Their Virgin Mistress

by Shayla Black

  “You saw the solicitor leaving?” Oliver asked, though he was fairly certain it wasn’t true.

  Claire shook her head. “I think he’s dead. He was just inside the foyer. He’s not moving. I-I don’t think the guard has patrolled that way yet.”

  Rory shook his head. “He has now. He’s called an ambulance. The solicitor was struck on the back of the head with one of our mother’s antique fireplace pokers. Thea must have picked it up as they walked through the parlor. He’s still breathing, but he’s definitely injured.”

  Oliver’s heart started to race. “Please tell me she stole his car and left.”

  Callum looked out the window. “It’s still in the drive. Thea is here and she’s going to look for Tori.”

  “Or you.” There was no question she wanted Callum more than anything. But she may have descended into madness and convinced herself that if she got rid of Tori, Callum would be hers.

  “She’s in my bedroom.” Callum started out the door. “I bet Thea looked in my bedroom, and that’s where I just sent Tori.”

  If Oliver let him, Callum would rush in and possibly startle the crazy bitch into shooting. Instead, he caught his brother by the arm, slowing him. “How does she know where the bedrooms are?”

  “It isn’t hard to figure out they’re upstairs,” Callum shot back.

  Rory followed. “I’m getting a hunting rifle. I’ll coordinate with the security team.”

  Callum struggled to get his arm loose. “You have to let me go. I’ve got to save Tori.”

  Oliver needed his brother to think clearly. “Think for a second. We can’t run in. Chaos is the enemy. She’ll shoot first. You need to be calm. Let’s head to the bedroom. She might have overheard us telling Tori to wait for us there. I’m sure she’s read the articles about this place. If she’s as obsessed as she seems to be, it would have been easy for her to find all the information about this house. Mother used to talk about the architecture and how she decorated all the time. One of the magazines even included blueprints. She knows where the bedrooms are. We have to go in as if we don’t know anything is wrong.”

  “I’ll set up outside.” Rory nodded toward the door. “There’s got to be someplace with a view of the bedroom. If I can take her out, I will.”

  Two of the security guards were already striding toward them. Rory caught up with them and began talking.

  They had very little time. Oliver rather thought the guards would try to take over. “Let’s go. If they understand what’s happening, they might try to hide us somewhere safe until they have the situation under control. I don’t trust anyone but us to squelch it. You must talk Thea down.”

  They started toward the stairs, jogging beside each other.

  “Mr. Thurston-Hughes,” the guard from the front of the house called out. “We have a situation. I need you and your brother to come with me.”

  “Take care of Claire. We’ll be down in a moment,” he said to the guard nearest him, hoping the sentry would comply.

  Claire helped out. She gave a little sigh, then winked Oliver’s way before going into an absolutely perfect swoon. The guard caught her before she hit the floor.

  Clever girl. The man wouldn’t leave her now.

  Callum picked up the pace. “I’ll never forgive myself if something happens to Tori. This is all my fault.”

  “Don’t. That’s exactly the type of thinking that cost us months with her,” Oliver argued. “You didn’t ask for Thea to go off her rocker. You didn’t ask for her to drag your name through the mud. I’ve been there and I’ve finally figured out that guilt helps nothing. We go in there and we do anything we need to do to save our wife. I mean anything.”

  “I’ll do whatever it takes.” Callum stared at the door.

  “Stay calm. We’ll enter and act as if we don’t know anything is wrong. If Thea isn’t there and Tori is waiting alone, we pick her up and run like hell and let the guards search the house.”

  “She’s naked. If she’s alone, she’s naked. I ordered her…” Callum took a deep breath, clearly shoving down his fear.

  At least Callum was a damn fine listener. He’d obviously pushed aside his guilt. They had no use for it.

  As Oliver and his brother approached the door, he prayed he would have the chance to carry his naked wife kicking and screaming out of the house. They’d get a robe on her once they reached safety, but he wouldn’t risk her life for anything.

  “This isn’t going to work.” Tori’s voice floated through the door, thready and thin. Afraid.

  Shit. Oliver looked to his brother. Callum had paled, but he knocked on the door after clearing the fear from his face. Oliver tried to do the same.

  “Tori, Oliver and I need to talk to you about Thea. Are you decent?” Callum asked.

  After a long pause, Tori spoke. No doubt, Thea was forcing her to speak, maybe at gunpoint. The idea made Oliver’s fists clench. “What about her?”

  “I’ve been thinking, and I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing. She’s carrying my child.”

  Oliver could see how hard it was for his brother to say the words. He rested a soothing hand on Callum’s back. Surely Tori wouldn’t believe him.

