Steffen wheels, weapon aloft, when a door down the trailer’s hallway opens and Boone steps out, hands in the air. “Just me! Lucien, get back here!” he says and disappears back into the bedroom.
I step into the room and all the air leaves my lungs. Boone is working as fast as he can to get her loose. Rayanna’s naked and tied to eye bolts in the wall, standing there in a puddle of her own waste, and she’s crying so hard she can’t even see me. “Precious! I’m here!” I cry out and head straight for her at the exact moment Boone cuts through the second binding and she falls forward.
I catch her in my arms and everything is right. For that brief moment in time, I feel like the luckiest son of a bitch on the planet. We found her. We saved her. She’s alive. “You okay, baby?”
“Lucien! Oh, god, Lucien, I didn’t think I’d ever see you again!” She’s sobbing and shaking, and I feel something, only to find Boone’s grabbed a sheet and is wrapping it around her to cover her up. “Where’s Carly?”
“She’s with Brian, a Seattle detective, and the FBI. She’s safe.”
“Reagan was the only family I had, Lucien, and she betrayed me. She paid Connor to take me and kill me. Who does that, sir? Who does something that horrible?”
“No one I know, baby. Let’s get you out of here.”
“Where’s Connor?”
Boone chuckles. “Clint’s got him out back. I’m not sure he’s still alive.”
“I hope he kills the bastard.”
“Nope. I don’t want Clint going to jail, but I do want to make sure Bacchus never gets out again,” I tell her and kiss her cheek. She’s filthy and smelly, but she’s alive. “Did he hurt you?”
“Nothing that won’t heal,” she whispers. “Oh, god, Lucien, do you still want me?”
“More than ever, baby,” I whisper back. “More than ever.”
* * *
“She’s got bumps and bruises, some vaginal contusions, and a small rectal tear, but nothing that won’t heal with time and antibiotics,” the doctor tells me in the waiting area of the hospital in Yakima. “You know we have to report this.”
Two men in black suits step through the waiting room doors and make a beeline toward me. “Mr. Pelletier?”
“Yes?”
“I’m Agent Hamlin and this is Agent Boyer. FBI. Could you come with us, please?” The doctor’s mouth drops. “Only for a few minutes, doctor.”
“Oh, yes, quite all right,” the older physician says and disappears down the hallway. Report it my ass. I think there’s plenty of reporting going on around here.
When we step out the front doors, they turn to me. “We’ve got the sister, brother-in-law, deputy jailer from King County, and the suspect’s father in custody.”
“Good. Anybody talking?”
“Everybody’s talking. They’re all blaming it on each other.”
“None of that matters. I’ll let you guys sort that out,” I say, just relieved that everybody’s in custody.
“Could we speak with Miss Hardesty for a few minutes?”
“I think that would be fine. She’s sleeping, but not soundly. She’s probably freaking out because I’m not in there.”
But she’s not. Boone and Dave are entertaining her when we get to her room. She pats Boone’s arm when I walk through the door and smiles. “My hero.”
“Nah. I just wanted you to come home. I’d miss you if you were gone,” he says and kisses her forehead, and in that simple gesture I see the Dominant who stole Melina’s heart. He’s a genuinely great guy. “Besides, Lucien was moping around like he’d lost his best friend,” Boone adds with a wink.
“I had. Precious, these are FBI agents and they want to talk to you for a minute, if that’s okay?”
“Did I do something wrong?”
“No, ma’am,” Boyer says. “You’re the kidnapping victim of an escaped prisoner, so we had to get involved. By the way, gentlemen, we’ve got a mess to clean up with the Kittitas city school system, but at least they now know their security is piss-poor at best.”
“No shit,” I say with a laugh. “It couldn’t have been easier to grab Carly.”
“And she’s safe?”
Agent Hamlin nods. “She’s with …” he says, and checks his notepad. “Olivia Adams?”
“My wife,” Dave says and grins.
