by Kells, India
But the bull wasn’t down yet, and despite his vision blurred with blood, he started hitting back. Knox’s world was filled with blessed pain. He gave as good as he received, making the giant sway a few times, but this wouldn’t be an easy win.
But do I really want to win?
A well-placed hook sent him flying to the floor with enough force that Knox couldn’t get up. Dots invaded his vision, making it impossible to get his bearings. Someone kicked him in the stomach, repeatedly, and his mind started to detach itself from his body. He tried to hold on to the pain, but it was slipping away.
Feeling only returned when agony exploded in his face, and he felt darkness start to close in.
Then he heard her. Josie. He’d seen her face so often, but now he could hear her voice. It was a shout mixed with tears. Why is she crying?
Stirred by the sound, Knox forced his body to move, but it was no use. He couldn’t see anymore, but the smell of her skin filled his nostrils. Grateful for the illusion as he died tonight, he knew he would carry the sweet memory of his angel into eternity with him.
* * *
Josie kneeled over Knox’s body, using her own as a shield. She’d seen Knox lying on the floor, a mass of bruises and blood and bolted to him. Gage had tried to stop her from behind, grabbing her coat, but she quickly shed it before placing herself between the two fighters. All she wanted was to check Knox was still breathing, but she had to take care of the man bashing him like a punching bag first.
The mass of muscle and fury didn’t seem deterred by her sudden appearance in the ring. “Get out of here, bitch.”
A shiver of terror passed through her body, but she didn’t move. “No. If you want him, you’ll have to go through me.”
The mass assembled around them seemed to close in. The sound of laughter echoed through the room, but the anticipation of what was to come was even more powerful.
The fighter took a step closer as if he was considering taking her down, but a voice made him halt. “And if you want to get to her, you’ll definitely have to go through me.”
Gage’s large back blocked her vision. He was only in a t-shirt, and he quickly took it off. She saw money being exchanged by the audience. This place was even worse than she’d imagined, and much more dangerous.
There was no bell, no referee, and Gage didn’t wait for one, attacking first. Josie couldn’t look away. The big man was taken aback by the sudden attack but was quick to retaliate.
However, it was clear that Gage was faster and far more skilled. He wasn’t teasing or trying to drag the fight out. Each blow he landed was precise and deadly, fast chipping at the man’s armor.
Even when the big, bald man put a knee down, he didn’t stop tearing him apart until the man fell like a tree to the ground. Gage seemed to be in a trance, raining blows down on the man like thunder and fury.
“Gage!!” Not leaving Knox’s side, she screamed at him to stop. It took her a full minute to get through him. Heaving, Gage reluctantly stopped and finally turned to her.
Josie turned to examine Knox. He was still breathing but was unconscious on the floor. His skin was covered with sweat and blood, and he had gashes on his side and bare knuckles. His face was swollen, one eye already turning black, and his lip was split.
As gently as she could, she cradled his head. “Knox? Knox! Can you hear me?” A low groan answered her, doing nothing to reassure her.
The crowd dispersed, more interested in blood than melodrama. Gage came back with their coats and fished out his cell phone. Hissing through his teeth, he looked around before putting a hand on his friend’s forehead.
“Hey, Locke. It’s me. I found him where you told me he’d be. He’s unconscious and in bad fucking shape.” He waited a beat and Josie could hear a male’s voice on the other end but couldn’t understand the words. “Okay, on our way.”
He put on his coat and told her to do the same. “Stay here. I’m gonna check at the bar and see if Knox left his stuff there.”
Josie could only nod. They should head to the hospital. There had to be something wrong with him.
Josie stroked his face as she waited for Gage, avoiding his beard that was smeared with blood. It took her a moment to notice a man standing at the side of the ring. Willowy and bespectacled, he didn’t look like a fighter. The way he moved and hesitated before moving closer made her think of a weasel.
“He owes me money.”
Josie blinked, not certain what he was telling her. “What?”
