The Strand Brothers Series: Complete Set

by Lora Ann

  How or why Mr. Strand had been inside is, yet, another mystery to solve. Meanwhile, his girlfriend, Ms. Lacey Kincaid, is resting from severe smoke inhalation at the local hospital where Even has been taken as well. We have no further report on their injuries or just how Ms. Kincaid found him in time. What we do know is that Lacey Kincaid has been deemed a hero. She not only pulled her boyfriend from a fatal fire, but she also helped locate and rescue her sister, Keeley Kincaid and Mrs. Aimee Strand. Both women had been reported as a missing person.

  We will keep you informed as these cases continue to unfold.

  With my name associated, my hands were tied. To my benefit, I could honestly say, I didn’t know why Even and Lacey had been at my home. While I had tried my best to make sure Ms. Kincaid did not survive the fire or locate Mr. Strand, I could let the investigation play out—which would reveal faulty wiring. Therefore, no one would be blamed and no arson charges would be filed. Bottom line, the mansion would be rebuilt according to the historical guidelines and then I would donate it to the county for tourism. Once again, I appeared to my constituents as a man/senator who cares. Pffft, now that was humorous. Yet I acknowledged when it was best to represent my great state. The phone rang, pulling me from my reverie.

  My representative suggested I cover Mr. Strand’s and Ms. Kincaid’s hospital bills as a show of concern. I had to agree with her, it was what was best for the situation. Although, helping any Strand brother made my blood boil. I needed another prostitute, quickly. With Joe out of the picture and Viv out of commission, I had no one to procure one for me. I decided to make a call to a judge friend of mine and obtain a plaything for the evening.

  *****

  Good Lord, the evening had been far beyond my expectations. As a matter of fact, I now had that sweet little thing on my payroll. Yes, she would prove to be quite an asset. I stepped into the blazing heat of the shower and watched her blood pool at my feet. The ruminations of all I had done to her body had my cock growing hard and eager. I smiled as I visualized all the things I planned to do to her, all the while fisting myself until I released onto the shower wall.

  Once I was dressed, I went in to check on Viviane. I stared down at her wondering who I would replace her with. Quite frankly, I had no desire to retrain someone for her position, and I hoped she wouldn’t decide to leave after she learned of Joe’s untimely death. I pivoted to exit the guestroom when I heard her moan, “No. Joe, please come back.”

  Well, I suppose she did know what had happened to him. I leaned down and shook her. “Wake up, Viv.”

  Her eyes fluttered as her hands came up to rest on mine. I pulled back out of her grasp. In all the years I had known her, we had never once had sex. I had punished her for her disobedience a time or two, but again, I never “played” with her. She was an employee, not my toy. There was a difference. Add to that, she was also my business partner; though, I stayed silent on that side of things. Only she and Joe knew of my involvement, no one else was privy to such information. Plus there was no paper trail identifying me, either. It was the perfect setup, which gave me power over many influential men in Washington and my home state of California. I could rest assured that if any of them got out of line, I would ruin them: financially, legally, and personally. Yes…power was a heady thing.

  She attempted to sit up, and I reached forward to assist her. “I need some water,” she croaked out.

  I poured her a glass and handed it over as I sat on the edge of the bed. “Tell me what happened, Viv.”

  “Last thing I remember, we had returned from delivering those girls. Things get rather fuzzy from there.” She cleared her throat and continued, “Joe had said something about Aimee missing and he was going to the tunnels to find her.”

  At this piece of information, I bolted to my feet. “How the hell did she get out of her restraints?”

  Viv shook her head, “I don’t know, sir.”

  “Go on,” I ordered.

  “Well…I went to check on the kid and noticed she was gone, too.”

  “WHAT?!” I roared, which caused her to shrink back against the headboard. I motioned for her to continue as I kept my anger in check.

  She looked up at me through her eyelashes and admitted, “Keeley was gone as well.”

  This time I only nodded, acknowledging that my rage would only frighten her.

