Soaring Free

by Becca Van

  Joni’s head began pounding worse than ever before and she was so cold she was shivering. She was only vaguely aware of Nic talking on his cell phone but none of his words were comprehensible. Her legs felt weak and no matter how hard she tried to stop trembling, it only seemed to make it worse.

  Pinpricks of dark spots formed in front of her eyes and no amount of blinking removed them. She tried to see where Nic was but the darkness grew until there was nothing to see but black. With a sigh of relief, she gave in and drifted away.

  Chapter Six

  “Shit!” Nic dropped his cell and grabbed Joni just as her legs buckled. He lifted her into his arms and then crouched to pick up his phone from the floor before standing again. “Hang on a minute,” he yelled so Gabe would hear him.

  He didn’t want to put her on the wrecked bed or the ruined sofa so he strode out of her apartment and hurried toward his truck. He managed to get his keys from his pocket and after unlocking the door, eased Joni onto the backseat. He snagged his jacket from where he’d placed on the back of the driver’s seat and covered her up.

  When he had her settled he put his phone to his ear. “You need to get over here. Someone’s trashed her place.”

  “Have you called the cops?”

  “Yeah, Gary Wade is on his way. She passed out, Gabe.”

  “Fuck! We’ll be there in ten.”

  Nic disconnected the call. He hadn’t taken his eyes off of Joni, but he didn’t like how pale she was. Every now and then she whimpered in her sleep as if she were in pain. His heart seized and he drew a deep breath. He hated seeing her like this and wanted to do something to make her feel better, but he had no idea what was wrong other than her decimated home and wondered if he should call an ambulance or a doctor. He hoped that Jack Williams was with Gary, since he was a doctor.

  Headlights coming toward him drew his attention and when the vehicle pulled in behind his truck he saw that it was Gary and he had his friends and his wife with him. Relief coursed through his body knowing he could rely on Jack to examine Joni.

  “Thanks for coming,” Nic greeted and shook each man’s hand before kissing their wife, Emma, on the cheek.

  “Is she all right?” Emma asked when she spied Joni out of it on the backseat.

  “I don’t know.” He turned to Jack. “Can you look her over, please? She wasn’t looking so good earlier and that’s why I drove her home. I think she was suffering from shock when she passed out. She was shaking like a leaf before her legs buckled.”

  Jack nodded, hurried toward their truck, and came back with his medical bag in hand. “Emma, can you get in back with her? I don’t want her getting scared if she wakes up while I’m looking her over.”

  “Of course,” Emma turned away but then spun back. “What’s the lady’s name, Nic?”

  “Joni. Joni Meeks.”

  Emma nodded and then walked around to the other door and got into the back. Jack pulled his stethoscope from his bag and got to work.

  “So what happened?” Gary asked.

  Nic explained and Gary nodded every now and then as they walked back to Joni’s apartment.

  “Fucking hell.” Gary frowned as he looked around. “Someone is very angry with that little lady.”

  “Yeah, but why?” Nic asked.

  “I was hoping you could answer that question.”

  Nic shrugged. “Joni has no idea either.”

  “Could be the work of a psychopath, but this definitely looks personal.”

  Nic turned when he heard more footsteps heading their way and watched as Gabe and Tom entered the small, one-bedroom apartment.

  “Geezus.” Tom scrubbed a hand down his face.

  “What the fuck?” Gabe spat, his eyes taking in the demolished room.

  “I’ve called forensics,” Gary said and he got off the phone. “If Jack’s finished looking the woman over, why don’t you take her back to your place? I’ll come by first thing in the morning to talk to her.”

  Nic nodded and, after saying good-bye, headed out to his truck. He was pleased to see Joni sitting up in the backseat, but she was still awfully pale.

  Jack moved away from his truck and, after making sure Joni was comfortable with Emma, Nic walked over to stand next to him.

  “She’s dehydrated and has a bad headache, but other than that she’s fine.”

