Charlie swung around toward his brother, angry as hell with his fists clenched at his sides. Dante and Trevor did the same, cornering Andrew.
“Don’t talk about her like that. She not some damn piece of meat.” Charlie caught himself and settled down.
“She’s too young for him, she’s only twenty-one,” Trevor added.
“If he touches her, I’ll fucking rip Carl’s head off,” Dante stated.
“Twenty-one and gorgeous, a great personality…the list goes on. Why are you guys getting so mad?”
“I’m not mad, just drop it.” Charlie walked off the porch and stomped away.
Dante and Trevor gave Andrew a dirty look.
“Don’t fuck with us, Andrew. This is a volatile situation. We’ll take care of this so butt out,” Dante said, He and Trevor walked off the porch following Charlie.
Andrew crossed his arms in front of his chest and smiled.
Son of a bitch. The three of them are attracted to her. God, I hope this works for them. They all need to feel again.
* * * *
“Don, things are going as planned and there’s no need to worry. This guy is good, he’s one of the best I’m telling you,” Jerry Connor said as he poured himself a glass of brandy then offered one to Don.
“He set the whole shed on fire, what if the stables went, too?” Don asked all annoyed.
“Shhhh…Be quiet! Someone might hear you! No one was hurt, no animals were hurt, and no evidence was left behind,” Connor said with confidence.
“This time no evidence was left behind! This guy better be as good as you say he is or the police are going to be making a visit real soon.”
“Don’t worry,” Jerry said as Don left his office.
Jerry walked around the large mahogany desk to sit down in the black leather chair. He picked up the phone as he took another sip of brandy then smelled his Cuban cigar. He was feeling good about his plan and everything was going along schedule. He called his new employee who insisted upon being called the “stranger” and he suggested something else the stranger could do for an additional fee then hung up the phone.
“This is more fun than I expected.” Jerry leaned back in his chair with a huge smile on his face.
* * * *
The week had passed slowly and Lori couldn’t take the damn cast any longer. She didn’t want to wait until Monday. It was three days away and she’d had it. The damn thing was making her so itchy that it was driving her insane. She sat up in bed. It was a warm night, nearly eighty degrees as she slipped on her flip-flops and tiptoed down the hallway.
Even with her blue tank top and cotton shorts she was hot as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail then walked through the kitchen. She searched the kitchen drawers and cabinets looking for something sharp. She figured if she could make a hole in the cast then use a sharp knife to file through it she would be home-free. “What’s three days early?” she whispered as she searched.
She was unsuccessful but her mind was set. The cast would come off tonight. Then she had an idea. She remembered seeing the small handsaw in the barn along with some other tools. There was bound to be something in there she could use. She was so determined, she would use the electric saw if she had to get this damn thing off.
So she headed out the door and across the grass. The moon illuminated the sky and there was a plethora of stars. She moved slowly, holding her flashlight and ignoring the sudden uneasy feeling she had walking through the darkness. She told herself the barn wasn’t so far from the house as she heard crickets chirping and the leaves rustle together from the very light breeze. It was comforting considering the evening temperature and the added ten degrees inside the house. The thought of sleeping outside on the porch for the remainder of the night entered her mind but first there was the task at hand. She looked at the cast as she unhitched the latch on the barn door.
* * * *
Charlie was awoken by some noise outside near the truck. He jumped out of bed and headed downstairs. As he walked out the front door he could see his parents’ house in the distance. His father and brother Matt were out by the deck. Then he saw the sheriff patrol car and he knew something was wrong.
He grabbed his T-shirt and tossed it on him quickly. He wore his boxers and threw on a pair of blue jeans, socks, then his boots.
“What’s going on?” Dante asked.
“I don’t know. I’m headed over now. I don’t like the feeling I have.”
“Let me grab Trevor,” Dante said.
“No need. I’m right here.” Trevor was putting on his boots.
They ran over toward the house where Jasper and Freddie just arrived.
“What’s going on?” Charlie asked.
“Looks like our criminal strikes again. He left a headless rooster on the front porch, broke the stable door and now the horses are off in the fields,” Jasper told his cousin Charlie.
“Did you see anyone or hear anything?” Charlie asked as his father Phil saddled his horse along with Matt.
“Yeah, I heard the horses then some noise. I thought I saw someone headed toward Lou’s place, that’s why we called the Sheriff,” Matt added as he headed along with his father.
“You three go with the sheriff and Jasper to make sure Lou and the women are all right,” Phil told them. Charlie, Trevor, and Dante headed toward that direction as Matt and his father went after the loose horses.
By the time Charlie, Dante, Trevor, Jasper, and the sheriff arrived at the house, Lou and Diana were up and standing by the front door.
“Is everything all right? What’s the matter?” Lou asked.
The sheriff filled them in as Maggie came down the stairs all worried.
“Lori’s not in her bed,” she exclaimed and the look of panic filled everyone’s faces.
“What do you mean she’s not there? Where could she be?” Charlie asked with concern.
“Let’s start looking for her. I’m sure she’s fine, Diana. My guys haven’t found anyone roaming out there or nearby,” J.R. said as he turned on his flashlight.
