Potential Match [Ménage.com 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Peyton Elizabeth

  “I appreciate the offer,” Bryn said, not able to leave it at that. No siree, she just had to keep rambling on. Damn her bad habit. At this rate, they’d be shoving her out the door and into her car. “It was great meeting the two of you, but I really need to get to Tucson. My appointment is at seven in the morning, and at this rate, by the time I arrive, check into my hotel, get my luggage situated and myself to bed, well—I’ll be lucky to get five hours of sleep. With the amount of coffee I just drank, I’ll be good to go for the rest of the trip. You have my e-mail address, so feel free to send me a message if you’d like to meet for another cup of coffee at some point. If you don’t, that’s okay, too. I really enjoyed my coffee. Have a nice evening.”

  Bryn had gathered her purse off the back of the chair as she talked and was standing by the time she finished speaking. Giving them a quick smile, she made her way to the door, praying they let her go on her way, yet wishing like hell that they’d stop her. Her hand hit the door and pushed, but when her body kept going and the door didn’t, she figured out too late that the door opened inwards. Closing her eyes in embarrassment, Bryn grabbed the handle and quickly made her way out the door. What had started out as such a promising evening had turned into mush—so much for that potential match.

  Chapter Three

  Bryn was fishing around her purse for her keys when her phone rang. Pulling both out, she huffed in exasperation when she saw that it was her mother again. She’d been calling on and off for the past hour, but Bryn had been enjoying herself so much that she’d ignored the calls. Seeing as that wasn’t the case anymore, Bryn answered.

  “Mom, I’m fine.” Bryn hit the button on the small key device, unlocking her vehicle. Coming around the side, she opened up the door and slid inside, throwing her purse onto the passenger seat. “Leaving Triple now and heading to Tucson.”

  “You are so lucky I didn’t call the police, Brynny,” Frances snapped, her voice coming across loud and clear. Bryn pulled the phone away from her ear with a wince. Depression was starting to settle in with how her evening had ended, and the last thing she needed was to hear her mother say I told you so. “The next time you meet some strange guy in a town I’ve never heard of, you are to call me every hour on the hour.”

  “Mom, I don’t feel like doing this tonight.” Bryn slid the key into the ignition. “I have a long drive in front of me, and I just want to get to the hotel and go to bed. I’ll call you in the morning.”

  “Aren’t you going to tell me how it went?” Frances asked. “Was he nice? Did he have manners? Was he tall, dark, and handsome?”

  “Mom—”

  “Oh, I know that tone,” Frances replied, drawing out her oh. Bryn rolled her eyes. “He turned out to be a dud.”

  “Mom, seriously, can we discuss this in the morning?”

  Bryn had just turned the key in order to start her car when someone tapped on her window. Immediately thinking it was Des or Duke wanting to ask her to stay with them, Bryn turned her head toward the window. A cop was standing there with his black baton, tapping on her window. Shit, Bryn thought. Maybe she’d parked illegally and hadn’t known it. She rolled down her window.

  “Officer, I swear I didn’t know I was parked illegally. Was there a meter I didn’t see?” Bryn asked, her words coming out at a fast pace. Why did cops make innocent people so nervous? It wasn’t like she was some criminal or something. “I can pay it now. I have quarters. I hadn’t planned on being here for so long, but the evening just sort of flew by. Is there a time limit on how long someone can be parked here? I—”

  “Ma’am, I need you to step out of the car.”

  Bryn tried to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat. Oh, my God. She was about to be arrested. Images of her in an orange jumpsuit being beat to a pulp by a two-hundred-pound woman with missing teeth, permed hair, and tattoos swam through her head. Bryn wasn’t cut out for jail. Couldn’t he see that? Her mother’s voice cut through the fog in her mind.

  “Brynny, did you get stopped for speeding?”

  “Mom, I’ve got to call you back,” Bryn whispered, not really knowing why. It wasn’t as if the officer couldn’t hear her. “I think I parked illegally. Look up on the internet if I can be arrested for that and call me back.”

