Her Dirty Doms [The Men of Treasure Cove 13] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Rebecca Joyce

  With her foot wrapped, she continued on until she found her sister. Along the way, she counted thirteen dead, and made a mental note of each and every one. Though she would never forget how they looked, she was going to try and remember them in happier times, because what she was seeing was horrific.

  “River?”

  “Oh, Goddess, Lake,” her sister shouted, throwing her arms around her. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m better than the others. Have you found anyone else alive?”

  River shook her head, “I found Sam before he passed. At least I was there to hold his hand.”

  “I counted thirteen on my way to get to you. That leaves fifteen more unaccounted for. They’ve got to be around this mess somewhere. Has anyone come to help us yet?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve been here with Sam since I woke.”

  “Well, the town has emergency protocols set in place for disasters like this. It won’t be long, I’m sure of it.”

  “Lake, I don’t even know what kind of disaster this is. All I know was one minute I was waving to Vanessa and Colby and the next I was here. What the hell happened?”

  “My guess?” Lake said, looking around the damage. “A cave in. With all the drilling in the area lately, I wouldn’t be surprised if the vibrations disrupted the original mine.”

  “It ran under the town!”

  “Oh yeah, that was one of the reasons they stopped mining back in the fifties. If I remember correctly, the mine stopped about fifty feet passed the old library, right on Main Street.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  “Afraid not,” Lake replied casually.

  “If I’d know that, I would have insisted the library be built in a different location.”

  “It was in my brief I sent to the city council. They decided against it and insisted the library be built in its original spot.”

  “They knew something like this could have happened?”

  “Oh, yeah. When I tried to tell them the dangers, they said either we build it where they want it or they would get another construction company.”

  “Those mother fuckers,” River said furiously. “I have to tell fourteen families their loved ones are dead, but I guess that’s okay because they got what they wanted. I swear to the Goddess above, I am going to unleash Delta on those bastards and I don’t care if I have to go bankrupt bailing her ass out of jail. She is going to go ballistic when she finds out. Nothing short of a full military battalion will be able to stop her.”

  “I must agree with you on that. Our sister is something to behold when she is set loose. Don’t worry, River, I have a savings account dedicated ‘Delta’s Bail Money.’”

  River laughed. Though it felt wrong, it also felt so right. “Now would be a good time to put that brain of yours to good use and find us a way out of this mess.”

  “Well, I was thinking…”

  Chapter Fifteen

  The sun was starting to set and Miguel still hadn’t made it back with Tristan Summerfield or any of his equipment. Garrett had received word that the National Guard wouldn’t arrive until early morning, which left those alive down in the debris defenseless against the cold night ahead. The whole town gathered offering to help, while others set up tents with food and water for those who needed it. For all intents and purpose, the town of Treasure Cove was no more. From the bank, which sat in the middle of town, all the way to where the library was being rebuilt, was now underground. Those buildings that remained standing were deemed unstable and taped off.

  Garrett Riley and Zac Phelps immediately deputized several of the men, and had them going door to door to try and get those residents that lived above their buildings out and to safety. Those men who weren’t deputized were now part of the rescue team. Nobody wanted to wait until morning for the National Guard. If there was anyone alive down there, everyone knew they were hurt and time was of the essence. They had to be rescued immediately.

  Several of the ranchers either raced home or called and asked their ranch hands to bring every piece of rope, hitch, or lights they could find. The power was out and it was getting dark fast. Trucks lights were left on, helping to illuminate the area, while the rescuers decided on the best course of action.

  “I say we lower a firefighter down there with a radio, that way we can find out who is alive down there,” Travis Quinn said and then offered to go himself.

  “You can’t, Travis, you’re the chief. We need you up here to coordinate,” Caleb Hicks said.