  She added, “By the time I realized there was an escape taking place, Joe was long gone. Once I reached the tunnels, I heard a gunshot and voices. So I couldn’t very well approach them. I lay low for quite some time until I felt the coast was clear. Then, I found him,” she sobbed.

  I handed her a box of tissues. “After that?”

  “The cave-in happened. Where we were wasn’t so bad, but I went to check on Joe anyhow. He’d been dead the entire time.” Her wailing was uncontrollable, so I went into the hallway and paced for a while.

  She eventually joined me. “Sorry.”

  “There’s no need to apologize,” I confirmed. “What happened next?”

  “As I was turning to leave Joe, a man came around the corner. He was wounded, but just how bad I couldn’t tell in the dull light. I offered to help him. So we came back to the mansion. I made sure we avoided your ‘play area’ as well as the infirmary.” She walked towards the living room and I followed close behind.

  “Did you ever exchange names?”

  “No. Once I sat him down in the kitchen, I took a good look at his wounds. He had asked me if I knew Joe. I didn’t lie to him. I knew he was too weak to harm me, but, to make sure, I grabbed a syringe full of sedative and plunged it in his neck before he could stop me. It took him down quickly. Then you showed up.”

  “You did well, Viviane.”

  She looked back at me and stated, “You gave me a sedative as well.”

  “Yes, I did.”

  She nodded. “No witnesses.”

  I smirked, “Exactly.”

  “What happened to the man?”

  “He survived.”

  “Oh, no,” she gasped.

  She had just comprehended that he could identify her. “Don’t worry about it,” I reassured. “I’ll keep you hidden. And then when things calm down, I’ll move you to our overseas operation.”

  “Probably best…since I have no one here anymore.” Her voice was ladened with sorrow.

  Once again, I questioned just how viable she would be without Joe. Only time would tell. If she became a weak link, I would get rid of her. My, my, the list of loose ends continued to grow. I had some Strand brothers to contend with, plus, Aimee, Keeley, and now little Ari. How best to handle all of them would take time and careful planning…I could wait. The perfect opportunity would present itself once a tentative plan was set up. First order of business, was to find a new right-hand man. And I was pretty sure the judge would fill those shoes very nicely. Especially after I revealed all he would lose if he refused. I actually laughed as I walked towards my study to begin my plot to take down my enemies. Oh what a glorious day that would be when they were no longer breathing. I rubbed my hands together and darkly chuckled. In the back of my mind, Rachel and Marissa embraced while they hid from me.

  “It’s all right, my lovelies. All will be well soon,” I avowed.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  E

  With a start, I bolted upright. Quickly cursing the abrupt action as pain shot through my body. The fuck? Where the hell am I? A scan of my surroundings gave me my answer: hospital. Shit. I searched my memory for some sort of clue as to how I had gotten here. Last thing I could recall was a large kitchen and a brunette checking me over, as if she had a trained medical eye. I reached deep into the recesses of my mind but couldn’t place her. The other thoughts haunting me were of the cave-in. Dammit. Did Lacey make it out of there safely? What about Aimee? How about the others? I did not have time to lie here. Movement and answers were a necessity.

  As I glanced over, I saw the IV in my arm. With a sudden jerk, it was disconnected. I swung
my legs over the side, and that was when I saw the damage done to my leg. Nasty looking stitches greeted me while I leaned forward to inspect things closer. Then I realized my arm wasn’t doing what I commanded it to do. What the hell? The unwelcoming cast conveyed what I needed to know. Vaguely I recalled breaking it in those damnable mine shafts. Just as I began to rise to my feet, a nurse rushed in.

  “What are you doing?” she asked firmly.

  “Leaving,” I stated the obvious.

  “Uh…no, you’re not.”

  “Look, lady, I’m leaving this fucking hospital whether you like it or not. So move. Or I’ll move you.”

  Her hands were on her hips and indignation was written all over her face. I didn’t give a flying fuck if I had offended her, or if I was breaking some kind of policy. I took a step towards the door, but wobbled suddenly. She reached forward to steady me with an “I told you so” look in her eyes. Okay, so I didn’t have my sea legs—so to speak—yet. That could be remedied. Attempting again to walk with her assistance, (not a manly feeling, let me tell you) I stumbled more times than I wanted. Eventually we made it across the room, and that was when I felt the cold draft across my ass. Ah, shit, I was in one of those gown things that opened in the back. I peered over my shoulder, and, sure enough, my ass was hanging out for all to see. “Do I have any clothes?”

