by Becca Van
“Good,” Hay groaned out as Dalton tied another piece of his ripped shirt tight around his shoulder. His eyesight wavered, and for a moment all he could think about was what Sara would say when she found out he’d been shot, and then he slid into the welcoming darkness where no more pain existed.
* * * *
“Sara, wake up, honey.”
Sara groaned because she didn’t want to wake up. She was warm and comfortable and just wanted to be left alone. She was so tired. She hadn’t slept properly for over two nights and just wanted to continue sleeping. When she shifted in bed she automatically reached out searching for Whit, Dalt, and Hay. She frowned when she couldn’t find them.
“Come on, Sara, open your eyes, honey.”
That wasn’t her men talking, but the voice was familiar. She frowned as she tried to get her sluggish brain to work, but it was too foggy to think straight. Her eyes snapped open and she stared at Wolf Garman. He was frowning down at her and he was taking her pulse. He was the team medic of the Elite Dragons and he was checking her over. Nicole and May stood at the foot of the bed looking worried.
Memory slammed back with a vengeance. She had thought of her men and then searing pain had coursed through her shoulder and then everything went black.
“Oh my God. Hay!” Sara pushed Wolf’s hands away from her and scrambled from the bed.
“Whoa, honey, calm down.” Wolf wrapped an arm around the waist and lifted her from the floor, cradling her against his chest. “You shouldn’t be up on your feet until I know what’s wrong with you.”
“Put me down right now,” Sara snapped. “There is nothing wrong with me.”
Wolf lowered her feet to the floor and held her arms to make sure she was steady. Sara pushed his hands away and rushed toward the kitchen. Sara felt bad about snarling at Wolf, but she needed to reach her men and talk to them. Once she knew they were safe then she would apologize.
“Sara, what is going…” Wolf began.
Sara held up her hand as she hit speed dial. It rang and rang until finally going to voice mail. “Whit, please call me as soon as you get this message.” She disconnected the call and hit another speed dial button. Again she left a message but this time on Hay’s phone. She tried one more time and got the same results. She slumped against the kitchen counter and stared at the phone in her hand.
“What’s going on, Sara?” Wolf asked.
Sara lifted her head and looked at Wolf. “I’m sorry I snapped at you, but I promise I’m fine.” A sob escaped as she gulped in air. “I was thinking about my men when all of a sudden I felt excruciating pain in my shoulder. Hay’s image flashed in my mind just before I passed out. I think Hay’s been hurt.”
Sara couldn’t contain her tears as fear slammed through her. She loved Hay just as much as she loved Whit and Dalton. It would devastate her if something happened to him.
Wolf stepped up close and pulled her into his arms. “Shh, honey. I’m sure they’re fine. Coulter would have heard from Tony if anything was wrong.”
“I don’t need you, Coulter, or Tony to confirm that one of my men has been hurt,” Sara snarled. “I felt it. What more do you need?”
“Sara!” May admonished her for the tone she had used.
“Oh God. I’m sorry, Wolf. I’m just so scared.”
“Take it easy, honey.” Wolf rubbed her back. “Let me see if I can find out anything. Okay?”
Sara sniffed and nodded and moved away from Wolf. She walked toward the living room and sat down. Five minutes later she paced back and forth behind the sofa. Glancing at the clock frequently, she watched as the number on her phone changed slowly. First one hour passed, then another, and by the time the third hour was over Sara was so scared she couldn’t move. She was once more sitting on the sofa, but this time she was curled up in the corner as she stared at her phone and willed it to ring. Just as she decided to try her men again her cell rang. She drew in a ragged breath when Whit’s name and number lit up the display screen. Sara answered her phone and began talking before Whit could speak.
“How bad is Hay?”
“Sara, I don’t know how the hell you know he’s hurt but he’s fine. He took a bullet to his shoulder and lost a bit of blood but I promise he will heal.”
“Thank you, God.”
“Are you okay, baby?”
