He could’ve lost her. The Vance brothers could’ve killed her. All indications pointed to that sort of plan.
He blasted inside her then, spearing her pussy with his cock and fucking her so deep and hard that each stroke drove a weighted breath from her lungs. His name was then on her lips. Her needs and desires ricocheted around the room as she pleaded for more and bartered for the finish.
“Gabe.”
“I’m right here, baby,” he crooned, working his hips from side to side, trying to slow down the pace before he exploded inside her.
“God bless, you’ve ruined me. You’ve ruined us all.” He searched her eyes as he opened his heart.
Justin caressed her hair, dragging his fingers through her long strands. Curt, now sheathed and ready, was standing right beside him.
“Let me come.” She broke free of their grips and ran her hands up Gabe’s arms, raking her nails over his flesh and causing this incredible tingling sensation then. Her thin limbs went around his neck and she smothered his lips as she used her feet for leverage, pumping her lower body up and down as he pitched one stroke and then another and then one more.
The fucking was endless then. Their ravenous kisses sparked his insatiable appetite with an unspoken promise for unsurpassed completion.
His thighs bunched and he stilled inside her, looking into the face of the woman he’d come to recognize as his woman, his greatest love. “Come, baby.” His balls tightened and his body went still. He made love to her then, making it magical in a sense, slowing down the pace with a deliberate and far more controlled sway of his hips.
The lazy motions made him crazy with want, but that desperation made his release all the more exquisite. He felt like a teenager fucking his girl with her parents down the hall.
Quiet was sexy. Desperate and frantic loving was the new cool.
“Holy sweet mercy, you’re killing me.” Her breath fell out in spurts. Her arms tightened around him then and she temporarily forced an increased speed.
He kept that easy gait, pushing inside her an inch at a time and loving the torturous pleasure building and building.
“Ah yes!” Her body rocked. Her hips gyrated. She clawed the hell out of his arms as her pussy milked his shaft, wrapping around him with an intense orgasm. His release was explosive then. He jerked against her as his cum gushed from the tip, pooling around his rigid shaft as he pulsed inside her.
Spent, he tucked his hand under her neck and brought her lips to his, kissing her tirelessly but weakening when he realized she would soon give herself to another. Greed possessed him and he glanced at the other two, unsure if he could watch them share the woman he loved, the woman he wanted for his own.
Mashing his forehead to hers, he said, “There’s so much I need to say but I can’t find the words right now.”
“Me too.” Her naturally plump lips curved in a smile. “We’ll think of the right ones when the time is right.”
“The time is right,” he said, wishing he could push aside the unexplainable angst welling inside him. Instead, he slipped away from her and stood next to the bed. “I’m gonna love you, vixen.”
She shrugged her shoulders and pressed her upper arms against her breasts. Turning to her stomach, she kicked up her heels and smiled. “You already do.”
Chapter Seven
Justin had been raised to believe that watching porn was a sin. He’d had his share of fantasies, sure, but never anything like this. He swallowed as he watched Curt approach her. Was he really going to fuck her after watching another man take her?
Before he could find out, a few solid strikes landed against the door. “Detective said he wasn’t waiting for the orgy to end. He’ll be back in five minutes and wants to talk to Heather.”
She blushed. “That’s Allister, isn’t it?”
Curt nodded and backed away from the bed, defeated.
On the other side of the wall, the shower started. Curt and Heather exchanged this suspicious gaze, one so intense Justin felt completely left out.
“I wanted you,” she whispered.
“Another time.” He winked, grabbed his jeans, and discarded the condom before dressing.
“Come on guys!” Draegan pounded his fists against the door. “We’re at a crime scene for crying out loud.”
Gabe emerged wearing a towel. After giving Heather a heated look, he strolled over to the chair, retrieved his clothes, and turned around to dress, sporting his erect cock and grinning at Heather the whole time.
