Hell's Hilltop

by J. A. Dennam

  Before Ty could knock, the door behind them opened and they spun around. Squeals erupted as, inside the neighboring apartment, a small toddler spotted Chewie and began to clap. The leash was ripped from Ty's hand as Chewie ran inside, tackled little DJ to the floor with a barrage of wet kisses.

  Melanie’s long flaxen hair appeared as she rushed to her child’s side. Once it became clear DJ’s sounds of anguish were actually rolls of hearty laughter, she held back and smiled. Danny appeared, blocking their view of the heartwarming scene with her 5’ 3” frame. Her sun-streaked brown hair was a longer version of Derek’s, caramel-brown eyes and high cheek bones a dead-on match. Though she was five years his junior, Danny had proved every bit the risk-taker as her infamous older sibling.

  “You’re wanted next door,” she said nodding in that direction then promptly shut the door.

  So much for hospitality.

  Ty tried the knob of apartment 2-H. It opened freely. He ushered Rena inside and quickly shut them out from the rest of the world.

  “Hello?” he called out to a quiet apartment.

  Rena took off her hat and sunglasses, placed them on the small dining table by the foyer. “Maybe they’re in the bedroom,” she suggested warily.

  They headed toward the back. It was a tiny place, the cramped living room and kitchen divided by a single countertop. This was where Melanie lived with her young son and some guy who supposedly slept on the couch. Those arrangements would most likely change since Derek was back in their lives. He was DJ’s father, insanely alpha male, and fiercely in love with Melanie.

  Rena’s heart finally skipped a beat. She hadn’t truly believed Derek was alive until Melanie’s voice confirmed it over the phone. But what condition would he be in? The gunshot wound had been real, after all, and her guardian angel could still be one step away from Heaven’s gates for all she knew.

  On their way past a dark doorway, a huge fist came through it followed by a horrendous thump. Ty slammed against the opposite wall. Rena yelped in surprise, her eyes widening as he regained his footing.

  As Ty wiped the ribbon of blood dripping from his mouth, Austin Cahill appeared from the bathroom.

  CHAPTER 5

  The two men, similar in height—one golden, one dark-haired—stared daggers at each other while Rena’s heart pounded in her chest.

  Finally, Austin spoke, his familiar voice a rich baritone. “Now that that’s out of the way….”

  Ty, his blue eyes turned steely, gave a brief nod of understanding. Rena had never seen him like that before, muscles tensed, guard up, ready to exchange some blows. It was in the set of his shoulders, the pulse in his jaw, the bracing of his long legs. She could practically read his thoughts, knew he was reaching his breaking point… all because of her and what she’d done.

  It was her fault he was being treated this way, but not once did he defend himself. Rena reached out to touch his sleeve, then was knocked back with a vivid memory of the last time she’d reached for him in a similar manner.

  The bloody gray slacks pooled around her feet. She stood before him naked, her sense of vulnerability lessened since she’d immobilized him before he woke.

  “Rena,” Ty rasped from the bed, “snap out of it. You don’t want to do this.”

  Her chest rose and fell with the force of her emotions. The power she’d wielded over him as the blade of her knife tore through his boxers was euphoric. When the flimsy fabric had fallen away, baring all he had to offer, the heat in her blood spiked to a frightening level. She hated him. Wanted nothing more than to slit that beautiful throat of his. Yet, she wanted him, too. Ty was a fantastic male specimen in the physical sense, practically oozing pheromones from every pore. So, she would use him to finally sate the urges that had plagued her since the moment their eyes first met.

  Like a feline predator, she climbed between his legs, ignoring his halfhearted attempts to push her aside. She reached out, wrapped her hand around his rising cock and took him into her mouth. With her tongue, she stroked the large, pulsing vein that ran up its impressive length.

  “Um… okay… uh….” His head slammed against the pillow and he began a hurried round of ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’. Armed with the knowledge his life would end when she was through with him, Rena’s lips curved with a smile.

  The song ended abruptly when she slithered up his torso, trailing her tongue along the toned dividing line of his abdominal muscles. For a moment, he desperately yanked at the ropes around his wrists, but stopped when her teeth hooked a small nipple and pulled.

