If a human could breathe fire, Sage was certain King would spit full explosions at Zeke. The man glared like a caged dragon, lips twisting, skin mottling. “This shit is not done!”
Zeke barked in laughter. “Oh yeah, fuck-nugget, it’s done.” With his free hand, he pulled out a pair of fast plastic cuffs. Before he moved again, he looked around at King’s remaining minions. A couple of them still wrestled with the blanket, though Wyatt had already fished out their guns and now stood with the pile stacked between his spread legs. “I’m gonna put these on your boss man now, okay?” Zeke stated. “You know that if any of you try to stop me, my friends will put a bullet in your chest.” He nodded in Sage’s direction. “Whip girl will be happy to cut your crotch open for good measure too.”
Garrett glowered at his friend. “Are you encouraging her?” He stomped over and jabbed a finger at the corner where he’d left her skimpy outfit. “Put your damn clothes on, woman. Now.”
Zeke chuckled again, leaning over to King with the cuffs. Sage was about to give a sarcastic “Yes, Sir” to her fiancé when she witnessed the same crazy incident that everyone else did.
King greeted Zeke with a hug.
No. Oh God, no.
King didn’t give Z a hug. It was a knife. A big one, which he drove right into Z’s gut.
“It’s not over,” the monster said with a gritted smile.
“Nooooo!”
Rayna’s scream filled the room. Garrett lunged, slamming King away before the bastard could pull the knife free and make Z bleed out. Sage dashed over, trying to help Garrett pin King down, but the monster whacked a solid backhand to her cheek and she fell away. Seconds later, King scrambled clear from Garrett too. He stumbled to his feet, wrenched open the door—
Then crumpled against the jamb and slid down it.
A streak of blood followed his descent, flowing from the bullet wound in his forehead. There was a nick in the wood, clearly made by another bullet that had missed.
Sage gasped in shock. Still didn’t give her enough air. She tried again. Then again. She hadn’t even heard the shots.
“Wh-What the…” The words died as she stared back across the room. She’d pictured Wyatt standing there with the smoking gun—but the weapon was braced in Rayna’s trembling hands instead.
“You want over, asshole?” Her friend’s voice wobbled. Her teeth were bared in rage. “Now it’s over.”
Chapter Nineteen
“God, I’m glad you didn’t really sell this place.”
Sage’s husky murmur resonated against Garrett’s chest as the last rays of the sunset disappeared over the lake. They left behind a sky that looked like a watercolor too good to be real. Whipped-cream clouds danced with shades of lavender, orange, and amber over the silhouetted trees and were reflected in the calm ripples along the water outside.
Inside the condo, where they nestled on the couch with each other, Garrett chuckled quietly while twirling a strand of her hair. He’d never get tired of ending their days like this. Though the last week had been an insane whirl of debriefs at the base, another round of media for Sage, and checking in at the hospital with Z at least once a day, they’d made sure to slot this time together at or near sunset.
Okay, so most nights, the couch cuddle hadn’t been exactly the end of their day. It led to ways that formed an even better conclusion for them both. Way better. Garrett and his new alter ego, who’d fast earned the title “Sir G” from Sage, were becoming fast comrades in the quest of bringing their woman a world of submissive pleasure. The stockpile in the nightstand now included a couple of mini floggers, nipple clamps, a remote-operated vibrator, several anal insertables, and lots of scented lube. And he wanted more. Much more.
He only hoped she could handle more—because tonight, she was going to get it.
Just the thought of his little surprise made Garrett shift a little, concertedly commanding the rocket between his legs to hold on to its fucking fuse. Sage pulled away from him a bit, crunching her brow in a frown. “I’m sorry, baby. I walked in here and instantly started talking about my visit with Ray at the hospital. I spaced on dinner. You’re probably hungry, right?”
“Nope.” Garrett smiled softly at her. “Not hungry. I grabbed something late this afternoon. Figured you’d be eating with Rayna. How’s she doing?”
Sage shrugged. “She’s talking to the counselors every day. She’s in the business of saving lives, not shooting people, no matter how much she hated King. It’s a lot for her to deal with right now. But focusing on Z is helping her, for sure.”
“That’s good. Real good. And how is Sergeant Hayes himself coming along, besides grouchy as fuck?”
“He’s still grouchy as fuck.” She giggled. “He’ll probably be out tomorrow in time to wreak hell on Rayna’s weekend.”
The affectionate tone of her voice shifted him into a serious mien. “Z doesn’t say too much to me about her, you know.”
“About Rayna?” When Garrett nodded, she pressed, “So what does that mean?”
“That he’s ass-over-elbows nuts about her.”
“Oh.” She flashed an adorably girlish grin. “Awesome!”
The smile dropped when he didn’t deviate his gaze. He could keep up the cover on a mission for days if he had to, but keeping this surprise from her tonight was damn near killing him. Maybe it was because his cock had been invested in the fun since about three this afternoon.
“Are you sure you aren’t hungry?” she insisted. “You look really hungry.”
Garrett answered with a small, wolfish grin. He tangled his fingers deeper into her hair, using the hold to dip her head back, exposing her neck to him. He leaned and gently scored her skin with his top teeth. “Oh, I am hungry.”
“Mmmmm.” She brought her hands up to his head too. “I think I can help out with that craving, Sir G.”
Garrett shook his head. He pulled up so he could gaze into her brilliant green eyes again. “Uh-uh. No ‘Sir G’ tonight, sugar.”
Sage stuck out her lower lip. “What? Why not?”
“Because I want you to call me something else.”
“All right. Ummm…what?”
He shook his head again, intentionally slow and wicked about it. “You don’t get to find out until you go upstairs.”
Her answering huff was a tantalizing tease of its own. “Garrett!” she protested. “Not even a hint?”
He twisted his hold harder in her hair. “Every second you sit here sassing me, sugar, is another second of discipline I get to take from you later.”
That caused her eyebrows to jump. “Di-Di-Discipline?”
Garrett forced back his smile this time. He set her free before rising to his feet and folding his arms. “Still wasting time on sass?”
Sage popped up from the couch. “All right. Okay. I get it!”
“Bedroom,” he called as she sprang for the stairs. “Follow every instruction on the note I left for you.”
“Yes, Sir!”
He finally bared the smile as he walked down the hall to the guest bedroom. During the trip, he cracked open a door in his mind, enough to let Sir G slip into the fray. Hell, this was going to be fun.
Chapter Twenty
Sage stood at the door of the guest bedroom, shifting a little on her bare feet, nervous as hell.
“This is ridiculous,” she groused beneath her breath. “You’re being stupid, Weston. It’s just Garrett. You know him. You love him. You’re getting married. In June. You have a date and a church already, and—”
She stopped herself on a rickety moan. Oh God. She was surely going to hell. Had she actually just talked about walking into a church to get married when she stood here dressed in nothing but a black leather bra and a pair of matching thong panties? And did the tissues between her thighs actually quiver as she looked again at the note in her hand? Granted, the words were now a little smeared because she’d picked it up and read it about a hundred times since finding it on their bed…
Use the fresh razor in the shower. Shave yourself…everywhere.
Put your hair up. When you’re done, come to me in the guest bedroom.
Wear only what I’ve placed here.
Master