Luke grinned again and puffed out his chest. “Over by the cabin with a splitting headache.” He sniggered. “Or I should say, a split head.”
Lisa walked over and planted a kiss on his cheek. “I guess I owe you again. If you hadn’t arrived in the cabin when you did…”
She couldn’t complete the sentence. It was too horrible to think about. Then she pointed up and shouted, “Summer.” She ran to the ladder with Luke close behind, but before they could climb up, the girl appeared at the top. When Summer climbed down, Lisa grabbed her hand. “Are you okay?”
Summer nodded. “Frankie and Freddie got to him just in time.” Then she pulled away from Lisa, hurried over to Mike, and asked him if he was all right. Lisa watched with interest. There seemed to be a bond growing between them.
Lisa waited a moment before telling Mike how Luke had saved her from being raped in the cabin. Mike glanced over at Luke and nodded his appreciation.
Erica maintained a triumphant grin as she glanced from Ed, to the twins, to Luke. Then she clapped her hands together once. “Right boys, drag those pieces of shit around to the pit while Lisa and Summer clean up the blood.”
The boys complied while Summer hurried to the bathroom and returned with a bucket and two mops.
Erica scowled at Lisa. “You owe us big time for bringing trouble to our door like this.”
Lisa nodded and lowered her eyes. “I know, I’m so sorry. I will make it up to you if I can.”
Erica seemed to think for a moment. “You certainly will.”
Lisa knew Erica could use this promise against her, but it was one she felt obliged to make. Because it would have ended very differently had it not been for the men in this family.
23
MIKE
Mike watched as the girls cleaned away the blood from the floor of the house, but he wasn’t the only one. Luke never took his eyes off Lisa.
When she had finished with the mop, she handed it back to Summer and smiled at Luke. He winked at her. That confirmed Mike’s suspicions. Either there was already some intimacy between them or Luke wanted there to be. Summer had told him Lisa and Luke were getting on well together and now he could witness it firsthand. He studied Lisa for clues to how serious it was and whether it was just one sided like she had implied that morning.
But the way she had smiled at Luke seemed to convey more than just a polite response to his interest in her. Mike had a feeling he was losing her, and he only had himself to blame.
When the twins returned to the house, Erica told them to carry him back to the cabin. He shouted over to Lisa and asked her to come and see him. She glanced over her shoulder and nodded. “I’ll be there in a minute.”
Summer followed the boys as they carried Mike, and when she saw the blood on the bed, she rushed back to the house and returned with clean bedding. The boys waited until she had changed the sheets, then carried Mike over and laid him back down.
When Lisa entered, Mike asked Summer and the twins to leave them for a few minutes while he spoke to his wife. Summer scowled at him as she made her way to the door.
When alone, Mike asked Lisa to sit down in the chair next to the bed.
“What happened in here, did that guy hurt you?”
“He would have if Luke hadn’t intervened.”
Mike nodded. “I saw the blood on the sheets.”
Lisa told him how the drug trafficker had pinned her down and how Luke had buried the axe in the man’s head.
Mike thought for a moment. “He seemed pleased with himself when he came back to the house.”
“I suppose he was. It’s not every day you get to kill the man trying to rape the girl you fancy, is it?”
“I’m serious, Lisa. I’m grateful he did what he did to protect you. I would have done the same if I could. But I wouldn’t be grinning about it.”
“You said that we shouldn’t judge them by our standards.”
Mike stared into the bedcovers while trying to make sense of everything that had just happened. But what bothered him the most was the relationship developing between Lisa and Luke.
Lisa placed her hand on his. “Are you okay?”
“I’m worried.”
“What about?”
“I saw the way he looks at you.”
“I told you this morning, there’s nothing going on.”
Mike had studied her. Her eyes had flicked away as she spoke. She was hiding something. He was sure of it. “You don’t have to tell me, but please don’t lie to me. I can see it in your face. Like your mom always says, you’re a terrible liar.”
She glanced away for a long moment, then turned back to him with a pained look across her face. Her brow furrowed and her bottom lip trembled as she said, “Okay, something happened at the lake today.”
Mike held his breath as he waited for her to continue.
“I nearly drowned. If Luke hadn’t pulled me out, I would be dead now.”
He gave a sympathetic nod of his head. “Go on.”
“He laid down next to me.”
“And?”
“He kissed me.”
“Anything else?”
A tear rolled down her cheek. “I think I orgasmed.”
“You think, don’t you know?”
She looked up and nodded. “I did orgasm.”
A knot tightened in his stomach. “So you fucked him?”
“No, it was when he touched me. Then I realized what I was doing and pushed him away.”
Mike sighed and just sat shaking his head slowly for a long moment before taking a breath and looking at her. “Do you regret what happened?”
“Of course I do.”
“Does anything sound familiar here?”
Lisa dried her eyes and nodded. “I know what it sounds like, and yes, I realize how things can get out of hand. But it’s not the same.”
“Isn’t it?”