  “God, woman, don’t do that,” he rasped.

  So she did it again. Tiny goose bumps flooded the dark circles she was feasting on. By the time her sex met up with his, he was rock hard and ready. Just short of grazing his mouth with her own, she slowly arched upward, straddled his hips. As she slid her moist opening along his length, preparing him for smooth entry, he swallowed hard.

  “Condom. Nightstand. Now.”

  But she wouldn’t stop. Nothing could stop her… not even the small voice in her head that told her this was wrong.

  She reached down, lifted up slightly. When her hand found him, he pleaded with her once more to use protection. The tip of his erection broke through her entrance and she slowly sank down, her inner walls stretching inch by incredible inch. They both arched backward, eyes closed.

  His smoky expletive accompanied the jolt of pure pleasure that arced through her core.

  “Oh… fuck.”

  Snapping out of her “vision”, Rena stood agape, blinking at Ty in complete shock. Had that really happened? Was it a recalled memory, or just a… a fantasy?

  The same big hand that had slammed into Ty’s face now waved before her eyes.

  “Rena?” Austin said. “You okay?”

  Not by a long shot. Horror of the worst kind prevented her from moving forward. It wasn’t often she recalled a memory from a psycho-induced black out. She was really going to kill him. Take what she wanted of his body then coldly run the blade of her knife across his throat. Those had been her feelings. Her thoughts.

  Now she wanted to throw up.

  Covering her mouth, Rena closed her eyes, collected herself. When she opened them again, Ty was frowning at her with obvious concern. Did he know just how close he’d come to dying?

  “I’m alright,” she said with more conviction than she felt. Her meds were back in her system, working their magic, ensuring she would never entertain such malicious thoughts again.

  But the sex…. Now, that was something she’d be willing to try again. For the love of God, if she were to focus on anything, it should be how completely Ty had filled her. How unexpected the thrill of their connection had been each time she’d taken him inside her. First with her mouth, then with her—

  “Good,” Austin turned her back toward the living room. “Because we need you to be alright.”

  Rena fanned the open flaps of her borrowed shirt as she tried to keep up. Why was it so damned hot all of a sudden? “We… who?”

  Before she could make sense of things, she was suddenly faced with a pair of glorious brown eyes. Joy cleared the remaining fog from her brain as she stared in open-mouthed wonderment at the man who’d materialized by the living room windows. Derek’s whiskered jaw moved with a crooked smile. Without a word, she walked into his open arms and burrowed there.

  He was warm, he was breathing. Standing, even. A sense of well-being accompanied the unequivocal relief that flooded her heart. “You can’t possibly know,” she whispered against his neck, “how thankful I am right now.”

  Derek’s hand wrapped around her forearm and moved it slightly to the right, away from his chest wound. “Yeah, I kinda do,” he answered in that charmed way of his.

  She tightened her lips, moved away. Her eyes scanned the area where she’d seen the bullet rip his chest apart. The clean T-shirt he wore concealed the damage, but his weak pallor spoke volumes. “You're in a lot of pain?”

  “Hurts li
ke a bitch, but I’m breathing.” His finger hooked her chin as he re-sought her attention. “How are you holding up?”

  The strength in Derek’s voice alone fortified her with renewed hope. Her answering smile was meant to reassure. “Better now. I think I’ll be fine.” But first, there was one more person she was dying to see. “Where’s Crystal?”

  Derek raised a calloused hand and moved a shock of ebony hair from her face. “We’ll get to that in a minute,” he said softly. “We’re talking about you right now.”

  All the while, Ty silently watched from the hallway. She turned away from Derek and nodded appreciatively in his direction. “Ty was able to get his hands on my medication. I’m back on a daily regimen… well, as long as I have access to it.”

  Just like that, the air grew thick with tension. “Ty to the rescue,” Derek drawled caustically. He took a few careful steps toward the man and glanced at Austin who stood by the bar. “Did you put your shoulder into it?”

  Austin nodded.

