by Mia Ashlinn
Halting in the midst of his story, Sid admired the bloody trail on her side, taking his finger and rubbing the blood into her sickly white skin. “Of course, the people in this sin-filled town saw the deaths as murder, but King Sid knew better. It was a blessing. Since he had no desire to rot in jail in this Podunk town, he left.”
Standing back up, he ambled over to the tray in search of a new tool of torture. A loud clank echoed inside the room as he dropped the scalpel onto the stainless steel. He stared at the various instruments, fingering each one as he attempted to decide what to use next. “After years of patience, King Sid put the wheels in motion to return for the whore. Unfortunately, when he located Pauley for help, his brother had the King sent away to a mental institution. He’d found a conscience, as he called it, and just couldn’t bear the thought of another person’s blood on his hands.”
He laughed. “Like that could stop the King. Within two months, he’d escaped the hospital and hunted down his backstabbing brother. He killed the bastard before finally returning to Serenity. Now, here we are—the King and the Evil Bitch. You get to choose your happily ever after. Should I save your soul or just kill you and be done with it?”
Chapter 28
“How about we kill you, asshole?”
Shannon felt relief rush through her when she heard Randy’s deep, gruff voice. She jerked her head to the side, finding him, along with Gray, Cade, Shane, and Landon, stealthily entering the room through the front door. None of the men so much as glanced at her position on the room dividing column, not even Randy, who remained focused on her captor.
Jared? Drew? Her heart picked up as the fear sent her into panic mode. I have to breathe. I’m overreacting. That’s all. They’re perfectly fine.
Once they’d announced their entrance, the five men confidently swept into the room, circling Pauley or Sid or whoever the fuck he was. Sid, I think.
Like an arrogant and more-than-a-little crazy bastard, Sid refused to move away from her despite the five guns pointed at him, choosing instead to move the scalpel to the curve of her neck. He stared down each man, obviously checking out his competition. “Make one move, demon lovers, and I will cut her throat.”
“I don’t think you will,” Drew remarked with conviction as he emerged from the hallway with Deke and Adam. “What will happen to you if you cannot save her soul?”
Sid jumped, startled by more unexpected guests, and his knife grazed her skin but didn’t do any serious damage, only a tiny scratch. “Nothing will happen to me. Just her.”
Shannon swallowed nervously, gulping in deep lungfuls of air.
“Are you sure about that?” Drew asked, advancing on Sid. He had Deke and Adam flanking him, their dominant personas adding to the air of danger whirling around him. “Really sure?”
Sid nodded. “Yes, I’m sure.” Then he shook his head, the uncertainty filling his crazed eyes. “I think.”
* * * *
Entering the Hatchers’ kitchen, Jared came to a hard stop. His jaw dropped, and he nearly chuckled. At any other time, he would be laughing his ass off at the scene in front of him, but it wasn’t funny right now. Too much was at stake.
Katie-Anne had Mary backed into a corner. She was jeering and sneering at Mary while Sarah murmured soothing words to her, obviously trying to calm her down. Jaycee, on the other hand, was scrambling to get back up off the floor nearby, cursing and muttering wildly.
Jared walked over to Jaycee, offering her a hand and helping her up. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” Jaycee replied as she released his hand with a grimace. “That bitch hit me.”
“I kind of figured that out,” he countered. “But you’ll have to explain the rest to me later. I have to go in there and get my woman.”
Jaycee nodded to him then stalked over to Sarah, Katie-Anne, and Mary.
Katie-Anne growled like an overly-protective feral animal. “I’m not going to kill you because it is so damn messy,” she said. “But I will make you hurt for all the shit you’ve done to my friends.”
“Katie-Anne,” Sarah said softly as she attempted to step between the aggressive women. With her gentle nature, she didn’t get far before Jaycee pulled her out of the way.