  “He’s right,” Julio said. “When the National Guard gets here, they are going to need a point of contact and that’s going to be you. They are going to want all the latest intel and damage reports.” Noises off in the distance halted anything that Julio was going to say as he and the rest of the men watched as a caravan of vehicles showed up. They were shocked, but not surprised, when the mayor of Celestial walked over. “We came to help.”

  “Miz. Raven and some of the girls are over with Macie. They brought medical supplies and more water,” Pisces Craven, the sheriff of Celestial, said, and Julio noticed that the man was fully clothed.

  “Thanks for the help, we could use it,” Travis said, shaking the man’s hand.

  “I don’t know if it will help, but Angelica is calling in some favors. She is hoping she can get you guys some help soon,” Pisces added. “In the meantime, I’m going to go find Garrett and Zac and see what I can do to help them.”

  “I brought the plans of the old mine,” Apollo said, handing them to Travis.

  “How did you get these?”

  “Celestial always keeps a copy of the documents between our two towns. Don’t forget we were both founded around the same time.” Apollo grinned.

  “Thanks, man.” Travis smiled. “These could come in handy.” Just then Micah O’Brian and Daniel Meyer walked over, dressed in climber’s gear, carrying lots of rope and two bags. Throwing them at Julio and Victor, he said, “Gear up.”

  “What are you doing?” Jeff asked, looking at one of his best friends.

  “The way I see it,” Micah stated clearly for all to hear, “We need to get some men down there. Nothing against all of you, but Daniel, Julio, Victor, and myself are the only qualified climbers. We are going to rappel down into that hole and get you all the information you need. We will assess the area, get a head count of who’s hurt and how many body bags we’re going to need. It’s not going to be pretty, guys, so keep the women away. Who’s got the radio?”

  “We don’t even know how deep that hole is,” Travis said, halting them.

  Daniel grinned. “Too easy. Micah, hand me a glow stick.”

  Everyone watched as Daniel broke the stick in half as it glowed bright lime green. Walking over to the edge, he held out his hand and said, “On the count of three, Micah.”

  “I’m ready,” his friend said, looking at his watch.

  “Three.”

  Micah counted, “One, two, three,” before they all heard the bounce of the stick at the bottom of the hole. Daniel took out a note pad from his pocket and started writing. Before long, he looked up and said, “I got roughly two hundred feet.”

  “That almost twenty stories,” Micah whispered, as all the men turned to look at the long drop. Neither of them were able to say what they were really thinking, because it wasn’t possible for someone to survive a drop like that. Julio just prayed that it was a slow drop, a very slow drop.

  Travis handed Micah the radio and nodded. “Just be careful, okay? We have no idea what damage is down there. The place is unstable.”

  “Careful is my middle name,” Micah replied, then he and Daniel headed over to the hole.

  Julio looked at the hole that was at least twenty stories high and about a quarter mile wide, filled with metal, wood, brick, stone, and electrical wires. That was not including the pipes that controlled water and sewage. The place was a disaster zone and it was going to take months to clean up, but first they had to get the survivors out of there. T
here was still a good portion of the town missing, but Julio know River, her sister, and their construction crew were down there. That was at least thirty people. He just hoped that most of them were still alive.

  Dealing with situations like this was never normal, but it was almost an everyday occurrence when he and his brothers were deployed. Though what they dealt with wasn’t a natural occurrence, so he knew to brace himself. Death didn’t discriminate, he knew that.

  All he could do was pray and hope for the best, but expect the worst.

  “She’s all right, Julio,” Victor said, standing next to him, looking at the tangled mess they were about to rappel down into to. “And so is Van.”

  “Van?” Julio asked, turning to him.

  “Yeah, I felt it when she hit her head like I knew when she got hurt in Afghanistan. It’s that stupid twin thing.”

  “Do her men know?”

  “Carter’s calling her cell phone now, but he won’t get her. She’s down there. I heard Peter tell me that she had Colby with her this morning. If she still had him, then our future nephew is down there, too.”

