by Leigh Lennon
“Are you Victor?” The barrel of the gun points directly at my temple.
“Yeah, what’s it to you?”
“Your brothers, they’ve talked you into something bad. I can help you.”
His barrel pushes farther into my head. “I’m too far gone anyway, so you can kiss your girl goodbye. My brothers have saved her for me. Their girls were whores. Mine is not. We’ll be together, and we’ll give her the family she lost.”
Is this guy for real? Was he dropped on his head as a baby? “Tim,” I begin, looking ahead of me. “You have a family. A wife. Why leave them, why make them mourn you, and your decisions?”
“My obsession has been with Annie Strickland, and she made me kill her. I’ll find joy watching Vic have Malia. It will be our family, and one day, I’ll find someone who’ll take Annie’s place.”
These men are delusional, at best. And I hope my SOS has been found. “Come on in, we have a party of six, and they can’t wait to see you.”
I want to keep them outside for when the cavalry arrives. “Wait, how did you get the drop on Vanessa? I need to know.”
The young one with the gun laughs in my ear. “All I had to do with that bitch was bump her car. She got out, and I’d already had my gun drawn. Stupid whore.”
“And Higgins, my partner, how did you get the drop on him?”
“Fuck, man, stop the twenty questions. You hear me?” Tim, the eldest of the three, yells. “Victor, push his ass in here or drop his body right there.”
“Ah, you heard the boss. Let’s go.”
“Tim?” another male voice calls from the other end of the door. “Get the hell in here.”
Tim moves into the large warehouse, and this is where I take the opportunity to duck down, elbowing Victor in the groin as he drops his piece. It’s in my hand, and I clothesline him around the neck.
“Tim!” Victor’s scream is more like a shriek.
“Shut the fuck up!” I yell, pulling him behind my car, the only shield I have against his brothers.
“You’re a fucking dead man,” the youngest says, and his shrieks continue when both brothers appear in the door, one holding Malia and the other holding Vanessa.
“Hey, motherfucker, would you like me to put a hole in one of these beauties?” Both of their guns are pointed at Malia’s and Vanessa’s head.
“Now what do you say, motherfucker?” the jackass in a clothesline asks.
“Wells,” Vanessa calls out, “don’t let him go.”
But the only thing that has my attention is the eyes of the woman I love.
Chapter 30
Malia
The gun is to my head, and out of my side view, the other psychopath has Vanessa with the barrel of a gun pointed at her head.
My heart is thumping, almost outside of my body, when blue and red lights surround the warehouse.
I keep my eyes focused on Wells, the gun pinned to the man who wants to kidnap me to some overseas location and build a new family with him and his psychopathic brothers.
“You’re surrounded, asshole. If you want to walk out of here, I’d suggest putting your gun down!” Vanessa yells.
“Bitch, the only way you’re getting out of here is in a body bag.”
I can’t take my eyes off Wells because, with him, I can endure this. With him, I can do anything.
All the lights, almost blind me, but my gaze stays on my man.
“Shanahan?” the familiar voice of Matt booms through a megaphone. “You okay?”
“Yeah, three perps, six hostages!” he yells, without ever breaking my gaze.
“Shut the fuck up, or these bitches die!” Tim, the eldest one, yells.
It’s all an out-of-body experience when there are two shots behind me, and both Tim and the other called Curtis fall to the ground. Vanessa takes their two guns into her possession when I twist around so fast, only to see both Smith and Stewart with guns in their hand.
I search for Georgia and Greenlyn but can’t find them, and when my body turns around to the swarm of cops storming the building, I attempt to reach out for Wells, who has turned the suspect over to another cop. He begins to close the distance between us, and his eyes are soft as others clasp him on the back shouting good job. My mind begins to swim, and I steady myself on the closest fixture, the side of the door. His speed increases as I seem to wobble. My body becomes numb, and blackness begins to overtake me, but he doesn’t reach me in time.
Wells
The scene and the carnage of the brothers’ lifeless bodies can wait. My statement and the beginning of the investigation are all things I can’t bother myself with as she sits in a hospital bed, while we wait for her to wake up.
She’s been out for an hour, and the doctors aren’t surprised by her reaction, saying her body needs time to reboot due to the trauma.
My fingers are intertwined with her long delicate ones because I’m not leaving, not until her pretty brown eyes open, and something sassy comes from her mouth.
Georgia has been in and out of the room, checking in on her, and with how Mal has described her friend, I’m surprised she hasn’t stayed in her bed. Both girls, including Greenlyn, are pretty battered and bruised—the sick sons of bitches did this to them.
“How is she?” Vanessa’s voice calls from the doorway. “You would have been proud of her, Wells. She never backed down. And she handled herself well with those fuckers.”
When I’d seen the gun pointed at Van’s head, I really thought I’d never see her again. “Thanks for taking care of my girl.”
“I didn’t do much.” Her face, too, is a little black and blue, but Van would not let anyone attend to her at the scene.
“You would have done anything to keep her alive. I knew that look in your eyes when you told me not to let Victor Wayne go. You were going to take them down to save Malia, and in it, that’s everything.”
“I just want you happy, Wells. After all we did to one another, we both deserve it.”