  “That’d be a no,” she answered.

  “Possibly a robe?”

  She placed my hand on the wall for stability and went to a tiny closet in the room. A few seconds later she returned with a piece of material, in which she did her best to wrap around me for modesty’s sake. Really! What purpose did this stupid piece of cloth serve? I could’ve cared less who got a gander at my goods. My focus was on finding Lacey and obtaining answers. Everything else could go fuck itself. “That’s the best I can do,” she announced.

  “Fair enough,” I conceded with a frustrated huff. “Let’s go.”

  Just as she resumed her position on the side with my good arm, the door flew open. Luckily, we weren’t in its flight pattern. There in the doorway stood my bright, shining light. She truly was my angel. “Lacey,” I drawled.

  When she stepped into me and wrapped her arms around me, tighter than was comfortable, she whispered, “Hi,” against my lips.

  The clearing of a throat brought our attention to the audience standing there with us. The nurse that had been assisting me politely said, “I’ll leave you two alone.” With that she made her exit.

  Before the door even finished closing, I took Lacey’s mouth with mine in a heated kiss. God, I had missed her. We were once again interrupted as my brothers soon crowded into the room. “Knock that shit off, man,” Nik’s raspy voice boomed as he clapped my shoulder.

  I continued to hold my girl tight as I replied, “fuck you,” with no heat.

  His head fell back as he chuckled deeply. “Yeah, you’re going to be alright.”

  “You doubted?” I asked with mock horror.

  “Never, little brother,” he acknowledged.

  I noticed Alex wasn’t chiming in with our banter. So I turned my focus on him. “Alex. You doin’ okay?”

  He shot me a distracted look while Lacey replied, “Ari’s not doing well.”

  Took me a beat to recognize the name. Ah hell, that was the teenager who had been in the tunnel with us. I remembered her running a high fever. “Do they know what’s wrong?”

  “Blood poisoning,” Alex answered distractedly.

  What the hell was wrong with my brother? I mean, yeah, it sucked that the kid was sick. Still, his reaction to it was strange, as if he had some form of vested interest in her well-being. I glanced over at Nik and inquired, “What’s goin’ on?”

  Lacey responded, “She needed blood and Alex was a match.”

  Alright, that really shouldn’t have made the hairs on the back of my neck stand at attention. Thing was, Alex had a rare blood type, as in AB-. While I suppose there are plenty of others walking around with it, something seemed odd about it—like somehow we were missing an important connection. Why is that? Lacey added, “She’s also battling a nasty bladder infection along with injuries from a beating.”

  “Whoa! Back that train up. Beating?”

  “Yep. Apparently someone beat up on the girl for kicks and giggles,” Nik filled in.

  “Fuck me.”

  Alex spun around. “I should go check on her. It’s been a while.”

  Man, his voice was so forlorn even I struggled with the emotions it invoked. Damn. He was beyond distraught over this. “What can I do, brother?”

  As he exited the room, he called, “pray,” over his shoulder. Now, under normal circumstances I would’ve scoffed at such a suggestion, but after all we had been through recently, I wouldn’t dare. I was beginning to think those I loved most might be right about ‘the man upstairs.’ As if divine intervention heard my thoughts, Nik chimed in, “Alex has never handled it well when someone is sick.” Shifting gears, he gave a pointed look at Lacey. “You better tell him”—he inclined his head towards me for emphasis on ‘him’—“what you did.”

  Her eyes widened as she shook her head.

  “Fine,” Nik replied. “I will.”

  “No. Wait,” she pleaded with him.

  “You both better start filling me in,” I said matter-of-factly as I held eye contact with Lacey.

  Her actions belied her words. It was obvious she didn’t want to tell me whatever had happened. “It doesn’t change anything,” she snorted.

