by Charlie Hart
Five sets of eyes are on me, still full of mistrust.
I suck my lip back over my teeth, then spit out. “I’ve already set in motion reports and documents that prove none of you were part of any of my plans.” I focus my gaze on Salinger. “Even you. I’ve wiped your name from the brothel and any activity there.”
“Bullshit. People will talk--”
“They can talk all they want, but they’ll never find any physical proof.”
Emerson crosses his arms over his large chest and frowns. “You can’t wipe your name off the marriage certificate. Whatever you do will reflect back on Tia. She’ll be brought in and questioned. Even if you take all the blame, the spotlight will be on our family.”
I crack my knuckles. “A little media attention is nothing compared to what Warren Thorne will do to her, to our children.”
“He wouldn’t have found her if you hadn’t given her up.”
I laugh darkly. “He’s known for weeks where she is. He was just biding his time waiting for the right time to strike, waiting...” I clench my eyes shut. “Waiting until she was pregnant.”
“You told him she’s pregnant?” Fallon takes a step towards me ready to strike again, but Giles holds him back.
“No.” I glance over at Banks. “It looks like there was a leak with the medical documents. But it wasn’t me.”
“Why didn’t you tell us all this before?” Salinger asks, suspicion still bright in his dark eyes.
“Because I knew this was how you would react. I was handling it. And I didn’t want you knowing anything that could implicate you.”
“Well, we’re implicated now,” Salinger says, rubbing his hands over his face. “We need to get her inside my mom’s bunker. She’ll be safe there while we figure out what the hell we’re going to do.”
“That’s actually a good idea,” I say, wishing I would have thought of it. “I’ve already deposited enough money in a bank account that will help you build the house you were talking about, on Emerson’s island.”
“And there you go again, talking like you’re not going to be there with us,” Giles says, shaking his head. “There isn’t a man in this house that will let you--”
“Unless you plan on tying me down, you have no other choice. I’m doing this.”
“I have no qualms about tying your fucking ass down,” Fallon shouts, and I see something in his expression, behind the whole alpha anger and Neanderthal chest banging. I see real fear. And not just for Tia and the others, but for me.
But this isn’t the time to let emotions get in the way.
“Look.” I pinch the bridge of my nose and exhale, long and deep. “If you think I’m walking into this with a death wish, you’re wrong. I’ve had months to prepare, and if everything goes as planned, I’ll walk scot-free.”
“With another man’s blood on your hands,” Giles says severely.
I hold his gaze. “Not a man. A murderer.”
There are a few murmurs of agreement with my statement.
“I’ve taken a life before,” Giles says roughly. “It’s not something you can just walk away from unchanged.”
I give a hard shake of my head. “You think I don’t see the faces of all those women I sent to their deaths every single night? That I don’t dream about the horrors that were inflicted on them? This isn’t murder, it’s justice in an unjust world.”
“Fuck,” Fallon mutters pulling at his short cropped hair, but I see in his eyes that he’s finally coming to grips with what I have to do.
What I will do.
Silence settles around the room.
“If we allow this,” Giles finally says, causing a few heads to snap up in his direction. “You tell us everything. Every detail of your plan.”
My back teeth clench, but I nod and spend the next hour going over the fine point details I’ve formulated. There are a few shocked intakes of breath when I disclose the amount of money I’ve placed in a secure location for them. It’s only a fraction of my net worth, but the rest of my funds have gone into paying off specific bodyguards and hacking into Thorne’s security systems, making sure that no one will be able to trace the transaction to me or my family.
The only small flaw in my plan, the one concern is that Thorne won’t come on his own, that he’ll send one of his thugs in his place.
But I can’t think about that now. And as far as I’m aware, according to my sources, the man has every intention of flying into a small private airport twenty miles from our meeting point in two days’ time.
Banks is the first to speak after I’ve laid out my plans. He whistles low, “Damn, Huxley, I knew you were a schemer, but this impresses even me. You might actually get away with it.”
“I will get away with it,” I say with all the confidence I can muster. False confidence, of course, because I knew from the moment I formulated the plan, that I would be giving up my freedom for my family’s safety.
It’s late when I finally find Tia curled up in the study, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders as she stares into the fireplace where small flames lick at the burning wood.
I place another log on, before sitting next to her.
“Tia, I--”
“Huxley.” She takes my hand, and shifts so that her head is on my chest. “I heard everything you said to the others. I wish you would have told us, but I understand why you didn’t.”
Of course, she does. She’s the one who kept so much from us at the beginning, in order to protect us. Maybe we’re not as different as I’d always thought.
“You’re not going to fight me on it?” I ask.
She takes a few small breaths before saying, “No. My father needs to pay for what he’s done. Someone needs to stop him. And maybe...” Her hand rests on my chest. “Maybe in another world where governments aren't corrupted by money and power, he would be tried and prosecuted by a court of law. But we both know that will never happen. Not while men like Lawson fund him.”
I press my lips against the top of her head. “I love you, Tia.”
She looks up at me, a small smile tugging at her lips. “I love you too, Hux.”
