Chapter Seventeen

Laura rarely indulged in romance novels, but she had one with a beautiful relationship between two women that she’d picked up on Friday. She hadn’t had a chance to read it until today, but after just a few hours she was almost done.

The heroine in the novel was a nurse, not a cop, but Laura could relate to her because she worked long hours and needed the same stability when she came home. The lover was a waitress and dominant even though there was no BDSM. Both fictional women had loving families who supported them, which had made Laura wish she’d grown up with the same—but her foster family fit the bill. And Chicklet’s father and stepmother were amazing. The heroine had been artificially inseminated, which had Laura thinking about what going through the process to share a child with Chicklet would be like. Maybe once things settled down, once Tyler moved on with Raif, Laura and Chicklet could make their lives nice and stable.

Once Chicklet read the book, she might start to see the future they could have just like Laura did. And Chicklet wouldn’t have to worry about Tyler because Raif truly cared for him. Tyler needed to be someone’s sole focus and Raif could give that to him. Everyone would be happy. Everything would be perfect.

Her phone rang and she reached over, answering without taking her eyes from the words on the page. She recognized the voice right away and smiled as she spoke. “Hey, Stuart! If your woman’s asking me about her book club again, tell her I’m in. I’m in the middle of—”

“Tallent, I wish it was just that, but I’m calling because…my son is really sick. We’re bringing him to the hospital for more tests. I hate to ask, but I can’t go in today and I got the sarge to okay someone taking over my shift.”

Laura didn’t even think twice; she’d heard about how sick Mick Stuart’s little boy had been, and she could only pray it wasn’t anything serious. If taking over his shift would help, even a little, she would do it. “I’ll let him know I’m coming in. You take care of your boy. And give the tough little man a kiss for me.”

“I will. And I owe you, Tallent.” Stuart sounded drained, but relieved. “I might have to ask for leave, but until then I was scared I’d have to send Lisa to the hospital by herself. And my head wouldn’t be on the job.”

“No worries, I’ve got you.” Laura pushed off the bed and went to the closet to grab her clothes. “I’m hanging up now. Keep me updated.”

“Will do.”

Stuart had cut it close, but Laura kept an eye on the clock as she dressed in her uniform and called the shift sergeant. There’d be no hanging by the water cooler chatting it up with the boys. She’d be in and out, with an officer she’d never worked with before. But Pallet was Stuart’s partner, so he couldn’t be an idiot or she’d have heard about it already. It should be a quiet night.

Schedule all set, Laura went to knock on the master bedroom door. Chicklet opened it, wearing nothing but a sheet. Laura arched a brow at Raif who was grumbling as he lay naked on the bed with his dick rock-hard. Laura had interrupted something.

“I gotta go—won’t be too late.” Laura leaned in for a kiss.

Chicklet stopped her with a finger on her lips. “Ryan told me the other day not to let you work extra hours anymore. Him calling me means you’re seriously overdoing it. Find someone else.”

That sounded too much like an order. Chicklet never gave orders when it came to Laura’s job. And now was a really bad time to start. Laura hiked up her chin and took a step back. “I already agreed to take the shift. This isn’t up for negotiation.”

“Laura, please! I know I’ve been gone all week, but I’m back and I missed you. Raif is leaving. It’ll be just me and you.”

“Right, because Tyler going out is fine. You coming back doesn’t interrupt his schedule.” Laura knew she sounded petty, but why was it okay for Tyler to do whatever he wanted? Chicklet had to understand that Laura’s job was important. Saying so shouldn’t even be necessary. “I’m sorry if this upsets you, but I’m going.”

“This has nothing to do with Tyler! Laura, you should have taken a break after dealing with that poor little girl.” Chicklet moved forward, catching Laura’s wrist. “Your brother is worried and that concerns me. You need to let someone else do this. Give yourself time to—”

“This is my job. Not all of us have jobs that we can walk away from. You knew I didn’t when you met me. That hasn’t changed.” Laura scowled as Raif sat up on the bed, giving her a hard look. “You have plenty to entertain you. We’ll discuss this later.”