  “The hell it doesn’t,” Nik growled.

  My hackles rose at that. How dare he speak to my woman that way. My fist doubled up of its own accord. Nik actually grinned when he saw it while walking towards the door. “I’ll let you two talk.”

  Once we were alone, I shuffled back to the bed and pulled Lacey down with me. “Tell me what, sweetness?”

  She drew lazy circles on my chest. When I placed my finger under her chin and lifted, she was biting her lip in consternation. For whatever reason, the sound on the TV chose that moment to blare throughout the room. My attention went to the screen as I watched a fiery inferno. The ticker running under the footage told me what it was and whom it belonged to. Interesting development. Reynolds’ mansion had caught on fire. Then earlier photos appeared on the screen. There, in a blaze of glory, was my Lacey, and—oh shit—an unconscious me with her. My brow quirked as I studied her face. “‘Lucy,’” I said in my best Ricky Ricardo impersonation, “‘You got some ‘splainin to do.’”

  “Like what?” she attempted to avoid the elephant in the room.

  “You rescued me from that fire,” I stated with not a little awe. My God, she saved my life!

  With a hard swallow, she murmured, “Yes.”

  I gave a slight tug, bringing her lips to mine and proceeding to worship her. I wanted nothing more than to lay her down and continue to show her my gratitude, but we were interrupted once more.

  Aimee entered the room with a grin on her face.

  I looked over and greeted, “Hello, sister dear.”

  “Hi. Glad to see you’re finally awake.”

  I couldn’t help but notice her throat still sounded raw. I was going to ask about that when something she’d said caught my attention. I felt my brows scrunched together in confusion. “How long have I been out?”

  A knowing look passed between Lacey and her before she answered, “About two days.”

  “Give or take an hour or so,” Lacey added as she stroked the scruff on my jaw.

  “Are you fuckin’ with me?” The astonishment caused my voice to crack. Nice, I sounded like a damn pubescent.

  “I wish I could joke about that,” Aimee said staidly.

  Well hell, guess she’d been worried about me. “Hey.” I held out my arm with the cast on it. “Come here.” She ambled over to the other side of the bed and held my fingers. Wasn’t until that moment I realized I was lucky to have only broken the lower part of my arm. If I recalled the name correct
ly, it was my radius I’d snapped in that mine shaft. I was grateful it was on my left side since I was right hand dominate. Still, something didn’t add up here. A broken arm and a nasty gash on my leg did not render one unconscious for two whole days. I would inquire once I knew Aimee wasn’t too anxious about me. “I’m fine. Really. Stop worrying about me.”

  A frown etched her beautiful, pouty mouth. “I can’t help it. You may be my brother-in-law, but I love you like you were my brother by blood.”

  Ah, she knew how to melt my heart. I tugged her against my chest and gave her the biggest hug I was capable of. When I looked sideways, Lacey’s eyes were glistening. I closed my eyes tight as they filled with tears. I loved these two women with all my heart. They meant the world to me. As I opened my eyes, a tear trekked its way down to the corner of my mouth. Lacey placed a tender kiss against my lips to catch it. I was choked up from all the emotions playing through me. Finally I spoke, “You are my sister. I will never look at you any other way.”

  Aimee leaned up and kissed my cheek. “You are an amazing man. You like to hide that, but we”—she waved her hand back and forth between her and Lacey—“know the truth. You are very loyal, and I am proud to call you my friend.”

  “Fuuuuck,” I blew out to keep from crying like a schoolboy.

  Lacey clasped hands with Aimee over my chest and added, “That’s why I love you so.”

  My breath hitched. It was only the second time she had ever admitted her feelings for me. The first time I thought she only did it out of duress. Aimee didn’t miss a thing as her lips turned up in Cheshire grin. Damn her intuition! If I were Nik, I’d spank her ass for it. Now it was my turn for the shit-eating smile to appear. And wouldn’t you know, my sister followed my train of thought. With a loud smack on my shoulder, she acknowledged, “You are a perv.”

  I waggled my eye brows in response. “That I am, my dear.”