by Eileen Green
“Got it, boss,” Dash said. Shane could hear the keys on the man’s computer being tapped.
“Hey, Shane,” a third voice said in his ear. “We have them passing Wadsworth.”
Shane had been at a meeting at the Jeffco Fairgrounds when he got the call from Thomas. As he entered the Highway 6 onramp was when Dash came back to say which direction Carrie was heading. “I’m getting off at Union and heading back towards the fairgrounds. I have an idea.” Since he had all three open lines, he just spoke out. “Thomas, head there too. Dash, I need you to contact Andy and tell him and some of his guys to meet me at the offramp to Ellsworth, ASAP. Bill”—the cop he was in contact with on his handheld cell phone—“I need the ability to have the freeway closed off, so they have to exit at Ellsworth. We’ll trap them there.”
“Shane, from what the camera picked up,” Bill began, his voice changing from official to a touch sad. “We picked up the glint of a gun.”
Releasing a deep breath, Shane thanked him. “We’ll be careful,” he said as he sped around cars towards his destination.
This wasn’t going to be planned as well as some of the other rescues they had to handle lately. He had to hope for the best.
* * * *
Sweat beaded on Carrie’s forehead as she drove. The heater wasn’t on, and it was still in in the forties temperature wise outside. Her hands were getting sweaty also, so it was getting harder to hold on to the steering wheel properly. The tears were beginning to slow, but her head still pounded.
Hope blossomed when she noticed red and blue flashing lights coming up in the lane to her left. Was it possible help was coming?
Her heart dropped when the police cruiser sped past her. Of course help wasn’t coming for her. She wasn’t worth it.
Another cruiser passed her as the traffic began to slow down. Was there an accident ahead?
“Keep going, no matter what,” Schmidt growled and then wiggled the gun around a bit. “I won’t hesitate to use this.”
“I could just drop you off somewhere. I promise I won’t say anything about this.” Carrie hoped he could be reasoned with. “I’ll talk to your PO and let them know there were circumstances on why you missed your last appointment.”
Schmidt’s closed fist came fast at her face. She couldn’t avoid it although she tried, swerving into the other lane. “Shut the fuck up!” he shouted at her.
The pain blossomed in her jaw as she tried to correct the car back into the lane despite the blurriness in her vision from the strike. This man was so off his rocker. How had his wife dealt with his outbursts?
Carrie knew she was already in too deep with this. She figured she was going to die, so she might as well poke the bear some more. “You know,” she began even though her jaw hurt like hell, “if you had told me about these outbursts, I could have prescribed medication for you. That would have helped quite a bit.”
He was now waving the gun wildly at her. “I told you to shut up, bitch! Why can’t women just keep their fucking mouths shut and do as they’re told? My father had to deal with the same shit.”
So, this was a learned defect for him. He had probably seen his father beat on his mother, and after a while, Victor Schmidt thought it was the way life worked.
As her vision began to come back into focus, Carrie realized the traffic had slowed considerably and they were being directed off the freeway.
“What the hell?” Schmidt muttered as he sat up straighter in his seat. He tucked the gun further into his jacket. “Don’t do anything stupid. Do not draw attention to us.”
Carrie hit the indicator to get over to the right. Schmidt turned his head slightly to see if the car next to her was going to let her in since the freeway was now blocked by four police cars.
While he was momentarily distracted, Carrie grasped the small cannister of pepper spray. She flipped the cap as quietly as possible as she maneuvered down the offramp.
At this point, she hoped that Schmidt wouldn’t shoot if she was to jump from the car since there were others around and the police were so close, so she had to take this chance. Easing the car along with the traffic, she prayed there would be an opening. She saw it when the traffic light came into view.
A police officer was in the middle of the intersection directing traffic, and to her surprise, Shane and two men who looked to be in wrestling garb were standing along the right side of the ramp. Two other wrestlers were on the left.
Hope soared in her heart. She didn’t know why Shane was there, but he was.
