The Grandmaster’s Legacy: Masters of Love and War (A Taylor Lee HOT Historical Romantic Suspense Collection) (The Grandmaster's Legacy)

by Taylor Lee

  Wyatt shook his head with a glimmer of distain. He said to Alono, “It’s your call, Brother. Jesse will do anything I want her to, won’t you, honey? Anything I tell her to, and she’s got a hell of an ass.”

  Alono looked at Jesse and she nodded in affirmation. He smiled shyly at her then nodded to Wyatt. He said in a soft voice, “Which end do you want, Wyatt?”

  Jesse gasped with anticipation.

  Wyatt hesitated for a moment. “Tell you what, this time I think I want to watch. That’s something else you’ve always wanted to do, isn’t it, sweetheart? Have someone watch you getting your brains fucked out? Well, hell, I am the most appreciative audience you’ll ever have.” He leaned up against the doorway and took another drag on his cigarette.

  A slight frown crossed Alono’s face, then he reached over and took Jesse’s shirt away from her. He smiled in admiration at her beautiful body. Jesse’s eyes grew dark with desire. Alono reached down and unbuttoned his pants. He took out an erect cock almost as well hung as Wyatt’s and motioned her down to her knees.

  She hesitated then got down on her knees in front of him and took his cock in her hands. She began stroking it and leaned down to suck on him. Alono widened his stance. His tight ass tightened more. He took control of her hands and head and showed her how he liked it; hard, deep, and fast. She was moaning and groaning with desire and did what he showed her to do. Alono came with a burst of passion, filling her mouth and throat, a deep groan escaping his lips. Within what seemed like seconds his young eager body hardened. He turned her over face down on the floor and pulled her ass up in the air, mounting her from behind. His thighs were as strong as Wyatt’s. She shrieked with excitement when he reached around and tugged on the ends of her nipples as he pulled her body roughly up to him, thrusting his hard cock deep inside of her. She cried out as they both exploded together. In their passion, neither realized that Wyatt had left the gazebo some time before.

  When Alono got hold of himself he looked over for some signal from Wyatt as to what was came next. To his surprise Wyatt was gone. He pulled on his trousers, grabbed his shirt, and went out into the moonlight. He saw Wyatt standing by the pond smoking a cigarette with his back to him. He went up to him and put his arm around Wyatt’s shoulder. His voice was pained. “Christ, Wyatt, I’m sorry. Did I do something wrong?”

  Wyatt was startled to see him; pulled his gaze back from the horizon. He said, “Hey, Brother, it’s okay. No, no, no. This isn’t about anybody but me. Hope I didn’t put you in a bad spot back there. I just wasn’t up to it—so to speak.”

  Alono said, “No, it’s okay. I’m worried about you, Wyatt.”

  Wyatt shook his head. He patted Alono on the back and said with a rueful smile, “Don’t be. She’s a good fuck, isn’t she?”

  Alono blushed and nodded yes.

  Wyatt walked back in the gazebo. Jesse was sitting on the floor, partially covered with her shirt, her face flushed from her latest orgasms. Wyatt pulled her to her feet and helped her put on her shirt. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “It’s been a hell of a ride, honey. Write sometime. Let me know how Boston is in the winter.”