  Bryn disconnected the call and looked up at the officer with pleading eyes. Maybe if she batted her eyelashes, he’d let her go. The women in the movies did it all the time. She tried to paste on a smile as well, even though her heart was beating fifty million miles per hour. Bryn was pretty sure it came across as a grimace.

  “Officer, please, is that really necessary? Can’t you just give me a ticket and I’ll be on my way? Let me give you my license and registration. I’ll—”

  “Ma’am, please get out of your vehicle.”

  The severity of the officer’s voice told Bryn how serious he was, which only made her breathing more erratic and her hands sweaty. What could she have done that was so bad to warrant an officer asking her to step out of the car? That’s when it hit her. Bryn sighed with relief. He had to have seen the photos of those murder victims. He wanted to make sure she was all right and not in any danger.

  “Officer, it’s very kind of you to stop and make sure I’m okay,” Bryn said, opening up her door and stepping out of the car. “Can you believe that I’m from Phoenix and didn’t even know that we had a serial killer on the loose? I saw the paper a little bit ago, and I know I look like them, but I’m fine. I’m on my way to Tucson and—”

  The officer grabbed her arm and started to pull her toward his vehicle. It wasn’t a police car with the siren bar on top, but instead a black vehicle with tinted windows. Even in Bryn’s shock that he would act this way, she had the wherewithal to really look at him. His shirt wasn’t pressed, and he didn’t have a gun. He was wearing some sort of belt, but nothing was attached to it. He pulled her a few more steps, before she looked down at his shoes. They were dirty, white tennis shoes. Something wasn’t right.

  “Sir, wait,” Bryn said in a panic, trying to plant her feet into the asphalt of the road. It didn’t help much, and now they were a few feet from his vehicle. “You can’t just haul me off like this. Don’t you have to tell me why you had me get out of my car? I want to talk to your sheriff. I—”

  “Will you shut the fuck up,” the officer snarled as he spun around to face her. Bryn blinked and realized that he’d put a knife to her throat. She tried to swallow several times, but she couldn’t get her throat to work. “You are going to do exactly as I say, or I will kill you now. I am in charge. I am the one who tells you what to do. Do you understand me?”

  Bryn tried to nod, but the edge of the knife prevented her from moving her head. When he had told her to shut up, Bryn had made eye contact with him. His eyes were a dull blue, with no emotion in them whatsoever. Her brain was trying to process everything that was happening to her, but couldn’t seem to get past the sharp knife that was leaning against her skin. A few words skidded through though, such as killer, murderer, and run. If only she could get him to lower the knife, then maybe she’d have a chance to run for it.

  “Y–yes,” Bryn whispered, unable to keep her words from stuttering. “Please don’t hurt me. I’ll—”

  “Bryn? What’s going on?”

  Des’s voice came from the corner of the diner, making a wave of relief wash over her. It was short-lived though, as the knife at her throat dug a little deeper. Stinging pain radiated down her neck, bringing to light how dangerous her situation really was. Now that someone had caught sight of them, would her abductor let her go or kill her?

  * * * *

  Duke and Des had just left the diner, disbelief running through them from how their evening had ended with Bryn. Three hours of fascinating conversation and getting to know one another had passed by in the blink of an eye, only to end with Bryn leaving like the diner had caught fire. What the hell had happened? Had they come across as overbearing? Had she gotten offended at their suggestion that sh
e stay the night in Triple? They’d been concerned about her safety. Was that such a bad thing?

  Duke could just imagine her reaction if she realized that he liked sex on the kinky side. In his mind, there was nothing better than tying up a woman and having her at his mercy. He loved pleasuring women and hated anything that got in the way, even her hands. Hearing a woman beg for release was the sweetest sound in the world, well, besides hearing her scream when she did reach her release. Duke also liked experimenting with toys, but it wasn’t something that he brought up on the first date. Hell, he rarely brought it up because the type of women they slept with expected a kinkier side. He wasn’t like Bryan and Jason Thomas, who lived a BDSM lifestyle, but Duke sure did like to dabble.

  Although they had arrived earlier in the evening, Duke had parked his truck along the side of the diner instead of the front. It was easier to take Third Street out to their ranch than it was to take Main Street down to Seventh Street and make a right. They were able to bypass the stop signs and the pedestrians, making it easier to maneuver and use the backcountry roads. Whatever the reason, Duke was thankful they had parked where they had if the situation in front of him was what he thought it was.