“Yes,” Sara sighed and couldn’t quite contain her sob of relief.
“How did you know Hay was hurt?”
“I felt his pain. He was hit in the left shoulder, wasn’t he?”
“Yeah, baby. He was. We got him to the hospital as fast as we could. He’s already had surgery to have the bullet removed. He’s been asking for you.”
“Can I talk to him?”
“You sure can, babe. I don’t know how lucid he’s gonna be cause he’s doped up on painkillers.”
“I don’t care, Whit, I just need to hear his voice and know that he’s all right.”
“Okay, hold on a sec.”
Sara waited, and she could hear Whit’s voice rumbling in the background but he was too far away from the phone for her to hear what he said, and then tears began to stream down her face when she heard Hay’s voice.
“Sara,” he rasped, “talk to me, honey.”
“Hay? Is it really you?”
“Yeah, honey, it’s me.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine, Sara. A little sore and spaced out on painkillers but I’m good.”
“I love you, Hay.”
“Love…too…”
“Sara, it’s Whit again. He fell asleep.”
“I love you, Whit.”
“I love you, too, baby. Don’t cry, Sara. Hay is fine. I promise.”
“I know. God, I miss you all so much.”
“We miss you, too, baby.”
Sara could hear the worry and longing in Whit’s voice and decided it was time to pull herself together. The last thing her men needed was to be worried about her when they were out on a mission.
“So, how are things going?”
“We found the missing woman and we were able to capture some of the perps alive. They are currently being held in the Chadron County sheriff’s jail and are going to be picked up by the Feds tomorrow.”
“Oh, thank God. Is the girl all right?”
“She was beaten up but we got to her in time. Thorpe and his brothers are taking good care of her.”
“Are you bringing her back with you?”
“Yes. We can’t leave her alone until we know she’s safe. God knows how many people are involved in this sex slave ring. We could be searching for these assholes for years.”
“Well, they don’t know who they’re up against. You guys are so brave and I know that you won’t give up until you’ve taken down every one of those fuckers.”
Whit chuckled. “That’s the first time I’ve ever heard you drop the f-bomb.”
“Really, I’m sure I’ve said it around you before.”
“No, you haven’t. Believe me, baby, I would have remembered if you had said that in front of me before.”
“Hmm,” Sara replied, her brain spinning as she planned out the next time she would say that word in front of her men. “Can I talk to Dalton?”
“Sure, baby. Love you.”
“I love you, too.”
“I’m glad to hear that, darlin’, ’cause you mean the world to me.”
“Dalton, it’s good to hear your voice.”
“Yours, too, sugar. Now, how about you tell me what you’re wearing,” Dalton said with a snicker.
“Dalton Cartwright, you behave.”
“Aww, now where’s the fun in that,” Dalton replied. “I take it you’re not alone.”
“No.”
“Who’s with you, darlin’?”
“Nicole, May, and Wolf.”
“What is Wolf doing there? What’s going on, Sara?”
“Nothing, everything is fine. When are you coming home?”
<
br /> “The doctors want to keep Hay for a couple of days, but if I know my brother, and believe me I do, I think we’ll be there by tomorrow night.”
“You tell Hay that if he checks out of the hospital without the doctor’s permission there will be hell to pay.”
“Yes, honey,” Dalton replied docilely. “I just thought of something Coulter should know and since Wolf is already there I’ll let him relay a message. Can you let me talk to him, darlin’?”
“Sure, see you soon, Dalton, and take care of Hay for me.”
“Will do, sugar.”
Sara handed her cell phone over to Wolf and then listened as Wolf explained why he was at their house. Sara should have known Dalton was being underhanded and wouldn’t give up until his questions had been answered. She rolled her eyes as Wolf smiled at her while he listened to Dalton, and then he disconnected the call and handed her phone back.
“Dalton says to tell you he’s sorry you had to feel Hay’s pain and they will all talk to you about it when they get back home.”