  He turned and left.

  ~~~

  After Jesse left Wyatt surprised himself by going to Cheyenne less and less. Along with hours at the dojo, anonymous sex had been Wyatt’s most reliable outlet for his anger or pain. Neither seemed able to fill the hole he was facing now. Lei was the only one who could and she didn’t want him.

  At first, Wyatt believed he could break through Lei’s resistance. But when it was clear she wouldn’t see him, he plunged into impotent fury. He had been sure if they spent time together he’d convince her to come back to him. He ached for her physically and emotionally. He almost wept when he remembered her spicy exotic smell, how she cried out when he sucked on her beautiful breasts and how tight she was when he thrust into her. He longed for the nights when they laid in bed and talked for hours after they made love. He couldn’t believe she wasn’t missing him the way that he missed her.

  But the longer she refused to respond the more resigned he became. He began to understand she might not want to be with him. He had never considered that possibility. Women didn’t leave him. He left them. But he reminded himself that Lei wasn’t “women.” She was the mother of his unborn child and, he now admitted, the woman he loved with all his heart. Each week, he wrote her a letter. Each week they came back unopened. At Joey’s suggestion, he kept sending them. It was just as well she didn’t open some of them. They were full of the fury he was feeling, but the next week’s letter was an impassioned entreaty. To no avail. She had a wall of Sing Leon around her living quarters and a higher impenetrable wall of anger surrounding her.

  The closer it got to Lei’s due date, the more frustrated Wyatt was. He knew from Joey that she and her father had reconciled. Hell, that meant after the baby was born he would have to go through both Wan and Lei to see the child. Given his failure to see Lei, he could only imagine the wall he would have to climb to get over her and Wan.

  He was working late when Joey knocked on the door and came in, his face contorted with worry.

  “Wyatt, something is wrong. I got a message from Ri asking you to come. Lei went into labor yesterday and still hasn’t had the baby. Ri said the midwife is concerned and her father is frantic. Wyatt, something is wrong if Ri got the courage to send you a message –especially telling you to come. Wan would kill him if he knew.”

  Wyatt was startled. Wan Chang controlled all aspects of Lei’s life and he must have given thought to every detail of her delivery. Knowing Wan, if there was a problem that he didn’t know how to deal with, he would be too arrogant to admit it. Wyatt’s gut curdled with hatred.

  More than anything, he was afraid. He knew Joey was right. Ri was risking his life to contact him. If something was wrong with Lei or the baby, he needed to get to them. And this time Lei, Wan, and the whole goddamned Sing Leon weren’t going to stop him.

  “Go wake Chief and Alono. I need them to come with me. Tell Chief to bring everything we use to deliver our mares.”

  Wyatt had been delivering mares since he was a boy. He had a knack for it. His fame had spread. Soon women were asking him to help with their births and midwives started calling on him to help with their difficult deliveries. After the tragedy with Vivian, he had pulled back. He delivered a baby only when a midwife was desperate and begged him to help.

  By morning, the three men were on their way to Denver taking the now twice daily train from Cheyenne. When they got to the hotel, Wyatt asked for the manager. He knew him from political and business deals and knew he would help if he could.

  “Look, Charlie, let’s cut through the crap. I need your help. I know that Wan Chang has his daughter holed away in your penthouse. I need to get a message to him that I am here and need to see Lei.”

  “Goddamn, Wyatt, you know who these people are. No one is to know she is here. We are supposed to guard her secrecy like the U. S. Mint. I can’t go up there and say she has visitors.”

  “Charlie, listen to me. Wan knows I know Lei is here. Please go now or my father and brother and I are going to shoot our way up that staircase. Someone is bound to get hurt.”

  Charlie came back several minutes later shaking his head. “Wyatt, I’m sorry. He wouldn’t even let me finish my message.”

  Wyatt turned to Chief and Alono. “C’mon. We’re going up.”

  When they got to the bottom of the stairs, the Sing Leon members closed in.

  Wyatt looked them in the eye and said in Chinese, “Listen here, fellows. You know who I am. I am going up to the eighth floor to see Lei. She’s in labor and needs my help. Do you understand? You will have to kill me if you try to stop me.”

  The men hesitated. They did know who Wyatt was. He knew most admired and respected him. But, ultimately, they were Chinese first, and members of the Sing Leon, second. And he knew they had specific orders from Wan Chang that if Wyatt tried to enter with force