“She’s in good hands,” Rayanna whispers and a tear rolls down her cheek.
“Certainly seemed to be when we left, and she was happily playing with the cutest baby I’ve ever seen,” Boyer says with a grin.
“Nadine. She’s mine,” Dave says, beaming.
“Yours?”
“Yeah. Got a late start,” he says and both agents laugh.
“So if we could talk to you for a couple of minutes, Miss Hardesty?”
“We’ll be right outside, babe,” I tell her and we all file out.
They’re gone in about ten minutes with handshakes all around and a warning not to take the law into our own hands again. I hope we never have to, but I know one thing for sure now.
If anything like this ever happens again, I want this crew with me. I’ve never felt such comradery in my life. I’ve grown to love Brian, but I know something now that makes me smile.
I have four other brothers, and they stood by me to the bitter end.
* * *
“But I want to stay and play with Carly!”
“We have to go, son. But you’ll be back in a few days.”
“Will she still be here when I come back?”
Marie looks at Boone, who looks at me. “I’m not sure, but you’ll see her again, I promise,” I tell Baker, Boone’s little boy.
He hangs his little head and mopes toward the door. “Okay. Bye, Carly.”
“Bye, Baker. I love you.”
“I love you too. You’re my girlfriend,” he says with a grin when he reaches for the doorknob.
“And so it starts,” Marie says and rolls her eyes while Boone and I laugh.
“Yep. They start young these days. Bye, hon. See you guys in a few days,” Boone says as he sees Marie and Baker out the door. After Baker’s illness and all that happened to Melina, Boone and Marie managed to patch up their relationship to be at least friendly with each other. It’s been so much better for all of them, but especially for Baker.
When Boone turns away from the door and heads back in, I say, “Look, I just want you to know how much I appreciate you letting us stay here.”
“Think nothing of it. We enjoy having you guys around, and I can see why Rayanna would feel a little more secure here, although I don’t think she’ll ever have to worry about that asshole again.”
“We didn’t think we’d have to worry about him before,” I point out.
“I think so many people got their asses in a sling over this that it’s over. He’s going to federal prison and so are most of the people involved in this. Smooth sailing, my friend―smooth sailing from here on out.”
“I hope so.” As we step back into their den, I can see Rayanna sitting outside by the pool, the late afternoon sun on her hair. She’s still got a few yellow bruises and some scratches and scrapes, but she’s doing pretty well, all things considered. When I step through the big glass French doors, she turns and smiles. “Hey! Look at you!”
“Hi.” When I bend down and kiss her, those soft fingertips stroke my face and my heart leaps in my chest. I came so close to never feeling her touch again that I’ll never take it for granted. “Baker gone?”
“Yeah. He and Carly professed their love for each other as he was leaving, so I think we have a romance on our hands.”
She laughs and rolls her eyes. “Oh, boy. That’s all we need.”
“Yeah. No shit. Mind if I sit down?”
“Go right ahead.” When I sit on the end of her chaise, she stretches her legs out and drops her feet in my lap. Of course, I immediately start to rub them. It’s not like I don’t know what she wants.
“I wanted to talk to you about som
ething.”
She tips her head a little. “Okay.”
“The house I was looking at before all this happened has been sold.”
“Oh no! And you liked it too,” she says, a frown on that beautiful face.
“You know, it’s okay. I realized that’s something we should do together, look for a house. And maybe involve Carly.”
“Okay. So we’re going to live there too?” she asks.
“Dear god, woman, do you think I went through all that to get you back and then tell you, ‘All right then, see ya. Been nice knowin’ ya’? Seriously?” She giggles. “I was thinking we should find a nice house, not tiny but not huge, with a nice yard.”
“Yeah. A nice yard,” she says, her eyes dreamy.
“A good-sized yard. Not a huge yard.”
“No, but big enough for Carly to play.”
“Yeah, and maybe have a dog.”
“That would be nice.”
“You know, something big enough to have picnics. And parties. And a wedding.”
