by Becca Van
Leo moved up close and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her tighter against him, spooning her from behind. His other hand brushed the hair back from her face and he kissed and nibbled along her shoulder. Her eyes drifted closed and she dozed for a few minutes, but when Perry kissed her on the lips they opened again.
“We care for you, darlin’. Please let us make sure we can keep you safe.”
Gypsy raised an eyebrow at him in query.
“One of us needs to be with you at all times. We don’t want you going off anywhere without you letting us know where you’re going, what you’ll be doing, or taking one of us with you.”
“I’m not used to answering to anyone.” Gypsy sighed.
“Get used to it, baby. From now on wherever you go one of us goes with you,” Leo said in a voice steely with determination.
Although she hated the thought of not having any freedom, after the shooting this afternoon she knew they were right. Until Guy was in police custody, her life was in jeopardy and if anything happened to her, her dad would be all alone. She knew it would break his heart if she died. She was the only family he had left.
Plus she wanted to know what these three men wanted from her. Could it be that they loved her, even if it was just a little bit? Their lovemaking had been so gentle and special and if she lost them before their relationship began she didn’t think she would survive.
She didn’t want to die, so there really was only one way she could answer.
“Okay.”
Chapter Twelve
The rest of the week passed uneventfully and Gypsy began to relax. The house she’d been working on was complete and all that was left was for the landscaping to be done, and that had already been started. There were only three more houses to finish because Leo, Perry, Ivan, and their cousins had completed the other two. Gypsy was happy to be way ahead of schedule and knew that her dad’s bonus was well in hand.
Her dad was out of traction and although she had talked to him about getting in-home help his doctor had recommended that he live at the rehab center until he was back on his feet. Rick had jumped at the chance and told Gypsy he didn’t want to be a burden to her and it would be easier if he was staying where he had care on hand twenty-four-seven, since she was so busy with his business.
After a heated debate that kept going round in circles, Gypsy had relented and let her dad get his way. But deep inside she was glad that her dad had won the argument. She didn’t really want to leave the Chadwick brothers’ house at all. Each and every night they made love to her and she fell more deeply in love with them. It would kill her to be away from them now that she cared for them so much, but if her dad had decided to go home, she would have, too.
Gypsy was sorting through the mail and came across an envelope addressed to her. She was curious who it had come from since all the mail was addressed to her dad’s company, but there was no return address and no stamp. She slit it open and pulled out the folded piece of paper and as she began to read she covered her mouth to hold in her gasp of fear.
Women have no rightful place to be working in a man’s job. Get out now while you still can. You have no idea who you’re messing with, you cold bitch. If you aren’t gone by the end of the week you’re going to die!
Gypsy glanced out the open door of the trailer but was glad when she didn’t see anyone watching her. She turned the envelope over, but since it hadn’t gone through the mail there was no postmark on it. Someone had to have hand delivered the letter. Did someone have a key to the trailer?
The office had been locked until she’d opened it up this morning. The mail had been in the letter box outside the trailer. Had she picked it up when she’d grabbed the other envelopes from the mailbox? Gypsy closed her eyes as she tried to remember. She’d flicked through the mail quickly as she walked inside. Her eyes popped open. That letter hadn’t been amongst them.
When she heard footsteps coming closer, crunching on the gravel outside the office, she shoved the letter back into the envelope and put in the desk drawer and slammed it closed. She sighed with relief as she looked up into Perry’s smiling face. He’d just ducked away to the restroom, and even though he hadn’t wanted to leave her alone she had assured him that she was fine.
The smile left his face as he came inside and sat down in the chair across from her. He studied her face intently and she wondered what he could see. She tried real hard to keep her face into a serene blank mask but he saw something she obviously couldn’t keep hidden.
Just as he opened his mouth to speak the office phone rang and Gypsy quickly answered.
