Finding Her Fantasy

by Trista Ann Michaels

  The officers searched the perimeter, but found no traces of anyone else. Did they have the right spot?

  Erik looked through his binoculars and into the window of the cabin. Unfortunately, it was covered so they couldn’t see inside. They would have to go in blind and pray they didn’t screw up.

  He lowered his binoculars and glanced over at the constable, who lowered his as well.

  “I want you and Jon to stay behind us,” the constable said.

  Erik started to argue the point and then changed his mind. They weren’t police officers. The last thing they wanted was for some stupid technicality to cost them being able to put Clark in jail. He nodded begrudgingly as the constable and his officers started toward the cabin.

  Jon came over and squatted next to him behind the tropical bush they’d been hiding behind. “The second they’re through that door, we’re going in as well, right?”

  Erik snorted. “Damn right.”

  Both men stood and watched as the police burst through the front door of the cabin. Jon slapped Erik on his arm and pointed toward the back corner. Erik narrowed his eyes as he watched Clark climb out a small window and take off at a run.

  “Go in there and check on Mel. I’m going after that son of a bitch,” Erik said as he ran toward where Clark had entered the thick brush.

  He could see him just ahead, a flash of light blue shirt against the green. Anger boiled up inside him. He’d never wanted to kill a man as much as he wanted to kill this guy. His fingers itched to get around his neck and squeeze.

  He could hear the rustle of brush behind him and the constable’s angry voice. “Let me handle this, Erik!”

  Erik ignored him. He had him in his sights. He refused to let him go.

  * * * *

  Jon pushed past the officers in the small room and ran toward Melinda. She was tied to a chair and naked, her limbs shaking almost uncontrollably. Jon quickly removed his shirt and rushed forward to cover her trembling body.

  Her eyes were closed, one swollen shut. Her bottom lip had begun to turn blue and had dried blood caked in the corner. Her cheek was swollen as well, and Jon wondered what the bastard had done to her.

  “Hey, sweetheart,” he said softly.

  Melinda opened her eyes and stared at him. She looked confused at first, and then her eyes went wide and sobs racked her whole body. “Oh God. I thought you were dead!”

  He smiled and shook his head. “No. They just shot us with tranquilizers. They’re about the size of a BB pellet and dissolve inside the body.”

  Her lip trembled as she spoke. “Erik’s okay?”

  “Yeah, baby. He’s fine.”

  The officers finally got the last of her ropes undone, allowing Jon to pull her up and into his arms. She used his shirt to cover herself as best she could. Jon held her tight as she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his neck.

  “I didn’t think I would ever see you again,” she sobbed.

  Jon’s heart broke for her. She was in pain, afraid, and had believed he and Erik had died. If anything had happened to her, he wasn’t sure what he would’ve done. He’d never really felt for another woman what he felt for her.

  He’d teased Erik earlier about falling for her, but damned if he hadn’t fallen himself. This was a damn mess they’d all gotten themselves into, and they needed to talk. But right now, his first priority was Melinda and getting her checked out.

  He stopped by the side of the driveway and waited for the ambulance to come to a halt.

  “He didn’t get it,” she whispered.

  “I don’t care about that, Mel. All I care about right now is you.”

  “Where’s Erik?” she asked.

  “Clark ran off into the woods, and Erik went after him.” She tightened her arms around his neck. “He’ll get him, sweetheart. I promise. Erik isn’t going to let him get away with what he did to you.”

  * * * *

  Erik closed the distance between him and Clark, the constable close on their heels. Ahead, Clark stumbled, allowing Erik to catch up. Erik grabbed the back of Clark’s shirt and jerked him backward.

  Clark hit the ground with a grunt and tried to roll away. Erik turned him over, straddled his thighs, and slammed the heel of his palm into Clark’s jaw.

  Clark groaned as his face jerked to the left. Blood coated his lip, but Erik reared back to hit him again.

  “Enough, Erik,” the constable yelled.

  “The hell it is,” Erik growled.

  The constable raised his gun and pointed it at him. “I mean it, Erik. Enough. I can’t let you kill him.”

  Clark watched him warily, but at the constable’s words, his expression turned almost arrogant. Erik lowered his arm and grasped Clark by the collar of his shirt. He gave him a hard shake, forcing the back of his head against the ground. Erik felt a small amount of satisfaction at the wince that tightened Clark’s features, but not nearly enough. He wanted to see the man suffer, to see him howl in pain.

  “You come near Melinda again, Clark, and I’ll kill you regardless of who else is there,” Erik snarled.

  Erik gave him a final shake before climbing to his feet. Clark followed and wobbled slightly between Erik and the constable. When the constable turned to let the other officers know where they were, Clark reached behind him and pulled out a gun. Was the asshole really going to be that stupid?

  Moving quickly, Erik pulled his own gun. Both men fired at the same time.

