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. I’m a nerd. I’m not supposed to be dropping from balconies.

With a small eep, she let go and fell the last few feet onto the grass below.

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. Bro.

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. Now.”

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. Well, this is it. Leaving. Her whole body pulsed with pain. She wrapped her arms around herself, as if the aching could be relieved by physical comfort.

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 you.”

“You don’t need to do that. It’s not that long till my flight, and I still have to get through security.” Sally frowned at her watch. Six in the morning? “I… God, Jessica, I dragged you out of bed, didn’t I? You’re going to get in trouble with Master Z. I’m really sorry.” How self-centered she’d been. “I should have called a taxi.”

Jessica scowled. “If you’d done that, I’d have given you a good bitch slap. Shadowkittens hang together against all comers, even Doms.” She hugged Sally with a grin. “I just told Z a friend needed a ride. If the Feds figure it out, well, Z understands loyalty. He won’t spank me too hard.”

Tears rose to Sally’s eyes, and she blinked them back. “Thank you. For the ride. For buying my ticket on your card.”

“Pffft. You gave me a check; not like I’m out any money. But…for the trouble, you can pay me back by calling once you get…wherever you’re going. Or else I’ll worry.”

Sally nodded. “I can do that. For my…for the Feds, if they ask, can you just not tell them anything?”

Jessica crossed her arms over her chest. Braless. Barefoot. She’d obviously run right out of the house to rescue Sally. “Did you tell me where you were going?”

“No. You said not to.”

Jessica smirked. “Exactly. I won’t lie to Z, but I can honestly inform him that you never told me.”

Despite the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, Sally found a smile. “You’re a sneaky little brat.”

“I am. But your Doms are FBI, girlfriend. They’ll find you.”

“They’re not mine.” Not anymore. “And they won’t try very long.” Not after she’d caused a fight. Ran away from them. “If they figure out you drove me here, can you tell them I said I’m sorry for causing them trouble. That I’m safe and thanks for the fun times.”

“Pretty crappy times if they made you look like this, the assholes.”

“It wasn’t their fault. I did it all.” Sally felt tears rising. “Gotta go.” Blinking hard, she hugged Jessica, grabbed her backpack, and ran into the terminal.

She loved him. Sitting at his desk in the home office, Galen scrubbed his hands over his face. He couldn’t get the memory of her soft expression out of his head. Flushed and beautiful, she’d looked him straight in the eyes and said that. “I love you.”

He hadn’t said it back. But he did.

Didn’t want to. Shouldn’t. But he did.

Law enforcement and relationships weren’t a good mix. Maybe some couples could deal with knowing that one partner could well die young, leaving the other to grieve. Not all—there was a reason the divorce rate for cops and agents was so high.

But most hadn’t experienced the grief and guilt of losing a loved one to criminals seeking revenge. Ursula hadn’t volunteered to be murdered.

How could Galen ever risk putting another woman in such danger?

But did he have the right to step away from someone who loved him? Or to hurt two people besides himself.

Sally loved Vance—and Vance loved her back. Fuck, his partner deserved a sweetie like Sally. Vance had always wanted a wife and children; maybe not this soon, but a person couldn’t dictate when love arrived.

What kind of a bastard would Galen be to let his fucking worries mess up his partner?

He should step away now. Let Sally go…and tell Vance to keep her. Perhaps it would hurt less if he knew they were together.

But Galen would lose them both. Pain stabbed into his chest so sharp and swift that he put his hand over his sternum. Hell. He’d known losing Vance would hurt, but the thought of being without the imp was just as bad.

After another breath, he nodded. He’d do what he had to do.

The door to the office opened, and Vance walked in—and stared. “Fuck, pard, mellow. We’ll find her. She hasn’t used a credit card, so she’s probably still in the city.”