The ramp split off into three lanes, and Carrie knew she needed to get to the one closest to him. She eased closer and his eyes met hers. He gave a wink. He was there for her! Was it possible Thomas had gotten him there for her?
“What the hell is all this?” Schmidt exclaimed as he looked around at everything going on.
Carrie quickly shoved the canister into her right hand. She pointed it at Schmidt as she opened her door, and she sprayed. With being in such a contained area, the pepper spray burned her eyes before she fell from the car. She heard the gun go off as Schmidt cursed in the car, and she felt a burning in her forearm for that was the last part of her out of the car.
Chaos abounded as her car rolled away. Two strong arms gathered her up off the ground, and she could feel herself being jostled. Between the pain in her head, shoulder, and left arm, she had been nauseous, but now with the pain in her right arm, it was too much. Everything around her began to fade away as shouting reached her ears. Sirens split the air, but she let that all go and sank into the darkness that had been calling her, knowing at least now she was safe.
* * * *
Shane’s company supplied the guards out at the fairgrounds, and he had gone out there this morning to watch the wrestling classes that went on each week. He thought he could utilize the guys if needed to get to Carrie, if he wasn’t too late, so he thought the best thing to do was to have them wait at the end of the offramp that traffic would have to go down once the police shut down the freeway. He hated to use civilians, but he knew with their strength, he could use them to grab Carrie if needed.
Dash had been on the phone with him the whole time, letting him know when Carrie’s car was getting closer. Once Shane spotted her car, he shouted for the wrestlers to get ready. When she was about two cars away, he locked eyes with her, and it broke his heart that she was in this position.
Her eyes had grown large when she spotted him. He gave a wink as she moved her left hand to her right and then was manically moving her right hand around. The man who was holding her hostage began to yell as she opened the door on her side and bailed out of it. A shot rang out.
Shane ran to the passenger side of the car, opened the door, and dragged the man out. Pepper spray was overwhelming within the car, causing Shane’s eyes to burn even though he was outside. As he threw the man down to the ground and struggled to get the gun away from him, one of his guards had been instructed to stop the car from rolling into another vehicle. The pepper spray was going to suck.
Schmidt continued to fight him even as Shane managed to get the man’s hands into a zip-tie, crying out from the burning to his eyes and face. One of the wrestlers rushed over to him and stood over the man as Shane moved over to the other side of the ramp to see about Carrie.
Jasper “Tiny” Spence, the wrestler, was sitting on the ground holding Carrie in his arms. She looked unconscious which worried Shane. He knelt next to them.
“How’s she doing?” he asked as he looked her over. He spotted her bleeding arm as a car came screeching to a halt at the end of the ramp. “Shit!”
Thomas and Gerard came running up to where they were, both men falling to their knees. Thomas practically grabbed Carrie’s arm from Shane’s hand. “Oh, my God!” he exclaimed. “Is she all right?”
Gerard pulled her from the wrestler’s arms, yet the heavily muscular fighter didn’t look put out. Gerard sat in the dirt, holding her close to his chest with tears in his eyes. Thomas moved c
loser and pulled her legs into his lap.
Both men talked softly to her, telling her that they loved her and to please open her eyes. A screaming siren split the air, getting closer. Within a half a minute, an ambulance drove down the shoulder and stopped within feet of them.
* * * *
Thomas couldn’t believe that Carrie was unconscious and bleeding. He had prayed the whole time they were driving here that she would be safe. When he saw the blood, his heart practically stopped. When he saw it was from her arm, he felt relief, but why was she unconscious?
“She fought back, guys. She’s strong.” Thomas and Gerard looked at Shane questionably as he spoke. “She pepper-sprayed him before she jumped out of the car. That’s when he shot her,” Shane explained.
Relief flowed through Thomas knowing she was strong, and that she fought back. But she needed to wake up, so she knew that he and Gerard were there for her, that they loved her. He fought back tears, and as he looked up at Gerard, he saw the man was in the same shape.
