by A. J. Snyder
"Get ready, gentlemen. This might get messy," Jack says assertively.
CHAPTER 33
TRINITY
HENRY FILLS ME in on exactly what happened when we were separated. As I was ensnared in the trap that Jack had set for larger game, Henry had led the zombie away from me. He makes the whole thing seem heroic as if he saved my life or something.
He ended up stabbing the creature in the head with a pointed stick that he found. And after walking a while, he stumbled upon this abandoned hunting cabin. It was stocked with expired canned goods, and he used a barrel to collect rainwater to drink. He'd been surviving on his own, not leaving the cabin for weeks.
"And then, one day, I went back to see if I could find you," he explains, continuing on with his tale. "And I saw you. On the farm. In the barn. With them," he says with disgust.
I pull at the ropes that are currently wrapped around me, keeping me bound to the chair I'm currently sitting in. Night is beginning to fall outside the broken windows, and I fear that I won't make it out of this cabin alive.
"I was there that night," he says with a mischievous grin on his face. "I watched you fucking all of them." He sits back in his chair, rubbing at his scraggly, long beard. "I never pegged you for an orgy type of girl, Trinity." His words disgust me, and I turn to stare at the wall. "If I had known what a slut you were back when you were my employee, I would have called you into my office and bent you over my desk when I had the chance."
I cringe, biting my lower lip to hold back all the things I want to say to him. I want to tell him that I would have never slept with him even if he would have paid me a million dollars back then, but I keep my mouth shut.
Henry leans forward in his chair, placing his chin on his propped up hands. "They really had their way with you that night. I jacked off three times watching that shit."
My lips curl in disgust.
"Oh, don't act all high and mighty," he admonishes me. "I know what you are now, Trinity. You're a little whore."
Shaking my head, I scoff at him. He has no idea what those men truly mean to me. They're not just random hookups. My panties didn't automatically fall the first night I was in their house. I learned to love each one of them individually and honestly couldn't choose between them even if I had to. I love all of them equally.
I just wish I could have told them that before Henry kidnapped me. Knowing that my true, undying feelings might go forever unsaid has me hanging my head in agony and sadness.
"Aww, what's wrong, Trinity? Worried that your pussy won't get overused anymore?" he sneers. Standing, he walks closer to me, sending off alarm bells in my head. "Don't worry. I'll use you harder and more often than they ever did. I'll make you forget all about them. It will be as if they never existed." His dirty fingers reach for my face, pinching my jaw painfully and forcing me to look at him. "Maybe we should start right now. I want to see just how good that whore mouth of yours feels on my cock."
When he gets closer, I spit right in his face. He's stunned at first, taking a step back to wipe off the spittle from his cheek. And then a crazed, manic laugh escapes his mouth as he cackles, the sound echoing off the walls of the cabin.
"You're gonna pay for that, bitch," he hisses.
I don't even have time to react or brace for the impact when his fist connects with my cheek. My head whips to the side, stars forming behind my closed eyelids. The pain is intense, and it takes me a moment to recover.
I'm already dehydrated and hungry from the long hike in the woods. I was running on pure adrenaline before, but now I'm gassing out, running on fumes.
When I hear the sound of his belt jangling, my eyes snap open. He's standing before me, unzipping his jeans.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I shake my head rapidly, praying for some kind of a miracle.
"Open your mouth," he forces out. "Don't make me hurt you again, Trinity."
My lips stay clamped shut as I sob silently in the chair. I'm not going to make this easy on him. I'll never give in willingly.
He pulls his hand back to hit me again, but the door bursts open.
I scream loudly, thinking that the creatures in the woods found us. But when I see Jack standing in the doorway, the huge mountain of a man with a fierce look in his dark eyes, my scream instantly dies in my throat and turns into a relieved sob.
Henry scrambles for one of the weapons laid out on the table nearby, but Jack is too fast. Jack strides across the room and plunges a knife straight into Henry's hand, effectively pinning him to the table. Henry cries out in pain in a gut-wrenching scream.
Carter and Owen rush in and are quick to start untying me.
"Fancy meeting you here," Carter jokes with a wink, but I can see the worry and fear behind his green eyes. He was worried they wouldn't find me alive, and I was worried I would never see them again.
I weep in relief as I'm finally freed from the ropes and collapse into Carter's arms. He holds me tightly, shushing me.
The three of them gather around me, telling me that everything is going to be okay.
Peering over Carter's shoulder, I watch in horror as Henry grips the handle of the knife and pulls up, freeing his hand from the table. In the next second, he's charging towards Jack's turned back with the knife in his good hand.
"Jack!" I cry out.
With the quickest reflexes I've ever seen in a human, Jack turns and deflects Henry's attack. And then Jack comes up with a blade in his other hand, slicing across Henry's throat in one slick move.