  “You said she wasn’t. You promised me the baby wasn’t yours.” Her voice sounded ragged, desperate.

  Callum’s eyes closed, his hand on the door as though he could connect with her, make her believe. “I lied. She’s the mother of my child. I’ve been with you because my brothers pressured me into it. I’m so sorry, but knowing she was here today and that you all kept me from seeing her, it made me change my mind.”

  He heard Tori cry out, heard her bite back a sob.

  “You’re a bastard, Callum.” Her voice shook.

  “I know,” he said hollowly. “I need to find her. Can I come in? I need to pack a bag. I’m going to stay with her from now on.”

  “Yes,” came the tense reply.

  Callum glanced over and Oliver nodded, then whispered. “We go in slowly. Try to get her to the big window. I left all the windows open this afternoon because it’s so warm, but the one on the right is likely where Rory will set up.”

  Callum nodded, then turned the doorknob.

  Oliver caught his breath. Tori was standing in the middle of the room, her hands raised in the air. Obviously, she was terrified and shaking. Thea was standing behind her, using her as a shield.

  “Callum?” Thea said, glancing over Tori’s shoulder. “Did you mean it?”

  Yes, he saw the crazy eyes Callum had talked about. Thea was staring at Callum as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening, certainly not like she was holding a gun to his wife’s back.

  Callum raised his hands, clearly trying to go for the non-threatening route. “What are you doing here, Thea? I was going to come looking for you.”

  “What’s he doing here?” Thea glanced Oliver’s way, and it stopped his attempt to flank her.

  He went still, lifting his hands as well.

  “Oliver came to collect Tori,” Callum explained patiently. “He and Rory are going to marry her.”

  Thea frowned. “I don’t like her. She kept us apart.”

  “She’s going to be my wife,” Oliver said, his voice deep. “I won’t be happy if you hurt her. Neither will Rory. Do you want to alienate Callum’s brothers if we’re going to be family?”

  Callum seemed to take up his idea. He moved to her left, a couple of steps closer. They needed to back her into the corner, preferably near the east window. From that position, Rory would be able to see Thea through the hunting rifle. Their father hadn’t believed in playing fair. When he’d hunted, he’d used a scope. Oliver could still hear his father saying if the buck wanted a fighting chance, the deer population should have developed technology. He hoped it worked on Thea.

  “Thea, the last thing either of us wants is for our baby to be born in jail.” Callum’s voice was perfectly soothing.

  Tori’s face twisted up in a mask of rage. “You’re a l
iar. You said it wasn’t yours.”

  Oliver took over. “Tori, love, let’s get out of here and leave them to it. It sounds as though they have a lot to talk about.”

  “Yes,” Callum said. “Let Oliver take his wife. You and I will talk.”

  Tori’s back bowed and she hissed as though in pain.

  “I don’t think you mean that, lover.” Thea’s lips thinned, and she pulled Tori’s hair, tugging her back. “I think you’re trying to save her.”

  “I’ll be alone with you if you let her go,” Callum pointed out. “Just you and me. For as long as you want. Thea, we can close the doors and nothing else will matter but us, just like old times.”

  “I hate you,” Tori spat at Callum. “I really hate you. You lied to me. You bastard!”

  She fought against Thea’s hold, and Oliver could see her struggle was working. Tori was far stronger than ultra-skinny Thea. Unfortunately, their wife wasn’t stronger than a bullet.

  “Stop,” Oliver commanded. In this case, Tori needed to wait for them. She needed to trust them to talk her out of this situation. “Be still.”

  Tori stopped. “I don’t want to talk to him. He lied. He’s an asshole.”

  Callum physically flinched. “I’m sorry. I was trying to do right by my brothers, but I have to do right by her. I have feelings for her.”

  While Thea was watching Cal, Oliver inched to her side.

  She snapped the gun up to Tori’s head. “You should listen to the one man here who loves you. It isn’t Callum. He’s mine. He always loved me. He always wanted me.”

  “Yes,” Callum said. “You’re the one I wanted all along. I got a bit put off by how you talked to the press. I’m very private. But I know you only wanted what was best for us. Our union and our baby.”

  “We can be private.” Thea stepped back, keeping her hand on Tori.

  Oliver noticed the way the gun in her other hand quivered. Thea was rapidly losing strength. Maybe her adrenaline was draining out or she never ate any damn protein to build muscle. He didn’t care which as long as Tori survived.

  The sun was filtering in behind the mad woman, temporarily blinding him. But that was all right because Rory could likely see Thea quite well. He needed to move her back a little more. The windows were open, allowing the sweetness of the summer afternoon to flood the room.

