“Why do you say that? What confirmation do you have that it isn’t?”
“Well, Lent Ledkin’s boss, Henry York, was so upset about Ledkin getting killed and looking like he might be part of Azra’s abduction that he did some snooping of his own. Turns out that Ledkin was very close to Arso, like family gatherings, an escort when he came to New York, except the last few times he did Ledkin was involved with some cases and couldn’t join him. As York asked around to other agents, he gets a call from a federal agent, and they were monitoring that guy, Ezekiel Grey, and have video of not only Arso partying with Ezekiel, but also showing up at Ezekiel’s makeshift office. They think that Ezekiel was blackmailing Arso, and when Arso wouldn’t comply, they went after his daughter to force his hand.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? Then who the hell tried to take her from the hospital? Those men weren’t Ezekiel’s.”
“That is what we are trying to find out. The feds have a list of people who Ezekiel parties with. A few are big shots in the crime circuit. This whole thing could be just a means to get ransom money and force Arso to cooperate or his daughter would be killed.”
“What if someone took him now, too?” Simo asked.
“We’ll know the second he takes any money out of any accounts. All his assets are being monitored. He is still in Cyprus. His private jet hasn’t left the airport.”
“I hope we figure this out fast. The way this is going, all those women who were killed won’t get any justice. This will come down to who gets caught in the act. Only a few of us know where Azra is. I doubt someone will try to find her and take her. As for her father, he’ll wind up paying that ransom based on threats against Azra alone,” Simo said to him.
“You’re probably right, unless we find out that one of the guys Ezekiel hung with is involved, then it will be a closed case when Arso returns.”
“Agusta went back to the apartment, and she hasn’t returned since she left yesterday morning,” Shannon told Lilly as Lilly met her by the front door of the office.
“Where are you going?” Lilly asked.
“To see if she’s there. I know she was having a hard time trying to get used to the rules, but she was compliant. That’s why I don’t understand why she would take off and not return.”
“Well, I’ll go with you. Maybe between the two of us we can talk some sense into her,” Lilly said, and they turned around and headed back out the door and to Shannon’s car.
“So, how is everything going with the case you’re working on, or better yet, that sexy Deputy Vega? He is one good looking man.”
Lilly couldn’t believe the jealous feeling that hit her, then the possessive one. She instantly understood the men’s concern when Lex and them recognized Lilly and hugged her and spoke to her.
“He and his team are pretty cool. Very nice men.”
“His team? Lilly, oh my God, you’re involved with him, with them?” Shannon asked, and Lilly chuckled.
“Don’t have a heart attack. I do date.”
“Since when? You haven’t dated anyone since you moved here, and I’ve seen you turn down some hotties. This is awesome.”
“Why is that?” Lilly asked.
“Because you are such a kind, compassionate, beautiful woman who deserves happiness, a happy ever after considering all you went through. They’re soldiers, right?”
“Yes, they’re all pretty much retired except for Brian. It’s new, though, so don’t go getting everyone all crazy.”
“Oh, so you’re trying to keep it a secret? Can’t exactly do that when you’re smiling so much.”
“I smile all the time.”
“Just barely, unless you’re being cordial. You have that unreadable look.”
“That’s good, though. People won’t know what I’m thinking or if I trust them.”
“Spoken like a soldier or cop,” Shannon said and then pulled up to the small mobile home.
“It doesn’t look like anyone is around,” Lilly said as they got out of the car.
They got out and approached the front door. Shannon banged on the door.
“Agusta, it’s Shannon. Are you in there?” she asked, and no one answered. The shades were all pulled down, and a quick glance back at the dirt driveway and it looked like there had been another vehicle there. She felt that tightness in her chest as concern filled her mind.
“Let me walk around back and see if I can see through a window or something. You keep knocking,” Lilly told Shannon. As Lilly walked around back, stepping into some high grasses, she could hear some noises. She couldn’t quite reach the widow and looked around for something to stand on. There was a beat-up bucket, and she used it to step on. She thought she heard crying, and then looked into the window and saw Agusta tied to the bed, half-naked and beaten. She was struggling to get free. Lilly jumped down off the bucket and ran back around to the front. Shannon was still banging on the door.
“Call the sheriff. She’s tied to the bed and looks like she’s been beaten,” Lilly said and yanked the screen door opened and then started kicking the front door until it broke and she was able to get inside. Shannon was on the phone, following her into the place. It was a mess, and as they got to the bedroom calling her name, Agusta’s eyes landed on them and relief filled her expression.
