The American Soldier Collection 2: Mastering the Art of Love (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Dixie Lynn Dwyer

  “Freda, I’m moving in with Jax and Jameson and probably going to be living at the house in the country more often than the penthouse.”

  “That’s wonderful news,” Freda said but then seemed to be sad. Mariana reached over and covered her hand with her own. She held Freda’s gaze and smiled.

  “You’ve come to mean so much to me. As you know, I don’t have a mother and never really had much of one. I was hoping that you would want to continue to be part of my life.”

  Freda gasped then used her free hand to cover her mouth as her eyes filled up with tears.

  “Of course I want to be part of your life. I won’t let those two dominating men keep us from getting together. You call me whenever you need to talk or you want to go shopping. We can do all the things that—”

  “That a mother and daughter do?” Mariana completed her sentence, and they both smiled.

  Freda covered Mariana’s hand with both of hers.

  “I would be honored.”

  Mariana stood up and so did Freda, and they hugged.

  She pulled back and looked up into Freda’s eyes.

  “Freda, how do you feel about being a grandma?”

  Freda gasped with her eyes wide open and then looked from Mariana’s eyes to her belly then back to her eyes again.

  “Are you?”

  She nodded her head, and Freda cheered out loud then danced in a circle. Mariana laughed as Alvin came running into the room.

  “Freda, is everything okay?”

  “Yes, Alvin, everything is wonderful,” she said as she grabbed Mariana’s hands and squeezed them. She looked at Alvin who appeared utterly confused but smiled.

  “Alvin, grab some champagne and some sparkling water for Mariana. I’m going to be a grandmother.”

  * * * *

  Jameson was holding Mariana’s hand and looking at a very provocative painting as Jax and Roldolpho discussed something that looked very serious.

  Jameson spoke into the hidden mic on his sleeve to someone named Spider. The event was a complete success, and they were preparing to leave in just a little while.

  “We’re going to head out. I just wanted to say how wonderful it was to see you again, Mariana. You’re simply glowing,” Theo Centurion stated as he leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He was escorted by a pretty blonde he had as an escort for the evening.

  “It was nice seeing you again and thank you,” Mariana replied. He stepped away from the blonde whom Jameson spoke to a moment while Theo whispered to Mariana.

  “She can’t compete with you or your love and knowledge of the arts. I wish Roldolpho had hired you for his gallery, but I guess since he sold it, that’s out of the question. Good luck, dear, and see you soon.”

  Marian watched them walk away, and immediately Jameson was pulling her close.

  “What did he whisper to you? I hope he wasn’t making a pass.”

  “No, silly, he was complimenting my knowledge and love of the arts. He also said that Roldolpho sold the gallery. I can’t believe it.”

  She felt kind of sad, but then, she wasn’t serving hors d’oeuvres anymore, and come spring she would have her degree and look for a job for the time being.

  “Hmm, that’s interesting,” Jameson said then looked back toward the painting.

  “Do you mind if I use the ladies’ room before we head out?”

  “Of course not.”

  Just then Jax made that bird sound and Jameson immediately looked concerned.

  “You can go see what’s going on, I’ll meet you up front, by the fountain?” she asked.

  “Okay,” he said then walked toward Jax. Mariana headed toward the ladies’ room.

  * * * *

  “What’s going on?”

  “Where did Mariana go?” Jax asked, sounding concerned.

  “The ladies’ room.”

  “Let’s get her out of here. Spider and the guys found some explosives in the back area of the displays.”

  “What? What kind of explosives? Why?”

  “There are extra men around that don’t normally work for Pro Tech securities. A large box truck, no plates, is parked down the street on the corner. Spider is interrogating some of the extra nonaccountable men. He also notified the owner of Pro Tech. He’s furious and on his way here.”

  “Why the explosives?” Jameson asked as people started exiting the building. The exhibit technically ended thirty minutes ago.

  “I don’t know. Just go get Mariana and head out to the limo,” Jax said, and as they turned around, an explosion rocked the whole entire first floor.

