Soldiers of Pearl 2: Healing Souls (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever)

by Dixie Lynn Dwyer

  Beau brushed up against her back, and he ran his hands along her shoulders, down her arms and underneath to cup her breasts, and whispered into her ear.

  He hand moved down to her pussy, under her nightshirt to her bare folds.

  “Keep this pussy warm and wet for me, sugar. I promise to make you a very happy woman when I get back.”

  She felt her pussy swell and cream, but the fear of him leaving her and the love she had for him were so strong, she turned in his arms, jumped up, and hugged him as she straddled his waist.

  “I love you so much. Both of you. Please be careful. Please don’t underestimate Anthony’s abilities. He’s lost his mind. He has no fears.”

  Beau set her down on her feet and cupped her cheeks.

  “We’re the ones he’s underestimated. Now kiss me. We’re on a tight schedule.”

  She leaned forward, and he bent lower to kiss her deeply. When he pulled away her heart ached something terrible.

  As they lifted their backpacks and received handshakes and hugs from their brothers, their team, she ran her hands down the camo covering their arms and watched them turn away and walk out the door.

  She damned Anthony and all he had taken from her already.

  Please come back to me, Cason and Beau. Please be careful. I can’t lose you guys. Any of you.

  Chapter 14

  Four days and three nights, still no word from Beau or Cason. Blade was getting worried, but he was trying not to let on to Cora. She was on edge, seemed about to have a breakdown, but then he, Asher, and Avery would calm her, make love to her, and promise to keep her and the kids safe. They told her stories about Cason and Beau from their days in the service and how resourceful and strong they really were.

  Asher and Avery were in town, and Cora was making some dinner in the kitchen. The kids and Mary were in the game room, and Blade finished up at his desk.

  He began to head out of the office to join Cora when his cell phone rang. He looked down and saw that it was Asher.

  “Hello?”

  “Get them out of there now. We’re on our way with the cavalry. Roland was in the woods, and Beau and Cason are at some cabin in the woods. They tracked him there. There are dead bodies.”

  Just then Blade heard a scream.

  “Get here, he’s here.” He ran toward the door, looked down the hallway, and saw the kids and Mary running. He hoped they were headed to the panic room. He turned to the left, a clear, open view of the kitchen, and saw Anthony too late. The gun went off. Blade fell back against the wall and hit his head. He saw Anthony coming toward him and Cora screaming trying to stop him from attacking. Blade tried to move. He couldn’t stand up. His chest was burning.

  “You’ll never fuck my woman again,” Anthony yelled, and Blade felt the butt of the gun slam against his head.

  Cora screamed, and darkness overtook his vision.

  * * * *

  Cora turned to run and try to grab a weapon. She heard the door to the panic room lock into place. It would take a special code to open it. They would call 9-1-1 and the others would come. She needed to escape. She worried about Blade, but he was out cold and hopefully Anthony wouldn’t put another bullet into him.

  She ran for the back door and heard the next shot. She jumped and screamed. Turning, she saw no one there.

  He shot him again. Anthony killed Blade.

  The tears streamed down her cheeks, and she heard Anthony yelling then heard him running.

  “I love a good hunt, baby. Make me run and your punishments will be greater,” he taunted her and chased her around the hallways that led to the lower bedrooms and study.

  “Your other man whores you were fucking tried to hunt me down, but they got theirs too. Now only two more to go and then it will be you and I again.”

  He killed Beau and Cason. Oh God, he killed them and Blade. He would kill Asher and Avery, then Mom, Liam, and Julia. I need to get out of here. It’s the only way to keep the kids safe and Asher and Avery too.

  She ran to the sliding glass doors and out to the patio. She sprinted toward the side of the house, prepared to head toward the woods. Maybe she could hide under some brush or in the thickness of trees until the police arrived. She was running, sprinting deeper into the woods, and could hear him laughing, his boots crunching on the sticks and leaves as he seemed to get closer and closer.