  “Thank god.” Nic sighed.

  “She’s a bit achy and needs to rest and replenish her fluids but should be fine after a good night’s sleep.”

  “Good,” Gabe said, shaking Jack’s hand. “We’ll take her home and get her into bed.”

  “If you have any other concerns, give me a call.”

  “Thanks, Jack.”

  Jack waved and went to help Emma from the backseat of his truck. Nic moved to the open door and took Joni’s hand in his. He didn’t like that her skin felt icy cold.

  “We’re taking you to our place, Joni.” He held up his other hand when she opened her mouth, no doubt to protest. “You can’t stay here, baby. Until we know what’s going on we want to make sure you’re safe.”

  Joni shivered and nodded at the same time. He saw relief in her eyes and knew the thought of staying in her home scared her and was glad she’d acquiesced to him.

  “Do you want to stay where you are, or do you want to sit up front?”

  Joni licked her dry lips and when she answered he had to strain to hear her. “Front.”

  He nodded and, without waiting for her to get out, reached in and lifted her into his arms. Gabe hurried to the front passenger door and opened it for him. He gently placed her on the seat and helped her buckle up.

  “We’ll see you at home.” Gabe and Tom strode toward Tom’s truck.

  Nic started the truck and pulled out onto the road. He drove in silence but could feel the tension emanating from his passenger. He wanted to put her at ease but knew nothing he said right now would wipe the scene of her apartment from her mind. “Joni, do you think you previous boss could do something like this?”

  She turned to face him but shook her head. “No. Gerrard was an ass but he wouldn’t do something like…”

  When he heard her sob he looked over to see that she’d covered her mouth with her hand and tears were rolling down her face. He’d never been so glad that his truck had been fitted out with a bench seat and not two separate ones.

  “Oh, baby. I’m sorry for what happened to your things.” He pushed the button on her safety belt, releasing it, and tugged on her hand after clasping it. “Come over here, Joni.”

  He was glad when Joni didn’t hesitate and scooted over next to him. He released her hand and tugged the lap belt from under her ass and then lifted it over her lap. “Put your belt on, baby. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

  She fumbled until she had the belt buckled and then he slung an arm over her shoulders and drew her closer. He held in his sigh of relief when she didn’t protest and in actual fact pressed her cheek against his chest. Her shoulders were shaking and although she tried to contain her sobs, he still heard them.

  “Let it go, Joni. Don’t try and hold all that pain inside, baby. It’ll eat you up if you do.” His words seemed to be the catalyst because she started sobbing uncontrollably. He hated that she was hurting but hoped that by releasing her emotions it would be cathartic and help her heal.

  He stroked her arm, shoulder, and head but when her tears didn’t seem to be slowing any he got real concerned, but guessed she had a load of emotions roiling around inside of her that had nothing to do with tonight’s horrific events.

  Nic hated the way his body responded to her closeness, his dick hardening and twitching in his pants when the time was so inappropriate, but he just couldn’t seem to control his body’s response whenever she was close, and having her plastered up against him was doing his head in. She smelled so nice and fit perfectly against his harder frame and although the urge to stop the truck and kiss her was almost too much to ignore, ignore it he did.

&n
bsp; Finally, he pulled into the drive and cut the engine before releasing his and her seatbelts, and then he lifted her up onto his lap. Since she now had her head buried in his chest he couldn’t see if she was still crying but from the occasional hiccup wracking her body, he determined that she had at least slowed her jag.

  “It’s okay, baby. Everything will be all right,” Nic crooned in a low, soothing voice.

  “I’m sorry,” she croaked as she placed her hands on his chest and pushed back to look him in the eyes.

  She was so damn beautiful, even with her eyes bloodshot and her nose red from her fit of crying. The urge to kiss her was so strong he had to take a few deep breaths and slowly exhale to control the craving. She’d been through enough tonight and didn’t need him mauling her after such a horrendous shock.