He pointed at Knox. “He lost. He owes me money.”
Was the man for real? “He’s unconscious and bleeding on the floor.”
The weasel didn’t seem concerned by that and came to stand a foot away from her. Quickly getting to her feet, Josie realized she had almost a head in height on him. “Go away.”
The man clearly wasn’t listening and even inched closer to Knox. “Not before I get my money.”
Her reaction wasn’t planned and came from her need to protect Knox as well as an outlet for her anger and fear—she punched the weasel hard on the nose.
“Don’t you dare come near me or him ever again.”
Her hand hurt like a bitch, but Josie didn’t want it to show. Nothing was broken and the pain felt good, grounding her almost. Gage came running back from the bar, Knox’s coat in his hand, a look of concern on his face. “What the hell happened?”
The weasel was holding his nose, screaming like a child, slowly inching toward the back of the bar.
“Nothing. Let’s get out of here.”
Gage pushed her coat into her arms and bent down to hold Knox in an upright position, putting his coat on. Then he lifted him in his arms.
Josie kept a hand on Knox’s head as they walked away, hoping he was okay, and that this nightmare was over.
Chapter 14
In the backseat of the car, with Knox’s head on her lap, Josie had absolutely no idea where they were or where Gage was driving them. When she’d suggested taking Knox to the local hospital, Gage had shot her down, saying it was too dangerous and he’d arranged for a doctor to treat him privately. A quick look at the dashboard told her it was 2 a.m. and they had been driving for a couple of hours now.
They’d arrived too late. That single sentence was haunting her and probably would for a long time. She swallowed hard to prevent the tears from falling as she looked at the still unconscious man. In the night shadows, he looked so pale, his dark beard contrasting with the bruises and drying blood. He still remained unconscious and Josie’s fear was steadily rising.
Gage hadn’t spoken from the moment he’d slid behind the wheel. The speed at which he’d driven made her gulp in panic a few times, but she knew time was of the essence, especially with the distance they’d covered. After a couple more quick turns, Josie realized they’d arrived at what seemed like a back alley. A few yards away, a lone man stood by an open door.
Gage didn’t allow time for any questions she may have had, quickly turning off the car, jumping out, and running to the other man. Tall and dark-haired, he appeared thinner than Gage and Knox, but she suspected he wasn’t as weak as he looked. The way he moved and constantly looked around, he had the aura of a man who knew how to handle himself.
The strange man was the one who opened the door on her side. Piercing sea-green eyes slid over her before checking on Knox. The impassible face looked deeply worried and he reached for him. Lagging with fatigue and worry, Josie tensed, which made the man look at her again. “I’m Locke. I’m a friend.”
Josie immediately relaxed, and chastised herself for reacting that way, as if Gage would involve someone he didn’t trust with Knox’s life.
With both Locke and Gage working as one, they got Knox out of the car as gently as possible. Gage again transported his friend in his arms through the door. Locke kept the door open for her to follow suit.
The place was mostly dark, but a couple of lights revealed they were in some sort of clinic. Gage turned and entered an
examination room to see a woman dressed in a lab coat. She was stunning with a halo of brown curls enhancing her angel-like appearance.
Gage hovered near Knox, but the woman told him to step back so she could examine him. Hesitant, he came to Josie’s side and kissed the top of her head. “Tessa is a good doctor. This is her clinic.”
Another name that made sense and clicked into place. Despite her worry, Josie relaxed a little more.
Tessa opened Knox’s eyelids to peer into them with a small light. “How long has he been unconscious?”
“Since I called Locke, so a couple of hours now. We arrived just as he received the final punch. I didn’t think he’d be out this long.”
The doctor didn’t give anything away. “You should have driven him to the hospital.”
This time, it was Locke who answered as he brought a bag of ice. “You know that’s not an option. For any of us.”
Huffing, she shook her head and put her stethoscope on and listened to his heart for a long moment. “I don’t hear anything bad. There are a couple of bad cuts, but I need to clean him first in order to assess them. He was in a fight?”