“Would you...” I press my forehead against hers and close my eyes. “Will you do something for me when this is all over?”
“Yes. Anything.”
“If I go to prison over this. If I...” Shit. My reality becomes more real when I’m with her. “Will you take care of the girls. My nieces. Will you--”
“Huxley.” Her brows draw down and anxiety washes over her face. “I...”
“Sorry, I know it’s a lot to ask. You have our babies to think of--”
“No.” She stops my words with a kiss, and when she pulls back there are tears in her eyes. “That’s not it. Those little girls are part of our family now. And you have to believe that everyone in this house will make sure they’re safe. No matter what. Okay?”
I let out a small sigh. “Thank you.”
Her smile falters. “But you weren’t here earlier when Banks told us he found a cure.”
“It’s great news.” I kiss her hard, not understanding the tension that rolls off her.
She pulls back. “Banks believes he can create a cure. For everyone. But it means taking fluid, both spinal and embryonic from me. Enough that would put both me and the babies’ lives at risk.”
“Fuck no,” I spit out angrily, remembering a piece of the conversation from earlier, but I’d been too much in my own head at the time to really listen.
What the hell was Banks thinking even mentioning it to her?
“How can I not?” Her fingers twist in my shirt, her eyes begging me for understanding. “You get it Hux. You’re willing to risk your life for your nieces, for all those women my father has in his possession.”
“That’s different.”
“How?”
“One life for the greater good.”
I place my hand on her stomach. “But it’s not just one life, it’s seven.”
“I know. A
nd trust me, it’s not a decision I take lightly. But if anyone found out that I may be carrying the cure, do you think I’d be given a choice? A piece of me believes that even Salinger’s mom would have me strapped down to a gurney without blinking an eye.”
A warning slices through, and I jump up from the couch. “Shit.”
“Where are you going?”
“I need to talk to Banks,” I say, starting to shake. “Because if he’s documented any of his findings on his laptop, then your father already knows. And it won’t be long before the whole damn world does as well.”
Chapter 5
Tia
I can’t bear to go into the kitchen and listen to them. The men are in an uproar. Fear still courses through the house, but now there’s panic too.
Once the information about me is leaked to the press, my father will be basking in the glory he’s always sought. His daughter holds the miracle cure. I can see the headlines already. I won’t be the mother of the year, I will be the martyr of the century. And my father will be the man who made it happen.
I won’t be safe. The decision will be stripped from me. And my babies will die as a result. Banks pretty much guaranteed it.
In my bathroom, I turn on the shower but I don’t even have the energy to step inside. I’m emotionally drained and mentally exhausted. I sit on the cold tiled floor, my head resting against the glass door, the steam clouding the room and I try to close my eyes, let my anxious thoughts fade away.
It’s impossible.
Tears blur my vision as I rub my temples, wishing that I could see a way out of this mess. But I can’t see anything besides death. Even if I survive the procedure, my children won’t. Banks pretty much guaranteed it.
A knock on the door startles me, but when Giles pokes his head in, his warm smile softens my edges as the tears I’ve been blinking away are finally able to fall free. He sinks down beside me on the floor and wraps his strong arms around my shoulders, his dark red beard tickling the side of my face when he leans in.
“Oh, my love,” he says, kissing the side of my head. “You’re safe with me.”
“For now,” I whisper.
He doesn’t argue. “For now.”
I look up into his eyes, so comforting. “How did you deal with losing Caroline? Because I’ve never lost anyone I loved. I never met my mother. And now, now I will lose all six of my…” My words catch and I clutch his sweater, sobbing against his chest.
He smooths my hair, the steady beat of my heart keeping me grounded and I cling to that.
“Those babies are still inside of you, their hearts are still beating. Don’t give up yet, love.”
I try to cling to the hope he gives, but it’s so damn hard.
And yet he’s right. He is here and I am here and no one has come for us yet. I lean into him, taking his strength.
“Did Sal talk to his mom?” I ask when my tears have subsided.
Giles clears his throat. “They’re still working on arrangements. Obviously, there are risks with her having access to you as well.”
“I won’t be safe anywhere. I should just catch a plane and turn myself in. Not prolong the inevitable.”
“Don’t do that,” Giles says, his tone more gruff than I’ve ever heard it directed at me. “Our babies need you to believe that time is on our side.”
“Do you believe it is?” I ask, looking into his eyes, desperate to see more than fear in those dark green pools.
“I may be an untamed man, but I believe in the power of love, Tia.” He cups my face, his words reaching to the bottom of my heart.
“Oh, Giles,” I say, moving into his lap, wrapping my legs around him, suddenly desperate to feel him inside of me, taking me. Needing that connection.
Needing him.
“Tia,” he groans, raking his fingers through my hair. “I fucking love you.”
“I love you too,” I whimper, my mouth on his, his tongue pushing past my lips. I need to lose myself in him, at this moment. He needs it too.
His hands greedily pull up the hem of my nightie, tossing it aside. He runs his palms over my breasts as our tongues entwine, inhaling one another as if we are out of breath and out of time.
