by Dakota Dawn
Troy’s frown eased a little. “What the hell has been happening around here? Why were you sleeping in my bed with my woman cuddled up to your back? And who gave you a black eye?”
* * * *
Trent touched his left eye then flinched. “She did.”
Both twins looked incredulous.
Trent rolled his eyes then winced at the pain in his left eye. “Don’t forget she’s trained now. She clocked me when I tried to wake her up from a bad nightmare she was having.”
Running his fingers through his hair, Trent looked at each of his brothers.
“What’s wrong? Why are you looking at us like that? What’s happened?” Trey’s voice trembled with worry.
“She had a little incident at Gaven’s yesterday, then she had a nightmare last night. I’m pretty sure she thought she was being attacked by that piece of scum again. Anyway, she asked me not to let him get her. She sounded so sad and in need that I had to stay. I don’t think she even knew which one of the three of us I was. She was very scared and confused. I wouldn’t have stayed if she didn’t need me.” Eyeballing the two of them, Trent added, “I’ve decided you two can never leave her again. She missed you two too much and bad shit seems to happen to her when two are gone.”
“What all has happened?” Trey asked in a fearful voice.
“Let’s go to the kitchen, get some coffee going, and I’ll tell you all about it.” Heading to the kitchen, Trent sent up a prayer of thanks that they were back and that they hadn’t kicked his ass then asked questions later.
Chapter Twenty
Dazed from her morning welcome-back sex, Branda wanted nothing more than to cuddle with them for the rest of the day.
“Up and at ’em, sleepyhead. We have to get ready for our trip,” Troy said as he pulled her to a seated position on the bed.
“You can’t be leaving again, not this soon. I can’t live through another separation just yet.”
“No need to look so sad and pitiful. You are coming with us. We are going to Italy for a vacation,” Troy told her as his eyes raked over her naked body.
“Italy! You two just came back from a vacation over there. When are we supposed to leave? Are you sure you want to take me so soon after coming back?”
Trey answered her questions. “We leave tomorrow. And yes we are ready to go back for a real vacation. The last trip was more like a family business trip. Plus, from what we hear, you need a vacation.”
“I’m sure most of what you heard was exaggerated.” Branda slid off the bed and headed for the bathroom. This was one conversation she did not want to have. She hadn’t handled being separated from them very well. She was such as wussy. Rain would be disgusted. If only she was tough like Rain. Sienna was a wussy like her. At least she had that. She wasn’t totally alone in her wussdom.
“Yeah, your weight loss and the dark circles under your eyes tell us you had a great time while we were gone,” Trey said as he followed her.
Twirling to face him, she muttered, “I don’t want to talk about it. Everything will be fine now that you two are back.”
“Damn right it will be.” Trey stepped into her personal space and wrapped his arms around her. “Are you all right, tesoro mio?”
Branda let his scent comfort her. “I’m okay now that you’re back.”
“Trent said you did a good job defending yourself against him and Gaven.”
Snorting in self-disgust, she retorted, “Not good enough. I ran like a little girl, and I didn’t win either battle.”
Trey’s arms tightened around her. “You did fine, little one. You are a confident business woman. Now you just need to become confident in your self-defensive skills. Remember, those two are well trained and they love you, so there was no way you could win. But a regular man on the street may not be so well trained. Against him you’d be able to escape. Running is the right thing to do when you are given that opportunity. You did good, tesoro mio, but Troy and I will show you a few new moves that will help you take down a more skilled opponent. Now go get dressed. We have a lot to do today. I can’t wait to take care of business here then get you to Italy. You’re going to love it.” Releasing her, he stepped back. Eyes raking over her body one last time, Trey turned and left the room.
Branda was just walking out of the bathroom when she heard Troy talking to someone.
“I think that can be arranged. Trey and I can do our business today without her. She’s yours for lunch.”
Branda cocked her head and looked at him. He was on her phone, and he was making a lunch date for her with someone else. That snake. He had to know she’d want to be with him all day.
