Ruled by her Daddies

by Roberts, Laylah

  He rolled his eyes. Sometimes when dealing with Wolfe, you needed a great deal of patience.

  Actually, always.

  Always when dealing with Wolfe you needed patience.

  “Who says I want her?” Caleb asked.

  “Your eyes,” Aleki countered. “The way you stare at her.”

  “The way you touch her. The way you talk to her. Jelly bean.” Wolfe gave Caleb a questioning look.

  “I always called her jelly bean,” Caleb countered.

  “Yes, but back then it was said to tease her,” Aleki pointed out. “Now it sounds more like . . .”

  “Affection,” Wolfe finished.

  “I care about her. She’s a friend.”

  “Was,” Wolfe replied.

  “What?” Caleb gave the other man a frustrated look. Caleb had more patience than a saint. But right now, he looked like he wouldn’t mind telling them both to take a running leap off a bridge.

  “She was your friend,” Wolfe said. “You haven’t seen her in eight years.”

  “I’ve never stopped worrying about her,” Caleb told them.

  Making a noise, she tried to push off the covers again.

  Standing, Aleki drew them back up.

  “No. Off,” she said in that childlike voice he’d never heard from her before. Was it due to the fever?

  The nurse had taken off her clothes, washed her down then dressed her in a cotton gown she’d had in her backpack. It had pictures of pigs all over it.

  Caleb placed a hand over her head. “She’s still hot. Maybe we should let her have them off for a bit.”

  Aleki nodded and drew down the covers. She sighed in satisfaction.

  Caleb looked from Aleki to Wolfe. “The idea of her hurt or afraid or in need makes me feel ill. I’m sorry that you guys don’t think I should care about her. But I can’t just stop.”

  Aleki got it. He wished he didn’t. But he did. All these years and he hadn’t been able to forget her.

  Seemed Caleb was in the same boat.

  Vivi thrashed back and forth, mumbling to herself. Damn it. What was going on? She had a badly twisted ankle. Was obviously underweight. The wound on her arm was infected, which explained her temperature. But it didn’t explain how she’d gotten it.

  The doctor wouldn’t tell them anything more until she woke up.

  Her legs kicked back and forth, as though she was fighting off some demon before she relaxed back on the bed.

  Who was she scared of?

  “Should we call her father?” Wolfe asked. “Haven’t we done our part? We found her. We got her medical help. I’m sure he’s worried about her.”

  Caleb shook his head. “We can’t contact anyone. Not until we know what’s going on. She’s scared of someone.”

  “And you think that person is her father? The Governor of California?” Wolfe asked skeptically.

  Aleki studied her. What the fuck was going on?

  Caleb ran his hand over his face. “Aleki? What do you think?”

  “I don’t want to contact anyone until we talk to her. Something has gone really wrong and we need to figure out what that is.”

  Wolfe sighed and straightened. “Fine. But don’t forget that we actually have a job to get back to.”

  “We’re owed time off,” Caleb countered.

  “Time off? You call this a holiday?” Wolfe waved a hand around the room.

  “You hate holidays,” Aleki countered. “You don’t understand the point of them.”

  “Waste of time. Still, the two of you seem to enjoy them. Wouldn’t you rather be sipping some disgusting cocktails and being hit on by scantily-clad women than taking care of someone who betrayed us?”

  “Jesus, Wolfe. She didn’t betray us,” Caleb said with exasperation.

  “She left us. If you’re not with us, then you’re against us.”

  Aleki got why Wolfe thought like that. Even if it was flawed. She wasn’t against them. She’d just gone off to live her life. Without him. Them.

  And somehow ended up like this.

  He hadn’t realized how much his brothers had needed her. Wolfe had shut down and he hadn’t really opened up again. While Caleb had become more of a workaholic. And he hadn’t been in a relationship since.

  Neither have you.

  He’d barely looked at another woman. Never told anyone he loved them. Had the occasional quick, one-night stand that had made him feel ill afterward.

  Like he was betraying her.

  “We don’t drink cocktails,” Caleb muttered.

  “And those women come on to us, not the other way around,” Aleki added.