Lilly immediately pulled the cloth from her mouth. “Are you okay? Who did this?” she asked as she started to untie her wrists.
“Brady. Oh God, he showed up while I was here grabbing some things to bring back to the shelter and then started raging, telling me I wasn’t leaving him again. I tried to fight him, but I couldn’t,” Agusta said, crying. Lilly felt that angry upset feeling hit her gut as she tried untying the other rope.
“What the fuck is this?”
They all turned around to see some big guy, whom Lilly assumed was Brady, standing there in the narrow doorway.
“She can’t stay here. She’s coming with us,” Shannon said to him.
“The hell she is. That’s my woman. You get the hell out of my home,” he said and started to come toward them.
“The police are on their way. We called them,” Shannon said, and just at that moment they could hear sirens.
“You called the fucking police? Agusta, you let them?” he roared and headed toward them when Shannon got in the way. The guy, Brady, went to push by Shannon, and Shannon tried to stop him as Lilly released Agusta’s other wrist from confinement, but her ankles were still tied to the bed.
“Don’t do this, Brady. We can work things out. You don’t want to do this,” Lilly said to him.
He took another step toward them, and Shannon yelled at him to stop. He backhanded her across the mouth, and Shannon fell to the right and hit her head.
“No, Brady, stay back. Stay away from her,” Lilly screamed at him. When Brady pulled out the knife, Lilly knew things were going to get worse.
“Stop! Police!” Deputy Meteo Solos had his gun on Brady as Brady grabbed Lilly, while Lilly was trying to untie Agusta’s legs. He had the knife on her so fast, as he yanked her from the bed, turned her around, and put the knife to her neck. A thousand thoughts flashed through her mind, but the first one was of the men. Of Simo, Jordo, Brian, and Colt. The second was that she survived so much violence and danger that she could die from some batterer who abused his girlfriend and obviously lost his mind. She was worried more about untying Agusta to set her free than protecting herself, and now she suffered the consequences of thinking like a social worker first and not a soldier.
“Brian, maybe you need to stay out of that location. I know you and the team are seeing Lilly and—”
“Fuck that shit. I’m on my way, Sheriff,” Brian said and stepped on the gas to get out to Heman’s Pass where the domestic situation was occurring. As he listened to the radio and pulled up the dirt road leading to the trailer, he heard Deputy Meteo say that the man was holing a knife to a woman’s throat. His gut clenched, and he knew it was Lilly. That, somehow, she was the one whose
life was in jeopardy.
He got there as the sheriff got out of his vehicle. Other deputies arrived onto the scene now, too. Deputy Oliver Fey, Deputy Marcus Sperr, and more were on their way. He got out, and Oliver held his hand up as they saw Meteo backing up from the door. He stopped right there, gun drawn forward, toward the inside of the trailer.
“Meteo, what do you got?” Sheriff Lantern asked.
“He wants to leave. He has Lilly at knifepoint. Shannon Fogerty is unconscious on the floor, and there’s a woman tied to the bed.”
“What the hell is going on?” Oliver asked.
“Tell him I’m coming up,” the sheriff said, and as he got to the steps and looked into the trailer, he said something to Meteo.
“What’s going on here? We don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
“I’m fucking leaving. I’m not going to jail.”
“Well, put the weapon down, and we’ll talk about this.”
“No fucking talking. I’ll cut her,” the guy yelled, and Tatum raised his hand up.
“No, no, no, you don’t want to do that. No one is dying today. Why don’t we talk outside? It’s damn hot in this trailer, and it’s only gonna get hotter and irritate you more. Come on out and we can talk.”
Brain was shaking inside. He was so worried about Lilly. He couldn’t believe how scared he was for her life. What the fuck was she doing here in this situation?
They were all getting tired and annoyed. More police showed up but remained further back, and the sheriff was trying to keep the guy, Brady, calm. When Brady started to come out the door and breathe the air, Lilly came into sight. The guy had a knife to her throat, there was a nick against her skin, and he could see the light bit of blood. Brian was going to kill this guy. They were all sweating, and the guy’s shirt was drenched, Lilly’s was, too. He could see straight to her bra and breasts. The guy held her so tight, she had no room to do anything. She leaned her head back, resting it against the guy’s shoulder, totally unable to move.
“Let the woman go. We’ll get some cold drinks, some food, and talk things out,” the sheriff said.
The guy looked like he was on something. Maybe drugs. “Fuck you! She’s coming with me, and I’m driving out of here,” he yelled.
“Can’t let you do that, son. There has to be a way to work this out so no one gets hurt.”