  “Let me take my wife.” If he could only get Tori away, maybe they could trap the bitch inside this room. He didn’t want to leave his brother. They were a family. They weren’t as strong if they weren’t together. He was fairly certain Tori would kick his arse if Callum died. “Really, you two should talk.”

  He held his hand out as though it was his right. It was, damn it. Tori was his. She belonged to them and he was representing his brothers right now.

  Tori sent him a pleading, tremulous stare, reaching out for him. “Oliver…”

  “Stop!” Thea shouted. “You’re not going anywhere. I don’t know what to do. I want Cal, but I don’t trust him.”

  “We have a baby, Thea,” his brother tried.

  She sniffled. “We should. We would make beautiful babies. Wouldn’t our baby be gorgeous?”

  “He will be.” Callum was playing to her crazy, but he was doing a damn fine job.

  Tori teared up.

  Thea shifted, inching ever closer to the window. He needed her back just a little further…

  Oliver leaned forward. “Thea, you can’t have Callum if you kill her. If you’re in prison, Callum won’t have anyone to keep him warm at night.”

  “He needs someone. He needs me.” Thea let go of Tori’s hair, but the gun stayed at her back.

  “I do.” Callum took another step forward.

  “He definitely needs you.” Oliver moved with him and sure enough, Thea stepped back, almost to the window.

  “I love you, Callum,” Thea said.

  Oliver saw a glint of metal in the background. It was almost time. Could Rory align the shot? Or were they too close to the mental wench?

  Thea frowned. “I’m scared. I lost the baby, Callum.”

  Of course she had. Oliver knew this song and dance well.

  Callum shook his head. “We’ll have to make another one then, won’t we?”

  For a moment, Thea looked utterly tortured. He could almost believe she was heartbroken. “I’ve already done something bad. I didn’t mean to hurt him, but he was trying to make me leave.”

  “The solicitor? He’s fine.” Callum wasn’t letting go. “I’m sure once we write him a nice fat check, he’ll agree that it was all a misunderstanding. But I think my brother is going to have a real problem with you threatening his wife. If you’ll let her go, I’m sure he won’t call the police.”

  That gun was suddenly pointing his way. “I can make certain he doesn’t call the police.”

  Tori chose that moment to raise her leg and kick back toward Thea. The woman shuffled at impact but managed to stay on her feet, then whirl around. She pointed the gun at Tori.

  Oliver leapt forward. He didn’t think about anything but that bullet coming for Tori. Thea wasn’t going to take hostages. She wasn’t going to put her hands up and give in. She was willing to kill Tori and possibly him. He had to give Callum the chance to save their wife.

  Then Oliver heard the shot. The sound blasted through the air. He hit Tori like a freight train, and for a moment was terrified he’d hurt her. His velocity forced her against the bed and he heard a loud smack.

  Then a scream. Tori yelped, screeched in terror, her lovely eyes wide. Oh, god, had she been hit?

  The world seemed a little hazy, but he forced himself to move, to cover her. He caught sight of blood. God. His heart pounded. Where was she hit?

  There was the sound of glass breaking and he tried to cover Tori.

  More screaming. He tried to move, but his arm didn’t seem to be working.

  Suddenly Callum was standing over him. “Rory got her. She’s gone. Tori, it’s all right.”

  “No, it’s not. He’s been hit. You have to get an ambulance. He’s losing blood.” Tori was clutching him like she wouldn’t let go.

  “Who?” He looked down at her. She was getting fuzzy. “Who got hit?”

  Tori stared up at him, clutched his hand tightly. “You. Please… Please don’t leave me.”

  Well, this wasn’t how he’d thought his day would end. Blood. It was his. Damn. “You all right?”

  She nodded, tears in her eyes. “Fine. Oliver…”

  In the part of his brain still functioning, he realized this was everything Tori feared. His wife was clearly terrified. He’d just found her. He couldn’t leave her.

  Oliver slumped down, his head too heavy to hold up anymore. Her warmth surrounded him, but so did the darkness.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Callum glanced over at Tori as they pulled up to the gates. She sat in the backseat with Oliver, fussing over him.

  Oliver was a wimp. The bullet had barely grazed him, but he’d hit his head on the side of the bed and required an overnight stay at hospital. Callum knew all too well what concussions felt like, and he know Ollie’s head was throbbing. Still, his brother was milking the injury for everything it was worth. Between the small bullet wound and the hit to his head, there had been enough blood to terrify their wife.

  Actually, Tori hadn’t been the only one scared. He’d seen all that blood and feared Oliver could die. Again.