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  As she trudged through the darkness, she hoped Tilly and Loren had their phones handy. Because if she couldn’t get through to them, she damn sure couldn’t go back to the apartment.

  And she had nowhere else to go.

  When she reached the convenience store, the poor clerk looked like he was going to shit himself. It took her several minutes of begging and pleading for him not to call the cops, and to let her use the phone to call her friends.

  After she reached Tilly, she sat in the office and burst into tears at the guy’s kindness. He used the first-aid kit to tend to her wounds, and even made her an ice pack.

  Now she realized how much trouble she was in. Seriously. She wobbled between feeling nauseated and dizzy and sleepy, plus the way her right eye was trying to swell closed, she knew it had to be bad.

  She had deliberately avoided looking at herself in the mirror before she left the apartment, not wanting to see how bad it was, afraid the extent of her injuries would weaken her reserve to leave, make her scared of what worse things Jack might do to her if he caught her. It didn’t matter that logic told her the police would arrest him for this. It didn’t matter that she knew if she had to she could go to an emergency shelter.

  The fear would still be there and slide a knife through what little reserve she’d mustered to leave in the first place.

  The guy edged a garbage can closer to her. “You don’t look so good. Are you sure I can’t call 911 for you?”

  “No,” she said. “My friends will be here soon. They’ll take care of me.”

  She hoped.

  “Who the hell did this to you?”

  “Someone I never should have trusted in the first place.”

  Chapter Two

  Kenny Yates and Nolan Becker had retreated to a corner of their friends’ kitchen. Around them, a private party of the Suncoast Society was in full swing. After the men’s rocky encounter earlier that morning with Kenny’s step-father, Kenny had counted on getting some bottom time tonight.

  Nine years ago, when Kenny was twenty-five, Dennis had married Kenny’s mom, Michelle. Michelle had raised Kenny as a single mom, and as long as she got a pre-nup, Kenny told her he’d support her no matter who she married.

  She did, and Kenny had done his best to conceal the fact that he was bi from Dennis. Especially while he was dating Nolan—and then moved in with him six years ago.

  While Kenny’s mom knew the truth, the three of them had been careful not to let Teapublican Dennis in on it. In fact, Kenny’s mom thought the two men were gay, not bi.

  This morning, while Kenny and Nolan were over helping remove a tree from Kenny’s mom’s backyard, Dennis had come home early and surprised them…

  …and had witnessed Kenny kissing Nolan.

  And fireworks of the bad kind had exploded.

  Now Kenny wanted a beating and a fucking and a few minutes of subspace to escape from his brain for a while.

  “I was thinking,” Nolan said as he glanced around, “that it’s starting to quiet down a little. You still in a mood to play tonight?”

  While they were both Doms, they considered each other equals, which sort of made them both switches.

  They could keep it straight, which was both ironic and all that mattered.

  Tilly walked into the kitchen and dumped the remnants from a couple of plastic cups into the sink before tossing the cups. “You guys going to play?”

  “We were just talking about that,” Nolan said.

  Tilly smiled. “I know it sounds pervy, but I like watching you two play. I can tell you’re having fun. And, no offense, you’re both hot.”

  Kenny laughed. “You’ve got two hot guys.”

  “I know I do. And I enjoy watching them together, too. I’m a perv.” She shrugged. “What can I say?”

  Leigh emerged from the hall leading to the master bedroom with Tilly’s purse in her hand. “Sweetie, I love you, but I’m not going into your purse.” She set it on the counter.

  Tilly looked confused. “Um, why are you bringing this to me?”

  Even Kenny jumped when the sound of evil, maniacal laughter rolled from the purse.

  Leigh pointed at it. “That. Nearly scared the piddle out of me when I went to go to the bathroom.”

  Tilly dug into her purse. “It’s my unknown caller ringtone.” She scowled, then answered it. “Hello?”

  * * * *

  Nolan already knew, deep in his gut, that whoever it was, it wasn’t good news. Especially when Tilly started frantically gesturing for something to write with as she attempted to soothe the caller on the other end of the line.

  “Whoa, honey, calm down.”