  She was shaking so much, her chest was tight, and she felt the panic feeling begin to consume her. She slipped and fell, scratched up her thigh as she slid down a small embankment. She cut her knees and her elbows as she gasped for air. Just as she tried standing up so she could run, she sensed the large figure, turned, and caught site of Anthony as he jumped down on top of her. Her body slammed to the hard dirt ground with a crunch as his two hundred pounds of muscle landed on top of her.

  She cried out in pain, hardly even taking a half a breath in recovery when he hit her in the face. Her head snapped back, her spine ached, and so did her arms and her legs as he straddled her and gripped her by the throat.

  “You’re going to suffer, bitch, for everything you did to me.”

  She swung at him, hitting him in the mouth. He slammed her arm down on the ground. She heard and felt the snap.

  “No!” she screamed at the top of her lungs as she swung her other fist at him.

  He didn’t even react as he ripped her shirt open, tore the material away from her breasts, and then smacked her.

  “You’re nothing but a worthless fucking whore. You took my life from me, and now I’m going to take yours.”

  He reached back and pulled the knife out. It was huge, and sharp, and she knew this was it. Despite the pain her body was in, the bruising and cuts on her face, her broken arm, and the need to beg for mercy, something came over her.

  She lifted her chin and held his gaze as he touched the blade to her bra, the tip so sharp that the material spit away without a sound.

  She gasped, her breasts exposed to the chilly evening air as night would soon fall upon them. She was going to die out here, in the woods, by the hands of the father of her children.

  “There was a time when I loved you, Anthony,” she whispered, and he pressed the tip of the blade between her breasts. She felt the pinch, knew that she was bleeding.

  “I’m going to skin you alive. I’m going to love hearing you scream in pain as I torture you.”

  “I gave you my heart, my body and soul. We made two beautiful children, Anthony, and you turned on me, used me, abused me, and kicked me to the curb.”

  “You were a lazy fucking whore, and know that I will get my hands on my kids. Maybe they’ll live or maybe they’ll die. You’ll never know what happened to them.”

  He pressed his forearm against her throat. He looked like a monster, a rabid animal that needed to be shot.

  “Then kill me if it makes you feel better.”

  He lifted her broken arm, and she screamed out in pain. She cried and begged for him to stop. He struck her across the mouth, and she saw stars from his hit. He was huge in comparison to the average man, but compared to her, he was a giant.

  He looked her body over and let her broken arm fall as he cupped her breasts with one hand.

  She was shaking, her body going into shock.

  He leaned down and kissed her mouth, forced his tongue inside, and gripped her head and hair with one hand before releasing her lips as she cried, and held the knife to her throat.

  “You were always so beautiful. Had the best ass and pair of tits on any woman I ever fucked. But you let those men, five of them, fuck you in every hole. You’re nothing but a whore. It’s time to die.”

  He rose up, stretched out with the knife in one hand above his head, and looked her over one more time.

  She screamed out in fear of dying and never seeing her babies again or her men. They were dead because of her.

  He reached down and cupped her chin.

  “Be nice and quiet. It will be over soon.”

  “Fuck you!�
�� she screamed and thrust her head forward, knocking him in the mouth, shocking him. She kicked her legs, made contact with his crotch, and he roared in anger. She remembered some moves from back in the shelter that the men had taught her. Using her good hand, she shoved her palm and fist upward against his chin, sending his head back. She then returned with a forearm to his throat, which made him drop the knife.

  The adrenaline was pumping, the need to survive great as she grabbed the knife and tried to scramble across the ground away from him with her broken arm, sore bones, and battered face and body.

  He roared as he leaped for her, and she turned and caught his shoulder with the knife, shocked that it tore through his flesh and maybe even into the bone as she screamed and cried for help.

  He countered in rage, roaring like some animal as he punched her repeatedly.

  She cried out, her voice hoarse with pain and knowing she was going to die, that there was no way she could survive this man’s wrath.

  The sound of gunshots filled the air. It was unreal, like some slow-motion video as the shots rang out and two bullets hit Anthony in the forehead side by side.