She made it to the door, put on her boots, and hesitated with her hand on the doorknob. She hated leaving like this. Long ago, she should have told Chicklet that she needed more. That she needed to come home to their kind of normal. Chicklet working at a bar and smiling at the men and women, listening to their heartaches, giving them advice while knowing she had a woman at home whose only purpose was to make her happy. Laura ending a shift and having a place where everything was predictable. No boy around to bring chaos into their lives. Because that chaos was exactly what would ruin everything. The world was only starting to feel comfortable with same-sex couples. Seeing that a lesbian couple could be as monogamous as any other was easier to swallow than seeing a woman who could love both sexes. It was confusing and Laura wasn’t ready to fight the conservatives and the marriage equality conformists. She slammed the door behind her as she realized Chicklet might just hang on to Tyler long enough to make things difficult. He still didn’t bore her.

After receiving her first assignment, Laura felt herself settling comfortably into her routine, even smiling a little as she drove and Pallet chatted nonstop from the passenger seat beside her, filling her travel mug from the thermos he’d brought along. The job today would be easy. The perp was a small-time dealer whom Laura had dealt with before. He stuck to weed and had only done a few months in jail the last time he’d gotten caught. When they served the warrant for his missing his last court date, she’d probably get the same song and dance about how he was paying child support for about ten kids.

Sad that it was true. She’d gone with social workers to remove half those kids from moms who’d gone from puffing a few drags to injecting in the past few months. His grandmother had all five of those babies living with her. The old lady was a blessing. She’d give those kids a future because she’d managed to extract herself from a criminal lifestyle that went back several generations.

At least “Pepper,” whose black hair had gone white after he’d watched a friend gutted in the streets, had stayed small-time. He wasn’t connected to any local gangs that they knew of. He was just too lazy to get a real job.

Laura stepped up to the door of the small, worn-down house on the outskirts of Halifax, and rapped her knuckles on the faded white wooden frame. One of Pepper’s baby mamas would probably answer. She heard a baby squalling inside and hoped Pepper wasn’t high. If he was, his kid would hear him crying and yelling. He hadn’t put up much of a fuss the last time she’d come here, but a year changed a lot. Pallet seemed like a relaxed cop, but one could never tell if the man at your shoulder had a hair trigger until the first time a perp got up in their face.

Pallet shifted in place, glancing over at the sheet-covered window, his jaw ticking in irritation as they continued to wait for someone to come to the door. “You think the baby’s inside by itself?”

“No, Pepper’s a…well, can’t say a good father, but he’s decent. And I think he’s still with the mother of his youngest.” Laura knocked on the door again, this time a bit harder, calling out as the baby went silent. “Pepper, this is Officer Tallent with the Halifax Police Department. If you do not answer the door, we will enter to verify the welfare of the child.”

Beside her, Pallet pulled out his handheld to radio in for backup. She exchanged a look with him, then jerked her head toward the side of the house to let him know she’d take the back. She unclipped her weapon and drew it out, cursing Pepper under her breath for bringing this to a dangerous level. Training had her moving silently along the side of the house, tense and alert, but she kept her finger well away from the trigger. Pepper’s eldest boys were nine and seven, and they were terrified of the police. She didn’t think Pepper would leave them alone with the baby, but it would explain why no one had answered. And no way would she risk shooting a kid.

With careful, slow sidesteps, she made her way along the brick wall, her weapon held steady, her breaths measured as she listened for any movement in the backyard. Pallet shouted one last warning before kicking in the door. The baby let out a sharp cry of fear.

As Laura rounded the back of the house, someone flew at her. Knocked her off her feet. The sun broke through the clouds and flashed off metal. A knife. Pinned to the damp earth, Laura latched on to Pepper’s wrist as he rose to a crouch over her and lifted the huge butcher knife. His eyes were wild. He would kill her.

She brought her gun up to his chest as the knife came down. The blade slashed her forearm. She pulled the trigger. Crack! Deafening, tearing through the air. Through his body. He jerked. Fell on her and shuddered. Grew heavier and heavier. He still had the knife. Her gun was stuck between them, still in her hand, the handle slippery with his blood. Twisting, she freed her hand, blocking the knife coming at her face. The knife fell into the dirt with a thunk. Pepper exhaled, his breath wet, rattling. He lowered his head to her shoulder. Went still.