“You won’t get an argument from me on either account.” My attention returns to Malia as she begins to stir.
“This is my cue to leave. Take care of her.”
Mal’s eyes flutter open. “Hey, sweetheart.” I pull her hand to mine, kissing each finger individually.
“Georgia, Greenlyn?” Her concern for her friends is heartfelt.
“Oh, sweetheart, they’re okay. Greenlyn is a couple of doors down, and Georgia was treated at the scene but refused to be admitted. You weren’t kidding; that friend of yours is fierce.”
She tries to laugh but only chokes. “Yeah, and you haven’t seen anything yet. Believe me.”
I drop a kiss on her forehead, then her nose, followed by her lips. “As long as she’s a part of your life, she’ll be a part of my life. And I can almost imagine the trouble she’ll cause. Hell, the two of you together might just be the end of me.”
“Don’t make me laugh; it hurts.” A weak smile pulls at her lips. “Vanessa, Higgie? Are they okay?”
I give her a bob of my head. “Yeah, everyone is fine. The older two Wayne brothers are dead, and Victor Wayne is in custody. They’ll never hurt you again.”
“Smith?” Her voice is strained, and her eyes fill with tears.
“Yeah, he’s good, too, sweetheart. They always blamed him for the reason they had to kill Annie. Pinning the murders on him was justice until you came back.”
I want to give her very little, but reading Victor’s police statement is the first thing I plan to do once Mal is able to be left, which may not be ever.
I’m staring at the transcript, which has been copied onto a piece of paper, I’m holding from Victor Wayne, as Malia sleeps peacefully or as peacefully as she can, after the night I’m afraid will plague her for life. Stewart had dropped it off on his way to check on Greenlyn, Vanessa, and Smith, who had all been ordered to stay the night for observation. Only Stewart and Georgia were able to avoid this, probably because they are both stubborn as fuck.
I want to know what I missed through the years, and why I couldn’t solve this case. The Wayne boys had been the only dark spot on the block where Malia lived. How did I miss them? I begin to read the statement with my heart thumping the entire time.
Victor James Wayne Official transcript statement
My brother had been obsessed with Ann Strickland as long as I can remember. Ann would sneak in at night. Tim told me he loved corrupting a good girl, but then Curtis became as obsessed with Grace, the middle Strickland girl, and it was just my destiny to love Malia from afar.
My brothers were everything to me, and you all fucking killed them, turning the girl I loved against me. I murdered that family, The Mastilles, staging it like her family's murders, to show her I’d do anything for her.
My brother took her doll, which she had in her arms when they broke in, and let me have it. I returned it to her to show her how much I treasured it. I would have never taken her life, not like Tim had killed Ann, and Curtis killed Grace. I wanted her for her—and I would have never changed her.
It was Tim who designed the evergreen plan, to replicate the Strickland home.
The fucker, Wells Shanahan, has been a thorn in my side, and I wanted to kill him throughout the years. Curtis hacked Malia’s social media accounts, and she posed as a man he went to school with, to keep tabs on him. He doesn’t deserve her.
Greenlyn was a casualty of the situation, though I didn’t mind kissing her. But Malia is who I’ve always wanted, and we were so close.
I can’t read anymore. Stewart warned me that the beginning of the interview was where I’d get the most information.
“Hey,” her soft voice calls for me. “What are you doing?”
I shove the piece of paper in my jacket pocket, moving my chair to her.
“Hey, sweetheart, you should be sleeping,” I begin, interlacing my fingers with hers.
“It’s not your fault, you know. You didn’t let me down.” I knit my eyebrows together, attempting to make sense of how she figured this out, figured me out.
“How do you know?” I ask.
“Because I know you.” She gives me a weak smile, and continues, “Plus, I heard Stewart sharing it with you while I was in and out of a light sleep.”
I kiss her on the lips. “I love you. You know that?” I ask.
“Promise?”
I give her a little smirk. “Always.”
“I’m not going to wither away,” she says two days later, signing her discharge papers after the doctor insisted she stay another night for observation.
“You’re right, sweetheart, but you need a couple of days. All your professors understand.” She pushes herself to a standing position, holding the wall. “Look, you can’t even stand on your own.”
“It’s Friday. Let me take the weekend, and I’m positive I’ll be fine.” There’s a knock on the door, and I’m interrupted from arguing with my stubborn girl.
“Look at what she’s been through, Mr. Cop. She’s a tough one. I think you’ll see she can do whatever she puts her mind to.”
Georgia walks through the door with Greenlyn next to her. In the past thirty-six hours, I’ve come to understand the straightforward one without a filter on her mouth, type of woman Georgia is.
“Oh, lord, you two are a godsend, against Mr. Bossy around here,” Mal responds. Greenlyn walks straight to her, pulling her into her arms. It’s the first time they’ve seen one another since the doctor insisted Greenlyn stay for observation, too. Plus, her family has not let her out of their sight.
Greenlyn has not fared as well as Georgia or the others who had been taken captive. Probably because she knew Victor and left with him on her own, and she was the first one taken. She has barely let go of Malia, and my eyes connect with my girl, the tears flowing down Greenlyn’s cheeks.