  A bloody lip proved just how solid that punch had been. Ty lifted from the wall and stood his ground. “You gonna take a crack at me when you’re healed up or are we done now?”

  Derek rubbed his jaw as if gauging how much damage he could inflict. “You’re an asshole for putting my family through hell. But you also managed to save my life, so I guess we’re even.”

  With that, a provisional truce was made, though Ty’s shoulders failed to fully relax. “How’s the wound?” he asked.

  “Fine.” Derek turned back toward Rena. “We didn’t call you here for a check-up, though.”

  Austin again. “Rena, you need to sit down.”

  Uh-oh. It all started to look strange now, how the men were there and the women weren’t. Chewie had been separated from them so Ty could get his beating. What did they have in store for her? Rena’s stomach began to draw up again. “What’s going on?”

  Ty’s own eyes reflected suspicion, so Rena knew he wasn’t in on whatever Derek and Austin had planned.

  “What condition was she in when you found her?” Derek asked him.

  Ty ignored her silent plea for discretion. “I didn’t find her,” he said, “she found me. I followed her trail for twenty-four hours straight with no luck, so I went home to get some sleep. Woke up a short time later with my hands tied to the headboard.”

  “I don’t remember doing it,” she admitted quickly, knowing how her actions resembled her mother’s. Sophie had had an unhealthy knack for bondage, especially when Derek was the one tied to her bed.

  Dreading full disclosure of her “special” treatment of Ty, Rena glanced guiltily at Austin. It took her a moment to realize… they no longer had a relationship to nurture. Then again, her knee-jerk reaction was more one of habit than guilt.

  “She was checked out the whole time,” Ty continued, backing her claim. “I couldn’t talk her out of anything, she just sort of… came around on her own.”

  Derek’s eyes narrowed slightly. “What couldn’t you talk her out of?”

  Instead of specifics, Ty took the gentlemanly route. “Planning my demise,” was all he said.

  It wasn’t a great answer, but it was a damn sight better than what Rena expected. Her insides flooded with gratitude, which must have reflected in her eyes because Ty returned her look with a slight nod.

  The man was a complete paradox. Her recollections of their sex act had ushered in unwanted feelings that were already taking root. Real feelings that began to fill the empty cracks deep in her chest.

  No way. Screw that. It was just sex, a perfectly natural, physical way to relieve stress. Ty was a beautiful man. Of course there was an attraction, but he was far from relationship material. Besides, if Rena managed to remain a free woman, she wasn’t ready for something so emotionally exhausting as a relationship.

  Fortified by her in-house pep talk, and feeling a bit anxious, Rena gave Austin a flirtatious wink. “We always did think alike, huh, babe.”

  Austin’s massive shoulders squared. “Not likely.”

  His curt answer told her to keep the comfortable distance they’d established before. Winks and pet names were off limits. Rena’s mouth pursed with an impudent smirk. “It was a wink, Austin, not a declaration of love. Relax.” The devil inside propelled her feet toward the man who made a living saving people. She grabbed Ty’s face, pulled him down and fused her mouth to his in a heated, air-robbing, passionate kiss. When the kiss broke, her words were for Austin. “I’m not taking any liberties your wife wouldn’t approve of.”

  Ty was left blinking, mouth suspended in the position her lips had left it. Feeling much better, Rena turned and made a show of licking moisture from her bottom lip. “So. If I were to guess what this is all about, I’d say you want information about a man my mother mentioned. Isak Frost. Am I warm?”

  It took a moment for the men to catch up. Derek was the first, his face smoothing out as he lowered himself to the arm of the couch. “Yes, we’ll definitely get to that. But it’s not why we called you here.”

  She shrugged. “Okay, let’s get on with it.” The sooner she put some distance between her and Austin the better, not knowing how long her brave face would hold out.

  The air grew thicker the longer it took for Derek to answer. Finally, he said, “It’s about your sister.”

  Before she could react, Austin jumped in. “Last night, she put a plan in motion to kill the remaining ghosts taking refuge at Lesico. She succeeded.”