Sticky and hot on her body, her hands, the blood was everywhere. She gasped and her eyes teared as she searched for the strength to push him off her. To call out for help. The air was smothering her, smelling and tasting of copper. Of blood. So much fucking blood.

“Officer down! Fuck, Tallent, talk to me!” The weight left her and there was Pallet, hovering over her, staring at her chest. He put his hands on her stomach, looking for a hole in her bulletproof vest. Checked her ribs for the same. “Shit, keep your eyes open, I’ve got you, girl. Damn it, you’re bleeding out.”

“Not…” Laura shook her head, her own voice sounding strange. Distant. Her hearing was shot. “Not mine.”

“Where did he get you?” Pallet was shaking. He glanced over his shoulder. “Where the fuck are they?” He grabbed his handheld, smearing blood on his cheek as he shouted into it. “Officer down! We need backup!”

Sirens, far away—or maybe not because the fading light was splashed with flashing red and blue light. People were shouting and spilling into the backyard. Uniforms, plain-clothes officers she recognized, all with guns drawn. They didn’t know the danger had passed. She had to tell them.

She tried to sit up, but only managed to roll to her side a little before Pallet shook his head and leaned closer, speaking slowly. “Don’t move until the EMTs get here. You have to tell me where you’re hurt, Tallent.”

“I’m not—”

“How many suspects, Pallet?” One voice broke through the noise, sharp and strong and close. Ryan, her brother, appearing beside her and pushing Pallet’s hands away. He let out an angry sound when Pallet refused to move. “How many?”

“One.” Pallet reached over and put his fingers on Pepper’s throat. After a minute, his eyes went hard. “He’s dead.”

“Suspect down!” Ryan slid his arm under Laura as she tried to sit again, bracing her back against his bent leg. “Is all this blood his, Laura?”

“Yeah. I shot him.” Laura frowned as she looked over at Pepper, lying still in the dirt. She’d shot him, but…he had a knife. She struggled to get to her feet, not liking that her brother had his back to the man. “He came out with a knife. He still has it—” She winced as Ryan grabbed her wrist and pain sliced down her arm.

His eyes narrowed as he carefully turned her arm. “Fuck, he got you good.” He nodded and an EMT came to her other side. A bandage was pressed to the long gash on her arm. “Can you stand?”

She nodded, swaying a little as the EMT and Ryan helped her to her feet. She couldn’t stop looking at Pepper, but she wasn’t sure if it was because he was dead or because he might not be. People were moving around him, securing the area. There were too many people. And some of them were staring at her, their eyes filled with…relief? Pity?

She stared at the ground as she let Ryan lead her to the front of the house. There were police units, ambulances, and fire trucks crowding the street. They were bringing her to one of the ambulances.

Which would have made sense if Pepper had stabbed her. But he didn’t. He was dead because he’d gotten desperate, and it had been him or her. She hadn’t wanted that to happen. She stopped short before they reached the ambulance. She was alive. Able to walk. She wouldn’t lie on a stretcher and get treated like she was worse off than she was.

Pepper was dead.

He was dead and his baby was still in the house. She pulled away from the men. “The baby—”

“A neighbor came over and took the kid. She was standing on the street pointing to the backyard when we pulled in. Kid’s fine.” Ryan pointed at the ambulance. “You’re not. Let’s go.”

“No, I need to go home.” Oh God, what if Chicklet heard about this? Laura wouldn’t let her Mistress worry. “You didn’t call her, did you? You call her and she worries and I’ll fucking hate you forever if you did that to her, Ryan!”

“What kind of an asshole do you take me for? I came here to check on you. I wouldn’t call her without knowing you were—” Ryan scowled and pressed on the small of her back. “You can call her on the way to the hospital.”

“I don’t need to go to the hospital.”

“Fuck that! You’re still fucking bleeding, and his blood is all over you! Don’t make me carry you into that goddamn ambulance, because I’ll do it!”

