Triple Knockout (Make Mine A Menage Book 3) Read online

  Muffled words pelted her through the pane of glass but she only caught their tail end. “Are you okay, miss?”

  A lifetime passed before the tendrils of shock finally released their tenacious hold. Teeth chattering, she fumbled with the door handle. It wouldn’t budge. Fear bubbled inside her, pushed its way loose along with her distressed cry.

  “Miss, calm down. Let me try to get it.” The door cracked open, making way for an icy slap of wind that stung her face and eyes. Ignoring the painful pinpricks jabbing into her corneas, she fought the prison of her seatbelt. Gloved hands reached for hers. “Easy. You’re okay now.”

  “N-no, I’m not. I need to get out. Now.”

  “All right. Can I get the seatbelt for you?”

  The gentle request pierced through her agitation and she stopped her frantic fumbling to look up at the stranger. She could barely focus on his features. The one thing she didn’t miss was the worry furrowing his brow. Her vision waterlogged, she nodded. “Please.”

  He helped her from the vehicle and she gripped the door to keep from falling on the slushy roadway. Another vehicle was wedged in behind her at an odd angle. It didn’t take any mental gymnastics to determine it was the object she’d slammed into. “I-is that your car?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m sorry.” Her voice broke on the last word as everything hit her like a sledgehammer.

  “The only one who should be sorry is the idiot who cut you off.” He gently squeezed her shoulder. “I’m going to call 911 but it might be a while before the cops and the EMS gets here.” He offered her another troubled look when she gaped at him blankly. “Hon, what I’m trying to say is you can’t continue to stand out in the cold without turning into a popsicle.”

  He was right. Of course he was. Did that stop her stomach from pitching at the idea of getting back into her vehicle? Hell no. Swallowing past the nausea rising in her throat, she clutched the door handle, steeling herself. You can do this.

  Desperately trying to believe her inner pep talk, she hoisted up into her seat and snicked the door shut. Her pulse skittered like it was tobogganing an icy chute. Determined to keep her shit together, she leaned her head back against the neck rest and squeezed her eyes shut. Deep steady breaths would be ideal right now. Too bad her lungs felt like they were being used as an elephant’s trampoline.

  Fractured memories slipped through the mile-wide cracks in her composure. Broken glass. Blood. Too much blood.

  A shudder ripped through her. Prying her eyes open, she snatched her purse from the passenger seat and dug for her cell phone. She made it mid-scroll to Eric’s number before remembering he was still in Japan. Shit. What was the time difference? It was probably some ungodly hour there and he was asleep.

  You’re a big girl. You don’t need your brother to hold your hand and tell you everything will be okay.

  Swiping her hand over her damp eyes, she gaped at her phone, trying to convince her brain to function. She needed to call her insurance company. At least she’d probably get a rental car this time and wouldn’t have to rely on—

  Beau and Van. God, she needed to tell them what happened and probably cancel dinner tonight. No telling how long it’d take to settle up this mess. Her vision swimming with a fresh crop of tears, she pulled up the recent call list and clicked Van’s number. According to the time strip at the top of her screen, it was too early for him to be off the clock.

  Fully expecting to get his voice mail, she blanked when he came on the line.

  “Hey, sweetheart. Don’t break my heart and say you’re canceling.”

  It wasn’t so much his teasing words as the wonderful sound of his voice that triggered her waterworks full force. Clutching the phone, she sucked back a sob.

  “Allie? What’s wrong?” There was no mistaking Van’s concern, which only made the tightness in her chest a million times worse.

  “N-nothing.”

  “Bullshit. Where are you?”

  “I-I don’t know.” Her sniffle loud and gross, she glanced out the windshield. Why did her brain still feel like a big ball of uncooperative mush? “I think I’m a few blocks from home. I went to the store for groceries for tonight, b-but I got into a small fender-bender.”

  “What? Holy hell, sweetheart, are you okay?”

  “Yes.” Her voice wobbled, betraying her.

  “We’re on our way.”

  “Y-you don’t have to—”

  “Yes, we do. You said you were heading home from the grocery store. Was it the Kroger on Jefferson?”

