by Anna Lewis
“I missed you more,” he said, standing up with the kids in his arms and carrying them down the hall.
He stopped by Andrea, leaning in to kiss her on the lips, but she offered her cheek instead. He smiled as he kissed her cheek, then held the children so they could kiss her, too.
“I’ll be back out after a story,” he said, stealing another kiss from her cheek.
“I won’t be waiting up,” she said, yawning to prove her point. “It’s really late.”
He chuckled, knowing full well that she was bluffing.
“I’ll be there soon.”
With that, he carried his children to their room, two sets or pudgy little toddler arms wrapped around his neck and holding on tight.
He laid them each in their beds, their matching pajamas and decorations just one more way that they were identical in almost every way. But one thing they enjoyed together was dressing the same and fooling their friends. At just under four, they had already picked up on the fun part of being an identical twin.
He read them two books, then tucked them in and kissed each blond head good night, leaving their bathroom light on with the door cracked so that they didn’t go to sleep in complete darkness.
He backed out of the room quietly and closed the door, then went to the end of the hall to their bedroom. He didn’t say a word to Andrea as he passed the bed and went straight to the shower. He knew what she would say, and he might as well skip that step and go straight to the shower.
Taking his time, he made sure to shave and used the body wash she loved, stepping out of the shower almost twenty minutes later and drying off.
He slipped into the bed naked, his skin still warm from the hot water as he wrapped his arms around his wife.
“I love you,” he said, kissing the back of her neck and pulling her so her naked body was cradled against his.
“I don’t want to do this anymore, Eric. I’m scared that you won’t come home. What am I going to do with two toddlers by myself if something happens to you?”
“I have a safety net set up and you know that I can’t just quit, Andrea. If I did, that would be worse, much worse.”
“What’s worse than this? Did you kill that woman?”
“You know I can’t talk about it.”
“Eric, I’m scared.”
“I know,” he said.
“No, you don’t. I’m pregnant. I don’t want to do this alone.”
“You won’t have to.”
“You’re wrong, Eric. I can feel it. Something bad is in the air and you’re going to get swept up in it. This time, I’m afraid you’re going to get swept up in it. You’ll either end up in prison or worse. I can’t take that.”
“What are you saying?”
“Get out of the job, or I’m out, Eric. Our kids deserve better.”
He turned her roughly, forcing her to face him in the darkness, then instantly regretted being so rough.
“I’m sorry,” he said, pulling her close and burying his face in her long, blond hair. “I can’t do that.”
“Don’t you love us, Eric?”
“Of course, I do. That’s not fair.”
“This life isn’t fair.”
He sighed.
“I know. But you know how this works, and you knew who I was when you married me.”
“I thought you would change when the babies came.”
“I’m sorry I disappointed you.”
He kissed her gently, then more passionately, his hand sliding between them and resting on her belly.
“For how long?” he asked when he finally pulled away.
“Eight weeks. I go to the doctor in the morning. I want you to be there.”
“I can do that,” he said.
“Promise?”
“I promise,” he said.
He put his arms around her and held her close until she fell to sleep, listening to her deep, slow breathing in the darkness. His head was spinning. Another baby? What were they going to do? Not that they couldn’t afford it; because he was well-off and only a few years from being a millionaire at the rate he was going. But Andrea was right, this was no way to raise a family, and he couldn’t put her in the position to be alone with three kids. What if something happened to him?
He drifted to sleep, his last thought of his sweet family, making a life without him. How could he do that to them? What kind of monster was he?
***
Lara’s face was plastered against the leathery back of the dragon, her scream stuck in her throat, eyes squeezed shut in fear. Trevor’s arm was around her tightly, but she still felt as if her life was flashing before her eyes. She couldn’t breathe and she could feel her stomach shoved down so far by the force of the descent that it felt as if it were in her toes.
When she felt Spencer pull up suddenly, then hover in place, she opened one eye, then the other. They were a few feet from the ground, behind a large house that could have fit her house inside it several times over.
Spencer landed so softly that Lara hardly felt his feet touch the ground. He lowered himself onto his belly and Trevor slid off. Trevor pulled Lara with him, setting her on her feet and turning to walk toward the house. She promptly fell to the ground, her legs weak from fear and from sitting astride a dragon for so long.
“Ooh,” she exclaimed as her legs buckled.
Trevor turned around, looking at her, eyes twinkling merrily.
“Sorry. I should have realized it was a little much to ask you to walk after all that. Shall I carry you?”
She glared at him.
“Not a chance in hell,” she said, brushing herself off and standing up.
She reached out and steadied herself with her hand, the leather hide beneath her hand cool to the touch. She pulled her hand away quickly, then apologized for jumping the way she did.
“He’s fine. Let’s go in the house. He’ll be in shortly.”
“What is he going to do?”
“Shift, then come inside,” said Trevor.
“Can’t we wait for him?” she asked, her southern manners shouting at her not to be rude, even when she was in a situation that wasn’t ideal.