“Fine, I’ll go to the hospital!” Laura shook her head at the EMT before he could open the back of the ambulance. “But I’m driving myself there.”

“I’m driving you, little sister. Best fucking compromise you’re gonna get.” Ryan waved the EMT away and put his arm around her shoulders, holding her close. “I checked the shift you took over after Chicklet called me. I wasn’t worried because I know you’ve dealt with Pepper before. But then I heard the call on the radio and—”

“I’m okay.” A simple call. It shouldn’t have come to this. Not to her having killed a man. “He freaked when Pallet kicked in the door. But we heard the baby—”

Ryan opened the passenger door of his unmarked unit, standing there, staring at her even after she’d settled into the seat. “I never once doubted that you’d do everything by the book, Laura. But tell me, would ‘I’m okay’ be enough if you heard that call? If you heard ‘Officer down’ and knew I was one of the officers at the scene?”

“No.” Laura stared at her hands, numb and crusted with dirt and blood. Ryan closed the door. Got in behind the wheel. “And it’s not okay. Pepper is dead.”

“I won’t tell you how I feel about that right now—you don’t need to hear it.” The steering wheel creaked as Ryan tightened his grip on it. “But you’re right. It’s not going to be okay for a while. But we’ll deal with this together.”

Laura leaned against the door and pressed her eyes shut. She kept seeing that moment when Pepper had jumped on her, kept seeing the knife. The throb in her arm brought back the moment he’d cut her. The instant she’d chosen to pull the trigger.

The world was a crazy place. Things changed so fast. She needed the one thing that would never change. Her solid, safe place to land.

“You can call her and tell her I’m all right. Don’t scare her.” Laura swallowed hard. Watched the scenery flash by as Ryan turned on his dashboard lights and the siren to get them through traffic. She had to trust that her brother would bring her Mistress to her without any drama. But most importantly, that he’d bring Chicklet to her. Because she needed her now.

* * * *

“If I have bruises on my wrists, Mister, you’re so going to pay.” Chicklet shot Raif a lazy smile as she stretched her arms over her head. She knew very well any bruises would be partially her fault, since she’d twisted free every time he caught her, latching on to him just as roughly when she wrestled him to his back. Every single inch of her body was sore, much like after an intense workout, but the awesome sex had been worth the lingering aches and pains. She rolled over and nipped lightly over a dark red mark where she’d bitten his chest earlier.

He let out a husky laugh and tried to pull her onto him. “How do you plan to make me suffer, Mistress?”

“I’ll think of something. And don’t call me Mistress unless you plan on wearing my collar one day.” She shoved him away from her and hopped off the bed, more relaxed and energized than she’d been in a long time. A hard-core scene might have done the job, but she couldn’t play that way with Laura until the mess between her and Tyler was straightened out, and she wasn’t in a good headspace to test Tyler’s limits as much as she’d like to. She’d needed to let loose, and exerting control forced her to keep herself in check. Playing with Raif had her nice and level.

“I’ll do many things for you, Chicklet. But I won’t do that.”

Chicklet snorted and tossed a pillow in Raif’s face. “Got it, Meatloaf.”

Raif tossed the pillow aside and arched a brow at her. “Meatloaf?”

Laughing again, Chicklet went around the room, gathering her clothes and heading to the bathroom for a shower. Even with condoms, sex was sweaty and messy and she had to freshen up. And get back to reality. Hopefully Laura wouldn’t come home too late and they could discuss what had happened that afternoon. As a couple.

Would probably go over better if Raif wasn’t around. Chicklet didn’t like the idea of kicking him out after spending most of the day in bed with him, but she had a feeling he’d understand. She showered quickly, abandoning her clothes and grabbing a towel from behind the door when she heard her phone ringing.

Recognizing the number, she answered with a sigh. “Look, Hamilton, I know you told me not to let her work so much. And I—”

“Chicklet, I need you to listen to me without panicking. Laura’s okay, but—”

“But?” Chicklet’s shoulder hit the doorframe as she swiveled to snatch her clothes from the bathroom counter. Laura’s brother telling her not to panic had her doing just that. “Explain. Quickly.”