“Gypsy, this is the San Angelo sheriff. I’d thought you’d be pleased to know that I picked up Guy last night and arrested him. I’m not sure how long it’ll be before he’s out on bail, but I would bet it won’t be too long. I’d guess tomorrow or the next day. He’s had no prior convictions or arrests so the judge with probably go easy on him.”
“Do you expect him to be charged?”
The sheriff’s hesitation more than answered her question but she waited to see what he said. “I think it’s more likely that he’ll be fined.”
“Okay. Thanks for calling sheriff.”
Gypsy hung up the phone.
“What’s going on?” Perry asked.
“The sheriff arrested Guy last night but expects him to be released fairly quickly. Since he has no priors he thinks the judge will fine him.”
“What about shooting at you?” Perry asked angrily.
“We have no proof. Until there is conclusive evidence he can’t be arrested for that.”
Gypsy shuddered as the hidden envelope popped into mind. If it hadn’t been in the mail and it wasn’t on her desk when she first came in that meant that someone had slipped in while she been on the current house site. And then the knowledge hit her right between the eyes. It couldn’t have been Guy who’d left the letter because he was in jail. Could Joe have somehow sneaked onsite and placed it on her desk? She couldn’t see Joe doing that. He’d been the one to drag Guy away from her.
Could someone else be threatening her for an entirely different reason? But if so…what?
“What’s wrong, darlin’?”
Gypsy shrugged. “I honestly thought that Guy would be kept behind bars once he was there.”
Perry got up, moved around to her, lifted her from the chair, and when he sat down in her seat he brought her down onto his lap and hugged her tight. “Don’t worry too much about Guy and Joe. We promise to keep you safe.”
“But what if you can’t? What if he is so angry at me for ending up in jail he comes looking for me with a gun? You can’t stop bullets, Perry. None of you can. You’re not invincible.”
“No, we’re not, but we know how to take care of ourselves and you.” Perry kissed her on the temple.
“I couldn’t bear it if any of you got hurt because of me,” Gypsy mumbled, and hoped he didn’t hear the hitch in her voice.
“If we did you wouldn’t be to blame, darlin’. You aren’t responsible for what others do or say.”
“I know that but if you’re protecting me and you get hurt then it would be my fault.” Gypsy pushed up from his lap. “I need to see my dad.”
She hurried to the door and out to her truck, hoping that Perry wouldn’t catch up to her. She should have known better. As she got into the driver’s seat the passenger door opened and he got in, too. She didn’t spare him a glance as she started to drive and only half listened as he called Leo and told his brother where they were going.
Twenty minutes later Gypsy was striding through the halls of the rehab center on her way to her father’s room. She was glad to see him sitting up in a chair with his legs propped up on a stool. She turned to Perry as he went to follow her in.
“I’d like a few minutes alone with my father.”
Perry looked at her and she could tell he wasn’t happy but he gave her a nod, closing the door behind him.
“What’s wrong, pumpkin?”
“How do you know something’s wrong?”
“You’re as white as a ghost. Pull up a chair and talk to me, sweetie.”
Gypsy took a deep breath and began talking. For the next hour she and her dad put their heads together trying to figure out who wouldn’t want her to win the bid she put in for the new golf estate. Her father even got onto the phone to call the owners to try and find out which other businesses had put in quotes. She held her breath and tried to hear what the person on the other end of the line was saying but they didn’t speak loudly enough, but when her dad mimed for a pen and paper she handed them to him and he began writing.
When Rick had finished the conversation the smile he gave her was bright enough to light up the whole of Texas. “I’m so proud of you, pumpkin. You’re definitely a chip off the old block. Come here.”
Gypsy stood up and moved close. Rick reached up, tugged her down onto his lap, and hugged her fiercely before giving her a smacking kiss on her cheek. “I love you, Gypsy.”
“I love you, too, Dad.”
“Perry,” Rick yelled. “Get your ass in here.”
