by Jan Springer
“She knows.”
Cade swore softly. She wondered if he would still want her after she’d had sex with both of them at the same time. The look in his eyes when he’d frisked her, before he’d discovered she had the virus, had been clear. He’d wanted her then. She’d wanted him.
Oh God! Was she crazy? There was no such thing as a traditional husband and wife relationship anymore. One man and one woman was illegal. Besides, she didn’t even know Cade or Will. She had to stop thinking this emotional bullshit! Yes, emotions. That’s all they were. Emotions and dreams of a young woman who’d once fantasized about Cade Outlaw, a man she’d never met. Until now.
Their breaths were heavy in the air as they lay beside her, one in front, the other behind. Again, she tried to open her eyes, but she couldn’t lift her heavy lids. She wondered if the virus was dragging her under. Or the intense pleasure. Or both.
The hand holding her knee lifted her leg high and she cried out as something smooth and wet worked its way into her rear end.
A cock. Lubed.
Oh yes! Anal. She hadn’t had anal since… No, she wouldn’t go there. Wouldn’t ruin this with thoughts of the past.
“She’s tight!” Blade groaned.
That meant Cade was in front.
Anticipation pounded through her. She gasped as a warm mouth swept over her left nipple. Cade sucked her tender flesh, the hot pressure almost violent but oh so good. Boy, he knew how to make love to a nipple.
Her body tightened as Blade’s cock impaled her ass. Hard and deep. So perfect.
Cade latched onto her nipple with searing fingers, tugging and squeezing. His mouth sucked, his teeth biting softly. It went on forever.
Dark pleasure-pain tingled in her ass as Blade entered and withdrew. Cade’s hot body pressed against hers. Reaching down, she blindly grabbed his cock. He was so hard and his erection burned with heat.
“Inside me. Now,” she managed to gasp as she fought for breath.
“Demanding little bitch, aren’t you?” Cade chuckled around her nipple, his breath caressing her sensitive flesh. The deep timbre of his voice turned her on even more.
“Hurry…just hurry.” Desperation played hell with her morals as arousal zinged along her nerves. Blade withdrew and Cade moved quickly. Lying on the rug in front of her, he slipped his cock into her vagina.
She was so wet and on edge, the instant Cade entered her, she exploded. The searing spasms pummeled her. Heat and pleasure and tightness melded into one. Perspiration dotted her skin and every snowflake that swirled onto her flesh made her skin sizzle. With every hard jerk of their hips, the men filled her as she’d never been filled before.
Uncontrollable reactions sliced into her. Laughter. Loving this. Going mad. The orgasm claimed her and tremors powered through her. The male groans were an added aphrodisiac to her pleasure. Soon all three of them were gasping, shuddering and clenching their teeth. Holding each other. Needing each other.
Oh yes, she was going mad…
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Reena awoke with a start, knowing instantly she’d orgasmed while dreaming of an exquisite ménage with Blade and Cade. Her pussy was sopping wet and soft spasms whispered along her vagina. Her heart pounded against her chest and a thin sheen of perspiration chilled her body.
Wow! That had been one hell of a fantasy!
She struggled to slow her breathing as crisp snow peppered the plastic over the shelter and soft snoring came from somewhere nearby. Moving her hand upward, she found the edge of the bear rug covering her face and pulled it down just enough to see the sky was getting light. Despite what may have been only five or so hours of sleep, a surprising freshness breathed through her. Time to escape.
If she played her cards right, she’d be back at the cabin within an hour and on her satellite phone, calling in reinforcements. Her hideout had been compromised. Vacation over. Why she thought she could get any peace out here was beyond her. It seemed as if she was destined to look over her shoulder for the rest of her life. She may as well get back to work. That is, if she could get away from here.
Moving as slowly and quietly as possible, she sat up and cursed inwardly at the man hunkered down in the doorway of the shelter. Cade Outlaw lay with his broad back toward her, barring her escape. He was the one who snored softly. Beyond him, snow swirled through the air. The storm was still active.
