Freedom to Trust [Freedom, Colorado 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Melody Snow Monroe

  She wasn’t sure she liked what he was implying. With the dog lapping at Garth’s heels, they made their way back to the car. The bottom of her pants were soaked and her feet nearly froze. He was right. She’d get frostbite if she stayed out much longer. Asking him any questions would be useless. Besides, he’d have to shout for her to hear the response.

  When they finally reached the road, Dani was sitting in her car with her engine running.

  Garth pulled open Zane’s passenger side door. “Get in.”

  She eased in while he moved to the trunk area. He returned with a blanket, opened it, and the placed it on her legs. The warmth helped.

  “Thanks.”

  Nikki kept watch as Zane neared with Mark. Garth must have asked Dani to watch over Jackpot because when Nikki looked, the dog wasn’t with him. Finally Zane reached them. She wanted to check Mark out herself, but she probably would get in the way.

  Garth unstrapped Mark from Zane’s back. When she saw he was able to stand on his own, her blood pressure dropped. Her fear for his life was replaced with anger. Garth swooped him up and carried him to the car, gently placing him in the back seat.

  She swiveled around to see him. “Oh, Mark, honey. Are you okay?” She wanted to jump in the backseat and hug him. Then she wanted to throttle him.

  Garth followed him in and wrapped a blanket around his shoulders and placed one over his legs.

  “Where’s Jackpot?” Mark’s voice sounded strong.

  “He’s with Dani,” Garth said.

  “He’s all right, isn’t he?”

  “Seems to be.”

  Zane slid into the seat and snapped his seatbelt into place. He glanced over at her. “How are you doing?”

  He probably was asking about her mental status. “I’m still thinking about it.” It took a lot of control not to shake Mark.

  Mark had never answered her when she’d asked about his condition. That worried her. “Mark, how are you?”

  “Fine. I’d be in Black Hawk if Jackpot hadn’t chased after something.”

  That explained the trip into the woods. She worked hard to keep any agitation out of her tone. “Why didn’t you ask me if you could go to Black Hawk? I would have driven you.”

  Garth placed a hand on her arm. “Not now, Nikki.” He appeared to be the mediator and caretaker of the two, but his calming voice didn’t help this time.

  She snapped. So what if her tone had come out a little harsh. Mark needed to know he couldn’t just leave without asking. “You going to tell me how to raise my son?” Yes, she thought of Mark as hers now.

  Zane reached over to her. “Nikki. We need to get Mark to the hospital. You can grill him later.” His command came out loud and clear.

  Only then did his words really register, and her heart stopped at the word hospital. She swallowed hard. “Hospital?”

  “It’s merely a precaution.”

  She turned back to Garth to see if he was tending to some wound. He lifted the boy onto his lap and vigorously rubbed his palms up and down Mark’s arms. Sympathy swamped her. They were right. Mark’s welfare had to come first. What had she been thinking almost yelling at him?

  * * * *

  Zane totally understood Nikki’s concern. Hell, when he and Garth finally found the boy huddled in the cave snuggled with the dog, he wanted to shout at him, too, but there was a time and place for discipline. His father had taught him that much. Later, when Mark was warm, Nikki could find out what had been going on.

  He glanced over at her. Her jaw was tight and she was slightly rocking, almost as if she was working hard to control her anger. Nikki would make a great mom, but she needed to learn that kids needed their freedom, especially someone as fragile as Mark.

  As a former cop, he got that she would fear for his life more than most. He also could see she was the type who needed to control as many variables as possible to ensure not only her safety, but those around her. Too bad kids didn’t always follow the standard pattern of behavior. Unless Nikki chilled, she was going to be in for a lot of annoyance. He’d watched his mom and dad handle five kids with ease. They’d learned when to let go and when to put up a fight. Hopefully, Nikki would learn that, too.

  After he and Garth had checked Mark out in the cave to make sure he wasn’t bleeding or hadn’t fallen and hit his head, he’d asked Mark a few questions about where he was going. He never judged. To do so would ruin the trust between them.