“I missed you,” he growls in my ear, his fingers pushing aside the fabric of my panties, running along my wet slit. My head falls back as he moves his hand against me, his fingers pressing inside my still tight pussy.
He moves against me hard, his hand working me into delirium. My eyes close and I lean back, resting on my elbows as he moves faster and faster over my folds. The friction feels so good, and I moan in pleasure. Then he takes my knees, tossing them over his shoulders as he begins to lick my pussy up and down. My head rests on a towel on the bathroom rug, and the steam of the shower makes the space feel warm and cozy.
His tongue licks me up and down, sucking on my clit as if he can’t get enough of me. I reach for his cock, hating that he’s still dressed, wanting him naked. Before I can complain, he manages to push me to the edge, my cries escaping my lips before I can consider holding anything back.
“Oh, God, please. Yes, Giles, yes,” I scream, the release so overwhelming and so absolutely right.
The orgasm is relentless.
“Oh Tia, you’re gushing,” he tells me, lowering his face to lick me as I come against his hand. “You taste so fucking good, baby,” he tells me, my heart pounding as my legs shake, my body awake and alive.
I feel every inch of my body, it’s hot and slick and I need him to run his hands over my skin, to touch me everywhere. I need his cock buried inside of me, because I need to come again, harder, with his thickness in my pussy. I drag him to his feet, ripping off his clothes, a hunger overwhelming me as we crash into the shower, our bodies a tangle of love and devotion.
The water is cooler now, the sharp heat is gone from it running so long. I stand under the shower head, my nipples hard, and my hands on Giles’ chiseled chest. Every inch of his skin is taut and firm, and I run my fingers over him, my body relaxing under his gaze.
“You make me feel so good,” I moan as I begin to stroke him. He is so hard, so ready, and I love the way his cock feels in my hand. I use my other fingers to caress his balls, his body so manly and capable. He cups my ass with one hand, my cheek with the other, and draws me to him in a way that makes me catch my breath.
“I need to fuck you, wife,” he tells me, holding my body firmly. There is no way I could get out of his hold even if I wanted to. But heaven knows there is no place on Earth I’d rather be. I need you to know that you’re alive,” he says. “ That you are here. Mine. That I’m not letting you go without a fight.”
His protective streak makes me weak in the knees, and he knows it because he picks me up and takes me against the tiled shower wall. I sink down against his cock, lost in the sensation, my pussy walls clenched tight against his massive hard-on, my arms wrapped around his and the only thing escaping me are moans of pleasure as he fucks me hard and fast, reminding me that I am his. Now and forever.
He comes inside me, my body releasing against him as he does. The orgasm rushes through me with a crash, a tidal wave of power, and I find myself clawing at his shoulders biting down on his name.
We come together, then catch our breaths, as a torrent of emotion swells inside of us both. I can see it in his eyes. He carries me from the shower, laying me on the bed, towering over me as the water drips from his face and his dark red hair. As the quilt beneath us becomes soaked, our eyes are locked on one another. He fills me up again, this time though, it’s not simply fucking.
He cradles me in his arms, our bodies pressed tightly together, and his eyes well up with tears. Mine do too. And I’m lost in him.
We are alive right now, at this moment, and the tears streaming down my mountain man’s face tell me everything I need to know.
He will stop at nothing to protect me.
And even then, his heart will beat for me until his dying breath.
Chapter 6
<
br /> Huxley
“Goddamnit,” Banks mutters as he hangs up his cell phone and shoves it in the pocket of his slacks.
I’ve just come into the study to pour myself a glass of whiskey. It’s late, and I didn’t think anyone else was awake, but I should have known the man would still be up, poring over his papers. He sleeps less than I do, and that’s saying something.
“What’s wrong?” I asked cautiously as I pour two glasses, then hand him one.
He takes a deep swallow before answering. “One of my patients just hemorrhaged at twenty-eight weeks. Both she and the baby died.”
“Shit. I’m sorry.”
“I thought...” He scrubs his hands over his face. “I really thought I was getting somewhere with my research.”
“You’re worried about Tia?”
“I’m always fucking worried about Tia.” He sits back at the desk and starts typing on his laptop. “But I believe she’ll survive this; that the babies will. Her body isn’t rejecting the female fetuses--”
“Fetuses? There’s more than one girl?”
His lips twitch. “I haven’t told anyone yet, but my last tests confirmed that she’s carrying three girls and three boys.”
I inhale a long deep breath. “Somehow it makes it more real, knowing.”
“Yeah.” He leans with his elbows on the desk, head in his hands.
I finish my drink and pour another one. “You ready to make sacrifices to keep them safe?”
“What the fuck do you think I’ve been doing these past months?”
I place my drink on his desk and lean on my palms, forcing him to meet my gaze. “I mean deleting her files. All of them. Shred every piece of evidence that she was ever patient C65. Erase her bloodwork. Her DNA samples. Everything. Make Christina Thorne disappear.”
“You’re insane. That’s impossible. Both Thorne and The Director have access--”
“Digital files can be swept clean. I can do it tonight. Once Thorne is dead, no one will have any reason to come after her.”
“You know what you’re suggesting?”