by Sam Crescent
Markus and Brant moved forward, as did Donald and David.
Trevor agreed to help as well.
Patrick opened his phone and made a call. “Then we need to get going. I’m not risking their lives again.” His gaze landed on the two men who’d intended to charm Lillian. “I’m not leaving, Stone Valley. I don’t expect Lillian or Tessie to forgive me, but I’m not leaving. I’ve been gone too long.”
“You can’t come back here, Patrick. You’re dead,” Trevor said.
“Patrick Holland is dead. Daniel Jackson is not.”
Markus moved toward his truck with Brant. “You guys can have a pissing contest later or measure your dicks. We’ve got to get our woman.” He slammed the door to his truck closed and started in the direction of the ranch.
“Tessie’s going to be heartbroken about Patrick,” Brant said.
“We can’t worry about that right now. We’ve got to get our woman back before it’s too late. She can’t die. I won’t let her.” Markus pressed his foot on the gas. He was going to get to her and make sure he’d never let her out of his sight again.
* * * *
Brant gripped the side of the truck. Markus was going faster than he’d ever driven before. His heart was racing and his stomach was in knots. Patrick had really put a spanner in the works with his revelation.
“Donald and David are behind us. The Sheriff is with Patrick,” Markus said, invading his thoughts.
“I can’t think right now. I’m not being rude. I just can’t think.” If he didn’t hold it together, he was going to throw up. Throwing up was out of the question. He’d have to wash the truck when it was all over with, and he hated washing the truck.
“We’re going to get through this, I promise.”
“You can’t promise anything. We could all die today if Marshall gets his own way,” Brant said.
“I’m going to trust Patrick.”
“Even though he tried to charge Tessie down in a car?” Brant yelled.
“He didn’t run her down. We’ve got to be patient and deal with this.”
Brant wished he had Markus’s calm. He was freaking out with every passing minute. When they got to the driveway of the Holland ranch, Markus slowed down. Brant saw them immediately and tensed.
Marshall held Tessie against him. Her hands looked bound behind her back. Even from a distance, he saw her cut lip. Hands tensing at his side, he waited for the car to slow down to a stop.
“The bastard has hurt our woman,” Brant said.
His brother didn’t say a word as the car was brought to a stop. “Open the glove compartment.”
Opening the glove compartment, Brant saw their dads’ old Glocks. “You kept these?” Brant asked.
He didn’t know why their dads kept guns, but he had a memory of Markus being taught how to clean them. “Why are you keeping these?” he asked, trying not to make any sudden movements.
“George told me to always be prepared. Stone Valley was safe, but it would only stay safe if you were always prepared. He taught you how to shoot. Take one and give me the other. Keep them safe and remove the safety when you’re ready.” Markus pocketed his gun and when Patrick slapped on their window Brant’s stomach turned.
Patrick had Trevor locked in a tight grip with a gun to his head.
“Follow his orders, Brant. He clearly knows what he’s doing.” Markus climbed out his side. Brant got out in time to see David had the same hold on Donald.
Fuck, his life was turning into a freaky soap opera by the day.
They moved toward the men with the guns.
“Who’s the other guy?” Marshall asked.
“A friend and investor. He wants in on the coke and is prepared to be lucrative with the other.” Patrick’s voice was hard.
“Markus, Brant,” Tessie said, tears streaming down her face.
Lillian was held near the ranch by one large man. The older woman looked terrified as she looked at Donald and David.
Brant knew it was only a matter of time before everything kicked off.
“I thought we agreed the women go free?” Patrick asked.
“They know too much. I can’t have any loose ends. They’re the only loose end and I can’t have any more heat with my name. This is over. They all die, and the ranch gets burned to the ground with them inside. Stone Valley will be mine and I don’t have to worry anymore.”
Grinding his teeth, Brant kept his mouth shut. The last thing he wanted to do was raise suspicion.
