by Becca Van
“Why don’t we all go to the real estate office,” Will suggested as he placed a kiss on the top of her head and stepped back. “We can pick up the keys and take Kylie to the house while you finalize the paperwork.”
“That’s a great idea,” Xavier said. “I want you to start making a list of what we’re going to need, baby. We have some furniture in storage, but we are going to need more.”
“All my things are in storage, too,” Kylie said. “Between the four of us we may have everything we need.”
Lachlan gripped her shoulders, turned her around, and looked down into her eyes. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying, sugar?”
“I don’t know,” Kylie teased and smiled at him. “Why don’t you tell me what you’re thinking?”
“Are you going to move in with us, Kylie?”
“Yes.”
Lachlan picked her up until her feet left the floor and she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. “I love you, sweetheart. You’ve made me very happy.”
Kylie placed her lips on his and kissed him. It didn’t take long before he took over and devoured her mouth.
“Hey bro, let us have some of that sweet sugar, too.” Will pulled her away from Lach and cradled her in his big muscular arms and then he kissed her.
Kylie sighed with arousal and contentment as he pulled away, and then Xavier was there. He lowered her feet back to the floor, bent her over his arm and ravaged her mouth. By the time he released her lips, her body was quivering with desire, and if it wasn’t for the fact they had to get going, she would have asked them to make love with her.
“We’ll get back to this later, baby, but we don’t want to be late getting to the real estate agent’s. You can ride with me in my truck and then go to the ranch with Will and Lach.” Xavier slapped her ass as she hurried away to get her purse and decided she may just have to be bad to get more of the same.
* * * *
Will ushered Kylie through the front door to the ranch and watched as she did another exploration and began taking notes. Lachlan had headed upstairs to the bedrooms to take measurements and he wanted to go over the plumbing to make sure the pipes were sound. Kylie looked up at him as she finished making another note on her pad. “What is it you want to do?”
When he explained, she made a shooing motion with her hand. “You don’t have to hover. I’ll be fine here in the kitchen.”
“I don’t want to leave you alone, sweet thang.”
“I’m safe here, Will. There is no one else around and you and Lach are only a yell away. Go on and do what you have to. With the three of us working, we’ll get done a lot faster.”
“Okay.” Will kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll lock the front door, but if you hear any little sound, you holler right away, all right?”
“Okay.”
“Love you, honey.” Will hurried upstairs. He and Lachlan had brought their tape measures as well as a pen and paper and spent the next half hour measuring the bathrooms and checking the plumbing. The pipes and fixtures were sound and he was pleased by the size of the master bath. The owner had updated the bathrooms a couple of years ago, and they only needed a fresh coat of paint. The shower was big enough for all four of them and there was also a large, square spa bath with steps leading up to it, and the vanity was inset with two sinks. He couldn’t wait to get Kylie into that big tub.
Lachlan stepped into the bath just as Will finished inspecting the ceiling fan. “Where’s Kylie?”
“In the kitchen.”
“I was just down there.” Lachlan frowned and then hurried out with Will following behind.
“Kylie,” Will yelled, “where’d you get to, sugar?”
“Kylie, if you’re playing with us, you’d better stop now. You’re scaring me, sweet thang,” Lachlan shouted.
* * * *
Kylie studied the sketch she made of the kitchen and then glanced around at reality. The whole thing needed to be gutted. It looked like something out of a seventies sitcom. The bench top was cracked orange Formica and the stove was so ancient she wondered if it still worked. As she walked over and pulled the oven open, she heard a noise behind her. She was about to turn toward it, but she didn’t get the chance. A hand covered her mouth and something pierced the skin at the side of her neck and then her legs were giving out. Her vision blurred and it took great effort to turn her head and look up.
A big stranger stood over her and that was her last sight before she succumbed to the darkness.
* * * *
It had been so easy to sneak into the house through the back door. The lock had been child’s play, and he’d had it open in seconds. He’d searched the bottom story and the stupid bitch hadn’t even been aware of his presence. After making sure the two men with her weren’t close by—he’d heard their footsteps on the floor above—he snuck into the kitchen. Her back was toward him and she was just pulling open the oven door when he stuck her with the sedative. He covered her mouth in case she cried out, but she just stared at him with shock and since the sedative he injected into her was fast working and he’d probably given her more than the required dosage for her height and weight, her legs buckled beneath her and she slumped to the floor. She looked up at him through glazed eyes and then her eyes closed.
He bent down, hefted her into his arms, and then slung her over his shoulder and rushed toward the back door. Her head connected with the wooden door frame as he hurried through the door, but he didn’t slow down.
It took him nearly ten minutes to get to his car, which he’d parked on a gravel back road that didn’t see much use. He’d studied the surrounding area on the Internet when he’d first seen the ranch so he wouldn’t have to use the main road and draw attention to himself, and his homework had paid off. He pushed her into the backseat of the car and then got into the driver’s seat.
Just as he turned onto the main road, a black truck passed him by. The driver looked at him but he didn’t think the asshole had seen him. Besides why would anyone take note of a stranger just passing through?
He sighed with relief when he turned onto Highway 141 heading in a northeasterly direction, back toward Mountain Village and his motel room.