“Do you want to see him naked? I mean, if you want to see him naked, I can-”
“No!” she said a little too loudly, then she lowered her voice and said, “No. I’m good. Let’s go inside.”Trevor chuckled, walking behind her with his hand on the small of her back, opening the door for her and waiting for her to pass through before going in behind her.
She watched him tap the security pad at the door, disarming the alarm, then sliding his hand up in one smooth motion, turning all the lights on in the rooms surrounding them.
“Wow,” she said, looking at the smooth, intricate marble tiles on the floor that sparkled with a filmy vein of gold. “This is beautiful.”
“This is the mudroom,” he said, laughing. “Wait until you see the rest of the house.”
“The ‘mud room’? I wouldn’t step foot into this room if I was muddy.”
“It happens. Sometimes, when we ride, we come back muddy. This is the room that we clean up in.”
“Ride four-wheelers?”
“Horses.” He smiled at her, motioning her to follow him. “I’ll show you where you’re staying. The alarm will be set at all times, so if you want to leave the house to go for a walk, you need to let one of us know and we’ll go with you.”
“I can’t leave that house? Isn’t this place safe?”
“It’s as safe as it can be, but outside, we can’t protect you. That’s just the way it is. Inside the house, we’ll still be close, but you can have a little privacy. Our home is a fortress.”
“Great,” she said sarcastically. “So, I’m trapped.”
“Think about it like being a princess in a castle.”
She laughed.
“I don’t think many girls think about growing up to be Rapunzel. Part of the allure of being royalty is the freedom,” she said.
“You ar
e free. Free to roam around the house. You can even sit by the windows if you want. The glass is bullet proof, which we’ve tested. It’s also supposed to be rocket and tornado proof.”
“Have you tested that?”
“It’s made it through a few tornadoes without issue, but I don’t have a rocket to test, so we have to take the manufacturer's word for that.”
“Good to know.”
His expression darkened for a moment, turning his jovial expression grim.
“I’m sorry that this is happening to you. We’ll help you get through this, and hopefully you’ll be able to go back to your old life. If there’s anyone you need to call to let them know that you’re alright, just let us know and you can use the encrypted phone.”
She shook her head.
“There’s no one.”
Her tone stopped him from asking questions, which made her happy. She didn’t want to open up to a stranger that had basically kidnapped her, especially not right now. She was overwhelmed and her emotions were raw. She didn’t want to rip open and old wound on top of everything she had experienced tonight.
“I’m feeling really tired,” she said suddenly. “I really want to just go to bed. Maybe this won’t seem so bad in the morning.”
“It will,” he said. “We’ll do whatever we can to make this as painless as possible. If you want, I can load some of your favorite books on a Kindle, or you can use the streaming service to watch anything you could imagine. Whatever hobby you have, we can probably keep you busy.”
“I sew dolls.”
“Yes, of course.”
“I love it. It started on a whim, and then it took off. It keeps me busy and I can let my mind wander while I do it. It’s incredibly relaxing.”
“I bet it is. I’m sorry, we don’t have anything like that.”
Lara sighed.
“I didn’t think you would, but I still held out hope.”
Trevor opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, but Spencer was walking into the room, dressed in a loose pair of trousers and a thin shirt.
“What?” he asked when they turned to look at him. “What were you two talking about?”
“The fact that there’s nothing for me to make dolls out of here.”
Spencer arched an eyebrow, but then shook his head, not even trying to understand what she was trying to say. She sighed heavily. It was going to be a long few days with these men.
“I’m tired. Can you just show me where I’m supposed to sleep?”
***
“Here’s my room,” Trevor said.
He led her through a door and into a massive room with a sitting area, a king bed in the center of the room, bookcases along one entire wall by the sitting area, and a recliner that sat in front of a flat screen television affixed to the wall.
“I’m not sleeping with you, right?” she said weakly, trying to fight the urge to run if that’s what he really meant to do.
“No,” he said, laughing. “You’re going to sleep between us.”
Her face flushed red as she stared at the bed, wondering how she was going to manage the entire night without accidentally bumping them, and how she could possibly sleep with them so close.
“I don’t think-”
Spencer’s voice came from behind them. “Trevor, stop being intentionally vague.” He beckoned to her and said, “Come with me.”
She followed him, not sure whatever he had to show her was going to be any better.
He took her back out into the hallway and down to the next door, which was several yards from the first.
“Here’s my room,” he said, opening the door.
It was almost identical in content, but the layout was completely different. And it appeared that Spencer favored royal blue and silver, where Trevor seemed to favor dark green and tan.
“Notice how my wall doesn’t go far enough to justify the doors being so far apart?”
“Yes?” she said, not noticing it until he pointed it out.
“Come with me and I’ll show you why.”
He led her through the room, going to a door she assumed led to a huge walk-in closet. He opened it, stepping back so she could take it in.
