by Becca Van
Rick’s heart flipped when Sally took another step forward but stopped when Will began to speak again.
“Do you want me to meet you halfway, baby? All I want to do is hold you. Don’t you want to be held?”
Sally gnawed on her plump lower lip, making the pink flesh turn red and even more swollen, but after a moment she licked her lips and nodded once.
“You need to tell me if my brothers or I ever scare you, baby. That’s the last thing we want. We just want to help you. Okay?” Will took a cautious step toward her and Rick was surprised but also elated when Sally took a step, too. No more than two feet separated her and Will, but when she tensed up again, Rick was scared she would turn and run.
“Shh, baby.” Will held his hand out to her but never took his gaze from hers. Sally looked down at his hand and stared at it as if it were a foreign object, but when she lifted her eyes to meet his again, Rick’s breath hitched in his throat. The longing in her gaze was there for all of them to see and he vowed then and there that he would find out who put such terror in her eyes, hunt them down, and take them out.
She lifted a shaky hand toward Will and then threaded her small, slim fingers with his. Hope filled Rick’s heart. Maybe they would be able to court her slowly and eventually have a relationship with her after all.
* * * *
Will exhaled quietly when Sally’s cold trembling fingers slid along his. The hankering to wrap his hand around hers and tug her into his arms was a compulsion almost too strong to ignore, but he knew he needed to let her set the pace, because if he did what he wanted, he would scare her off.
The muscles in his body tightened when she entwined their fingers and he held his breath as she took a step toward him, breaching the gap between them. He remained still, letting her lead the way and then she took another step and then another until his body was almost brushing against hers. She shivered as she stared into his eyes and then her gaze skittered sideways before coming back to meet his. Two tears welled, one in each eye, and then trickled down her cheeks, and his heart ached for her. There was a wealth of pain haunting her beautiful green eyes and he hurt for her.
Will didn’t think she would make another move closer to him because he could see the panic in her eyes, but she was stronger than he’d first thought. She took a deep breath, exhaled with a noisy whoosh, and then she pressed her front to his and after releasing her hold on his hand, she wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek to his pectoral muscle.
Even through his T-shirt he could feel how cold her skin was and wanted to wrap around her to share his body heat, but again he hesitated, not wanting to scare her off. When she drew back slightly and looked up, he looked down to meet her gaze.
“Please?” she whispered.
“Please what, baby?”
“Please, h–hold m–me?”
“Of course I will, baby.” Will slowly lifted his arms from his sides and wrapped them around her shoulders. She sobbed and tightened her grip around his waist. He enfolded her and hugged her but was careful not to hold her too tight in case he scared her. “Do you want to sit down, Sally?”
She nodded, her cheek, which was once more pressed against his left pec, caressing his chest over his T-shirt.
“Are you going to be okay if I pick you up and carry you over to the sofa?”
“Yes,” she answered quietly.
Will moved an arm from around her shoulders and down her body until it was beneath her knees and gently lifted her up into his arms and against his chest. She sighed and looped an arm around his neck, and he tried to contain his shiver of arousal when the tips of her fingers brushed against the skin of his nape. As he walked across the room to the sofa he surreptitiously gestured to Rick and Frank to give them some room. His brothers had both taken steps toward the sofa but he didn’t want Sallyanne to feel crowded. He was just starting to gain her trust and didn’t want to betray that by having her frightened again.
“Do you want something to drink or eat?” Will asked as he sat, taking Sally down with him so that she was sitting sideways on his lap.
She shook her head but Will could hear her belly growling. He hoped it was hunger making those noises and not because she was feeling ill, but he would wait to ask because he didn’t want her to feel pressured or to embarrass her in front of the others. Also because he was worried about what her physical reaction was going to be as she told them about the danger she was in.
Will suspected that whatever she was going to reveal was going to be bad, and he didn’t want her getting sick if she’d eaten.
Luke pushed off the desk he and Damon were leaning on and met Sallyanne’s gaze when she looked at him. “Do you mind if we pull up some chairs and get comfortable, Sally?”
She shook her head before glancing at Rachel and Cat.
“Do you want us to stay with you?” Rachel asked.
Sally nodded before looking around the room. She must have noticed Tyson was no longer in the room because she relaxed a little more against Will.
“Do you want us to leave?” Will asked, hoping she would refuse but if it made her more comfortable, he wouldn’t hesitate to go.
“No.” Sally wrapped her arms around his neck and hid her face against his skin.
Will caressed a hand up and down her slim back, hoping the contact and action would have a soothing effect on her. Her felt her back lift as she inhaled deeply and the warm moist air brushed against his flesh as she exhaled slowly.
Tyson appeared in the doorway, carrying a tray loaded down with drinks, and he moved further into the room and began to hand them out. Will accepted the two drinks proffered and after taking a sniff of both, nodded his thanks to his new friend. Each glass held a shot of whiskey and while the glasses Tyson had handed over to the men were neat, the ones he passed to Cat, Rachel, and the one for Sally had soda mixed in with them. The potency he’d smelled in the mixed drink for Sally told him that Tyson had given her a double shot of alcohol. Will knew it wasn’t to get her drunk but to help her relax, and he hoped it worked.