Jared saw Katie-Anne make a fist and pull her arm back, but he was in too big of a hurry to stay and watch what happened next in the surreal show. He strode through the kitchen, making his way to the dining room. Behind him, he heard a fist against flesh followed by Katie-Anne explaining sharply, “That was for being a bitch to Shannon.” Then another punch reverberated through the kitchen. “And that was for hitting Jaycee.”
They’ve got this under control.
Jared stepped into the dining room, immediately spotting Shannon bound upside down on a wooden column. The asshole had used thick rope to hold her there, tying it so tightly around her wrists and ankles that Jared could see the changes in her skin color around the bindings. The milk-colored flesh on her hands and feet now had a purplish-blue hue to it, and that wasn’t the only color change on her body. Her peach-and-cream face now looked more like an over-ripened strawberry. I’m going to kill that motherfucking bastard.
Neither Shannon nor Pauley saw Jared entering the picture. Thankfully, her head faced the opposite direction where the other six men stood in a circle, prohibiting her from giving him away. And so did her uncle’s face. Jared’s brothers and friends knew he was there, but didn’t take their eyes off the psycho in the room.
Jared had a prime opportunity lying in front of him, one that Pauley would never anticipate. He moved just inside the doorway, getting into position with his feet shoulder width apart, knees bent, and the gun extended toward Pauley. He was ready to do whatever necessary to protect Shannon and, within a second, he had to.
A crash followed by a thump and Mary screaming, “Daddy,” had him pulling the trigger.
* * * *
Shannon heard Sid demand, “What the fu—” But he was cut off when a gun went off. He jerked, falling over with a thud. Blood flowed freely from the hole in his chest, and Shannon knew there was no saving him.
Before she could respond, three men were on her. She had one man untying her feet, one untying her hands, and one more holding onto her so she didn’t fall and crack her head open.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she heard the remaining six men in the room go tearing through house, screaming for their respective women. And she heard Belle, Ash, and Kegan burst into the house. Swarming around, they discussed how Judge Caldwell’s delay at the courthouse had cost them time and, now, they had to deal with a dead body and the red tape that came along with it.
Not that she gave a damn about any of them or what they said. She needed her men, her princes, her saviors.
A sudden wave of vertigo hit Shannon, and she felt nauseous. Spots appeared before her eyes and a buzzing filled her ears. I’m going to pass out. No, I have to say something to them first.
“I love you,” she declared with a sigh then gave into the darkness for the second time that day.
* * * *
Whispers greeted Shannon when she finally managed to pull herself out of the abyss. Prying her eyes open, she was momentarily blinded by the sunrise peeking through the window. She had to blink several times before her vision returned, and she was able to see all of her favorite people standing in clumps around her hospital bed. Predictably, she sought out her men, finding them at her bedside speaking in hushed tones.
Instead of alerting them or anyone else that she had returned to the land of the living, she lowered her lids to slits and shamelessly eavesdropped on her friends and three lovers. I’m such a nosy bitch.
Choosing to save the best, and sexiest, for last, Shannon listened in on Shane, Landon, and Katie-Anne. At the end of her bed, Shane towered over Katie-Anne. He ran a shaky hand through his rich, mocha-colored hair. “Katie-Anne, would you like to explain what in the hell possessed you, Sarah, and Jaycee to take on Mary like that? And, while we are at it, whe
re did you get a fold-up easel to knock her out with? Have you ever heard of a real weapon?”
Katie-Anne stared blankly back at Shane, playing with a small object dangling from the silver chain around her neck. She shrugged indifferently. “It was the only thing we could find in my car.”
“You didn’t answer his other question,” Landon said as he rubbed his face wearily. “Why did you fight Mary?”
Katie-Anne sighed sadly then said, “She attacked Jaycee from behind when we got into the house, and I ended up punching her a couple of times. I thought I had knocked her out, but I hadn’t. When she went after Jaycee again, I hit her over the head with my easel. I could not let that nutjob hurt her or the baby. Sarah couldn’t either. She kicked Mary’s foot to make sure that she was out cold that time.”
