Page 51 of Rescuing Ally: Part 1

I know what this is. I’ve played the game before—men who liked the act of dominance, who whispered warnings they never enforced. For them, punishment was a prop, just another step in the performance, a way to make my pulse race before we tumbled into bed.

But this… this isn’t a game.

Hank isn’t testing me. He’s not baiting me, coaxing me into compliance just for the thrill of it. His command isn’t a suggestion—it’s a fact. And the most startling part? It doesn’t feel strange that I want to obey.

I’ve never needed the follow-through before. Never cared whether the man on the other side of the threat actually meant it. But now?

Now, the idea that Hank—Gabe, too—wouldn’t hesitate to make me answer for my disobedience doesn’t just send a rush of heat through me.

It makes mecraveit.

Not the punishment itself—but what is obedience without consequence? What weight does surrender carry if there’s no risk in refusal?

Something about them—both of them—makes this feel right in a way it never has before. That makes surrender feel like power instead of weakness.

I sigh, swipe to answer, and lift the phone to my ear.

Chapter 17

“Hi, Dad.”

“Ally.” His voice is sharp, tight with barely restrained frustration. “Tell me where you are.”

Not are you okay? Not why didn’t you check in? Just straight to the point, the way he always is when he’s barely holding on.

“I’m fine, Dad.” I shift the phone to my ear, aware of how both Hank and Gabe have paused, listening. “Better than fine, actually.”

“You need to come home, Allycat.”

The old nickname makes my throat tight. His voice has lost that commanding edge, the one that used to make prime ministers squirm. Now, he just sounds tired.

And worried.

I exhale slowly, bracing for the argument to come.

“I don’t want to. I’m right where I want to be.”

“You need to be home. Where you’re safe.”

“I’m safe here. Safer than I’d be anywhere else.”

A long pause. The kind that means my father is choosing his words carefully. “I suppose you are.” Another pause. “But …”

“They’re good men,” I respond.

“Do I want to ask?” Hesitation threads through my father’s voice, making me smile.

“You probably shouldn’t.” I bite back a laugh as Gabe winks at me from the stove. “Better for your mental health.”

Instead of asking the obvious, he shifts gears, trying to work a different angle to get me to come home.

“Your thesis defense, Allycat—” The worry creeps into his voice. “You’ve barely touched it since …”

“Dr. Whittman told me to take time off. He’s still recovering himself, and—” I break off as Hank makes it his mission to distract me. He leans in and presses a playful kiss to my neck, making me squirm.

“I’m trying to have a serious conversation,” I whisper, covering the phone.

He grins, unrepentant. “So am I.”

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