  Julio never understood the bond Victor and Vanessa had. Both were so totally different, yet when one would get hurt, the other would feel it. It was freaky at times, but useful. If Victor said that Vanessa was down in that mess, then Julio believed him.

  “Head lights on, men,” Micah ordered as he leaned back and took the first jump.

  “Let’s go, Victor,” Julio said as he, too, jumped.

  The further down Julio rappelled, the more extensive the damage was. It looked as if the Mayor of Celestial was right. The old mine had collapsed. Moving further down, Julio could see the old timber crossways that once held up the mine. Thanks to the years of inactivity, the wood was dried out and shattered easily. Julio still couldn’t believe that the town was built on top of the old mine. Nowadays, towns were built a couple of miles from a mine, but he guessed back then, nobody really thought about things like that.

  It took several minutes to maneuver around the debris. It was hazardous and dangerous. Halfway down, Julio stopped and whistled, halting the others. “Micah, I smell gas.”

  “Got it,” Micah replied, reaching for his radio. “Jumpers to base, come in, base.”

  “Base here, go ahead, jumpers.”

  “We’ve got a gas pipe busted down here.”

  “The town’s on it, Micah. They’ve already turned it off, but they said it’s going to be a few hours before the pipes clean out. Just be careful down there, okay?”

  “Understood. Jumpers out,” Micah replied, then said, “Okay, men, you heard that man. No smoking.”

  Moving further down, Julio saw his first flicker of movement and sighed. There were survivors. As they reached the bottom, he unhooked his line from his D-ring and grabbed the flash light from his backpack. “Be careful, Victor, there is wood everywhere.”

  “I think this is where River’s site was at. That metal over there looks like the Trinity Trailer.”

  “Go see if Lake is in there, she may be hurt.”

  “On it,” Victor said, and walked over to Micah and Daniel.

  “Daniel’s counting bodies already and will relay the numbers to Travis along with the names. We’ve been here the longest and know almost everyone. I know you want to look for River, but we need to stick together.”

  “And my sister and Colby,” Julio informed him.

  “Are you sure?” Micah asked.

  “No, but Vic is never wrong when it comes to Vanessa. If he says she’s down here, then she is.”

  “Don’t worry, Julio, if she’s down here we’ll find her.”

  A few minutes later Victor walked over to him and said, “Lake’s not in the trailer.”

  “Let’s just hope she wasn’t in it when the mine collapsed,” Micah offered as Daniel walked over. “Thirteen bodies.”

  Micah cursed, “Fuck!”

  “I’ll stay here and make sure they make it to the top. You guys go find the living,” Daniel offered. “Leave the dead to me.” Micah didn’t say anything and just nodded as he, Julio, and Victor headed off.

  * * * *

  “Van,” Colby said, leaning against her. “I’m cold.”

  “I know, buddy. The sun is going down and the temperatures are dropping.”

  “Don’t worry, little man, it won’t be much longer before you’re back home and warm in bed again,” Tomas said. Vanessa just looked at the man. She never believed in sugar coating anything. Her mental make-up wasn’t wired that way. She believed that a person could deal with the facts better than wishing and hoping. However, holding Colby in her arms, she agreed with Tomas. There was no need to worry Colby any more than he already was.

  Thanks to Tomas’s help, they was able to get Colby out from under that piece of metal. The gash on his arm was a lot worse than the little boy let on. It was deep, and needed stiches, several of them. She dressed the wound as best she could, but it was still bleeding. She wasn’t sure, but she figured as small as he was, he couldn’t afford to lose much more blood. That would explain why his body temperature was dropping. She needed to get him out of this hole and fast. She refused to think of anything else.

  “Tomas, do you think we can climb out of here? There is enough debris, and look over there, the pipes look like stairs in a way. I can see the stars above, so that means we’re not that far down. We have to try something.”

  “I could try it, Ms. Van, but I don’t see how you could with that leg of yours.”