  Lesico was the pharmaceutical company her mother worked for and another home-base for IGP’s henchmen. Since they consisted mainly of deceased civilians—at least deceased on paper—the term “ghost” was quite fitting. Lord knew, plenty of them had been sent by her mother to haunt her every waking moment. Leave her with grim reminders that she wasn’t moving fast enough to find that missing bullet. The thought of them all dead—besides her sister, of course—put a smile on her face. “That’s good, isn’t it? Crystal’s cooperating with you?”

  Derek again, with a gentled voice that instantly put her guard up. “Yes, that’s right. This morning, I sent her back to Lesico to look for Rafferty and confirm the ghosts were dying. But, there was a… a complication.”

  A feeling of dread took over, wiping all traces of hope from her visage. “What kind of complication?” When the answers weren’t forthcoming, she snapped. “Tell me!”

  Derek shifted uncomfortably. “Not all the ghosts went down right away. They caught her before she could escape.”

  “Is she alright?” Ty asked from behind Rena.

  The ensuing silence was their answer. Cowards. They couldn’t even say it. Rena stepped forward, braced herself. “Is she dead?”

  Derek watched her carefully. “She’s in the bedroom.” The last came out a reverent mumble. “We thought you’d want to say goodbye.”

  CHAPTER 6

  Ty’s hands cupped her shoulders from behind. Austin and Derek waited. Rena swallowed hard, channeling her inner calm. “You sent her back there too soon,” she said with a tremble in her voice. “What were you thinking?”

  The air crackled around them. Derek had the decency to look humble. “I gave her a choice. She wanted to go.”

  Of course she wanted to go. You gave her a choice. Rena turned toward the closed bedroom door. Her baby sister was in there. Dead? Dying? All because she did exactly what Rena had begged her to do.

  Ty’s hands slipped from her shoulders as she forced one foot in front of the other, reached out, turned the knob.

  Dread slowed her entry. The first thing to greet her was the late morning sunshine pouring through gauzy curtains. When the bed came into view, she saw not one, but two people lying on top of the blue floral comforter: Crystal, and a very large bald man who followed Rena’s every move with guarded eyes.

  Upon closer look, Crystal’s unusually light eyes were somewhat open, her slight form still as if in death. Pale, dry lips parted. Hands slackened and lightly curled. She wore tasteful makeup, not th
e horrid black mask that marked her a different person than the one she used to be. Even her prim blue dress looked more like what she would have worn before IGP sank their claws into her. In a way, it made things worse, because Rena wasn’t looking at Crystal the ghost. She was looking at Elsa, the short, four-eyed pain in the ass she’d grown up with.

  Emotion clogged Rena’s throat. Tears welled to the surface. When she knelt down and curled her hand around Crystal’s cold one, her chest heaved with a sob.

  “She isn’t gone yet.”

  Startled, Rena wiped her eyes, but couldn’t manage to shift her focus to the man who’d spoken. “She isn’t moving.”

  He rose up from behind Crystal, found her eyes open and gently closed them with his fingers. “Her heart is still beating. She may even be able to hear you.”

  The more he spoke, Rena realized she knew him from another lifetime ago… one of Austin’s crew from the salvage yard. He’d changed in appearance quite a bit since then, which was another startling reminder that three years had passed. The protective nature of his embrace and the brief flash of anguish she caught beneath that expressive brow of his suggested he, too, cared for Crystal a great deal. It also communicated the gravity of Crystal’s situation in a way nothing else had.

  Rena stared at him in puzzlement. “Mac, is it?”

  With a hand wedged beneath his jaw, he nodded over Crystal’s shoulder.

  “Were you with her?”

  His mouth opened to answer, but the words wouldn’t come out at first. “Not close enough,” he said finally in a voice that wavered. “She was poisoned by the same drug she used to kill the other ghosts. They forced her to take it. I couldn’t get to her in time.”

  It sounded as if he blamed himself, which prompted the questions to swarm through Rena’s head. Who did this? Why couldn’t Crystal escape when she’d demonstrated such masterful skills the other day? Perhaps she didn’t fight for her life. Could it be that she chose to end the person she’d become? Rena wiped the moisture from her cheeks and managed to ask, “How long does she have?”