  The next few minutes of scrambling were a blur as Tilly got the info and a rescue party was assembled, mostly Doms, but also Gabe, who was an armed FDLE agent. Her husband, Bill, was an armed Charlotte County sheriff’s detective.

  Which wasn’t as helpful, since they were in Sarasota County, but hey, they were armed law enforcement officers.

  Betsy had been attacked by her boyfriend, and she’d finally found the nerve to escape the abusive, controlling asshole. Kenny and Nolan were no strangers to standing up for themselves or their friends. But as Nolan drove, over the speed limit and close on the heels of Landry and Cris in the vehicle ahead of them, and with a caravan of their friends following behind them, he wouldn’t deny that he hoped they weren’t in over their heads this time. Tony and Ross rode in their backseat.

  “Sorry we won’t get to play,” Nolan softly said to Kenny.

  “This is more important, dude,” he said. “Fucker. I hope we get a chance to take a swing at him ourselves.”

  “There’s going to be a really long line for that,” Tony said, a hint of murder darkening his tone.

  “And I suspect Tilly will occupy the first quarter of that line all on her own,” Ross added.

  “That sounds about right,” Kenny agreed.

  Tilly had been enraged that Landry and Cris forced her to stay behind at the house with everyone else, but the last thing they needed was Tilly getting arrested for assaulting Jack.

  Besides, someone had to stay behind to bail them all out of jail.

  Just in case.

  * * * *

  When Nolan pulled into the parking lot at the convenience store and they all piled out of their cars, Gabe had made it inside first, the young store clerk pointing toward the office when Gabe flashed her badge.

  By the time Nolan and Kenny made it inside, there was already a wall of their friends between them and the office door, making it impossible for them to see.

  But they could hear Betsy’s tortured sobs.

  Once the group parted a few minutes later, and Nolan got his first good look at Betsy, he thought he was going to be sick. The icepack she held over her right eye didn’t completely hide the fact that it looked like it’d be swollen closed in a few hours. Over her left eye she bore an ugly laceration the clerk had apparently tried his best to treat with a first-aid kit, several bandages holding it closed. Ugly bruises covered her face and arms.

  They all made way as Gabe, now shadowed by Bill, protectively kept her arm around Betsy’s shoulders and slowly escorted her outside. Bill carried a purse and carry-on bag Nolan suspected were Betsy’s.

  Kenny stopped Bill outside. “What’s the plan?”

  “We’re all going to go to her place. It’s just five minutes away. Jack’s not home, he went to work. We’ll get all her shit out of there and move it to Kel’s apartment by Venture. She doesn’t have a car anymore because the fucker made her sell it and give him the money.”

  “She’ll be alone there at the apartment,” Kenny pointed out.

  “We’ll take shifts—”

  “She can stay with us,” Nolan interrupted. Kenny looked pleasantly surprised by that declaration, but nodded in agreement.

  “Yeah, we’ve got a spare bedroom,” Kenny said. “Half the people at Venture know about Kel’s place, now that he’s partners with Derrick. That�
��s probably the first place Jack will look for her when he finds out she’s gone and once the cops contact him. She can’t stay there alone. Jack doesn’t know us except from the club. He won’t find her with us.”

  “She’s not working right now,” Bill said. “The asshole made her quit her job. She can’t pay you anything. She doesn’t have anything except what Jack didn’t make her get rid of.”

  “We don’t care,” Kenny and Nolan said together. Kenny continued. “Look, we live within easy walking distance to that new mall. If she can’t get a job there, there’s a bus stop a block away. She doesn’t need to pay us rent until she’s able to. We’re doing okay.”

  Bill stared at the two men for a moment before walking around to where Sully and Gabe were getting Betsy settled in the backseat of Bill’s car. He leaned in and spoke to them for a moment.

  Nolan had always thought Betsy was cute, but before he could have a discussion with Kenny about maybe seeing if she wanted to play with them, Jack, a newcomer from Michigan nearly twice her age, had scooped her up.

  And Tony had revealed on the drive over that he’d found out a few tidbits about the guy.