After a few minutes Sally lifted her head and her lips twitched when he offered her the glass. She took it from him and sniffed it. Her straight little nose scrunched up as if in distaste but then she took a tentative sip. She must have liked the taste of the drink because she gulped it down until the glass was empty.
“What was that?” she asked.
“Whiskey and Coke,” Will answered.
“I’ve never had it before. It tastes good.”
“You can have another later if you want, Sally.”
She shook her head. “I’m good. It made me all warm and tingly inside.” Her eyes widened as she met his gaze, as if surprised she’d blurted that out, but when he smiled at her and she smiled back, elation filled his heart.
She was so fucking gorgeous with her gold-streaked blond hair, pale silky skin, and jade-green eyes. Whenever she met his gaze he felt as if she could see into his heart and soul. He’d never thought such things in his life. He’d been a soldier, an emotionless killing machine, numb to feelings, but the moment he’d seen Sallyanne, the ice encasing his heart had shattered. He’d never had such mushy thoughts before and though that was a contradiction to his normal hard-ass, dominant, cynical demeanor, he liked it. Maybe he had a heart after all.
* * * *
Sally felt warm for the first time in years. She tried to convince herself that it was the result of drinking whiskey, but knew that was a partial lie. The moment her hand had connected with Will’s, she’d felt the bitterness and pain inside of her wane. He, Rick, and Frank were so damn big, sexy, and handsome she couldn’t stop looking at them. They weren’t handsome in the classic sense of the word, but the rugged authority emanating from their bodies drew her gaze to them again and again. Even though they looked and no doubt were tough after serving in the military, they were also very caring. Each time she met their gazes, she could see how concerned they were for her. No one had ever cared about her t
he way they seemed to and she’d only just met them.
She sighed as she leaned into Will again. She loved the feeling of his muscles flexing against her side and under her ass as he shifted into a more comfortable position.
Sally was still scared but she was no longer terrified. After Cat and Rachel had told her how they ended up in Slick Rock and how wonderfully protective the men of this town were, and after seeing how they reacted to her presence, she was beginning to believe them.
It had been years since she felt the warmth of having another person hug her and now that she’d had a taste, she craved more, but she wasn’t sure she was brave enough to stay. If she did, would that evil fucker Angelo find her?
“Sally, are you ready to tell us who and what you’re running from?” Damon asked in a soft deep voice.
Sally nodded and licked dry lips before taking a fortifying breath. If she was going to survive she was going to need help and she had a feeling that the men in this town were the ones to do just that.
She just hoped she wasn’t making a big mistake.
“My parents, my mom and stepdad, died when I was sixteen and although they were happy, in love, and very caring, they didn’t have much money. My stepbrother Simon was five years older than I was and while he tried to take care of me so I could finish school, we lived in a bad area and he got mixed up with some unsavory people.”
“Where were you living, Sallyanne?” Luke asked.
Sally glanced down at the phone he was holding to record her account and then met his gaze. He nodded at her in encouragement to continue.
“The Bronx. New York City.” She tensed and her heart began to race. Will caressed his large hand up and down her back.
“Go on, baby.”
She swallowed around the lump in her throat before continuing. “Simon, my stepbrother, got involved in a gang and started bringing people home to our apartment. I didn’t like it and asked him not to invite them in, but he ignored my request and since he was the one paying all the bills, I couldn’t really complain. He was doing the best he could to keep a roof over my head and food in my belly.
“Anyway, he befriended the leader of a gang and started bringing the asshole home.”
“What was this leader’s name?” Frank asked as he sat on the sofa beside her and Will.
“Angelo Perez.” Sally shuddered as fear skittered up her spine. She wondered if she’d ever be able to think of that bastard without being absolutely terrified, but she didn’t think so. Not unless he was locked up behind bars or six feet under.
“Angelo gave me the creeps. He watched me as if I was a piece of meat set out for him to devour and though I’d told Simon about my concerns, he just snorted and brushed them aside.
“And then Simon began to change.”
“How did he change, sweetie?” Frank asked.
Sally stiffened because Frank was at her back and she didn’t like anyone behind her. She didn’t think he would hurt her in any way, but she’d taught herself to keep her back to a wall.
“Are you okay, baby?” Will hadn’t stopped caressing her back but as he asked the question, his hand stilled.
She licked her dry lips and shook her head.
“What’s wrong, love?” Rick took her cold hand between two of his and chaffed them to warm them.
“I–I don’t like anyone b–behind me.”
She felt movement and knew that Frank had just risen from his perch. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He moved into her sight and as she met his hazel eyes, he gave her a kind smile but she could see the worry in his gaze as he moved around to the front of the sofa. She was surprised when he sat on the floor near her and Will, but she was thankful when he leaned back against the furniture, that he didn’t touch her. She was having a hard enough time concentrating with both Rick and Will touching her at the same time.
“Is this better, Sally?” Frank met her gaze over his shoulder.
“Thank you.” She nodded.
“You’re welcome, darlin’.”
