The Dare Series 8
Town of Chance: Attacking Innocence
Missy Ann is a survivor, but the fear is not so easily forgotten. She just can’t seem to get over it, and trust becomes something she is incapable of. It may take the care and compassion of two men that saved her that dreadful day and their brothers who know heartache and loss, and who yearn to fill that hole in their heart they thought would remain empty forever.
The Connelly men will do whatever is necessary to help heal the woman they've learned to love. She is young and understandably fearful, but the images of the dreadful scene they came upon spur their determination to help her heal.
But the fears of the past and a case they thought was closed, re-ignites. There’s a new perpetrator at work and he sets his eyes on Missy Ann, determined to make the Hayes men suffer for destroying his life and taking away his fortune.
Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Romantic Suspense
Length: 42,448 words
TOWN OF CHANCE: ATTACKING INNOCENCE
The Dare Series 8
Dixie Lynn Dwyer
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
TOWN OF CHANCE: ATTACKING INNOCENCE
Copyright © 2016 by Dixie Lynn Dwyer
E-book ISBN: 978-1-68295-104-0
First E-book Publication: March 2016
Cover design by Les Byerley
All art and logo copyright © 2016 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
Dear Readers,
If you have purchased this copy of Town of Chance: Attacking Innocence by Dixie Lynn Dwyer from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.
Regarding E-book Piracy
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The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.
This is Dixie Lynn Dwyer’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Dixie Lynn Dwyer’s right to earn a living from her work.
Amanda Hilton, Publisher
www.SirenPublishing.com
www.BookStrand.com
DEDICATION
Dear Readers,
Thank you for purchasing this legal copy of Attacking Innocence. Missy Ann is a survivor. It’s taken months, and the trust and love of two men, to make her feel like she can go on with her life and live again. She never expects to fall in love with four men and feel like happiness, safety, and security are within her reach.
Her innocence, her beauty, and the circumstances that helped save her life a few short months ago come back to haunt her men and place them in danger. She becomes the victim once again but this time it’s a personal revenge, an act of violence that attacks her innocence and her resolve to fight and to live.
Her men have empowered her, strengthened her desire to never fall victim to any man or situation again, but this time she is on her own. Her lovers won’t be knocking down the door to save the day. She must save herself, or die trying.
May you enjoy Missy Ann’s story and her struggle to trust, to learn to love, and to fight against those that attack her innocence. There’s something to be said about an empowered woman who stands up and says, “I will be a victim no more.”
Happy Reading.
Hugs!
~Dixie~
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Epilogue
About the Author
TOWN OF CHANCE: ATTACKING INNOCENCE
The Dare Series 8
DIXIE LYNN DWYER
Copyright © 2016
Chapter 1
Missy Ann sat on the back porch swing with Eliza Grace. They were holding one another close and watching their family and friends enjoy the barbecue. It had been her father’s suggestion after all that happened and he wanted to thank everyone for saving Eliza and Missy Ann. All their friends were there, including the Connelly men, Salvatore and Finn.
“So, what’s going on with Salvatore, Finn and you? They come visit at least once a week and check on you,” Eliza asked.
Missy Ann got awfully quiet. She didn’t want to read into their attention. She knew they felt responsible for her in a way. They had saved her that day. Stopped those men from victimizing her further.
“It’s strange. They seem to really have been affected when they found me that day when those men tried to rape me. I was screaming so loudly and fighting them as best as I could but it was useless. When they arrived, they killed those two men and then they got to me quickly. They never left my side except in the hospital when the doctor needed to check over my wounds.”
“So that’s a good thing. They like you and they care.”
She shook her head. “They’re just feeling obligated and responsible.”
“No way. Remember who you’re talking to. I thought the same thing about the Hayes brothers, and that they felt responsible for me. Like I was a little sister, and an obligation.”
“It’s different. I’m different,” she said as she looked out toward the woods and then leaned her head on Eliza Grace’s shoulder.
“I know it seems like the fear, the anxiety won’t ever go away, but it will. I’ve been there twice, but with the Hayes brothers around me and my father, our friends, it makes it easier.”
Missy
Ann knew she was a victim. She was having a hard time dealing with the after effects of her ordeal despite speaking with a counselor at the hospital. But it had only been two weeks. It would take some time to truly recover. She knew that and she was holding on, taking one day at a time and trying to build up her confidence again.