“It’s such a shame. This one is so precious and sweet. I’d love to keep her for myself.” Marshall ran a finger down the side of Tessie’s face. Out of the corner of his eye, Brant saw Patrick’s hold on the gun tense. He wasn’t betraying them. Patrick was biding his time.
“Get your fucking hands off her.” Brant charged forward, distracting the men from seeing Patrick’s slip.
One of the men stepped in front of him. Brant dodged his punch and landed one himself. The fight was brutal as another guy held Brant for the one he’d hit to pummel him. Markus roared and charged at the men, taking two of them down. His brother was the bigger, stronger guy of the two of them. All the years spent working on a ranch made him strong.
Markus knocked out the two men and was about to start on another when a gun was pressed to Brant’s neck.
“Move another inch and your brother stops breathing.”
“You cowboys and your women, it’s so fucking sickening. Women are whores, gentlemen. They make you weak and control you with their cunts. You need to learn to control them to be what you want.”
Brant yelled as Marshall slapped Tessie across the cheek, sending her down to the ground. A blow landed in her stomach and Marshall stopped. Tessie curled into a ball, crying.
“That’s how you get a woman to do what you want. You beat her until she learns her place.”
Marshall grabbed her hair and pulled. Tears were streaming down her face.
Brant was going to lose it if he didn’t get to her soon.
“Patrick, I’m not holding on any longer,” Markus said. No one knew who Patrick was. The guy kept different identities and his brother was warning him.
“Before you die, bitch, is there anything you want to say?” Marshall asked, ignoring Markus’s outburst.
“I love you, Brant and Markus. Being with you is the best thing that’s happened to me.”
“Marry us, Tessie,” Markus said.
“Yes, I would love to marry you.” The tears turned into gut-wrenching sobs.
“Aw, isn’t this sweet? It’s such a shame you’re not going to see the end of the day,” Marshall said.
Brant watched as Trevor moved aside and the two guns appeared in Patrick’s hand. “Guess again.”
The gun exploded and in the next second Marshall went down. Tessie scurried away. Brant didn’t give the guy pointing the gun at him chance. He took him down by flipping his legs from under him.
Slipping the gun out of his back, he flicked the safety off and aimed.
“Don’t kill, they’re needed alive.”
The words penetrated Brant’s mind and he aimed for ankles or shoulders, anything that would hinder the men but not kill them. Brant was thankful for the shooting lessons his father made him take.
During the fight, Patrick’s team showed up wearing vests with F.B.I. printed on them. Brant threw his gun to the ground and charged for Tessie. She lay in a ball, curled up on the ground, her arms over her head, stopping anything from happening to her.
She whimpered. Wrapping his arms around her, Brant held her close, rocking her.
“I’ve got you, baby. I’ve got you and I’m not letting go.”
Chapter Fifteen
Tessie sat in the back of the ambulance and watched in amazement as the FBI and some other agency started loading the men, including Marshall Rake, into the back of a van. She closed her eyes as the paramedic cleaned the cuts and applied some salve to her lip.
“It’s going to hurt like hell.
Try not to open it. That would be easier.”
She nodded and waited for her to leave to tend to her mother. Tessie watched as Lillian kept staring at Patrick as if she’d seen a ghost. She climbed out of the ambulance, intent to go to her, when Markus and Brant’s figures stopped her from moving.
“Where are you going?” Markus asked.
“I wanted to talk to my mom. She looks a little out of it.”
“I’m sure she’ll be fine. You need to rest,” Brant said, helping her sit down on the step. Her men took a seat either side of her.
“Do you want to tell me what’s going on?” she asked.
The two brothers shared a look and then told her everything they’d found out about her ranch, her father’s death, and even the car incident was part of it. By the time they finished explaining everything to her, tears were streaming down her cheeks.
“Wow, you kept that to yourselves for some time,” she said, staring at her hands.
“We did it trying to protect you. We were going to tell you everything,” Brant said, kissing her hands.
