Done [Running to Love 4] (Siren Publishing Classic) by Allyson Young

help, Greg. We would never have gotten Alex back if all of you guys hadn’t pulled together and helped. If we had listened to you in the first place, we might have avoided what happened, period! You and Lacey both doubted what we accepted as evidence, and it nearly cost us Alex. You’ve been through a shitty time, and you can’t expect to have it all under control yet. Save your energy for taking care of Lacey and know that we’re all here for you. Well, most of us,” Jeff amended with a curious grimace. Greg decided not to expend energy on what appeared to be yet another secret he was yet to be made privy to. It was enough that Jeff’s pep talk had given him the impetus he needed to stay the course. Friends needed to support one another. Greg remembered that talk with Jeff and Devon when, quite out of the blue, their Alex had apparently wanted to do a scene at the Club with a “seasoned” Dom. Lacey hadn’t understood it and had insisted it had to be wrong, that there was a problem with communication. Greg had tried to challenge Jeff and Devon on their assumption, but the information and evidence they had compiled refuted Lacey’s lonely assertion and he had backed off, unlike a cop, ignoring intuition. Greg still regretted not pushing harder, or maybe having a personal chat with Melissa, the bitch who had woven that particular web of malicious deceit. It was her Dom, Stephan, who was given the “honors” to give Alex what her men had apparently been unable to provide, all so that Melissa could give Stephan what he wanted and not lose him. That entire dark comedy of errors had driven Alex away to live a bare subsistence, alone. Devon and Jeff had very nearly been driven mad until they found her and brought her home.
    “Lacey isn’t real interested in having me anywhere near her at the moment,” he confided ruefully. “I plan to take care of her, but she might have something to say about it.”
    Jeff shrugged. “Man up, Greg. I was shit scared that Alex wouldn’t come home, but Devon wouldn’t take no for an answer. You might want to learn from that. Hell, he even helped Kyle find his sub Tabitha that time when she left him. We let Kyle talk to Alex to gain some insight, and Alex knew that Kyle was a righteous guy who wanted to fix things as soon as she met him. She told him to do the same thing, go after her and don’t take no for an answer. She’s in your corner on this, too.”
    “That could be perceived as stalking, Jeff,” Greg said quietly.
    “Not when it’s in their best interest. You know that. Lacey’ll need time to hear you out, and you’ll need to grovel, probably a whole lot, but I have faith in you. We all do, and so does she. She’s hurting, and she needs you.” Jeff thumped Greg on the upper arm and headed out.
    Greg hefted the duffle and ran his hand over his jaw. The morning shift would soon be coming on, and he thought he had better take the opportunity to find somewhere to clean up and then grab a bite before they did. He wanted to make a good impression on the new keeper of the gates. Fortunately he knew his way around, and there was a shower on the next floor he was certain he could use.
     
    * * * *
     
    The clatter of the blinds and the light flooding into the room pulled Lacey from her early-morning slumber. Why was it that a person slept so much better right before they woke up, or were freaking well awakened and that it then felt so damn intrusive? As she had feared, it had been a night of discomfort and fragmented dreams, and she felt like she hadn’t gotten any rest at all. The comings and goings of people in the dark hadn’t helped either, although having the IV removed at some ungodly hour maybe wasn’t the worst thing. It meant she was hydrated and could probably go home soon. The white-uniformed figure busy at the window turned and saw she was awake.
    “Good morning! I’m Marie, your day nurse. And how are we feeling today?”
    Lacey bitchily wondered if the