Page 29 of The Traitor

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.”

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