by Shayla Black
Raine blinked at him, eyes glassy, lips swollen. “What’s wrong?”
It was all Liam could do not to heed his screaming cock, but the itch in his ear flared to a blistering heat. “Get dressed, both of you. Where the fuck are my pants?”
“What? No!” Hammer protested. “Screw that. This is getting really good and—”
“My ear is on fire.”
“Your ear? What the—” Hammer gaped. “Oh… Now? Are you fucking kidding me? How long have we got?”
“Not long enough.” He glanced at Raine with regret. “Maybe two minutes.”
Hammer swore an ugly streak and pulled free of her body.
“Hey!” Raine sat up, looking between the two of them with a scowl. “What is going on? Come back here! What does your ear have to do with your cock, Liam?”
Neither man answered. Hammer hopped into his pants and scanned the room for her sundress.
“Have you two lost your minds? Pregnant woman with needs here!”
Macen found her clothes and tossed them her way. “Put your dress on.”
“Not until one of you explains.” She slid off the counter and planted her hands on her hips, stark naked. “What’s wrong with you guys?”
Hammer shouldered into his shirt, glaring Liam’s way. “He has something to tell you.”
As he scowled at Macen, Liam’s fingers flew up his buttons. “Thanks for throwing me under the bus. Hell of a best mate you are.”
“I told you, you should have already come clean about this shit. And we’re going to have a conversation about timing. Motherfucker…” He pushed his way out of the kitchen.
“There’d better be a good explanation for this, Liam O’Neill. I was close and—
“I’m sorry.” He tugged at his burning ear.
He almost didn’t want to look at Raine. She was confused and angry…and he’d run out of time to fess up. But damn it, she also stood naked and rosy pink in front of him. Liam wished like hell he had a few more minutes to lose himself in her softness.
Instead, he grabbed her dress from her fist and fumbled for the hem, thrusting it over her head and down her curves.
“Stop! I can do that myself.” She batted his hands away. “If you don’t tell me what’s going on right now, you will absolutely be sorry.”
He raked a hand through his hair and tugged on his singed lobe. “Where are your knickers?”
“I wasn’t wearing any.”
Normally, he would applaud that.
“Murphy’s fucking law.” Liam closed his eyes, pondering the distance between the kitchen and their bedroom. There was no way she’d have time to run upstairs and grab a pair now. He knew that for certain when his ear twitched and tingled painfully again.
“What are you talking about?” she insisted, then gasped. “Your ear is beet red. Did something bite it? Let me look…”
A scrap of white silk caught Liam’s attention. With a curse, he shoved her bra in the nearest drawer, on top of the silverware. “You know I love you, right? Remember when I mentioned my six sisters? Well—”
The doorbell rang. He’d run out of time.
“Oh, Liam, it’s for you,” Hammer hollered from the family room.
Liam shoved his way out of the kitchen with a frustrated growl. His cock ached, and he doubted he’d be getting relief for that anytime soon. His wait would, no doubt, depend on how long Raine relegated him to the doghouse.
“Bastard,” he snarled at Hammer.
“I’ll be happy to hand you back that shit shovel, too.”
“Why can’t Hammer get the door? Who is it? Did you know we were having company and forget to tell me?” Raine followed, tugging on Liam’s sleeve. “Oh, god. Are you saying your sisters are here?” Her eyes went wide with panic. “I need to put on makeup, change, find some damn underwear. I’m not even wearing a bra.”
She finger-combed her hair, horrified, and he didn’t have the heart to tell her his sisters would be the easy lot to handle.
“No, love.” He sighed tiredly. “We’ll talk soon. For now, come hold my hand and smile.”
Liam marched to the entryway, dragging her behind. He planted his palm against the door, inhaling roughly and looking for fortitude. But he was only delaying the inevitable.
Hell, maybe he shouldn’t be so gloom and doom. Maybe this was a good sign.
That hope firmly in place, he pasted on a happy face and yanked the portal open. “Hello, Mum.”
“Mom?” Raine squeaked beside him, then tore her hand from his and smoothed her rumpled dress.
