by Becca Van
“Do you think there’s a relative of those two fuckers from her past out looking for revenge?”
“It’s possible,” Cam answered.
Axel nodded. “That’s what happened to Delta when the brother of the deceased bank robber blamed her for his death.”
Cam sucked in a noisy breath. “We’ll put that to Luke in the morning. He and Damon can look into it. Try and get some sleep. We don’t know how long Enya’s going to be out.”
Axel sighed and tried to push his whirling thoughts aside. Cam was right. He needed to get as much shut eye as he could so he could be bright eyed and bushy tailed for Enya. She was going to need all of their help and she was going to get it whether she wanted it or not.
* * * *
Enya groaned and winced as she came awake. Her arm and hand were throbbing and although she wanted to go back to sleep to try and escape the pain, she knew that wouldn’t be happening. When she was awake that was it, no matter how much she might want to go back to sleep.
“Open your eyes, baby,” Phoenix commanded.
Enya forced her gritty eyes open and blinked her vision into focus. She had no idea what time it was but since the sun was streaming in the window she guessed it was late. She surfaced a few times when she’d rolled over in the night and whimpered when she’d inadvertently hurt her arm or hand, but Axel and Cam had been there to soothe her back to sleep. They caressed her back, uninjured arm and rubbed over her belly until she’d settled down again. She hated that she’d disturbed their sleep, but there wasn’t anything she could do about it.
“What time is it?” she asked as she scooted up the bed. Pain shot up her arm when she levered up using her left hand on the mattress. She groaned with frustration. Enya wasn’t the best patient because she hated being incapacitated or sick. She tended to get grumpy and irritable, and now was no different. No matter what she did she was going to feel pain. She couldn’t use her right hand since it had been re-stitched the night before but using her left also hurt her arm.
Axel sat on the edge of the mattress and handed her the steaming mug of coffee. She took a sip and sighed gratefully. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome, baby. What pain level are you at?”
Enya grimaced because she knew what was coming, but she was hurting too badly to refuse painkillers so she answered honestly. “Five to seven.”
“If the sheriffs weren’t here waiting to talk to you, I’d give you another shot. Do you think some Tylenol or ibuprofen will take the edge off enough?”
“I hope so.”
“You’ll need to eat something first though, baby.”
Enya shook her head. “I’m not sure I’d be able to keep anything down.”
“You feel sick?”
“Just a little nauseous.”
“That could be because you’re hungry,” Cam said as he entered the room. He must have been close when she answered Phoenix’s previous question. “When was the last time you ate?”
She frowned as she tried to remember and cringed when she realized she hadn’t eaten any dinner last night. She’d had a sandwich before heading in to do the paperwork.
“Enya?” Phoenix frowned.
“Yesterday,” she hedged.
“When yesterday?” Cam stood at the foot of the bed with his arms crossed over his chest, staring at her.
“Lunchtime.”
“When you had that sandwich?” Cam asked.
She nodded.
“Damnit, sweetheart. What the hell are you trying to do with yourself?”
“I don’t skip meals on purpose,” Enya grumbled back. “I just get caught up in what I’m doing and forget the time.”
“So you don’t listen to what your body’s telling you?” Phoenix more stated than asked. “That needs to stop, baby. You’re going to crash if you don’t take care of yourself.”
“I know.” She sighed.
“I want you to get a complete physical,” Cam said. “I’ll take you to see someone in town tomorrow. I want a complete blood workup to make sure you’re healthy.”
“I can’t afford to do that, Cam.”
“You don’t have to.” Cam frowned.
“I’m not letting you pay my medical expenses.”
“It’s either that or you let one of us check you over,” Phoenix piped up.
Enya glanced from one to the other and sighed with resignation. She could tell by the resolute expressions in their eyes that they weren’t about to back down. She sipped at her coffee and then passed the empty mug to Phoenix. “Do I have time to have a shower? I don’t want to keep the sheriffs waiting.”
“You’re fine, baby,” Phoenix said. “Take as long as you need. Luke and Damon said they don’t have anything pressing at the moment and they have enough deputies hired on to cover for them for a while.”
“Still, I’ll be as quick as I can.”
“I’ll go and cook you something for breakfast,” Cam said before leaving the room.
“He’s not going to back down, is he?” Enya asked as Phoenix helped her to her feet.
“No. None of us are, baby. We’re doctors and are going to do everything we can to make sure you stay healthy.” Phoenix nudged her chin up with a finger. “Okay?”
“Okay.”
Phoenix smiled at her, placed a hand at the small of her back and guided her toward the bathroom. “I’ll help you in the shower.”
If Enya hadn’t been injured and hurting she would have made the most of the opportunity and played some. She couldn’t wait to see Phoenix naked again.
She just hoped that it wouldn’t be too long before they all made love again.
Chapter Fifteen
Perry was so pissed his vision was hazed red. He couldn’t believe he missed that fucking bitch when he’d shot at her.