Hamilton paused, then cleared his throat. She could picture him, trying to choose the right words. “She needed a few stitches in her arm. I brought her to the General Hospital and they’re checking her out. She’s demanding to be released, but she’s in shock and the doctor wants to keep her for observation.”

“Keep her there. Pull the big brother caveman act, I don’t give a fuck what you do, but she’s not to leave that fucking hospital. I’ll be there in ten minutes.” Chicklet hung up and dropped her phone on the counter so she could get dressed. She looked at Raif in the mirror, where he was standing in the doorway. “Can you stay and wait for Tyler? He needs to know…fuck!”

“She won’t want him at the hospital.” Raif probably didn’t know exactly what was going on, but he was well aware of how the situation between her subs needed to be handled. For a second, it looked like he might come over and do something stupid like hug her. Instead, he stood a little taller, his eyes hard. “She doesn’t need the stress of pretending for him, and he will be hurt if she finally falters in her act.”

“Don’t fucking start, Raif. Right now I couldn’t care less what kind of games she’s been playing. She needs me and that’s all that matters.”

Raif inclined his head. “Agreed. So we shall work together to protect them both.”

Chicklet nodded, heading for the front door to put on her shoes and jacket. She hesitated before walking out. “I should call him…tell him…” She rubbed a hand over her face. “I’ll tell him you’re waiting here and to stay with you until I find out more. The doctor won’t want too many people there.”

“All true. Go, I will be here for him.” Raif put his hand on her shoulder then. “Will you punch me if I hug you?”

She released a strained laugh and wrapped her arms around him, allowing herself no more than a second to soak in his comfort. “No. I’m liking having you around. Take care of our boy. We’ll worry about the rest later.”

On the way to the hospital, Chicklet used her Bluetooth to call Tyler, but there was no answer. So she called Raif and told him to keep trying to get ahold of Tyler. She hated having someone else pass on the message, but she had to focus on Laura. Hopefully, Tyler would understand.

There were a lot of cops hanging around the hospital, which gave her a feeling of dread. But one day, the call might not be that Laura was injured on the job. It could have been so much worse. What if the argument had distracted her girl and that was why she’d gotten hurt? She approached the private room the nurse had directed her to, her bottom lip trembling as she stared at Laura, looking so small and pale, lying on those blue sheets. Her brother stood by her, holding her hand, watching her sleep as though he needed to see her breathing to assure himself she was really all right.

Chicklet could relate. She went in and took Laura’s other hand. She wished she could convince Laura to retire, to find a job where she wasn’t risking her life every day. But she didn’t dare suggest it, because being a cop was part of who Laura was. Part of what made up the woman Chicklet loved.

But she could find a way to make sure what happened at home didn’t make Laura’s job more dangerous. Only…she had no idea where to start.

* * * *

Tyler sat alone at Silver’s kitchen table, listening to the sounds of Luke and Scott playing with Casey in the living room, trying to stay calm as he heard shouts coming out of the phone. The noise faded as his mother moved to another room.

“Sorry about that, sweetheart. Jules is watching the game with some of his friends. He’s a big Preds fan. I told you he went to school with one of their players who retired last year?”

Right, because being a hockey fan made him a stellar guy. Tyler fisted his hand on the table. “Cool.”

“Please don’t be like this, Tyler. He’s a wonderful man. He can’t wait to meet you. And I think…we’ve been discussing our future—”

The other line sounded. It had been Chicklet before. This time it was Raif. He never took calls when he was on the phone with his mom, but he was tempted. After they’d caught up on everything that had happened since last night’s game, she’d started going on and on about her new man. The guy hadn’t been there when Tyler had visited her, so Tyler had been able to take her out to dinner and just spend time with his mom. She looked good, happy, which was a relief.

But she’d been able to talk about other stuff, friends and neighbors and her work at the library. Apparently, she’d reached her limit of topics not revolving around the man. They’d be celebrating their one-year anniversary in Hawaii next week—okay, so maybe he wasn’t that new—and his mom was so excited. She’d started giving him sappy details about their plans, but he changed the subject, telling her about how Amia was standing on her own now.