  Women didn’t come on to Wolfe. They steered clear of him. Wolfe stepped forward and pulled the blanket up to her waist then turned towards the door.

  “Where are you going?” Caleb asked.

  “Out,” Wolfe replied.

  “Out where?”

  Aleki had to hide a grin at the note of frustration in Caleb’s voice.

  “To get raspberry jello, of course. Can’t have her thinking I stole it.” Wolfe reached the door. “Also, keep the blanket over her. She’s not wearing any underwear.”

  Christ.

  5

  Vivi opened her eyes.

  She felt so hot and weak. Her blurry gaze hit on a figure sitting in a chair beside her. Maybe she should be alarmed. There was someone in her room. A stranger.

  The scent of bergamot and mint hit her. No. Not a stranger.

  It was Wolfe.

  Ahh. A dream, then.

  He looked the same as he always did. Serious. With his black-rimmed glasses, lean build, and messy, blue-black hair, people might underestimate him.

  They shouldn’t.

  “It’s not that bad, you know,” he said as he spooned something into his mouth.

  “What isn’t?” she croaked.

  “Lime jello.”

  “Urgh, yuck. Lime jello is the worst. I only like raspberry.”

  He leaned in. “I’ll let you have some.”

  “What?”

  “Raspberry jello. Went out and bought you a case of the stuff.”

  She frowned. “Raspberry jello comes in cases?”

  He shrugged. “Bought you a lot anyway.”

  “Why?” Why would he buy her raspberry jello? Even if it wasn’t a really weird thing to buy someone, Wolfe hated her. “Why would you be nice to me?”

  “I’m not.”

  “You bought me raspberry jello,” she pointed out. That seemed a nice thing to do.

  “Hmm. I bought lime jello too. Maybe I’m just taunting you with raspberry but I’m going to leave you with the lime.”

  “You’re punishing me with lime jello?”

  “Now, why would I need to punish you?” he asked.

  She sighed, talking to Wolfe could be exhausting sometimes. “For leaving.” Her eyes started to grow tired. “I left. And you can’t forgive that.”

  “Can’t I?”

  “You never forgive anything. You made it very clear that I was never to contact you or Caleb or Aleki. That you never wanted to see me again.”

  “And yet, little girl, here I am. At your bedside. Watching you tear up my brothers again.”

  “You’re here for them,” she said.

  “Yes. I am. Never forget that.”

  She wouldn’t. She knew that he’d never come for her.

  “What’s going on, Vivi? How did you end up in that alleyway? Who are you scared of?”

  She closed her eyes. She couldn’t tell him. Then he’d be in danger too. And she couldn’t stand that, no matter how much he hated her.

  * * *

  Vivi felt like she’d been run over by a truck. Then a train. Then another truck.

  In other words, she felt like total and utter crap. Her mouth was dry. Her head was throbbing. So was her arm. They could at least synchronize their throbbing. But, oh no, one went. Then the other.

  “Seriously, Wolfe, how much jello did you eat?” Caleb asked.r />
  “It was good. At least for a start. But by my eighth or ninth I started to regret it.”

  “The jello was supposed to be for Vivi,” Aleki told him. “Not you.”

  “Well, it’s not as though she’s up to eating it right now. She’s asleep.”

  “Not anymore,” she groaned.

  “Open your eyes, jelly bean,” Caleb coaxed. He was always the one she could talk to. He never judged.

  “I don’t wanna.”

  Wolfe sighed. “Always so stubborn.”

  He could talk. He was the most obstinate person she’d ever met. And the most loyal. He was also one deadly motherfucker. People underestimated him because he wasn’t as tall as Caleb or as muscular as Aleki. But she knew Wolfe was the most dangerous of the three. And if he had your back, you would be safe.

  “Why not?” Aleki asked.

  “Because when I open my eyes, I’m gonna find out this is all just a dream. Just like all the other times.”

  “So you dream of us, huh?” Aleki asked. “What kind of dreams, hmm?”

  “Aleki!” Caleb snapped.

  “What?”

  “You can’t talk to her like that! She’s lying in a hospital bed, injured.”

  “What? That means she can’t have sexy dreams?” Aleki asked.