One eyebrow quirks up and she grins. “A wedding? And who is getting married?”
“I don’t know. Some woman and some man. She calls him sir sometimes. He calls her Precious a lot. You know those people?”
“Yeah. I do. They’re pretty nice folks, or so I’ve been told,” she says and reaches for my hand. “You really want to do that? Marry me?”
“No. But I don’t know what else to do with you. I mean, you’re not good for a whole lot else except being my wife.” That makes her laugh. “But let’s be serious here. Carly needs a stable home. And I need you. Do you need me?”
“I need you like I need air to breathe. I’ve got a question for you though.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you want more kids?”
My eyes pop open wide. “You’re not pregnant, are you?”
She throws her head back and laughs out loud. God, I’ve missed that sound! “No! But I just want to know up front.”
“With you? Yes. I would like to have another child.”
“Would you like to adopt Carly?”
“Baby, I would love to adopt Carly.”
“Good. Then sure. I’ll marry you.” She leans out and kisses me, then says, “Oh, and by the way, I noticed something.”
“Yeah?”
She whispers softly, “Have you noticed Melina’s not drinking any alcohol?”
“No.”
“Well, she’s not. I’ve seen her pass on the liquor every time somebody’s been pouring drinks. No beer. No wine. Nothing. You know what that means.” I have no idea, and I guess she can tell from my expression. “Oh, good lord, Lucien. It means she’s pregnant.”
That’s a surprise for sure. “You really think so?”
“I’m almost positive. Won’t that be awesome?”
“It will.” I sit there for a few more minutes, clutching her hand and smiling. There’s nothing else I can do. I love this woman. If all I did for the rest of my life was sit here and hold her hand, I’d die a happy man.
* * *
“Why can’t I go?” Carly wails.
“Because I think Lucien and I need an evening to ourselves before you come to the apartment, okay? We need to have some couple time. But we’ll be here tomorrow for lunch and then you’ll come home with us, okay?”
“But Mommy, what if somebody snatches you while I’m not around?” the little girl asks, tears springing from her eyes.
“Nobody’s going to snatch your mommy. I won’t let that happen. Get that right out of your head, my little mouse,” I tell her and lift her up to hug her. Her arms wrap around my neck and she squeezes hard. “We’ll be back tomorrow.”
“Okay. Baker will be here in a little bit and we can play. I love him, you know,” she says in her best grownup voice.
“I hear he loves you too. That must make you happy,” I tell her as I set her back down.
“Very. He’s my boyfriend.”
“Good. Well, tell your boyfriend we’ll see him tomorrow, okay? Now be good for Uncle Boone and Auntie Melina.”
“She’ll be fine,” Melina says with a smile. “Come on, Carly. Let’s go fix some octopus dogs before Baker gets here.”
“Yay! Okay. Bye, Mommy! Bye, Lucien!” We don’t even get a chance to say goodbye again before she disappears into the kitchen.
I send a text and then slip behind the wheel. She’s already settled in the passenger seat and her seatbelt’s on. All the things we’d brought to the Lawsons’ house are in the back of the car and we’re ready to go. I know Brian and Cirilla will be gone by the time we get there, but the surprise will be ready.
We struggle through the door with all our stuff and drop it in the floor. As soon as we do, she looks around and sucks in a breath.
Candles are burning everywhere. There’s a wheel of baked brie on the counter with baguettes arranged around it on a beautiful plate, and right next to it, a bottle of wine, the cork already out and two glasses sitting there, waiting for someone to pour them full. On every available surface is a rose, or roses, all in vases. The scent of lavender and sage is in the air from the candles, and I don’t even have to look―I know the bedroom looks the same. “Wow! This is awesome!” Rayanna whispers.
“It is, isn’t it?”
“Who did this?”
“Fairies. Little romance fairies,” I tell her and wrap my arms around her waist. “I wanted our homecoming to be special. Like you. God, I’ve missed being alone with you,” I say and press my lips to hers.