She shivered as cold air blasted against her damp forehead. Pulling down her hat, she climbed out from beneath the bear rug and crouched. From her perch, she peeked out the opening to see if she could spot her boots and was surprised to find them beside the fire. Blade sat on the ground, his back against the fallen log she’d sat on last night in front of the fire. His gloved hands were cuffed. His head down, he’d tucked his chin against his chest and the lapels of his coat had been tugged up around his ears. He appeared asleep. But experience told her looks could be deceiving.
Nonetheless, she had no choice but to try to get her boots and get the hell out of here. Holding her breath, she crawled toward Cade. As if sensing her nearness, he stirred. She froze, fully expecting him to open his eyes and grab her.
Instead he mumbled something in his sleep and she relaxed. A little.
She inspected his body for weapons and saw a gun in his gloved hand. She dared not try to pry it from him. He’d wake for sure. He probably had her weapons stashed in his pockets, but damned if she’d go through them.
She spied the end of his scabbard protruding from the base of his coat. She’d need to lift the bottom edge to get the knife. That might wake him.
Shit.
She’d have to chance stepping over him in order to get her boots. And walking through the snow would not be good for her socks. Soundlessly she pulled off her socks and thrust them into her pocket. Moving slowly, she held her breath as she stepped over Cade. She tried not to grimace as the wet snow enveloped first one and then the other foot.
She shivered as chills sliced through her. Damn, it was colder than cold!
Thankfully the snow was nice and fluffy and she didn’t make a sound as she gritted her teeth and tiptoed through the icy snow toward the smokeless, tiny fire.
Grabbing her boots, Reena dared another glance at Blade who snored softly. She couldn’t help but smile at her luck.
Cripes, what a couple of nimrods, falling asleep on the job. She didn’t bother to survey Blade for weapons. Cade would have taken care of them. She should search Cade’s knapsack, though, but it was too close to him for comfort. She debated whether sitting on the log beside a sleeping Blade in order to put her boots on was a good idea. With her luck, he’d wake and break her neck. She wished she could hang around and ask him if he really would have killed her, but hey, she had better things to do with her time.
She held her boots and crept silently through the snow and away from camp. Behind some nearby bushes, she put on her socks and boots and ignored the shivers racing up her spine. Then she started walking again.
About a hundred yards away, Reena broke into an awkward run through the snow drifts. She covered the rugged terrain at mind-boggling speed despite the deep snow tangling her feet and threatening to trip her. She stumbled over hidden rocks and stumps and wove a serpentine path around gullies.
The whole time she ran, she imagined Cade and Blade waking up any second and giving chase. Her arms prickled as she fantasized being grabbed by one of them and tackled to the ground.
She ran faster.
Her breaths sawed in and out in painful gasps as the icy air burned deep into her lungs. Even though she knew better than to panic, she couldn’t stop the claws of fear from grabbing hold. With every step, her feet continued to get colder and her teeth just kept on chattering.
Suddenly, she wished for the scrunch of footsteps chomping through the snow behind her. Wished Cade and Blade were following her. They would warm her up.
Oh God, what the hell was she thinking? She shouldn’t expect a rescue from them. They wouldn’t follow her
in this nasty weather. The snowflakes swirled so thickly, she couldn’t see her hand in front of her face. The storm had intensified and she didn’t recognize any of the landmarks. In her panic, she must have gone the wrong way.
Frig! They’d find her frozen stiff. A corpse. Cold forever!
Oh God! Get a grip!
But how could she stay calm? She didn’t have the foggiest idea where she was heading. Despite spending her teenage years exploring these woods, nothing seemed familiar. Back then she’d loved the silence. Enjoyed the magnificent scenery—the snow-drenched trees, the tart bite of winter air splashing against her cheeks. But now the crisp air clawed past her clothing and bit into her skin like sharp teeth, making her shiver even harder.
Was she at death’s door? Her hopes and dreams of freeing all women began to slip away. She’d wanted to give back what had been too easily taken. Return the freedom their forefathers had fought so hard for. Everything would be lost if she didn’t find her way out of these godforsaken woods.
