices on them,” Rainie suggested.

“Clever idea.” A laugh bubbled up in Sally, half relief, half amusement. “Assuming I want to have my arms and legs ripped off.”

Jessica grinned. “And you might yet have a use for those manly bits. It’s just not good makeup sex without them.”

The Feds really had a knack for great makeup sex. Sally hugged herself. With luck, she’d soon have all those fully functional, manly bits back in her bed. “Somehow, I have to get the guys to see reason.”

“Did you just use reason in the same sentence as men? You need a reality check.” Grinning, Rainie shook her head—and froze, her gaze fixed on something beyond Sally.

“What?” Sally asked.

“Time to get to work.” With a grunt of exertion, Rainie pushed herself up, grabbed the tray from the coffee table, and hustled away.

“What’s with Rai—” Gabi glanced over her shoulder and flinched. “Oh hell, he said he was working late tonight.”

Sally turned.

Master Z and Marcus stood inside the club room, looking directly at the group.

With a groan, Jessica slid down into the chair Rainie had vacated. “How does he always know if I sneak down here? Who ratted us out? It wasn’t Cullen this time—he didn’t notice anyone but Sally.”

Feeling remorseful, Sally glanced around the room. Maybe she could sic the trainees on the informant. Around the bar, mostly newer Doms and Dommes had congregated. A few submissives were chatting with Andrea. Behind the bar was…the new Master. Jake.

His gaze went past Sally, undoubtedly to Master Z, and he touched his fingers to his forehead in a make- believe salute.

“It was Jake,” Sally told the others.

“That jerk.” Jessica fumed. “I don’t believe it. He’s even coming to dinner tomorrow. I swear, I’m going to