Morgan Sisters Duo: Saving Stella & Sloan's Surrender (Attraction #0)

by J B Heller

  ‘This one would rather die, your friends begged for their lives, but I think we’ll play with you first.’

  The tip of the blade ran a line down my throat; I felt it pierce my flesh just above my breast. I screamed out in pain. His eyes lit up with excitement and he pushed it in further.”

  Sloan

  “Sloan, Sweets, come back to me... Sloan…”

  I was heaving for air, clutching my chest, it was burning. Dex’ arms wrapped around me, soothing the burn. “I’m here Sweets, it’s okay now. I’m here.”

  I swallowed hard. That wasn’t even half of it. I couldn’t do this, I jumped off the couch and ran to the kitchen sink and emptied my stomach of all its contents.

  Dex was there with me, rubbing my back as I dry heaved into the sink. “Fuck baby, I had no idea. I can see where this is going. You don’t have to do this.”

  I had to tell him the worst of it so I could be rid of it all. I turned on the tap, rinsed my mouth out and spat it back into the sink. I went up to my bedroom knowing Dex would follow me. I went straight into my bathroom and ran the tub. I slipped in fully clothed and pulled my knees up to my chest.

  “I killed them Dex, both of them. When they were done with me, they thought I was dead or at least too weak to do anything, I don’t know. I lay there motionless, waiting for my chance. I knew there was only one way I was getting out of there alive. The first one had left his knife on the bedside table and left the room to clean himself up.

  “The other one was sitting on the end of the bed, his back to me, messing around with a phone. I mustered all the strength I could, grabbed the knife and lunged at him. I slit his throat. When I pulled the knife away he fell to the floor with a loud thud. I knew I didn’t have much time to hide before the other one came back.

  “I ran and hid behind the door. He came rushing back in and I slammed the door closed. He turned to me and smiled. I could see he was getting excited again. Seeing his friend dead on the floor didn’t bother him, he was getting off on it.

  “He was smaller than the other one. Before he could make a move for me I ran at him and started stabbing wherever I could reach. He fought back, he got in a few good hits before he tripped over one of the girls bodies on the floor and lost his balance. I sprang towards him a swiped the blade across his inner thigh.

  “I’d never seen so much blood. He dropped to his knees as blood gushed out of this leg like a river. He looked me right in the eyes and smiled, and then he tilted to the side and fell to the floor completely. It was over, but I didn’t feel relieved, I dropped to my knees, I was covered in blood, mine and theirs. I stumbled around looking for the bathroom. I had to scrub it all away.

  “The bathroom was disgusting, blood was spattered around the dirty basin and mould was growing on the walls. I climbed into the shower and turned it on as hot as I could get it. There wasn’t any soap so I scrubbed myself raw with my nails. I climbed out when the water ran cold, there weren’t any towels and there wasn’t much left of my clothes.

  “I found a cleanish shirt, my shoes, and I left.”

  Dexter

  Holy fucking hell!

  I didn’t know what to say. Sloan had stopped talking a while ago; she was rocking back and forth in the tub beside me. My hands were clenched tight in my hair. All those scars, fuck! My stomach rebelled and I lurched forward and hurled into the toilet.

  No wonder she didn’t want to tell me.

  I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and leaned back against the side of the tub again. She had stopped rocking, her face was blank, like she was dead inside. I had no idea how to fix this. She had told me when we first got together that I wouldn’t be able to fix her past. She was right. I was useless.

  I did the only thing that felt right, I climbed into the tub behind her. I hoped to sound comforting when I spoke, but my voice came out shaky. I said the only thing that mattered right now. “Sloan, I love you.”

  Slowly I reached forward with my hands, taking her shoulders and gently, slowly pulled her back into my body. We were both fully clothed. I don’t know how long we sat there. I just wanted her to know that I was here for her, now and always.

  I was lost in my own thoughts, her story running through my mind on repeat. I didn’t need her to fill in the blanks for me, it was clear what they had done to her. If she hadn’t killed them…

  I held her tighter to me and kissed the top of her head. I wanted to take all her pain and hurt away.

