Heal Me [Club of Dominance 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Becca Van

  Nate finally released her and after making sure she was steady on her feet, he and Nix headed for the door. “Come and see us out, baby. Make sure you lock the door as soon as we leave.”

  Kara followed them to the door and he and Nix waited on her porch for her to do as he ordered. She gave them a smile and wave before closing and then locking the door. Just before he began to walk toward their truck, he called out to her. “On the hour, every hour, Kara.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  * * * *

  Now that Kara was alone and could think straight, she realized that she felt lighter than she had been in ten years. When she’d first remembered telling Nate and Nix about her parents, she’d panicked and felt sick to her stomach, but now she felt as if the weight of the world on her shoulders was gone.

  She was smiling as she did her chores and she hadn’t even felt like smiling in what felt like forever. Fiona had been right. The spanking they’d given her had been cathartic in a way and helped her to release all that pain she’d held in for so long. It had also helped that Nathan and Nixon told her that how she was conceived wasn’t her fault. She finally believed it.

  She’d just finished cleaning her whole apartment and the fresh scent of pine was also like a balm to her soul. Not only had her home needed a good clean, but so had her heart and soul.

  She stood in the middle of her small living room and spun in a circle laughing like a loon. Kara was full of energy and felt the need to get out for a change. She looked at the time and grabbed her purse and keys. Just as she was about to walk out the door, she remembered her promise. After digging in her bag for her cell phone she typed in the message All is well, added Nate’s and Nixon’s names, and sent the message, before locking her door behind her.

  Nate’s return message was Good girl and Nixon’s was Such an obedient, sub.

  Happier than she’d ever been in her life, Kara decided she would have to tell them how much they meant to her the next time she saw them outside of business hours. She just hoped that they felt something for her other than lust, but she wouldn’t worry about that today.

  The sun was shining and the birds were singing and she had every intention of enjoying herself for a change. It didn’t matter that she didn’t have any spare money to shop with. She could look in the windows and see what was on offer. Maybe one day soon she would be able to buy herself some more clothes. God knows she needed more than the little she had.

  Kara walked along the street enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. By the time she got to where she was going, she was thirsty so she went into a small café and ordered a drink. She sat at the window watching the people pass by as they, too, enjoyed their Sunday and did their chores. Just as she finished her drink, she spied a man leaning against a building on the opposite side of the road, in the shadows. She couldn’t be certain, but she had a feeling he was looking at her, watching her, but decided she was probably imagining things. Kara left a small tip and slowly headed back toward her home, continuing to look at the window displays as she went. This time though, she didn’t really pay attention. Her mind was on the two Charleston brothers and the way they had made love to her.

  Kara couldn’t wait to be back in their bed.

  * * * *

  “So, what do you think about my idea of hiring someone to look out for Kara?” Nate asked as he took a sip of his coffee.

  Nixon and Nate had been home for just under two hours and even though he and his brother normally found sitting on the porch of their parents’ home relaxing, they both kept shifting in their seats.

  No matter how hard he tried, Nixon couldn’t get comfortable, because his anxiety level was up. He was worried about leaving Kara alone but he was also concerned about the attack on their home.

  “We should do it. It’s going to take time to find someone and get them here. Do you know of anyone who may be able to give us some names or a company who deals in this type of stuff?”

  “Garth and Derrick Jackson might be able to point us in the right direction. I would love to be able to ask them, but they are only in a new relationship and I don’t want to impugn on their honeymoon stage. Plus, they have a lot of their own customers they have to watch over and from the last time I was talking to them, they have so much work they can barely keep up. Garth said they were looking into expanding their office and hiring more people.”

  “Damn.” Nixon sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “I thought we may have been able to get one of their employees.”

  “Let me give them a call now. I have a really bad feeling about Kara being on her own.” Nate pulled his cell from his pocket and called Garth.

  Nixon hurried inside to grab a pen and paper after Nate mimed to him what he wanted and five minutes later they had a list of three companies and also the phone number of the Jackson brothers’ cousins, who had their own company right on the outskirts of Tigard.

  After hanging up, Nate turned to him and quirked an eyebrow in question. “The cousins?”

  “Yeah. We know Garth and Derrick, and I’ll bet my hat they wouldn’t have recommended them if they didn’t think they could do the job or weren’t trustworthy. Plus, they’re already here. We won’t have to wait for them to fly or drive in.”

  Nate dialed and after introducing himself, told whoever he was talking to what had happened and how nervous they were about their woman being all alone. When he disconnected the call, Nixon wanted to question him but he waited patiently for his brother to fill him in.

  “They’ll be here in half an hour.”

  “Damn that’s fast, but I am so fucking glad they are coming. I can’t stand this antsy feeling I have in my gut.”

  Half an hour later, Nate and Nixon watched the truck driving up the driveway. Three men got out of the vehicle once it was parked close to the house. Even Nixon was a little intimidated by the muscular physiques and their height. All three men looked exactly the same and all of them stood at six foot five.

  Nate got to his feet as the three men came to a halt at the bottom of the steps so Nixon followed suit.

  “Which one of you is Nate?” one of the men asked.