  Like that Jack was no longer welcomed in the Detroit area by any of the lifestyle groups there. He hadn’t been arrested, as far as Tony knew, but he had a history of doing this kind of thing to young, vulnerable submissives.

  Bill returned. “Okay, Gabe signed off on it, and so did Betsy. Although Betsy’s really in no condition to be making decisions right now. I suspect if I’d told her we were taking her to Disney she would have agreed. Gabe says we need to take her to the ER, even though Betsy doesn’t want to go. She thinks Betsy might have a concussion. And at that point we will have local law enforcement involved whether Betsy wants them involved or not.”

  Bill let out a resigned sigh. “Let’s get her stuff first, and we’ll talk her into it. The ER trip.”

  “Thanks,” Nolan said. “I promise, we’ll take care of her.”

  Bill arched an eyebrow at him. “If it wasn’t for the fact that I know Tilly likes you two a lot, you realize I’d be suspicious right now, right?”

  Ross called for everyone’s attention. “Let’s move. This won’t take long, but we need to get it done quick.”

  * * * *

  Kenny was shocked by the duplex apartment. When Bill had told them she didn’t have a lot of belongings, he wasn’t kidding. It took them less than fifteen minutes to gather all her stuff—and a few things that likely were Jack’s, but they were taking for Betsy anyway—and load it into Kel’s truck with plenty of room to spare.

  When Betsy nearly collapsed in Gabe’s arms, Kenny rushed in to scoop her up.

  “That’s it,” Gabe firmly said. “Next stop, ER.”

  “I don’t have insurance,” Betsy said. “Please, I’ll be okay.”

  “No, you won’t. You’ve got a concussion. We’re taking you to the ER, and we’re going to stay by your side while you file the police report.”

  “He’ll kill me if I do.”

  “No, he won’t,” Kenny said. “That’s not going to happen, because his ass will be in jail.”

  Gabe stepped in close and looked up into his eyes. “We’ll set up some shifts for the first couple of days so she’s not alone while you guys are at work.”

  He nodded.

  Betsy clung to him, trembling in his arms. He knew all too well the cautions about risking his heart on a damsel in distress, but watching her quick decline from a vibrant, lovely woman to a battered shell of a person was enough to awaken the protective instincts in him regardless of who she was.

  She was one of their friends. Maybe not as close as some of the others, but she was part of their group, their tribe.

  Others were willing to stick their necks out for her. He’d be damned if he wouldn’t, too.

  Nolan pulled his house key off his key ring and handed it to Tony, who would ride with Kel to go deliver her stuff to the men’s house before joining them at the hospital. While Nolan did that, Kenny, Sully, and Gabe got Betsy settled once more in the backseat of Bill and Gabe’s car.

  Then, the slightly reduced procession headed for the hospital. No, they weren’t all needed there.

  But they would stand by Betsy’s side as long as they felt she needed them.

  Bill had driven up to the ER entrance. Nolan dropped Kenny and Ross off there and went to go park. Ross ran inside for a wheelchair while Kenny, Sully, and Gabe helped Betsy out. Bill went to go park while Gabe handled dealing with the ER staff.

  Only so many of them could be in the room with Betsy at the same time. The natural choices were Bill and Gabe, both active law enforcement officers. With Tony and Kel still gone, it was Kenny and Nolan, Cris and Landry, Ted Collins, Sully, and Ross left to stand vigil in the waiting room.

  And as Kenny and Nolan settled in with the rest of their friends in one corner of the ER’s waiting room, Kenny realized something.

  He leaned in and said in a low voice, “Everyone else is sort of watching us. All of us.”

  Sully smiled. “Good. Let them.”

  That late on a Saturday evening, the ER wasn’t exactly packed, but there were probably two dozen others there. The extent of Betsy’s injuries, and the fact that she had a suspected concussion, had bumped her to the front of the line.

  Probably hadn’t hurt that both Bill and Gabe had flashed badges at the desk attendant.

  While the seven of them had assembled in one corner of the ER, it was like the other people could tell they were…different.

  Fortunately, they’d all just come from a private party, designated a pool party-slash-kinky baby shower for Leigh. They were all dressed in either shorts, or jeans, not a stitch of leather clothing among them.

