by Becca Van
The meeting had been over for more than half an hour and still Prue hadn’t put in an appearance. Even after having a late night she usually woke up at a fairly early time and it was now quarter to eight. Breakfast had been put back because of the team meeting and even though Thorpe had expected Prue to sleep in, the current time was way past her usual waking hour.
He wondered if she and Yvonne were catching up on girl talk without him or his brothers around. That was another matter. He just couldn’t seem to find it in his heart to like Yvonne. She was totally opposite to Prue. Yvonne Butters was loud and brash and too forward for the likes of him. The way she had come onto Hunt had made him angry and then she had turned her wiles onto Nicole’s men. There was something about her that made his gut instinct kick in but for the life of him he couldn’t work out why. Maybe it was because he and his brothers couldn’t read her and after asking the rest of the team, he’d found out they couldn’t feel any of her emotions either.
Thorpe kept thinking back to that night they had rescued Yvonne from the Japanese Underworld crims. Something was niggling in the back of his mind, but he hadn’t been able to peg down what it was, beside the point that she didn’t fit the MO at all. And the bomb which had detonated just as they had cleared the house screamed of a setup, which the team had already figured out. Obviously Yvonne had been taken so the team could be taken out. They must have pissed those bastards off real bad. Those fuckers had to be getting desperate if the Elite Dragoons were thwarting all their plans and had orders to fill. If money had already changed hands for the women then the clients definitely wouldn’t be happy.
He thought back to the night he and the rest of the team had rescued Yvonne. After Sara and Nicole had escaped from the bastards, Prue had been abducted next. He and his brothers had been the ones to find her in the same bedroom Yvonne had been held in, but she had been naked and tied to the bed. Yvonne hadn’t been. If the perpetrators were worried about another woman escaping, wouldn’t they have made sure that wouldn’t have been possible? Yvonne had still been dressed and huddled against the headboard of the bed. When he’d first seen her, peering around the door of the bedroom before going in, she hadn’t looked frightened at all. His eyes snapped open. If he remembered correctly Yvonne had been smiling at the asshole with the gun and the weapon hadn’t been pointed at her. The asshole had it in his hand down by his side as he tried to peer out the bedroom window.
“Fuck!” Thorpe shoved his chair back so hard it tipped over onto the floor and headed toward the door. “Yvonne is a part of this ring and she’s alone with Prue.”
“Thorpe.” Whit hurried across and grabbed his arm. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Thorpe quickly explained and then looked at his brothers. Both of them had gone very pale, but then they shut down their emotions and that cold hard look came into their eyes. He took a deep breath and pushed his fear aside. If he was right then Prue was in danger and needed them. He led the way to the meeting room, crouched down and pushed the sensor to open up the large hidden cavity that hid all the weapons and ammo. He really wished he had his Kevlar vest but there was nothing for it. Prue came first.
“We need to contact Tony and the Elite Dragoons,” Dalt said after checking a clip and loading his Glock. “We need to tell them what’s going on so they can keep their women and children safe.”
“Prue is—” Adam began but Hay cut him off.
“Yes we need to make sure Prue is safe but if you’re right then those fuckers know where we are. We have to tell Tony. If these assholes start sending in more of their ring we may need back up.”
“Fuck!” Hunt scrubbed a hand over his face and then nodded to him and Adam.
Thorpe waited not so patiently while Dalton called their trainers and Whit called the CO. While he waited he opened his senses and pictured Prue in his mind. He felt nothing and his gut began to churn. Prue was usually so easy to feel and read, even with their mental shields in place. Dread formed a large knot in the pit of his stomach and wouldn’t let go.
He moved closer to Adam and Hunt. “Lower your shields.” His brothers nodded at him. “Can you feel her?” If possible, his brothers paled even more and then gave a slight shake of their heads.
“Okay,” Whit’s voice drew everyone’s attention. “Do you all have your weapons?”
“Affirmative” was the answer all round.