Behind them, he sensed Hammer’s silent laughter.
His mother gazed his way with a slight tsk as she stepped in the house. “Hello, Liam, darling.”
Dutifully, he hugged his mother and kissed her cheek. Yeah, he shouldn’t have put off calling her to say that he’d moved, started a new relationship, and now had a baby on the way. But then again, he shouldn’t have to explain.
His father strolled in with a wry smile and gave him a hearty hug. “Hello, son.”
Liam slapped his back. “Da. It’s good to see you.” Really, it was. His father was his best hope for sanity. “I suppose I don’t have to ask what brings you here.” Liam reached for his wee wench’s hand. “This is—”
“Raine.” His mother beamed at her. “How nice to finally meet you. I’ve been waiting for years to have another daughter.” She shot Liam a dainty glare. “Not that my son has bothered to tell me anything. But never mind that.” She pulled Raine in for a hug. “So happy I am to clap eyes on the woman who’s tied my boyo in knots.”
“She’s not the one doing the tying, Mum,” Liam drawled. “As you well know.”
Behind him, Hammer chuckled.
Raine’s jaw dropped and she turned twenty shades of red. “Liam! Oh, my… I’m not… I mean—”
“It’s all right. You love him, lass. And Liam adores you. Hammer, too. However you three choose to express that is up to you.”
Raine looked somewhere between speechless and wishing the earth would swallow her whole. “How do you…”
“Know?” Mum smiled. “Don’t be embarrassed. You and I will be very close. You’ll see.” His mother placed a hand on Raine’s belly. “And the babe! Such a thrill… Would you like to know the gender? Who the father is?”
“No,” he and Hammer both said in unison.
“Focus, my love,” his father suggested.
“You’re right.” She smiled at Raine. “I’m Bryn, by the way.”
“Nice to meet you. Liam didn’t tell me you were coming. I would have cooked a nice dinner, been more presentable, and…”
His wee wench was embarrassed. She shot him a glare that warned he might not get any dog food in his doghouse. He likely wouldn’t be getting any help with his bone.
“Oh, don’t blame him. He didn’t know I meant to visit until his ear started itching, I’ll bet.”
Raine looked completely confused. “So he didn’t mention me but told you about the baby?”
“No.” His mother smiled. “But he can’t keep much from me.”
Raine stared as if she had no idea how to interpret that comment. Something else Liam knew he’d have to explain later.
Bryn held a hand out behind her. “Duncan, come meet the girl I’ve been telling you about. Isn’t she lovely?”
Rolling a suitcase in one hand, his father held out the other to Raine. He winked and gave her a beaming grin. “Ah, aren’t you the bonniest thing I’ve seen in a long time. Come give me a hug, then.”
Raine’s expression had morphed from confused to overwhelmed.
“Mum. Da…” Liam groaned and took Raine’s hand again, trying to reassure her. “This isn’t a good time.”
His mother scoffed. “How long did you expect me to stay away? You should have told her about the family by now.”
“You’re not exactly easy to explain.”
“If I waited for you to ring me, this babe would be out of nappies.” She huff
ed before bustling closer to Hammer. “And Macen. I’ve been looking forward to seeing you again for so long. And we’ll finally be family! Come here and give me a squeeze. You get more handsome every time I see you.”
“Bryn, you sweet woman.” Hammer picked her up and dropped a kiss on her cheek. “How the hell have you been?”
“Quite well. I’m sorry for all you’ve been through. The years have been difficult, to be sure. But it was all for the best.” She gave him an empathetic smile. “I did try to warn you…”
“You did.” Hammer pursed his lips together, then turned to Liam’s father, giving him a hearty handshake. “Duncan, it’s good to see you. Your timing might have been better.”
His dad smiled. “Bryn mentioned that. Sorry.”
“Um, I didn’t mean to be rude.” Raine looked utterly rattled as she extended a hand toward the couch. “Would you like to sit down, Mr. and Mrs. O’Neill? Can I get you a drink?”
Mum shook her head. “That’s not why we’ve come, lass. And there’s no time for that now.”
“Oh. All right. Well…did you have a good trip? Where did you come from?”