  * * * *

  Mariana grabbed onto the counter in the bathroom as a huge explosion seemed to rock the building. She immediately headed out of the ladies’ room and saw the smoke encompass the area. Sirens were blaring, people were screaming and trying to exit the building, but the smoke grew thicker. It was so frightening, yet odd, that there was so much smoke. She debated about where to go.

  To the left were smoke and a crowd of people trying to exit the door. To the right the same thing, but the smoke was encompassing the entire area. It was as if a huge smoke bomb went off.

  Her heart was pounding inside of her chest. Instinctively she covered her hand over her belly and then thought about the panic button she had that night when Ellington attacked her. There was no button tonight. No need for an emergency panic button when two highly trained retired commandoes and security professionals flanked her side. Oh God, Jameson and Jax? Please let them be okay.

  In a matter of seconds, she could hardly see but a few feet in front of her. There was so much smoke toward the front of the building and the exit. She didn’t know what to do or where to head. As she turned to look behind her, she thought that she saw someone. A shadow through the thickness of smoke. Her throat began to tighten up and she started to cough.

  “Come with me,” a deep voice demanded then took her arm and dragged her right into the smoke. She pulled at his fingers that grasped her upper arm. “Let go of me.” She coughed in between words, and then she noticed that he wore a mask. A gas mask?

  “Let me go,” she demanded then tried to drag her feet, but he didn’t care. He just kept going into the thickness of the smoke. They reached a door, and she coughed some more as panic filled her body.

  The door closed, and the smoke was lighter in this room.

  He spoke into a mic. “I’ve got her. Bring the car around back. Move,” he yelled at her then shoved her toward the door.

  She didn’t know who he was, but obviously he knew her and he wanted to take her out of here. Something was definitely wrong.

  As the door opened, she heard the sirens down the block and saw the limo waiting there.

  The man pulled off the gas mask, and she gasped. It was the man from the night Ellington attacked her. He met her at the bathroom and brought her to Ellington.

  She turned around to open the back door, and he grabbed her around the waist and dragged her toward the car.

  “Let me go. Leave me alone!” she screamed as he tossed her into the backseat just as the back door to the building slammed open.

  She heard the bullets go off. The man jumped into the limo, and she tried to open the side door. He grabbed her legs, pulled her back, and as she turned he backhanded her across the mouth.

  “Stupid bitch! You’re nothing but trouble.”

  The car swerved as it took off in the opposite direction of the first responders.

  * * * *

  “What? Where is she?” Jax yelled into the sleeve of his jacket. Jameson was bent over next to him and coughing still. They had searched for Mariana and couldn’t find her.

  “Follow that damn limo!” Jax yelled then pulled Jameson up and walked him away from the crowd of police and firefighters.

  “What’s going on?” Jameson asked, standing up, finally taking a deep breath.

  “Someone just threw Mariana into a limo.”

  “What?”

  “Let’
s move.”

  They ran toward the unmarked police cruiser, and one of their employees, Brendan, was talking to the driver. He waved them over.

  “The limo is en route to the airport. It belongs to Clover Masters. So does the box truck filled with stolen art from the event tonight. He planned to steal it all. We’ve got men on it and Rangers, too,” Brendan stated.

  “Let’s get into the car and head after that limo. I’m going to kill Clover if he hurts Mariana,” Jax said as they got into the unmarked car and the detective behind the wheel took off.

  * * * *

  “Let go of me,” Mariana stated through clenched teeth as the thug held her arms behind her back. He had her kneeling on the floor as he spoke into his cell phone.

  “I have her. We’ll be there in five minutes.”

  By the time the car stopped, her face was really throbbing in pain. She was going to have a swollen and bruised cheekbone. She didn’t know who was responsible for this situation, but she wasn’t going to go willingly with this man. For all she knew it could be Ellington James who was the mastermind behind this.

