“Okay, Hiram, let’s go. The sooner Marc gets on the road, the sooner he’ll be back. You want to drive?”
Marc walked them to the door then let Hiram go out first. He pulled Scarlet to him and hugged her. “I won’t be gone long and when I get back we’ll make some plans. I think it might be time for me to apologize to the rest of the family, we need their help. I should have done it sooner, but I’ve been putting it off.”
“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. We can handle this on our own. We have Michael and your Dad, don’t forget,” she said, seeing the apprehension in his eyes.
“No, Terrell Industries has a lot of weapons in their arsenal; we need to find Louis before he finds you. We can’t just sit around and wait for him to show up here. There’s no way to predict when that might be, but if we find him, then we can settle this,” he said, his voice taking on conviction. “Besides, it’s time I dealt with this. Michael says they’re not that mad at me, it’s more that I have to earn their respect than their forgiveness.”
“Well, you’ve certainly got mine. Be careful up there, there is still a forest fire up there. We’ll lock ourselves in the house and wait for you guys. I love you, Marc,” she said, wrapping herself around him.
“I love you too, Scarlet, and when this is all over, I want to talk seriously about our future,” he said, pushing her out the door with a mischievous smile.
He stopped Sean on his way out the door. “Take care of your mother. I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he said, taking a risk and giving the boy a hug. Sean was stiff at first, then relaxed into the hug, then pulled away embarrassed.
“Be careful,” Sean said, squaring his shoulders as he walked out the door. “I’ll watch my mom for you.”
Kevin offered to drive Marc up the mountain, Scarlet having made the decision to close the diner early that night. There was just too much going on. The fire was still threatening and now with the possibility that Louis was out there somewhere after her, it seemed wrong to put her people at risk. But Kevin had no plans to abandon his friends when they needed him and driving Marc would be an easy job.
But as they climbed into the mountains, he began to question how easy the trip was going to be. The fire was much closer than it had looked from town. Embers and ash were falling like rain, muddying up the windshield forcing him to run the wipers, his field of vision constantly clouded. He was finally forced to roll down the window and lean out so he could see. Just as he though he couldn’t go any further, they saw the command center and pulled off the road.
Marc was out of the car before it had even come to a halt, suddenly more worried about the fire than Scarlet. The fire was less than a mile away and chewing through the forest at an alarming rate. He knew his family was still up here and it looked like the fire would be on them in minutes. He found Michael in the command tent, helping pack up electronics, but when he saw Marc, he stopped what he was doing and followed him out.
“What are you doing up here? The evacuation order was just issued for the town. We’re leaving in five minutes. Get back in your car and get out of here,” Michael yelled at him over the sound of the roaring fire.
“Sean and Scarlet are in trouble, I need your help,” Marc said, Michael’s words not penetrating at first. “The evacuation order went out, that’s good.”
Michael was confused but let Marc pull him along behind him. “I need you guys to help me, I’ll explain on the way. Where are Dad and Annabelle? We have to go now. I have to get back down there before they make Scarlet and Sean leave the house.”
“You’re not making any sense,” Michael said. “But get in the truck. Dad and Annabelle are already inside.”
“I can’t leave Kevin here on his own, let me grab him,” Marc said, running over to the car.
On the way down the mountain, Marc filled everyone in on what had been happening in town. Once he’d finished, Michael handed his phone to Annabelle and said, “Call Sabrina and get everyone together, tell her we need their help.”
Annabelle made the call, had a whispered conversation with whoever was on the other end, then said, “Sabrina is going to get everyone together and call us back.”
Marc was surprised when the phone rang only a few minutes later. It hadn’t taken Sabrina long to mobilize the Terrell clan back in Colorado. He was afraid that after everything that had happened last spring that they would be hesitant to help, but Donovan and Garrett jumped right in already making phone calls while Sabrina made plans for them to come to Colorado.
“It’s the only thing that makes sense. You’ll be safe here while we find Louis. I’m not taking no for an answer, so just head this way,” Sabrina had said, making Marc want to cry.
