“We need to be careful. He’ll have Venetia as a hostage.”
“What?” Vincent asked, entering the room, and Falcon exhaled.
“We’ve got a situation. I’ll need to explain on the way.”
* * * *
“I’m going to tan her ass good,” Zane yelled.
“You won’t be the only one. She could get killed. What the hell was she thinking?” Apollo asked as they hurried out of the hospital.
“She’s protecting all of us and her family. We saw how upset she was. She couldn’t take it that Garvan got hurt, too,” Titan stated.
“We need the yacht. It’s in the marina not far from the pier. We can come in on that side to assist the police in case Conan tries to get away with her on a boat,” Roman said.
“Falcon and Vincent said the SWAT and the feds were going to raid the place,” Zane added.
“Then Conan will try to run, more than likely take off on a boat. We’ll be ready, too,” Apollo stated.
* * * *
Venetia gasped when Maddor grabbed her arm and yanked her from the car. Her cell phone fell from her back pocket, and his eyes landed on it and the active call. Thank God it had stayed active, which meant Falcon heard everything, but now Maddor was pissed.
He looked at it, and she knew he could see that the call was still going and had been for more than fifteen minutes.
“You fucking bitch. Who’s on the phone?”
“Who do you think?” she asked, practically snarling at him, and he struck her hard across the mouth. She fell to the ground and couldn’t get up because her wrists were tied with tape. He pulled her along, leaving the phone and the car door open. He hurried toward the water.
“We have a fucking problem,” he called out to Conan.
The moment her eyes landed on the man she started shaking and felt instantly sick. The fear and memory of his touch, his assault, all he was capable of doing, came crashing down on her.
“Venetia, I see you came to your senses.” He looked her body over.
“You’re going down. Your little plan backfired,” she said but with less confidence than she’d previously felt.
“She had her cell phone on in the car. I didn’t even know. Someone was listening in.”
“So let them listen in. By the time they figure out where she is, we’ll be long gone.”
“No, I mentioned the location.”
“What?” Conan asked, and she saw that deep, dark anger in his eyes.
“I’m sorry, but I didn’t think.”
“No, you fucking didn’t.”
She cried out and jumped when Conan pulled out a gun and shot Maddor in the chest. He grabbed her arm and yanked her along with him.
“Move your ass. If you fucked this deal up for me, you’re going to die.”
She tried pulling free and fighting him off. “No, Conan. I’m not going anywhere with you. Let go of me.”
He stopped, and he struck her again and again. She fell to the ground, and he kicked her in the ribs until she cried for him to stop.
“Please stop. Please!” she screamed and felt her ribs aching with immense pain.
He pulled her up by her hair, her face bloody and beaten, her eye swelling fast and her lips cracked.
He dragged her to a boat and threw her onto the deck. She landed on her shoulder. It felt as though she’d broken her arm, but she hadn’t—she still had sensation in her fingers as she moved them and tried to get her arms free from confinement.
He started the engine, and she tried getting up. If she jumped off once he took off, she might not be able to swim the rough current of the Hudson River. It was dirty and filled with debris and not made for swimming. People died in these waters. She was scared, so frightened as he pulled from the dock. She heard the sirens in the distance and saw the multiple black SUVs with tinted windows breaking through the gates at the front entrance to the pier. They were too late. Everything she’d done, everything she’d risked had been for nothing. Conan was going to have his way with her.
He pulled her up by her hair and pressed her body against the control console. He steered the wheel and ran one hand all over her body from ass to back.
“I’m going to make you forget you ever met those men. You’ll regret cheating on me and making me do all of this shit.”
She looked at him over her shoulder, breathing difficult because of the pain in her ribs and beating he’d put on her.
“Never. I’ll always love them. You can’t change that.”
“Yes, I can.”
He gripped her hair, pulled her back, and then slammed her head against the controls. She was instantly dizzy, and she blacked out. When she came to, she was on the floor moaning.
“What the fuck?” he yelled out, and she tried so hard to focus.
She gripped the metal floor rest bar and pulled herself up. The side of her head throbbed something terrible, and she couldn’t see straight.
She looked up, saw his angry face and a determined look as the boat picked up speed. She wanted to puke.
“Pull the boat over. There’s no place to go. It’s over, Conan,” the deep voice echoed over the loud speaker, and it sounded like Titan’s voice. A feeling of hope, of encouragement pulled at her heart.
She rose to her knees and could see the other boat. They were neck and neck with Conan’s boat. It looked like other boats with lights and sirens were trailing behind and coming up fast. She saw Zane, and he looked as though he was getting ready to jump on board. If he missed, he could get killed trying to save her.
The fear, the love for her men had her putting the pain, the sickness of her head, and the sore ribs aside.
She saw Conan pull his gun and shoot. She slammed her hands up and made him lose the gun and control of the steering wheel. As the boat slowed down, it turned quickly to the right, sending her into Conan, who grabbed her and threw her down to the floor. He was choking her, taking the life out of her body, and she stared up into his dark gray, evil rat eyes and thought of her men and how much she loved them.
“Die, bitch, and know that I won, not your men. I own you forever.”
In a last bit of fight, she locked her taped hands together, stuck out her fingers, and slammed them upward in a move her men had taught her. They hit him right in the sternum, making him release her throat as Zane tackled him to the ground and started pounding away at him.