“Damn.” She leapt from the bed, kissed Justin’s cheek in passing, left a sensual kiss on Curt’s lips, and then leapt into Gabe’s arms, bracketing her legs around him and whispering in his ear. He threw his head back and laughed.
Again, Justin felt like the odd man out. He wondered then about the ideas surrounding the relationships in Trouble. Did the women there have completely different bonds with each of their men? Was it one of the reasons why they found sharing acceptable?”
Heather disappeared in the bathroom to freshen up and change. Justin said, “I don’t know how I feel about all this.”
Curt and Gabe laughed. Then Gabe said, “No one forced you to stick around and watch.”
“I’m serious here. I mean, I just watched the woman I love, the woman I dated for over a year I might add, fuck a guy she’s never dated. I mean, there’s something wrong about that.”
“What’s wrong is the fact that you were with her a year and didn’t fuck her,” Gabe pointed out.
“You don’t know that.”
Gabe smirked. “I’m pretty sure I do.”
“You never fucked her?” Curt looked surprised. “Why?”
“I wanted to marry her.”
“Well, I hate to break it to you,” Curt drawled in his country voice. “She wouldn’t have gone to the marriage bed as pure and fresh as the fallen snow.”
“Yes, I can see that now,” Justin said.
“I thought the two of you were close.” Gabe finished dressing, bent down to grab his boots and sat on the edge of the bed. “It never came up in conversation?”
“Heather discussions were off-limits,” Curt said.
“I’m still waiting out here, fellas! If you don’t mind to shelf the good buddy talk until later, I’d appreciate it.” Draegan pounded his fists against the door. “Come on!”
Gabe nodded at Curt and Curt opened the door. Draegan leaned against the doorframe and studied Gabe. “Really?”
Gabe stuffed his foot in the other boot and didn’t explain himself.
“You couldn’t wait until we were back in Trouble?”
“No, Draegan, I couldn’t.” Gabe then stood. “I’ve waited four years.”
“Yeah well—”
“That’s my fault,” Curt said.
Draegan looked surprised. “Seeing as Gabe looks fucked, you look the same as you did fifteen minutes ago, and Justin looks distraught, I can’t wait to hear this.”
Gabe scowled at Curt. “You won’t.”
“Then I won’t ask.” Draegan thumbed the air over his shoulder. “Think we could finish up out here so everybody can go home?”
“Detective said they had to call in a coroner. What’s that about?” Gabe asked.
Draegan frowned. “It’s not good. Dons Vance was stabbed to death.”
“Stabbed?” Apparently Curt hadn’t heard the news.
Draegan nodded. “Son of a bitch was stabbed thirty-seven times.”
“What the hell?” Justin stood then. “Allister didn’t stab him. That’s not his style.”
“Allister doesn’t carry a knife,” Draegan said.
“The brother did it?” Curt asked.
“That’s my guess, but he’s singing Allister’s name. Claims we beat them, stabbed Dons and put them in the hole.”
“We didn’t rough up Kens Vance,” Gabe said.
Justin shrugged. “Well then, your testimony should help support everyone’s story.”
“Kens is banged up,” Draeg
an said. “It doesn’t prove shit. Considering the brothers were in the same well, Dons is dead, and Kens looks like he took a beating from a few big ole guys, we’re looking at assault charges. Allister is facing murder charges.”
“What?” Justin shook his head. “No. Allister isn’t capable of murder.”
“Tell that to the detective. He’s got Allister’s name on his lips and he’s pining for him.”
“I’ll talk to the detective again,” Gabe said. “I was there. Allister didn’t have a knife.”
“Of course he didn’t, but without a murder weapon? And our stories all match, which is more suspicious than anything.”
Gabe rubbed his jaw. “How is any of this possible?”
“The only thing we can figure is Kens didn’t do it, but he isn’t talking.”
“You think Rons or Toms knew where they were all along?” Curt asked.