They all scattered out looking for Lori or any sign of the guy responsible for the night’s events.
“Where the hell could she be?” Trevor asked.
“Fuck if I know. Damn woman thinks she can walk around wherever she wants. We told her the other night about being safe,” Charlie barked.
“I swear she’d better be in one piece when we find her,” Dante added.
* * * *
Lori didn’t hear a thing as she moved the saw back and forth across the cast, in the dim glow of her flashlight. The large hammer and chisel lay across the wooden worktable. She was planning on using them next.
Suddenly she heard the barn door open and a light appear.
“Lori, are you in here?” she heard Charlie yell and she wondered what he was doing there.
“Charlie, is that you?” she asked all surprised as he came running toward her.
“What the hell are you doing in here? Everyone’s looking for you!” He was yelling at her and the look on his face scared her.
“What are you talking about? I just came out here like twenty minutes ago.”
“Come with me!” he demanded as he grabbed her arm. He looked wild and she had no idea why he was there in the barn.
Angrily, Lori pulled away from him.
“Get off of me. What’s wrong with you?”
Trevor and Dante approached.
“You found her. Thank God,” Trevor said.
Instantly Charlie backed her up, pinning her against the table.
“Everyone is looking for you, someone let the horses out of the stable, left a message on my parents’ porch, and was seen headed this way. You weren’t in your bed, damn it! What the hell are you doing out here in the middle of the night? Are you really this naive, this oblivious to the dangers around here, what were you thinking!” He carried on and Lori couldn’t take it anymore. He was yelling at her like she was a child. That was exactly how he saw
her as she raised her hand to slap him.
Charlie was too fast as he grabbed her wrist then the other one, placing her arms behind her back. His body was against hers as she struggled unsuccessfully against his strength.
Then out of nowhere his lips were over hers. His tongue invaded her mouth shocking the hell out of her. At first she fought it then participated by returning the kisses. She felt just as wild as he was acting. His rage, the way he yelled at her and pissed her off, disappeared and was replaced with hunger. He released her wrists letting his hands grab her hips, her back, then her neck as he cradled her head and the kisses slowed down, were softer, gentler. She placed her hands against his chest and felt her whole body shake. His leg was wedged in between hers. He towered over her, so powerful, so in control.
She felt another hand wrap around her wrist as Charlie released her lips and stared at her. They were both breathing heavily. She looked to the right and there was Trevor. He looked just as wild as Charlie and appeared to be breathing heavy as well. She glanced to the left and there was Dante. He took her other wrist. Charlie remained holding her around her waist and she felt his thumb brush against her skin between the elastic of her shorts and her raised tank top.
The four of them were silent. No one said a word and she couldn’t move, but only feel. Trevor caressed her inner wrist with his thumb as he reached up with his free hand and touched her cheek and chin. Dante caressed her other arm slowly up and down, avoiding the cast. The fact that three men touched her in such a way brought her body to life. Her nipples pebbled, her pussy leaked as she tried to tighten her thighs together, but Charlie’s thigh remained wedged between hers.
They could hear the yelling from outside the barn door. It interrupted the moment and she felt both relieved and disappointed.
Charlie called out to them.
“Lori’s fine. She’s in here!” He was out of breath still.
“Thank God! Listen, I’m going with the sheriff. He said his men found some tire tracks down the road a ways. Is everything all right in there?” Jasper asked.
“Everything’s fine!” Charlie said as he stared into Lori’s eyes.
She swallowed hard.
“You scared the hell out of us, do you know that?” he asked her as he squeezed her hips and Dante caressed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Trevor gently squeezed her wrist. She suddenly felt bad for something that seemed not to be her fault. She didn’t give it a second thought as Charlie released her. So did his brothers as they stepped back.
She rubbed her wrist and then licked her lower lip. The three men watched her. As she looked down at her torn cast, she quickly put it behind her back.
“What are you doing out here?” Dante asked in a deep voice that made her jump as he picked up the flashlight he’d dropped and looked at the table.
“You’re not doing what I think you’re doing, are you?” Trevor started laughing and Lori was once again annoyed at them.
“I’m fine. Why don’t you go tell everyone.” She tried to act unaffected and tough but he didn’t fall for it.
“I don’t think so, kid. You’re coming with me and that cast of yours is staying on until Monday, you got it!” Charlie told her as he grabbed her hand with the cast and her flashlight pulling her toward the door.
“Excuse me, but what do you think you’re doing?” she demanded as she pulled her hand away, placing her hands on her hips.
Instantly Trevor wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and used his free hand to push her braid away from her neck then whispered. “You better listen to Charlie, baby. He’s letting you off easy.”
She didn’t dare turn to glare at Trevor. His mouth was against the skin on her neck. And the way he called her baby and the meaning behind his words aroused her.
“Letting me off easy? What the hell?” she began to say when Dante stood in front of her. He stared at her breasts and they came alive again. The nipples hardened to tiny buds and once again her pussy leaked with arousal.
Dante cupped her chin.
“He let you off easy. The next time you place yourself in danger, he’ll throw you over his knee and we’ll each spank that ass of yours. Got it?” Dante said.
