Page 17 of Third Wheel

Kincaid wasn’t surprised. The gossip train at Stronghold and Marquis would be running strong. It wasn’t just Amy’s bridesmaids who were members of the kink clubs; there had been plenty of them among the guests, too. He bet the word hadstarted spreading that something was happening—even though no one had known what—the moment Sam had come to get him and Zach.

“We do.” He hesitated. “What are people saying?”

“Oh, all sorts of crazy things, you know how it is. Everything from Amy and her groom had a big fight right before the wedding because she caught him cheating or he caught her cheating, to he was kidnapped, to he eloped to Vegas with one of her bridesmaids.” Mitch cracked up at that last one because it was so freaking unbelievable.

Even having witnessed it, Kincaid was still having trouble believing it. Because who the fuck even did that? Who thought that was an acceptable thing to do?

“It’s more of a combination of the first and last one. Noelle convinced Jeremy that Amy was cheating on him, and apparently, the correct reaction to that was to fly to Vegas and elope with Noelle on what was supposed to be his and Amy’s wedding day.” Kincaid stabbed the cantaloupe, which allowed him to vent his feelings a little.

“No fucking way.”

“Way. Marissa, of all people, said she’s going to talk to Patrick. Apparently, Noelle took pictures of Amy inside the club and shared them with Jeremy as proof.”

“Hell, I scened with Amy… in the past, before Domi and I got together. I fucking believe her when she said she told him what she was doing and that he’d consented to her being there. She was very clear about the boundaries. It was all platonic kink, nothing sexual at all.” The indignation in Mitch’s voice matched how Kincaid felt about the whole situation.

“He’s an asshole,” Kincaid said flatly. Even though he’d never actually met the guy, that was clear. His emotions were coming out in the way he was cutting up the cantaloupe, which did not need the aggressive movements he was using because it wasactually very ripe and easy to cut. But it helped him feel a little better. “Even if he didn’t truly understand what he was agreeing to, he deliberately chose to hurt and humiliate her in the worst way possible. He could have called off the wedding beforehand. He didn’t. And he didn’t have to elope with Noelle on the wedding day. He did it because he wanted to be cruel.”

“Noelle, too. I know we’re not supposed to speak badly about the submissives, but…” Mitch’s voice trailed off. “Between what she did to Iris and what she’s done now to Amy…” Suddenly, he laughed, startling Kincaid. “Domi just called her a cuntcake.”

Obviously, Mitch wasn’t on speaker because Kincaid hadn’t been able to hear Domi at all. He couldn’t help but laugh, too, despite the situation.

Maybe the Dominants weren’t supposed to speak badly of the submissives, but that wasn’t going to stop the submissives from doing so. He doubted Noelle was going to find any welcome at Stronghold, even if Patrick didn’t revoke her membership. Everyone loved Amy. On top of that, no one was going to take it well that Noelle had secretly been taking pictures inside the club. She’d broken trust on just about every possible level.

“I mean…”

“She’s a total cuntcake,” Amy said from behind him, making him jump about a foot in the air and spin around, knife held up high, heart racing from the surprise.

He hadn’t heard her moving around. She smiled at him. Her eyes were still puffy and red, but the smile looked more real than any of the ones she’d worn on her lips yesterday. His navy-blue robe was far too large on her and yet she looked like she was happy to be snuggled into it.

“Is that Amy?” Mitch asked from the phone. “Hey, sweetie, how are you feeling?”

“Better than yesterday,” she said, which was a good non-answer. Considering she’d been as low as a person could beyesterday, it wasn’t like that was a high bar to clear. “I’ll be even better if that’s fresh coffee I smell.” Her hazel eyes met his with pleading hope.

“It is. Mugs are in there.” He nodded his head toward the correct cabinet, then turned around to finish cutting up the cantaloupe.

“Thanks. Sorry for interrupting, but I woke up, and my stomach was growling,” she said apologetically. He heard the cabinet opening behind him.

“Well, we are talking about you,” Mitch said, back to his normal cheerful tone. “Might as well have you join in, right? For some reason Domi is telling me she’s got a shovel as if that has some sort of special significance. However, I have to tell you that I do not approve of any plans that involve actual body burial, no matter how a person might, theoretically, deserve it.”

As always, Mitch got the laugh he was looking for. It was one of his superpowers and one that Kincaid was rather envious of, especially right now. He was happy to see Amy genuinely laughing.

“So, make any murder and body burial plans when you’re not around, got it,” she said teasingly as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

“Hey, now, I can’t be hearing this either. Former police officer, remember?” Kincaid protested. He knew they were joking.

Probably.

“Since it’s ‘former,’ it’s not really an issue though, right?” Mitch asked. “You’ve moved into personal security, and as long as it’s not a client…”

“Oh, yes, that automatically is going to stop me from doing the right thing.” Kincaid shook his head. “If she gets caught, she’ll be in jail. The best revenge is living happily.”

“Oh, so it’s for practical reasons and not just because you’re Dudley Do-Right,” Mitch teased, making Amy laugh and Kincaid grimace.

He did try to do the right thing, always, and it had bitten him in the ass more than once. It was a large part of the reason he’d made the job move into personal security, but that was his burden and not something Amy needed to hear about when she was actually laughing and smiling.

“But if they get caught, you’ll be the first in line with bail money, right?”

“Of course.” He winked at Amy, pushing aside his own issues. “It would be the right thing to do.”

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