  “I am.” Nate came down a step and held his hand out. “Are you Luis?”

  “That would be me,” Luis replied. “These are my brothers, Carlos and Juan Jackson.”

  After the introductions were made and they all had fresh coffees, Nate once more explained the situation.

  “Do you have any enemies?” Juan asked.

  “Not that we can think of,” Nixon said.

  “What about disgruntled patients or families of patients?” Luis asked.

  “Shit. I have no idea.” Nate answered this time, the frustration evident in his voice. He stood up and began to pace back and forth on the timber deck.

  “What about friends, family?” Carlos questioned.

  Nixon shook his head. “There isn’t anyone. Fuck! I hate this shit. We could have put our woman in danger by having her over to our place, but we have no idea if this was just a random act of violence from some kid trying to get his thrills, or if someone really has it in for us.”

  “Have the cops come up with anything?”

  “Not yet.” Nixon was so agitated he couldn’t sit still any longer and he moved to lean against the porch railing.

  “Was Forensics called in?” Juan asked.

  “Yeah, but we probably won’t hear back for a couple of days.”

  “Tell us about your girl,” Luis demanded.

  Even though Nixon hated telling them what had been told to them in confidence, he and Nate explained about Kara’s parents. For all they knew, her deceased father could have family holding a grudge for his death in prison.

  “We’ll look into it,” Luis stood up. “We’ll shadow your woman and make sure she’s kept safe. One of us will protect her and the other two will be on your tails.”

  “Do you really think that’s necessary?”

  Luis just quirked an eyebrow at him but didn’t r
eply.

  Fuck! Nixon hated the thought of having someone on his ass constantly, and from the look on Nate’s face he wasn’t happy about it either. The only reason he didn’t kick up a fuss was because of Kara. If the three Jackson cousins could find out who had it in for them and were able to take the fucker down, then Kara would be safe.

  And to him, that was more paramount than his own life.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Kara was just about to put her key into the lock on her apartment door when the hair on her nape began to prickle and stand on end. She turned around and scanned the bushes, street, and parking lot, but couldn’t see anything or anyone, so she shrugged and put it down to paranoia.

  After letting herself in and locking the door, she realized she was late in texting or calling Nate and Nixon. Just as she pulled out her cell her phone vibrated. She had two messages and they were both demanding to know where she was.

  When she replied she apologized for being late but told them she was fine. Of course she got two replies telling her she was in deep shit when they saw her again and she had just racked up another punishment.

  Kara shivered with arousal and hoped they wouldn’t do or say anything to her when she got to work in the morning. After grabbing a bite to eat and a quick shower, she turned off the lights and headed to bed. She sent a text to her men and moments later she was asleep.

  She came awake with a start and wondered what had pulled her from her sleep. It wasn’t until she tried to inhale deeply and she had trouble filling her lungs with air that she realized that something was wrong.

  Her eyes popped open and when she saw the flickering orange glow and smelled the stench of smoke in the air, she comprehended that her apartment was on fire. Kara flung the covers aside and slid to the floor. She searched around her for her discarded clothes and when she sighed with relief and inhaled again, she started choking on the thick smoke. For some reason she couldn’t fathom, her smoke alarm hadn’t gone off, but she pushed that thought aside and struggled into her clothes. Just as she was searching for her shoes the glass to her bedroom window smashed. Kara screamed and would have tried to run to her living room but the flames had taken hold and she knew it would be seconds before the fire entered her bedroom.

  She crawled along the floor and pushed herself into the corner of her room, wedging herself between her bedside table and the floor. Now that her eyes had adjusted to the dark and with the help of the glow from the fire, Kara watched with fear and horror as a very large man climbed in through her window. She whimpered and then covered her mouth with her hand and hoped whoever was breaking in hadn’t heard her.

  “Kara, I’m a friend of Nate and Nixon. Where are you, honey?”

  Kara wanted to believe him but after the homemade bomb and fire at the Charleston brothers’ house, she was too scared that she could end up in more trouble if she called out.

  She was panting for breath now and no matter how much air she drew in she still couldn’t breathe properly. The air was thick with acrid smoke and she knew if she didn’t get out of here soon, she could end up dying. She was going to have to trust that whoever was calling out to her was a friend of her men, but if he wasn’t, at least she could try and fight him after she got out of her burning home.

  “H–here,” she tried to yell but ended up in a coughing fit. But he must have heard her because a moment later a large hand wrapped around her ankle.

  “We need to get out of here, honey.”

  The man lifted her into his arms and then he was easing her out of the broken window. She looked down when more arms reached up for her and realized it was a fireman. She hadn’t even heard any sirens.

  The firefighter carried her away from the flames and the man who had rescued her followed behind them. Kara wanted to thank him but she couldn’t stop coughing. A paramedic raced over and an oxygen mask was placed over her mouth and nose. Each cough was so hard and deep it hurt her ribs but after breathing in the pure oxygen for a while she was able to breathe better.

  The big man sat down next to her after he’d spoken to the police whom she also hadn’t noticed standing outside the apartment building.

