Passion's Fury (The Doms of Passion Lake Book 2)

by Julie Shelton

  Caleb gave his friend a baleful glare. “How far behind us were they?”

  Hank’s look was one of chagrin. “Actually…they were ahead of us. Remember when I left the restaurant to go out to my car to get my laptop? I alerted them then. Told them what was going down and had them assemble and wait on an old logging road about a mile and a half down the road from this cabin. As soon as we cut through the fence and started running toward the house, they moved to the end of the driveway, waiting for you to shut the power off so they could get through the gate.” He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled up his phone. ‘They’ve been listening to our entire conversation over my phone. Look, I know I should have told you, but if anything had happened to any of us, I wanted this guy caught.” He tilted his head, giving Caleb an assessing look. “You good with that?”

  “Yeah. Thanks, man. Glad you thought of it.” Caleb gave him a nod and a thumbs-up, then turned and went over to Kylie. He looked down at her, worry prowling in his eyes. She was so pale, milk had more color. Silent tears slid down her cheeks.

  Simon was seated at one end of the sofa with Kylie stretched out along its length, her head resting on his thigh. Her purple silk dress lay in a ruined heap on the floor. Something that looked like a dresser scarf lay low across her hips, just barely preserving her modesty. Ash had stripped to the waist and she was now wearing his T-shirt, which had been pushed up under her breasts to allow one of the EMTs to swab her waist area. A small pile of bloody sponges lay on the floor by the toe of his boot. The other medic had checked her vitals and was inserting a second IV line into the back of her hand, one for glucose, one for plasma.

  ‘Holy shit!” Caleb exclaimed. “What the fuck did he do to her?”

  “He stabbed her!” was Ash’s indignant response as he grabbed his long-sleeved shirt off the back of the couch and thrust his arms into the sleeves. He began buttoning it with sharp, jerky motions.

  “He-he nicked me with the knife w-when he was c-cutting my dress open,” Kylie sobbed, swiping her hand across her eyes for what must have been the hundredth time. The tears simply would not stop flowing.

  “Some of these are more than just nicks,” the paramedic contradicted, addressing Caleb directly as he continued gently sponging the wounds. “He used the knife like a hacksaw. She sustained some deep puncture wounds as well as a couple of gashes. She’s lost a lot of blood and will need stitches, possibly even surgery. She’ll definitely need cosmetic surgery down the road.”

  Caleb, Simon, and Ash just stared at one another, their expressions bleak. Every word out of the EMT’s mouth was like a sharp, stabbing blade straight to each of their hearts. They had failed her. They had let that motherfucker take her from them and she had nearly been killed as a result. They would never be able to forgive themselves, not in a million years.

  “Excuse us,” the other paramedic said, “we just need to—”he gestured to Kylie, then the gurney. The brothers stepped aside, watching as the two men lifted Kylie onto the gurney in a smooth, efficient motion that bespoke years of practice. One hung the IV bags and covered her with a blanket while the other closed their supply box and placed it on top of Kylie's legs, being careful to avoid her skinned knees. “One of you want to ride in the back of the ambulance with her?”

  “Ash, you go,” Caleb said. “You’re the only one of us who’s not still in tactical gear.” At Kylie’s whimper, he bent down and placed a loving kiss against her tear-wet cheek. “Don’t worry, sugar, we’ll be right behind you.” He held out his hand and she grabbed it, holding on as if she were drowning and it was her only hope of surviving. “I love you,” she sobbed, looking from one to the other, their faces blurred by a fresh rush of tears that flowed down the sides of her face. “All of you. I’m so glad you found me.”

  “Darlin’, we will always find you. You’re our life. Our heart. We can’t live without our heart.” Simon bent and placed a lingering kiss on the opposite cheek from Caleb. “We love you, too, Kylie. Never doubt that for a minute. We intend to spend the rest of our lives showing you exactly how much.” He gave her a smile through his own tears. “Be warned, though. It may be years before we let you out of our sight again.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” she promised, her smile equally as watery.

  Ash’s face hove into view, his eyes shining with relief and love. “Yeah, you are, baby. You and I are goin’ to the hospital and get you taken care of.” He put his hand on her thigh.