Felix Rodriguez had gotten out of the ambulance along with Abigail Winters, one of Jackson’s subs and lovers. Felix rushed around the back of the rig while Abigail rushed over to Thomas, Gerard, and Carrie. “How’s she doing?” Abigail asked as she checked her heartbeat at her juggler vein.
“It appears she was shot in the forearm,” Shane said. Thomas was thankful Shane could speak for them as his heart was in his throat, causing him to not be able to speak.
“Okay. Any health issues we should know about?” she asked as Felix came up to the little scene and set down the bags he had retrieved.
“No,” Gerard mumbled. “Though she already had a headache this morning. I think it was from all the stress of getting to know us, finding out about the club, and then being afraid she might be being followed.
“Probably a tension or a migraine headache.” Felix wrapped a blood pressure cuff on her free arm, although Carrie fought it. “It seems this arm hurts her too.”
Thomas watched as his friends did their job, taking Carrie’s vitals. When they were ready, Shane helped Felix grab the stretcher and bring it over to Carrie. Shane picked up Carrie and gently laid her on the stretcher as Gerard and Thomas stood. Gerard looked at Thomas and said sadly, “You go with her. I’ll get a ride.”
Guilt still ate at Gerard. He still felt it was his fault that she had run because he hadn’t said he loved her when he had told Thomas. Thomas had told him while they drove here that it wasn’t the man’s fault. He hadn’t finished what he was going to say, and Carrie misunderstood. Thomas knew a punishment was in her future, and if Gerard didn’t change his way of thinking, he was heading in that direction also.
“I’ll bring him to the hospital,” Shane said behind Thomas.
“Thank you,” Thomas mumbled, trying to hold back his tears. Shane patted him on the back, knowing there wasn’t much more to say. A Navy Seal could take nearly anything done to himself, or even his fellow team members, but when it came to the love of your life, that was something entirely different.
Thomas followed the stretcher to the back of the ambulance and then stepped up inside once Felix and Abigail had loaded Carrie in. He quietly held Carrie’s hand as Abigail continued to check her vitals while Felix drove. Thankfully, he kept the siren off, just running the lights for Thomas couldn’t take the sound at the moment.
He hung his head and prayed that Carrie was going to be all right, that she was going to be able to forgive him and Gerard for what had happened. He knew that everything happened for a reason, and that this was a test for the three of them. He prayed they would all pass and be a happy family.
Chapter Fifteen
Soft talking filtered into Carrie’s psyche as she slowly woke. Pain filled the left side of her body and her right arm. As she blinked her eyes open, she found her head still hurt, but not as much. Without looking, she knew Thomas and Gerard were in the room with her. She tried to move her hands, but discovered they were being held.
Her thoughts swirled in her mind, and she remembered what had happened. Gerard had declared his love for Thomas but hadn’t said anything to her. Had she jumped the gun on being hurt over that and run away? Perhaps she had. That they were both here for her spoke volumes.
“Sugar, how are you feeling?” Gerard asked as she opened her eyes fully.
Focusing on him, she found his brow furrowed with worry and a fine amount of scruff layered his jaw and cheeks. A glance over at Thomas showed the same thing.
“Ho…” Her voice was hoarse. She cleared her throat. “How long have I been here?”
“It’s nearly midnight,” Thomas said as he stood. “How do you feel?”
The last she had seen the clock on her dashboard, it had said ten fifty. She had been unconscious for over twelve hours?
Gerard lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles before he inquired, “Do you remember what happened?”
Nodding despite the pain, she whispered, “Yes.” She felt ashamed for now she could see their worry and love.
“The doctor said you had a migraine. She said your left side was bruised up, so what happened there?” Thomas asked.
“Mr. Schmidt jumped in my car as I was getting ready to get out at my place. He pushed me and slammed my body into my door. He told me to drive and showed me his gun.” She fought the tears that threatened. Licking her hips, she went on. “I carry pepper spray. I just had to find a way to use it on him. When I saw Shane, I knew I had to take a chance. Honestly, I didn’t think Mr. Schmidt would shoot, but…” She trailed off remembering the pain that went through her arm.