“Fine,” Shane acquiesced, crossing his big arms. “I’ll give you that, but why did you bring the easel in the first place?”
“That woman,” Katie-Anne spat, a bit of her old self sparking back to life, “is a lunatic. Her elevator has never gone all the way to the top, and I figured we would need something to defend ourselves with.”
Landon cupped the underside of Katie-Anne’s chin, forcing her to meet his agonized gaze. “Are you telling me that you knew she would fucking hurt you when you went in?”
“It was a possibility,” Katie-Anne replied with another negligent shrug.
Shane knelt down before clasping her shoulder in his hands and shaking her lightly. “What about you? What about us? Do you have a goddamn clue what it would have done to us if—” He seemed to choke on the words, unable to even finish his sentence.
“Since when did you give a fuck about me,” Katie-Anne demanded to know. Her clipped words should have been fiery and fury-filled but came off with cool acceptance and a twinge of disdain. She stood up regally, brushing off Shane and nearly knocking him over, then walked away.
Shane quickly caught his balance and got to his feet. He grabbed onto Katie-Anne’s elbow before she had made it halfway to the door and refused to let go. Whirling her around, he caught the object she’d been playing with as it followed her circular motion. He looked at it pointedly and snapped, “Since always.”
“Could have fooled me, Shane.” Katie-Anne jerked her arm out of his grip then walked away, her cold demeanor warning anyone in her path to stay away.
“I need a word with you,” Landon said as Katie-Anne disappeared from their sides, pushing his friend toward the door. “Outside.”
Surprisingly, Shane stepped out of the room of his own free will.
Katie-Ann gave them a few minute head start before she picked up her cell phone and dialed a number. “Sarah, do you have a minute? I need to talk to you,” she murmured into the phone as she stood and disappeared out the door, taking off in the opposite direction than the two men had.
Shannon must have dozed off because when she became aware of her surroundings again, the sun had completely risen. A sharp voice at her side caught her attention, dragging her focus to the people standing there.
“Jaycee Elizabeth Blakemore, you are so spanked,” Gray declared in The Voice, as his wife called it.
“Yeah, well, you are so fucked,” Jaycee smarted right back off, obviously not the least bit intimidated by him.
Gray caressed her face, his demeanor and voice softening substantially. “You read my mind, sweetheart.”
“More like your fantasies,” Cade retorted then slapped his husband on the ass. “And mine.”
Shannon’s lips twitched, against her will. Damn, they’re going to know I’m awake. And she was right.
Immediately, Jaycee squealed, and Shannon’s eyes snapped open reflexively. “You woke up just in time for my dirty story, Shan.” Jaycee paused, looking at her brothers pointedly. “Well, maybe I should tell you later, when they are not present.”
Shannon whispered with enough volume that everyone in the vicinity could hear her, “You can tell me later, my friend. I imagine I won’t be getting any for a long time to come.” She giggled at her own pun, and Jaycee joined in. It took a minute, but eventually their laughter died down, and Shannon told Jaycee, “That is the best punishment for a girl like me.”
Jaycee snorted. “Oh, no. They will enjoy punishing you too much to withhold for long.”
“She’s right,” Drew said as he leaned over to take her lips with his own in a long, lingering kiss. When he finally released her, he patted her head condescendingly, which earned a grunt from her. “We’ll make sure you never make this mistake again, munchkin.”
Shannon winked then retorted sarcastically, “Right, Studley. If you punish me, I will just get into more trouble, and I’ll have a hell of a lot fun doing it.”
“Oooh. I will be more than happy to help you,” Jaycee offered with a maniacal grin, rubbing her hands together ominously. “Punishment is fun, but what to do? What to do?”
“We’ll show you fun,” Gray said darkly with a wicked grin of his own. Uh-oh. That look is fucking scary. Jaycee is in for it tonight.
Gray swept Jaycee off the floor before waving at Shannon and taking off with his giggling wife cuddled in his arms.
“Hey! Don’t forget me,” Cade called out, chasing after his spouses.