That kiss goes on forever, full of promises and hope. When I pull back, she looks up into my face. “Listen to me, sir. You do not have to treat me like I’m going to break. I know what you’re thinking. Yes, he … You know what he did to me. Over and over. But that wasn’t the first time, and I’m not going to let it dictate what the rest of my life is going to be like. You’re not like that. You’re my friend and my lover, and our lovemaking is important to me. No, I don’t want rough stuff right now, but we can play around later on. Right now I just want to feel connected to you, Lucien. I need that.”
“I need it too. I’ve missed you, your smile, your kiss, your touch, the smell of your hair, the warmth of your body against mine. I love you, Rayanna.” I can feel tears welling in my eyes. “I thought I’d … I thought you were …”
“Stop it. I’m here. I’m fine. We’re together. We’re going to make a life together. We deserve happiness, and we’re going to have it. Us and Carly and any other kids we have. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted, Lucien. Everything.”
Ten minutes later, her lips on mine, breasts pressed against my chest, my manhood piercing her over and over, arms and legs wound together, I’m overwhelmed with love for this woman―love and gratitude. She’s my hope, my future, my home. Tomorrow morning I’ll go out for pastries and she’ll find the note I left her. By the time I get back, I hope she’s read it. It says everything I feel for her.
My darling Precious,
Today marks the beginning of our great love story. Yeah, I know, it started a while back, but with the dawn of this new day we begin again, not a single cloud in our sky. I’ve never known terror like I experienced when I thought I’d lost you. I’ve never known joy like I experienced when I found you. You’re truly my destiny, my soulmate, my reason to live. Without you I’m an empty shell, but with you, I’m the king of all I survey, and you’re the queen of my heart.
Today, I know you are truly mine, and I’m truly yours. I love you, Rayanna, with all I am and all I have. Those beautiful little broken hearts? They’re together forever.
Eternally yours,
Lucien
* * *
“We decided we needed to throw this little party to celebrate,” Brian announces to the group. Everyone in our circle is there, including Brandt. “First, I’d like to offer a toast. To my brother and his beautiful girlfriend,” he says, smiling broadly at both of us. “He has proposed, and she has accepted!” Everyone cheers and clap
s. “May the two of you find the happiness that the rest of us have!” My eyes happen to land on Boone’s oldest brother as I take a sip of my champagne, and I can see that “the rest of us” didn’t include him.
“Thanks, all of you. Rayanna and I appreciate everything you’ve all done for us and all the support and love you’ve shown us and Carly. It’s been wonderful.”
“And we do love both of you,” Dave announces as everybody else nods. “You’re one of us, and you always will be. Until, of course, you find out what a crazy bunch we really are and you want out! When that happens, just know we don’t turn loose easily.”
“Run while you can!” Clint calls out and everybody laughs.
“And we’ve got another announcement. I believe Boone would like to tell all of you something.” I glance down at Rayanna and she’s grinning from ear to ear. Looks like she was right.
“Please say nothing because the family doesn’t know yet. Just wanted to let all of you know that we found out for sure yesterday―we’ve got a little Lawson on the way!”
Every woman in the room is squealing and laughing, and the guys are all just shaking their heads. All of them except Boone. He looks like he might pass out from happiness right that minute.
“See? I told you,” Rayanna whispers to me when everybody starts to calm.
“You were right. This is great, huh?”
She nods. “Yes! Maybe someday that will be us.”
“Yes. Maybe someday it will.” And for the first time, I’m thinking that might not be such a bad thing.
* * *
I come in from a meeting with a client and the apartment is silent. I have to admit, every time that happens, I feel a little snap of fear in my chest, but I know it’s misplaced. Looking at my watch, I realize they’ll be here in about fifteen minutes and I breathe a sigh of relief. Carly gets out of school at three fifteen, and it takes about ten minutes for them to drive back, so they’re almost on their way here.
Eternally Yours: Bliss Series, Book Six Page 27
