by Becca Van
Sabrina felt like she was walking around with a target painted in the middle of her forehead and wondered, if she listened hard enough, if she could hear the clock ticking down.
The silence in the room wasn’t comfortable. It was pregnant with tense expectation, and when she looked at the three men again she saw them watching her with apprehensive anticipation. Her throat constricted, and she gulped loudly before taking a deep breath and exhaling.
“I don’t…I can’t…” Sabrina snapped her mouth shut when the words wouldn’t come. She had no idea what to say to their declaration.
Trick stepped forward, scooped her up into his arms, and hugged her tight. “Don’t say anything yet, darlin’. You need to think about what you want before answering.”
Sabrina sighed as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He lowered her feet to the floor, and even though she knew she should release him, she didn’t want to. She’d never felt safer than when she was in his, Trent’s, or Tristan’s arms, but she knew she couldn’t stay where she was forever.
She made a conscious effort to drop her arms and move away from him, and when she did, she bumped into another hard, warm body. She looked up and met Trent’s eyes, and without saying a word to her, he gave her a slight smile and opened his arms. She didn’t hesitate to walk into them, and she gripped the front of his shirt and sighed when his arms enveloped her. She breathed in his delectable scent and sighed with enjoyment and contentment. She wished she could accept having a relationship with them, but with her future so uncertain it wouldn’t be fair to any of them.
Trent kissed the top of her head just before he released her, and then he and Tristan headed out to go shopping.
She spent the next couple of hours helping Trick pack up some clothes for them and clearing out the fridge of any perishables. They worked together in silence before her curiosity got the better of her.
“What do you and your brothers do for a living?”
He glanced over at her and smiled before he went back to pull more clothes from the drawers in Trent’s room. “We own the only bank in town. Our parents started that bank before any of us were born, and when they died in an accident I took it over.
“Tristan and Trent didn’t want to work in the bank though. They like working with their hands and started up their own construction business after finishing college.”
“I’m sorry about your parents,” Sabrina said when she saw the sadness in his eyes. He gave her a wistful smile and stroked a finger down her face. “Thanks, honey, but it was a long time ago.”
“How old were you when you took over running the bank?”
“I was twenty.” He shook his head and then grinned. “Boy, did I grow up fast. I thought I could walk right in and just take on over, but that was so far from the truth it’s almost funny. Thank God my dad’s best friend, Charlie, was there to help me. He took me under his wing and taught me the ropes. If it hadn’t been for him, I may have lost the lot.”
“Do you still see your dad’s friend?”
“No, but I get mail from him occasionally. He moved to California to be closer to this daughter and grandkids. Last I heard, he was having the time of his life.”
Sabrina nodded before adding the stack of clothes she’d chosen for Trent into the large bag on the bed.
“How did you come to work for Noble?” Trick asked.
She hoped he didn’t see the way she tightened up but figured he had when he frowned. It wasn’t that she had anything to hide, it was just that she didn’t really like to think of Harvey Noble and his cronies. Every time she did her stomach began to churn and she felt sick with fear, but she wasn’t about to let Noble rule her life when he wasn’t even here. So she pushed her fear aside.
“I’d just finished up college after getting my business management degree. I’d been searching the Internet and papers for work, and when I saw the advertisement for an administrative assistant to the CEO of Noble Computers I immediately applied for the job.” Sabrina added another pile of folded clothes to Trent’s bag and then walked to the closet in search of a spare pair of shoes. She found and then picked up the boots for Trick’s approval and, at his nod, put them in the separate zippered section under the lid.
“When I had the initial interview I didn’t think I’d have a hope in hell of getting the position. I was kind of nervous and thought I hadn’t done as well as I could have. Harvey was good at hiding what he was thinking and feeling, but I had this feeling he thought I was naïve, and looking back now, I can see that I was. Maybe that’s what he wanted. Someone young and stupid he could push around.” Tears burned the back of her eyes, but she pushed her emotions aside.
She sometimes felt so out of her depth with Trick and his brothers. They were so much more mature than she was, and since her self-esteem was a little low with what was happening with Noble, she was uncertain of trusting her instincts. She wanted to accept Trick, Trent, and Tristan’s offer of a relationship, but knew this wasn’t the time, and she was unsure of why they wanted her. She was a fair bit younger than they were, and she was feeling the age difference right now.
Although, it was very tempting to say yes. They were all so handsome, manly, and masculine, but she hadn’t had much experience with relationships and didn’t want to come across as too eager or make a fool of herself.
Sabrina had been a confident career woman, but now she had no career and had begun to think that Noble had only hired her for his own nefarious reasons. When he’d told her not to open any of his e-mails but instead to send them on to him, her alarm bells should have been ringing. She’d thought it was odd at the time but had put it down to Harvey being a bit of a control freak and hadn’t questioned it. Now she wished she’d trusted her first instinct and questioned him, but he probably would have made up so cockamamie story she would have naively believed.