“But after last spring...” he said, then trailed off.
“We’ll talk about that later. When family needs help, nothing else matters. Now go get Scarlet and Sean and get out of there,” she said, leaving no room for argument.
When they hung up the phone, Michael and Annabelle laughed. “Well, that settles that, looks like we’re headed to Colorado,” Michael said. “Welcome to Sabrina running your life.”
Scarlet, Sean, and Hiram were all huddled in the living room trying to watch TV, but none of them were relaxed, the threat of the fire more on their minds right then. When they’d pulled up to the house, it looked like it had been snowing. The yard was coated with a fine layer of ash and more falling steadily from the sky. She knew that they should just turn around and go back to town, but Marc expected her to be here, so they’d trooped into the house.
Once inside, they’d locked all the windows and secured the back door, Sean wedging a chair under the knob to keep it from opening. Scarlet had paced the floor for a while, but noticed that it was making Sean more nervous, so she sat down and found a silly movie on television. It felt like it was taking Marc forever to get back. She’d made up her mind that they were going to leave town for a while.
It was the only thing that made sense at least until they could get themselves together. The fire was pushing towards town, and it would only be a matter of time before they were evacuated anyway. She’d told Clarence and Carry to lock the diner up tight and not to come back to work until she called them, suggesting that they get out of town themselves. Now, all she needed was Marc and his family and they could pack up and leave for a while.
She and Sean already had their bags packed and by the front door. She’d even packed some food for the trip. Hiram had been following her around the house for the last few minutes, becoming increasing concerned about the fire. Scarlet had suggested that he go home, get his wife, and get out of town. The ash was coming down harder and it was becoming more difficult to see.
“You really should go. Louis isn’t going to come after me in this mess,” Scarlet said for the third time.
“I don’t want to leave you until Marc gets back, but if they blow the evacuation horn, I’m going to have to. I can’t leave Jenny to get out on her own,” Hiram finally said after some long thought.
“Okay, I guess that’s a fair compromise,” Scarlet had said, patting him on the back. “You know how much I appreciate this.”
“We take care of our own around here. Where will you go?”
“I don’t know, but we’ll be back before too long. I’m not going to run for the rest of my life,” Scarlet said, gaining strength from her words.
Not ten minutes later, the evacuation siren began to wail sending Hiram out the door so fast Scarlet barely had time to tell him to be careful. Locking the door behind him, she paced the floor, hoping that Marc was okay. It had been a long time since he’d left and there was a lot that could have gone wrong up on the mountain. Louis was the last thing on her mind right then, the threat he posed much more distant than the one burning on the mountain.
Chapter 14
Louis drove through Miner’s Ridge cursing the ash that covered everything, including the road signs. After he’d been chased out of town earlier that day, he’d gone
back to his cheap motel room and gotten on the internet. He know knew where Scarlet lived, and if he could just read the road signs, he’d be able to finish this thing in the peace of an abandoned town.
Even if someone was still around, the siren blaring away would cover any sound she made when he took out his wrath on her. He’d have to figure out how to separate her from Sean though; he didn’t want Sean to see what he was planning to do to his mother, that wouldn’t be a good way to start their relationship. He almost wished he didn’t have to do it, but she’d betrayed him so many times he’d lost count, not to mention the money she’d lost him in her quest to be honest.
It would feel good to take all his frustration out on her. Hopefully, there would be a garage or an outbuilding where he could take her. He’d find some excuse to keep Sean in the house while he punished Scarlet for her treachery. Just thinking about it made him get a little hard. Maybe he’d have a little fun with her before he hurt her, make her think that if she gave in to him, he’d leave.
When he pulled up to the house, he began to plan how he was going to get in, but suddenly the front door flew open and there was Scarlet standing in the doorway. He couldn’t believe his luck. Jumping out of the car, he ran to the door and shoved her inside, pulling a gun from his pocket and shoving it in her face.