“Thorpe, you and your brothers take point. Dalt, Hay, you stay here with the other women and protect them. The rest of you surround the house. If anything is going down inside we don’t want them getting out.”
With a nod Thorpe ran from the house, Adam and Hunt at his heels. He kept his shield down and knew before they even got to the porch that the house was empty and gave the signal to let everyone know what he felt, but he still went inside just to make sure. After he and his brothers cleared the house, he cursed under his breath and headed outside again.
Thorpe tapped the communication device in his ear. “Look around for prints. We don’t know how long they’ve been gone but since we can’t feel anything coming from Prue I’d have to guess she’s unconscious. That means that Yvonne had to have had help from a male.”
Silence reigned as they searched the ground looking for footprints. Cal’s voice came out loud and clear. “West side of the house. One set of small and another set of large prints, headed toward the south.”
“Shit!” Adam growled before sprinting away. Thorpe and Hunt behind him. The rest of the team converged on the west side and Thorpe looked toward the thick trees in the distance. There was also a fire track through the middle of that bush and if this shit had been planned from the beginning they’d probably had a four wheel drive waiting to make their escape in. If that bitch and her cohort managed to get Prue away without anyone seeing that vehicle it could take them months to track the fuckers down. For all they knew Yvonne wasn’t even using her real name.
Hunt took the lead toward the trees this time with the rest of them following. It was harder going once they hit the forest because of the thick vegetation on the ground, but every now and then there were signs of humanity. Like the imprint of the toe of a shoe in the dirt or a broken sapling or scuffed foliage on the ground.
He held up his hand when he heard a noise in the distance and knew they were getting close to Prue and Yvonne. He made a circling motion with his finger telling his teammates to spread out, hoping they could surround the assholes who had abducted his woman. When he heard the rotor blades of a helicopter he knew they had to move now. Even though he’d heard them with his enhanced hearing they were still about a mile away from those bastards. Hunt tapped the small button on the back of his earring and spoke to the rest of the team. “We have to move in now. There’s a helicopter coming.”
He, Thorpe, and Adam plunged ahead. Rushing around the tree trunks, jumping over fallen logs and large branches strewn about the forest floor. The helicopter was a lot closer than he had first thought and he put on another burst of speed. When they came into the clearing he froze. A large Japanese man looked up at them as he finished hooking himself into a harness. Yvonne was squatting on the ground with a gun to Prue’s head. She was lying on the ground unconscious.
“Hold your fire. I don’t want any of you putting our woman in danger,” Hunt whispered, knowing his teammates would hear him loud and clear. The asshole in the harness was being lifted up into the helicopter and he growled with frustration. He wondered how they were going to get Prue and Yvonne up there since Prue was unconscious. If Yvonne moved away from Prue she wouldn’t have an advantage anymore.
Hunt looked up at the chopper as the big Japanese man was pulled into it and disappeared. He had his answer a moment later. A gunshot echoed loudly through the air and Yvonne jerked and slumped over the top of Prue. The helicopter was already moving away and his teammates opened fire, but they were too late. That gunshot had distracted them enough to give the pilot of the copter an advantage and as far as he could tell non
e of their gunfire had hit the helicopter.
Hunt raced over to Prue, hauled the now dead Yvonne off of his woman and knelt down next to her. He ran his hands up and down her body, checking her for injuries, and sighed with relief when he couldn’t find any. After securing his weapon he gently scooped her up into his arms and faced his brothers who were staring worriedly at Prue.
“As far as I can tell she’s fine, but we need to get her back to the house so Dalton can check her over.”
Whit walked up to Hunt and looked down at Prue. “Is she okay?”
“I think so. Her heartbeat is strong and she doesn’t seem to have any injuries, but she won’t wake up.”
Whit nodded. “We’ll clean up here. Get her back to the house to Dalton. Maybe they drugged her.”
“Thanks,” Hunt replied around the lump in his throat and took off toward the house. He moved as fast as he could without jostling Prue just in case she had injuries he couldn’t see. It hadn’t take that long to get back but since he was very concerned for Prue’s health it felt like hours had past.
