Oak, Sophie - Siren Enslaved [Texas Sirens 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Sophie Oak

  “Dani,” Finn began. “Baby, you gotta listen to me. He didn’t mean any of that.”

  Finn understood Julian in this instance. Julian had pushed her away for the same reason Finn had held her apart. They were both scared to death. Finn would bet his life on it. Finn had been scared Dani would reject him and Julian…well, Julian was scared of a lot of things as far as Finn could tell. Julian might be incredibly comfortable with his outward sexuality but his heartnot so much. He probably wasn’t even aware he had one.

  Finn was. He’d seen the way Julian worshipped Dani. Julian was more loving than he thought he was. It was up to them to prove it.

  “Come on, Dani, let’s go out to the guesthouse. We can watch some movies while we wait.”

  He’d work on her. He’d talk to her and get her to see that the Master would take a little teaching himself. No one was perfect. They had to work to get what they wanted. He’d take Leo’s lead. Leo seemed to do what he thought was best, despite Julian’s anger, and he came out on top anyway.

  Dani nodded, though her expression was vacant. “Sure. I just need to use the restroom and then we can pick a movie.”

  Finn kissed her before she moved out of the kitchen.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Dani felt her heart pounding as she pushed out of the dining room doors. She could hear the men behind her. Even Finn had gotten in on the conversation. They were talking about strategies and how best to protect her. Julian had Leo calling in some security professionals.

  Why the hell would Julian care?

  It took everything she had not to sob. The tears were right there, stuck in her chest. She’d promised herself she wouldn’t fall for Julian Lodge, but she had. She’d been so stupid. She should have known he didn’t give a real damn about her. She’d been obedient. That flipped Julian’s switch. The minute she stepped out of line, he’d dumped her.

  And then ordered her to protect herself. She could still feel his hands tightening around her upper arms. He’d held on so tight as he’d ordered her to the guesthouse. His face had been a mask of cold rage, but his eyes had told a different story.

  Damn him. She could see in his eyes that he was far more engaged than he let on. Why couldn’t he just admit it? Why did he have to pull all this bullshit? Even if he did care, if he never admitted it, what did it mean?

  It made sense to Dani. It was the way her whole life had gone. Nothing had been easy. It was only fitting that the two men she’d loved were hard cases. Finn was only just accepting who he was, and Julianoh, shit. She loved Julian Lodge.

  Why? Why did she have to love Julian Lodge?

  “Dani?”

  Dani whirled around. Leo Meyer stood in the doorway. He was dressed simply in a T-shirt and jeans. He was a delicious-looking man, but he couldn’t hold a candle to Julian’s sophistication or Finn’s easy western charm. And right now she found him very annoying. “What the hell do you want?”

  A hard glimmer came into those eyes, and Dani remembered what he was. He was the number two Dom in Julian’s private world, and right now, he looked the part. An indefinable air of authority came over the man, and he seemed to grow an inch as he stared at her.

  “I would greatly prefer to be friends, Danielle.”

  She really wouldn’t want him as an enemy. And she had been rude. “I’m sorry, Sir. Do I call you Sir?”

  Just like that, the easygoing man was back. A smile crossed his face. “Yes. You would call any dominant either Sir or Ma’am, as applicable. It’s polite. Julian, you would call Master, after everything is settled between the three of you.”

  Like that was going to happen now. He would be Sir forever if he had his way.

  “Hey,” Leo said, walking up to her. Concern was written on his face. “Don’t look so sad. We already called the police. Julian and I are going to meet with the sheriff in a few minutes. Jack has Lucas, and they’re headed back this way. We’ll call in the feds if we have to. Julian has long arms. He won’t let anything happen to you.”

  “I’m not afraid,” she stated dully. She wasn’t. She seriously doubted anyone would come after her. She wasn’t important enough. That was the trouble. She would follow orders because it was just stupid to fight him on this. Everyone was worried about Lexi and rightly so. She wasn’t going to add to the trouble just to prove some stubborn point.

