by Erin Osborne
Flynn lets them stay until I begin yawning. Then he ushers them out with the promise to let them know when I’m getting out of the hospital. They let us know they’ll have dinner at our place and help us find a new home. I’m sure it will be close to theirs. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
With the men out of my room, I close my eyes and let sleep claim me. It takes the pain away from me for a little bit of time. The only thing I feel is Flynn laying down on me once more. He has to be close to me at all times. I feel the same about him.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Flynn
IMOGEN WAS RELEASED from the hospital after staying overnight to make sure everything was okay with her and our twins. She’s still worried about whoever else would be out there after her. My brothers are at the house almost daily. Imogen is their first stop until we lock ourselves in my office to discuss a way to get our dad to admit to being King’s business partner. The only reason he’s hiding it is because he knows we will not deal with him trading skin. That’s not anything we will ever deal in. Now, it’s just a matter of catching him in the act.
Today is no different. I walk in the house to voices coming from the kitchen. Imogen refuses to sit in the living room because she said it’s too cold and formal. I don’t blame her one bit. Our new home will be nothing like this one. As a matter of fact, that’s one of the reasons I’m home earlier than normal.
“I see you scoundrels are hounding my wife once again,” I say as I enter the kitchen.
“Babe,” Imogen says, turning a dazzling smile toward me. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too. How are you feeling today?” I ask her, pulling her up from the chair for a kiss.
“As good as any other day,” she responds, not keeping a single detail of her pregnancy from me.
“Well, are you up for traveling a little bit?” I question her.
“Where are we going?” she counters, excitement lacing her voice as a smile fills her face and reaches her eyes.
“To our new home,” I answer.
“Are you serious?” she gushes, laughter filling our kitchen.
Nodding my head, Lachlan and Hunter stand behind us, laughing along with their sister-in-law. Imogen wraps her body around mine and pulls me down for a kiss. Leaving the house, my brothers follow us. The ride is about a half hour from the house we’re currently staying in. the museum as I call it.
When we pull up to the house, Imogen’s eyes bug out of her head. Our new home is about half the size of the monstrosity we were in. There are five bedrooms in the house with a large kitchen, a large living room, and multiple bathrooms. Outside the house is painted a light brown with white shutters. It’s the color Imogen said she wanted so I had it repainted for her vision.
Helping my wife out of the car, we hear a loud commotion coming from down the beach just behind our backyard. Imogen is the first one to point out a woman running toward us. She’s practically naked with bruises and blood covering her body. What little bit of clothing remains on her body, is torn to pieces as she rushes up to us. The small woman throws her body into Lachlan’s arms, crying and screaming about someone trying to take her.
A blacked-out SUV comes screaming down the road toward us. As they pass, the driver’s side window is slightly down and I recognize the face looking back at me. it’s someone I never thought would be a part of taking a woman against her will. My heart races and the breath catches in my throat as I realize this is bigger than what we originally thought.
“Flynn, we need to get her out of the public eye and into some clean clothes. A doctor needs to look her over and determine what needs to happen to her. Or maybe we should take her to the hospital?” Imogen says, her voice kept intentionally gentle in front of the young woman.
“No!” she screams, trying to burrow further into my brother’s body. “Please, I’ll behave. I won’t cause you any trouble.”
My brother’s and I look at one another with anger and rage filling our eyes. I quickly usher everyone inside as Lachlan picks the girl up as if she weighs nothing at all. Once we’re inside the house, everything moves at a quick pace. I call in the doctor while Imogen and Lachlan begin to clean her wounds. Hunter is digging through the bags and boxes from Imogen’s small apartment to find something to cover up this young woman’s body.
Walking in the only bedroom downstairs, I see the woman in bed with a death grip on Lachlan’s hand. She is staring at him while Imogen does her best to clean up several wounds filling her torso, chest, and legs. That’s just what we can see on the front of her body. Now that her face is relatively clean, I notice several cuts, bruises, and scrapes covering her pale skin.
“Have you gotten a name from her yet?” I ask, alerting the room to my presence.
“I-I-It’s Peyton,” she murmurs, her voice sounding as if she gargled broken glass and sand. “P-P-Please don’t make me go back.”
“We’re not gonna send you back to anything,” Lach states firmly.
I’ve never seen my brother like this before. He hasn’t taken his attention from the girl since she jumped into his arms. A girl doesn’t keep Lachlan’s attention longer than it takes to bed her. Usually, he’s already thinking about something else before he even gets off. This is definitely different for him.
“Can you tell us anything about what happened to you?” Imogen asks her, her voice still soft and gentle. “We have a doctor coming to look you over, but I’d like to give him as much detail as possible so you don’t have to.”
“I was taken from work one night when I was closing. I’m not sure how long I’ve been held captive or where I’ve been. I managed to get away when they were changing our location. Every so often we’re moved around for some reason. I don’t even know how many of us there are,” she says, her voice low and sounding painful as she tells us that.
“No more talking,” Lachlan barks out. “You’re safe here and I won’t let anyone get you. We’ll figure out the details of everything when you’re feeling better. For now, try to close your eyes while we wait for the doctor.”
Peyton nods her head as Imogen continues cleaning her up. When her grasp relaxes on my brother, I nod my head in his direction. He follows me from the room where we find Hunter leaning against the wall across from the bedroom.
“Are you thinking she’s from whoever was King’s partner?” Hunter asks me, not hearing what we just did.
