Night Is Darkest

comforted her to have some piece of him close by.
She squeezed the grip tight then cried herself to sleep.
***
“What kind of fucked-up shit is this? You’re kicking me out? Fucking dumping me?” Tyler watched Mason wince. The clueless bastard had probably never thought of himself as being in a relationship in the first place.
What else would you call it? They spent nearly every day together functioning seamlessly as partners. When they felt the need for a woman they shared one and, in private, they fucked each other. Hell, they’d even lived together since graduating high school nearly ten years before.
“You need each other. I can see the hunger in you both.”
“And you don’t think I want you, too? You don’t see how bad she needs you, too? Jackass!” Frustration spurred Ty to lash out.
“What can I give you, Ty? You deserve a life with her. Get married, have kids, do all the regular stuff you want to do. We’ve fooled around long enough, now it’s time for you to make something real, something lasting. Threesome’s are fun but how can it work long term?”
“I know one thing she can’t give me.” He stared at the junction of Mason’s thighs where, even now, a prominent bulge proclaimed his desire.
“And you’d trade it all for some cock? I’ll buy her a strap-on for Christmas.” Mason’s face turned maroon but his voice got softer, a dangerous sign. “I saw the pain in her eyes today. I can’t live with knowing I contributed to it. Just answer me this…can you be with her and not want to fuck other guys?”
Ty’s head snapped back as though he’d taken a jab to the face. “You motherfucking bastard! What the hell are you talking about?”
“Even if it were safe, Lacey could never handle it if you cheated on her. Can you be satisfied with a woman alone?”
Tyler refused to stroke the bastard’s ego with the truth: Mason was the only person he wanted as much as Lacey. “It’s all about the person, douche. Not their equipment. Besides, she’s the hottest lay I’ve ever had. I don’t fucking need you.”
Instead of bristling, or fighting back, Mason gave a curt nod that crushed Ty’s hope. Was his lie so easy for his partner to believe?
“What about you? Will you be happier without me?” Years of doubt bubbled up from the dark abyss he’d locked it away in. Mason had never allowed them to reveal the slightest hint of their clandestine affair. Ty had struggled to ignore the way it made him feel less than worthy but they were riding close to their raw emotions already. Lack of sleep, misery and the danger they both sensed had them on edge.
“Yes.” Mason didn’t hesitate for an instant.
The affirmation stabbed Tyler straight in the heart. Reeling, he grabbed the duffle bag Mason had already packed for him then strode out the door, intending never to return.
If Mason wanted him to claim Lacey, that’s what he would do. At least she would love him honestly.

Chapter Five
Tyler pocketed the key Lacey had stashed under the welcome mat. Was everyone he loved crazy? She and Rob had argued often about that particular lapse in security but maybe her carelessness was partially their fault. They’d sheltered her from the crimes that had become routine in their jobs, preserving her illusion of safety in the lazy, mid-western city they lived in.
Well, he wouldn’t be replacing it anytime soon.
He shrugged the duffle onto the entryway carpet before making a quick round of the first floor to confirm the backdoor and windows remained secure. No lights shone downstairs, though Rob’s big-ass TV murmured on low, and nothing seemed out of place. The quiet must have bothered her.
How could he have left her in isolation for three entire days? The time he’d spent hunkered down, freezing his man-berries off in the most uncomfortable car on earth across the street had seemed like some bizarre penance for what he’d done. If he’d still been her friend, or her lover, he could have manned his post from the cozy house. Instead, he’d destroyed both relationships with one fell swoop and he feared Lacey had suffered for his foolishness.
He had to convince her to take him back. How could he do that without explaining why he’d left in the first place and how everything was different now? He wouldn’t blame her if she told him to go straight to hell, do not pass go. When had his life gotten so fucked up?
A nightlight emitted a warm glow from the bathroom that adjoined both Rob and Lacey’s rooms. She’d left the door ajar so that a golden beam spilled from the crack across her four-poster bed. His heart skipped a beat when he caught sight of the bruised circles staining the porcelain skin under her eyes. At times like this, he understood why Mason called her doll.
Tyler didn’t intend to disturb her, but the fragile rasp of her uneven breathing drew him closer until he perched on the lip of the mattress. She lay on her stomach, dressed in sweats and one of Rob’s ratty old police department T-shirts. Her pillow obscured one delicate hand while the other clawed at the flannel sheet beneath her.
As he watched, helpless, she began to tremble. When she whimpered, instincts kicked in. He reached out to stroke her back but the second his palm connected with her spine, she bolted awake. Before he could grab her, she’d scrambled away. Her shoulders slammed into the headboard with enough force to jar the entire bed.
In her shaking, doubled-fisted grasp—aimed point blank at his chest—she clasped Rob’s pistol.
“Holy shit!” He lowered his voice to a croon, hoping to break through the feral zeal in her eyes. “It’s me. Tyler. I’m here. I’m not going to hurt you. Put the gun down.”
“Ty?” Her faint question seemed to echo from a million miles away.
“Yeah, little one. It’s me.” He inched forward until he could deflect the barrel long enough to pry