“Listen, there’s no need to think about anything but recovering and getting back to normal. I’m here for you. I’m not going anywhere.”
“I know that, Eliza Grace. I’m glad they didn’t kill you and that your men got to you in time.”
Eliza Grace smiled and then she looked toward the yard and saw her men talking to the Connelly men as well as her father. Missy Ann wasn’t the least bit surprised when Eliza Grace moved into their place immediately. In fact, they hadn’t given her much choice and while she recovered from bruised ribs and other injuries at their home, they moved all her stuff from the apartment and paid the remainder months’ rent. One of them was always nearby and they constantly told her that they loved her and how powerful this love between them truly was.
And she believed it. Missy Ann was envious but her fears were strong.
“They love you so much. They’re always keeping their eyes on you. Does it make you feel nervous, or uneasy?” Missy Ann asked her.
Eliza Grace gave her a little nudge and smiled.
“Nervous? No way. Aroused, excited, happy, loved, I definitely feel. It’s hard to explain, but I’ve learned first-hand how powerful a ménage relationship can be. I was so foolish to push them away. I wanted to kick myself in the rear for ever questioning their love for me, and pondering over the difference in age and maturity. They love me for who I am, just as I love them for who they are, Special Ops, military men who are capable of moving mountains, chartering military planes and using all their connections to rescue me, rescue the two of us, and bring us back home.”
The tears filled her eyes and Missy Ann felt her own eyes fill up.
“I’ll never question their love for me again, and I will show them exactly how much I love them every day for the rest of my life.”
Missy Ann stared out at the men. Her chest tightened and that fear she had been trying to destroy still lingered deeply. The counselor, Alana, told her it would take time. That she couldn’t rush getting better and feeling safe. It didn’t help that she still had bruises and cuts against her belly and breasts she hoped wouldn’t scar.
Finn turned around at that moment and looked at her. His concern, his serious expression all the time was intimidating. He checked on her often, but mostly it was Salvatore that talked to her. He wasn’t any better at communicating, but he didn’t need to say much. His presence was a force just like his brother’s, and they both had a way of making her feel protected.
Finn was super big. He was tall, over six feet three and filled with rippling muscles. His firm chiseled jaw and muscular features were enticing and intimidating. He had a little gruff on his face and it made him look like some undercover tough guy. He boxed a lot and did martial arts. He had even talked to her about learning some defense moves, teaching her things, and helping to build up her confidence.
Salvatore talked to her about that, too. About their home gym, how big it was and how they had everything there to help her get stronger mentally and physically. He was just as good looking and intimidating as his brother. He had black hair, spiked up on top and trimmed tight on the edge. He was muscular, too, but a couple of inches shorter than Finn. Both men seemed capable of anything. They oozed power, strength and that whole law enforcement attitude and confidence that she found sexy.
She felt stupid. Like some teenage girl with no experience who had a crush on the much older, more experienced man. But she felt it for both Salvatore and Finn.
She needed to remind herself that they didn’t see her in that light. They saw her as a young woman, a victim who they rescued in the nick of time, and who needed support and their law enforcement presence to make her feel safe.
She swallowed hard, realizing she was in a dead stare.
Finn lipped the words, “Are you okay?” and she nodded and then felt the tears fill her eyes as she looked away and looked out toward the woods. She felt guilty for lying. For trying to put on a tough expression and act like what happened to her, what those men tried to do to her was no big deal and she was over it.
What a lie that was. She didn’t think she could ever get over the abduction and assault. In fact, she knew she was destined for a life full of fear, especially at night, or when she was alone in bed. Her father had suggested she move back into the house with him. He needed help anyway, but that would mean giving up her independence and allowing those men who hurt her to win. She couldn’t do that.
“How about we grab some iced tea and join the others? Mercedes is over there. I haven’t spoken with her in so long and I think you’ll really like her,” Eliza Grace suggested.
Missy Ann put on her fake smile, ready to socialize and act like the world was a pleasant, safe, happy place, and stood up. She fixed her skirt and then pulled the blouse she wore over the camisole tight. Despite the heat she wore the blouse to hide any signs of the scratches and cuts. She didn’t want to answer questions, or discuss what happened. She just wanted to stop being scared.