The boat rocked and swayed, and chaos erupted around her. Through blurred vision she saw Titan, Apollo, and Roman.
“Stay with us, baby,” Titan said.
“Oh, God, we need help. We need a medic,” Apollo yelled out.
“Love you,” she whispered, her throat closing up and her airway restricted.
“She can’t breathe. She can’t breathe. Goddamn it,” Roman yelled, and darkness overtook her body.
Epilogue
Six Months Later
Venetia looked in the mirror and was grateful that all the bruises were gone. Her ribs were fully healed but still showed signs of the damage. Her voice was raspy, and it still hurt to talk loudly or scream, but the men seemed to think she sounded sexy.
She fixed the tropical halter dress and then her hair, placing the large white orchid on the left side behind her ear. She wondered if her men would notice. She smiled, thinking of herself as taken. Tonight was their first night in Hawaii, and the other suites were taken up by her brothers, her parents, her friends, and even her cousin Cena and her men. They were all coming over for a luau, compliments of her six boyfriends, her lovers, her best friends, and the men she’d risked her life for.
She heard the low whistle and turned to see Ace standing by the doorway. She smiled wide and walked right into his arms.
“You look beautiful, baby.”
She kissed his chin, and he lowered his mouth to hers.
“Everyone is starting to arrive.”
“Great,” she said in that hoarse voice of hers. He chuckled and ran his palm along her ass as he guide
d her down the hallway. “I’ve been living with a constant hard-on with you and that sexy voice.”
She gave his arm a slap.
When they entered the open living room, Apollo walked over and complimented her dress then kissed her. The others did the same, and her parents smiled, and then her brothers arrived with Cherie, who was blushing widely.
She had noticed that all three of her brothers seemed to hit it off with Cherie the moment they got on the private jet. When Salvatore kept a hand at her lower back and offered to get Cherie a drink, Cherie blushed again.
“This place is so amazing. I can’t wait to go zip lining,” Cena stated as she and her men walked in from the pool area.
“It’s so much fun. Titan and I did that the first time I came here,” she told them, and then Louisa, Gianna, Pina, and Rose, her best friends since college came inside, too, all holding drinks and wearing the flowers by their ears.
She noticed that Cena had hers on the right side.
“Cena, you need to move that flower.” She reached up and went to move it.
“Why?” she asked.
“Well, there’s a Hawaiian tradition that, when you’re married, taken, or unavailable, you wear the flower on your left side so men know that you’re not available. If you have the rose on your right side, you’re basically saying that you’re single and approachable and ready to be swept off your feet.” She fixed it for her.
“We would have beat anyone off who tried to hit on her,” Brian said, wrapping his arm around her waist and kissing her neck.
Everyone chuckled.
“Yours is good, Cherie. It’s on your right side, so men will know you’re available.” Venetia winked. She noticed her brothers look at Cherie, and she glanced at them and then took a sip from her drink.
“I think we should all make a toast. To thank the Corbias brothers for inviting us on this much-needed celebratory vacation,” Cena said, and they all said thank you and cheered to her men.
“A toast to Venetia, Apollo, Garvan, Titan, Roman, Zane…and Ace,” Cherie said and took a deep breath, and everyone giggled.
“And who I like to call a six-pack and a shot of Venetia!” Cherie cheered.
Everyone laughed, Venetia felt her cheeks warm, and her men chuckled as they raised their glasses in the sunset with the sounds of Hawaiian drums echoing in the distance, musicians performing the sunset dance and marking the end to another beautiful day in paradise. A six-pack and a shot at love, that about summed it up for Venetia.
Venetia smiled wide, grateful to be here to share this with her family and friends.
“Aloha!” she called out, raising her glass.
“Aloha!” Everyone cheered, and Apollo wrapped his arm around her waist, kissed her neck, and whispered into her ear.
“I love you, baby, now and forever.”
Laughing and talking, they headed outside to the luau, ready to dance the night away and make more memories here in paradise.
THE END
WWW.DIXIELYNNDWYER.COM
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
People seem to be more interested in my name than where I get my ideas for my stories from. So I might as well share the story behind my name with all my readers.
My momma was born and raised in New Orleans. At the age of twenty, she met and fell in love with an Irishman named Patrick Riley Dwyer. Needless to say, the family was a bit taken aback by this as they hoped she would marry a family friend. It was a modern day arranged marriage kind of thing and my momma downright refused.
Being that my momma’s families were descendants of the original English speaking Southerners, they wanted the family blood line to stay pure. They were wealthy and my father’s family was poor.
Despite attempts by my grandpapa to make Patrick leave and destroy the love between them, my parents married. They recently celebrated their sixtieth wedding anniversary.
I am one of six children born to Patrick and Lynn Dwyer. I am a combination of both Irish and a true Southern belle. With a name like Dixie Lynn Dwyer it’s no wonder why people are curious about my name.
Just as my parents had a love story of their own, I grew up intrigued by the lifestyles of others. My imagination as well as my need to stray from the straight and narrow made me into the woman I am today.
Enjoy A Six-Pack & a Shot at Love and allow your imagination to soar freely.
For all titles by Dixie Lynn Dwyer, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/dixie-lynn-dwyer
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
A Six-Pack & a Shot at Love [Love on the Rocks 1] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) Page 19
