Lies & Devotion (Blood and Iron Warriors Book 3)

by Kat Kenyon

  “They wouldn’t listen. They put their hands on me. They…stripped me.” She chokes on the words, then shakes it off. “You would too. No one gets to touch me without permission.”

  “They bathed you, yes?”

  “Yes, but they drugged me first.”

  “Hmm.” Arnowsky nods and walks around the table. “That would be on the orders of Dr. Frenwhit?”

  “I assume.” Rayne glares at him.

  “Now, why would you let Tyler make decisions for you, and not your mother, or, say Corey, or even Mr. Mathews?”

  Her laugh is tight, ugly, and bruising. “Emily’s an abusive addict. She wanted me home for the cash. She mentioned she gave her boyfriends everything they needed. What she meant was she bought their drugs, gave them a place to live, and whored herself out for fake affection. And Corey may love me, but he doesn’t know me anymore. Plus, he has a family and a life. And Gramps?” She gives off a chilling laugh.

  Anne has the decency to pull back at the hate sent her way when Rayne points at her. “I’ve only met Anne in person once, and I’ve met my”—she gives air quotes—“grandfather twice. Just twice. He’s never talked to me otherwise, and he didn’t give money out of love. It was an effort to keep Emily’s mouth shut. They care about their image not the people in their lives.”

  The Mathews’ attorney objects but gets overruled.

  “And Tyler?”

  “Even when we broke up, he tried to be there. Tried to protect me. Stood between Gabe and me. He makes me feel safe. He won’t stand by and let anyone hurt me. If Tyler thought for a second, I needed to be in the hospital, he’d send me. But I don’t.”

  The judge holds up a hand, a crease of consternation lining his brows. “Your grandfather hasn’t called you?”

  “No.” She flips a hand at Anne. “Anne Giffords is his lackey. She calls to keep me quiet. Believe me, it isn’t because he gives a damn. It’s probably because the whole thing hit the news.”

  The judge nods and then lets the attorneys continue, and for two hours they nitpick and bully her for detail after detail.

  There are times when tears come or her voice cracks, but she answers, focusing her eyes on me when it’s too much. By the end, she’s shaking and slumps down next to me, where I wrap my arms around her.

  The judge calls for a break, and we stand until he leaves. Once he’s gone, we stay in place, whispering for a couple minutes until Corey tells someone to go to hell. Looking behind us, Anne has tried to move up to talk to Rayne, but Corey steps in her path. The Mathews’ attorney moves to talk to Arnowsky and they step away even as there’s a face-off between Anne and us.

  “What do you want?” Rayne hisses.

  “She doesn’t want anything. She’s just a well-trained lapdog.” Corey points away. “Get the hell away from my sister. If that piece of shit didn’t want to have anything to do with her before, there’s no fucking reason for him to show up now.”

  “Rayne, please,” Anne says, her voice husky as she brushes down her designer suit jacket.

  Rayne’s laugh is ugly. “Please what? Give a man who hates my existence control over my life? So, he can what? Stuff me in a hospital somewhere to erase me?” She shakes her head bitterly. “I don’t think so. I won’t give him control. He wants to cut me off, fine. I don’t need him.”

  A flash of annoyance crosses Anne’s face. “That’s not fair, Rayne. You’ve had opportunities because of your grandfather.”

  Cory snorts and Rayne rolls her eyes. “Don’t rewrite history.”

  “He’s helped you with school.”

  “No.” Rayne points at her. “You helped using his money. He didn’t even send a fucking text after…” She grinds her teeth. “He only cares about his legitimate grandchildren and how his friends look at him.”

  She leans back into me and I pull her tight, glaring at Anne, who has the decency to look guilty for a moment.

  With a saccharine calm, she says, “Rayne, he isn’t trying to hurt you.”

  “Just hide me, right?”

  “Whatever care you need—”

  “Hide me,” Rayne snaps.

  Anne’s hands flutter. “I understand you’ve been through a lot—”

  Rayne’s spine goes rigid and she pulls out of my arms, leaning across the railing toward Anne. “Tell Lawrence to go fuck himself. He does this, and I’ll go public with all the shit that went down. How he funded over a decade of drugs and abuse. And how he paid to keep me quiet.” Rayne’s hand slaps down on the railing. “I won’t be managed or forced into anything by anyone ever again.”