“What about the, erm, the marriage proposal? Did you only ask me because you thought we were going to die?” she asked, looking between them.
Both her men shook their heads. “No.”
Markus reached into his pocket. “We had every intention of asking you at the fair. Brant and I wanted it to be memorable for you.”
“I will never forget this,” she said, chuckling.
“We wanted you to remember it for the right reasons,” Brant added.
His words sobered up her humor. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t joke about it.”
Markus opened the box. “The diamond was our mother’s ring and our grandmother’s before her. This is the engagement ring. It’s the Stone tradition to pass down the ring that has been in the family for generations.”
Tears sprung to Tessie’s eyes. She remembered their mother wearing the ring before she died.
“We’ll get you a new one if you don’t like it,” Brant said.
She shook her head. “No, I love it. It’s perfect and beautiful.” Tessie gave them her hand for them to place it on her finger.
“I take it your answer is still a yes?” Markus asked.
“Yes, I love you both with my whole heart. When Mom and I were pulled from the car, I was so scared. All I could think about was both of you. I never want to feel like that again, as if I could lose you two. I’ve only just got you. I don’t want to lose you.” She wrapped her arms around both her Stone men and held them close.
Her statement was taken later and when everything was finished, she was free to go home.
Lillian held her close before she got into the truck. Her mother was going home with Donald and David. She smiled at the two men and waved good-bye. The other man who stood with them, she didn’t recognize. He smiled at her, too, and gave her a wave. Not wanting to appear rude, she did the same back.
On the way back, Tessie couldn’t believe everything that had happened. The ranch was going to be given back to her mother. It was taken from them through illegal gains by Marshall Rake. She didn’t know what Lillian would do with the place.
She rested her head on Brant’s shoulder while Markus drove.
“You know this is going to be the talk of the whole town. It’s going to be hard to escape from it for a good few months,” Tessie said.
“It will give us all something to rave about. We survived a drug bust. I wonder if they’ll try to make a film about it?” Brant said. He kept stroking her arm. The touch soothed her.
“I wonder what’s going to happen to Steven.” She thought about the Deputy and hoped the guy rotted in prison. He betrayed the trust of the town, and for what? Money. It made her sick to think of what he would have allowed them to do to her and her mother.
“Whatever happens to him will be up to a court in a city. I don’t think we’ll be hearing from him for a long, long, long time.” Markus spoke up. “Trevor will be looking for a new deputy. I wonder who’ll get assigned? It’s such a small town and all.”
Tessie chuckled. “I think Darla would make a good Deputy. Also, she’s hating men at the moment. I’d love to see her in the position, and the Willis brothers better watch out for their woman.”
Throughout the drive, they talked about the locals and all the time, Tessie was conscious of the ring on her finger. She was going to be Markus’s woman in the eyes of the church, but in the eyes of the locals, she’d belong to both Stone men. She wouldn’t have it any other way.
When they pulled up outside of the ranch, Tate and Darla were stood with several of the ranch hands. They all looked terrified.
“We heard what happened,” Tate said, the moment Tessie climbed out of the truck. “Who would have thought? Gunfights, drugs, and mafia bosses…I heard they were going to sell you for sex.”
Tessie couldn’t stop the laughter from bubbling to the surface. She really did love her town where nothing seemed to phase the locals, not even a little gun brawl. Going to her friends, she hugged each of them in turn.
She’d never been more frightened in her life than when Marshall started hurting her, but her men had come to save her. Tessie knew that no matter what, her two Stone men would do everything in their power to save her. She would be safe and protected. Knowing that eased all the worries from her mind.
Her father, Frank Holland, had always told her to worry about the things she could change and accept the things she couldn’t. There was nothing she could do to change what happened that afternoon, and she wasn’t going to let it ruin the rest of her life.