“Hold on a moment.” Troy held the phone away from his ear. “Stop scowling, little angel. Your face could get stuck like that. Trey and I have to take care of some business, and Rain wants to meet you for lunch. I think it’s a great idea. We are leaving tomorrow, and you won’t be able to see her for a least a month.”
At his words of wisdom, she caved. He was right. Taking the phone from him, she made plans with Rain for lunch.
* * * *
Sitting at the table, Branda looked at the ever-glowing Sienna and the radiant Rain. They sucked. “You two suck. I’ve been in a rut and working my ass off, not literally, of course. And you two have been on vacation. Sienna is glowing brighter than a thousand-watt light bulb.”
“Sheathe your claws. You’re about to go on vacation to Italy with the hot twins. So that means you suck. We’ll be left here doing the normal day-to-day stuff while you’ll be off in another country lapping up the sunshine and having wild sex with two hot men.” Sienna smiled at the end of her rebuke.
“Well, when you put it that way, I guess I do suck.” Branda eyed her friends. “I’m going to miss you two. I wish we could all go.”
“Me too. Especially since I wasn’t on vacation at all. I was working, remember?” Rain said as she eyeballed Branda.
Branda huffed. “You were in New York. Don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy yourself at all. I know you had to have done something fun. Spill.”
“Okay, I did go to Central Park twice and the beach once, but that was all. The rest of the time I was looking at clothing designs,” Rain confessed.
Branda hooted. “I knew it. You always mix business with pleasure. How did it go?”
“Fine. I picked out a few styles that are sure to sell and one that’s iffy. If you don’t keep a variety in your stores, people won’t come back,” Rain replied with a shake of her strawberry-blonde head.
After sipping her tea, Sienna asked, “Did you get some while you were gone?”
Rain’s gaze darted around the restaurant. “No. I wish I had though. I so need to find a single fuck-buddy. Or maybe a married one whose wife needs a break.”
Sienna patted Rain’s hand. “You want me to find you a man? I know quite a few. Teddy works with a lot of good guys on the ranch. Cowboys are so hot.”
Smiling at Sienna’s sincere question, Rain replied, “Not after that last one you tried to hook me up with. I’ll find my own bed mate, thank you very much.”
Sienna pouted. “You didn’t give him a chance. He was cute and nice.”
Rain blew her hair out of her eyes. “He started talking marriage on our second date. You know I don’t plan on getting married.”
Branda stepped in. “Slight subject change. How did it go with Eloise? Did she snag her man?”
Sienna nodded vigorously. “Oh yeah, how did that go?”
Rain looked as satisfied as a cat licking cream. “As planned, of course. With a little nudging, Ken found his soul mate in Eloise. Her parents are happy, and she’s back at home planning her wedding. Which, of course, you two will have to attend. I’m so going to need the company.”
Sienna looked dreamy. “That’s so romantic. I love a happy ending.”
Rain looked over Branda’s shoulder. “Me, too. My stomach is about to get a happy ending.”
Branda looked back to see the waiter coming wi
th their food. She rolled her eyes. “You are such a faker. You know deep down you’re happy for Eloise and Ken. Plus you should be proud of yourself for getting them together. They would never have gotten together without you.”
“Yadda, yadda, yadda. Don’t get all mushy on me. If they get divorced in a year, she’ll be throwing daggers at me.” Rain’s lips quirked up.
“Well, in that case, it’s a good thing you can move so quickly.” Sienna smirked.
They quieted as the waiter placed their food in front of them. Branda thanked him right before he walked away.
They ate in silence for a few minutes, relishing the food.
Branda broke the silence. “How did your vacation go, Sienna? You look great.”
Sienna’s eyes glazed over. “We had a wonderful time. We stayed in Teddy’s family’s log cabin. It was awesome, and it had a pool and everything. All we did was eat, play, and sleep.”
“As dreamy as you look, I think I know what kind of playing you two were doing,” Rain said with a big grin.