  “Dex?” she murmured.

  “Yeah Sweets?”

  “Why are you still here?” her voice was horse.

  “Because I love you. All of you, demons and all.”

  She laid her head back on my shoulder. And closed her eyes.

  The next day…

  After Sloan fell asleep I got us both out of our wet clothes and climbed into her bed. I held her tight all night. I didn’t sleep a wink. I tried, but every time I closed my eyes, I saw two men hovering over Sloan’s lifeless body. I took comfort in the fact that she had killed them. I know how fucked up that sounds, but it’s a fucked up situation.

  It was eight in the morning, and Sloan was just beginning to stir. I had sent Bray a text telling him Sloan had to pull a sicky today. He was fine with it, I knew he would be.

  She rolled over in my arms and looked into my eyes. “You’re still here.”

  It wasn’t a question, it was a statement. She knew now, I would never leave her.

  “Where else would I be?”

  Her smile was bright as the morning sun. And the kiss that followed was full of love and passion and promise. Half way through kissing me out of my mind she pulled back and bit her lip. “There’s something else I have to tell you.”

  “I’m all ears Sweets.”

  “There was another, another life I’m responsible for taking.”

  I was confused. She had said there were two men there that night. I felt my eyebrows scrunch as I poured over every detail of her story from the night before. She had definitely said there were only two. “What are you talking about? You said there were two men there that night.”

  “It wasn’t that night.”

  I was even more confused now. Before I could ask, she explained.

  “It was two years later, when I was eighteen. After what happened to me, my people reading skills vastly improved. Stella was dating this guy, and something was off about him. I could feel it in my gut. He was all perfume, roses and opening doors for her. But it was an act. I was sure of it. Stella wouldn’t listen to me though, she thought he was her prince charming.

  “I wish my gut had been wrong about him. But it wasn’t. I can’t give you details, I don’t know them, but when I found Stella, she was a bloodied mess. She spent a week in hospital. If I hadn’t gotten there when I did, she would have suffered the same fate that I had. But she wouldn’t have walked away like I did.”

  Taking in all that she had told me was difficult. Some people would see Sloan as a murderer. But I didn’t, I saw her for what she really was, a survivor, a protector. She had been beaten, battered and bruised, but she rose above it to become this incredibly inspiring woman.

  “You did the right thing. I’m sure of it. I don’t need the details, I trust you.”

  “And I trust you.”

  That coming from Sloan was almost as powerful as her telling me she loved me. Sloan didn’t trust easily. And now, I knew why.

  Epilogue

  One Year Later…

  Sloan

  I stood beside my sister as she promised herself to the love of her life and my best friend. Standing beside him, was the love of my life with a big arse goofy grin on his face. Stella had tried to make me wear a pale pink dress but I point blank refused. This was the first time Dex had seen me in a dress.

  I ended up agreeing to a strapless champagne lace knee length dress with a thick black lace band around the middle that laced up with black ribbons at the back. I wore black peep toe stilettos. And I looked like a gir
ly girl, it was disgusting, I rocked it though. There was no hiding my tattoos but I wouldn’t even if I could. They were part of me, who I am, Stella understood that. She never even suggested it.

  Little Willow wore a fluffy champagne dress with sparkly crystals all over it that she couldn’t resist trying to eat. Lucky they were sewn on well, she was giving it her best shot trying to remove them with her tiny teeth. She sat with Izzy and Chase in the front row at the small ceremony.

  And they couldn’t forget about Fergus. Stella had him in a little doggy tux, yes that’s right, a tux. He sat proudly at Stella’s feet throughout the whole ceremony.

  Life was good. I had an amazing support team around me that I had learnt to lean on a little. I had an amazing boyfriend who was oh so pretty and incredible in the sack. A gorgeous niece who thought I was the bomb, what can I say, the girls a good judge of character. My best friend was now also my brother-in-law and I had an actual little sister now. Isabella had become a part of our close knit family the moment she arrived.

