“I would’ve never released any of yours if you hadn’t left me. No one deserved to see my wife, but once you weren’t—well, I needed the cash to make up for the money you got in the divorce. Of course, I always blur out the faces. I wouldn’t want to embarrass anyone. And don’t worry, they’re not all out there. I keep my favorite ones for my private collection. Some things are too good to take money for.” He looked to Kade. “I wish I would’ve had a camera that night with you. Seeing you sucking my cock like a bitch, those crying blue eyes begging me for mercy, could get me off every time. Bet you haven’t been fucked unconscious since.”
The words made bile rise in the back of Kade’s throat and that old feeling of shame tried to leak in, especially with Tessa there hearing it all. But he refused to let it claim him.
“Hey, I may have even cured your stutter,” Doug added.
Fury rose up in Kade like a tsunami, demanding that he rip this guy apart with his bare hands. But he didn’t take the bait and let himself lunge at Doug. He had no doubt Doug would shoot him, and then Tessa would be left with this sociopath. “Glad you’re so proud to be a rapist, Douggie. How many of those people in your photo collection were willing? My guess is less than half.”
His mouth twitched in a half smile, like he was fucking proud of himself. “You know how it is, don’t you? You’re into that dominance shit. I saw that picture of Tessa crawling for you. The fear is what gets guys like us off.”
Kade’s fists curled. “I’m nothing like you, you sick fuck.”
People like him were the reason he was fighting in court for his kid. Psychos who took everything true dominants held sacred and twisted it into ugly, criminal things.
“Sure, if that’s what helps you sleep at night,” Doug said with a sneer. “But I bet my dear wife here is soaking wet right now. She has no control. That’s what she likes, right? You make her your whore. Maybe I should try it out. I could do whatever I wanted to her right now.”
Tessa’s eyes darted from left to right, fear there, but also determination. Kade got the sense she was scanning the yard, looking for some escape or weapon. But Kade knew even if there was something available neither of them would be able to get to anything without Doug seeing. Kade was going to have to do this with talking.
“Let her go, Doug. If you hurt either of us, you know it’s going to be too suspicious to write off as an accident or self-defense. We can work this out with no bloodshed. You’ve got photos we want back. And we have ones of you. I’m thinking that’s an even trade. Everybody walks away and moves on.”
“No,” he ground out. “I need her to tell everyone she cheated and that I was a good husband. My congregation doesn’t trust me and it’s hurting my business. I’m not going to stand by and watch the reputation I built crumble. She needs to fix the shit she caused.”
Tessa made a muffled noise.
“Let her talk,” Kade said. “She’s not going to scream while the gun’s on me.”
Doug moved his hand from around her mouth to a loose chokehold around her neck. “Talk, but one loud noise and your boyfriend’s got a bullet in the head.”
“I’ll say whatever you need me to say,” Tessa said in a rush. “I can’t marry you again. But I’ll say whatever you want at services tomorrow. I don’t care about what anyone thinks of me. They can call me what they want. I just want to go back to Texas and live my life.”
“To be his slut?”
She lifted her gaze to Kade’s, a glimmer of something beautiful there. “Yes. To be his. I love him.”
Kade’s chest expanded with the words, everything in him soaring. She loved him back.
But they weren’t going to be able to celebrate that if they didn’t get out of this backyard and away from Doug’s gun.
“Listen, Doug. It’s a simple business transaction. We can trade photos, and Tessa will go to the church tomorrow to say what you want her to. Then we walk away from each other and never speak again,” Kade said, trying to use his reasonable voice.
“You fucking love him?” Doug asked, turning red.
“I always have,” Tessa said, venom in her voice. “I married you for your money because I had no choice. But you were always a jerk. And by the way, you were the one who was boring in bed. You’ve got a dick you have no idea how to work. Now I realize just how bad at fucking you were. I used to fake coming just to get it over with.”
Oh, shit.
“Tess, stop.” Panic zipped through Kade as she continued her rant. He could see what her words were doing to Doug. The man was about to explode with rage. This was not the way to get him to calm down and cooperate.
“Is that right?” Doug yanked Tessa away from him, holding her by the front of her shirt and pointing the gun her way. He shook her hard and shoved her to the ground. “You think I don’t know how to fuck? I tried to be gentle with you. I tried to respect you. You were my wife. But, you’re about to find out what it feels like when I fuck a whore.”
Tessa was on her back and lifted herself onto her elbows. “Come on, then. Take out your dick. I’m ready to laugh.”
Jesus Christ, what was she doing? But when her gaze flicked Kade’s way and then to the gun, which was now lowered at Doug’s side while he unbuttoned his pants, he realized what she was doing. Raping someone would be a two-handed event. And in
his moment of fury, Doug had lost sight of the man standing nearby.
Kade gave Tessa a quick nod and she rolled out of the way in one swift motion. Before Doug realized what was happening, Kade was barreling forward linebacker style and knocking him sideways. The momentum carried them both to the ground and the gun went off. Tessa screamed and pain lit up Kade’s leg, but he wasn’t going to let that stop him. He pinned Doug to the ground and grabbed his wrist, banging it on the lawn with all his strength until the gun fell from Doug’s grip.
Doug struggled beneath him, but Kade had learned a lot since that night in the woods. He knew how to restrain someone in more creative ways than he could count. He pushed Doug onto his back and wrenched his arms above his head. Doug was still fighting and writhing beneath him.