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Good.” He opened the door and carefully lifted her up into his arms and slid out of his seat, making sure he didn’t bump her on the steering wheel. She surprised him when she hooked her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder with a shuddering sigh, just as Gabe and Tom pulled up.

  “She okay?” Gabe asked as he hurried over.

  “I’m fine,” Joni answered without lifting her head.

  “Of course you are, honey, but you have to be beyond exhausted.” Gabe stroked a hand over her head and down, unraveling the bun.

  Nic drew in a deep awed breath at the length of her luxurious tresses. She was even more beautiful than he suspected. His dick filled with blood and fully engorged, making him uncomfortable but again he ignored his body’s yearning.

  “I am,” Joni answered and then sighed.

  “Bring her in,” Tom called from the front porch and Nic started walking toward the door. Hopefully after Joni was rested she wouldn’t look so pale and shell-shocked and if he had any say in it, she wouldn’t be starting work before lunchtime tomorrow. He just hoped she was a heavy sleeper and didn’t hear them get up in the morning. He and his buddies had always been early rises, no matter what time they went to sleep or how long they slept for. They were going to have to keep quiet and not be their normal, raucous selves.

  Nic carried her down the hall, skirting to the side when Gabe rushed ahead of him and opened the door to the master bedroom. He quirked his eyebrow at his friend, knowing the significance of the bedroom choice when they had another spare guest room they could put Joni in, but he nodded in agreement and smiled as he stepped over the threshold.

  Joni didn’t know it yet but as far as they were concerned she was theirs and he was going to do everything he could to make sure she was comfortable and never wanted to leave. He knew it wouldn’t happen overnight but he wanted her to have feelings for them, the same way they had feelings for her. He wasn’t a green youth and knew his own mind. He knew that Joni was special. Now all he and his friends needed to do was convince her of that, too.

  But that sounded a lot easier than he suspected it was going to be.

  * * * *

  Anger coursed through Paul’s body until a red haze formed in front of his eyes. He had broken into Joni’s apartment hoping to scare her into seeking him out for comfort.

  When he’d seen that other fucker with her he’d wanted to roar with fury. She was supposed to be his. He’d done everything he could to get her attention but nothing he’d done had worked. And now it looked like he was too late.

  He’d never thought Joni was like all the other sluts he’d been with. He’d thought she was innocent and special, but it looked like he was wrong.

  She was going to pay for ignoring him. No one ignored Paul Farris and got away with it.

  No one.

  She was going to be his whether she wanted to or not and when he got hold of her he was going to make her pay.

  * * * *

  Tom hurried into the room after Nic and helped Gabe pull the covers back on the bigger than king-size custom-made bed. When Nic lowered Joni onto the mattress, she sighed and rolled over onto her side. Her eyes were closed but he could tell by the puffy lids that she’d been crying. He brushed the hair off her face and then pulled the covers up to her shoulders after Nic removed her shoes. She was so beautiful and even though she was no longer crying he had a feeling she had years’ worth of stored up pain locked inside of her.

  If she gave them a chance to have a relationship with her they could set her free, but first they had to get her to agree. Without thinking about what he was doing, he bent down and pressed his lips to her forehead. He drew in the light scent she wore and held it in his lungs before exhaling and straightened up again.

  She sighed and the corner of her lips curved up in a slight smile. Seeing her reaction to a simple kiss on her head gave him hope that she would indeed accept him and his friends. Giving her one last longing look, he turned and followed Nic and Gabe out to the kitchen.

  “She’s been crying,” Tom said as he accepted the bottle of beer from Gabe and took a slug from it.

  “Yeah,” Nic sighed. “She’s been to hell and back tonight and although she tried to keep her sobs in, she was fighting a losing battle.”

  “She was definitely in shock,” Gabe said. “Who wouldn’t after coming home to such a mess? Joni probably feels violated at the way her things were destroyed.”

