Reckless River: Men of Mercy, Book 3

by Cross, Lindsay

  If he hadn’t been holding onto his brother right now, he wasn’t entirely sure he could have stopped himself from strangling her. But the fear he saw in her gaze, the fear he’d put there, gave him a cruel sort of pleasure.

  The girl was reckless, uncaring for her own life. How could she have played so innocent that he’d believed her? How could someone who’d saved his life destroy his brothers?

  Jared shook off the confusion. He didn’t have time to question her motives. He had to get the hell off the mountain, but she was coming with him and he knew exactly how to get her cooperation. No matter that he would never actually harm the old man, as long as she believed he would and Jared intended to use him against her. He wanted her to feel the same desperation she’d made him feel. “You do this to my brother. Why shouldn’t I kill the old man?”

  Sparrow’s liquid gold eyes widened further as she jerked her head from side to side, her muffled moans a pitiful attempt to prick at his conscious. She could have saved herself the effort. His conscious had been snuffed out long ago.

  “What’s that? I can’t hear you.” Something inside him twisted his lips into a cruel smile. And whatever that something was twisted his insides into something dark and dangerous that skated the edge of control. He’d always been so calm, so reasonable. He’d needed to be to raise his little brother. But seeing Hoyt this broken, this damaged, had done something to him. “I bet you’d be willing to do anything to keep me from killing the old man.”

  Her nod was fast, delivered with no hesitation.

  Jared shifted his hand, skimming it down her collar bone and around the neck line of her ruined shirt before grabbing her breast, squeezing it just enough to show his control. He knew what would hurt this woman the most. “You are mine. You will be my whore. You will do exactly as I say, when I say it.”

  She paled and shuddered. He knew she wanted to back away from him, but he’d trapped her against the tree. Jared continued his caresses, rubbing his thumb across her nipple until it hardened under his touch. Sparrow jerked to the side, trying to escape his grasp. And he let her. “You will willingly submit to me in all things, or I will go in there right now and slit that old man’s throat.”

  Jared’s stomach clenched into a tight fist of disgust. He was so disgusted by the words that he had to swallow the bile. He’d never treated a woman this harshly. Never.

  But a woman had never tried to kill his family before either.

  Dammit. It didn’t matter. There was no way he could ever force her.

  She moaned through the gag and closed her eyes. He forced down the guilt and let himself really feel the heavy weight of his brother, draped unconscious and bleeding over his shoulder. His guilt subsided. “So what’s it going to be? You willingly give yourself to me or do I kill him now “

  Her eyes opened, tears spilling down her cheeks. Shame punched him in the gut, but that just made him angrier. She didn’t deserve his guilt or his shame. She only deserved his loathing.

  She nodded one time. The sacrificial martyr.

  A jolt of uncertainty slid into his conscious and he stepped back, needing to distance himself from her. The emotions rolling through him were so powerful he was about to snap. “Now, follow me. If you give me any trouble, so help me, I’ll come back here and murder every last one of them.”

  Jared turned and strode away, feeling only one tug of resistance as Sparrow caught up with his longer stride. He would skirt back around the mountain to where he’d hidden his bag with the sat phone, medical supplies, and weapons. From there, he knew the fastest and easiest way down to his hidden boat near the river. Once he got a safe distance from the compound, he’d call for help and get his brother home

  Hoyt shuddered in his arms and Jared reached back, feeling for his brother’s arm. The feeling of Hoyt’s cold skin made him stiffen. He knew he didn’t have much time, and he didn’t know the true extent Hoyt’s injuries. Jared picked up the pace to a jog, careful to move his brother as little as possible.

  He reached the spot where Sparrow had held a gun to his head and stopped. His duffel should be hidden beneath the nearby bush. “Feel beneath that bush, my bag should be there,” he ordered.

  Sparrow squatted and reached beneath the bush, pulling his bag free. Jared let out a small breath of relief. “Let’s go.”

  He continued to head west down the mountain, slowing only when it was so treacherous he risked dropping his brother. The girl tugged on him from behind, having a hard time holding onto the heavy weight of his duffel bag with her tied hands, but he didn’t care. Jared forged ahead, listening with relief to the growing roar of rushing water. As they neared the river, he turned south along the water. His arms ached. His back hurt. His muscles strained under his brother’s weight. But he ignored all those things, his sole focus on getting to the boat and getting them to safety.