  As the car stopped she lost her balance and he let her go. She fell to the floor of the limo, and when she tried to get up, he went to grab her and she swung at his face. She must have hit him just right, because his head shot backward, almost like some cartoon character as it appeared like his head hit his shoulders then sprung forward. He grabbed his face and nose with both hands.

  “You brokeded my nose,” he said in a strange voice.

  Brokeded?

  Mariana crawled to the door, opened it, and fell out. It was dark outside as she tried to get her bearings, and then she heard his voice.

  “Ahh, you’ve arrived right on schedule.” Some other guy grabbed her by her hair and pulled her up from the ground. She had seen him before. As soon as he turned her toward the second car, a dark BMW, the door opened and a man stepped out.

  Clover Masters?

  She gasped then tried to pry the hands off of her hair.

  “Let me go. What do you want?” she yelled.

  “You’re coming with me,” Clover said then smiled. He looked her body over and licked his lips. “Get her into the car, Buster. The decoy worked. The art is on its way and the cops are none the wiser.”

  “You stole art from Darian?” she asked as she continued to struggle to get free. Buster was dragging her toward the BMW.

  “I’m filthy rich now and you’re my grand prize.” Buster shoved her closer to Clover. Clover grabbed her face. “Looks like you didn’t come willingly.” He stared at her bruised cheekbone then leaned forward and kissed her on the mouth. She turned away, and Buster held her neck and head so that she was forced to stare into Clover’s eyes.

  “I wish I could see Jameson’s and Jax’s faces when they find out I’ve taken you away from them. I never did like those two assholes.”

  He placed his hand on her hip and then moved the palm of his hand up along her ribs to her breast.

  “I’m going to enjoy having you.”

  Mariana was furious to think that this jerk thought he could take her. The fact that spoke with revenge against Jameson and Jax really pissed her off. So when he cupped her breast and Buster loosened his hold on her hair, she made her move.

  “In your dreams, shithead,” she exclaimed then rammed her knee up hard into his manhood. A quick back elbow to Buster’s gut and then a twist of her body and she shoved him out of her way. Thank you, Sensei Lee and Gia.

  She started to run. She wasn’t sure which direction to go, but as sirens wailed in the background, she turned to look just as Buster tackled her to the ground.

  Screaming, terrified that he might kill her, she instantly remembered the techniques she learned from Gia. A forearm to Buster’s neck, a kick with her heels into his calf, the man yelled at her. He tried to straddle her body. She wrapped her legs around his ribs and squeezed as hard as he could. Around them, she could hear tires squeal. The BMW was blocked in, and she kept trying to hit Buster.

  “You stupid bitch! You’re going to die.” He grabbed her by her throat and she dug her nails into his wrists, but he was determined to end her life. She thought about Jax and Jameson and about the baby just beginning to grow inside of her. She was struggling to get free, crying as she kicked him and scratched at his eyes. She remembered the move that Gia taught her. The one she thought was sick and could never do. She tried to scream but nothing came out, the pressure of Buster’s hands against her throat were impeding her ability to breathe. With one final attempt to survive, to live to see Jax and Jameson and their baby, she grabbed a hold of Buster’s head and pressed her thumbs and nails into his eye sockets on both sides.

  His hold loosened as she heard yelling, and then Jameson struck Buster in the side of his face. Buster released his hold on her throat as Jameson tumbled on top of Buster. She curled into the fetal position, coughing for breath, crying hysterically, and relieved that she was still alive.

  “Oh God, baby, are you okay?” Jax asked as he immediately got down on the ground beside her. He caressed her hair away from her eyes as she tried to calm down. Her heart was racing, her belly ached, and she feared that something would happen to the baby.

  “Jax,” she said then reached for him. He pulled her into his arms and across his lap. He looked her over, caressed his palm across her belly, then locked gazes with her.

  “I’m so sorry we left you.” He softly ran a finger along her neck, and when she swallowed it hurt.

  “No, it wasn’t your fault.” She coughed.

  “Don’t talk. He hurt you. God, we saw him strangling you.”