  “Then why do you look so sad? Is it about that little fit Julian threw? Sweetheart, that was actually progress. It gives me great hope for the future that he got that upset.”

  Somehow she just couldn’t see it as good. He’d told her to get out. If he did that every time she made a mistake or had a different opinion, her life would be miserable anyway. She couldn’t live like that, always afraid she would make a misstep. God, she’d lived like that most of her life. It had been easier when she was a kid, but even then judgment had been the air the people of Willow Fork breathed. She’d always been that trashy Bay girl. Her mother had worked as a waitress at a truck stop. She hadn’t had the best taste in men, but she’d been a good mom. It hadn’t been her fault that first Dani’s dad and then Val’s had run out, neither one willing to get married.

  It had gotten so much worse after her mother died. She had been eighteen years old raising an eleven-year-old girl. The lectures had come hard and fast from the church ladies. Hillary Glass and her cronies had shown up after the funeral with Jell-O molds and tuna casserole. They’d explained that she had to be a role model for her little sister. She had to watch her step or someone might call social services.

  She’d known from that day on that she had to be perfect or she could lose everything. Tears clouded her vision. She couldn’t do it anymore. She could handle the spankings. Hell, she kind of craved that. For Julian, it was a weird way of saying he cared. It was the complete and utter dismissal she couldn’t take. She couldn’t worry about making a wrong move and losing what she loved. It was too much.

  “Don’t, sweetheart.” Leo’s arms came around her as she began to cry.

  “Leo, is there a reason you’re pawing my slave?”

  Dani looked up, and Julian was staring at her from the doorway. Finn was at his side. He started toward her, but a single hand stopped him. Julian moved in front of Finn, taking a dominant position.

  “She’s upset. You can’t tell me not to help her when she’s upset,” Leo said, but his arms were quick to release her.

  “I certainly can. She’s mine. If she requires comfort, she’ll come to me.”

  Danielle frowned. “You’re the reason I need comfort in the first place. I don’t want comfort from you.”

  Julian’s broad shoulders inched up in a negligent shrug. “Then you may go without. Leo, if you’re through molesting my property, we need to go to the sheriff’s office. We’re taking Ms. Walker with us to give her story to the local police. Samuel and Finn will remain here. Samuel, I assume you know what to do.”

  “I’ll shoot anything that even vaguely looks like that little weasel. Don’t worry. As long as Dani and Finn stay here, we won’t have a problem.” Sam already had a shotgun in his hand. He looked like a man who knew how to use it.

  A small woman with dark hair walked out of the kitchen. Benita was the Barnes-Fleetwood family’s housekeeper. She also had a shotgun in her hands. “The children are playing quietly. Two of the ranch hands are watching them. Ricky is enjoying playing princesses with Olivia. Truly, I never expected he would look so nice in a tiara.”

  “Is everyone armed now?” Dani asked.

  Seeing the housekeeper with a firearm brought home the danger they were in. Maybe Julian was wrong about this Jeremy guy coming for her, but he was out there, and he meant Julian harm. Despite the fact that he was a jerk, Dani couldn’t stand the thought of something happening to him.

  “Yes,” Julian replied gravely. “Everyone is armed, and they will protect you. I’ve contacted the security agency. They’ll be here in an hour, and they’ll transport you, Finn, and the children to a safe house. Abiga
il will be joining you.”

  Sam’s eyes got wide. “Damn. Does she know that yet?”

  “I don’t believe Jackson has informed her. I believe he intends to have her taken into custody whether she likes it or not. You should mind him, Samuel, or you’ll go to a safe house as well.”

  “Okay, I get it, but can we tell her that I didn’t have anything to do with it? I would just like it to be on record that I didn’t have anything to do with locking her up.”

  “This is why you’re not the Dom, Samuel,” Julian said. He turned back to Dani, and she felt the weight of his stare. “I see your mind working, Danielle. I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking it isn’t fair that Jackson would lock up his wife.”

  It had been exactly what she’d been thinking. “It’s her daughter. She has the right to look for her.”