  All three men walked with her out to the ambulance, never releasing whatever part of her they were holding onto until the EMTs collapsed the gurney and pushed it into the back bay. One went around to the driver’s door, the other climbed into the bay, followed by Ash.

  “We’ll be along as soon as we finish up here,” Caleb said, lifting his fingers to his lips. He kissed them then blew the kiss to Kylie. As a gesture, it could have been cheesy, but the sheer alpha masculinity of this man and the intensity of the love shining from his eyes made it so profoundly special, that no one witnessing it would ever forget it.

  “Behave, darlin’,” Simon teased, although the love in his own eyes was no less intense than Caleb’s. “See you soon. Take good care of her, Ash.” He closed the doors, then banged on them twice with his hand.

  * * * *

  Ash looked up as his brothers walked quietly into the room. Without asking him how Kylie was, they both approached the bed to see for themselves. She was lying propped up in the bed, sound asleep. A heart monitor beeped softly in the background, accompanied by the slight hiss of the tank delivering pure oxygen into her lungs through the cannula in her nose. A drip bag filled with a clear liquid hung on a pole beside the bed, attached to the needle in the back of her hand. Beneath it, also connected to a needle in the back of her hand, hung another plastic bag, this one filled with whole blood donated by Ash. She was so pale. They could see the fine blue tracery of her veins beneath the translucence of her skin.

  “They had to take her to the OR,” Ash said quietly when they turned questioning glances toward him. “Some of the deeper cuts were leaking blood into her abdomen. They had to give her two pints of whole blood, but she’s patched and stitched and the doctor says she will recover fully. Physically, at any rate.”

  “We’ll get her any help she needs, Ash,” Caleb assured him. “You know that. And we’ll love her enough to get her through the nightmares.”

  “Yeah, well what about my fuckin’ nightmares?” Ash pushed himself up out of the chair and stood there, fists clenched at his sides, fighting his need to punch a hole in the wall. Better yet, John Bullard’s face. “This is all my fault. I never should have let her go into the store alone.”

  “It’s not your fault.” Simon insisted. When Ash didn’t answer, both Simon and Caleb approached him and enveloped him in their strong, loving arms. None of them knew how long they stood there in that three-way embrace. They just knew they hadn’t done it in a long time and they all needed it.

  Finally, Caleb pulled back slightly, placing his hands on either side of his younger brother’s head, giving it a slight shake on every accented syllable for emphasis. “No one is blaming you for this, Ash, including Kylie, and we will not allow you to blame yourself. We love you and we’re here for you. Whatever help you need dealin’ with this, we’ll see that you get it.” His hold softened, became more of a caress. “Just talk to us. I know that, of the three of us, you’re the one who tends to keep whatever’s botherin’ you hidden deep down inside. But you can’t keep this hidden inside you, bro. It will fester and grow like a cancer and eventually it will wind up destroyin’ not just you, but all of us.”

  Ash closed his hands around Caleb’s wrists. “I won’t let that happen, bro. If I can’t hack it, I’ll get help. I promise.”

  Simon tightened his arms, then released his brothers and stepped back. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m starvin’. There’s a twenty-four-hour burger joint across the street. What say I make a burger run?”

&
nbsp; * * * *

  Kylie’s mouth watered as she sat down at the table. The endless array of delicious-looking food spread out in front of her was like something out of a fairy tale. It was a wonder the table didn’t collapse under the sheer weight of it all. She reached for a turkey leg, but the instant she touched it, it vanished in a puff of smoke. Then, one by one, all the rest of the succulent dishes did the same until she found herself sitting at an empty table. Her stomach growled. And suddenly she realized that even though the food had disappeared, she could still smell it. Her eyes fluttered open. For a moment she just lay there, trying to figure out where the hell she was. Then she remembered. She was in the hospital. And Ash was—where was Ash? She turned her head trying to locate him and found all three of the men she loved more than life itself sitting around the rolling bed table wolfing down burgers and fries.

  “Hey.”