The snow flurries began to ease and a couple of feet ahead of her the landscape became visible. As she stumbled through the drifts, she thought the slight echo of men’s voices brushed against the trees. But that was ridiculous. If Cade and Blade were stupid and came out in this nightmare weather, they would hunt her in silence. They would sneak up on her.
She had to be hallucinating or dreaming. Or hoping too much for rescue. Or…
Icy shivers skewered her. Blade had mentioned hunters.
A big shadow appeared out of the swirling snow and the instant a face materialized through the storm terror twisted like a knife in her belly. This person wasn’t Cade or Blade. Or anyone she knew.
Oh God. No.
“Well, well, well. A woman. A fucking woman,” the man growled.
His face was concealed in hair, the whiskers tinged with frost. His hat and shoulders were covered in snow. He leered at her in a very ungentlemanly manner that made Reena’s stomach roll with sickness.
“Over here! I’ve found one! Over here!” he shouted.
Oh sweet Lord.
Renewed strength zapped into her limbs. Limbs she’d thought would never work again.
Spinning around, she struggled through the heavy snow, following her previous footsteps. With every step, she picked up speed, and then she ran.
Suddenly a burst of pain exploded in the back of her head. Everything went black.
Chapter Five
Reena didn’t know how long she’d been out, but an agonized moan ripped her from the dark world of hibernation. The pathetic sound had come from her.
Pain throbbed through her temples and her entire body was sore. A chill of foreboding swept through her. Had the man raped her? She took a mental inventory and aside from muscle aches, hurting cold feet and a really bad headache, there didn’t appear to be anything wrong. But that didn’t mean…
Icy goose bumps shivered through her and slammed into her empty belly as she tried to move. The unmistakable sting of a rope bit into her already raw wrists, compliments of Cade’s cuffs. Her ankles were bound and she couldn’t move her legs.
Thankfully she was fully clothed and lay beneath a thick pelt of blankets. The blankets stank of pee and sweat, but were warm. Drifting all around her was the raspy breathing of men, the snap and crackle of burning wood, the tart scent of wood smoke and foul body odor.
The clatter and clank of metal against metal split the air. They were eating, and the unmistakable odor of salsa had her mouth watering despite her fear. Not that it mattered. She doubted she could keep anything down. They wouldn’t give her food anyway. Starvation was one of the torture techniques men used against a captive woman to get her to submit to them.
Okay she wouldn’t go there either. She needed to escape. And fast.
She forced her eyelids open. For a split second, sheer terror slammed into her as she encountered complete darkness, but a slight turn of her head let in some cold air. They’d covered her head with the blankets.
She’d best not move. If the pain pounding in her temples was any indication she’d taken a bad hit.
Okay so escape wasn’t exactly an option at the moment. She needed to get out of these ropes first. Cripes! How come she kept getting into these situations?
“You sure you didn’t kill her when you bonked her on the head? She should have come to by now.” A gruff male voice with a slight southern accent shot through the air, too close for comfort. The guy was sitting right beside her.
Reena froze.
“Don’t worry. She’s just playing dead.” Another man chuckled.
She didn’t recognize either of the voices as the guy who’d knocked her out. That meant there were three of them. At least.
Her heart lurched in her chest. How could she escape three of them?
Shit. These men would be on edge. Desperate for female companionship. They’d most likely been without a woman for years. Once they got started with her, they would continue for days…
A burst of panic made her catch her breath. Her inhalation sounded like a bullet slicing through the air. She cried out in shock as the blankets were ripped off and cold air slammed into her bare hands and feet. The bastards had removed her socks and boots!
“You’re awake, pretty thing.”
He was the man who’d caught her. He leered down at her and the sight of him brought a roll of nausea to her gut. Grabbing her by the knotted rope around her wrists, he dragged her to her feet as easily as if she were a rag doll.
Her toes sank into the snow beside the blankets and the icy shock made her grimace.