As soon as he’d taken his shot he’d run. Now he wasn’t sure he’d be able to get at the cunt at all. Those fucking doctors were on her like bees on honey. He’d thought about packing up and moving on, but that would mean those cunts would get away with ruining his life, and he couldn’t let that go.
No, there had to be a way he could get his hands on that slut. He’d even bumped into her at the diner while he’d been scoping the place out. The stupid bitch hadn’t even realized how much danger she’d been in. If she hadn’t had a man on her tail, he would have snatched her then and there. She’d actually fucking apologized to him for bumping into him. If she knew what he was up to, she would have run from him screaming instead.
He’d thought he had everything planned out to a T, but he hadn’t expected her to try and leave the diner with the deaf bitch and one of the men she was screwing. Shooting out that truck’s tire on the highway had caused a chain reaction when it had careened out of control toward the coach bus. He’d been hoping the doctors were too busy patching people up to worry about the blonde chick they were courting. In a way his plan had worked, but she hadn’t walked home like he’d hoped.
Perry had spent weeks watching her and her friends. He should have made a grab for her then, but he’d wanted to taunt her first. Now he wished he could go back and start all over.
Nevertheless, he wasn’t giving up until he had his vengeance and one of those cunts paid for his ruined life.
* * * *
Axel jumped to his feet and hurried over to Enya as soon as she and Phoenix entered the room. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight, savoring her clean fresh scent and the warmth seeping from her body to his. After about a minute he drew back and scrutinized her face. “You’re in pain.”
“She can have some medicine as soon as she’s eaten,” Cam said over his shoulder as he finished plating the omelet he’d cooked for Enya.
“Come and sit down, honey.” Axel slung an arm around her shoulders and guided her to the table.
Cam brought over the plate of food and another mug of coffee for her.
“Thank you,” she said. “I didn’t realize I was hungry until I smelled the food.” Sh
e inhaled deeply through her nose. “It smells delicious.”
“Eat up, honey,” Axel said as he sat beside her.
Axel listened to Luke and Damon as they explained about the bad accident the night before.
“Some asshole shot out the truck tire, which caused the driver to lose control,” Damon explained angrily.
“They had to have been up on the highway overpass.” Luke scowled before taking a sip of his coffee.
“Do you think the shootings are related?” Cam asked from where he sat across from Enya.
“That’s what I was thinking,” Phoenix said from Enya’s other side.
Enya finished chewing and rested her fork on the edge of her plate. “How could the shootings be related?”
“We’re thinking the accident may have been a diversion,” Damon answered. “However, there’s no way to prove it. We could tell by the damage done to the semi’s tire that it was shot out, but we couldn’t find the bullet. The one Luke dug out of the diner’s brick wall has been sent to forensics, but we have nothing to match it to.”
“It could take weeks before we get a report.” Luke scrubbed a hand down his face.
Enya shivered. “But why? None of this makes sense.”
“What doesn’t, baby?” Phoenix asked.
“Why would someone want to hurt me? I don’t know anyone other than the women I work with, their men and all of you. As far as I know, I don’t have any enemies.”
“We were talking about that last night.” Cam pointed at Enya’s uneaten food.
Axel bit his lip when she glared at Cam and then reluctantly picked up her fork again. Axel waited until she had more food in her mouth before explaining his and Cam’s conversation the previous evening.
When Enya paled even more, Axel scooted his seat back, carefully lifted her into his lap, took the fork from her hand and then started to feed her. When she made a grab for the utensil he moved it out of reach and stared into her eyes determinedly. She sighed and then relaxed back against him.
“Did the man and woman who kidnapped Enya and her mother have any living relatives?
“No,” Luke answered immediately. “I checked that out as soon as I asked her why she’d come to Slick Rock and about her life.”
“Interrogated, you mean,” Enya mumbled.
Axel laughed outright.
Luke and Damon smiled.
“There have been too many incidents of danger following women to this town,” Luke explained. “As lawmen, we can’t do our jobs properly if we don’t know all the facts.”
“Yeah, I know.” Enya sighed and then opened her mouth as Axel brought the fork to her lips.
“Can you remember anything else about last night?” Damon asked.
“Nothing new,” she said.
“Do you mind going over it one more time?” Luke asked.
She shook her head and then told the sheriffs what happened.
Damon rubbed at the back of his neck. “Your story matches Major’s.”
“Did you think it wouldn’t?” Enya glared and then went to cross her arms beneath her breasts. She ended up yelping in pain.
Phoenix stood and hurried to the kitchen. When he came back he had a packet of ibuprofen and a glass of water. “Take three of those when you’re done eating, baby.”
“I’m done.” She pushed the plate aside and then stared at the tablets.
Axel picked up the box, opened it, popped three pills into his palm and then lifted them to her mouth.
“Are you sure I need three?”
“Yes,” Cam, Axel, and Phoenix all answered together.
“Do as your men say, Enya.” Luke gave her a stern look. “They know what they’re doing.”
“Do you guys gang up on all the women in this town?” she asked grumpily.
“If it’s necessary for their health and life, yes,” Damon replied.
“You knew what you were getting into when you decided to stay, honey,” Luke said. “I explained to you how possessive and protective we all were.”