Perry pushed the door open, smiling when he saw her on her father’s lap. When she tried to get up he wouldn’t let her.
“My daughter is a genius.” Rick looked at Perry and pointed to another chair and motioned him to pull it over.
Perry sat down, looked at her dad, and then met Gypsy’s gaze. The love she saw in his eyes made her heart stutter. “Yes, she is, boss.”
“You won the bid, pumpkin.”
“W–What?”
“We are going to do the building on the golf estate.”
“Oh. My. God,” Gypsy whispered, too scared to talk any louder in case she started yelling for joy.
“You can’t tell anyone yet,” Rick said. “The owners are going to keep it a secret and they agree with you about the threats coming from someone else who wanted in on this project.”
“What the hell?” Perry’s eyes turned frosty as he stared at her but when her dad started talking his gaze stayed on Rick.
He explained all about Gypsy’s proposal and the letter she’d told her dad she’d found that morning. The more he father talked the tenser Perry became. He completely ignored her. Pain sluiced through her heart and she pushed up off her father’s lap, muttering about getting them all a cup of coffee, but what she really wanted to do was find somewhere to hide and cry her eyes out.
How could he give her such a loving look and then look at her so coldly? Was it because she was a female and had managed to win a bid that most men would have trouble winning?
She should have known that it was too good to be true. She should have known that she would end up alienating them because she was so successful in a man’s world, when she was a woman. Why did every man she ever met have to be so damn hard headed? Why did they have to feel threatened by her? She’d never done anything but try to work to the best of her ability.
Gypsy hurried down the corridor and when she was outside she took great gulping breaths as she tried to circumvent the tears burning the back of her eyes. She didn’t plan on getting in her truck or driving home, but ten minutes later she was walking in the front door. Her heart felt like it was breaking in two and all of a sudden she felt dirty. She needed to wash their touch away. After stripping off and stepping into the shower she began to wash. The more she scrubbed the more she remembered their hands and mouths on her. She scrubbed harder. Her pussy clenched and dripped cream when she remembered what it felt like when their cocks were sliding in and out of her body. By the time she’d washed herself twice over from top to toes her skin felt raw and the tears started to flow. She sank down to the bottom of the shower and bawled like a baby.
When the water turned cold she reached up and turned the taps off. She didn’t really have the strength or the energy to move but when she shivered she stood up and got out of the shower. After drying off, she entered her bedroom and pulled on some clean clothes. She wondered if Perry had realized that she was missing yet. She doubted it. Her dad and Perry had been so intent on trying to figure out who had been threatening her they probably didn’t even notice that she wasn’t there. She’d heard Perry say that he was going to hand the list of bid contenders over to the sheriff so he could investigate and as she stood outside her dad’s bedroom for a moment she’d heard him place the call. He and her dad were no doubt waiting for the sheriff to turn up.
Gypsy went back into the bathroom, brushed her hair and teeth, and then headed for the kitchen. She planned to go back to the site and make sure everything was secure after everyone had left. She didn’t want to face Leo or Ivan right now and Perry couldn’t come after her because he had no truck.
She started laughing as she made a cup of coffee. He was going to be even angrier with her when he found himself stranded. Once she started laughing she couldn’t stop and then the tears started again. Gypsy began to wonder if she was beginning to crack up. When she finally got control of herself she drank her coffee and was about to get up from the counter to rinse her cup out and put it in the sink, but she didn’t get the chance.
A loud sound exploded in her ears, glass flew as the window over the sink shattered, and something hit the pots hanging on the rack above the counter. Gypsy screamed, her yell cutting off midway when the rack came crashing down toward her. A large pot smacked into the side of her head, causing pain to explode into her brain and then she was slipping down into the abyss of oblivion.
* * * *
Perry glanced at his watch and began to panic when he realized half an hour had gone by and Gypsy hadn’t come back. He’d been so angry with her when he found out about the threatening letter. He couldn’t even look her in the eye because he had been so scared that he would yell at her until he was hoarse. How the hell were he and his brothers supposed to keep her safe if she kept things from him, them?