  Anne’s eyes widen in shock with every word Rayne says. “Rayne, you don’t—”

  “I won’t be erased.” Rayne shakes, the weight of it all taking a toll, and I can’t watch anymore.

  “Anne, walk away,” I say, stepping between them.

  “Tyler, I don’t need to explain myself to you. Rayne,” she stutters a moment, before pulling herself into a pin straight line. “You can’t expect him to keep funding your lifestyle if you decide to act like this. You need guidance and you need help.”

  Out of nowhere, my mom, who’s been quiet the entire day, breaks into the conversation. “She doesn’t need you.” Flicking her fingers in dismissal, Mom doesn’t even rise. Nodding at Rayne and me. “She has my son. And my father. You can tell the old vulture to hunt different food, this one isn’t rolling over and playing dead.”

  “And you are?” Anne’s head shakes dismissively, confusion and irritation flying off her like drops of water.

  “Tell Lawrence, Leslie Bassie sends her love. And my father sends assurances his support is no longer needed.”

  Anne frowns and looks at me. “Bassie?”

  Mom brushes imaginary lint off her cuff, before looking up at Anne through her lashes, lips in a vicious smile. “Yes. Bassie. I’m Leslie Ann Bassie. In fact, I know Lawrence…and his wife. We’ve met on numerous occasions, particularly when I was younger. And Lawrence knows my father, Erol Bassie. Tyler’s his only grandchild. And whatever Erol’s family loves, he loves.”

  Blood drains from Anne’s face, her arms crossing her body defensively.

  Mom looks like she wants to say more, but the attorneys break apart and the door opens for the judge, and we all stand to begin the next session.

  “I’ve reviewed the procedures of both courts, looked at the records, and to be honest, I don’t know how we got here,” the judge says. He waves at the stack of papers. “This young lady has had her life interrupted for nothing. Further in-hospital treatment seems punitive against a crime victim.”

  “Your Honor, she needs help,” the prosecutor interjects.

  “Yes, but even your second doctor agrees this is largely the result of Post-Traumatic Stress, quite reasonably I’d say. And her therapist says she’s not benefiting from being held. If we started holding every PTSD victim, we’d lose most of our military and other service personnel.” Dropping his hands on the desk in front of him, he says first to Frenwhit, “I can’t imagine on what grounds you thought it was okay to ignore her words, drug her, further triggering her PTSD, and expect her to respond well. No one would. That’s not the sign of mental illness, that’s humanity. Your therapist on site agrees, as do your nurses, from what I can tell.” Looking at us, he frowns. “Two young people, under the best of circumstances can’t be expected to manage as well as you have. I’m not taking away from either of you. But—” He shakes his head.

  Arnowsky stands, but the judge points, a silent order to sit.

  “I’m not ordering you stay in the hospital, Miss Mathews. I don’t believe that’s in your best interest. I also don’t believe Mister Blackman is a threat or means to do anything other than take care of you.” Giving us a small smile of encouragement, he sighs and leans back. “I’m releasing you on your own recognizance, I’m ordering therapy with a professional of your choice. You need help, whether you want it or not. Agreed?”

  Arnowsky looks at her, then me. We both
give assent, and he tells the judge we’re fine with it.

  “As for Mr. Mathews, we’ll continue that issue until a further date. So ordered, talk to the clerk for dates.”

  His gavel slams down, and the sharp spike of sound is finally a good one.

  She’s free.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Rayne Mathews

  Ignoring Anne and everyone else, we crash out the doors and run right into the arms of our friends. The sound of a happy, sobbing Tate wrapping around me as we huddle, lets me know I’m really free. There’s an edge of claustrophobia from the press of bodies, but a feeling of belonging heals some of the tears in the fabric of my soul. Seeing the gloss in Bay’s eyes is almost more than I can handle, so I allow the crush, and hold off the desire to shove everyone away, and drown in the affection of the people who loved me even when I couldn’t be around them after the attack.

  These are my people.