  The question cracked through her mental fog. She peered out the window again, her surroundings finally clicking in place. She knew where she was. As she should, seeing how she drove by here at least once a week. “I’m at the corner of Jefferson and Dearborn.”

  “Good girl. Headed there now.”

  Van hung up and she followed suit with a shaky breath, the tension slowly draining from her. If it made her weak for being relieved beyond words that they were coming...she didn’t care. Because right now? She needed them more than she’d needed anything in her life.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Thank Christ traffic was deader than usual. Add in a few more Sunday drivers to test his patience, and he’d likely have a damn stroke before getting to Allie. A sideways glance at Beau confirmed he was likely experiencing the same level of frustration.

  That frustration morphed into disbelief as they reached the intersection at Jefferson and Dearborn. Even with the police cruiser and EMS vehicle partially blocking his view, Van easily made out the crumpled rear end of Allie’s SUV. “What the fuck?”

  “I thought you said it was a small fender-bender.”

  He slashed another look toward Beau and caught his accusing glare. “Don’t shoot the messenger. I was only repeating what she told me.” He hung a quick right into the entrance of a deserted strip mall and parked. Barely registering the arctic chill penetrating the nylon shell of his track pants, he dashed toward the crash site with Beau hot on his heels.

  The one persistent coldness that refused to be ignored? The dread rapidly spreading through him as he surveyed the damage to Allie’s Nissan. Thank God he knew she was technically okay. Otherwise, he’d be losing his damn mind right now. But it didn’t dull the dark fear insistently tormenting his brain. If the unfathomable had happened, and they’d lost her...

  No. No fucking way. He was not going there.

  They reached the passenger side of Allie’s car. No sign of her anywhere. At least it verified that she was uninjured and could walk. Unless...maybe she’d downplayed that too. His gaze whipped toward the ambulance just as a state trooper stepped into view.

  The cop glanced their way and did a double take. “Beau?” A bemused smile slowly overtaking his face, the man strode in their direction. “Wow, it’s been a while. Great to see you.”

  “Uh, yeah. Likewise.” Beau volleyed with a quick nod, clearly clueless of the guy’s identity.

  “You don’t remember me. Shit, there goes my ego.” The officer extended his hand with a rueful grin. “Kyle Chatham. Stacia and I went out a few times.”

  “Oh, right. I absolutely remember now.” Beau’s exaggerated response was a dead giveaway that he still didn’t recognize the dude. He cleared his throat with a sheepish look. “Great to see you, Kyle. Not to cut this short, but we’re here for a friend of ours and we’re a little worried about her...”

  Kyle dug a small notepad from his pocket and glanced at the top page. “Allie Saunders?”

  A sharp pang of apprehension winged through Van. “Where is she? Is she okay?”

  “She’s getting checked out by EMS. You can—”

  Not sticking around for the rest of Kyle’s response, Van booked it toward the ambulance. He and Beau reached the vehicle as its back doors swung open and a pair of uniformed techs assisted a pale-faced Allie down to the pavement. It took every ounce of control Van possessed not to immediately sweep her into his arms. His willpower nearly crack
ed in two when he spotted the tear tracks staining her cheeks. “Allie.”

  Her gaze hiked to him and Beau. Without saying a word, she stumbled into their waiting arms and hugged them tightly. His throat clogged with emotion, Van stroked her hair. The driving need to comfort and protect her filled his entire being, firmly anchoring itself as his sole focus. The voices of Beau and the paramedics filtered into his consciousness. Tuning out everything but the woman in his arms, he cupped Allie’s face in his hands, coaxing her to look up at him. He didn’t trust himself to speak. God only knew the incomprehensible mess that’d come spilling out of his mouth.

  A shuddery breath escaped her. “This is super embarrassing. I probably look even more awful than I feel.”

  “No, sweetheart.” He fanned his fingers across her cheek, the need to touch her, confirm that she was indeed safe and in one piece outshouting all else. “You could never be anything but beautiful.”

  “You’re a wonderful liar.” She sniffled and placed her hand over his. “Thank you. For saying that, and coming, and...everything.”