  “Baby!” Ash, Caleb, and Simon jumped up, nearly upending the table, and rushed to her side. “You’re awake!” Each one bent over the side rail and placed a gentle kiss on her parched lips. “How do you feel?”

  “A little groggy.” She licked her lips. “A lot thirsty.” Every word was an effort. Caleb glanced around, saw the plastic pitcher on the night stand, unwrapped a Styrofoam cup and poured some ice water into it. He placed a flexible straw in the cup, bent it, and held it to her mouth. She took a few deep sips, and released the straw. She lifted her hand to rub the back of her head. “Why are hospital pillows made of concrete?”

  “It’s one of life’s eternal mysteries,” Simon grinned down at her.

  “Are you in any pain, sugar?” Caleb asked.

  She shook her head. “No. Whatever they gave me is really working.” She held out her hand and Ash took it. “I need to know how badly Detective Bullard hurt me.”

  Ash lifted her hand to his lips, then held it against his cheek, covering it with his own. “You sustained three puncture wounds, one deep enough to bleed into your abdominal cavity. The cut has been repaired and your abdomen drained. You also sustained two fairly long gashes, which have been stitched up. You lost over two pints of blood. You’re going to be sore for a while and the doctor wants you to take it easy for at least a week, but he says you’re going to make a full recovery.” The doctor had also said that if they hadn’t gotten her to the hospital when they did, she very easily could have bled out. But there was no way he was telling her that.

  Unfortunately the look on her face told him he didn’t have to tell her. She already knew. She had felt the life draining from her body with every drop of blood she’d lost.

  “I knew you would find me,” she said, looking from Ash to Simon to Caleb. “I never doubted that, not for a second. The…the only time I was really frightened was when I realized that he meant to blow up the house after he—finished with me. And I was afraid that all you would find would be…pieces.” She looked back at Caleb. “How did you find me?” She shook her head in wonderment. “It seems like such a miracle.”

  Caleb smiled. “A miracle named Jason Ingram. He guided us straight to you. He has a way with computers like Michelangelo had with a hammer and chisel. He says he can’t wait to meet you at the weddin’ on Sunday.”

  “He already has a special place in my heart,” she said, “for bringing you to me.” She looked back at Ash. “Sweetie, I know you’re blaming yourself for what happened. But you mustn’t do that. You absolutely mustn’t. It wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t anybody’s fault.”

  “I shouldn’t have left you alone.” The words were wrenched from him. Emotions burst inside his chest, expanding like a balloon, driving the breath from his lungs. He thought he was going to suffocate.

  “Don’t second-guess yourself. You did what you thought was right.” She shrugged. “That’s all anyone can do. I love you, Ash. I love all of you. I don’t blame you and I don’t want you to blame yourself. You came for me. You saved me. I may have gotten hurt, but I’m going to be fine, and that’s all that matters here.”

  The balloon in Ash’s chest deflated, leaving him with a sense of peace for the first time since that afternoon. He lowered the side rail and bent down to kiss her, a tender touching of lips that was so filled with love her throat thickened. She looked into his eyes. “Any chance of my getting outta here?”

  “You mean in the mornin’?” Caleb asked.

  “I mean right now.”

  ‘I’m sure your doctor would advise against it.”

  “Lucas is my doctor. I promise I’ll go see him tomorrow. But I can’t sleep without the three people I love most in the world. And this bed’s not nearly big enough. I want to go home.”

  “Sorry, darlin’,” Simon answered. “You just had major surgery. You’re not goin’ anywhere until a doctor clears you. But we’re not leavin’ you. We’ll all be right here, so you’ll be able to sleep.”

  “Can you take turns sleeping with me?”

  Caleb’s look was pure reluctance as he slowly shook his head. “Sorry, sugar. As much as we’d love to, we don’t want to risk any chance of pullin’ your stitches.”

  Her eyes filled with tears.

  “Don’t cry, baby.” Ash scooped a tear onto his fingertip. “You’re safe, it’s over, and we’ll be right here. For however long it takes.

  “I know. I know.” Kylie waved her hand vaguely. “I’m just being a big baby. I can’t wait to get back home and be in your arms. For a while there I was afraid I’d never see you again. That I would die before I had a chance to tell you how much I love you.” Her jaw firmed. “You say you’re not going to let me out of your sight. Well, that works for me, because I have no intention of letting any of you out of my sight either.”