  “You have no idea how good it is to see you.” Bay presses a kiss to the top of my head even as Tyler growls that I’m his, making me chuckle in spite of myself.

  My family of choice passes me from embrace to embrace in our huddle, emotion sweeping away my shivers of revulsion, their love giving me strength I forgot I had.

  Tegs wraps me in a hug that makes me feel like a toddler. “Never again, Mini. You don’t get to scare us like this again.”

  Pressing my teary face to his chest, I mutter, “Wasn’t planning on it.”

  “Just let us know, girl, we’ll hide you before we let this happen again. My abuelita would love you. She’d try to feed you all day. You’d be a challenge she’d love.” Hugging Kevin, I whisper, “Thank you,” only to be interrupted.

  “Rayne.”

  Anne stands in front of the courtroom doors, her bag clutched in her hands. Her long hair accentuating her long face. “Can we talk?” She attempts to wave me away from my group, nervously looking at Tyler who steps between us. Mike and Kevin move to flank him, blocking her approach, backing up Tyler. I don’t think they realize they just moved into defensive position, while Bay’s hand comes to my shoulder.

  Tyler’s angry, but in control when he says, “She already told you her opinion. Go tell your master he blew it.”

  Her face flushes, jaw moving back and forth with offense. “Tyler, this isn’t about you.”

  “No,” I say, slipping between the broad shoulders trying to protect me. “It’s about me. But he’s with me. We’re a we. I won’t be buried. I meant what I said.”

  She flushes and before she can answer, Tyler adds, “So did my mother.”

  “It doesn’t have to be this way.”

  The insinuation that I’m the problem pisses me off. “It really does.”

  Tate’s hand slips into mine and the rest of the group circles around me.

  “I kept you informed,” Tyler says, stepping toward her, causing her to take a step back. “I included you, and you walk in here and try to blindside us? No. You’re trying to undo what she wants, so it will be this way…or worse.”

  Deflating, she gives me a sad look. “We’re just trying to help.”

  “Go.” I look to the door, directing her away.

  Pursing her lips, she shakes her head and turns for the door without another word. When she’s gone, Tyler reaches for me and pulls me into his arms, twisting us back and forth, his cheek pressing to my head.

  “Are we celebrating?” Tate’s unsure when she asks.

  “Yeah,” I say. I need these people with me.

  Tyler pulls back and does a quick study to judge my mood. “Yeah?”

  It’s been a long time since I was willing to engage them all, but I want this. I missed them.

  “Yeah.” I smile, looking at our friends. “I have to go back to get my stuff, but yes. Can we meet in say, ninety minutes?”

  “Abso.” She glances back at the guys and adds, “That’ll give us time to grab party supplies.”

  Within a moment, she’s led them away, leaving Corey, who’s been quietly waiting by the wall.

  Emotion makes my nose burn, tears threatening, and when his arms open, I race into my brother’s embrace. Arms that used to pick me up, put me to bed. The first to protect me, and knowing what he went through breaks my heart.

  “I love you, little sis.” His voice breaks even as my sobs break out of my chest.

  Gulping down the scream bubbling up from my lungs, hurting on its way up my throat, I croak, “I love you too, big brother.”

  When we finally look at each other, blue eyes like mine, wet from tears, meet in relief. “I’m sorry, Core, I had no idea.”

  His hand slips into mine. “If I’d known how to get you away from her, I’d have done it.”

  “I thought you hated…” It hurts when I think about it, even now. “I thought you hated me.”

  His eyes narrow. “Why?”

  “I heard you talking before you left.”

  His shoulders drop, pain and guilt flooding his eyes, and his hand swipes down his face. “I had a broken arm, I’d just gotten out of the hospital, and the first thing I said to her was I wanted to take you with me. She wasn’t having it. She said you were her daughter. I got pissed because she made it sound like I wanted to use you too. I told her…I said that I was sixteen and being a father was a shit job. I wanted to have fun. I wanted to have a normal life, but it wasn’t about me. I was trying to point out that if I took you, it wasn’t because I was playing around, but because I loved you.”

  Nodding, I get it and want to let it go. “Wanna come with us?”