He squeezed his arm around her midsection and yelled toward the sheriff, “Fuck you, she’s coming with me.” He started dragging her toward the truck. Everyone there had their guns on them. They yelled for him to stop.
“I’ll fucking kill her. I don’t fucking care!” Brady yelled, and he moved the knife slightly as he raged, and Lilly made a move. She slammed her head back against his nose, slid down and up, knocking the knife from Brady’s hand, and then swept his feet out from underneath him, causing him to fall to his knees. She put him in a sleeper hold, ready to break his neck, but the sheriff held his gun on him as Meteo assisted lowering Brady to the ground with Lilly’s help.
The sight of his woman doing that move and winding up straddling the guy, skirt to her hips, blouse ripped, soaked and exposing her breasts, shot through his brain. He was right there, pulling her up into his arms. When she shoved from him and shook her head, he was insulted, hurt, confused, but then he recognized that look in her eyes. She needed a minute.
“You’re fine. You’re safe, and you did good. You did good,” Brian said to her.
“Holy shit, Lilly, are you okay?” Tatum asked her.
She nodded her head. Took a few breaths as the others asked if she was okay.
“Shannon and Agusta?” she said to the sheriff.
“Oliver,” the sheriff called to him, and Oliver and other police went into the trailer.
Brian just stared down at her as her breathing began to settle, his eyes landing on her body, on that nick to her throat. He hesitated to reach out, but when he did and stroked where the cut was, she shocked him as she hugged him around the waist and squeezed him tight. He held her head and rubbed her back.
“You’re incredible, baby, but Jesus Christ, you scared the shit out of me.”
Lilly was exhausted and couldn’t wait to get home and shower. There was a whole lot of paperwork to do, questions to answer, and then of course she needed to make sure that Agusta and Shannon were okay. Word traveled quickly about the incident and about what she did to end the standoff with police. Of course, the guys all talked about how hot she looked with her skirt at her waist and her top undone, which led to Brian reprimanding them and him kissing her in front of everyone at the sheriff’s department.
When Simo, Jordo, and Colt walked in and one by one pulled her into their arms and kissed her, the guys went from busting chops to congratulating the men for snagging Lilly. So much for keeping this new relationship on the down low. The guys weren’t having it, and even now, driving home to her place, she sat on Jordo’s lap and couldn’t wait to make love to them.
Jordo carried her inside and placed her feet on the floor by the bed.
“I need to shower first. I was sweating and probably reek like that jerk.”
“Don’t,” Brian said as he started undressing.
“Brian?” she said and knew he was affected by the incident and probably felt out of control and like he couldn’t rescue her or protect her. She was just as well trained as he was. She waited for the opportunity, and when it arose, she took it. It worked. End of story, but apparently not for Brian.
Simo undid her skirt and pushed it down and off of her as Colt and Jordo undid her top then her bra. Brian was naked, and the men were kissing her skin, her shoulders, when she stopped them.
“Let me please shower first,” she said.
Brian stepped closer, naked in all his glory, a hot specimen of a man, with that total alpha look in his eyes. He wrapped his arm around her waist, her breasts pressed against his chest, and he carried her to the bathroom. Simo started the shower and then walked from the room, giving her and Brian a few minutes alone. Brian got her under the spray, and she stared to soap herself up. He helped her wash her hair, then put conditioner in it, and then she helped him.
He was quiet, not saying a word, just kissing her skin, then along her neck and the spot where she had been nicked.
“Brian, I’m okay,” she said.
He lifted her up and pressed her to the wall. He locked gazes with her. “Don’t tell me that you’re okay. You could have died. All you fucking went through, and for what? For some asshole batterer who tied his ex to a bed and held her prisoner.”
“Who would have thought we would walk into that? We called the police immediately.”
He cupped her cheeks and stared into her eyes. She felt his cock, hard, thick against her belly. “You should have called me to come follow you and make sure it was safe.”
She chuckled. “Yeah, that would go over well. Excuse me while I call my lover, a deputy, to come with us just in case some psycho drugged-out dude has his girlfriend tied to a bed. Ya know, take you away from real police work while I do my social worker job.”
“God damn it, Lilly. You scared me,” he said through clenched teeth. She slid her hand between them and held his cock.
“Make love to me, Brian. Take me right now. Know I’m safe and here with you and the team,” she said. He kissed her as she lifted, and he pulled back slightly to align his cock with her pussy before he slid right into her needy cunt. They both moaned and continued to kiss, but then he pulled from her lips, slid her palms above her head, and used his hips to hold her in place and thrust into her deeply.
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