  He fell back and off of her, but she couldn’t move. Couldn’t hear anything, or see clearly. Her chest was heavy, and the panic feeling was disappearing as pain overtook her body. Then she saw their faces, heard their yells.

  Beau and Cason, dressed in black camo, filled with fear in their eyes. They look so scared. They’re alive. Why can’t I hear? Why is everything moving so slowly?

  “We need an ambulance. She’s going into shock,” Beau yelled up toward someone.

  She tried to turn and look, caught sight of Asher, Avery, Brock, and Wyatt.

  “Cora. Cora, talk to me.” Cason said to her.

  I love you…

  * * * *

  The beeping sound was torture. It was killing him, them, to see her like this. Internal bleeding, a ruptured spleen, broken ribs, crushed lung, contusions, concussion, she had it all and then some. Never mind the broken arm, her black-and-blue body, and swollen face, lips, and scratches everywhere.

  He would never forget the sound of her tortured screams, and the sight of Anthony pounding on her body at the bottom of the ravine. They raced to get to her, sprinting until they were ready to pass out when they reached the property and heard her cries of help. He and Cason looked at one another, and the adrenaline rush hit them full force, sending them racing over rough terrain to get to her. They saw her cut him from the top of the ridge and then him leap on top of her and begin to beat her. The sight would haunt him for the rest of his life.

  He and Cason didn’t think twice when they pointed and pulled the trigger from such a far distance. They were excellent marksmen. He deserved to die.

  He glanced at Avery, Asher, and Cason, who were out in the hallway. Days ago, they were only allowed to watch her through the glass window. She was hooked up to so many machines it was too scary for the kids to see, never mind for all of them.

  Blade was in recovery and bitching about seeing Cora. They would move him to a regular room, and hopefully today one of them would be allowed to wheel him in here to see Cora.

  “How is she today?”

  Beau turned to see Arabella standing in the doorway. She walked into the room and approached the bed. She covered her mouth with her hand and sobbed.

  Beau stood up, wrapped his arm around her, and held her to him. She turned and hugged him.

  “She loves you guys so much. She has to make it through this. It wouldn’t be fair.”

  “She’s a fighter. She’s strong and will make it through. You’ll see.”

  She stepped from his hold and dried her eyes.

  “I was so worried about her going to work for you, Blade, Cason, Avery, and Asher. You all seemed so hard,” she told him as she looked at her sister and then back at Beau.

  “I thought you could hurt her. It scared me, and I almost talked her out of applying for the job. Brock knew, though. Rex, Reno, and Smith knew too and trusted you guys. They explained, reminded me about what it’s like to be a soldier and to transition into civilian life.” She walked closer to the bed and touched her sister’s hand that was bandaged up.

  “When Brock told me that you guys asked to be her, Julia, and Liam’s guardians I was really scared. She had been through so much. Had been abused, had low self-esteem, and was even having those anxiety attacks. But the thing was that she changed once she got involved with all of you. She seemed different. When she talked about her job, and about the things you guys said and did, she seemed so happy and like she was grabbing ahold of her life again.

  Then she told me about how fast Liam and Julia took to all of you. How Avery and Asher played video games with Liam and even played dolls with Julia. She said that Blade seemed so lost and resistant to feeling any love, but when Liam and Julia took his hand or hugged him, he smiled and she knew that he was just scared and needed reassurances despite him being a commander. She also told me about how scared the kids were and how you told them about being a soldier and about finding safety and security in your tent. She had me laughing about you guys moving the furniture in the bedroom and setting up a campsite, tent, lanterns, and sleeping bags.”

  She smiled and then looked at Beau.

  “Love is an amazing and powerful thing, Beau. You, Cason, Blade, Avery, and Asher saved my sister’s life, and my niece, nephew, and Mom’s lives too. I could never repay you for that. I’m sorry I thought the worst of all of you before even getting to know you. You’ve brought my sister happiness. You’ve all healed her, and she’ll pull through this too. Because of all of you.”