  “Is she okay?” Jameson fell on his knees beside her. She turned to look at him. His face was red, he was breathing heavy, and his fists were at his sides. She knew that he and Jax rescued her. She saw him tackle Buster, and by the expression on his face, he still appeared angry.

  “Buster and Clover?” she began to ask, instantly worried about her and the baby as she covered her belly with her hand.

  “Neither one will bother you ever again,” Jameson said.

  “You didn’t kill them, did you, Jameson?” Jax asked.

  He stared at Mariana, and she felt the tears roll down her cheeks. Jameson reached down and wiped the tears away. “No, but I’m sure they wish they were dead. They’ll both be in the hospital for quite some time.”

  Epilogue

  It was early spring. The men were all outside cooking on the grill and talking with friends. Eve and Freda were talking about the new art show and surprise artist that would be on display tomorrow at Roldolpho’s gallery.

  “Hey, how come Jax didn’t change the name of the art gallery still? I thought after he purchased it and then hired you as director, he was going to change it?” Eve asked. Mariana smiled then looked out the window at Roldolpho standing around a bunch of heterosexual men. He had his eye on Shane, and Shane was shaking his head in exasperation at Roldolpho’s advances.

  “Roldolpho means so much to us. We thought it should remain the name since he established the gallery years ago.”

  Gia and Mariana stood side by side as they sipped from their glasses of sweet tea. Mariana had been shocked to find out that Jax bought the gallery from Roldolpho and even more surprised when he asked her to be the director. It was a dream come true.

  “So, are you going to give us a hint about the surprise artist?” Eve asked with a wink.

  “I can’t say, but maybe Gia can give a hint or two?” she said as Jax and Jameson walked into the house along with Gunny.

  Gunny wrapped his arms around Gia and placed his hand over her small belly. She was expecting their first baby two months after Mariana’s was due. Mariana was thrilled to share this experience with her new best friend, and so was Gia.

  “What’s going on?” Jax asked, giving Mariana a kiss on the cheek.”

  “We’re trying to find out who the surprise artist is going to be tomorrow night,” Freda said.

&nb
sp; “Oh, the big secret. We don’t know either. Mariana has kept the information under wraps.”

  “It will be worth the wait and the surprise, I promise,” Mariana said, and then they started to bring the steaks and hot dogs into the house while the women placed homemade corn bread, salad, and roasted garlic potatoes onto the dining table.

  Shane, Sensei Lee, Gunner, Garrett, Wes, John Luke, Jasper, Davie, and Eve all began to fill their plates. Jameson walked by and kissed Mariana softly on the lips before taking a plate, and Jax kept his hands on her shoulders as the others walked in and waited to fill their plates, too. She laughed at Roldolpho who followed Shane and Duke and spoke to them about fashion and posing in their underwear for a new male calendar he was working on. Both men looked livid. She chuckled as Jax released her and started talking to Teddy and Dale As Deanna walked into the room after baby Julia woke up from a nap.

  This was Mariana’s new family. Her baby would never be alone in the world again, and most importantly, her baby would always have a family that loved it.

  “Hey, thanks for keeping my secret. If Gunny, Wes, and Garrett knew I was working so hard being pregnant, I’d never hear the end of it,” Gia whispered.

  Mariana smiled. “I think as soon as they find out that you’re the secret artist about to be unveiled to the art world, they’re going to be so proud of you. You’re a beautiful artist and your paintings are going to be a huge hit. You’ll see.”

  Gia gave Mariana a hug.

  “I’m so glad that Jax and Jameson met you, fell in love, and knocked you up. Or I wouldn’t have anyone to complain to, to boast to about my men, or enjoy being pregnant with.”

  Mariana felt the tears reach her eyes as she chuckled.

  She ran her hand over her belly and looked at Jax and Jameson smiling and enjoying the time with family.

  “Yeah, I guess I made out pretty good, getting ‘knocked up’ by two very sexy, extremely bossy but good-looking American soldiers, like Jax and Jameson.”