  “Does she have any idea who would want to hurt her like that?” Tom asked.

  “No,” Nic answered.

  “Damn. I hope Gary and the forensics team find some prints to go on.” Gabe ran his fingers through his hair.

  “We’ll have to try and keep it down in the morning. I want her to sleep for as long as possible,” Nic said.

  “Do you think we should let her work tomorrow?” Gabe muttered and then held up his hand before Tom or Nic replied. “Don’t bother answering that. I know she’d put up a fuss if we suggested she take the day off.”

  “You’re right about that,” Nic agreed.

  “She’s so different at work than when we met her at the club the other night,” Tom said.

  “Yes, she is. She was so far out of her comfort zone she was virtually vibrating with nerves.” Gabe sipped his beer.

  “Yes, but although she was nervous, she was also turned on.” Nic leaned against the kitchen counter.

  “So, do you think we should tell her what we want with her?” Tom asked the question that his friends no doubt had rolling around in their minds.

  “It’s too early,” Gabe said. “We need to give her more time to get used to us. Make sure you touch her often, but not inappropriately. Talk with her, joke and laugh with her but give her some space for now. There’s no way she can go back home until whoever broke in and is after her, is caught.”

  “We don’t know for sure that she’s in danger.” Tom glanced toward the door, before meeting Nic’s and Gabe’s gazes again. “For all we know it could have been a random attack.”

  “Do you really believe that?” Gabe frowned.

  “No.” Tom sighed. “None of the walls or curtains were destroyed. It was all her things.”

  “It was personal.” Nic slammed his fist into the counter, his teeth clenched, making the muscle in his jaw twitch.

  “That settles it, then.” Gabe nodded. “She’s not going home.”

  “She’ll put up a fight.” Tom couldn’t stop himself smiling at the thought.

  “Yes, and I’m looking forward to it as much as you are.” Nic pointed his finger at Tom.

  “We’d better head to bed and get some shut-eye.” Gabe drained the last of his beer and then tossed the empty bottle into the recycle bin. “We’re going to need to have our wits about us tomorrow.”

  Tom nodded, said good night, and headed to his room. As far as he was concerned tomorrow couldn’t come fast enough.

  Chapter Seven

  Joni sighed and blinked open blurry eyes. She frowned when she noted she wasn’t in her bedroom and sat up with bewilderment. When she looked down and realized she’d slept in her clothes, th
e previous night’s events came rushing back. She covered her face with her hands and groaned when she remembered blubbering all over Nic. Embarrassment heated her face and although she remembered being in his truck she didn’t remember much after her crying jag.

  “God, Joni! Could you make yourself look more of a fool?” As she finished muttering that question, she realized that she’d liked being held by Nic, and not just because she felt safe, protected. Whenever she was around him, Gabe, and Tom her libido sat up and took notice. And now she was supposed to be staying with them for however long it took to catch whoever had broken in and trashed her things. How was she supposed to keep her attraction to them hidden if she was living with them? She’d had virtually no experience with the opposite sex through choices of her own and wasn’t sure if they had a hidden agenda by wanting to help her out. From her involvement with men all they ever wanted to do was cause pain. She’d had enough of that to last her a lifetime and didn’t want to ever have to go through something so agonizing again.

  John had never really taken any time with her in the bedroom. All he ever did was grope her a couple of times before sticking his dick into her and thrusting until he got off. She'd thought there had been something wrong with her because that asshole had keep telling her she was a cold emotionless bitch. And stupid her, she had believed him. She'd been so damn naïve and sometimes she hated herself for her gullibility. From the conversations she'd had with Kara there was so much more to sex than what she'd experienced but she wasn't about to get that close to another man again.

  And then there was her father.

  Joni blinked back the tears that threatened whenever she thought of her mom and her sick asshole of a father, but when she realized she was getting morbid and having a self-pity party, she pushed her depressing thoughts aside.