  Caleb bent down and placed a soft, sweet kiss on her lips. “Fair enough, sugar. Nice to know we’re on the same page.”

  EPILOGUE

  Two Months Later

  Kylie stood behind the screen at the back of the ballroom, peeking through the narrow gap between the panels to watch Clay Nighthorse escort her mother, looking lovely in her persimmon-colored silk suit and flowered hat, down the center aisle to her seat in the front row. Caleb, Simon, and Ash’s parents and sister Amanda were already seated on the other side of the aisle. She hugged her father’s arm, turning her head to smile up at him.

  James Goodman was a fit, good-looking man in his mid-fifties. His hair was silver-gray, his brown eyes twinkled behind wire-rimmed glasses. He looked like the Certified Public Accountant that he was.

  “I’ve never seen you look more beautiful than you do right now,” he said. He bent down and gave her a kiss on her cheek. “Your Mom and I are so proud of you, sweetheart. When we first found out that you were planning to be with three men, we couldn’t conceive of such a thing. But now that we’ve met them and seen how much you love them—and they obviously worship the ground you walk on—we realize how perfect it is. We’ve never met three finer men than Caleb, Simon, and Ash Rafferty. So we’re happy to turn you over to their care and keeping.”

  “Thanks, Dad. I’m so glad you and Mom see how wonderful they are.”

  “And their parents are lovely, too. We’re looking forward to flying to Chicago and joining you all for a Rafferty family Thanksgiving.”

  “I know. I can’t wait. It sounds like so much fun.”

  The morning after they’d brought her home from the hospital, Simon had flown up to Philadelphia and brought James and Dorothy Goodman back to Passion Lake. They had been horrified to hear about the awful things she’d been through and had added their unconditional love to the protective shield that Ash, Simon, and Caleb had carefully woven around her, making her feel safe without feeling suffocated.

  For the first few days, everyone had insisted that Kylie remain in bed, being waited on hand and foot. And she hadn’t argued except to insist that she be allowed to attend Leah and Clay’s wedding. Since all three of her men were members of the wedding party, they’d borrowed Lucas’s wheelchair again and Kylie’s parents had driven her to Mars
hall’s Hill in Ash’s Land Rover. Ash had carried her down the aisle, followed by Mr. and Mrs. Goodman pushing the empty wheel chair. He’d set her back down in it in the space at the end of the aisle that had been left open for it. Sarah Marshall had given her a wave and a smile on her way past her to join the bridesmaids. But Leah had startled Kylie by stopping and giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

  “I’m so glad you’re here,” she’d whispered before once again taking her Uncle Everett’s arm and resuming the processional. Kylie had made it through the ceremony and the nearly endless round of toasts afterward, but by the time dinner was served, she’d been in pain and white-faced with exhaustion, so Caleb had taken her straight home. When Ash and Simon arrived later, they brought her a humongous piece of wedding cake, which she’d shared with her parents.

  Eventually after just a few days of complete bed rest, she’d felt strong enough to spend all her waking time downstairs. But even though she was able to walk by herself, her men had still carried her up to bed every night. They had held her, talked to her, and encouraged her to talk to them, reassuring her that she was safe and loved and that the horrors she had endured would never be repeated. That hadn’t stopped her nightmares, though, although at this point she hadn’t had one in nearly three weeks.

  It hadn’t stopped Ash’s nightmares either. Nothing had. Over the next couple of weeks, he’d woken up at least a dozen times in a cold sweat, crying out as he relived the gut-wrenching horror of running into the store and finding Kylie gone. Caleb had been at his wits’ end. Until he’d talked with Jesse Colter and Adam Sinclair about what they’d done to get Sarah through the trauma of being kidnapping a couple of years back. They had recommended Dr. Art Portman, an eminent psychiatrist who had recently moved his practice from Seattle to Richmond. Dr. Portman had come to the Raffertys’ house and had spent nearly an entire week with them, talking to them, both individually and all together.