“The bullet went through your arm and landed in the dirt. They stitched up both sides. It’s going to take time to heal along with your side. You’re going to be resting at home for a while.” Thomas was looking down at her with concern. He glanced at Gerard before looking back at her. “Why did you run away?”
As she looked at the anticipation on both men’s faces, her shame got worse. She had hurt them, and she was afraid they wouldn’t want her if she admitted the truth.
With her free hand, she picked at imaginary lint on the blanket on her legs as she tried to decide what she was going to tell them. The silence that filled the room seemed to get louder. When Thomas spoke, she jumped.
“The truth, Carrie. Don’t you dare lie to us.”
He sounded a bit harsh, but she remembered from class how Doms feel about lying. Plus, it wasn’t something to do in any relationship.
Gerard looked sad as he watched her. She couldn’t break his heart. Thomas’s either.
She released a long sigh. “When I woke up, you guys weren’t there. I could hear you guys talking, but I wasn’t sure if anyone else was here, so I got dressed. As I got closer to the kitchen, I heard what Gerard was saying.” She kept her gaze lowered and she nibbled on her bottom lip for a moment. “When he asked you to…um…I thought he preferred you to me. I panicked.”
“So, instead of waiting around and asking for verification, or waiting until Gerrard finished what he was saying, you took off,” Thomas pointed out as he moved to sit on the bed to her left. “Was that very wise, Carrie?”
This is it. He’s going to tell me he doesn’t want someone who is irrational.
“What would you tell your patients if they had done something like that?” Gerard asked, his voice low and husky. He sat on the bed to her right.
Carrie snorted. Leave it to a man to use a woman’s career against her.
Looking up, she found Gerard and Thomas glaring at her. Yeah, they were pissed.
Their faces began to swim before her eyes. She was going to lose them because of her stupidity. “I’m sorry,” she softly said. “I was stupid. This whole week has been a roller coaster. Everything has happened so fast that when I heard what I did, I thought it was best to leave you two alone. Then, when I got home, Mr. Schmidt jumped in the car. Terror took over, and I kept thinking how much I loved you both and that I was never going to be able to tell you.
I’m so sorry.”
“I love you, Carrie Newton. I have from the moment I saw you standing in the main room of the club, looking bewildered. I got so fucking possessive, I wanted to whisk you away so no other man would see you. You and Gerard are the people who complete me. The ones I want to live with for the rest of my life. But you must remember, you have to talk to us if something is bothering you.” Thomas’s brow arched. “Promise?”
He was giving her a second chance?
Looking over to Gerard, she saw anticipation in his eyes along with love. She had never really seen love on a person’s face because she hadn’t had it directed at her before. This was all new to her, and she knew she wanted to see that look in these two men’s eyes for the rest of her life.
“I promise.” Her voice was a mere whisper.
“I may have had feelings for Thomas for a while, but the instant you stepped up to the desk to check in for the class, I was yours. You are beautiful, smart, classy, and lovingly innocent. I will be proud to be called one of your men,” Gerard said.
“Gerard jumped the gun on proposing this morning,” Thomas began. “A Dom offers his submissives a collar to show they are cherished and respected, and in most instances, loved. Although this isn’t the setting I wanted to do this in, and I don’t have a collar on me, will both of you accept my collars?”
A shiver ran down Carrie’s spine. She never would have thought she would be accepting a collar from a Dominant. However, she wanted this. She loved Thomas and Gerard and wanted to be a family with them.
She opened her mouth to speak, but Thomas held his right hand up, cutting her off. “Let me just add something.” Thomas looked at Gerard, reached up, and grasped the man by the nape as Thomas squeezed Carrie’s hand. “A lot of times, a collar is given on a short-term basis, or without anything further than the collaring to take place. I want you both to know that with the offer of the collar comes my offer of wedlock. I love you both so much, I would like to know if you two would do the honor of marrying me.”