Which had distracted her for a bit, but she was back to talking about “Jules.” What kind of fucking name is Jules?

“Tyler, are you listening to me?” His mother sighed. “I said he wants to talk to you first.”

“First?”

“Before he asks me to marry him.”

Tyler almost dropped the phone. He stood and paced away from the table. Paced back, raking his fingers through his hair. This would be husband number…damn it, he’d lost count. But he remembered every single fucking bruise, the dead look in his mother’s eyes when she’d been verbally beaten down one too many times.

“What the hell is with everyone wanting to get married? First Luke, now—”

“Excuse me?”

Eyes wide, Tyler looked to where Richter was standing by the fridge, with a sippy cup open in one hand, the milk container in the other. And most of the milk on the floor.

This was not good. He chewed on his bottom lip, wincing as Luke and Scott and everyone in the freakin’ house stood in the kitchen doorway, staring at him. And his mom was still talking.

“I love him and he makes me very happy. If you can’t support me—”

“I do support you, but I don’t want to see you hurt again.”

Luke came forward, shooting Tyler a hard look before turning to Richter. “Ah, this isn’t how I wanted to do this. You know I love Jami.”

Richter shook his head, putting the milk away and grabbing a dishcloth from the stove to dry his hand. He went to the pantry, returning with a mop. “Your timing is horrible, Carter. Save it.”

“Tyler, are you still there?” His mother sounded close to tears. “You have to give him a chance.”

“I will.” Tyler stopped, realizing what he’d just said. He didn’t mean it. He couldn’t give another man a chance to finish what so many others had started. “I mean—”

“Thank you, baby! This means so much to me! Now get back to your friends, it’s very rude to talk on the phone while—Jules!” His mother laughed. The line went dead.

He was tempted to throw the phone across the room, but the room had gotten crowded and he’d probably hit someone with it. Casey was tugging at Scott’s hand, demanding his attention while Scott was pulling Luke’s arm, trying to get him out of there. Bower was standing in the kitchen now, arms folded over his chest, looking amused as Silver spoke quietly to Richter.

Luke jerked away from Scott. “Why’s it a bad time? I have a stable job and so does Seb.”

“You were arrested last week! Damn it, boy, what’s complicated about you being the last man I’d ever give permission to marry my daughter?”

“Why isn’t Ramos marrying her if she wants that?” Bower shrugged when Luke glared at him. “Sorry, pal, but I agree with Dean. If Scott had been the one wanting to marry Becky, I—”

“You’re a fucking asshole.” Tyler stood and moved to stand beside Luke. Who probably hated him right now, but he needed backup. So did Scott, because he looked like he’d just gotten speared by a hockey stick. “You’re lucky there’s a kid in here.”

“Not for long.” Becky weaved around everyone, picking up Casey with a bright smile on her face, her tone sugary sweet. “Go with Demmy, mon chou. I have to speak to Uncle Landon for a minute.”

Everyone got real quiet as Casey fussed and Scott forced out a laugh, throwing her up in the air and catching her. He tickled her until she was giggling and squirming in his arms. Then he carried her out of the kitchen, sounding like everything was perfectly normal. “You’ve been a grumpy puss a lot today, dollface. Behave and I’ll read you two whole chapters of your new book tonight.”

The front door opened. Scott said “Hi” to someone. The door slammed shut.

Bower gave Tyler a level look. “You were saying, little man?”

“I’ll show you little.” Tyler clenched his jaw as Luke blocked his lunge forward with an arm across his chest. “You’re gonna defend him after—”

“Nope, but I like you. Preferably in one piece.” Luke sucked his teeth and shook his head. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Fuck that! Bower thinks Zach’s the better man for his sister? Pretty obvious that he don’t know what Pearce’s been up to.” His whole body shook with rage as Bower’s brow rose, like he didn’t believe Pearce could do any wrong. The jerk had no fucking clue. “We might have gotten arrested, but at least none of us are fucking cheaters! Scott had to watch Pearce kissing Raif in the police station, and I saw how much it hurt him. But he’s still trying to hold things together for your sister and your niece because he loves them!”