  12

  Whore. Just like her mother. Jared wanted to humiliate her, and he could not have picked a better way. Her worst nightmare had come true. Bile rushed up her throat and Sparrow swallowed frantically, the gag suffocating her.

  Jared increased his pace, roughly yanking her behind him, and she stumble-stepped to keep from hitting the dirt. The duffle bag clutched in her bound hands left her no choice but to carry it directly in front of her, dangling awkwardly and in the way. The handle scraped her fingers raw, the rope was cutting into her wrists, and her arms were steadily going numb. Muscles strained across her back and shoulders from the burden of the bag’s weight and the constant pull forward.

  A low hanging tree limb slapped her in the face and she cried out. Hot wet blood dripped down her cheek and her eye started to water. Jared didn’t slow, didn’t care; he was probably happy for her suffering. Given what he believed, she could hardly blame him.

  She had to pay more attention to her surroundings. Sparrow forced herself out of her misery and quickly took stock of the situation. They’d descended the mountain to the river, turned south, and were now walking parallel to the bank. He must have a boat hidden somewhere. She had to escape before he got her on that boat. She could hide out in the mountains and make her way home. Then she would reveal Jimbo’s true plan to Miss Kay before her brother managed to take her down. After his attempt to goad Jared into murdering her, she thirsted for revenge.

  If Miss Kay didn’t do anything about Jimbo, Sparrow would get Squirrel and head out. They could survive together. She would find a way to take care of him. They could run and run, as far away from any Crowe as she could get them.

  Especially Jared Crowe.

  He’d touched her intimately, against her wishes, and she’d responded. She’d felt her body arch toward him. Shame filled her at the thought, at the realization that she still wanted him. A shiver rolled down her body, and she shook it off, forcing herself to forget the feeling of his lips on her skin, forcing herself to forget the lazy grin on his face as he teased her.

  Tears ruthlessly gathered in her eyes. She’d let herself hope and dream of a future with Jared. And now that dream had turned into a nightmare. You should know better, Sparrow. White trash doesn’t get to dream.

  “Keep up.” Jared’s harsh voice pulled her from her thoughts. She could clearly see his muscles straining under his shirt as he carried his brother. Her arms were exhausted from carrying the bag, so she could only imagine the exhaustion he must feel. But he didn’t slow down, not once.

  Sparrow had recognized Jimbo’s handiwork the second she’d seen Hoyt’s back. A few years ago he had forced her to watch as he skinned a man alive. But that man hadn’t survived. Sparrow didn’t know who is luckier. If Hoyt lived, the memories of his torture would haunt him forever.

  The memory of witnessing it haunted her.

  According to Jimbo, that man had been stealing from Miss Kay. So he’d made an example of him—an example of what would happen to anyone who went against the Crowes. When Jimbo finished, he hung the man’s ruined body from a tree in the middle of the clearing to serve as a warning.<
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  The Crowes owned the mountain and the people on it. The cops never showed. They were either too scared or already in Miss Kay’s pocket. No one dared to talk openly about the body. The example had been swift and effective and gruesome, but it had ensured the honesty of everyone who dealt with Miss Kay.

  The mountain dropped off suddenly to the right and they both stumbled. Jared’s leg shot out straight, barely managing to catch himself, but the force of the momentum sent Sparrow sailing through the air. She didn’t have the luxury of catching herself with her hands, not when they were bound. Her body impacted the ground, the duffel bag just barely saving her face from smashing into a rock. Pain crawled up her legs, but her momentum caused her to roll downhill. And she would have continued rolling if Jared hadn’t planted his feet. The short length of rope pulled tight, yanking her back like a fish caught on a hook. Fire burned through her shoulders and arms.

  “Get up.” There was no concern in his voice. No emotion of any kind. Just bottomless black eyes staring at her with loathing.

  She sympathized with him, really she did. She knew his anger was coming from his pain and concern for his brother, from his conviction that she’d done something unforgivable, but there was only so much a girl could take.