  Mark seemed to be a good kid. He said he missed his friends at the casino and just wanted to connect with them again. He’d mentioned that he’d been stuck in some hotel for close to a month because his mom was seeing some guy. The fact he’d Googled the route and knew the distance between Freedom and Black Hawk impressed Zane, but his choice of hitching instead of asking Nikki hadn’t been smart. Nikki would have to talk to him about the perils of catching a ride in a stranger’s car.

  “Where are we going?” Mark asked, sounding more petulant than angry.

  Zane looked at him in the rearview mirror. “To a place where they’ll get you nice and warm.”

  He didn’t have a thermometer, but when they’d found Mark, he was no longer shivering. With his body temperature lowering, the hospital would be the best place to warm him up at the right speed.

  He could feel Nikki’s glare on him, but he didn’t want to discuss Mark’s condition in front of the kid. Fortunately, the hospital was right off route 119 and only took them about seven minutes to get there. He pulled right up to the Emergency Room entrance, and they all piled out. Garth carried Mark into the admitting room and a nurse scurried up to them.

  “Hey, Garth. Who do we have here?” Sharon Powers smiled down at Mark.

  Garth relayed the details.

  “Bring him in here.” Garth followed Sharon as they disappeared through an electronic set of doors.

  Nikki took two steps before Zane was able to stop her. “Garth can take care of him. It’s what we do.”

  She faced him. “Mark should be with someone he knows. I can only imagine how afraid he must be.”

  As a search and rescue responder, he had a lot of experience with the parents. They often made things worse. “Sit down with me and we’ll talk.” He grabbed her cold hand and led her over to the waiting area.

  She tugged out of his embrace. “They’ll need me to give them information.”

  Zane enjoyed how incredibly concerned she was for a boy she barely knew. It was her inability to give up control that intrigued him. Or at least the Dom part of his body was intrigued. She definitely needed a lesson in trust.

  “I’ve done this many times before. When the time comes, the nurse will find you and ask you to fill out the paperwork. Just relax.” She shivered. “You’re still cold?” He’d had the heat up rather high in the car.

  “My feet are still frozen.”

  He lowered his chin. “If you’d followed instructions and stayed in the car, you’d be toasty warm now.” He squeezed the hands she’d neatly placed on her lap.

  Her pretty mouth opened and once more extracted her fingers from his. “When I only saw you, Garth, and Jackpot, I freaked. What was I supposed to do?”

  “I can see how that would happen.” He’d had Mark on his back. “Let me move the car and I’ll be right back.” Zane kept his tone as even as possible.

  He didn’t like leaving her alone, but he couldn’t keep his car at the Emergency entrance. Nikki was quite a character, but she had a good heart.

  He found a spot in the main lot easily and rushed back inside. Fortunately, she was still in the waiting room. He dropped down on the seat next to her. “So how long have you had Jackpot?” Zane had already asked Mark, but he wanted to keep Nikki’s mind off the wait as well as defuse her anger. They’d be there a while.

  “We just got him this morning. Mark really loved him. He spent much of the day throwing the ball to the dog. They really bonded.”

  She was blaming herself and that wasn’t right. “It’s not your fault that
Mark left.”

  “You sound like Dani. Whose fault is it if not mine?”

  He leaned back in his seat and stretched out his legs. She was a feisty one all right. “My sister said you used to be a cop, right?” She must have dealt with the concepts of guilt and innocence quite often.

  “Yeah, so?”

  Nikki could get her defenses up faster than Freedom High’s football team could when the opponents rushed. “I’m just pointing out that shit happens to good people. I bet you’ve seen that time and time again.”

  She sucked in the side of her cheek and looked adorable. “True.”

  He rubbed her arm, in part to warm her up but mostly to make the connection. “Victims aren’t to blame.”

  She jerked and narrowed her eyes. “You think I’m a victim?”