“Oh wow,” she said, looking at the room that was almost as big as Spencer’s room.
There was a king-sized bed against the wall, and a small bookshelf with a chair that also faced a small flat screen TV. He pointed to the left, indicating another door.
“There’s a full bathroom in there with a walk-in closet in the bathroom. This is the only door that leads to the bathroom, so we can’t walk in on you, and we each have our own bathrooms on the opposite ends of the suite.”
“Thank you,” she said.
She looked up, marveling at the skylight, which held a soft, dusky glow from the moonlight.
“The skylight is a nice touch, but I’m surprised that you consider this room secure with it.”
“It’s not real,” he said, a smile tugging at his lips for the first time all night. “It’s on a timer and mimics the sky outside, just not quite as brightly. It’s a UV light, so you can stay in here and not suffer the effects of low sunlight, but the UV light is measured and covered accordingly so it won’t tan your skin or damage it.”
“So, it’s perfectly balanced?”
“Pretty much,” he agreed.
“Do you hide witnesses here often?”
“Only the most endangered ones.”
“That’s comforting.”
He shrugged.
“It’s a normal thing for us, and I’m sure that Trevor told you that we are the best at what we do.”
“He hinted at that,” she laughed.
He smiled, the first genuine smile she had seen. It lit up his handsome face and made his green eyes sparkle.
“You’re handsome when you smile,” she said before she thought better of it. She blushed. “I’m sorry, that was rude.”
“I didn’t mind,” he said.
They stood there for a moment, neither one moving. Then Spencer cleared his throat and broke the spell.
“You’d better get some rest. You have a long day of sitting around the house ahead of you tomorrow.”
Lara chuckled softly.
“I guess Trevor isn’t the only funny one.”
“We’re both pretty funny, I’m just not one to do anything for a laugh like my brother. Sweet dreams. If you need anything or you get scared, there’s a red button on your headboard and one by the bathtub. If you hit it, it will signal us on our cellphones.”
“Thank you,” she said.
He nodded curtly, the gruff façade slipping back into place.
“Good night, Lara,” he said, leaving the room and closing the door before she could answer.
“Good night,” she said softly to the closed door.
She turned back to the bed, pulling the covers back and dumping her backpack on the floor before slipping in between the sheets. The rich satin felt divine against her skin, and if she hadn’t had two dragons in such close proximity, she would have stripped down just to enjoy the feel of the fabric.
Snuggling into the pillow, she felt herself drifting off to sleep before she had even situated the blankets around herself the way she like. Her last thought was to wonder if the skylight would shine in her face in the morning and wake her up.
***
Lara woke up the next morning, the light from the skylight a soft glow that had her waking up so gently that it took her a moment to notice her surroundings. When she did, she sat straight up in bed, looking around the room, then groaning when she remembered where she was and why.
She got out of bed, grabbing the backpack that she’d stuffed full of clothing and staring at it when it wasn’t nearly as heavy as it had been the night before. Looking at it again, she realized that it was completely flat and empty.
Someone had been in the room and she had slept right through it. She closed her eyes, trying to keep her heart rate under control and
reminding herself that she was safe here. Completely safe.
Yeah right, she thought. She might be safe from mobsters, but she was far from safe. She had a feeling these twins were trouble, even if it was the good kind of trouble.
She walked to the bathroom in her bare feet, opening the door and gasping when she saw how beautiful it was.
“This is bigger than my bedroom,” she said out loud.
“We thought you would like it,” a voice behind her said.
She jumped, spinning and clutching her chest.
“You startled me,” she said, scowling at the man standing in the doorway of the room, only a few feet behind where she stood. “How did you sneak up on me like that?”
He took a step toward her, his hips moving almost seductively even though she could tell it was unconscious. He was wearing plaid pajama pants and was shirtless, the smooth, bronzed skin pulled tight across his muscles.
Lara swallowed hard.
“You sleep like a rock,” he said, a crooked smile touching his lips.
“Where are my clothes?”
“All your things have been put away in here. I didn’t want you to unpack and have to go through all that.” His smile grew wider. “Your knife is in the nightstand drawer,” he said, winking. “You shouldn’t need it, but Spencer and I were pleasantly surprised to find that you were prepared to defend yourself.”
She blushed, feeling foolish.
“I wouldn’t know how to use it,” she admitted.
“It doesn’t matter. If you were in any real danger, you would find a way to protect yourself. At least you were thinking ahead. You would not believe the number of people who go into witness protection that are completely shell-shocked. Many of them are too frightened to move. But you,” he took a step forward, tenderly pushing one curly strand of brown hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear. “You fought back hard, and if you had been fighting humans, you probably would have gotten away.”
He was standing too close, the heat of him radiating out and encircling her. She shuddered.
“If I’m so clever, why do I need to be protected?”
“Because you’re not dealing with one human. You’re dealing with the mob. And if it weren’t for us, you would have just blown yourself up in your car and there would be nothing to protect.”