“By the looks of it, probably more than one.”
Tessa looked at Josie for the first time and nodded. “I agree with you. There are a few wounds that are at least two days old. And I can also guess from the smell of him those fights were in one of those seedy bars. The stench of alcohol is not only on his breath but on his skin too. Booze, sweat, and cheap perfume. He must’ve had an interesting few days.”
At the mention of other women, Josie’s chest contracted, but now wasn’t the time to judge.
Tessa started to clean and examine his head, thoroughly checking for anything amiss. “It’s hard to make a true assessment of a head injury without a scan. Or without knowing how many blows to the head he’s had. I’ll have to stitch him in a couple of places, but he’s an experienced fighter. I suspect he instinctively avoided most of the dangerous hits. I’m going to run a couple more tests. He’s probably got a concussion, but he may also have other stuff going on, so we have to be sure.”
Josie couldn’t fault the doctor for exploring every possible avenue. She cleaned every cut and stitched the worst of them. She assessed the swelling of his eye and deemed it tolerable. Limb after limb, she checked his body for more serious trauma, while running her tests in the background. Hours passed and still Josie remained standing by the gurney, unable to sit or look away. Gage and Locke offered to stay while she grabbed a coffee or took a quick nap, but she refused. Leaning against the wall, her eyes were glued to Knox. Her body ached from fatigue and from standing for so long, but she knew it was nothing compared to the discomfort Knox would go through when he woke.
Because he would wake up.
Tessa finished sewing him up and turned to retrieve fresh ice bags from a small fridge. She pointed at Gage. “Come here and hold this to his face.”
Josie stepped forward to do it, but Tessa looked at her and shook her head as she discarded her latex gloves. “You, come with me. Gage, you’re in charge of the ice.”
With a quick look at Gage, she turned to follow the doctor.
Tessa opened a door, switching lights on as she entered, and invited her in. It was a small room with a counter, a coffee pot, a fridge, and two sofas. Tessa pressed a button on the coffee machine and let herself fall into one of the sofas. “As Gage said, I’m Tessa. And you’re Josie from what Locke has told me. I swear those men are making me age before my time. They either have no manners, or they put their lives in danger way too often. Coffee should be ready in a few minutes. At this hour, I’d normally suggest something stronger, but I have nothing else. Except for water, of course.”
Josie sat on the sofa and as her body relaxed, something tightened in her chest and tears started to well in her eyes. Swallowing reflexively, she closed her eyes to keep them in, but it only increased the tightness.
“Hey! Are you all right?”
When Josie opened her eyes, a stray tear fell down her cheek. She turned to Tessa and nodded. “Yeah, just … damn. The last few days have been hard. Or, I should say the last couple of weeks. No scratch that, the last six months. My life is a mess.”
The coffee machine beeped, and Tessa went to pour two cups. “How long have you known Knox and Gage?”
Josie gladly accepted the mug that warmed her hands. “I noticed Knox when he arrived in our town six months ago, and I started working for him a short while ago. Gage arrived about the same time I started working there.”
Tessa nodded took a sip at her coffee. “They are complicated men to be with. And I include Locke in that. Working with them isn’t easy, having sex with one of them takes a strong woman. Two of them is a challenge in itself.”
It took a minute for Josie to process the words. “You? With Knox and Gage?”
Tessa smiled and shook her head. “No, only Locke and Gage. A long story I may tell you one day. I only met Knox a little while ago, just before he moved to Landston, and by that time, Locke had made the decision he didn’t want to share me with anyone anymore, or himself for that matter. I think that’s the main reason Gage disappeared and eventually ended up going to see Knox. And he’s found a similar scenario there with you and Knox.”
“If you’re suggesting the three of us slept together, then yes, we did.”
Tessa leaned back even more on the sofa, crossing her legs. “I actually mean that a couple has formed from the three of you and the third one will soon be pushed away too.”