  Whoa. If she was going to crucify him after every comment, this relationship would end before it got started. When he’d decided he wanted to see if they could get something going with her was anyone’s guess. It might have been after Ashley started having her weekly happy hour with her, Dani, Holly, and occasionally Summer Ashford that he and Garth decided to study her further.

  After his sister told him a few intriguing stories about Nikki, he wanted to know more about her. They’d gone to High View Bar and Grill that fateful Thursday night just to check her out and wham. Both he and Garth had been instantly attracted.

  It was in part because Dani was in a ménage relationship that they hoped Nikki could be talked into one, too, as he and Garth loved to share. At the idea of making love with her, his body responded in a very overt way.

  She tugged on his arm. “Zane?”

  Oh, shit. He’d spaced out. “Huh?”

  She glanced down at his crotch and smiled.

  Crap. Life just got a lot more complicated.

  * * * *

  Two hours later, Garth and Mark walked out of the hospital treatment area. Nikki jumped up and raced to Mark. She needed a hug. While they’d never really embraced before, she couldn’t help herself now. “You look better.” Her hug lasted a long moment, and she was happy when he didn’t resist her overture. Poor kid seemed so frail even in his jacket.

  She held him out at arm’s length. “You okay?”

  “Yeah.” He looked up at Garth then back at her. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I wanted to go Black Hawk. I won’t leave again.”

  The look that passed between them seemed intense, almost as if they’d talked and had a mutual understanding. “You better not.” To show him she’d calmed down, she ruffled his hair.

  He slightly jerked back and her heart quivered once more. Touching was her way to show she cared. She hoped someday he’d be okay with that kind of affection.

  Zane must have seen the interaction for he placed a hand on her back. “How about if we stop at Crispy’s Pizza and pick up something to eat? I’m starving.”

  It probably would be better if the men who’d saved Mark were around for a little longer, as Mark seemed to have bonded with them. “Sounds great to me.”

  Zane turned back to Mark. “You up for some pizza, sport?”

  “Sure!”

  While her back was to him, his enthusiasm rang loud and clear. Finally, things were showing promise.

  Zane held open the hospital door and she exited first. An eerie calm had descended outside. The wind had died and the snow was gently falling. The silence was beautiful. “I love it when it’s like this. It’s magical.”

  Zane looked down at her and smiled. “I agree.”

  When they reached his car, she debated asking if she could sit in the back with Mark, but before she could make the request, Garth climbed in next to him. It was almost as if he and Zane were Mark’s foster dads and she was just along for the ride.

  Does that bother you? Only if they walk out of his life.

  Zane held open her door and she crawled in. The interior was cold, but she’d warmed up in the hospital. Considerate Zane had insisted she drink a few cups of coffee. The man knew how to take care of people and she appreciated it. What she couldn’t tell was whether she was merely someone who needed saving or if he really cared. To be honest, she had enough on her plate and didn’t need to think about men.

  You can’t help yourself. These guys are special and one of a kind.

  Too bad these easy-going do-gooders probably weren’t the types who’d want a woman who relished taking control and was built like a fireplug.

  She pushed aside her insecurities and leaned back for the ten-minute drive to downtown. Even though it was a Saturday night, he found a space in front of the pizza joint. The parking gods must be smiling down on them.

  From the chatter in the back, Mark was enjoying Garth’s company, and that made her heart warm. The problem was if he got too attached, he’d feel the loss more than most kids once the men disappeared.

  They rushed inside so fast she was convinced they truly must have been starving. She’d never been here before, but the ambience drew her in. The tables were chrome and the chairs were covered in fake red leather. Pictures of Italy, along with ads for Coke, adorned the walls. About three-fourths of the tables were taken. A mother, father, and two boys who looked about Mark’s age sat at a table near the ordering station. Their presence reminded her that on Monday, she needed to enroll Mark in school. Her stomach flipped. She still remembered how brutal the middle school girls had been to her. They made fun of her because she had boobs and the mean girls didn’t. She prayed the kids of Freedom didn’t bully Mark just because was super smart, quiet, and lived with a stranger.