  Vanessa grinned, “You’d be surprised what I can do with this leg. Besides, my brothers and I are certified rock climbers. When we would have time off we’d head to Arizona or some other place to climb mountains or go cave exploring. I know what needs to be done. It’s going to be hard with a safely line, but we could do it.”

  “Don’t you think we should wait for the rescuers?”

  “Theoretically, yes, but we don’t know how long they’re going to be, and Colby needs a doctor now. Besides, I’ve never been one to sit around and wait. I prefer the take-charge attitude.”

  “You women are funny.” Tomas laughed. “So independent, yet soft. All right, Ms. Van, if you want to try, I will help.”

  “Thanks, Tomas.”

  Vanessa handed Colby over to Tomas and stood. The ground was shaky and uneven, but she was managing. Ideally, the leg she was wearing wasn’t conducive to climbing, but she wasn’t going to let that stop her. If she could run in the leg, she could climb with it. Looking above her, she mentally mapped out a route that would best suit her and Colby. It wasn’t going to be easy, but she knew she could do it. When she was sure, she looked at Colby and said, “You want to play monkeys in a tree, Colby?”

  “What’s that?”

  “It’s where you climb on my back, and hold on tight, then I see if I can climb out of here like I was going up a tree.”

  “But you can’t climb, Vanessa. You don’t have two legs.”

  “I got something better. I’ve got my terminator leg your grandpa gave me. He said I can do anything with this leg. I don’t think your grandpa would lie to me, do you?

  Colby stared at her as silently shook his head.

  “Then what do you say, buddy? Want to go climbing with me?”

  * * * *

  “I don’t give a shit, Mr. Deveroux,” Tristan Summerfield shouted into his phone as he boarded his plane. “I need you in Celestial. You are from this area. You know the locals better than anyone.”

  “I understand that, Mr. Summerfield, but I haven’t been home in six years.”

  “Then it’s time for a family reunion.”

  “Mr. Summerfield, I just started the advertisement campaign for the new location. I have the presentation tomorrow with the bankers and the board members. I can’t just leave in the middle of this.”

  “Fine,” Tristan grumbled. “I want you in Celestial as soon as the bank signs off on the expansion. And Aries, I need that town. I don’t care what you have to d
o to get the town council to sign, but I need those signatures.”

  “Yes, sir,” Aries Deveroux sighed. “I understand, sir.”

  Tristan flipped his phone shut and took a seat in one of his plush leather chairs aboard his new plane. He loved this plane and spared no expense. One of the many perks of being rich was being able to buy whatever he wanted. He didn’t have to ask permission, if he wanted it, he got, and if he couldn’t, then he found other nefarious ways of getting it.

  He wasn’t a kind man, he knew that. He was driven, determined, and most of all he was ruthless in all of his endeavors. He made no apologies for what he’d done in his past. They were all decisions that best served him and his company. Summerfield Industries was his baby. His life blood that flowed in his veins. From the moment he started his company, he knew he wasn’t going to let anything or anyone interfere in his dream to make money. And at the age of thirty five, he’d kept that promise. Oh, he had women who were at his beck and call, but they weren’t what he would call Mrs. Summerfield material.

  Singular in nature, he required a certain type of woman. A woman with substance. A woman who knew her own mind and was as driven as he was. He had yet to find such a paragon, but he knew she was out there. He only had to wait, because he knew she would find him.

  “We’re ready for takeoff, sir,” he heard the Captain say over the speaker system.

  Pushing a button on the console next to him, Tristan replied, “Go ahead, Mr. Scott.”

  Tristan sat back and smiled as his plane started rolling down the runway. Within hours, he would be back home in New York, relaxing in his penthouse with an expensive brandy in his hand. Nothing was too good for him, and he only wanted the best. The moment the plane lifted off the tarmac, Tristan unbuckled his seat belt and stretched out his legs. Getting comfortable, he had just closed his eyes when he felt someone slap a piece of metal on his wrist. Waking instantly, he stared into the bluest eyes he’d ever seen.