Josie frowned. “What are you talking about? There’s no couple happening. Knox was very clear about that. And I agreed with him. In fact, he didn’t even want me in the first place. If Gage hadn’t been there, he wouldn’t have touched me.”
The doctor continued to sip her coffee and look at her as if trying to read her mind, which was highly uncomfortable, forcing her to justify herself. “I’m telling you the truth. It was an arrangement from the start!” With that, Josie told her what had happened from the beginning.
Once she’d detailed everything and fallen silent again, Josie felt both breathless and lighter. She knew this situation with Knox and Gage wasn’t easy or conventional, and having a woman who had gone through something similar to confide in was incredibly comforting.
Tessa waited a beat before answering, as if mulling over all the information she’d been given in her head. “First, may I say none of those three men would ever do anything against their will. From the day they first started making their own decisions ’till the day they die, it will be on their terms. Knox may have told you he didn’t want to touch you, but that was a lie. Even though I don’t know him that well, I strongly suspect there was something else holding him back.”
Josie felt lost. “He told me he was too old for me and he wasn’t looking for a relationship. Then he referred to himself as a traitor. At first, I didn’t know what it meant, but Gage told me. He’s not a traitor. He may not have kept his word, but he couldn’t go against what he believed in.”
Tessa angled her head. “Yes. I know the story better than you think. I was involved in the unfolding of that plan. Knox was in the line of fire and risked a lot. But you’re right, he couldn’t act otherwise. He may have been part of the criminal world for a long time, but he still has a code of his own, and slavery was never acceptable. However, it came at a price. It meant he had to betray everyone and everything he’d stood for all those years.
“Being in the underworld forged him as a man, so when he became what he saw as a traitor, it undid him. Locke told me that after the investigation he holed himself up, almost severed all ties with him and Gage. There was a lot of alcohol and fights too, but he didn’t go there alone. Locke and Gage were by his side and protected him until he came out of it. That’s when he made the decision to put everything behind him and move to Landston.”
This revelation was astonishing and made Josie think. “Something troubled him that much that it sent him down a path
of self-destruction again?”
“Maybe.” The doctor’s answer was vague.
Tessa had said Knox would never do anything he didn’t want to do and it got Josie thinking. “Just before he disappeared, we … he took me in his office. I’ve never seen him like that, so… unhinged I think is the word. I saw another side to him, one that was entirely new. He was feral, domineering. Not that he wasn’t before, but it was as if he was about to completely lose control. He took me, marked me. And after that, he was gone.”
Tessa frowned. “Did he do anything you didn’t consent to?”
Gaping as she realized she might have implied that, she shook her head. “No! God no! It was all consensual. And the best sex I’ve ever had. I woke up on his couch, hoping he would be beside me, but instead he was gone.” Josie sighed, her head falling down slightly. “What did I do wrong? When I realized he was gone, it was like he’d plunged a dagger through my heart.”
Her voice broke a little and Tessa put a hand around her shoulder. The gesture made her sob.
“Oh, Josie. I wish I could tell you something useful to make you understand Knox, but I wouldn’t know where to start. From the way you’re reacting, I’m guessing the deal to be a threesome has led to you wanting a twosome.”
Josie nodded her head, her voice low and small. “I was attracted to Knox, but I was deep in my problems. He offered me a generous solution, one I couldn’t turn down, but I still had my doubts on so many levels. He offered his body and his friend’s. I still can’t wrap my mind around it. Nothing makes sense to me. I never dreamed I’d be part of a threesome, but even with the attention and the orgasms, something doesn’t feel right. Like it’s out of sync. I can’t really explain it any better than that.”
Something beeped and the doctor pulled out her cell phone, but before looking at it, squeezed Josie’s shoulder. “I guess the first point of order is for you to rest then ask yourself what you want. If it’s both Gage and Knox, go for it. If it’s only one of them, it’s equally fine. If you don’t want either of them, to be part of their lives or lifestyle, I’d suggest you start planning how you’ll get the life you want.”