“Liam’s told you nothing?” Mum glared. “That scamp. We came from Ireland, of course.”
Raine blinked, then frowned his way. Yeah, she had a lot of questions he’d better answer soon.
“Hey! So you saw the stragglers I found at the airport,” a familiar voice said as he appeared in the doorway, another massive suitcase in hand.
Liam whirled. “Seth?”
He grinned slyly. “When your mom called me to say they’d be flying through New York on their way to see you and that I should come along, I decided…what the hell. If I’m going to fall off into the ocean, this is a hell of a place to go.”
“Thanks for the heads-up, mate.”
Seth grinned. “Your mom said you’d know she was coming.”
He had—at the worst possible time.
“You’re a good boy.” Bryn patted Seth’s shoulder. “A tragic past, sadly. But the best is coming. You’ll see.”
Seth just smiled and moved in to hug Raine. “You doing okay with these two lugs?”
“Right now, I might be ready to leave them for you.” She rolled her eyes.
“Nope. I knew her first. After all, the princess and I have already scened together.” Beck chuckled and slanted a glance Raine’s way as he stepped through the door. “Haven’t we?”
“That’s not what I’d call it.” Raine shook her head. “And you’re never touching me again.”
“You should both bugger off and leave our girl alone.” Liam poked at the pair. “Mum, Da, I’d like you to meet a good friend of ours, Dr. Kenneth Beckman. Beck, my parents, Bryn and Duncan.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet—”
“Kenneth, dear. I’ve been waiting to meet you,” Bryn cut him off with an excited coo. “So full of secrets… But you’re not nearly as scary as you want everyone to believe. Well, come on, then. Give us a kiss.”
As Bryn bustled closer, Beck gaped in silence. For once, the man had no snappy comeback.
“It’s all right,” Hammer assured, slapping Beck on the back. “That just means she likes you.”
Still looking shell-shocked, he bent and quickly pecked Bryn on the cheek.
“Lovely.” Bryn wasn’t smiling anymore. “Now, then… You’re all here for a reason. I’m sorry I’ve no more time to explain, but it’s important you understand you’re family to one another, whether you’re blood or not. You’ve trouble ahead, and each and every one of you has a role to play during these tough times. Seth and Kenneth, you’ll be essential. And Liam, dear, follow your da’s example. He taught you well.”
So his mother had come for some reason other than the baby. Damn it all.
Liam rubbed at the back of his neck. “Sit down and tell us more.”
“No time for that. I hated to barge in on you earlier, but I’m afraid I’ve waited too long as it is.” To his surprise, his mother looked Hammer’s way. “Macen, brace yourself.”
Hammer froze. “Oh, shit.”
Liam went rigid with dread. “Mum, don’t. We can’t take any more. We’ve been through too much, and we’ve got a baby on the way.”
Bryn made a beeline for Raine, wrapping an arm around his lass’s delicate shoulders. “No matter what happens next, you mustn’t blame yourself. None of this is your fault.”
“Mo grá, ease off,” Duncan suggested. “You’re scaring everyone, especially wee Raine.”
“I’m only here to help,” Bryn assured. “She’ll see that soon enough.”
“What trouble is coming?” Hammer sidled closer, his face grave.
“How does she know there’s trouble? Would someone please tell me what’s going on?” Raine demanded.
“Of course Liam didn’t explain that, either.” Bryn slanted another chastising stare his way. “Well, dear, I’m fey.”
Raine blinked. “You’re not a fairy.”
“No, dear. We’re psychic. It runs in the family…” She sent Liam a pointed stare. “When everyone remembers their gifts.”
He shook his head. “Mum, don’t…”
“Sorry, son.” She turned to Hammer. “Macen, dear. Call your lawyer and do it now.”
Fear gripped Liam’s gut. “Lawyer?”
Hammer turned ashen. “Why?”
Suddenly, she sighed with regret. “I’m sorry. Time has run out.”
Right on cue, the doorbell rang.
* * *
“Answer it, Macen,” Bryn said softly. “It’s for you.”