Blood begins spraying from the wound as Henry collapses to the cabin floor. His mouth moves, but only a gurgling sound comes out, but I know he's saying my name as his eyes lock on me.
Gasping, I shield my eyes against Carter's chest against what will undoubtedly haunt my dreams at night.
"I'll take care of him," Jack tells us. "Get Trinity out of here."
I willingly allow Carter to guide me out of the cabin. When we're at a safe distance, I look up at Owen and ask, "Lucas…is he…?"
"He's okay," he assures me.
I almost collapse in relief, but Carter is there to keep me upright in his big, warm arms. He gently squeezes me a little harder as if he can't get me close enough. "I love you, Trinity," Carter says suddenly, and I can tell by his tone that he's wanted to tell me that for a long time.
This whole near-death experience has affected all of us. They were afraid to lose me, but I was even more scared to lose all of them. "I love you too," I whisper to him. And then I look over at Owen, who walks over to sandwich me between him and Carter. "I love you too, Owen."
"I love you. So much," he whispers, kissing my temple before resting his head against mine as he breathes softly into my hair.
Jack finally emerges from the darkness. He has a grim look on his face as he gives Carter a nod that it's done; but as soon as he sees me, his features soften. "Trinity," he rasps out.
He pulls me into his arms and holds me tightly as if I'm his whole world. Pulling back a little, I look up into his rugged face and tell him, "Jack, I love you."
"Fuck, I needed to hear that right now." He cups my face in his large palms and gives me a gentle kiss, so different from his usual kisses. "I love you more than anything in this fucking world, Trinity." He pulls me tighter against him, and I love the feeling of being in his big arms. "I would have moved heaven and earth to get you back. I'll never let anything happen to you ever again."
It's crazy to think I could love so many men at the same time, but the heart wants what it wants. And it wants all four of them locked up so tightly inside that nothing will ever come between us again.
Jack holds me for several long minutes, and then finally says quietly, "Let's get our girl home."
And it fills me up with so much joy that I openly weep at his words.
CHAPTER 34
LUCAS
MY HEAD IS pounding with a ferocity I've never experienced before. And when I hear voices and then footsteps bounding up the steps, it sets my senses
all out of whack, causing me to lean over and puke into the bucket Jack thankfully left by my bedside.
When I'm done hurling, I slowly sit back up and see a large group of people at the foot of my bed. I blink my eyes, clearing my double vision before my eyes widen.
Trinity, Owen, Jack and Carter all stand there staring at me with worried looks on their faces.
"Am I…am I dreaming?" I ask. The pain pills I took earlier might still be affecting my mind. Hell, I thought I saw Santa Claus and the fucking Easter Bunny after I took them.
"If you're dreaming, then why the hell would I be in it?" Carter pipes up.
His smartass comment makes me smile. "You're right." I grimace as another pain shoots through my skull. "How did you…find her?"
Jack smiles proudly down at Trinity. "Our girl left me a trail in the forest. It was easy to track her right to the cabin that sonofabitch had her locked up in."
Trinity steps forward and gingerly sits on the bed beside me. Her cool hands press against my cheeks, bringing me back to reality. "How are you feeling?" she asks, concern lacing her voice.
"Like I got hit by a truck," I admit. And then I give her what I hope is a devilishly handsome smile before adding, "But I feel better now that you're here. I'm so glad you're home."
When my eyes finally begin to focus on her beautiful face, they instantly go to the bruise on her cheek. "He hurt you," I say through clenched teeth. "Fuck, I'll kill him."
"Already taken care of," Jack says with a pointed look towards me.
"Good," I reply coolly. I'm glad the bastard's dead. He had no right to come onto our land, no right to hit our girl and no right to take what's ours.
I pull Trinity into my arms and breathe in her scent, not ever wanting to let her out of my sight again.
"You gonna be okay?" she whispers into my ear.
I give her a small nod against her neck. "I have a concussion, but I'll recover. I'll be fine in no time. Just need some rest."
She pulls back and stares into my eyes with tears threatening to fall from hers. "I thought he killed you," she says, her voice breaking.
"I'm right here," I tell her, pulling her back into my arms. "I'll always be here. I'll never leave you. And I'll never let you go."
Carter clears his throat and rubs the back of his neck as he says, "I'll go fix something to eat. I'm sure we could all use something in our bellies."
I give him a nod and watch as he and the other two guys walk out of the room, giving Trinity and me some much needed alone time.
"I'm sorry I couldn't stop him," I tell her. "He caught me from behind, and I didn't even have a chance to defend myself."
"It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself," she says with a shake of her head. "Lucas, there's something I need to tell you," Trinity tells me before pulling back again. I miss her soothing warmth already. "When I thought I would never see you again, it's all I could think about. How I would never be able to tell you the words I've been holding back." She takes my hands in hers and gazes into my eyes as she says, "Lucas, I love you. I'm so totally and completely in love with you."