  “It means now isn’t the time to talk about sexy dreams,” Caleb countered.

  “Ahh, so you think she’s had them as well.”

  She had to smile. It was like old times. Wait. She stiffened. Did he say hospital?

  It’s just a dream.

  She opened her eyes and stared right into the faces of the men she spent every night dreaming about. Then her mouth dropped open.

  “Fuck! You’re really all here!”

  Caleb could tell she was about to scream and, without thinking, placed his hand over her mouth. Her huge, hazel-colored eyes widened. She gaped up at him and made a gasping noise.

  “She’s not breathing properly,” Wolfe told him.

  What?

  Fuck!

  He removed his hand from her mouth quickly. Horror and self-disgust filled him as he heard her struggling to breathe.

  “Fuck. Shit. Fuck! Vivi, breathe!”

  “It’s not your fault. I believe she’s having a panic attack.”

  Caleb glared at Wolfe. How could that asshole be so calm right now? Christ, why had he put his hand over her mouth?

  “Call the doctor!” he demanded.

  Aleki placed his hand gently on her chest. “Vivi, listen to me. You’re safe. Breathe. In. One. Two. Three. Out. One. Two. Three. I’m here. You’re safe. Breathe.”

  As Caleb watched, Vivi’s breathing slowed. The panic ebbed from her face. What the hell was going on with her? Her husband was dead. They’d found her in an alleyway, injured and in a bad way. She needed help. And there was no way he was leaving her until he was certain she was safe.

  Maybe not even then.

  As soon as he’d seen her in the alleyway, it had been like a punch to his gut. Part of it was seeing her like that. But most of it . . . was knowing she was his.

  Mine.

  Touching her had sent an electric wave through him. He’d felt a bit guilty for that response. Here she was injured and half-conscious and all he could think about was claiming her.

  Mine.

  Except what about Aleki and Wolfe? They were his brothers. They needed him too. And Caleb was the kind of guy who had to be needed.

  But he couldn’t give her up. Not again. Once had nearly killed him and she hadn’t even been his.

  Twice would eviscerate him.

  Not happening. All he needed to do was ensure that Aleki and Wolfe wanted her too.

  Easy, right?

  There was something so fragile about her right now. She was far thinner. Her hair was matted and dull. Her cheeks sunken. Her skin pale.

  Delicate. Afraid.

  “Good girl. You’re breathing easier now. That’s it. You’re safe. I’m here.”

  “We’re all here,” Caleb said. And to his surprise, she turned her gaze from Aleki to stare up at him.

  “How did I get here? Where am I?” Her eyes went wide. She seemed to go even more pale than before. “Wait. I’m in a hospital. Oh no. I have to leave!”

  She attempted to push off the blankets and sit up. Then she let out a pained moan, grabbing her injured arm with her good hand.

  “Ow. Ow. Owie.” Tears dripped down her cheeks.

  Caleb placed his arm behind her, helping her ease back down on the bed. “Easy, Vivi. You’re okay.”

  “Do you think she ripped her stitches?” Aleki asked.

  “No, I don’t think so. She didn’t move that much,” he replied.

  “Well, that was stupid, wasn’t it?” Wolfe said to her.

  Caleb shot him a look as she let out a small sob. “You’re not helping, asshole.”

  Wolfe just shrugged. “She’s lying in a bed, injured. Stitches in her arm. IV in her hand. Foot bandaged and raised. Just saying, it wasn’t a smart idea to try and get out of bed.”

  “S-stitches? IV? Foot?” Her gaze flickered between the three of them. “What’s going on? Where am I? Why are you all here?”

  “Well, Caleb insisted on checking on you after we saw your husband had died. So we traveled halfway around the world, found you sitting in a puddle of piss, brought you here, got you patched up and now you can tell us what the fuck is going on. Who are you scared of?” Wolfe demanded.

  Wolfe knew she was about to lie to him.

  “I don’t know what happened.”

  “Don’t lie. Who hurt you? Were you attacked? Robbed?” Wolfe smothered a surge of anger.

  He never lost control of his temper and he didn’t intend to start now.

  “W-what? No.”

  “But something is going on. What is it?”