  Everything seemed to move in slow motion. The constable turned at the sound of the guns going off and pointed his own. A burning pain seared across Erik’s shoulder, and blood coated his arm.

  Clark bent forward with a jerk before falling to his knees on the sandy ground. His eyes were wide, his face pale as he stared up at Erik as though surprised it was going to end this way. Red seeped through the material of his shirt quickly as it escaped the wound in his chest.

  Erik had delivered a fatal shot, but Clark’s had missed its mark, just grazing Erik’s shoulder.

  Clark’s eyes dimmed as he dropped the gun and fell to the side, where he remained motionless. Erik raised his gaze to the constable, who stared in shock.

  “I guess he didn’t want to go to jail,” Erik murmured.

  The constable lowered his gun and glared at Erik.

  “What?” Erik said with a shrug. “He pulled his gun first.”

  “I told you to leave that thing behind,” the constable snapped.

  Erik snorted. “Right. Like that was going to happen.”

  * * * *

  Melinda recognized the soft mumble of Erik’s deep baritone even before she opened her eyes. Erik was talking to someone. Was it Jon? An image of Jon and Erik covered in blood and lying lifeless on the floor went through her mind. Her heart sped up in fear. She opened her eyes wide and glanced frantically around the room.

  Jon was immediately by her side. “Hey. You’re safe,” he said softly as he brushed her hair back from her brow.

  She sighed and rested back against the pillow. The bright hospital lights increased the ache behind her eyes, and she squinted as she looked up at Jon. “I had a dream you and Erik were dead.”

  “We’re far from dead,” Jon said with a grin.

  Melinda lifted her hand and touched her swollen cheek as she watched Erik pace at the far side of the room. He was talking to someone on the phone, but from the way his jaw jerked, Melinda assumed the conversation wasn’t going well.

  Speaking made her face hurt, so she mumbled as best she could, moving her mouth as little as possible. “Who’s Erik talking to?”

  “Your brother.”

  Melinda winced. “No wonder he looks pissed.”

  “Yeah, they’ve apparently been bickering back and forth for a while.”

  “About what?” she asked.

  “You.”

  Melinda scowled. “Me?”

  “Marcus wants you to come home. Today. Erik would prefer you make that decision.”

  She
snorted softly. “I would prefer to make that decision, too. Marcus is getting a little too controlling of late.”

  Jon grinned and patted her leg.

  “Besides, the threat’s over, right?”

  Jon nodded. “Right.”

  Melinda glanced between Jon and Erik. She felt as though there was something to read between the lines, something left unsaid between them. She wasn’t sure she could say she loved them, but the thought of never seeing them again left a gaping hole in her chest.

  What would they say if she wanted to stay longer? If she wanted to explore what a threesome relationship would be like for real? Did they feel the same?

  She tried to get some sort of answer by looking at Jon, but he kept things hidden pretty well. She turned to Erik just as he hung up the phone, and tried to gauge him as well, but he looked more angry than anything.

  “I hope Marcus didn’t chew you out too much,” Melinda said.

  Erik’s lips twisted, but the amusement didn’t reach his eyes. “Marcus is worried about you. He wants you back home where he can see firsthand that you’re fine and recovering.”

  Melinda bit her lip deciding it was either now or never. “Well…he can wait.”

  Erik studied her with that intense, I-can-see-into-your-soul look that left her weak in the knees, but there was also a glimmer of hope in his eyes that made her heart skip a beat in excitement.

  “Are you saying you want to stay?” he asked.

  “Are you asking because you want me to stay?” she hedged, wanting to tell them how she felt, but also not wanting to be the first to say it.

  Jon snickered nervously. “I’m thinking that we need to just get this out there. I’ll start. Mel, I want you to stay. I…” He sighed and took her hand in his. “I have feelings for you. I’m not sure what those are yet, but I would like the chance to figure it out.” He looked over to Erik. “Your turn.”

  Erik rolled his eyes and then moved to sit on the other side of her bed. He swallowed and took her other hand in his, holding tight. He finally lifted his head and met her gaze. “I agree with what Jon said.”

  Melinda’s lips twitched slightly. Joy made her stomach flutter. Even though it wasn’t a declaration of love, it was a start, a possibility. “Men of few words.”

  Erik’s lips twitched as some of the tension began to lift. “I’m afraid I’ve never been one for flowery speeches.” He reached out and chucked her under the chin playfully. “I do know there’s something here, though. We just need the chance to figure it out. Now it’s your turn. What do you think of all this?”

  She gave a breathy, nervous laugh. “That we’re nuts.”

  Erik and Jon chuckled. “That we may be,” Erik said in agreement. “I have no idea how we’re going to make a relationship like this work.”

  “I may have a few ideas,” she said and her face flushed.

  Jon raised an eyebrow. “Really? Care to share?”