Trick came up behind her and pulled her back against his front. She was so damn tired she wanted to lean on him and his brothers, but she couldn’t do that. Not now and maybe not ever. What she really should be doing was walking away.
“You’re not stupid, sweetheart. How were you supposed to know what he was up to?”
“I should have realized something was up.” She took a deep breath and stepped to the side and watched as Trick closed the bag, and then she followed him out of Trent’s room. She headed into Tristan’s room and began opening drawers and pulling out clothes.
“What do you mean, Sab?”
“Harvey told me that if any e-mails to him came through the company e-mail address that I wasn’t supposed to open them and just forward them on to him. At first I thought that was unusual, but in the end I put it down to him being a control freak or just being overly conscientious.”
“Did you think something strange was going on?”
“Sometimes. A couple of times he got visitors that were intimidating and rough looking, but I tried not to let it bother me. People come from all walks of life and have harsher upbringings than others, and I just put it down to that. He always had security around him or a bodyguard, but with him making so much money that wasn’t a surprise.
“I caught him looking at me weirdly a couple of times, but when he caught me watching him, he’d change his expression and smile at me. But his smile never reached his eyes and he always looked kind of cold. Sometimes I swear there was…not evil in his eyes, but a kind of manic determination. That’s the only way I can describe it.”
“Can you describe his bodyguard? Did you see any of his men?”
Sabrina shook her head. “I can tell you now that his bodyguards were contractors hired from a reputable company. I was the one who handled hiring them for him. His men, I don’t think I ever saw. He used to set up a lot of his business meetings outside of office hours. I thought that was odd but didn’t question it since he always seemed so busy.
“I asked him once early on about the late meetings and the look that came into his eyes scared me, but he just shrugged it off, saying he h
ad a couple of small businesses he was planning to open but didn’t want the media to get ahold of that information. I just took him for his word. It could have been true and I just shrugged of the misgivings I had.”
“So you only found out what he was up to after you accidentally opened one of his e-mails?” Trick asked, and she nodded. “You know if the people he was working with and who were working for him didn’t want the law to find out what was going on, you’d think they would have had his personal e-mail address.”
Sabrina closed the bag once it was full of Tristan’s clothes with an extra pair of boots inside plus all of his toiletries. She went to lift it off of the bed but Trick nudged her aside and picked it up himself. She followed him out as he carried the bag to the internal garage door before he turned around to face her again.
“You know I think that whoever sent that e-mail wanted Noble to be caught. Do you know who it came from?”
“No. It was one of those made-up names.”
“Can you remember what the name was, sweetheart?”
“Yes. It was kind of creepy and hard to forget.”
“Tell me what it was and I’ll text it to Luke. Maybe his friend in the FBI can track the person down.”
“Eye of the devil dot com.”
Trick pulled his cell from his pocket and started tapping at the screen and replaced it when he’d finished. “Go and get your bag, sweetheart. I’ll load the bags and cooler into the truck and then we can head out.”
“What about Tristan and Trent?”
“They’re heading straight to the Triple H Ranch when they’re done shopping.”
“Okay.” She sighed as she turned around and headed for the bedroom where her small bag was. She hated that the three Wendall brothers were putting their lives on hold because of her, and even though she felt safer with them, she wondered if she was being selfish.
Maybe being at their friend’s ranch would give her a place to think and decide what to do. It didn’t matter that she no longer had a car. If she decided to leave she would walk out. Noble and his cronies wouldn’t be looking for anyone on foot. She was sure they would scour the bus depots, airlines, car-rental places, and anything else they could think of.
She was just glad that she’d taken the precaution of not leaving a paper trail and hoped that it was enough to keep her hidden. But deep down she knew that she wasn’t safe no matter where she went. Harvey Noble wasn’t going to give up until her found her and killed her.
Sabrina grabbed her backpack and walked back through the house. She could hear Trick moving around in the garage, probably still loading everything in it. This would be the perfect opportunity to take off. She could run and hide so that he and his brothers and their friends were safe.
She took a step toward the front door, but spun around when Trick spoke. “Ready?”
He was frowning at her, and she wondered if he knew what she’d been about to do, but when he smiled at her and held out his hand, she didn’t think so. Sabrina walked closer to him, took his hand, and hoped she wasn’t making a big mistake.
He took her bag from her and stowed it into the backseat before making sure the house was locked up, and then he helped her into the front passenger seat before starting the truck and backing out of the four-car garage. She watched the automatic doors close, and then she was scanning the streets and other cars she saw as he drove.
There was no way she could let her guard down. Not until she was safe. She was going to have to stay vigilant, even if it meant staying awake at night. Her chest tightened, and her heart began to race. Her throat tightened as she panted and sweat broke out on her forehead. She gripped her hands and tried to calm down, but she couldn’t seem to control the escalating panic.
She was glad that Trick had the radio on and didn’t seem to know what was happening to her. She kept her head turned away as she stared out the side window and tried to take in the scenery as they left the small rural town behind. After lowering the window a crack and breathing in the fresh cool afternoon fall air, she felt her body begin to relax, and her heart slowed, as did her breathing.