This was going to be so much fun.
* * * *
Xavier looked at the man driving the car toward Slick Rock. Something about him looked familiar, but he couldn’t remember where he’d seen him before. He took note of the license plate and filed it away.
He couldn’t wait to see Kylie in their new house again, even if it was only to see her making notes. She had entrenched herself in his heart and soul so fast and had finally conceded to move in with him and his brothers. The next step would be to ask her to marry them, but he was going to have to hold off on that for a while.
Just as he pulled to a stop in front of the house the door burst open, and Will and Lachlan ran toward him. “What’s going on?” he asked as he got out.
“Kylie’s missing,” Will said in a hoarse voice.
“Fuck. Call Luke.” He locked his knees so they wouldn’t buckle. “Get him to run a plate.” He rattled off the number when Will began to talk to the sheriff. Then Xavier turned to Lachlan. “Guns. Hurry.”
Lachlan ran into the house, and by the time Will was off the phone with the sheriff, Lachlan was jogging from the house with a black duffle bag slung over his shoulder.
Xavier’s stomach was roiling with fear and he felt sick to his stomach. Intuition kicked in and he got back into his truck. “Get in.”
Lachlan jumped into the backseat and Will rushed around to the front. “Luke will call as soon as he has anything on that plate. Whose is it?”
“I don’t know. I passed a guy going in the opposite direction when I was coming here,” Xavier answered and pushed the pedal to the metal.
“What did he look like?” Lach asked.
“He was big, like you, Will, with black hair, and I’d guess around six three and two hundred and thirty pounds, an
d he had a mustache.”
“You think he had Kylie?” Will asked.
Xavier nodded slowly. “I’d bet my truck on it. I only passed a few cars on my way here, and he was the only one I didn’t recognize at all.”
Will threw his hands in the air. “But how the hell did he find Kylie all the way out at the ranch?”
Lachlan chimed in from the backseat. “The same way he found out that Kylie was in Slick Rock. Pull over.” When Xavier hesitated, Lachlan’s voice became more frantic. “There’s a tracker on this truck, I know there is. Pull over.”
Xavier slammed on the brakes and came to a screeching halt. All three of them got out of the car and searched every inch of the truck.
“I got it.” Lachlan pried the bug from the wheel rim with his knife, placed the small device on the road and crushed it beneath the heel of his boot.
“Let’s move.”
Xavier sped through the town of Slick Rock, being careful of the people walking along the streets, and then picked up even more speed as he hit Highway 141. Just as he hit one hundred and twenty miles an hour, his cell phone rang.
Will hit the hands-free button and Sheriff Luke Sun-Walker’s voice filled the cab. “The car is a rental and was leased in Sheridan in the name of Parker Smythe. It turns out that the rape victim is Smythe’s stepson, Richard Harrow.”
“Jesus. Any wonder the guy isn’t talking? He’s probably scared shitless. That asshole had probably threatened to kill him.”
“Yeah,” Luke sighed. “I’ll get onto the police in Sheridan and make sure the victim and his mother are protected. The asshole used his credit card to book a room at the Mountain Village motel, nearly two hours from here. My deputies just finished running a check on him. This guy served in the army, so he’s probably packing heat. Damon and I are on our way, and I’ve contacted the Mountain Village sheriff. Where are you?”
“In the truck on 141 heading toward Mountain Village.”
“Don’t you do anything until we get there, Xavier. The last thing I want to do is have to arrest your ass.”
“What would you do if this asshole had Felicity?” Xavier asked angrily.
“Shit, just don’t go getting your asses shot off.” Luke disconnected the call.
* * * *
Kylie groaned as a drum beat in her skull. She was really thirsty and her mouth was so dry it felt like her tongue was cleaving to her palate. She shivered and tried to curl into a ball, but she couldn’t move. It was hard work to open her eyes, and when she did, she wished she hadn’t. She was tied to a bed in what looked to be a motel room, and there was a cloth shoved between her lips and tied around her head.
The man who had kidnapped her was sitting in a chair across the room, eating a hamburger and drinking a beer while he watched the television. The noise from the TV set must have muffled her groan, because he didn’t look her way. In between bites of his burger it looked like he was talking, but she couldn’t hear what he was saying. She wondered if he was talking to the TV or himself. He must have felt her watching him, because he turned his head and looked at her. When he smiled she could see the masticated food in his mouth and wanted to throw up. She turned her head away as her stomach roiled.
“You didn’t think I’d find you, did you, bitch? I’m a lot smarter than you are. Did you think I was going to leave you alive so you could testify against me? You’re just as worthless as every other female alive. The only thing a woman is good for is spreading her legs. I’m gonna have some fun with you before I kill you. I’m not letting you put me behind bars because of that little fucker.
“He’ll never say anything against me. Do you wanna know why?” He laughed and the sound grated on her already shredded nerves. The guy was obviously out of his mind. “Because I’m his step daddy. He may be all grown up, but he still knows better than to rat me out. He knows I’ll slit his throat before he can speak up.”