, they were to kill him.

  Wyatt saw the resolve in their faces. He felt an overwhelming sense of frustration that quickly became anger.

  He looked at the leader of the group and said in a quiet voice, “Lei is in trouble. So is my child. I am going up there. You are not going to stop me.”

  He knew Chief and Alono were right behind him and knew they were as willing as he was to fight their way up, even though it was an impossible task. Their only hope was that the Chinese fighters would see his determination and remember who he was. Remember that he had fought and won the right to pass. As they started up the stairs, the phalanx of men in front of them tightened. The leader at the front of the pack shook his head, drew his gun, and pointed it at Wyatt.

  At that moment a voice came from above, “Let them pass.”

  Chapter 29

  In surprise, Wyatt looked up and saw Ri standing on the landing three floors up. His face was pale and strained, but determined.

  The Tong members all turned to see who had given the order. They looked confused. The only people they obeyed were Wan Chang and Lei. Ri said in a firm voice, “I am Ri Chang, son of Wan Chang and brother of Lei Chang. Do as I say. Let them pass.”

  Taking advantage of their hesitation, Wyatt, Chief, and Alono barreled past the first tier of fighters and made their way up the stairs next to Ri. As a foursome, they walked up the rest of the stairs, the fighters opening a path and letting them pass.

  When they got to the landing on the eighth floor, the door flew open. Wan Chang, his face white with fury, stood in the doorway. Ri stepped in front of Wyatt and glared at his father.

  Wan drew his gun and pointed it at Ri’s face. His voice was tight with anger. “You are a disgrace to your race, your Tong, and to your family. You are no longer my son. I will kill you before I let you pass.”

  Ri’s face was pale, but he looked at his father and said, “You are not my father and you don’t deserve to be Lei’s father. You would let Lei die, rather than let Wyatt help her. I will not.”

  Wyatt stepped forward and knocked Ri aside. Stepping up to Wan he said, “Before you pull that trigger, you will have three bullets in your brain.”

  Wan’s hand shook as he saw that Wyatt, Chief, and Alono had drawn their guns and were pointing them at his head.

  Wyatt’s face was cold and hard as he glared at Wan. He shook his head in disgust and holstered his weapon. “Get the hell out of my way.”

  He pushed Wan aside and strode up to the guards, who were standing uncertainly behind their leader. He said to one of the white guards who had shadowed Lei when she was in Wyoming, “Where is she, Chet?”

  The guard hesitated for a minute. “I’m sorry, Wyatt. I can’t let you in.”

  “Chet, I am equally sorry, but you are going to have to shoot me if you want to stop me because I am coming in.”

  “Shoot him.” Wan was standing in the doorway his face ravaged with anger – and, Wyatt could now see, with fear that could only be caused by Lei’s condition.

  Chet and Wyatt exchanged a hard look. Without looking at Wan, Chet said, “Down the hallway to the right, second door.”

  Wyatt strode past the guards. Followed by Chief and Alono, who still had their guns drawn, he went down the hallway to the bedroom Chet indicated. Lei was sleeping, surrounded by the midwife and several worried looking aides.

  Wyatt turned to the midwife. In rapid Chinese he asked her to tell him exactly what was happening.

  To his surprise, the midwife was white and said she didn’t speak Chinese. Wyatt repeated his questions in English. The midwife said in a low voice, so Lei couldn’t hear, “She started to go in labor two days ago, then stopped. We didn’t think anything was wrong, but she’s stopped and started now four or five times. The pain has been excruciating. I think she is too small to deliver.”

  Wyatt’s heart froze. This couldn’t be happening. Please, God. No. This is what happened with Vivian. A healthy normal woman went into labor and died. That wasn’t supposed to happen. He reached for the end of the bed to keep from falling. A blast of sweat rolled down his chest. He turned to Chief, desperately trying to control the terror that threatened to overwhelm him.

  Chief pulled him aside. Putting his hands on Wyatt’s shoulders, he held him firmly. “Look at me, Wyatt. Do you hear me? Do you? It’s not the same. Remember that. Figure out what it is and what we can do. Look, Wyatt. Look at her. She’s not bleeding. It’s not the same.”

  Wyatt gulped a mouthful of air. With a huge effort, he willed his legs to stop shaking and went over to the bed. He saw that Lei was awake.

  Lei tried to push herself up to her elbows. She whispered, “Wyatt?”

  “Lei, honey, it’s me. I’m here, Princess.”

  When she saw that it was him, she burst into tears. “Wyatt, something is wrong. They won’t tell me, but I know something is wrong.”

  “Yeah, honey, it’s okay, baby. I’m here now. We’re going to figure out what’s wrong and get it fixed so you can deliver our baby.”