“Hi there, little wife,” he said, with a sneer, looking her up and down.
Scarlet couldn’t speak, couldn’t believe that she’d been so stupid. She’d just let Louis into her house and Sean was back in his room completely unaware of the danger. Trying to stall him at the door, Scarlet put on a brave face and smiled at him.
“I didn’t know you were out of prison. As you can see, it’s not really a good time for us right now. We need to get out of town, maybe we can connect later,” she said, pretending that he didn’t have a gun pointed in her face.
“Oh, we’re going to connect all right,” Louis sneered at her. “You seem to be doing all right for yourself. How did you manage to hide that money? I thought they found everything. Did you sell some of the jewelry I gave you? I bet that’s exactly what you did.”
“I had money from my grandparents,” Scarlet managed to say, her fear beginning to get the better of her.
“I seriously doubt that. No way were you smart enough to hide that from me. Nope, what I think is that part of all this and that diner are mine. I’ll tell you what, give me some cash and I’ll let you and Sean live in peace,” he said, suddenly thinking that she probably had some cash stashed somewhere.
“I don’t have any money to give you,” Scarlet said, wishing she did.
Louis opened his mouth to call her a liar, but just then Sean came out of his bedroom. “Mom, what’s going on?” When he saw Louis with the gun on his mother, he stopped in his tracks.
“It’s nice to see you, son. Your mother is just getting ready to show me where you keep your money stash, then you and I are going to head away from here. It’s time we got to know one another,” Louis said, reaching for Sean, expecting him to come to him. “Don’t you remember your father?” Sean didn’t answer, just ran back to his room and slammed the door.
Sean could hear his father cussing in the other room, there was a loud thud and the sound of his mother crying out. He had to do something fast or his dad was going to kill his mother, but he was panicking. Stopping to take a deep breath, he picked up his phone and called Marc, quickly explaining what was happening then hanging up when Marc said they were only a mile away.
His only hope was to stall his dad and that meant facing him. Opening the door, he squared his shoulders and stepped out into the hall. “Dad, it’s nice to see you.”
Louis was standing over Scarlet who was on the floor, her arms covering her head, but when he heard Sean’s voice he stopped yelling at her and crossed over to Sean. “Son, it’s so good to see you. Did you miss me?”
It took everything in Sean not to run over to where his mother lay on the floor, but instead he plastered a smile on his face and said, “I’m ready to go, let’s get out of here. I don’t need her anymore since you’re here now. I’ve been waiting for you for a long time, Dad.” As he spoke, he went to his father and put his arms around him.
Louis stiffened at first, suspicious of Sean’s reaction, but it was just as he’d imagined it would be. He and his son together again. “I never thought I’d hear you say those words. Do you hear that, Scarlet? Your son wants me, not you. I think I’ll let you live just so you can remember that for the rest of your life,” he said as he and Sean walked out of the house.
What happen next occurred so fast Sean never saw it coming and neither did Louis. The minute they stepped through the door, Marc had Louis by the throat, his size overwhelming Louis before he could even put up a fight. Michael had the gun out of his hand in seconds and trained on Louis. In the distance, he could hear sirens coming up the street and remember his mom lying on the floor.
Flying back into the house, he knelt beside her, smoothing the hair off her face. “It’s okay, Marc and Michael are here,” Sean said, helping her sit up.
She seemed a little dazed but looked okay. There was a big cut on her forehead and a black eye already starting to form, but she smiled at him letting him know she was okay. Seconds later, Marc came charging through the door, followed by the paramedics, who pushed him out of the way. But not before Sean heard his mother say, “Thank you, what you did was very smart.”
****
Scarlet lowered her sunglasses, the September sunlight beginning to slant through the trees, dropping the temperature almost immediately, and looked across the pasture to the barn where Marc had gone with his cousins. They’d been here for almost two weeks, and as much as she’d enjoyed the stay, it was time to go home.