  Sunlight breaks across his face; his smile is so bright. His gaze goes over my head, and he nods and says, “Yeah.”

  It feels good to have my brother back.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Tyler Blackman

  Drifting into a gray haze, I relax. She slept in my arms last night and my heart slid back into place. I don’t think I’d survive losing her again. So, I didn’t sleep. Instead, I held her tight and thanked God she’s in one piece.

  She had fun with everyone. Sitting around flipping black and white cards with our friends and family, stuffing our faces with pizza, she laughed. And every time she did, a piece of my soul slid back into place.

  I shift to get a better look at her, letting the feel of her hair slide over my skin. My fingers drag through it softly, loving the silky texture, the way it slips away like water.

  “That feels good,” her husky breath whispers as she stretches along my side, stiffening and relaxing against me.

  Dragging my fingertips down her spine until I reach bare skin, I close my eyes. No dream is better than her in reality. “You feel good.”

  Soft lips kiss my chest as her thigh slides over my hips, making me swallow a groan. Opening my lids halfway, I grab her hips as she settles on top of me, stretching out with her mouth hovering above my sternum.

  “I missed you,” she says softly, before looking up through long, blond lashes.

  “I was lost without you,” I tell her honestly, squeezing her hips. “I can’t do that again.”

  Straightening out her knees, she brings her lips to mine, and I inhale her. Slowly, softly at first, testing how sure she is, and when I feel her confidence, I reach for her head, slipping my hands through her silky hair, and kiss her harder, biting her lip, sucking her tongue, tasting her like I want to eat her alive.

  Her lungs fill mine with each breath, and we rock with one another until I’m growling and about to come in my shorts. Throwing my head back, I grab my cock and squeeze hard, while pulling her hard against my chest. “I love you.”

  “I want you too,” she says quietly into my neck.

  Grabbing her face with both hands, I look in her eyes. “Those are not the same things. I love you, and sex has nothing to do with it. I love you. Your mind, your heart, your soul.” I kiss her softly. “I want to make love to you, but it can wait because I love you. The fact that my dick has a mind of its own is something I haven’t been able t
o control since I was like ten.” I grin at her and shrug. “Ignore it.”

  “And if I don’t want to?” she asks, a blush spreading across her face along with a look of panic.

  “Then,” I say gently, lifting one of her hands to nibble on her fingers, “I’ll let you do what you want. Or what you don’t want. As much or as little. You want to touch me; I’ll weep with joy.” Placing her hand on my bare chest, I run it over my pec and across my nipple, and smile darkly. “You wanna play with me, I’ll let you tie me down and turn me into your private toy.”

  She gives a little gasp and puts a finger over my mouth. “I don’t want a toy, Tyler.”

  Sucking in her finger before giving it a little bite, I grin. “My point, baby, is whatever you want, I’ll give you. You wanna play with me, I’m yours. You want me to touch you, you tell me how, and I’ll make you feel good. You want me to hold you and watch movies, that’s what we’ll do. You’re mine and I’m yours, and whatever makes you happy is good with me.”

  “You like to come, and right now, I…”

  “I do like to come, but I like you smiling a hell of a lot more than blowing a nut, Rayne. If I need to relieve pressure, I have a hand.” Her nose wrinkles up and I laugh. “What? You’ve been making me jack off since I met you, nothing’s changed.” She gives me an indignant, “Ah!” but I just laugh again and kiss her hard, twisting until we’re on our sides and I can wrap her in my arms and bring her face-to-face. “You’re beautiful, and I want you to tell me something true.”

  Taking a deep breath, she smiles and opens her mouth, and out comes truth. We have things to deal with, but it’s late morning before we leave bed.

  “I’m going to take a shower, baby. Mom will be here soon.”

  Mom and Margot stopped by last night, letting us know they’d drop by today with the legal team to go over the case. Her eyes cloud over, and I know what she’s thinking.

  “I’ll start a bath for you, okay?”

  “Thank you.” She presses a kiss to my chest and I force myself up. Running her bath and jumping into a shower, I clean off the taint of rage that begins to coat my mind when I think of Mathews and Stevens because rage won’t win in court and it won’t find Gabe.