  “My name is Luis Jackson. Your men hired me to look out for you.”

  “Kara!”

  Luis stood up when Nate roared her name and she tried to do the same, but the ambulance officer pushed her back down to her seat on the edge of the ambulance. Nate and Nixon spotted her and Luis just as Luis called their names and then she was in their arms.

  “Oh God, baby, are you okay?” Nate asked as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her against his chest.

  “Kara, are you hurt?” Nixon asked as he pressed his front against her back and his arms came around her waist.

  Kara shook her head and started to speak but another hacking cough wracked her body.

  “Give me your stethoscope,” Nate demanded of the paramedic. “I’m a doctor.”

  The paramedic handed Nate the stethoscope and then he was listening to her lungs. Nixon and Luis had moved away and were talking quietly to each other as they scanned the area. And that’s when Kara realized that there was something seriously wrong.

  Why would Nate and Nixon hire someone to look out for me? Do they think that someone is trying to kill me?

  A shudder ripped through her body, goose bumps covered her skin everywhere, and all her hair stood on end.

  “You’re okay, baby. You’ll be fine. Nix and I will take care of you.”

  “W–what’s going on?”

  “Shh, baby, don’t try and talk. Rest your voice.”

  Kara turned to look at Luis and Nixon and then she gasped when she saw two other men who looked exactly the same as Luis and knew that they were triplets. Even though they were handsome, with their dark Latin skin and brawny bodies, they did nothing for her.

  Since she was feeling better and was able to breathe nearly normally again, Kara removed the mask from her face and rose to her feet. Nate handed the stethoscope back to the paramedic and then held her elbow. She turned to watch the firemen fighting the blaze. From what she could see, it had already been contained to her apartment and she just hoped that none of the other residents lost any of their things to water damage. Although that was the least of her worries. She was just glad that no one had been hurt or lost their lives.

  When Gary Wade arrived to take her statement, Kara couldn’t tell him much but Luis was able to tell the detective a little more, albeit not much more.

  “I heard a noise two apartments away from Kara’s. Of course I went to investigate but I didn’t find anyone or see any signs of a disturbance. I was just about to get back into my truck.” Luis paused to point at his truck parked across the road. “That’s when I smelled smoke and saw a glow from what I think was Kara’s living room window. I was going to kick the front door in but the heat was already too intense. So I hurried around to her bedroom window, smashed it, and found Kara. I didn’t have time to worry about who was around then. Residents were already pouring outside and since I don’t know who belongs and who doesn’t, I didn’t have a hope in hell of knowing if anyone here shouldn’t have been.”

  “We need to leave. Now,” one of Luis’s brothers said.

  “This is Carlos and Juan, my brothers,” Luis explained. “Carlos is right. It’s too dangerous out in the open with so many people about. Let’s move.”

  Nate and Nixon moved to either side of her and held her hands. Luis moved up close to her back and Carlos and Juan walked in front of them. She was surrounded by five big men and even though she felt safe for the moment, she felt as if hundreds of eyes were watching her.

  Nate and Nixon helped her up into the back seat of a truck and got in on either side of her. Carlos and Juan got into the front and Luis headed to his own truck. Moments later they were driving away from her now ruined apartment.

  By the time they arrived at Nate and Nix’s parents’ ranch Kara was exhausted. She was yawning every few seconds and st
ruggling to keep her eyes open, and they figured she was suffering from an adrenaline crash. Fiona and Case were standing on the front porch and as soon as Kara was out of the truck, the older woman enfolded her into her arms and after giving her a hug, ushered her into the house.

  Kara let Fiona fuss over her and showed her to a guest bedroom and adjoining bathroom and then she left once she had some clean borrowed clothes to put on. Even though she was nearly too tired to stand under the water, she managed to wash her hair and body and dress in clean clothes. She glanced at the bed longingly but there was no way she was going to sleep until she had some answers. If she was in danger, she wanted to know about it and she wasn’t going to let Nate and Nixon hide stuff from her.

  Kara hesitated in the doorway to the kitchen and tried to hear what Nate, Nixon, and the Jackson men were talking about but they were speaking too quietly. Case and Fiona were bustling about the kitchen making more coffee and putting some sandwiches together. Case must have seen her from the corner of his eye because he came over to her and pulled her into his arms.

  “How are you feeling, Kara?”

  “I’m fine, thanks, Mr. Charleston.”

  “I thought I told you to call me Case?”

  Kara shrugged.

  Case led her over to the table and Kara was surprised when all the men got to their feet and didn’t sit again until she was seated between Nate and Nixon.

  “What’s going on?” Kara asked in a raspy voice.

  Nate sighed and then took the cup of tea his mom passed to him and after adding some honey to it, he pushed it toward her. “I want you to rest that voice as much as possible. Your throat is going to be sore for a couple of days. Drink your tea while we explain.”

  He then began to explain what they knew and told her how friends of theirs had put them onto the Jackson cousins and how they’d hired Luis, Carlos, and Juan to protect her.

  “You don’t know who is doing this?”

  “No and unless the forensic guys can find any evidence, we probably won’t until this asshole has been caught,” Nix replied.