  The vulnerability in her eyes squeezed his heart in a chokehold. “Like there was any chance we wouldn’t.” He coasted a hand down to her shoulder, his gaze momentarily leaving hers as he visually swept her from head to toe and back up again. “You’re okay?” he demanded, needing to hear it straight from her lips.

  She nodded, her cheeks reddening. “My panic attack might have been a little over the top though. I think it freaked the paramedics out.” She dipped her gaze and stared at some spot on his chest. “They didn’t want to release me until I got my shit under control.”

  He slipped his fingers under her chin, guaranteeing her focus was locked solely on his face. “You’re safe. That’s all that matters.”

  Her eyes misted again. She looked on the verge of saying something but snuggled into his chest instead. Rubbing her shoulder gently, he shifted his attention to Beau as the paramedics secured the ambulance doors. “We can take her home now?”

  “I’ll double-check with Kyle that he doesn’t need anything more from her, but yeah, I think so.”

  Allie lifted her head. “I have to wait for the tow truck.”

  “No, you don’t. I’ll take care of it.” Beau whisked a lock of hair away from her eyes, his expression tender. “If you’re okay with using the repair shop down the street again, I can hitch a ride with the tow driver and get the ball rolling on everything.”

  “You don’t have to—” The remainder of her protest was cut off by Beau’s mouth when he leaned in to kiss her. She gave a wispy sigh after he broke away a second later and briefly pressed his forehead against hers. Without uttering a word, Beau released Allie and strode toward her SUV.

  A dramatic sigh fizzled from her. “Damn, he knows the best way to shut me up now. I don’t stand a chance of ever winning an argument.”

  The return of her sense of humor was the biggest balm to Van’s soul. Feeling like he’d just dropped twenty pounds of dark fear in the span of mere seconds, he glanced over the top of her head and spotted Beau approaching the young cop. After the briefest conversation in history, Beau waved an All Clear signal to them.

  “Wow, that was fast and incredibly easy,” Allie murmured in bemusement.

  “Officer Kyle apparently dated Stacia back in the day. Though if you ask me, his man crush on Beau is probably what facilitated things just now,” Van offered dryly.

  “Man crush, huh? Guess I can’t blame Kyle. Beau is awfully adorable.” She jerked her gaze back to him when he grunted. “You both are.”

  Much as he appreciated the ego stroke, his response had nothing to do with jealousy. Beau was adorable. He was also frustrating, aggravating as shit, and so goddamn irresistible, Van couldn’t stop thinking about getting his hands and mouth all over the stubborn sonofabitch.

  The only time his raging horniness hadn’t been front and center, tormenting him? The last half hour, when he’d been too focused on Allie to think about anything else. Now that the adrenaline had worn off some, the unmistakable itch was crawling beneath his skin again.

  You are a fucking glutton for punishment, Mitchell. Shaking his head, he brushed his knuckles along Allie’s nape. “Do you need to grab anything out of your car?”

  “Only about a week’s worth of groceries.”

  “Not a problem. I’m just across the street. In fact—” He dropped his arm and dug in his pocket for his keys. “How about you warm up the truck for me and I’ll get the groceries.”

  A frown crinkled her forehead. “You won’t be able to carry them all.”

  He adopted a mock look of affront. “Did you just call me a wimp?”

  “Please. We both know you can easily bench press a cow. What I meant is I’m right here and can help you carry the groceries.”

  He squeezed her hand. “Sweetheart, it’s okay. I’ve got it. Let me take care of you in this small way.”

  Her confusion cleared and she sighed softly. “All right.”

  He entrusted her with his keys and made sure she made it safely across the road before giving his full attention to unloading the Nissan. As it turned out, her idea of a week’s worth of groceries fell considerably short of what his usually entailed. Hell, he could probably carry all of the bags in one go if he did three per hand. What was a little blood loss in his fingers? The slight crunching of snow drew his attention and he turned his head as Beau hauled to a stop next to him. “Good, you can help me now that you’re done with your cop boyfriend.”

  Snorting, Beau craned his neck to peer over Van’s shoulder. “Where’s Allie?”