  “And it’s Jackson’s daughter, too. She became his responsibility the day he fell in love with her mother. He cannot properly track her if he’s worried about Abigail. Abigail will be his chief concern, and that is not what she needs. She needs her husband to be an animal with one thought and one thought only—find Lexi, bring her home.”

  Sam shook his head. “Damn it. I have to agree. I’ll be in the doghouse, too, now. I hate logic. I’ll pack a bag for her. It’s the least I can do.”

  Sam walked out, and Benita followed, the shotgun on her petite shoulder. Dani looked at Julian. She was with Sam. Logic sucked.

  “I’ll stay put. I’ll go with the guards. I won’t make trouble.” She would go quietly and then figure out what the hell she would do with her life from there.

  Julian stood staring as though judging her truthfulness. He finally nodded. “See that you do. I’ll contact you as soon as it’s safe. Finn, make sure you’re both ready to go when the car comes for you.”

  He turned and left without another word.

  “Give him time,” Leo said with a sad smile before he turned and followed Julian.

  Finn’s hair fell over his eyes, and he pushed it back, much as he had when they were kids. The gesture made her heart soften and then clench a bit. Would he be mad that she’d gotten them tossed out? Would he want to go with Julian or stay with her?

  “Baby, don’t look like that.” He reached out, tentatively at first, and then more forcefully, as though he’d made the decision to take the lead. He grasped her arms and brought her close. “It’s going to be all right. You’ll see.”

  Dani let him hold her for a moment but then pulled away. She couldn’t do this right now. She needed to keep it together. Later, when everything was over, she could fall apart. “Can you go grab my bag?”

  Finn kissed her forehead and headed out to the guesthouse to retrieve her bag. It was the only thing she owned anymore besides that ramshackle house she shared with her sister.

  Dani’s cell trilled. She pulled it out of her pocket and glanced at the display. Val. Speak of the devil. Dani hit the answer button, perfectly ready to spew some venom at her sister. Finn’s near death experience had taken precedence over her sister’s much-needed ass kicking, but now seemed like a good time to at least tell Val that hell was coming her way.

  “Val, you have a lot of nerve calling me, little sister.” Dani kept her voice low. She meant to say a lot of things to her baby sis that she didn’t want anyone else to hear.

  “Dani? Is that you, Dani?”

  Val sounded strange, as though she’d been crying. The words were muffled and almost hard to understand.

  “Val, where are you?”

  “Dani, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for it to go this far. Please, please” Val’s voice was abruptly cut off.

  “If you would like to see your sister alive again, you’ll do exactly what I tell you,” a low voice said.

  Dani went cold. She turned and looked for someone, anyone, but she was alone. She’d been wrong, and Julian had been right. Jeremy was coming for her.

  “Don’t even think about going after your little boyfriend. I have a gun to your sister’s head, and I bribed a guy at Barnes’s security company a long time ago. I can see everything that’s covered by his security cameras. I know Julian and Leo left with my traitor bitch sister. I know your boy is in the guesthouse, and I know Sam Fleetwood is pacing on the porch. You’re going to do exactly what I tell you, or I kill your sister. I would kill the other one, but I really want old Lucas to watch her die, so Valerie it is. Are you going to do as I ask, or should I pull the trigger?”

  “Please!”

  Dani could hear Val crying. She wailed, and then something thudded, and Val went quiet. Dani didn’t have a choice. She couldn’t sit here while her sister was killed and Lexi waited to die. She had to act, even if it meant she was the one to go. It was better than living with the consequences of inaction. “What do you want me to do?”

  A low chuckle vibrated over the phone. “Well, Danielle, I want you to walk outside and take the Master’s car. He keeps a spare key in a magnetic box over the driver’s side wheel. I know my Master well. You will take his car and drive to your family homestead, which I have also rigged with cameras. You will get the instructions I placed in your mailbox and follow them to the letter. Oh, and before you leave, I expect you to look at the camera just outside the back door and drop your cell phone. You’ll find another in the mailbox with your letter. You have ten seconds to comply.”