  Perhaps she could get him tested to see if he’d be better off in seventh grade though she wasn’t sure if that would help or hinder.

  Both Zane and Garth surrounded Mark and walked him up to the counter, leaving her to drown in her own thoughts. Don’t I count? I’m hungry, too.

  She trotted up behind them and studied the menu on the wall.

  The young man behind the counter grinned. “Hey, Zane, Garth.” She doubted they ate here often given they didn’t have an ounce of fat on them, but they must have known the kid from somewhere. “What can I get you?”

  Zane looked behind him. “You have a preference? We’ll get a few pizzas.”

  So they weren’t ignoring her, just lavishing attention on Mark. She liked that about them. “How about a spinach and mushroom pizza? But I can only eat a few pieces.”

  “I can help you out.” Zane winked and something inside her swirled.

  She refused to call it lust, especially since she hadn’t had that feeling inside her for a long time, but she admitted these two men were nothing like anyone she’d known in Denver.

  Once they placed the order, they snagged a table in the corner to wait for the food. She sat in between the men and across from Mark. His color was finally looking better.

  Mark looked over at Garth. “Can you call Dani and tell her to feed Jackpot?”

  “Sure thing, kiddo.”

  Dani was her best friend. Why hadn’t he asked her? Stop being petty. It was good for Mark to have a male role model. However, if either Zane or Garth abused the relationship, she just might have to pistol whip them.

  Chapter Five

  When Zane pulled up in front of Nikki’s house to drop them back home, she slipped out of the front seat and waited for Mark to get out. They’d already called Dani and asked her to bring Jackpot home. Even though her friend offered to keep the dog until tomorrow, Mark really seemed to need his companion.

  As she leaned in to thank both men for not only saving Mark’s life but for dinner, they eased out of the car. They were true gentlemen. She liked that. If they wanted to walk her to the door and say good-bye to Mark she certainly didn’t mind. After living among the scum of the earth, especially when she worked undercover vice, these men were such a refreshing change.

  Boy were they. Then for a brief moment, her vision slightly blurred. As if she were floating above her body, she looked down at the image of herself, bound and bl
indfolded with a man standing over her with a gun pointed at her head.

  “Grr.” She stretched her arms in front of her to convince herself it wasn’t real.

  “You okay, sugar?” Garth was by her side in a flash.

  “Yes. I got a chill for a moment that’s all.” Working undercover had taught her how to lie.

  Nikki snagged the front door key from her purse and unlocked it. Instead of saying goodbye and stepping inside, her good manners surfaced. The men had paid for dinner. Asking them to come in and share a beer would be appropriate. Don’t kid yourself. You like being around them.

  “You two have time for a drink?”

  “Sure,” they said in unison. Their tones were laced with eagerness, and she swallowed a laugh.

  Mark grabbed Zane’s hand and tugged. “Cool. Then I can show you the game I’ve been working on.”

  “You sure can, buddy!”

  One tiny part of her was jealous that these two men had accomplished the impossible in such a short period of time—getting Mark to trust them. Maybe the boy craved a man in his life.

  You do, too.

  As soon as they walked in, Nikki headed to the kitchen. “Mark, you want something to drink?” He grunted something forcing her to retrace her steps. “What was that?”

  “A pop.”

  Back into the kitchen she went. Zane and Mark were speaking with each other when Zane asked about Mark’s computer game. Too bad computers had never been her thing. Maybe she should have asked for a girl. That way they could talk about… what? Guns, makeup, and boys? She wasn’t a girlie girl either and never had been. She was too practical. Hell, maybe she wanted to be the boy her father never had.

  Besides, at five foot three, there was nothing she could do with her shape that would make her appealing to any guy. She dressed quite well, but cute she’d never be.

  She gathered the drinks and placed them on a tray. When she traipsed back out, both men and boy were huddled over Mark’s computer. She said nothing as she set down the drinks. Sounds of guns firing and people screaming came from the screen. The men whistled.