“Tyler!” Luke tried to drag Tyler back. “Shut up!”

“Why? He thinks he can judge Scott because his relationship is perfect, and now he’s so far up Richter’s ass—”

“Ty!” This time it was Raif who cut him off, partially with his sharp tone, partially by hauling Tyler back by the collar of his shirt. “I think it’s time to go.”

Tyler blinked, the impact of all he’d said hitting him as his anger skidded to an abrupt halt. Becky looked close to tears. Bower’s face was red and his eyes promised a slow painful death. Luke simply shook his head again and turned to walk out. But it was Richter’s cool regard that scared Tyler the most.

He looked past Tyler to Raif, a thin smile on his lips. “We have much to discuss, Mr. Zovko. You might want to keep a gag on the boy—although it may be too late. You’ll forgive me if I don’t ask you to stay.”

“Understood, Mr. Richter,” Raif said stiffly. He hesitated, glancing over at Becky. “I’m sorry. There’s more to this, but—”

Becky cut across the room and slapped Raif across the face. Raif had plenty of time to stop her, but he didn’t even try. After she ran from the room, Silver following close behind, Raif turned to Tyler. Jerked his chin toward the living room. Tyler hung his head and shoved his hands in his pockets. What an epic mess.

And it was all his fault.

They didn’t speak again as they got in their own cars. Or after they parked in front of Tyler’s place and made their way inside. Once they’d gotten into the apartment and Raif had sat heavily on the sofa, Tyler decided he had to say something. He hated that he’d upset Becky, but he couldn’t fix that. And maybe he couldn’t do anything to fix things with Raif either.

But he had to try. He knelt at Raif’s feet and opened his mouth.

Raif held up his hand. “No. Stand. Or sit beside me. We need to talk.”

Oh shit. If Raif didn’t want Tyler kneeling, he must be really pissed. Or ready to end their…relationship. There was no other word for it. Tyler loved Raif, and Chicklet had accepted him into the mix. And so had Laura. What the four of them were building was special. Worth fighting for.

Rising to his feet, Tyler bit the tip of his tongue hard, trying to figure out where to start. He pressed his eyes shut and lowered to the sofa beside Raif. “I don’t know why I said all that. I’ll find a way to fix it. I’m really sorry.”

Nodding, Raif rubbed the back of his neck. “I know you are. And I’m not pleased, but that’s not what we need to talk about. I attempted to call you several times, then called Pischlar to get Richter’s address. I’d hoped spending time with your friends would be good for you, but apparently—”

“This isn’t Luke’s and Scott’s fault. I had an awesome time with them, but then I talked to my mom. She wants to get married, and I kinda let it slip that Luke wants to marry Jami.” Tyler jammed him elbows into his knees and dropped his head onto his hands. “I’m an idiot.”

Raif patted Tyler’s shoulder, a smile playing at the edge of his lips. “No. You just have a very big mouth.”

Tyler scowled at him. “Gee. Thanks.”

“Anytime.” Raif chuckled, but his eyes had gone dark and serious. “Now, for the reason I called and went to find you at Richter’s house. Please hear me out before you become upset. Laura was injured on the job and she—”

The earth dropped about a foot under Tyler as he stood. All this sitting around and Laura was hurt? But she’d had the day off! “I figured she went out for dinner with Chicklet! Is she at the hospital? Why did you bring me here? Did she get shot?”

“No. I would have brought you directly to the hospital if it was serious. She has a cut on her arm that needed stitches, but the real issue is that she’s in shock. A man attacked her with a knife and she had to shoot him to save her own life.” Raif latched on to the back of Tyler’s jeans and pulled him down to the sofa. “The doctor wants her to rest and will reevaluate her in the morning. He does not want too many visitors, so with Laura’s brother there and Chicklet… She called me with an update just before I went to Richter’s. Laura is sleeping. You can see her tomorrow.”

“She didn’t ask for me?” Tyler would want to see Laura if he were hurt. Maybe the doctor was right, but he’d hate for Laura to think he didn’t care enough to show up. “Maybe I should call and see if she’s awake. A few minutes wouldn’t be bad for her.”