  “In the truck. I didn’t want her to deal with this while she’s upset.” He snagged Beau’s gaze as he passed him two of the bags. “I want to bring her back to the gym with me. She shouldn’t be alone right now.”

  “I agree completely. She can stay at my place tonight. Or as long as she needs.”

  Convenience wise, it made the most sense. With the repair shop just down the street, Allie could check in on her car whenever she wanted. And he or Beau would be able to get her to and from work easier. As long as Allie was game, it’d be the ideal solution. He angled his wrist to scan his watch. “Might want to give Matt a call then and let him know he’ll be manning things a little longer than predicted. I’m looking at a minimum of forty minutes round trip between Allie’s apartment, my condo, and then back to the gym. And who knows how long it will take on your end.” Unbelievable that the tow truck still hadn’t arrived. Where was the guy driving from? Antarctica?

  “Why are you stopping by your condo?” Beau demanded, breaking through Van’s frustrated musings.

  “Assuming Allie goes for our plan, I’ll need to grab my overnight bag.” He lifted his head and took in Beau’s wariness. Evidently it hadn’t occurred to him that Van would be part of the package deal. “You don’t have a problem with me spending the night too, right?” Judging from the stony silence greeting him? That would be a hell to the yeah. “What’s the problem? Worried you might sleepwalk and accidentally give me a blowjob?”

  Beau glared at him. “Don’t you mean a blowjob without a fucking happy ending?”

  “Shit, you’re still pissed off about that? All you have to do is say, “Pretty Please, Master.”, and I’ll give you all the happy endings you can handle.”

  Grumbling something darkly under his breath, Beau pushed away from the Nissan. Not bothering to keep his grin under wraps, Van kneed the door shut. “Sorry, didn’t catch that.”

  “I said pack some damn pajamas. You’re not traipsing around my apartment bare-ass naked, motherfucker.”

  He waggled his eyebrows. “Yeah, can see how that’d be too much temptation for ya.”

  “Jesus, I’m already regretting this.”

  Despite Beau’s outward grumpiness, Van swore he detected a spark of amusement in his partner’s eyes as he rolled them skyward. All things considered, that small crack in Beau’s armor amounted to a huge victory. Keeping that sentiment to h
imself, Van led the way to the truck and stowed the groceries on the back seat.

  Beau handed over his bags before crossing to the passenger door. Allie rolled down her window. “Are you sure you’re okay staying? I can—” Whatever she’d been about to say fell victim to Beau’s mouth again as he kissed her.

  Shit, I need to remember that trick. Van secured the rear door and climbed behind the wheel just as Beau loped toward the intersection. Panning his focus to Allie, he noticed the pensiveness etched into her profile. He reached over the divider and twined their fingers together. “Baby, talk to me. I know you’re still upset about the accident.” Shit, anyone would be. But after the hell she went through all those years ago, it had to be doubly traumatic for her.

  She was quiet for an endless moment, leaving him with the certainty that she wasn’t going to open up to him any time soon. As much as it hurt not being able to shoulder her pain and beat up the terrifying phantoms of the past for her, he had to respect her emotional boundaries and give her the space she needed. Even if it killed him.

  She finally met his gaze, misery stamped across her face. “I didn’t want you and Beau to figure it out.”

  When no further elaboration came, he squeezed her hand. “Sweetheart, you’re going have to fill in a missing blank for me because I have no clue what you’re referring to.”

  Her shoulders slumped like they were carrying the weight of the world. “I’m not some fierce, kickass chick who can keep her shit together in any situation. If you’d seen me fifteen minutes ago, you’d know that firsthand. ”

  The words coming out of her mouth made zero sense to him. “Baby, you’re a survivor. One hundred percent, no question about it. What you went through...and then being able to find the courage and determination to conquer your demons. The fact that you still wanted to drive after the accident is a damn testimony to your inner strength.”

  “Or that I don’t know how to stop while I’m still ahead.” She peered at him, a world of doubt tangible in her gaze. “Maybe today’s accident was fate’s way of telling me to pack it in and go back to riding the bus or hitching rides from everyone.”