“It’s the only thing that makes sense.” Draegan tilted his head, acknowledging Heather when she entered the room. “Detective Brice needs to talk to you. Then, we can all get out of here.”
“Did I hear you say Dons is dead?” Heather brushed her hair over her shoulder with one sweep of her hand. “What happened?”
“He was stabbed to death. Kens is claiming Allister did it. He didn’t. None of us pulled a knife before we put them in the well.”
“Kens wouldn’t kill Dons.”
Draegan arched a brow. “Would any of the other brothers have a reason to kill him?”
“Jims, but he was with us the whole time.”
“Besides Jims?”
“Toms is the only one who would dare.”
Jims quietly approached. Tall and lanky, he towered over Draegan by five or six inches and had to bend down to clear the door and enter the bedroom. Heather gave him a loving smile and took his hands. “Jims. I’m so sorry you had to pay for my mistakes.”
“It wasn’t you. I made the choice to go after the drugs.”
She nodded once and threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. “You’re a good person Jims. You aren’t a person to be sacrificed. You’re someone the whole world will embrace and love.”
“Sacrificed?” Gabe asked, concern evident in his furrowed brow.
“It’s a long story.”
“One we need to hear, Heather,” Draegan said, glancing at Allister and Harley as they approached.
“Dons said I was the cancer that needed to be cut out of the family. Every generation, our family sacrifices one family member for the greater good. According to our family history, it becomes obvious which family member has to go as time unfolds. I’m an addict and I’m not like the others.”
“Why, because you prefer men to women?” Draegan’s face hardened. Markie was his best friend and might as well have been a walking, talking billboard for the gay rights movement. Draegan despised anyone who judged others for their sexual orientation.
“No. That’s not it. My brothers finally accepted my choices.”
“Somehow, I’m not buying that,” Draegan muttered.
“Really, they did. We are just different. I don’t believe the same way they believe.”
“Care to elaborate?” Allister asked.
“Come on guys.” Harley stepped in the room then. “Jims has been put through enough for one day. Give him a break.”
Draegan turned to Jims. “If you can give us anything at all about your brothers, anything that will save my brother…” He hesitated and looked at Allister with brotherly love and admiration. “We’d appreciate it.”
“Allister, for what it’s worth, I know you didn’t kill Dons.”
“Thanks. If you know who did…”
“I don’t, but if I had to put my money somewhere, it’s on Toms. If you’re looking for a weapon, you’ll find it in the well we just left.”
“You’re saying he’d just throw it down in an open hole?” Justin didn’t see Toms being that stupid. Then again, he didn’t know the man.
“No. It’s in the wall. That’s where they hide everything—the book of family secrets, any weapons they’ve used in murders, syringes they’ve used to drug girls who’ve left here, and pretty much anything else you’d want to find and they’d want to hide.”
“Thank you,” Draegan said, leaving then with Harley and Allister on his heels.
“Will you be all right?” Heather touched his cheek.
Jims shrugged. “I wasn’t good, Heather. I wanted to be but in this family, there are three links that bind us together—killing, drugging, and sacrificing together.”
Heather’s eyes watered and she shook her head. “No. I just don’t believe it. I can’t.”
“It’s true,” he said with regret. “I want as far away from here as I can get. I’m cutting a deal and giving the cops everything they want. In turn, they’ve promised to grant me a sentence far away from my brothers and this place.”
“Oh, Jims. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. As much as I told myself they made me do it, the fact is, I did what I was told. We all have choices. We can walk away from all situations. I didn’t. Now, I’ll pay the price and that’s okay. I deserve whatever the Feds and locals throw my way. I’m praying for a life sentence. That way I can spend the rest of my days trying to right all my many wrongs.”
Chapter Eight
Allister was cleared an hour later. Jims had shown detectives the hidden wall in the well where he and Heather had been kept. Soon after, the knife used to kill Dons had materialized. It was still coated in his blood.