“They have her on medication to keep her relaxed. She is sleeping, Ty.”

“All right.” Tyler looked around the room, wondering if he should just go to bed. The team wasn’t leaving until around one tomorrow since the first game on their road trip was in New York, but what else did he have to do?

Not that he’d actually sleep. He couldn’t help picturing Laura, his beautiful, tough woman, fighting for her life against a man with a knife… His skin went cold and he pressed his hand over his eyes. She could have died out there, just doing her job. He couldn’t lose her.

“Would you like to watch a movie?” Raif went over to the TV stand, picking up a movie from the pile Tyler and Laura had set up for their Disney marathon. Raif’s lips quirked as he held up The Little Mermaid. “I don’t believe you watched this one today.”

“That’s Laura’s favorite. I’ll wait for when she’s home and…and I get back. There won’t be time tomorrow.”

Raif inclined his head, picking up a few more movies and reading the descriptions on the back. “There are many of these I haven’t seen, but if this is something you do with Laura, perhaps it would be better to choose something else.”

“You don’t really want to watch a Disney movie with me, man. You weren’t into any of the ones that we had on this morning, you were exercising your brain.” Tyler remembered laughing and glancing over his shoulder at Raif, who was all focused on the sudoku book. Seemed a long time since he and Laura used to tease Chicklet about all her crossword puzzles and number games. He snorted and called Raif the same thing they used to call her. “Nerd.”

“Nerd? I’m not sure that is something you should call your Dom, boy.”

Tyler smirked. “She doesn’t mind.”

“You are sorely in need of a spanking. But first, to correct you, I would like to watch these movies you enjoy so much. I’m not sure why singing princesses entertain you so much—”

“It’s not about the princesses. They’re funny. Do you like Eddie Murphy?”

Cocking his head, Raif studied the movie in his hand. Cinderella. He looked confused. “I can’t imagine him playing the voice of a cartoon character.”

“He’s done a few! Damn, we are so watching Mulan. Wait here, I’ll go get it!” Tyler scrambled off the sofa and ran to his room. He got the movie from his collection and skidded across the floor as he hurried down the hall. For some reason, sharing this with Raif felt important. Other guys on the team made fun of Tyler for loving Disney movies, but Raif never had. If he actually liked some of them, Tyler would have someone to chill with before road games. And after.

After would be awesome. Winding down from a game with a movie on that was familiar and relaxing while lying in bed with his man.

Within the first few minutes, Raif was chuckling, and by the time Mulan was done proving herself as “a man,” he was grinning and leaning forward. Tyler had more fun watching Raif’s reactions to the movie than he’d ever had actually watching the movie.

The next movie Tyler put on wasn’t a Disney movie—he was sticking with the Eddie Murphy theme—but Raif seemed to enjoy Shrek just as much as he had Mulan. Tyler mentioned both had a sequel, but a yawn cut him off and Raif shook his head with a smile.

“We both need sleep.” He slung his arm over Tyler’s shoulder and drew him toward the bedroom. “But make sure to pack them both. And others you think I’ll like.”

“I will.” Tyler plopped down on the bed, groaning as Raif made him sit up to take off his shirt. He watched Raif strip and climb onto the other side of the bed. Being pulled into Raif’s arms felt good, but now that they were here, he had to wonder if Raif wanted more.

Actually, it had always been Tyler demanding more, and Raif focusing on taking care of him. Raif seemed happy just being with Tyler without sex or anything. Tyler didn’t doubt Raif’s desire, but there was never a “right” time for them to take the next step.

He usually got all impatient and thought with his dick. This time wasn’t about that. He needed to know what Raif expected from him. Was willing to give him whatever that was.

“It’s not before a game. We can…” Tyler had to make sure Raif understood he was offering, not demanding. “I’m yours, Raif. Whenever you want me.”

“Yes, you are, Ty.” Raif pressed Tyler’s head down on his shoulder. “And I do want you. Like this.”

Tyler closed his eyes and smiled. Like this was absolutely perfect.