* * * *
Two weeks later
Markus sipped his coffee while watching Tessie work around the diner. The Flippin’ Tasty had become the place to be to get the scope on the details. Marshall Rake, Steven, and the others were due to be tried and sentenced in a few months. The case was a long one, but one that Markus intended to keep an eye on. There was no way he’d be satisfied until he heard the life sentence charge for the men who put his woman in danger.
Brant shoveled more pancakes and Markus looked toward the back of the diner where Patrick Holland, known as Daniel Jackson, sat with Lillian, Donald, and David. The tension mounting between them all could be felt across the room. Whenever Tessie neared the table, Lillian always grew pale and he noticed Daniel shaking.
Turning his attention back to his brother, he gave him a nudge. “Is everything planned for tonight?”
“Yes, I’ve got the meal planned. It will be delivered in time and the dress is waiting on the bed for her. The seduction will go ahead. I also stocked up the lube and condom supply for tonight.”
He’d organized for their wedding to take place in one month. Tessie was organizing the dress, the flowers, and everything else associated with the wedding. He knew Bessie and Jake were catering the wedding. There was still the issue of who would walk her down the aisle. Lillian had promised him she’d talk to Tessie about Daniel’s reappearance. The conversation still had to take place.
Tonight, he was going to forget about everything that had happened and concentrate on loving his woman. The bruises and cuts had healed. They’d not had sex in over two weeks for them all to heal. The nights were spent holding each other, stroking their bodies, and relishing the feel of each other.
“How do you think Tessie will handle the truth?” Brant asked.
“I don’t know. I’m hoping she handles it as well as she did the shootout at the ranch.”
Lillian had handed the ranch back over to Daniel. He was the true Holland who it belonged to.
Markus left the diner with his brother. Darla was bringing Tessie back home that night. The ranch hands were in control for the day. He’d told them he was planning a special dinner for his fiancé and they’d all agreed to pitch in to help him out. Brant had also taken the day off. They were both driving into the city to get tuxedos made for the big day. Brant was going to be the best man at the wedding, even though the town knew t
he truth. Stone Valley couldn’t marry them all in front of a priest.
After an afternoon in the city, Brant drove them back home. The anticipation of the coming night stopped Markus from thinking about everything else. He wanted the night to be perfect and the only way to guarantee that was to plan everything.
Inside the house, he went to check on the dress while Brant phoned Bessie to make sure the food would arrive on time.
The rest of the afternoon sped by. When the sound of the door opening echoed throughout the house, Markus went to see Tessie before she could go any further. She smiled at him the moment she saw him.
“Hey,” she said, dropping her bag to the floor. “I’ve missed you today.”
“I’ve missed you, too.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close.
“Where’s Brant?” she asked, nuzzling his neck.
“He’s getting a surprise prepared for you. I want you to go upstairs, shower, and change. You’ll see what we got for you when you go upstairs,” he said.
“A surprise?” Her eyes lit up.
Markus chuckled. “Yes, a surprise. Now go and get changed. We’ll be expecting you in the dining room.”
She ran up the stairs and he went to see how Brant was doing. His brother was placing the meal on plates and putting them in the oven to keep warm.
“I got the instructions for this from Jake. He promises it will taste good. Is she upstairs?”
“She’s getting ready.”
“Then you need to go and light the candles. Tessie never takes long when there’s a surprise involved.” Brant warned.
Markus left his brother to it and finished lighting all the candles. His hands were shaking. The surprise was a new pair of shoes and a handbag for their honeymoon. They had settled on the Caribbean cruise for their honeymoon and would leave after the reception.
Twenty minutes later, he heard Tessie walking down the stairs. At the sound, Brant appeared in the room with the food. Seconds later, Tessie entered wearing the tight, red dress that molded to every curve. She wasn’t wearing a bra or panties. Markus saw the hard buds of her nipples pressing against the fabric. She looked so amazingly beautiful. Her hair was pulled back by a clip and her face was clear of any makeup.