“Okay,” Sara sighed with resignation, although she didn’t think they would be able to do anything about the strong connection she had with all three of her men. Since she loved them so much she figured that was why she had felt what Hay did. Maybe Hay had been thinking about her when he was hurt and the connection they had worked in reverse this time. Similar to how they had found her in the first place, but it was pure supposition on her part.
“He also said to tell you that your ass is his when he gets back home.”
“What does that mean?” Sara frowned at Wolf.
Wolf headed out of the kitchen, and he paused in the doorway and looked back at her over his shoulder. “I think someone is going to get a spanking.”
“What?” Sara screeched.
Wolf’s laughter trailed behind him, and then she heard the outer door slam shut.
Chapter Ten
Dalton shifted and looked into the backseat where Hay was sleeping. His brother moaned as he moved in his sleep and settled down again. They were nearly halfway home, and he couldn’t wait to hug Sara and kiss her until they were both breathless.
When they had first gotten underway that morning, he had explained to Hay how Sara had felt the same pain he had when he’d been shot and then passed out. Hay had admitted to thinking of Sara just before he fainted, and they had all decided that when they were in the midst of a mission they were going to have to try and keep from thinking about their woman. There would be plenty of time to call her when they were holed up in their hotel room or en route somewhere. Of course that was going to be easier said than done.
Dalton had also been thinking about Sara when the gunfire had ceased and they had the sex slavers cuffed. It was the first time he’d ever thought about a woman while still on a mission. Usually he was emotionless and in total control while working as his brothers were. Then he thought back to Bronsin Tiltman and how he had picked up on a woman projecting her emotions.
“Whit, were you thinking about Sara when the gunfire stopped and the assholes were tied up?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“I think with the three of us thinking about our wonderful woman, we could have been projecting and she was somehow able to lock onto Hay’s pain. His emotions would have been the strongest since we all know that pain is one of the first things we feel when we lower our shields.”
“Fuck, you may have something there. We’ll have to test it out when we get back home.”
“I don’t want Sara to feel any more pain than she already has,” Dalton snapped.
“Shit, Dalt, neither do I, damn it.”
“Sorry.”
“No problem. I’m just as eager to see our woman as you are.”
“I just thought of a way to test our theory.”
“Yeah, how’s that?” Whit asked.
“Well, when I asked her why Wolf was at our house, she didn’t tell me the reason, instead she changed the subject. So I figure we owe her a spanking and we can test things then.”
“How the hell are we going to do that?” Whit questioned. “We can all feel her pain, I thought the aim was for us to see if she could feel our pain?”
“It is.”
“Then how the fuck…”
“Shit, Whit, even I figured that one out,” Hay said from the backseat. “You let her spank you.”
“There is no fucking way I’m letting Sara spank my ass.”
“I’ll do it,” Hay volunteered. “I can’t do much else for a couple of days anyway. If that’s the only way I can have a piece of my sweetheart then so be it.”
“I don’t think you should, Hay, Sara will probably feel the pain in your shoulder, too,” Dalton said.
“I’ll try and block that out.”
“It could work,” Whit said.
“We’ll see,” Dalton replied. “We’re only ten minutes from home. Plant it, Whit.”
* * * *
Sara knew they were coming before she saw the lights coming down the driveway. Hay’s shoulder was hurting him and they were all thinking about her. She was going to give them each a piece of her mind once they got settled. First she was going to help Hay into bed, and then she was going to kiss them all senseless, and then she was going to read them the riot act.
Sara stepped out onto the porch and waited for them to exit the truck. Whit and Dalton got out first, and Dalt opened the back door for Hay. She gasped when she saw Hay’s arm in a sling and his face was paler than usual. She hurried down the steps to help him.
“Hi, honey, we’re home.”
Sara nudged Dalton aside with her hip and slid in under Hay’s right arm and then wrapped her arm around his waist. “How can you joke when you’re in so much pain? You need to go straight to bed, Hayward Cartwright.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Don’t you ‘yes, ma’am’ me.”