  A nurse walked in with the doctor, stopping what Melinda wanted to say. “Can we talk about this when we get home?”

  Erik’s eyes sparkled with promise. “Oh, that’s a given.”

  Epilogue

  Eight months later

  Melinda taped up the last box and set it aside. Her house was finally all packed up and ready to go on the market. With a satisfied sigh, she glanced around the room and smiled. Some of the furniture would stay to make the house look more lived in. The pieces she couldn’t live without would be shipped to Belize.

  “I still can’t believe you’re doing this.”

  She turned to smile at her brother, who leaned against the entryway into the formal living room.

  “Moving to Belize or marrying two men?”

  “Both.”

  Melinda snickered and set the tape on top of one of the boxes.

  “I have to admit, though,” Marcus added. “You look amazing.”

  She smiled. “Thank you.”

  “But it’s more than looking healthy. You’re no longer reed thin, but you have this glow about you. You’re happy.”

  “I am happy. Is that so hard to believe?”

  His lips twitched. “Not when I look at you.” He pushed away from the wall and walked toward her. “I have to say that your telecommuting for work has been the perfect fix. It’s so much quieter at the office. We should’ve thought about this a long time ago.”

  She slapped his shoulder, making him laugh.

  “Is he giving you a hard time again?” Erik asked with amusement as he walked into the room and dropped another box onto the pile. “Just say the word, and I’ll kick his ass for you.”

  Marcus snorted. “Dream on.”

  Chuckling, Marcus slapped Erik on the back of the shoulder before looking around at all the boxes to be shipped down south. “I sure hope you guys bought a big enough house for all this crap.”

  “Hey, it’s not crap,” Melinda chided.

  “Oh, no,” Marcus drawled. “Of course not.”

  “The house is probably bigger than we really need, at least right now,” Erik said, then smiled. “But I’m sure we’ll grow into it.”

  Marcus curled his lip, making Melinda giggle.

  “Plus we needed extra room for when you come to visit,” Melinda said as she gave her brother a pointed look.

  Marcus scowled, but Melinda didn’t miss the spark of devilment in his eyes. “I see you all the time over the computer whenever we have meetings, what do I need to come down there and visit you for?”

  Melinda frowned and tried to slap her brother on the shoulder again, but he laughed and dodged, making her miss.

  “I think Melinda has hopes that you and Andrew will find the perfect girl. She’s in that if-I’m-happy-then-everyone-should-be-happy phase,” Erik said with amusement.

  Melinda put her hands on her hips. “And what is wrong with that?”

  “Not a thing, baby,” Erik said as he walked past her and placed a quick kiss on her cheek.

  “Boy, she’s got you whooped,” Marcus teased.

  “Damn straight,” Erik said with a grin as he left the room and headed down the hall for more boxes.

  Marcus was laughing as Jon stuck his head in the door and shouted, “Truck’s here.”

  “Well,” Melinda said as she let out a slow breath. “Looks like we’re almost done.”

  Jon walked over and put his hands on her shoulders. He gave them a squeeze as he leaned in and kissed the back of her head. “Is this everything that goes?” he asked.

  “Most of it,” she said with a nod. “I think Erik went to get the last two boxes from the master bedroom.”

  Marcus headed toward the hallway. “I’ll see if he needs a hand.”

  “Thanks, Marcus,” she called out.

  Jon wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her back against him. “So this is it?” he whispered. “The official start of our lives together. No second thoughts?”

  She lifted her hands and gripped his arms. Leaning into him, she smiled. “No. You?”

  He kissed her temple and made the butterflies in her stomach flutter to life. “Not a one. The house is finished and the wedding is planned. Now you just have to pick where you want to go on your honeymoon.”

  She snorted. “Why do we need to go anywhere? We have a gorgeous house on a beautiful beach.”

  “If a honeymoon at home is what you want…”

  She turned her head and rested her cheek against his strong chest. “Why not? I have everything I could ever want at home.”

  “Me too, sweetheart, and I know for a fact, Erik concurs.”

  Melinda smiled. She did have everything she’d ever wanted. In spite of all the crap she’d been through, she’d still managed to find her fantasy.

  The End

  Publisher’s Note

  Please help this author's career by posting an honest review wherever you purchased this book.

  About Trista Ann Michaels

  Trista Ann Michaels can be found deep in the mountains of
Tennessee writing her stories by a swift, flowing stream. The sound of running water has always relaxed, as well as inspired, her. Before becoming a writer, she worked as a paralegal for a prominent prosecuting attorney; that is until she met the man of her dreams, her very own airline captain by the name of David. When she isn’t writing, she can be found piddling about in her garden or watching movies. Her favorite pastime is traveling, and you can always find her at a RWA meeting, sharing her writing experiences and encouraging fellow writers to follow their dreams.