  I sat by the bar sipping a vanilla and lychee martini watching the guests dance to the smooth tones of Michael Buble`. It was a beautiful night, the air was crisp but not cold, and the moon shone bright and full above us. Fairy lights created a canopy over the makeshift dance floor in the back of Bray and Stella’s new family home. Little candlelit chandeliers hung from the trees throughout the large area, it was absolutely perfect.

  “Dance with me?”

  I turned to find Dex standing behind me holding his hand out for me. I took it and we made our way to the dance floor. As soon as we set foot on it the music came to a screeching halt. I shrugged my shoulders and turned to walk away. But Dex held my hand firmly and tugged me towards the middle of the floor. I tilted my head at him wondering how much he had had to drink if he was planning on dancing without music. Dex wasn’t usually the dancing kind of guy, unless he was drunk off his arse.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, eyeing him cautiously.

  Then he dropped to one knee. No freaking way! My eyes bugged out of my head. I leant forward, closer to him and whisper yelled in his ear. “WHAT. ARE. YOU. DOING?”

  He was smiling, not normal smiling, devious smiling. And he was completely sober.

  I wasn’t the blushing kind but I was pretty sure my skin was on fire right now, the small crowd had stopped their chatter and everyone was now focused on us.

  “Sloan Morgan, you are the strongest, most stubborn woman I have ever met.”

  I frowned, this isn’t where I thought it was going.

  “You came into my life and turned it upside down, only you didn’t. You really turned it the right way up. I didn’t know what living was until you. Will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?”

  Tears were prickling my eyes. Dex was still on one knee, so I dropped down and sat on it, I took his face in my hands and pulled it down to meet mine. “I surrendered my heart and soul to you a long time ago. You’ve taken care of them this long, why not forever.”

  I glimpsed his smile right before I took his mouth with mine. I loved this man. Now and always. Before I could get too carried away the speakers surrounding the dance floor started vibrating with none other than Michael Jackson’s You Rock My World. A smile spread across my face, Dex really did rock my world, every, single, day.

  The End

  *Turn the page for the first chapter of Undeniable Attraction. (Gabe’s Story)*

  GABE

  Empty and alone, that was my future. When I used to think about the woman I would one day fall in love with, never did it enter my mind that she wouldn’t feel the same way about me. Now, here I am, left with nothing.

  Love is a cruel, hard bitch. I finally found her, perfect for me in every way, and she fell in love with someone else. Not just someone else, but a little pretty-boy. The only thing left for me to do now, was drink away my pain.

  “Another!” I demanded, holding my shot glass up in the air.

  “I think you’ve had enough tonight, Gabe, don’t you?” Sally hissed towards me.

  “Would I say another if I thought that Sal? Now do your damn job and fill my glass.” Great, now she was going to get all bitchy on me. She was doing that thing with her lips that chicks do when they’re trying to look serious.

  “I said no. You need to leave.”

  A heavy sigh left my lips. “Just fill the glass, Sal, I need it yesterday.”

  She still looked pissed but she relented. “Fine, one more but that’s it, Gabe, I’m cutting you off.”

  “Whatever,” I mumbled.

  I needed as much booze as I could get my hands on. This shit with Sloan was eating me alive. I couldn’t think about her off playing house with that douchebag anymore. The only way to rid her from my thoughts was to drown them in booze.

  My head was spinning and my body was warming up nicely. Wouldn’t be long and I’d be as smashed as I had planned on getting, except Sally was about to ruin all my hard work. Bitch.

  I should probably take this party back to my place anyway. I didn’t want to pass out in the bar and wake up to find her molesting me again, a shiver ran down my spine at the repulsive memory.

  I didn’t want to touch another woman again. Sloan was the only woman I’d ever wanted to keep, and now, no other would do. I planned to spend the rest of my days blissfully drunk off my arse. I had enough money to support my new career path, professional drunk, and since I owned my house I figured I was set.

  I smashed my last shot and set the empty glass on the counter, then pushed to my feet. I didn’t need to worry about my tab; I had a standing tab at Freddie’s, a perk of knowing the guy, and busting his wife shagging the staff behind his back.