  The minute Des had called out her name, Duke had glanced down the street. Around seven or eight slots down, Bryn was talking to a police officer. Only he wasn’t from around Triple, as their town had tan uniforms while this man had on a black uniform. There was no police car next to Bryn’s vehicle and the way the man had ahold of her was too close for comfort in Duke’s eyes. It was hard to see, as Bryn and the cop were in between the streetlights, placing them directly in a shadowy area. Deep down, Duke knew something wasn’t right.

  “Go on the outside of the cars,” Duke said, speaking in a low voice so that only Des could hear him. “I’ll take the sidewalk.”

  Des looked like he was going to argue, but as he looked down the street one more time, Duke was sure that Des got the same feeling of danger. Des cut around the truck and started to walk slowly past each vehicle. Duke took a few steps down the sidewalk when the cop turned Bryn so that they were both facing his way.

  “Bryn?” Duke asked, seeing her eyes widen in fear. That’s when he saw the glint off of the metal being held at her throat. His first instinct was to run to her, but when the cop tightened his grip and brought the blade closer to her throat, Duke slowed his steps. Knowing he needed to be close if he was going to be able to get Bryn away from this guy, Duke still kept moving toward them at a slow pace. “Look, man, just let her go. You can walk away, just don’t hurt her.”

  “She’s going to do what I told her,” the cop said, his eyes shifting back and forth to where Des was located. Duke wasn’t sure how close Des had managed to get, but he wasn’t about to take his eyes off of this guy. The guy took a step back, dragging Bryn with him. Duke tightened his fingers into a fist to prevent himself from doing anything stupid. “You boys just turn and walk away.”

  “Do you really think we’re just going to let you take Bryn?” Duke asked, taking another step closer. He was now around ten feet away. “You’re obviously not a cop, so you need to think about this. There are two of us, and one of you. We’re willing to let you go, as long as you release Bryn—unharmed.”

  The cop, who was blatantly not an officer of the law if his getup was anything to go by, whispered something in Bryn’s ear. Whatever was said happened to be enough for her to lose all color in her face. Duke felt his chest tighten with panic at the thought of this guy hurting Bryn. He knew something had to be done and quick.

  “Bryn and I have come to an understanding,” the man said, taking another step back. Duke didn’t like the fact that this man’s vehicle was roughly three steps behind them or that he rolled Bryn’s name off of his tongue like she was his lover. If he was to get Bryn in the car, they might not be able to save her in time. “Tell them, Bryn. Tell them what I will do if they don’t let us leave here.”

  “D–Duke, he s–says he’s g–going to slash my throat and then kill you,” Bryn replied. “Just l–let us go and no one has to g–get hurt.”

  Duke could see she meant every word of that last sentence. For as scared as Bryn probably was, she was more concerned for their safety. If the three hours they had spent together hadn’t given him an inkling on who she was as a person, this certainly did. She deserved a spanking for that. Their woman was to never put their life before hers. There wasn’t a chance in hell that he was letting her go with this psychopath.

  “Well, Bryn, as much as I’m in agreement with you about no one getting hurt, I can’t let him take you,” Duke replied, finally catching a glimpse of Des off to his right. He set his sights back on the man holding Bryn. “So what’s it going to be? Are you going to let Bryn go and leave? Or are we going to have a problem on our hands?”

  “I think we already have a problem here, Duke,” Bryn whispered, her fear being replaced with a little bit of fire as she spit out his name. It was nice to see. Duke couldn’t stand the thought of her being scared. “Just turn around and go. I’ll be fine.”

  “We both know that isn’t true, Bryn,” Duke said, taking a step closer in hopes of being able to reach the guy before he hurt her in any way. “If he forces you into that car, we all know what the outcome is going to be. That’s not an option.”