“Hold her still, Bud, while I untie her ankles. Then we party!”
A round of hoots and hollers ripped through the air, making her tense. She wanted to run, to get away from their leers, but she forced herself to remain still. She wouldn’t be able to get far in bare feet. There were eight of them. All sizing her up as if she were a prized possession.
Another man stood and held the rope around her wrists. He seemed around forty-five or fifty. Pockmarked face. Rotten teeth. Bad breath.
“What’s your name, miss?” he asked as he stared at her. She recognized the hunger in his eyes. The need for release. It made her ill.
“None of your fucking business, asshole.”
She’d learned long ago being nice to these types of men got her nowhere. They should know right away she wouldn’t be pushed or taken easily. The man’s smile dropped into a cold hard glare.
“Didn’t anyone tell you it’s impolite for a lady to swear?” he growled and yanked on the rope, pulling her closer. Close enough for her breasts to touch his chest. She tried to wiggle away, but he held her fast.
“Didn’t anyone tell you it isn’t polite being rough with a lady?” Reena snapped back.
The other men who sat around the campfire hooted and hollered again. The rope around her ankles gave way and she held her ground as the man holding her wrists came in for a kiss. At the last minute, she turned her head and he kissed her hair.
“Fucking bitch!” he complained and grabbed for her chin. She wrenched her head away and he missed. Another violent curse followed. More laughter from the others.
Oh shit. Here we go.
She would go down fighting like a wild cat. She knew as the bite of panic began to burn through her.
She’d go down fighting.
* * * * *
A high-pitched female scream sliced through Cade Outlaw like a knife sinking into his gut. It was followed by silence. Thick. Oppressive. Horrible silence.
“At least she’s still alive.” Blade’s cool voice came from immediately in front of him.
Yeah but for how long?
Cade’s throat grew dry and his palms began to sweat in his gloves as he imagined why Reena would scream like that.
“Hurry up, would you?” he prodded as a sense of urgency overrode his common sense to remain cautious.
They’d been following her trail for the better part of a day. The trek h
adn’t been easy. Far from it. Most of her footprints had been covered by the snow storm. Luckily though, here and there, in places where the wind hadn’t been able to reach, they found her tracks.
About two hours ago, his blood had run cold when Blade pointed out her tracks had met up with another set, which had mingled with several more. He’d been hoping against hope she’d come into contact with other members of the Resistance. Prayed she’d be safe and sound. But the scream had shattered his illusions.
Deep down in his gut, he’d sensed trouble. Blade knew it too. Upon seeing the merging trails, he hadn’t suggested stopping for a meal.
Cade should have killed Blade back at camp. That would have been the best way to protect Red from the assassin. But he might need the man if Reena was in trouble. If anything, Blade was known for his excellent tracking abilities, and Cade had to admit, it would have taken him a lot longer to find clues as to where Reena had gone.
Sex-crazed men could do a lot of nasty things to a woman. Spiritually, physically and emotionally. He’d seen a lot of men behaving ungentlemanly during the Wars. By the haunted way Reena had sometimes peered at him across the fire they’d shared yesterday evening, she’d experienced something bad too. Hell, he didn’t want any more bad things to happen to her.
“If I’m going to help get her out of this mess she’s gotten herself into, I’m going to need my weapons back,” Blade tossed over his shoulder.
Cade ignored his request. “Keep going. When the time comes to decide if you need a weapon, I’ll make my decision then.”
Blade grunted his dissatisfaction and continued trudging ahead through the snow. But by the way he held his shoulders tense and his gloved hands clenched, the guy was angry. Bloody pissed off.
Good. That made two of them.
* * * * *
If ever there was a time Will Blade was grateful for his ability to keep calm under extreme pressure, this was it. Sure, Red’s scream shot mega jolts of adrenaline through his system, but rushing blindly into the hunters’ camp was suicide. There were eight men. Big burly men dressed in heavy coats. Hunters, just like he thought. And they certainly had their prey.