“Are you all right, honey?” Trick asked.
When she turned to face him she saw him frowning with concern. “Yes, thanks. I’m fine.”
He faced the road again but glanced at her a few times before speaking again. “You’re as pale as a ghost, Sabrina. Talk to me, sweetheart. Are you worried about all of us wanting a relationship with you?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know. I’m just kind of confused right now.”
Trick slowed the truck, pulled onto the shoulder of the road, and then turned the ignition off. He released his seatbelt before doing the same with hers and turned so he was facing her. She shifted in her seat until she was facing him, too.
“Tell me what’s going on in that mind of yours.”
“I don’t want anyone getting hurt because of me. You, your brothers, and now your friends at the ranch we’re heading to, are putting your lives on hold. None of us know if Noble’s hired goon will find me, and it could take weeks or even months before they do. I should just pack up and leave.”
Trick shifted along the bench seat and reached out for her. He pulled her over toward him and wrapped her up in his embrace. “Firstly, we want to keep you safe. My brothers and I are very attracted to you, and we want the chance to see where the attraction between all of us can go.”
She opened her mouth but didn’t get to say anything when he placed a finger over her lips. She had the wildest urge to draw that finger into her mouth and suck on it. Her cheeks heated, and her body lit up with desire.
“See.” Trick’s deep rumbling voice vibrated against her side and shot straight down to her clit. “That’s what I’m talking about, honey. Those sparks we light off in one another are a rare thing. Don’t you want to explore the passion between us?”
Sabrina had every intention of shaking her head, but it seemed her body and mind were disconnected and she found herself nodding instead. She felt her eyes widen in shock and tried to pull back, but Trick wouldn’t let her.
“I won’t let you take that back, Sabrina. Now the issue you have about us putting our lives on hold. Do you really think we would do something we didn’t want to?
“Trent and Tristan had already planned to take a couple of weeks off. They’d finished all the jobs they had scheduled and were looking forward to some down time. Me”—he paused as if trying to find the right words and stroked a finger down her cheek—“I’m a workaholic, sweetheart. If I’m not at the bank, I’m at the baby and mom’s store helping Tori out. We went into partnership when one of her friends said that she hated driving two hours away from home just to get things she needed for her babies. That was over eighteen months ago, and other than taking Sundays as a rest day, I’ve been working every day of the week for years. Tori and I don’t have any need to go to the store. We have reliable employees who can run that shop like a well-oiled machine. As for the bank, my second in charge has been urging me to take some vacation time for so long that he’s probably in shock since I have done just that. He can run that place just as well as I can.
“As for you leaving, that’s not an option. We can keep you safe here. This town is full of men who look out for their women. If I saw one of the other men’s wives in trouble you can bet your ass I’d be there to help out. That goes for everyone in this town. We protect our own.”
“But I’m not—”
“Don’t you dare finish that statement, Sabrina! The moment you collapsed in the diner you became one of ours. You have been in our house recovering for the last couple of days, and as far as I’m concerned you already belong to me and my brothers.”
He didn’t even give her time to reply to that because he leaned down and covered her mouth with his. She moaned as she clutched at his shirt, and his tongue pushed into her mouth, gliding along and swirling around hers. She was lost to his touch, his taste, his passion. He didn’t cajole a response from her. He
dove right in and took what he wanted. His lips were soft and warm, yet firm and demanding. His tongue pushed in and out of her mouth, turning her limbs to rubber and starting a fire burning low in her belly. She wanted to taste him for the rest of her life. To have his arms around her keeping her safe.
When that thought crossed her mind, Sabrina knew she was in deeper than she’d first thought. How could three men get under her skin so quickly? It scared her a little, but not enough to make her run. No, she wanted to hold on and never let go.
She groaned with frustrated disappointment when Trick slowed the kiss and lifted his head. The hunger in his eyes burned into her soul as well as her body. She shivered and clenched her thighs together, trying to ease the ache in her pussy.
“The Heritage men are trained SEALs, honey. Damon and his brothers were Marines. There are a lot of men in this town that served in the military. If Noble’s men try to get near you, they are going to have a very hard time.”
Trick helped her move back to her seat and buckled her safety belt before getting back behind the wheel and putting his back on. He turned the key in the ignition and, after checking his mirrors, started driving again. “Luke has everyone in this town on high alert to strangers. The people after you are going to have to go through all of us to get to you, Sab.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” she muttered under her breath.
Chapter Six
“Fuck,” Trent said under his breath when he glanced at his watch and saw how much time had passed by.
Trent was itching to see Sabrina again. It had taken him and Tristan quite a while to get everything on the list, and he hoped that they didn’t have to go back to town for anything they’d forgotten. He could see Trick giving orders and sending him and or Tristan back if anything was missing. Not that he’d complain, but he wanted to spend all his free time with their girl. He was itching to kiss her the way Tristan had, and he was pretty sure his big brother would have taken advantage of his alone time with her.