When she’d muttered about going to get coffee he hadn’t said anything and hadn’t followed her. He’d figured she’d be safe enough in the rehab center with all the staff around. Plus he’d wanted to learn what Rick had found out. So after Rick had explained everything to him and told him who he thought may be after Gypsy he’d called the sheriff again. Of course, he and Rick knew that the sheriff couldn’t do anything without solid proof or unless he caught the bastard red handed.
But the dread which had been forming in his gut began to spread, getting bigger and heavier. He needed to see Gypsy and he needed to see her now. “Where would she go to get coffee?”
Rick’s expression changed from concentration into worry. “Shit. We’ve been talking for how long?”
“Over thirty minutes.”
“The coffee room is just down the hall.” Rick tried to push up from his chair.
Perry placed a hand on his shoulder to hold him down. “You can’t do anything right now and she would have my guts tied in knots if I let you hurt yourself. Where would she head to if she was angry or hurt?”
Rick closed his eyes and thought for a second and then met his gaze again. “Home or the site.”
“I’ll call as soon as I find her.” Perry hurried out of the room, and after checking the coffee station and finding it empty he rushed outside, pulling his cell from his belt clip as he jogged toward the parking lot. When he saw Gypsy’s truck was gone, his knees nearly buckled.
“Leo, Gypsy’s done a runner.” Perry waited for his brother to stop swearing and yelling and then he filled him in on what was going on. “Is she there?”
“No.”
“Get the cousins to make sure everything is put away and locked up before they leave. I need you to come pick me up from the rehab center. We need to go to Rick’s place.”
“And if she’s not there?” Leo snarled his question.
“We’ll deal with that once we know. Just hurry, I’ve got a really bad feeling in my stomach.”
Leo must have broken every traffic law there was because ten minutes later he came to a screeching
halt next to Perry. He got into the backseat and Leo peeled out of the lot before he’d even closed the door and put his seat belt on.
“How the fuck long has she been missing?” Ivan yelled from the front seat.
“About forty minutes.”
“Jeezus, Perry, why the hell did you leave her alone?”
Leo’s question couldn’t make him feel worse than he already did. If something happened to Gypsy it would be his fault. It had been his turn to stay by her side and he’d failed her.
“Fuck, call the fire department, the cops, and the paramedics.” Leo barked out his command.
When Perry saw flames and smoke coming from Rick’s house and Gypsy’s truck parked in the driveway, fear like he’d never known before permeated his body and soul. He ran while talking to the 9-1-1 operator and didn’t stop at the front door. He kicked it open and went tearing through the house searching for Gypsy. After he’d finished his call he yelled her name but didn’t hear anything other than his two brothers calling for her, too.
“She’s in the kitchen,” Ivan yelled and then began coughing. “I can’t get to her from this side, the flames are too intense.”
Perry and Leo peered through the flames and saw Gypsy on the floor of the kitchen near the counter and she wasn’t moving.
Please, God, please let her be alive. Please let her be breathing.
“Get the axes from the truck. We’ll smash our way in.” Leo went tearing out the door with him and Ivan following. Leo rushed around to the backyard and started smashing at the glass door which was furthest away from Gypsy. The glass exploded in but none of it touched their woman. His brother had angled his blows so that Gypsy wouldn’t get cut by any glass shards. When there was a gap big enough for him to fit through, Perry ran inside and knelt beside her. After carefully lifting the saucepan rack and pots away from her, he reached out and felt for a pulse. He nearly sagged with relief when he felt it beating strongly and after running his hands all over her body and not finding any injuries, he went to pick her up. As he slipped a hand beneath her head he looked down when he felt moisture. He saw the jagged cut which started just above her ear and finished at her temple. That was when he noticed the pool of blood on the floor beneath her hair.