“Oh God.” She practically moaned then closed her eyes and leaned back against Trevor. Trevor chuckled, and his warm breath tickled her ear.
“Lori?”
They heard her father’s voice and Trevor released her but not before he gave her ass a small spank.
She jumped as her father entered the barn.
“Is everything all right in here?” Lou asked as he entered.
“Everything is fine, Lou. Your daughter was trying to remove her cast with a handsaw,” Charlie said, laughing at the thought.
“Lori! You only have three more days until Dr. Henley removes it. We were worried about you. Did the men tell you what happened at their parents’ place?”
“No, they didn’t get around to that, Dad.” She headed toward the door.
Charlie stopped her by grabbing her cast. He looked at the torn material.
“My brother’s not going to be happy when he sees this, kid.”
“He’ll get over it.” She snapped back at him, and then tossed her braided hair back over her shoulder hitting him with it before she exited the barn.
* * * *
Lori was thrilled to finally have the cast removed from her hand. She was wiggling her fingers, cracking her knuckles, and the smile on her face made Andrew smile as well.
“How does it feel?” he asked her.
“It feels awesome! This is so great, Doc, you have no idea. There’s nothing weighing my hand down, I feel everything against my fingers and palm. This is fantastic!” Lori exclaimed as she sat on the examination table.
Andrew looked over her hand and her new X-rays looked perfect.
“So I heard you had some kind of scare the other night? Apparently while you were attempting to remove the cast?” Andrew asked sarcastically.
Lori looked away from him. “Let’s not talk about that. My wrist is fine, I’m fine.”
“I heard Charlie, Dante, and Trevor found you and were very upset.”
“When are your brothers not upset, or angry, or trying to boss everyone around?”
“Jasper told me that they were pretty worried about you, Lori. They’re good men, you know, just a little hotheaded sometimes. They’d do anything for any of us. Whoever is responsible for these incidents means business. Roaming around in the middle of the night is not such a good idea.”
“I wasn’t roaming around. Besides I didn’t hear anything or see anyone. I was perfectly safe in the barn. I can take care of myself, Doc. Maybe you should give that message to your brothers.”
Lori was annoyed as she jumped down off of the examination table and straightened out her skirt.
“It’s hard to take care of yourself when you don’t know what you’re up against. Besides, Lori, all I’m saying is that there’s no need to feel that you have to take care of things on your own. Our families and the Cantrells have become pretty close and we’re all willing to help one another out.”
“Is this conversation once again leading to me and my past, Doc? Haven’t I made it perfectly clear that I’m fine? All I want to do is leave it all behind me, move on, experience life. Do you have any idea how much this means to me to have this cast off my wrist? The constant reminder of what I did, what could have happened to Maggie and Ben?” Lori looked down at her wrist and rubbed her hand, relieved to be physically free of the symbol, the evidence left behind from her part in killing a man.
Andrew took her hand into his, shocking her.
“I would never ever try to say I understand, Lori. I’ve never gone through anything like you have, and from what I understand took place you have nothing to be ashamed of. You saved your sister and your nephew’s lives. You’ve applied for college, you’re working now. I’d say you’re moving on with your life.”
“I appreciate the vote of
confidence, Doc. I’m in a great mood today, nothing’s going to change that,” she told him and he smiled.
* * * *
Lori went to work Friday night looking forward to not having the cast in her way. She was glad to be working with Shelly who was now becoming more of a friend. They got together yesterday and went to the mall. It was the first time she had done anything so “normal.”
Carl’s was extra crowded and the regulars were getting annoyed, as they were being bumped left and right by the enormous crowds of people. One regular named Gary was headed toward his routine Friday night drunken stupor. A group of young guys were starting with Gary and Lori stepped in.
“Hey, guys, leave him alone. He’s not bothering anyone.”
“We’re just having some fun, sweetheart. Don’t worry about it. Just keep the beers coming,” one guy, Stan, said as he tossed some twenties on the bar. He and a few of his friends arrived on a boat a couple of hours ago and had been pounding down beers like water.
Shelly was staying until closing and Lori was preparing to leave around eleven. She packed up her stuff as Stan and the guys continued to flirt with her. Lori didn’t like the way one of the guys, Tanner, was staring at her. He was drunk. His eyes took on a glaring, cold stare she had seen before and knew he was up to something.
She said good night to the regulars at the bar and headed in to see Carl. On her way out she saw Matt Henley.
“Hey, gorgeous, how are you?” Matt asked as he kissed Lori’s cheek.
“I’m good. What are you doing here?”
“Just having a couple of beers after some dinner with Charlie, Dante, Trevor, Jasper, and some friends. Do you want to join us?” Matt asked.
“I don’t think so. My wrist is a little sore and I’m kind of tired. Maybe another time though.” She tried to get out of it. She didn’t want to see Charlie, Dante, or Trevor. Not after what happened the other night. Apparently they didn’t want to acknowledge the other night either. They had acted like the kiss never happened and she figured Michelle was right about the Henley brothers being into one-night stands.
The American Soldier Collection 4: Their Blue-Collar Girl (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 8