  As I staggered out to my car, I saw another car just like mine parked beside it. Exactly the same. I hit what I thought was the unlock button on my keys, but apparently I was wrong. The alarms started blasting and the lights flashed repeatedly. I grabbed my head with both hands trying to keep my brain from bursting out of my skull.

  My keys slipped from my hands and I dropped to my knees to search for them so I could stop the goddamn noise. When I found them, I hit all the buttons until the sound stopped. My night was going from bad to worse real fast; I had to get out of there.

  Getting to my feet I headed to the driver’s door, clearly I was seeing double before because the other car was gone. Just as I went to drop myself into the seat, a high pitched voice pierced my sensitive and still throbbing skull.

  “What the HELL do you think you’re doing? Are you crazy? You’re going to get yourself killed, or worse, kill someone else. Give me your keys, Gabe!”

  Ahh shit. It was Ivy. I haven’t been into work for the last two weeks, and she’s been busting my balls about getting back to it, but I just can’t do it. To be honest, I was a little surprised she was even here. This isn’t Ivy’s type of place. She’s all smooth curves and this place is full of rough edges.

  I slowly turned around to face her and leant on my car for support. “What are you doing here Ivy? Shouldn’t you be at home knitting or something equally wholesome?” I said in a bored tone.

  Her jaw dropped. I’ve never been rude to her before but she won’t take the hint and just leave me the hell alone. She’s fucking determined to pull me out of this dark place I’d found myself in. I felt like a right shit talking to her like that, but I had a bottle of Jack waiting for me at home and it was calling my name.

  “I don’t knit and I’m not some goody-two-shoes who doesn’t have a life and sits on her couch every night watching game shows. So don’t pretend you know anything about me. Freddie called me, told me you needed a ride. I cannot believe you were about to get in that car and drive yourself home. Look at yourself, Gabe,” she seethed as she glared daggers at me.

  Before I could stop it, my inner cocky bastard made himself known. I blamed the booze. “I have looked at myself, even I’d fuck me, but I don’t swing that way,” I said with a smirk on my lips.

  Ivy sc
runched up her nose in disgust. “Ew, Gabe. Just, ew.”

  Her cheeks turned crimson. I always have liked making her blush. It was one of my favourite past times. I probably shouldn’t be so hard on her, she’d come all the way here just to make sure I got home okay. She really was just a sweet girl trying to help me out. Poor thing probably thought her job was at stake if I didn’t get my shit together soon.

  I would never fire her. She’s the best office girl I’ve ever had. She runs the whole office by herself and helps me with my case load. Even if I had decided to become a pro drunk, I’d spent too much time building my company up to just close the doors. I busted my arse to get the rep that McLeod Investigations Inc. had. But, I was far too drunk to figure out all that.

  I took a moment to look at her. Wait, what is she wearing? I couldn’t stop myself from staring as I did a double take... She was wearing these pink frilly shorts that barely covered her pert arse and a matching singlet that did little to hide her perky boobs. Her long blonde hair was in a messy bun thing on top of her head and there wasn’t a trace of makeup on her pretty face.

  Too soon, Ivy interrupted my perusal of her bangin’ body. “Gabe! Did you hear me? I said give me your keys. I’ll lock it up while you go get in my car.”

  I shook my head. Had she’d been talking to me?

  She poked a finger into my chest before continuing her lecture, “Don’t shake your head at me! I’m not letting you get behind the wheel in this state.”

  I was so stunned by her sudden assertiveness that I didn’t even try to argue. “Okay,” I mumbled under my breath.

  Dropping my keys into her waiting palm, I stumbled over to her car and fell into the passenger seat. Who knew little Ivy could be so bossy. I had to admit, her take-charge attitude was kind of hot. I felt my dick twitch for the first time in a long time, but for Ivy? That shit is not happening, not now, not ever.

  I laid my head back on the headrest and closed my eyes while I waited for Ivy to get back in the car and take my drunken arse home.