  “Wolfe, ease up,” Caleb said in a low, commanding voice.

  Before Wolfe could reply, a doctor opened the door and walked in. Wolfe stepped back, moving to his place next to the wall.

  “This isn’t over,” he muttered.

  Caleb shot him a concerned look. Aleki had remained silent, but his gaze had never left Genevieve.

  She was getting to him. To all of them. And she’d only been back in their presence for twenty-four hours.

  Fuck.

  “Is everything okay?” the doctor asked, looking around at them all. He was younger than Wolfe would have liked, but he’d done a quick background check on him and he was fully qualified.

  “Fine,” Caleb told him with a calm smile.

  Yep, everything’s fine here. No problems at all.

  The doctor gave them all a skeptical look then turned to Genevieve. “Glad to see you’re awake, Mrs. Pierce.”

  Genevieve looked over at Caleb. Wolfe waited for her to protest the name change. Say something to give everything away. Whether the doctor actually knew who she was, he couldn’t be sure. He had a damn good poker face if he did.

  “Someone was supposed to call for me when you woke,” the doctor said disapprovingly. Aleki looked a bit sheepish. Surprisingly, Caleb frowned at him. While Wolfe just stared.

  The doctor’s gaze didn’t linger on him. He moved to Genevieve’s side, staring down at Aleki, who didn’t move.

  “Excuse me, if I could examine my patient?” the doctor asked briskly.

  Wolfe narrowed his gaze as he studied him, not liking his tone of voice. They were the ones paying him.

  “Aleki,” Caleb said quietly.

  Aleki sighed then stood and moved over next to Wolfe. When Wolfe glanced over at him, Aleki had his gaze down.

  His thinking pose, he liked to call it.

  No guesses needed for what was on his mind.

  “Mrs. Pierce, I’m Doctor Ethan Elders.”

  “Hello, Doctor.”

  “Please, call me Ethan.” The doctor offered her a smile when he’d barely managed to grunt out a greeting to them.

  Caleb stiffened where he sa
t on the other side of Genevieve, glaring up at the doctor. Hmm, maybe Doctor Elders hadn’t been the best choice.

  Genevieve smiled back at the doctor. Aleki raised his gaze watching them both intently.

  “Call me Vivi.”

  Ethan nodded. “Vivi, would you like me to examine you in private? Anything you say to me is confidential and won’t leave this room, if that’s what you want.”

  Wolfe frowned. “We’re paying your bill.”

  The doctor gave him a calm look. “And she is my patient. I took an oath.”

  Wolfe snorted. “Bet I could get you to break it.”

  “Wolfe,” Caleb said firmly.

  She glanced around at them all and Wolfe fully expected her to tell them all to get out, but she just sighed tiredly. “It’s fine. They can stay.”

  “Sure?”

  “Yes. Thank you.”

  Ethan gave her a sharp nod. “How are you feeling?”

  “Good.”

  Wolfe stiffened. More lies. He didn’t understand the need for lies. If everyone spoke the truth life would be simpler. Free of subterfuge and misunderstandings.

  “Good, huh? I doubt that that’s the case,” Ethan said bluntly.

  Hmm. Maybe he wasn’t that bad. Then he went and put his hand on her wrist. Wolfe swore something shot through him. He had to fight hard not to rip the doctor’s hand from her wrist.

  Fuck. This possessiveness was not welcome.

  “Easy, man. He’s just checking her over,” Aleki said quietly to him.

  It was then he realized he was glaring at the doctor. Genevieve was giving him worried looks as the doctor took her pulse.

  He’s checking her over. What he’s being paid to do.

  Yes, but did he have to take so long doing it? Was that interest in his eyes?

  Her damn husband was sitting right there. Well, not her real husband but the good doctor didn’t know that.

  He might need a lesson in manners.

  “Do you need to touch her like that?” Wolfe snapped.

  The doctor glared at him. “Are you insinuating that I am touching my patient inappropriately?”

  “He wasn’t saying that, were you, Wolfe?” Genevieve frowned at him.

  He shrugged. Actually, he was totally insinuating that.

  “Why don’t we start that again,” Ethan suggested. “How are you feeling, Vivi?”