Thorpe rushed around him and up the steps to the verandah then held the door open. Hunt rushed inside calling for Dalton. “Dalt, we need you in the infirmary now. We think Prue has been drugged.”
Sara, May, Nicole, Dalton, and Hay came rushing from the kitchen to the living room. “Is she hurt? Did anyone get hurt?” Sara covered her mouth and tears filled her eyes.
“No,” Adam answered. “Everyone is fine.”
“Thank God,” Nicole whispered.
“Follow me.” Dalt headed toward the infirmary room and Hunt rushed after him. He felt the floorboards beneath his feet vibrating and knew his brothers followed. After carefully laying Prue down onto the exam table he and his brothers removed Prue’s outer layer of clothes. They checked her over for any other injuries. He sighed with relief when he couldn’t find any. Hunt covered her with a cotton blanket and then stepped back and let Dalton examine Prue. He took her blood pressure, listened to her heart and took her temperature with a digital ear thermometer. Then he swabbed her inner elbow and took some of her blood.
Hunt could see by his brothers’ faces that they were just as worried about Prue as he was. The fact that she hadn’t even looked like waking up scared the shit out of him. A knot of fear was lodged in his chest and he was having trouble swallowing.
Dalt was at the counter and was analyzing Prue’s blood. Until he knew what she was given and knew if she would have any adverse effects he wouldn’t be able to relax. Dalt finally looked up after ten minutes and turned to face them. “You can relax. She was given some morphine and from what I can tell she wasn’t overdosed. Every person reacts to drugs differently, so she may sleep for quite a while yet. Even though I know you probably want to take her home to your own bed, I think having her here until she wakes up will be safer.”
“What do you mean?” Adam asked before Hunt could.
“Do any of you know if she’d allergic to any type of drugs?” Dalt asked.
“No,” Hunt answered.
“If she’s allergic to morphine she could wake up sick or aggressive. I want to be on hand when she comes around.”
Hunt nodded and grabbed a chair from near the wall by the door. He lifted it and carried it over to the bed and sat down next to Prue. His brothers each snagged a chair of their own and did the same. Thorpe took one of her hands in his and Hunt took the other. Adam placed his hand on her shin and softly rubbed her leg.
Sara, Nicole, May, and Hay came in from time to time to check on Prue, but after a couple of hours had passed, Hunt was becoming real worried. Even though Dalt assured him and his brothers that she was fine, he wouldn’t stop feeling anxious until he could see her beautiful blue eyes.
Hunt heard a slight change in her breathing and turned to watch her face. All of a sudden her eyes popped open and she gasped for breath and bolted upright. Prue looked around the room fearfully and when she connected eyes with him she began to cry.
“That fucking bitch,” Prue sobbed and hiccupped.
Hunt could feel the pain rolling off her in waves and couldn’t stand not having her in his arms. He nodded at Thorpe who quickly released her hand and he stood up and scooped her up into his arms, blanket and all. Prue wrapped her arms around his neck, buried her face into him and cried her heart out.
“You’re safe, honey. Shh, no one will ever hurt you again.”
Adam and Thorpe walked around the exam bed and rubbed her arms and back, offering her comfort. Finally her tears slowed and the occasional shudder wracked her body. Hunt sat down on the chair, placed her on his lap and pulled her in tight against his body.
Prue finally sat up and wiped her face with her hands. “Yvonne…”
“We know, baby.” Thorpe was squatting down in front of Hunt’s knees and rubbed her upper back in soothing circles. Adam took hold of one of her hands.
“Billy was in on it too.”
“Is that Yvonne’s boyfriend?” Thorpe asked.
“Yeah. Billy Kimura. I had no idea…”
“Shh, sweetie. It’s over now.”
“Did you get them?” Prue asked.