His voice was so deep and smooth, it washed over her and sent goose bumps racing over her skin. However, she didn’t want any of them knowing that her body was responding to their proximity, and she mentally shook her head before she started talking again.
“Simon began to get more aggressive and angry. The only way to keep the peace was to remain quiet. It took me while to realize that he was doing drugs and when I suggested he needed help … I’d never seen him so angry before.” She shuddered.
“Did he hurt you, baby?”
“No, not physically, at least, but there were a couple of times he raised his fist to me, and I ran from him and locked myself in the bedroom.”
“That was a smart thing to do, love.” Rick released the hand he’d been warming, picked up the other, and began to rub it between his.
“Angelo began to come over every night and I knew he was the one supplying my stepbrother with drugs. I tried to stay out of their way, but it was hard since the apartment was so small.
“I’d not long turned eighteen and I’d just gotten my high school diploma and was looking for a full-time job so I could get a place of my own, but it wasn’t meant to be. I had a part-time job in a local café and when I came home, I found Simon asleep on the couch and Angelo was watching TV.
“I think Angelo had given my brother something really strong because when I tried to wake him, he didn’t respond. I hated being alone with that creep and went to my bedroom and locked the door. I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew I woke to a hand over my mouth.” A sob escaped before she could stop it and the tears began to fall. She felt Will tense beneath her but was too caught up in the memory of that petrifying, horrible night to take much notice.
“He held me down, tore my nightshirt from my body, raped me, and stabbed me.
“I fought so hard and yelled as loudly as I could, but he was so much bigger and stronger than I was. I don’t know how long…” She choked on another sob. “My brother must have heard me screaming or maybe something else woke him up. I don’t know, but he managed to wrestle the knife from Angelo and stab him. I called the police and they arrested him. He was charged with rape and spent a pitiful three months in jail. My brother never even visited me in the hospital. He just disappeared. I’ve been on the run ever since. That asshole has men looking for me. He wants revenge for sending him to prison.”
Sally’s chest was so tight she couldn’t inhale. Her face was wet with tears and though she tried to contain the pain festering inside, it erupted like a volcano. Deep, painful sobs wracked her whole body and she turned to bury her face into Will’s chest. The pain was too much to bear and she wondered if she was finally cracking.
Warm, muscular arms wrapped around her body and held her tight while she cried her heart out. She was so exhausted from being on the run, but she was tired to her very soul. Tired of existing from day to day, tired of running and being scared. She was tired of it all. She wasn’t sure she could go on another day because she just didn’t have the energy.
It was all just too fucking hard.
Chapter Five
Frank was so full of rage he was shaking with it. It was tearing him up inside seeing Sallyanne so defeated and in so much pain. He wanted to lift her from Will’s arms so he could hold her, but knew if he did he would probably scare her.
When he glanced at Rick, he could see the fury in his brother’s eyes and knew that they were on the same page. They wanted to hunt that fucking bastard down and kill him with their bare hands.
Luke shifted in his seat, drawing his gaze, and Frank knew that he and Damon would do everything within their power to bring that fucker to justice.
Frank hoped that he never came face-to-face with her brother either, because he wasn’t sure he wouldn’t kill the spineless prick. It had been his job to take care of his sister, to make sure she was safe in her own home, and he’d failed. Big time.
He scrambled to
his knees, rose, and began to pace. The heart-wrenching sobs wracking Sally’s petite frame were almost killing him. He wanted to let loose a roar of anger to rid himself some of the seething fury roiling in his gut, but he didn’t. He was mindful of Sallyanne’s state of mind and her need to feel safe with him and his brothers.
He glanced over when her sobs slowed and she hiccupped a couple of times, while wiping the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hands. She slumped down onto Will and sighed as she closed her eyes. The dark smudges beneath her eyes were a testament to her exhaustion, but it was the despondent slump of her shoulders that concerned him.
She looked so small and fragile, and though she’d had to be strong to survive what she had, Frank knew she was balancing on the edge of a knife. One little push could send her plummeting.
“Shh, baby. No one is ever going to hurt you again. I promise. My brothers and I will do everything we can to keep you safe.”
Frank had no idea if Will had spoken before then. He’d been so caught up in his own ferocious rage he hadn’t heard anything. Now that the anger had slowed to a low simmer, the whooshing of his own blood pumping rapidly through his veins diminished.
Rachel stood, walked across the room, and stroked a hand over Sally’s head. When Sally met her gaze Rachel handed her the half-full glass of whiskey and Coke. She tried to smile at Sally but her lips trembled. “Here, you probably need this more than I do. Plus, I shouldn’t be drinking since I’m pregnant.”
“Thanks,” Sally replied, her voice shaky and hoarse after crying so hard. She took the glass and quickly drained the contents.
Frank wished he had a bottle of whiskey so he could down another shot, but wasn’t sure he’d stop at just one, so maybe it was a good thing Tyson had only brought glasses into the office.
“Sally.” Damon cleared his throat. “Did you go to the police?”
“They came to me when I was recovering in the hospital. An officer took my statement but after he left, the doctor who was treating me told me that Angelo had cops on his payroll.