“No, Vicki hadn’t just saved your life. You got drunk together and went to her bedroom.”
“There are incidents every day where someone saves someone else’s life, but the victim doesn’t have an orgasm with her rescuer.”
“It’s hard to explain. But after everything that’s happened recently, I guess I wasn’t in my right mind. Luke kissed me, and for a moment I got carried away. But it won’t happen again.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because Billy should be back tomorrow and we can get out of here.”
Mike was pleased to hear that Lisa had no intention of repeating her experience with Luke, but doubted Luke was of the same opinion or that he would take no for an answer.
Lisa looked at him. “Have you noticed something?”
“What?”
“Three men have just died and yet all we are talking about is our relationship problems. Are we going mad?”
Mike shrugged. “After the last couple of days, I guess we’re becoming desensitized. I doubt anything could shock us now. But I did notice something. When that guy had his pistol pointing at Summer’s head, I watched Erica and Ed. They just sat there, showing no emotion. If that had been you with a gun to your head, your parents would have thrown themselves at those men. They wouldn’t have just sat there.”
“Maybe they were frozen with fear.”
“They don’t strike me as the kind to freeze with fear. I saw how the whole family behaved after killing those men. There was a glint in Erica’s eyes and excitement all over the faces of the boys. None of them showed any hint of trauma or shock. Not even Summer. It was as if it was an everyday occurrence to them. Which is why you need to be careful about getting too close to Luke. We just don’t know these people and you don’t know what he’s capable of.”
Lisa smirked. “Until last month I didn’t know what you were capable of.”
Mike nodded. “I know I’ve let you down, and I would give anything to go back in time and undo what I did. But if my actions drive you into the arms of Luke, I just have a feeling it could end badly.”
>
Lisa stared at him. “For you maybe.”
“And you, Lisa. I don’t trust him.”
“You are just jealous.”
“You’re right. I am. But that’s not the only reason.”
“Yesterday you told me to make allowances. You told me they were good people.”
“That was before they killed those three men like trained assassins.”
“Luke was protecting me. If he hadn’t, I would have been raped. And as you said, if those men hadn’t found the drugs, they would have killed us all.”
“I think they would have killed us even if we had given them the bag. But my concern is that Luke seemed unaffected by what happened. The entire family did. So on balance, I have changed my mind. I think you were right to be suspicious about them.”
“Luke saved me from being raped, the twins saved Summer, and Ed saved Luke. I think you were right, and I was wrong. And those men deserved what they got.”
Mike nodded. “I agree, and I don’t have a problem with the fact they were killed, or how they were killed. It’s about the demeanor of the family afterwards. So please, Lisa, just be careful and try to keep your distance.”
After Lisa had gone, Mike pulled back the covers and concentrated on trying to move his toes. To his surprise, he could flex his left foot and for the first time since the crash, he could move both arms up to shoulder height. He continued to exercise them for a few minutes until he relaxed, exhausted from his efforts.
Maybe he would soon have some good news to tell Lisa, after all.
As he pulled the blanket back over his legs, Summer walked back in with a huge grin on her face.
Mike studied her for a moment. “What are you so happy about?”
“I was watching through the window. You moved your foot and your arms.”
“You shouldn’t spy on people.”
“You are not people. You are my responsibility.”
“Summer, I’m not your…”
He stopped himself. It would be a waste of time trying to explain. This girl was taking her role seriously, and maybe right now she was just what he needed. Someone eager to give him the attention he was lacking from Lisa. She was also a good source of information on developments between Lisa and Luke. “I’m sorry, Summer, for what happened to you.”
“I don’t blame you, but Ma and Pa are quite angry at you and Lisa right now for bringing the drugs here.”
Mike nodded. “I’m not surprised. I would be if I were them. Did that man hurt you?”
“No, my brothers were just in time to stop him, thank goodness. I didn’t want him to be my first.”
“I hear you are going to town next month to find a boyfriend.”
“That was the plan. I’m not so sure I need to now.”
“Why’s that?”
“You are here, silly.”
‘Don’t worry about me. I’ll be gone by then.’
“I mean, you are getting better. Maybe you’ll be able to walk soon and maybe everything else will work again.” She pointed to his groin.
“Why would that change your plans?”
Summer walked over and sat on the bed next to him. “Do you like me?”
Mike hesitated, unsure how to respond. He didn’t want to encourage her, but he didn’t want to offend her, either. “Of course I do.”
“And I like you, and since you and Lisa are getting a divorce, we can be together.”
“But Summer—”
She leaned forward and kissed his lips. He managed to raise his hands to her shoulders and gently eased her away. “Summer, I’m too old for you.”
She cocked her head to one side as she studied him. “How old are you?”
“I’m thirty.”
She laughed. “That’s not too old, and what does it matter if two people want to be together.” She leaned forward and kissed him again, pressing her lips into his.