Shannon sighed. Alone at last.
Jared and Randy joined her on the bed, trapping her between their two strong bodies while Drew stood over her, his sudden anger so fiery she felt as if he would burn her alive. I have a feeling that I should have invited everyone to stay the night…or the week…or the month.
“You’re looking mighty hot, Studley,” Shannon said saucily in a desperate attempt to divert him. “If you want to burn me, I can think of several pleasurable ways.”
“You will not distract me, Shannon,” Drew told her in a clipped tone that brooked for no argument. “We need to talk.”
“Ruh-roh.” Shannon dropped her gaze to her fingernails, picking at them nervously. “That doesn’t sound like much fun to me.”
Randy wrapped his long fingers around her wrists before pulling her hands apart. “Stop that, Shannon,” he commanded frostily. “This is serious.”
Oh, shit. They both said Shannon, not munchkin or baby doll. I’m dead meat.
She perked up as she realized that Jared had yet to speak. Turning to face him, she silently prayed he would step in between her, Mr. Hot Head, and The Ice Man. Um, no. Jared looked as upset as his both of brothers, if not more.
“Jared?” Shannon croaked.
Jared shook his head emphatically. “Your safety is the most important thing in the world to me, to all of us. Sorry, Shannon.”
Three strikes you’re out, babe!
Jared didn’t sound sorry, which irritated her to no end, and she went on the defensive. “Fine. What did you expect me to do? I thought he was going to hurt two of the men I love after he put the other one in the fucking hospital.”
“I expected you to come to us,” Drew said in a way too reasonable voice considering he’d been volatile enough to spontaneously combust seconds before. He moved to the end of the bed, sinking down with a sigh. “That is what I expected.”
“Bite me,” she snapped angrily, shoving at the two statues on each side of her. “Go away. I’m not in the mood to deal with you guys right now.”
“Tough,” Jared snapped back at her. “We are not going anywhere, Shannon. Not now and not ever.”
She huffed petulantly on the outside, just to give them hell, but sappy love songs played in her mind. “Well, if I’m stuck with you three and the three of you are stuck with me, we need to finish our discussion on rules.”
Drew nodded in agreement, evidently aware of her previous discussion with his two brothers. “You can have your rules.”
Riigghhht. Shannon had a snowball’s chance in hell of that happening. Narrowing her eyes in skepticism, she urged him to continue. “Dot, dot, dot…”
Instead of Drew answering her, Jared finished for his brother, “If we can have ours.”
&
nbsp; Well, hell, Shannon. You didn’t see that one coming, now did you?
Shannon paused, letting her mind catch up with her mouth before she responded to their compromise. It probably wasn’t the appropriate time to open her mouth and insert her foot.
Randy chimed in with a warning, “Keep in mind, while you decide, that we have only one non-negotiable rule.”
It didn’t take a genius to know what Randy meant, so she stated the obvious, “My safety?”
“Yes,” Randy gruffly agreed. “We want your mama bear to have three papa bears.”
Shannon laughed softly. “A twisted, X-rated version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears?”
Randy scowled and ignored her. “It’s your nature to protect us, and we understand that. All we’re asking for is the chance to take care of you, too. Protect us by letting us protect you.”
“Share your fears with us,” Drew said, his eyes darkening, pleading with hers, “and we will work through whatever it is together. Trust us to take care of you and ourselves.”
Could she do it? Really? She’d spent her entire life being whoever, and doing whatever, everybody else wanted. Her men had been right about that, even though she’d never seen it. She’d put everyone needs and wants ahead of herself, and she’d protected those she loved without thinking of what the hell she was doing to herself. Maybe it was selfish, but she was exhausted. She was tired of being the one who took care of everyone but herself, who protected everyone but herself.
She wasn’t an idiot. There was no way she could not protect them, but they weren’t asking her to fight her protective instincts. They were offering her their help and support. They could protect her, just as she could protect them. If she just said, “Yes,” to their request.