  “Duke, for God’s sake, will you just go?” Duke could see that Bryn had regained her composure and also her Nervous Nellie nature. One of her hands had latched onto the man’s arm, as if she were trying to keep the sharp edge from cutting into her further. “Can you not see the knife to my throat? I don’t think he’s joking when he says he’ll kill me if you try to stop us from leaving. And you know what, Duke? If I get an extra hour to live at this point, I’d be happy. On top of that, at least I’d know that you and Des hadn’t gotten hurt because of me. So will you please just do what the hell he says and go away!”

  Des had taken a couple steps toward Bryn, which had caused the cop to shift his attention away from Duke. Bryn’s rambling only added to the diversion. The distraction was exactly what Duke had been looking for as he lunged for Bryn, making sure his fingers closed over the cop’s arm at the same time he grabbed her. Using all of his strength, Duke pulled in different directions, managing to throw Bryn to the side without her sustaining a cut to the throat. Duke knew that Des would get her to safety and that he would be able to concentrate solely on this scumbag.

  “Nooo,” the cop screamed, surprising Duke with his strength.

  “Duke!” Bryn screamed.

  Upon first sight, the black uniform made the man look thin. When Duke’s fist made contact with the cop’s abdomen, he reassessed his evaluation. It was like hitting steel. The man’s hand wrapped around Duke’s throat, catching him off guard. Not one to give up, Duke readjusted his aim and went for an undercut toward the side. The man grunted as Duke’s strike landed again.

  “Des, do something!” Bryn yelled out.

  Using his height and weight, Duke rushed the guy, but in the momentum, his grip loosened on the man’s arm. They were close to the man’s vehicle, and Duke knew that if he could get him trapped against the metal, Duke would stand a better chance at having the upper hand. He knew that the cop was going to attack with his weapon, so Duke took his leg and wrapped it around the man’s knee, hoping to unbalance the cop. It worked, but not exactly how Duke had planned. They both ended up on the ground, with Duke on top.

  The pain was excruciating. It felt as if someone had taken a cattle prod and rammed it into his upper body. The pain radiated from his left shoulder to every single pain nerve in his chest. Breathing became difficult, but Duke knew that if he let go, the man would only stab him again.

  “She listens to me,” the man whispered in his ear, right before he twisted the handle on the knife. Duke’s vision faded as agony tore through his muscles. “I’m patient though. She’ll be mine.”

  The man pushed Duke off to the side, leaving the knife wedged into his muscle mass. A
ltercations in movies seem to take forever, but this had taken less than thirty seconds. Duke saw him scramble for the passenger door of his car, managing to open it and climb inside. He saw Des reach the car and have his hand on the handle when the man revved the engine and quickly backed up.

  “Duke, oh my God, Duke!”

  Bryn fell to her knees beside him on the street, holding up her hands in a way that suggested she wasn’t sure if she should touch him. He wanted to say it was okay, that he would do anything to have her hands on him, but no words came out. Duke focused on the droplet of blood that had run down her neck, leaving a path of red in its wake. The son of a bitch had cut her—and Duke had let him get away.

  Chapter Four

  “They got Duke’s statement about this guy’s threat to come back after her. What more do they want?”

  Bryn had never been so tired in her life. It was going on two in the morning, and they had been at the hospital for over four hours. Between being interviewed by Sheriff Whittington and the state police, Bryn wasn’t sure if she still had a voice. She’d gone over her statement three times, along with Des. She knew they had spoken to Duke before his surgery, but he was now asleep and recovering. All she wanted to do was go be with him. It was her fault that he was in this predicament to begin with.

  The terror that shot through Bryn when she realized that Duke had been hurt had come out of nowhere. How could three hours in someone’s presence make them so important to her that she wished she could trade places with them? When Bryn thought that her abductor was going to put her in his car and drive off, Des and Duke had appeared like white knights ready to do battle. After hearing what the fake cope whispered in her ear, Bryn had wanted to scream at them to put away their imaginary swords and run. His words rang through her head as she heard his voice in her mind: If they try to stop me, I’ll not only slash your throat wide open, I’ll kill them, too. Now do as I tell you and make them go away. Bryn had warned them, trying to get them to do as he said, but Duke and Des hadn’t listened. She tried to focus on the conversation Des was having with Sheriff Whittington.