“Greenlyn, honey, I think your mom is back in the room, and if we’re not there when she is, I think she may freak the fuck out.” Georgia, in her over-the-top demeanor, is also a mother hen.
“I’ll be back at our dorm, Greenlyn.” Malia’s tone is low, cupping her cheek, the one minus a bruise. “Listen, honey, we’ll get past this together, I promise.”
Greenlyn pushes back. “I’ll be at my parents’ for the weekend,” she explains.
“Okay, but call me if you need me.” Malia gives her another hug, as Georgia leads Greenlyn out of the room.
“I’ll see you guys later,” Georgia warns, giving her a slight wave.
Malia’s gaze connects with mine. “Will she ever be the same? Fuck, will we ever be the same?”
In two long strides, I close the distance between us. “You will be there for her, and you know what you will teach her that you’ve taught me?”
“What?” Her eyes are full of tears.
“You won’t let them take one more day from you. You’ll heal; she’ll heal. We’ll all heal, and because of it, all of us will be better for it.”
Chapter 31
Two weeks later
Wells
“Ah, fuck, Mal, don’t stop.” Her luscious lips wrap around the tip of my cock, and she’s teasing me. She gets me close, so fucking close, and then pulls away, only to start again at my tip, working her way down my erection.
“I’m just getting you back for all the times you claimed delayed gratification is the best.” She’s about to ascend on my aching member again when I flip her around on her back.
“I’ll show you, my little brat, about delayed gratification.” I thrust into her wet pussy, pushing against her G-spot I know so well at this point and pull out, only to dive between her legs, lapping up so much of her flavor, it’s a part of me.
“You’re such a bully, Wells,” she groans in the aroused little mewls I love falling from her lips. “But don’t stop, oh, fuck, don’t stop.” My tongue swirls her clit, and with one finger buried inside her, I know she’s close, but I do the same with her and pull back.
“I love you so fucking much, Wells, but right now, I hate you just as much,” she croons, her fingers reaching for her cunt. “If you don’t give me a release, I sure as fuck will.” I grab her wrist before she can touch her pussy.
“Oh, my sweetest Malia, don’t worry, my goddess, I’m not done with you yet.” I thrust inside her, and the whimpers and groans fill my bedroom. “Fuck, you’re the only thing that makes sense in my world, Mal. You’re my everything.”
Her hips buck with me, and the friction is tantalizing, erotic, and sensual.
“Faster, Wells, fuck me faster! I need you so deep.”
“I got you covered, babe,” I respond, pushing in so deep, I stop inside her and tip her chin to mine. “You’re my life, and one day, you’ll have my last name, grow my babies, and be my partner, for eternity.”
She stills, staring at my gaze on her. “All I want is a family of my own; you know that.”
“Mal, I know everything about you, and I’ll give you everything you want in life. Anything, it’s yours.”
“You, just you is all I need,” she replies. “And your cock. Fuck, do I need your cock.” A devilish grin reaches her lips.
“You’re a brat. You know this, right?”
“But a brat you can’t live without,” she retorts.
I stare into her chocolate browns. She’s right. She’s what I need and crave in this world, and I’ll never tire of spending my life worshipping her for the soul mate she’s always been for me, even before I had been ready to admit it.
Chapter 32
Nine months later
Malia
“You’ve collected a lot of shit in less than a year, plus you have a fuck ton at my place, too,” Wells complains, walking into my dorm with boxes tucked into boxes.
“Yeah, and wait until I spread all my shit all over your place,” I tease, sidling up toward him, standing on my tiptoes to kiss his beautiful lips.
“Well, in a couple of hours, it’ll be our place, yours and mine.” His arms connect around me. “Come on, brat, let’s get y
ou moved out in order to get you moved in.”
His eyes move toward Greenlyn’s empty side of the room. “She’s all moved out?”
I shrug my shoulders. I’ve missed my friend, and though she’d sleep here from time to time, she spent a lot of nights at her parents’ home, thirty miles from here, making the commute. “She and her man came last night to get the rest.”
“Do you think she’ll be okay?” Wells asks, my eyes full of tears at the nightmares which still plague her.
“She has someone who loves her very much in a short amount of time. He’s good for her. Her parents may not approve, but I think they’ll heal one another.”
We’d all been surprised when they started dating, but it made sense in a way, since she likes bad boys. “Anyway, like Georgia, she’ll never get rid of me.”
He begins to choke, a devilish smile forming on his face. “Oh, wait, do we have a choice—getting rid of Georgia?”
I playfully slug him, as he whimpers, “Mal, babe, you hit harder than you think.”
“You big old baby,” I tease back, thinking of Wells and Georgia. They have a love-hate relationship, always teasing and goading the other, but that’s just Georgia.
“Oh, you’d be lost without her, especially with her transferring to the university here,” he moans, but because he loves me, he knows I’ll be happy with her so close. Plus, there’s been a particular friend of ours who’s been a little too interested in the redheaded wonder we know as Georgia Nancy.
“Enough about all our friends, let’s get you moved because the sooner we get you to our home, the sooner I can get you naked and fuck you senseless.”
“You promise?” I ask.