  Still, it was as if they gave off a collective “don’t fuck with ours” vibe, and the other people felt it.

  Landry looked amused. “They’re just jealous they’re not as cool as us,” he drawled.

  Bill appeared in the doorway and called for Ted, who was a licensed counsellor, and waved him in.

  “That’s my cue,” Ted said, hurrying to join him.

  “I wondered how long until they got him in there,” Sully said.

  “Good call, asking him to come,” Kenny said.

  Sully nodded. “I wish I didn’t have to say it, but unfortunately, I’ve dealt with a lot of victims of domestic abuse while I was on the job.”

  “Why didn’t you let Mac come with you, if you don’t mind me asking?” Nolan inquired. The two men had had a rather heated-looking discussion, with Clarisse trying to intervene, before Sully had pulled Master rank and loudly ordered Mac to stay behind.

  Sully smirked, but it held no humor. “Mac had a sister.”

  Kenny wasn’t sure where their friend was going with this, but he didn’t interrupt.

  “Okay?” Nolan said.

  Sully leaned forward, elbows propped on his knees, hands clasped together, and dropped his voice so it didn’t carry beyond their group. “She’s how Mac and I first met,” he softly said.

  Now everyone was leaning in.

  “And?” Nolan asked.

  “Her name was Betsy, too.”

  “I’m still not tracking,” Nolan said.

  Sully let out a heavy sigh. “You’ve heard the story about how we first met Clarisse, right? How she showed up on our boat? Looking like she’d been beaten within an inch of her life?”

  Nolan nodded.

  “I was still on the job when Mac and I met. Mac had been on his way to his sister’s house to help her move that afternoon. She was going to leave her husband. When Mac arrived, she didn’t answer the door. He broke in and found her nearly dead.” Sully looked up, pinning first Nolan, then Kenny, with his intense gaze. “Beaten.”

  Chills ran through Kenny, standing gooseflesh up all over his body.

  “She died a couple of days later,” Sully continued. “They had to take her off the machines.” Sully’s gaze dropped to the scuffed linoleum floor.
“Don’t get me wrong, Mac loves me and Clarisse. I have no doubts about that. But there is no room in our family for any other partners. This is a very raw area for Mac emotionally, a very sensitive trigger. We didn’t expect to fall in love with Clarisse, and I’ll never regret how things turned out there.”

  His gaze fell on Kenny this time, piercing, cold. “I’m going to warn you now, it’s easy to get too involved in the wrong ways. Be there for her as her friend first. Try to figure out the line between offering her a shoulder to lean on, and picking up and carrying her burdens for her. Let her figure out her life. She’s going to need a feeling of safety and security. In our case, Clarisse was terrified of me at first when she found out I used to be a cop, because her ex who nearly killed her was a cop. Well, worked for the police department. Technically he wasn’t an actual law enforcement officer. Still, it took me a long time to gradually build her trust in me.”

  He pointed first at Kenny, then at Nolan. “Stay strong, but stay focused. Don’t mistake kindness on your part for a deeper connection. I have a feeling once Betsy heals up that Eliza and Tilly will just about be shoving her at you two.”

  The other men nodded at Sully’s words, also focused on Nolan and Kenny.

  “We’ve always liked her,” Nolan said. “As a friend, at least. I promise, we won’t rush things or try to make something happen with her.”

  “It’s going to get really rocky, and really messy,” Sully warned. “She might fall for both of you as her rescuers, and it will be up to you two to stay strong and wait for her to truly recover in a healthy way before giving in to any temptations just because it’s easy. Understand?”

  Kenny and Nolan nodded. “Yeah,” Kenny said. “We’re not looking for anything but to help her out as a friend right now and keep her safe.”

  Sully reached out a hand to shake with him. “That’s a healthy attitude to have, then.” They shook, then Sully shook with Nolan. “I would have volunteered to take her up to Tarpon with us, until I realized it was Betsy. Once I heard that, no. With the same name, it’s just too much. She needs to be down here, healing down here. And even worse, you—and us all—are her only support net.”