“I do. She’s been held captive and doesn’t know for how long,” Lachlan answers, his voice filled with venomous rage.
“Did either of you see who was driving the SUV when it passed by the house?” I question my brothers.
“Yeah. I was hoping I wasn’t the only one to catch that,” Hunter responds. “We need to step up our game and figure out how to take them out. Now!”
“Yeah. I’m sure by now our father will know we have the girl,” I state.
“Who was driving the fucking SUV?” Lach asks.
“Dad’s right-hand man, Vinny,” I answer as we all stand in the hallway.
I’m not sure what the fuck we’re going to do about this situation, but we’re going to take our own father out. If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll make sure Imogen, my children, Peyton, and the rest of the world’s girls and women are safe. No one will hurt another person on my watch. Unfortunately, it’s going to take some time to find all the players and ensure we can shut this damn ring down. Permanently.
When the doctor gets to the house and walks in the room with Peyton and Imogen, Lachlan follows him in. Hunter and I look at one another before heading to the living room. While Imogen and I have been looking for a home, we’ve been buying new furniture and storing it. I’ve had this house for two days and had enough time to get it all moved in. Imogen can change it anyway she likes, I just wanted it already here. It’s a good thing with Peyton and the situation we now find ourselves in.
This is going to get so much worse before anything gets better. Hunter and I agree on that. For now, we settle in
on the couch and I turn the TV on low. We need to be able to hear anyone outside or one of them calling for help while Doc is here. This is not what I had planned for today, but it’s only one day. We need to help Peyton and figure out what to do next.
“You see Lach with her?” Hunter questions me.
“Yep. Another bites the dust,” I answer, laughter falling from me.
Hunter simply shakes his head as we wait for any word on Peyton. I know my wife won’t leave her side until she knows she’s okay. That’s only one of the reasons I love that woman. Other than my youngest brother, Peyton has another ally on her side. Imogen won’t be letting the girl go anytime soon.
The End . . . . for now!
About the Author
Growing up, I was constantly reading anything I could get my hands on. Even if that meant I was reading my grandma’s books that weren’t so age appropriate. I started out reading Judy Blume, then graduated to romance, mainly historical romance, and last year I found an amazing group of Indie authors that wrote MC books. Instantly I fell in love with these books.
For a long time, I’ve wanted to write. I just never had the courage to go through with actually doing it. During a book release party, I mentioned that I wanted to write and I received encouragement from an amazing author. So, I took a leap and wrote my first book. Even though this amazing journey is just starting for me, I wouldn’t have even started if it weren’t for a wonderful group of authors and others that I’ve met along the way.
I am a mother of three children. Only one girl in the bunch! My family and friends mean the world to me and I’d be lost without them. Including new friends that I’ve met along the way. I’ve lived in New York my whole life, either in Upstate or the Southern Tier. I love it during the summer, spring, and fall. But, not so much during the winter. I hate driving in snow with a passion!
When I’m not hanging out with my family/friends, reading, or writing, you can find me listening to music. I love almost all music! Or, I’m watching a NASCAR race.
I look forward to meeting new friends, even if I’m extremely shy!
Here are some links to connect with me:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/ErinOsborneAuthor/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/author_osborne
My website:
http://erinosborne1013.wix.com/authorerinosborne
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/user/emgriff07
Acknowledgments
First and foremost, I need to thank my family. Without you all standing by my side, showing me love and support, I wouldn’t get to do what I love to do. I love you all!
Melissa. You’re an amazing PA, my best friend, and you have my back at every turn. Thank you for all the help, talks, and the friendship. You’re an amazing person and I’m thankful you’re a part of my team and family!
Kim. I love ya and can’t thank you enough for the friendship, conversation, and all the help you give me. Thank you will only ever be words used to show my appreciation for all you’ve done since becoming a member of my family so many years ago!
Tammy. Thank you for being a member of my team and helping me with so many things. You’ll never know how much I appreciate it!
My beta team. You girls take my stories and help me bring them to life. You point out help I need and changes that need to be made. Thank you for everything!
To the Readers. Thank you for the amazing support you’ve shown me since I started this amazing journey. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for everything!
If I’ve left anyone out, I’m truly sorry. These are hard to write without feeling as if I’m forgetting someone that’s given me help.
Other Books
Wild Kings MC: Clifton Falls
Skylar’s Saviors
Bailey’s Saving Grace
Tank’s Salvation
Melody’s Temptation
Blade’s Awakening
Irish’s Destiny
Rage’s Redemption
Pops
Wild Kings MC: Dander Falls
Darcy’s Downfall
Riley’s Rescue
Harley’s Surrender
Shadow’s Dilemma
Tech’s Change
Phantom Bastards MC
Jennifer’s Choice
Slim’s Second Chance
Shy’s Last Stand
Sam’s Playboy
Satan’s Anarchy MC
Satan’s Revenge
Hadleigh’s Desire
Cassidy’s Resurgence
Renegade’s Choice
Grave’s Claim
Blazing Outlaws MC
Raine’s Fall
Capone’s Misery
Our Secrets
Wicked Angels MC
Knight’s Unforeseen Change
Old Ladies Club
Book 1: Wild Kings MC
Book 2: Soul Shifterz MC
Book 3: Rebel Guardians MC
Book 4: Rage Ryders MC
Legacies
Desire
Sky
Anthologies:
Bad to the Bone
Heart of an Alpha
Twisted Steel
Guns Blazing
Secrets
Forever His Ride or Die
All I Want for Christmas