  Just then the nurse came into the room to check Cora’s vitals. Arabella smiled, reached out, and squeezed Beau’s hand just as Avery came to the door, pushing Blade in a wheelchair.

  “Oh God,” Blade said and put his hand to his face and rubbed it as tears filled his eyes.

  Arabella squeezed Blade’s hand before she exited the room.

  * * * *

  Blade was in shock. Avery and Asher warned him about how bad Cora was and how she was still in intensive care. He demanded to know the details of her escape and attack by Anthony. He was proud that she fought so hard and didn’t give up, but the description of her assault and how she nearly died was overwhelming. She was in for a long recovery. He should have stopped Anthony. Should have had a gun in the office to grab in an emergency, but hearing her scream like that and knowing the kids and her mom were in the house too made him just react. He opened himself up for the hit, and he wondered why Anthony hadn’t finished him.

  Avery moved the wheelchair closer.

  “Let me get up. Help me to see her. I need to touch her,” he said.

  “You’re not even supposed to be out of bed. You look like shit. You need to take the painkillers,” Beau reprimanded as him, and Avery helped Blade get up. He cringed and perspiration filled his brow as they moved him closer to the bed. Blade reached out and touched her cheek. “I love you, baby. Keep fighting. We need you,” he said.

  “Jesus,” Asher exclaimed as Avery and Beau caught Blade before he passed out.

  “That’s it, Blade. You need to take the painkillers and get into bed and rest. You won’t do Cora any good if you’re not fully healed,” Cason reprimanded as he joined them.

  * * * *

  Cason shook his head at Blade’s stubbornness. The man was giving orders and bossing nurses around since he came to after surgery a few days ago. He was recovering nicely, but he needed rest and painkillers. Two things he wasn’t consistently getting. His concern, like the rest of them, was for Cora.

  “There’s too many people in here. I’m sorry but you need to leave.” The nurse came in, reprimanding them.

  “She’s our woman, we need to stay close. We got this,” Blade stated.

  “This is the ICU, sir, not a party floor.”

  Cason hid his smirk as Blade argued with the nurse. He was the worst fucking patient ever.

  “I
need to stay longer. I’ll let you know when I’m done here,” he ordered.

  The nurse gave him a look.

  “Stand down, Marine. This is a hospital. Your woman needs quiet and rest. Now visiting hours are almost over, do you want to spend the last fifteen minutes knocking heads with me?” she countered, and Blade smiled.

  “I like you. You got balls. We’ll be quiet. Please, just let us be here with her together?” he asked nicely. She barely smiled.

  “Fifteen minutes,” she added before she left the room.

  Cason chuckled. “She told you, Commander.”

  “Whatever,” he replied.

  They heard Cora moan, and they all looked toward the bed and moved closer.

  Cason was by her side as she moaned in pain and blinked her eyes.

  “You’re okay, Cora. You’re in the hospital. Everyone is fine,” Cason whispered. “Show me those big brown eyes, baby. Come on now, let me know that you haven’t given up and that you love us as much as we all love you,” Cason pushed.

  “Cason?” she whispered and opened her one eye.

  “That’s our woman. We’re all right here, Cora. We’re right here,” Blade said, and she looked around at them as tears rolled down her cheeks.

  “Alive?”

  “In the flesh,” Beau told her.

  “Liam, Julia, Mom?” She asked and then coughed and cringed.

  “Easy, baby, take it slow. Everyone is alive and fine. The kids are with your mom in the waiting room and Arabella was just here. Anthony is dead, so he can never hurt you and the family again,” Blade told her.

  She nodded her head, then closed her eyes and fell back to sleep.

  Epilogue

  Six months later

  “You’re spoiling them,” Cora reprimanded as Julia waited for Liam to get off his favorite Christmas present, a battery operated truck to help her with one final box. Beau had carried it in from the back room, and Cora and her mom couldn’t even imagine what it could be.