They felt soft and warm and reminded him of how Lisa used to kiss him. He brought his hands up to push her away again, but hesitated just for a moment as he imagined it was Lisa’s lips on his. He missed her passion, her tenderness, and her femininity. But when he opened his eyes, Lisa’s image was replaced by Summer’s. As he pulled back, a board creaked on the deck outside. He glanced over to the open door to see Lisa shaking her head at him. Before he could find any words, she turned and walked away.
Mike’s heart sank as the implications of the scene Lisa must have just witnessed hit home. How could he explain it away? Only yesterday she had asked him if he liked Summer and he had told her not in the way she was implying. But actions speak louder than words, and even though in his mind he wasn’t being unfaithful because he had imagined, just for a second, that it was Lisa kissing him, convincing her of that would be almost impossible.
Summer raised a hand to her lips in what Mike thought was a fake display of shock. “Don’t worry, I will tell her it was my fault.”
Mike shook his head in despair. Until now, he didn’t think his situation could get any worse. And he didn’t even have it in him to scold Summer. The girl seemed infatuated with him, and although he was flattered by the attention from a nineteen-year-old, there was only one girl he wanted that kind of attention from, and she had just stormed off.
24
ERICA
While they were alone in the house, Erica took the opportunity to talk to Ed. “The little issue with the drugs could be useful.”
Ed raised an eyebrow. “How?”
“Lisa feels more in our debt now. Not only are we helping her husband, but we eliminated a genuine threat from those drug dealers. I think she’ll do anything I ask to make amends. But there’s something else I need to discuss with you.”
“I’m listening.”
“When Billy gets to town and tells the sheriff about Lisa, he’ll probably pay us a visit.”
“I was thinking the same just last night.”
“We need to be ready for him.”
Ed nodded. “You know what he’ll expect, don’t you?”
“We need to make sure he doesn’t get it.”
“How? Harvey always gets what he wants. Even when the girls resist, we hold them down or tie them up for him.”
“We can’t do that this time, so we should offer him something instead.”
Ed squinted at her. “You going to give him the drugs?”
“Maybe, but that’s not what I meant.”
Ed waited.
“We should let him spend time with Summer.”
Ed rocked back in his seat. “Are you serious?”
“Think about it. She’s nineteen now. She’s not a child anymore and she’s curious.”
“What about?”
“Sex. Haven’t you seen how she is when she comes back from attending to Mike. She’s in a world of her own. I think she wants him for herself.”
“But he’s Lisa’s husband.”
“Yeah, but that marriage won’t last. Not if I have anything to do with it, anyway. I’ve been priming Summer with things to say and do that’ll drive a wedge between Lisa and Mike. By the time I’m finished she’ll hate him.”
“Maybe, but didn’t you tell Summer that Mike is no use anymore?”
“I did, but Summer told me he has some movement back in his foot and his arms. Maybe in time he’ll recover.”
“Then why would Summer go with Harvey if Mike’s getting better?”
“Summer will do what I tell her.”
“From what you said, so will Lisa. Why don’t we let him have her?”
“Because I’m saving Lisa for Luke and then the twins. She’s not like the others. This one’s a keeper, at least until she serves her purpose. She has a natural beauty, and I want her genes in our family.”
Ed gave a slow nod of his head. “Okay, but what if Harvey insists on Lisa?”
“We’ll persuade him otherwise.”
“And if we can’t?”
“Then the town will need a new sheriff.”
“Is t
his Lisa girl so important you’d risk our little arrangement with Harvey for her?”
“Hopefully it won’t come to that. But if it does, we’ll find the girls another way.”
“But it’s so easy having him bring them out here on the promise of work and a little peace and quiet.”
“If we have Lisa here, we won’t need any more for a while. She can keep all of our boys happy.”
“You’re forgetting one thing.”
“What?”
“Me. I get to have my fun with the girls he brings out here, but you told me Lisa is off limits until she’s had babies with Luke and the twins.”
Erica nodded. “Okay, maybe I’ll have to reconsider that.”
Ed grinned. “If you do, you’ll have my full backing.”
25
LISA
Lisa returned to the main house, trying to pin down her feelings. She had just seen the man she loved and, until recently, the man she had thought she would spend the rest of her life with kissing another woman. And even though Mike’s confession regarding their neighbor had ripped her heart in two, it hurt even more seeing it firsthand.
She remembered Mike’s warnings about Luke and the family and satisfied herself they were firmly based on jealousy. Sure, the family is a little odd. Erica likes to control those around her. Ed seems a little creepy. The twins too, if their insistence on her showing off her bra was anything to go by. Then there’s Summer, a nineteen-year-old virgin who seems to have her sights set on Mike, but has probably had her head turned by the older man she’s looking after. And there’s Luke. He’s made it clear he wants her and that he thinks they belong together. Is he odd too, or just a man who knows what he wants and is determined to get it?
On balance, he’s probably the most normal of them all, and being able to split a man’s skull in two with an axe without batting an eye doesn’t make him a psychopath, regardless of what Mike said. As for Billy, he hasn’t been around long enough for her to judge. So she would have to wait until he returns from town.
THE CRUEL SEVEN Page 11