The gravity in her tone made Hammer’s gut tighten with dread. He darted a glance at both Liam and Raine. She still looked a bit confused, but dread racked Liam’s face.
With a curse, Hammer clenched his jaw and pulled the door open.
Two uniformed officers stood on the porch. “Mr. Hammerman?”
He reared back, confusion needling his brain. What were the police doing here? He had no other family they could report as dead. Had there been a break-in at the club? Or had River somehow escaped custody?
“I’m Macen Hammerman. What can I do for you?”
“We need you to come with us to answer some questions.”
He scowled. “About what?”
“We’ll explain at the station.”
That made him wary. “Legally, I don’t have to answer questions.”
“True, but you can either come with us voluntarily or we can make this official and arrest you.”
Hammer’s heart stuttered. “For what?”
The officer looked at him in disgust. “Kidnapping, rape, sodomy, and oral copulation with a minor, pimping, human trafficking… Do I need to go on?”
The ground beneath Macen crumbled. Shock and panic deluged him. This was not happening.
River. The motherfucking prick had given the cops his “proof,” whatever that was. Hammer noticed the officers weren’t calling Liam a rapist, so this must have something to do with the fact that he’d taken Raine in as a minor.
“No!” Raine exploded. “None of that is true. There’s been a misunderstanding. A mistake!”
Hammer blessed her for wanting to save him, but he feared it wouldn’t help now.
He turned a grim expression Liam’s way. “Call Sterling Barnes. Have him meet me at the station.”
“I’m on it, man.” His friend looked pale and worried.
“River did this.” Raine rushed to the door and faced the cops. “Whatever my brother is saying, it isn’t true. I’m the supposed victim, but I swear I’m here of my own free will. I always have been. Don’t take Hammer away when he’s done nothing wrong.”
“Everything will be sorted out at the station,” the officer assured dispassionately. “Mr. Hammerman, if you’ll come with us?”
Macen gave the cop a curt nod, then settled a tender gaze on Raine. “It’ll be okay, precious. Don’t worry. I’ll be back home in no time.”
“He will be,” Bryn assure
d.
Raine wrapped her arms around Hammer’s chest. “Let me come with you. I’ll fix this. I’ll tell them—”
“No.” Hammer cupped her face and gazed into her eyes. “No need for you to be interrogated. I’ll sort this out and see you soon.”
“But—”
Hammer slanted his lips over hers and silenced her with a hard kiss. He breathed in her scent and clutched her soft, lush body while imprinting every one of her subtle nuances on his heart. “I love you.”
Tears filled her eyes. “I love you.”
He turned away and squared his shoulders. Whatever evidence River had presented might look damning, but Hammer was prepared to fight any allegations with his last, dying breath.
As the cops led him toward their patrol car, Raine rushed from the house with Liam by her side. “I’ll find that asshole brother of mine and make him fix this.”
Hammer spun; fear warred with anger. “I don’t want you anywhere near that son of a bitch.” He pinned Liam with a silent demand. “Do not let her even talk to that sack of shit.”
“I’ll take care of our girl.” Liam pulled his cell phone from his pants pocket. “Ringing up your lawyer now, mate. No worries.”
“Absolutely none,” Hammer lied for Raine’s benefit, then climbed into the back of the cruiser.
The officers locked him in the backseat. Through the grimy window, he looked back at the two people he loved most and the house they shared, wondering if anything would ever be the same again.
Concern flattened Liam’s mouth into a tight line. He held Raine, who wore every worry on her pale face. As the car sped away, he couldn’t take his gaze off them.
Especially when Raine’s eyes slid shut and she collapsed in Liam’s arms.
Chapter 6
A mountain of anxiety suffocated Hammer as he waited in the precinct’s cold, empty interview room. He struggled to tamp down his anger and project a cool veneer of indifference. This wasn’t his first rodeo, so he wasn’t about to let the pricks watching his every move behind the two-way glass see him sweat. But inside, he felt the earth shifting beneath his feet in a landslide of shit.
Kidnapping, rape, sodomy and oral copulation with a minor, pimping, human trafficking… If this didn’t go well, Hammer knew he could go down for life.