Sienna blushed.
Rain snorted. “Every time I mention sex you two blush like crazy. Give it a break already. Sex is natural.”
“We can’t stop blushing. I would love to stop, but it happens naturally. I wish I was more like you. You never blush,” Branda retorted in self-disgust.
Rain’s tone softened. “You two don’t want to be like me. Your men love it when you blush.”
Sienna looked at Rain. “How is Tamrisk? Is she in the States?”
“She’s doing fine, but she’s not home. She’s covering some fashion show in Holland. The crazy fool told me she bought me some wooden clogs. If she doesn’t stop bringing me crazy stuff, I’m going to have to rent a storage building to hold it all.”
“I like the wild stuff she sends you and the off-the-wall presents she gives us all. I still have that beaded hat she gave me three years ago and the dancing hula girl wearing high heels and sunshades she gave me for my birthday two years ago.” Branda laughed as she thought about Tamrisk’s gifts.
“I know. I love all her crazy gifts, too. That’s why I need a storage shed,” Rain said, and Sienna nodded in agreement.
Sienna looked at Branda. “Have you heard from your parents?”
Branda grimaced. “My mom disowned me about a week ago, but my dad called me today and told me he hadn’t. I was surprised because he always does what she tells him.”
Sienna looked sympathetic. “I’m sorry to hear about your mom’s behavior, but I’m glad your father didn’t follow her blindly this time.”
“Ditto,” Rain said with a nod.
“How long are you going to be in Italy, Branda?” Sienna asked around a bite of food.
“A month.”
Two mouths fell open.
“What? They have a couple of businesses in Sorrento where we are going. It’s not like they are taking off totally,” Branda informed them.
“Get out. They have two businesses in Italy? What kind of businesses? I’m going to have to start talking to my mom about them more often. I totally did not know about the Cortino businesses. I knew they were wealthy, but I didn’t know what all they did.” Sienna spoke in a shocked voice.
“They have a hotel and a bookstore there,” Branda answered.
“I know they have a bookstore here in Florida as well. Do they have any more?” Rain queried.
“No more bookstores, but they do have three hotels. One here, one in New York, and one in Sorrento, Italy,” Branda said to her bug-eyed friends.
“New York. I love New York. One of these days, I want to go on a real vacation there. See all the sights and just hang out,” Rain said in a dreamy voice.
“It seems too busy for me. I know it has a lot of things to do, but I like the privacy and solitude of the cabin. Although hanging out in Italy sounds appealing,” Sienna said.
“Since the twins own a hotel in Sorrento, I don’t see why one of these days we can’t all hang out there. Maybe I’ll get married there and then you two can go there for my wedding,” Branda mused.
“You could get married there?” Rain asked.
Branda shrugged. “That’s what Troy and Trey said.”
“I’d jump on that in a heartbeat,” Rain threw in.
“I’m thinking about it. I want to see Sorrento first. Then I’ll discuss it with the twins,” Branda replied.
“Do you have your dress yet?’ Sienna asked.
Branda grimaced. “No. I figured I’d look when we come back. I need time to process this whole wedding thing. It’s all so sudden.”
“It did happen rather quickly, but the Cortinos are wonderful people. You couldn’t find a better catch than Troy and Trey,” Sienna said in a knowing tone.
“Or two hotter men,” Rain remarked with a wicked smile.
“There is that,” Sienna agreed with Rain.
Branda blushed a bright pink. “You two shut up. Subject change. How is the remodel going at your house in Golden Gate, Sienna?”
Sienna had just taken her last bite of food. After swallowing hard, she glared at Branda. “Why did you have to bring that up while I was eating my last bite of food? That question ruined the taste of it.”
Rain laughed openly. “No worries. We’ll order dessert after we talk about the remodel. The remodel I told you not to do.”
“Ouch. You just had to rub it in, didn’t you?” Sienna said with mock ire.