“Whatever,” she muttered before opening her mouth. Axel tipped the pills onto her tongue and held the glass of water to her mouth. She took a gulp and swallowed before resting her cheek on his shoulder.
He was worried about her. The smudges under her eyes were even darker than a couple of days ago. They might have been exacerbated because she was so pale, but he didn’t think that was the case. She’d been through hell and hadn’t been sleeping properly. She dreamt a lot and while she hadn’t woken up all the time, Enya had been restless all night long. Even with the drugs in her system. He just wished he could do something so that she rested better, slept more deeply.
“We need to head out,” Luke said as he and Damon stood. “Thanks for the coffee. Enya, you need to lay low for a while until we figure out the why and who is targeting you.”
“I can’t hide for the rest of my life.”
“No one’s asking you to. Take the rest of the week to recover. Hopefully, we’ll have something to go on by then.” Luke nodded and headed toward the door, Damon right behind him.
Phoenix followed the sheriffs out.
“What sort of movies do you like watching, honey?”
“I don’t really have a preference. I like most genres.”
“Do you like action movies?” Cam asked as he gathered the mugs and other dishes.
“Yes.”
“What about Sci-Fi?” Axel asked.
“Some.”
“Rom-Coms?” Cam met her gaze.
“Yeah.”
“What about the classics?” Axel scraped his chin over the top of her head.
“I love the kids’ Disney movies as well as the old musicals, like My Fair Lady, Singin’ in the Rain, etc.”
“You have an eclectic taste, sweetheart.”
“Watching movies was the only way I survived the grief of losing my mom. I didn’t have much money and used to scour yard sales and second-hand stores for used DVDs. I couldn’t be too picky and ended up liking a lot of different things.”
“Have you ever seen The King and I with Yul Brynner?” Axel asked.
Enya giggled. “Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.”
“She’s seen it.” Cam chuckled.
“Most young people wouldn’t sit and watch something like that,” Axel said.
“I’m not like most people.” She gazed up at him.
“No, you’re not. Thank fuck.” Axel kissed her forehead, slid an arm under her knees and supported her back before rising.
She looped an arm around his neck. “Where are you taking me?”
“To the living room. We’re going to watch a movie. You get to choose the DVD.”
“Okay.” Enya smiled at him and sighed.
Axel was hoping that she’d end up falling asleep. She’d needed rest and food at regular intervals to hasten her road to recovery. Even though he realized she would understand what he was up to, he was glad she didn’t protest. That told him she was more exhausted and hurting than she’d let on. He and his friends were going to have to teach her to stop hiding what she was feeling.
Maybe by the end of her recuperation, Axel would be able to tell her how much he loved her already. What worried him was whether she’d reciprocate.
* * * *
While Enya had been in their living room before, this was the first time she was actually going to sit in it for any length of time. Axel set her on her feet in front of the entertainment unit and opened the doors and drawers, revealing the hundreds of DVDs for her to choose from. She was a browser and found it hard to choose something when she normally didn’t have much money. However, right here, right now, no money was involved and she could pick whatever she wanted. She just hoped Axel didn’t get annoyed with her taking too long.
Axel squatted down next to her. “You look like a kid let loose in a candy shop.”
She grinned at him as she sank to her knees. “I certainly feel like one. There are so many, I don’t know what to ch
oose.”
“I have a digital list if that will help.”
“Axel’s anal about making lists.” Cam smirked as he and Phoenix entered the living room.
“Fuck off!”
Enya glanced at Axel and was glad to see that he was smiling. Apparently, Cam liked ribbing him about his list making. “At least I don’t put everything into graphs.”
“Hey.” Cam flung his hands in the air. “Those graphs were good enough to help you sit your final exam.”
“Come and sit on the sofa, honey.” Axel stood and then helped her up before leading her to the sofa. She sat on one of the middle cushions with a tired sigh. Axel handed her his cell phone.
“Why are you giving me your phone?”
He sat beside her, leaned into her side and then swiped his finger across the screen. After tapping a few times, he brought up the list of DVDs. They were listed in genres and alphabetical order.
“You have over five hundred DVDs!” She met Axel’s gaze before he looked down at his phone.
“More like nearly six hundred.”
Enya scanned the list and her tummy fluttered with excitement when her eyes caught on the one movie she’d always wanted to see but had never gotten the chance. “Cinderella.”
“Cinderella, it is.” Phoenix walked over to the entertainment unit and tugged the movie out.
“Why’d you choose that one, sweetheart?” Cam asked as he sat beside her.
Enya lowered her gaze so they wouldn’t see the tears in her eyes. “My mom was going to take me to the cinemas to see it. We were planning to go the day after we were kidnapped.”
“Shit!” Axel slung an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side. “Are you sure you want to watch it?”
“More than anything,” she said quietly. “I didn’t for a long time, but when I was ready to finally watch it, I couldn’t find one cheap enough.” She sniffed and lifted her tear-filled eyes to his. “I feel safe with you all here.”
“I’m glad, honey. Thank you for sharing something so special with us.”