Kylie had to concentrate on breathing through her nose so she wouldn’t vomit. The thought of the young man being violated by someone in a position of trust was wholly evil. She turned back when he didn’t speak again and found his eyes once more glued to the idiot box. Taking advantage of his inattention, she straightened her fingers, tucked her thumb against her palm and pulled. The rope around her wrists bit into her flesh but she kept right on pulling. Blood seeped from her torn flesh, but she didn’t care. She ignored the pain and hoped the fluid would help lubricate the hemp and she would be able to get her hands free. Just as she got the rope around the thickest part of her hand, he moved.
He moved fast for such a big man. Because one moment he was across the room staring at the TV and the next he was on the bed straddling her hips with a knife against her chest.
“You didn’t think I was paying attention, did you, slut?” He chuckled but there was no humor in the sound, only madness. He slid the tip of the knife between the buttons of her shirt and cut them off one by one. When they were gone, he pushed the material aside.
“You’ve got nice tits on you, bitch. I’ll bet those men fucking you would hate to see them marred.”
Kylie was shaking with fear and she panted for breath. But since she had a cloth shoved into her mouth and could only breathe through her nose, she was feeling light-headed. The fear threatened to take over, but then she remembered how it felt to be held and cherished by men who loved her. She had only just found them and she wasn’t about to let her panic take over until she couldn’t think straight. She remembered being surrounded by her three men when they had found out the ranch house was theirs and then she began to get angry. There was no way she was giving up without a fight. If this asshole was going to kill her, then she was going down kicking and screaming.
He sliced the front of her bra in half and slid the knife over her skin. She watched and waited for her chance. It didn’t take long, because he was so intent on staring at her breasts and not at her eyes.
As he lowered his head to her chest, Kylie reared up and slammed her forehead into his nose. He howled with rage and she felt satisfaction when she saw the blood pouring out of his nostrils and his nose askew. She’d broken the asshole’s nose.
She watched as he raised the knife, as if in slow motion, and then began to arc it down. At the last second she twisted around, wrenching her shoulder and further tearing the skin on her wrist, and then she cried out as agony assailed her. He’d stabbed her, but she’d moved fast enough so that the knife glanced off her shoulder blade, flew out of his grasp, and landed on the bed, only feet from her. She used every ounce of strength and energy she could, bucking and twisting, trying to get him to fall off of her. His fist smashed into her face and then his hand was squeezing around her throat and her vision began to waver. Then he leisurely grabbed the knife from beside her, the metal of the blade glinted under the light, and she waited for more excruciating pain.
* * * *
Will’s hands were trembling and he felt guilty as hell that Kylie had been kidnapped under his watch. If he hadn’t left her alone in the kitchen while he’d gone to inspect the plumbing, she would be safe. He would never forgive himself if something happened to her because of him. There was a huge knot of anxiety in his chest and he didn’t think he’d ever breathe normally again.
He unlocked the glove compartment of Xavier’s truck and pushed the hidden button in the back. A hidden compartment popped open. Lachlan unzipped the duffel and pulled out three nine millimeter Glocks and six clips of ammo. He passed two guns and four clips to Will before loading his own weapon and stashing the extra clip in his pocket. They were only minutes away from the Mountain Village Motel and he wanted to be prepared.
Xavier didn’t pull into the motel parking lot. Instead he parked a hundred yards down the street. Will handed Xavier the loaded Glock and extra clip, and they got out of the truck. None of them spoke as they ran toward the motel. Luke must have called the local sheriff because he was standing on the street waiting for them.
“Are you Xavier, Lachlan,
and Will Badon?”
“We are,” Lach replied.
“I’m Sheriff Cal Shone. Parker has her tied to the bed in room five. It looks like your woman is unconscious and the perp was eating a burger and watching TV. My deputy is keeping watch. I want you three to stay back. I don’t want any of you getting hurt.”
“Has he got a weapon?” Will asked.
“I don’t know, son.”
“Are you married, Sheriff?” Xavier asked the middle-aged man.
“Yes, sir, going on twenty years now.”
“Would you stand back and watch someone else rescue your wife?”
“Now look here…”
“Sheriff, we are professionally trained bodyguards,” Lachlan said. “We are packing registered weapons and we know how to use them.”
The sheriff looked to each of them and smiled. “Well, come on then.”
They followed the sheriff into the parking lot, where he stopped and pointed out room five. Lachlan and Will took up position beside the door, glad that the drapes covered most of the window, and Xavier stood in front of the entrance, ready to kick it in. Just as he raised his foot, a loud bellow of pain and fury rent the air.
Xavier kicked the door in and rushed forward, and Will and Lachlan hurried in after him. Rage like he’d never felt before coursed through him as he heard a muffled feminine scream and saw the asshole with his hand around Kylie’s throat, choking her. The fucker raised his arm again, ready to plunge the knife into their woman.
Xavier ran forward, grabbed the hand holding the knife, and tried to wrestle it away. Will had his gun raised, ready to shoot, but with Xavier in the way, he couldn’t risk hitting his brother. Xavier managed to get the knife and flung it across the room. Parker removed his hand from around Kylie’s throat and reached to the middle of his back. He came up with a .38 and pointed it at Kylie’s head.