Rain gave Sienna an I-told-you-so look. “You better believe it. That house already looked nice, and you just had to go and gut the thing.”
“Well, if you must know, we moved into the ranch’s guest house until the house is finished. The house is a disaster. A small part of me wishes I’d done one room at a time instead of the kitchen, living room, and patio all at the same time,” Sienna grumbled.
“What does Teddy have to say about it?” Branda inquired.
“He’s usually good about it. He’s only thrown one fit, and that was when he couldn’t find his laptop under all the mess,” Sienna mumbled.
“Tell me he found it,” Rain, who loved her laptop, begged.
“Oh, he found it all right.” Sienna paused then grimaced. “Two days later in a box in the spare bedroom.”
“Damn. I would have been pissed. Who would pack a laptop and toss it in a spare bedroom?” Rain asked.
Sienna flinched. “My mom. You know she doesn’t know anything about laptops. She was helping me pack up the living room and kitchen. His laptop was in the living room on the coffee table.”
“Well, at least it was found. How is the house looking right now?” Branda asked.
Sienna smiled broadly. “The kitchen looks great, and the living room is supposed to be finished next week. The patio should be finished in three days. It is looking pretty good. When you come back from Italy, we will all have to get together and celebrate the end of my house remodel.”
“Sounds good to me. Now let’s order dessert,” Rain chimed in.
They all ordered something different then shared. After much laughter and debate about which dessert was the best Rain sadly stated that she had to leave.
In the parking lot, Branda waved her friends off then ran into the donut shop next to the diner they had just left. They sold the boxes she used for some of her bouquets. Her supply was running low.
Branda walked to her car, noted the van on her driver’s side, and a beat-up, small car on the passenger side of her car. After unlocking her doors she put the boxes in her back seat. The side door of the van flung open. Glancing over she expected to see a strong, rambunctious teen.
What she saw had her shaking in her shoes. A man who looked just like Roy Smyth stepped from the van. Turning away she thought about the last man she thought was him. He had turned out to be a nice man. Not wanting to freak out like she did last time she took a calming breath and went to open her car door. She was safe, she was safe. All was well.
A second after she opened her door it was slammed shut. That pissed
her off. She turned to chew the rude man out, but the only sound she made was a gasp as his hand covered her mouth. Oh shit, it was Roy. Her body froze in place when he pressed his body into hers, trapping her up against the car.
“Well, well. Look who I found. My last plaything. Did you think I’d let you go before I had finished with you?” He shook his head. “You never even saw me following you from your house to here.” He leaned in closer to her ear. “You should never stay with friends, it makes it easy to find you. But, maybe that’s what you wanted. You wanted me to find you, didn’t you?”
Branda shook her head no. Oh god, she had to get away from him.
His eyes turned cold. “I think you are lying, and I don’t like people who lie.” Keeping one hand firmly on her mouth, he shoved her into his van, then jumped in, and slammed the door shut behind him.
She screamed and scooted as far away from him as she could.
He was on her in a flash. His body pressed her into the blanketed floor. Fear and shock raced through her system. She had to get away from him. Looking around the van she noticed there were no seats in the back and two seats in the front.
“We are going to have so much fun. I’m sure I’ll have more fun than you, but when you learn to obey me, you will have fun too. I know you want me. You were the reason I went to prison, but that wasn’t all your fault, it was your neighbor’s, but you still have to pay for it because you struggled, which drew his attention. You are going to be good from now on, right?”
Oh, god! He was crazy. Her eyes darted around the van. Fuck, fuck, fuck. On the wall close to her was lots of rope. A shudder ran through her when her gaze landed on knives of all sizes displayed in an open tool box.
His hand on her mouth tightened and he moved the other one up to yank on her hair. “I asked if you were going to be good and I expect an answer.”
Branda nodded her head yes. No way in hell was she going to be good, but he didn’t need to know that. Her mind raced to remember all the moves she had been taught. She had just found a loving family. There was no way she was going to die now.