  There was a click, and Dani took off. She didn’t think, didn’t debate, simply ran for the back door. When she opened it, she turned and found the small black camera that looked out over the back porch. She held up her cell phone and dropped it to the ground before running toward Julian’s Audi.

  The key was right were Jeremy had said it would be. Dani slipped inside the car and thanked the day Finn had taught her to drive a stick shift. Tears clouded her vision. She might never see him again. Or Julian. How angry would he be? Would he even understand?

  It didn’t matter. She had to go. Her soul demanded it. Dani put the car in drive and took off.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Finn zipped the bag closed and glanced around the small bedroom looking for anything he might have lost there.

  He felt a wide grin split his face. He’d actually lost a lot in this little house. He’d lost his shame. He’d lost his fear. He’d lost his freaking heart.

  Love for Dani pounded through his system. It was so different now that she was his. He felt more than he’d ever thought he could. Making love with her had changed something fundamental inside him. Watching her embrace her sexuality had helped him to accept his own.

  And then there was Julian. Julian thrilled him in a way he never could have imagined. Even when Julian scared the crap out of him, and he did when he turned that icy stare on him, Finn had never been more attracted to a man. Julian pushed his boundaries like no one had before. Julian didn’t try to coax him along. Others had tried, and it hadn’t worked. In his mind, Finn had come up with one excuse after another to hold on to his shame. Julian left no room for anything as useless as shame.

  Despite Julian’s poor handling of Dani, Finn felt an optimism he hadn’t felt before, maybe ever. He was in a good place. As soon as Julian took care of this Jeremy person, he had the feeling he’d have no real trouble getting Dani to move to Dallas with him. Julian would insist on it. They could see him, date him, whatever they wanted to call it. They would, the three of them, work it all out.

  He would have a family. He would have Dani. He would have Julian. He would have it all.

  After they survived this apparently crazy dude.

  Finn jogged down the stairs carrying his suitcase. He had all the things Julian had bought for Dani over the last few days. It was only the essentials, toothbrush, a couple of pairs of jeans, T-shirts, moisturizer, anal plug, and lube. When they got wherever they were going, Finn would see that he expanded her wardrobe. Julian would more than likely expand the toy selection.

  He couldn’t wait to see The Club. Now he was certain he’d made the right decisi
on in not accepting Lucas’s offer to visit the underground BDSM club. It was better to experience it for the first time with Julian and Dani.

  Lucas. God, what must he be going through. Finn felt for his friend. He would do anything he could to help him find Lexi. Lucas would do the same for him if Dani was missing.

  He wasn’t even going to think about that. His stomach rolled at the idea. He needed to focus on something else or panic would take over.

  Finn paused by the sofa. He sighed before folding the blanket he found there. He had no idea why Julian refused to sleep with them, nor would he ask. When Julian was ready to explain, he would. Until then it would be like beating his head against a brick wall. He would have to be happy with having Dani all to himself during those hours. He got to cuddle her and wake her up. Somehow in the morning, when they were both groggy with sleep, it seemed easy and sensible to be the aggressive one. This morning he’d rolled her over and been deep inside her cunt before either of them were fully awake. He’d rocked into her over and over until he’d come, and then he’d fallen back to sleep beside her.

  The door flew open, pulling Finn out of his memory. Sam stood in the doorway, his face set in hard lines Finn didn’t normally associate with the fun-loving cowboy.

  “You better go after your girl, and you better go now. She’s gone insane. Do you have any idea what Julian’s going to do to her?” Sam asked, his voice getting louder and more insistent with every word.

  Finn dropped the bag. A sick feeling nestled in his gut. “What do you mean go after her?”

  Sam pointed out the guesthouse’s doorway toward the long, paved drive. “I mean Dani just took off for God knows where in Julian’s Audi. What the hell is she thinking? I can’t go after her. My kids are holed up in a bedroom. I’m not leaving them, so you have to go after her.”

  Finn felt his stomach turn. “Dani wouldn’t leave.”

  “Well, she damn sure did. I guess she was more pissed off at Julian than we suspected.”