With the freedom to leave, the guys had gone back for their vehicles while Detective Brice questioned Heather. Gabe refused to leave. “I’m staying in case she needs anything.”
Detective Brice grimaced. “Are you always a pain in the ass?” When he didn’t answer, he turned to Heather. “Is he?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “But I hope to find out.”
“Yeah, well, good luck with that,” he said, directing her to a chair at the table. “Thanks to Jims, I won’t need to keep you long.”
“Okay.” She rested her elbows on the table and clasped her hands under her chin.
Detective Brice looked up then and blushed. Heather shot him a smile. “I won’t bite, Detective.”
He shook his head and clumsily flipped through his notes. Heather winked at Gabe but he only narrowed his gaze, giving her one of those “knock it off” looks.
“What?” She asked innocently. “I’m just sitting over here, minding my own business.”
“Do I need to ask Mr. Reynolds to step outside?”
“I don’t think so, Detective,” she said sweetly.
“Some of the questions I’ll ask will be private, Miss Powers.”
“I understand.” She didn’t have anything to hide. She and Gabe were soul mates. She’d always suspected it. Now, after the way he’d loved her? She was certain of it. There couldn’t be secrets between them.
“Okay let’s start at the beginning.” He set his recorder on the table. “This is Detective Bane Brice with the Cavern Mountain Police Department. The date is March 8, 2015. I’m with Heather Powers. These notes are for internal use.” He looked down at his notepad. “Now Jims Vance says you came here two months ago. Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“Can you explain why? Were you friends with the Vance brothers?”
“No,” she replied. “I had been living in California—LA—working and going to school. While I was enrolled at UCLA, I became more and more interested in the supernatural.”
“The occult?”
“Yes. That’s probably more accurate. Actually, I went to LA to become an actress. I became interested in writing and realized I had a knack for it. While I was there, I met a few true crime authors and some folks who worked in the film industry. Anyway, I decided to become an occult detective and write occult detective fiction.”
“It looks like you won’t be short on stories,” Detective Brice said, scribbling somethin
g down. “So you came here as soon as you returned to Tennessee?”
“Yes. Like most everyone else in this area, I’d heard the tongue-wagging tales about the Vance brothers.” She glanced behind her, checking to be sure Gabe was still there. “When I first arrived, I was disappointed. Dons was real paranoid about my arrival and he didn’t want me here. Kens and Jims convinced him to let me stay. Soon—”
“Now back up a minute. You said you were disappointed upon your arrival. Why?”
“The first week I was here, I decided they weren’t involved with the occult. In fact, I don’t mind sharing my notes with you. While the Vance brothers are aware of their reputations and more or less flaunt their beliefs, they became concerned when I landed on their doorstep wanting to write about their lives.
“For a while, they had me convinced that they weren’t involved with the occult at all. As Dons put it, ‘We want people to believe exactly what they believe. If folks believe we’re sacrificing people up here, they’ll stay away. We’re running drugs and what better way to keep people out of our wells than to make them think they’ll find skeletons down there if they start poking around’ and what he said made sense to me.”
“Uh-huh,” the detective muttered, scribbling more. He looked up again and tapped his lip with his pencil. “Did you ever see any skeletons on the property?”
“No.”
Gabe cleared his throat. “Bradley found some.”
“Yes, he told us.” Detective Brice flipped through his notes. “So when did you realize the drug front was a cover for something far more sinister?”
“I didn’t. Not really. For the first couple of weeks, I was treated rather well. The Vance brothers were respectful, kind even.”
“When did it change?”
“Pretty much overnight. I can’t pinpoint when or where. I told Rons I was going to town for clothes. He went nuts, said I couldn’t leave, and I was locked in my room. During that time, I only saw Jims. He was always apologetic. He said he’d tried to warn me but I couldn’t remember a time when he did. No one gave me any indication that I wouldn’t be allowed to leave when I decided to go.”
Heap of Trouble [Trouble, Tennessee 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 7