She was pretty sure that they’d be getting some horses as soon as they got home, but since she like to ride, it seemed like a good idea to her. Sean had been thrilled when they pulled up to the ranch, some of the pain he was feeling already replaced by excitement. Marc had tried to describe Pleasant Valley and the ranch to them, but his words hadn’t done it justice. Since he’d been introduced to the other kids on the ranch, she hadn’t seen him except at meals.
While she knew that the events that had driven them from Miner’s Ridge would still have to be dealt with, their time at the ranch had allowed him some time to heal. They’d had many discussions about that night but also about what had led them there, and Sean seemed to have a pretty good handle on his feelings. Going home would be hard, but she also had a feeling that it wouldn’t be long before they’d be moving into a new house.
She’d caught Sean and Marc whispering about game rooms and pool tables, and Marc had shut himself up in the library several times with Nate, who happened to be an architect. Not that long ago, she would have been unable to let someone else plan her life, her trust in men completely destroyed by Louis, but now she had a man she loved, whom she trusted with her life. It was nice to sit back and let someone else make decision for once.
As if her thoughts had summoned him, Marc came up onto the porch from the pasture. She’d been so lost in her thoughts that she’d missed him coming across the grass. “You look like you have something serious on your mind. I thought you were going to relax this afternoon,” he said, pulling her to her feet and wrapping his arms around her.
“I was thinking about you as a matter of fact,” she said, leaning into his solid warmth and inhaling his woodsy scent.
“Funny, I was thinking of you too,” he said, rubbing her back.
She looked up at him a seductive grin on her face. “Oh, yeah? And what were you thinking about?”
“Hmm, first I was thinking about this,” he said, lowering his mouth to hers and parting her lips with his tongue to playfully kiss her. Taking her bottom lip between his teeth, he pulled, then licked where he’d just bit her.
Scarlet was lost immediately, passion sparking between them and leaving her weak in the knees, making her lean against him heavily
. “I was also thinking about this,” he said, sliding his hands up her arms to unbutton her shirt. The feel of the cool air on her bare skin as he slid the shirt off her shoulders and unhooked her bra raised goose bumps on her arms.
But they were soon forgotten when his mouth found an erect nipple and sucked it into his mouth. The feel of Marc’s hot mouth on her nipple made Scarlet groan out loud with pleasure, but when his mouth moved to the other nipple, she could only throw her head back. Marc released her nipple, making Scarlet cry out with need, but he kissed his way up her neck, nibbling as he went.
“Mostly I was thinking about this,” he said, his hand sliding between her legs to the juncture of her thighs.
Scarlet bent her knees and spread her legs as Marc slid her panties to the side and began to rub her swollen clit. She was already wet and ready for him, her moisture making his finger wet and slippery as it rubbed against her. Her body vibrating with pleasure, Scarlet was surprised to find the pressure building deep inside her, his finger driving her closer and closer to the edge.
When he slid his finger deep inside her and used his thumb to rub her clit, she came apart in his arms. Eyes locked on hers, he said, “I want to feel you come, let go sweetheart.” His words and the love in his eyes sent her spiraling over the edge, everything fading but the two of them and the power of their love.
As the tremors began to fade, Scarlet felt a need so deep inside her that she knew only Marc could fulfill it. Taking his head in her hands, she kissed him passionately, desperately trying to make him understand what she needed. She fumbled with his belt, her hands shaking, finally able to free him into her hands. She stroked him until he grabbed her hand and pulled it away, then scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bed.
He stripped off her skirt and panties, then his own clothes before kneeling between her legs. His eyes locked on hers, he slid inside her in one hard thrust, his hands under her hips lifting her to meet him. She wrapped her legs around his hips, gripping his shoulders as he slammed into her again and again. The intensity of his thrusts sending pure pleasure into every corner of her being, but Marc slowed his pace wanting to take Scarlet over the edge once more before joining her.
Hold Me Close: BWWM Romance (Brothers From Money Book 6) Page 14