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always telling me to take charge and not be the doormat or so nice. Good advice but I used it at
the wrong time because I was afraid of being vulnerable.
 After Carl? Zach asked.
 Exactly. She pointed at him.  I was humiliated and hurt, and he called it tough love. I
wanted to stand up and be tough for a change. That s what I told myself when my uncle hired the
Raider s. I wouldn t be the damsel in distress.
 You re not. People need help. That s what we do. You sensed we were Doms, and you
wanted us. Then you panicked and fired us. Jack nodded.  At least, you were smart enough to
ask for us the second time around.
She smiled.  I m not good at being tough. I really suck at it.
 That s okay. You don t have to be a bully. You just have to stand up for yourself and
with enough support it s easy. Zach moved to sit closer to her.
The tears started again, and she tried to force them back. She grabbed the computer and
held it to her chest.  No. It never works. Even when I m trying to protect others, I screw it up.
Carl still hurt people this time.
She stalked into the bedroom, leaving the laptop on the foot of the bed as she curled up
with a pillow.
The men followed her.  Who are you trying to protect? Your mom and family were all
far away and safe.
 I was trying to protect you! Carl is dangerous. If he didn t know who I was with but
believed I had a new Master, I thought he d go away. I couldn t stand the idea that Carl might
hurt you two. Never! If I lost you two& I love you two. I can t help it if it s in the middle of a
mess. At least, Carl didn t hurt you.
Chapter Eight
Zach s rage was on the edge of erupting.  You emailed him to protect us? We were hired
to protect you! He paced while his brother reviewed the correspondence. Zach could barely stay
in the house.
 I wanted to tell you, but I knew as soon as I saw you two again that my secret would
ruin it for us. I didn t want to believe it, but I knew I was supposed to be with you two somehow.
It s stupid to think I could have two men, but even at the beginning, I never felt this with Carl or
any boyfriend who was good to me. I couldn t ruin it. I let you guys go once because of my
pride. I had to be an adult and face my mistakes.
 You fired us because we found out your naughty secret. Instead, you should ve offered
to be our sub then, and it would ve been a lot more fun. We would ve worked on that pride of
yours, too. Zach grinned. He d work on that pride if he could get over the lies.
 Stop it, Zach. It s my fault. I talked too much. Jack printed all the emails and shut
down the laptop.  The police will need to see this computer, too. At least, she didn t delete any
of the messages so we have a full trail.
 It ll help? she asked.
 It ll be a huge help if it gets in as evidence. He was threatening you, you told him to
leave you alone, and you had an order and had moved on to new lovers. Engaging him in
communication isn t a smart move, and you should ve reported that he was violating the order by
contacting you, but you can testify that you were afraid for your life and the people protecting
you because Carl was so extreme.
 Why do you think it was your fault? Zach demanded to his brother.
Denise nodded.  Yes, that doesn t make sense. It couldn t be your fault. You didn t know
I was hiding anything.
Jack sighed.  No, but I did tell you about our childhood. What Zach went through at his
foster family and how we both ran away until the Mr. Raider took us in and kept us in line. The
guilt I carried for not being able to protect him. My foster family wasn t great, but no one abused
me. I should ve objected more to us being split up. I should ve suggested we run away the first
time Zach had a problem.
 Everyone thought I was the troublemaker. I was a hot head. But it s not your fault.
Zach wanted to punch the wall.  It was my fault for not fighting back or running the first time. I
had to get over it and let it go. I was a kid. It wasn t my fault or yours. I work out enough to
make sure no one will every hurt me or anyone I love again.
 I m glad you know it s not your fault. I wish I d told you about the emails, but when the
first one came, I was in a really emotional state. I replied to try to get rid of him. I should never
have sent it. Then it was too late. I d done something dumb, and I needed to fix it. I didn t want
you to know. You d both disapprove. Denise grabbed Jack s arm and hugged it. His tension [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]