“How do you know I’m in pain, honey?”
“I can feel it.”
“God, I’m sorry, Sara. I don’t want you to feel my pain.”
“I don’t care about that.” Sara squeezed his waist with her arm as they walked up the steps. “I’m just glad you’re safe.”
“Are you two thinking about Sara?” Hay asked his brothers.
“Yep,” Whit and Dalton answered at the same time.
“What has that got to do with anything?” Sara asked, bewildered.
“We think that when we think about you we are also projecting what we’re feeling,” Hay answered.
“Oh, is that all,” Sara mumbled. “I’d already figured that out.”
“Smart as well as beautiful.”
“Looks like you won’t have to suffer a spanking after all, Hay.”
“What?” Sara glared at Dalton. “Why would you want to spank your brother?”
The three men burst out laughing, and Sara smiled until Hay groaned with pain. His pain nearly sent her to her knees. “Okay, that’s enough mucking around, your brother needs to go to bed. I presume you have painkillers?”
“See, I knew you were brainy,” Whit said from behind her.
“Can you get him some water while I help Hay get undressed?”
“Sure, baby.”
Dalton helped Sara get Hay into bed, and Whit brought in the water and passed over two pills. After he’d taken his medication, Sara cuddled up on the bed on his good side. It wasn’t long before his breathing evened out and he was fast asleep.
Hay spent the next two days in bed, but by the third day he was chomping at the bit. Sara was thankful that Wolf lived next door and came over every day to check on him. It was good to have another medic close by. Dalton had also been diligent over how much moving around Hay was allowed.
It took another week before Hay was almost back to normal. He was exercising his muscles every day and gaining more and more movement. Another week and all the stiffness and soreness would be gone.
Sara had met and befriended Prudence, and even though their new friend was sh
y, she fit in with her, Nicole, and May. If the way the Latham men looked at Prue was any indication, then there was definitely going to be another romance in the air.
The surviving men who had kidnapped Prudence were now in the hands of the FBI. Apparently they were working in conjunction with the CIA and the Japanese authorities by trying to find out if there were any more of the Japanese underground criminals in the USA. Sara knew it was going to be a long, drawn-out process, but her men and the other men of the Elite Dragoons were doing the best they could in trying to protect the innocents of the world.
Sara was currently watching Calbert, Fletcher, and Lawford Garton help Whit and Dalton brand some of the young cattle. Her body heated up as the muscles in Whit and Dalt’s arms, shoulders, and legs rippled and bulged. She squeezed her thighs together, trying to circumvent the ache in her pussy.
Warm, muscular arms slipped around her waist from behind, and she let herself relax back against Hay. His warm breath caressed her ear just before he spoke. “I bet I know what you’re thinking about, honey.”
Sara looked over her shoulder and up into his eyes. Her breathing escalated at his heated stare.
“Your nipples are hard, Sara,” he said for her ears alone. “I’ll bet your pussy is dripping wet, too. Isn’t it, honey?”
“Yes,” Sara whimpered and then squealed as Hay spun her around in his arms and hefted her over his shoulder and hurried toward the house.
“Hay, put me down. You’re going to hurt yourself.”
“No I won’t, sugar. I’m completely healed. I just had the all clear from Wolf.”
“Hey, wait for us,” Whit yelled.
Sara lifted her head just in time to see both Whit and Dalton jump the six-foot-high fence without using any hands. God, my men are so fucking strong and sexy. Sara smiled as she remembered the last time she’d said fuck out loud.
Hay carried her into the master bedroom and dumped her on the bed. He began tearing his clothes off, and when he was naked he stalked toward her.
Whit and Dalton entered the room and skidded to a halt. Dalton closed and locked the door without taking his eyes off of her body. When Hay got onto the bed and pushed her legs apart, that seemed to snap them out of their trance.