  She cried harder. “I’m scared, Wyatt. I’m so scared. They won’t tell me what is wrong. They won’t answer me. I keep asking, but they won’t answer me.” Her voice rose to a shriek. “They don’t answer!”

  Wyatt’s voice was soft, reassuring. “No, no, darlin’ It’s okay, honey. Let’s forget about them. Let me see what’s going on and then we can decide what we need to do, okay, Princess?”

  Shrugging off his vest and holsters, he crawled in beside her. He held her close to him, murmuring to her, telling her everything was going to be all right. He brushed her hair off her face. He kissed her eyes and used his thumbs to wipe away her tears.

  She clung to him burying her face in his shoulder. “You won’t go, right? Promise me you’ll stay with me? Promise me, Wyatt, you won’t leave.”

  “God, no, honey. It’s taken me five months to get into this fucking place. And Chief and Alono almost had to shoot your father, didn’t they, Wan?” he said over his shoulder. “I’m not leaving until you and the baby come with me. Got that, honey?”

  He grinned at her and she smiled back.

  “Lei, one more thing.” His voice was low, serious. He held her face in his hands and looked deep in her eyes. “Lei, I’m not letting you go ever again. Ever! Do you understand?”

  Tears streamed down her face. She nodded and smiled.

  “Okay, honey, just so we’ve got that straight. I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to handle the names I call you. I deliver horses remember? I get to call you anything I call my mares, deal?”

  She smiled again and nodded.

  “Lei, you’re not in labor right now. From the sound of it you could start up again any minute. I want to check you now, honey, while you aren’t having contractions. I wanna see if I can tell what is going on. Okay?”

  “First, sweetheart, I need to wash my hands so that I can touch you.” He stood up and turned to the midwife. “Where are your supplies? Your station?”

  She glared at him, clearly offended at his interference. She shrugged and shook her head. Chief stepped in between them. “It’s okay, Wyatt, I’ll get things set up here. You can wash your hands in the bathroom while I’m getting ready.”

  Chief handed Wyatt some of the disinfectant they used. Wyatt turned to go into the bathroom with an ominous backward glance at the midwife.

  He came back and sat on the edge of the bed. Taking hold of Lei’s hands, he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

  “What are you going to do, Wyatt?”

  “You’ve seen how we deliver horses, haven’t you? Okay, I’m going to feel up here and here from behind. That’s how I can tell where the baby is. Didn’t the midwife check you like that? No? Hmm.

  “Okay, honey, do what I tell you. Put your legs up like this. I’m going to use some of that great stuff of Chief’s. You remember that, don’t you?”

  “Hey, you two,” Chief said with a laugh. “I have restrictions on the use of my ointments.”

>   “Guess he should have told us sooner. Right, honey?

  “Okay, try to relax. This won’t hurt. I want to see if I can feel where the baby is and how far along you are.” She took a breath trying to relax. With expert fingers, Wyatt reached up and probed to find her cervix.

  Several minutes later, he rolled her over and said, “Okay, baby, now lay on your side so I can see what’s happening from this angle.”

  He checked her bottom and nodded. He took a deep breath to steady himself and looked to Chief for support. Chief put his hand on Wyatt’s shoulder and smiled. Wyatt nodded. He went to the bathroom and washed up then came back and sat down next to Lei. He took her hands in his and smiled at her.

  “Okay, Lei, Chief, Wan, Alono, here’s what we have. The baby’s decided he wants to come out butt first instead of head first. But that’s not possible. So we have a couple of choices. First, Lei, we’re going to get you up and start walking you around. Sometimes that will help shake things up, move the baby around. So we’re going to start with that.”

  “What if that doesn’t work, Wyatt?”

  “Honey, you know me. I have lots of tricks up my sleeve. We’ll try every one until one of them works.”

  “Wyatt, I feel like I have to pee.”

  “That may be the start of another contraction, honey. Let these girls help you to the bathroom and see. But call me if it starts to become a contraction.”

  When they left the room, Wyatt turned in fury to the midwife.

  “Who the hell are you? Do you know a goddamn thing about delivering babies?”

  “Wyatt, calm down. We have to deal with what we have.” Chief said in a quiet, reassuring voice.

  Fear choking his voice, Wan asked from across the room, “Why, what’s wrong?”

  Wyatt could barely control his fury. “The baby is lodged in the birth canal because nobody checked her two days ago when they easily could have rerouted him. The longer she goes without going into a full sustained labor, the more dangerous it is.”

  “What does that mean?” Wan demanded, his voice tight with fear.