Her words make my heart skip a beat inside of my chest. Fuck, I've been waiting for what feels like forever to hear those words come from her mouth. "Trinity, I love you too," I whisper. "More than I ever thought possible."
Lying back, I pull her down with me, and we lie in a comfortable silence on the bed together. I lazily stroke her hair as she draws pictures with her fingertips on my bare chest.
"It's so good to have you home," I whisper in her hair.
"It's good to be home," she whispers back.
And I close my eyes and savor this moment, because I feel like the luckiest damn bastard in the universe right now.
Even though the whole world around us turned to absolute shit, I found someone so very damn special to me.
And I wouldn't trade her for anything in this screwed up realm we're living in.
EPILOGUE
TRINITY
Eight months later…
I LOUNGE BACK on the couch as I watch Lucas, Jack, Owen and Carter decorate the Christmas tree in the corner of the living room. It's hard to believe the holiday is just around the corner. It feels like forever since I celebrated any holiday, let alone my all-time favorite one.
Lucas takes a break from decorating to come sit next to me on the couch. He gives me his signature sexy grin, and it instantly fills me with a warm, fuzzy feeling.
He snuggles me against his chest and kisses the top of my head, breathing in my scent, like he always does. I close my eyes for a moment, relishing in the sounds of the fire crackling in the nearby fireplace and the guys arguing over which ornament should go where and who gets to put the star on top.
Our tree is from the backyard, and we found the ornaments in the attic. They are old, maybe even considered antique, with lots of signs of wear and tear from over the years they were lovingly used by the family who owned this big farmhouse. And I think they're absolutely perfect.
Lucas gently runs his hand over my rounded belly, and my eyes instantly open as a smile forms on my face. This is our routine every night. I know he's making sure the baby is okay, still moving around and kicking, but also giving us something to bond over at the same time.
We think the baby is his, but we can't be sure obviously. However, we decided a long time ago that it doesn't really matter, because everyone will love the baby equally no matter what.
"I wonder if it will be a boy or a girl," he wonders aloud.
"Doesn't matter. I just hope he or she is healthy," I respond.
We're estimating I'm about six months pregnant. And while I'm both excited and scared all at the same time most days, I know this baby will be loved unconditionally. And that's more than I could ever ask for.
Our little one will be welcomed into the world by not one but four wonderful fathers and a mother who will love him or her more than anything.
My guys have been collecting everything baby related for the past few months now. They managed to find an abandoned baby store on one of their supply runs, and it's been a godsend. I have everything I need…and probably even stuff I don't.
We turned one of the spare bedrooms into a nursery, even painting the walls a nice, neutral yellow. The room is complete with a crib, a rocking chair, a white dresser…and a giant stuffed sloth that Carter insisted on getting during one of the supply runs, much to Jack's dismay.
I'm not sure the baby actually needs a giant sloth, but it is adorable, nonetheless.
A couple of years ago, I would have been terrified to bring a baby into a world like the one we are in now. But things have been slowly changing…for the better.
The zombies are being killed off, and the government is gradually gaining control once again. We're hopeful that someday our son or daughter will be able to go to a real school and have real friends and be able to travel the world and have his or her own adventures.
There are a lot of ifs and speculation, but it's nice to dream.
Right now we just have to take it one day at a time.
Lucas whispers that he has a surprise for me before standing and walking out of the room. A few minutes later, he returns with a tiny stocking that he hangs on a hook next to the five bigger ones already hanging on the mantle above the fireplace.
Tears fill my eyes as I stare at the tiny stocking and everything it represents.
I had a terrible childhood, and I never had a holiday where I didn't spend the day longing and wishing for a new family, one that loved me and took care of me and wanted to keep me. Forever.
It looks like my wish finally came true.
And our baby will have the family I always dreamed of and hoped for. And that makes my heart swell with so much joy that I feel overwhelmed with emotion.
Cue the waterworks.
Even though I have the biggest smile on my face, tears run down my face in rivulets.
Lucas, with a concerned look on his face, rushes over to me. "What
's wrong, Trin?"
"Nothing," I tell him. "Everything is…perfect."
"Then why are you crying?" he asks with a crooked smile.
"Because I'm so happy."
Carter, Owen and Jack join us then, and my four men surround me in a circle. I can feel the love they have for me radiating off of them in waves, and it makes me almost break down again. But I suck it up and refuse to cry anymore, even if it is happy tears.
I look around at my four rough, rugged and wild men.
All so handsome.
And all so different.
They breathed new life into me when I thought I was ready to breathe my last.
And if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing. Because for the first time in my life, I have a real family.
And it feels so damn good to love and be loved in return.
THE END
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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Thank you to my ARC and beta readers. I couldn't do this without your time and support.
Thank you for your encouragement and for always believing in me.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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