“I can’t believe it’s been so long since we hung out. God, we need to get together more often. Maybe do a girl’s night out thing,” Mercedes said to Eliza Grace.
Eliza Grace smiled and Missy Ann prayed that they didn’t ask her to join them. To go to some restaurant around a group of strangers or worse, some club or bar to hear a band play. She shivered and felt the anxious feeling begin to form in her chest. She didn’t want to have a panic attack.
She thought about the crowds, people standing too close, bumping her, touching her as they passed by. She thought about how men liked to do that. Use the crowd as an excuse to rub up close to a woman, or hold on to their hips as they passed as if they had every right to touch them. She tried to will the anxious feeling away. She felt the tightness. She swallowed once, twice, trying to ease the lump away.
She tried breathing softly, and focusing on the conversation as Mercedes started telling Eliza Grace about a place in Cambridge. A spa or something.
“That sounds really nice. I’ve never gone to a spa or had a massage,” Eliza Grace said and Mercedes started describing all these different ones. She talked about traditional massages and then about seaweed wraps. But Missy Ann kept thinking about being out of Chance, about driving alone, which she rarely did, and stuck to going from her house to the store and back. She didn’t drive at night. She wouldn’t want another person touching her, massaging her muscles, placing their hands on her body at all.
She felt her breathing strain as she thought about what Mercedes was describing.
There’s something wrong with me. I can’t even discuss a massage and going to a spa without freaking out and worrying about someone touching me. But it sounds nice. It sounds relaxing. Can I ever relax? How can I after what happened?
She felt the sensation grow worse. She didn’t want to make a scene and ruin a nice party.
“Would you excuse me, please? I need to use the lady’s room. I’ll be right back,” she mustered the strength to say. Eliza Grace placed her hand on her arm. Missy Ann flinched and tightened up and then smiled.
“I’m good,” she said, before Eliza Grace could ask her if she was okay. It was a routine now. Eliza Grace was her best friend and they experienced the trauma together.
She hurried into the house and headed toward the back bedroom where a separate bathroom was. She didn’t make contact with anyone. She just needed to get into the bathroom and get control of the anxiety attack that was coming on fast.
She just got into the bathroom when her thoughts got the best of her. Flashbacks of the men striking her filled her mind. She pushed them away and gripped the sink. She hung her head and tried to think positive thoughts as Alana had suggested.
She thought abou
t the spa. The sounds of relaxing music, the feel of warmth, the tranquility of it all. She jerked as she felt the hands. She gasped and lost her breath. In her mind she was back in that cabin, she felt the hands between her legs, the cuts to her skin and the brutality of it all.
She heard the knock on the bathroom door. She gasped again.
“Missy Ann? Are you okay?”
Finn.
She opened her mouth ready to say help. To have him save her again. Then she closed her mouth. She couldn’t do that. He didn’t deserve the burden of caring for her when she suffered one of these panic attacks. So he and his brother saved her from a worse fate than what she already suffered. It wasn’t right or fair. He should be spending his days off enjoying a date with a woman, with someone closer to his age, someone who could give him and his brother what they deserved. Someone who wasn’t a victim and could never let a man touch her again.
She shook her head and felt her throat close up.
The door opened and she caught sight of his reflection in the mirror, the intensity and the anger, and then she felt his arms around her and his face next to her neck.
She gasped, expecting his touch to scare her and make her scream for help, to be let free, but it didn’t happen. He was gentle, yet firm in his hold. Her nostrils flared as she breathed heavily, taking in his scent. Then she felt his lips, the warmth of his breath, the familiar scent of Finn.
“Easy breaths now, baby. Nice and easy breaths for me. You’re safe, Missy Ann. I’ve got you now. You’re safe. All your friends are right outside. Your dad is here, too, and Eliza Grace. Easy breaths, honey. Nice and easy,” he whispered into her ear. She tightened up and tried to resist the need to accept his protection, his care, and his ability to calm her and make it all disappear. It felt good, though. His arms around her. His lips against her skin. She felt safe and that scared her. She couldn’t let him have this control. Maybe he would use it against her.
Town of Chance: Attacking Innocence [The Dare Series 8] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 1