Hunt didn’t want to tell Prue that Billy had gotten away or that he’d shot Yvonne, but he couldn’t keep it from her. She deserved to know the truth. So he began to explain and it tore him up inside that she began to cry again. He figured she was crying with grief for her supposed friend and also for being taken for a ride. He sighed with relief when Prue stopped crying again and snuggled up to his chest. When he felt her body relax even more he knew she had fallen asleep and as much as he wanted to carry her back home to bed where she would be more comfortable, he needed her in his arms more.
The door to the infirmary opened and Whit poked his head in. When he saw that Prue was asleep, he came further into the room and shut the door. Whit spoke quietly so as not to wake Prue. “The Belcourt sheriff and coroner have finished taking our statements and taken Yvonne’s body away. I’ve already contacted Tony and Ty gave him a description of that asshole, but unless we have something else to go on he’s going to get away scot-free after trying to abduct Prue.”
“His name is Billy Kimura,” Thorpe said. “At least that’s what Prue said, but I’d bet my last dollar he wasn’t using his real name.”
“Yeah,” Whit sighed, “me too. We’re just going to have to hope that whatever reporter Tony has contacted can give our CO more information. Until then we are sitting ducks out here. Those Japanese Underworld fuckers probably know where we are.”
“Shit.” Adam scrubbed a hand over his face. “We’d already figured that out. We’ll have to let the Elite Dragons know to be more vigilant now that we’ve been had.”
“They already know.” Whit leaned against the wall. “I called them before coming in here.”
“Good.” Thorpe rose from his crouch and stroked a finger down Prue’s face. “We’re all going to have to be on our toes where our women are concerned. Until we have taken down every one of those fucker’s none of us can relax.”
“I’ll let everyone know as soon as Tony finds out anything.” Whit walked toward the door again. “Take care of your woman.”
“Oh, we intend to,” Hunt replied and then stood, taking care not to jostle Prue so she would stay asleep. He carried her back to their house and once she was comfortable in bed, he and his brothers stripped off and climbed in with her.
Hunt wouldn’t be able to relax until all the assholes in the Japanese Underworld were incarcerated and all the bastards working for them were locked up.
He just hoped they could wrap up the sex slave ring soon.
Chapter Twelve
Prue woke up surrounded by hot, hard male bodies with the sun streaming in around the curtains hanging over the window. She sighed and stretched and when she opened her eyes she found all three of her men watching her.
Thorpe had a pair of jeans on and was sitting on the end of the bed with two cups of coffee in his hands. Adam a
nd Hunt were lying on the bed beside her.
“How are you feeling, baby?” Thorpe handed over a mug after Prue was sitting up in bed resting against a pillow between her and the headboard.
“Good. Thanks,” she sighed and took the mug Thorpe handed to her.
After taking a few sips she began to feel more awake. “How long was I asleep?”
“You slept all afternoon and night, sweetie.” Adam shifted on the bed until he was sitting up beside her. Hunt did the same.
“Have you found out where Billy is?”
“No,” Thorpe answered. “We think he’s using an alias.”
Prue nodded. “Makes sense, I guess. Do you ever think this will be over?”
“Yeah,” Hunt answered and took her free hand in his. “We won’t give up until we’ve taken down every one of those assholes, honey.”
Prue passed her now empty coffee cup over to Adam. “I need a shower. Is it too late for breakfast? I’m kinda hungry.”
Thorpe stood up and took the cup from Adam. “Yes but why don’t you let Hunt help you in the shower while Adam and I make you some.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
Hunt got out of bed and her breath hitched in her throat when she saw that he was naked. Her areola’s tightened and her nipples hardened. Hunt smiled at her and held out his hand. She took it and got off the bed and couldn’t help but look at his lengthening, hardening penis. All her men were so muscular and handsome and she loved them with her whole heart. She was looking forward to spending the rest of her life by their sides.
Hunt drew her into the bathroom and, after making sure the water was a good temperature, guided her into the shower. When she picked up the sponge and applied some shower gel to it Hunt took it from her hand.
“Let me, honey. I love taking care of you.”