  As much as she wanted to say, Oh excuse me for falling, your highness, the giant gag choking her mouth prevented her from issuing any sound. So Sparrow settled for a good glare and simply lay there on her stomach.

  Which didn’t exactly make Jared happy.

  “I said, get up.” Miss Kay’s boys would’ve yelled at her, probably kicked her while she was down. But not Jared. His voice got quiet. Cold and deadly, kind of like the calm right before the tornado ripped through your house and destroyed your livelihood. She fought the instinct to shiver.

  She had gotten so good at not being noticed. Her whole life, everything about her had been carefully chosen to be neutral. Her clothes. Her lifestyle. Her expressions. But this man pulled forth a range of reactions from her, all of which were anything but neutral. And right now the emotion he tugged on most was anger.

  Thank God for the gag or she might’ve stuck her tongue out at him in a childish tantrum. But she couldn’t do that. So, hands bound, lying flat in the dirt in a shirt that showed more skin than a goddamn bikini, leaves and sticks snagged in hair, Sparrow lifted her bound hands and flipped him off.

  Jared blinked, unmoving except for his clenched jaw and the veins bulging on his neck. She swore she saw a tremble move through him—not, not a tremble, more like tremors. Like his body was shaking in an attempt to contain his rage. “I warned you what would happen. The more you slow me down, the worse off you’ll be. The old man will pay for everything you do.”

  Her anger deflated like a worn-out balloon. He wasn’t just angry. He was deadly and she had every reason to fear him.

  “I see you’re beginning to understand that I’m serious. Good. This is my last warning.” Jared squatted, his movements careful, and she watched his fingers curl around the handle of the duffel as he stood back up. She couldn’t deny the small slip of relief inside her. A relief that disappeared when he turned and walked away, the short slack of her rope disappearing as he dragged her across the ground. The nearly nothing clothes she wore offered absolutely no protection from the rocks and sticks and thorns scattered across the forest floor.

  Sparrow rolled from side to side, trying to avoid the more hazardous objects jutting out of the earth, but she had no protection against the elements of the Tennessee Mountains. And still Jared didn’t slow. So she gritted her teeth and used all of her strength to yank her feet beneath her, staggering into a walk.

  The bare skin of her stomach, knees, and thighs burned. Why the hell didn’t I change before I left?

  The answer taunted her. It was because of the way Jared had looked at her in these clothes—like she was a goddess walking the earth. That sexual power had made her heady. So instead of changing like any idiot would have done, she’d slapped on her snake boots, tucked in her knife, and sauntered around for him to drool over.

  Her knife. She had completely forgotten about the knife stuffed in her boots.

  Escape was possible.

  *

  Hoyt started shaking in his arms. The thin shirt draped around him was doing little to shield him from the elements. His body turned hot, then cold, then molten. The chance of infection was a real threat to his brother’s life

  For the hundredth time that night Jared gave thanks that he’d received field medical training in the Special Forces. After they got to the boat, he could patch his brother up. But even if he survived the physical wounds of what had happened, would he stand a chance at surviving the mental ones?

  Ignoring his own pain and fatigue, Jared continue his steady pace forward, never stopping, never slowing. His only thought was for his brother. He burst through the edge of the trees at the riverbank and ground to a halt.

  Sparrow didn’t slam into him this time and Jared glanced back to see her gazing out at the water, her expression wary. Good. As soon as he got them on the boat he could relax. There’d be no chance of her escaping and he would be one step closer to getting Hoyt the serious medical attention he needed.

  Jared surveyed the area, spying the fallen tree a few hundred feet downriver to his left. He’d tucked his boat beneath that tree, concealing it with camouflage netting. His brother groaned and the tremor that shook him was so fierce that Jared would’ve dropped him if he hadn’t been holding on tight. Hoyt’s fever seemed to be climbing at an alarming rate. Jared’s heart raced at the very real threat to his brother’s life and he took off toward the boat with renewed vigor.

  A few minutes later he stood staring down in shock over his hiding place. The boat was gone. Jared shook his head. Must be the wrong tree. Maybe he’d come out of the woods too far upriver. Determined, Jared continued down the bank, steadily scanning the edge of the river, trying to ignore the sense of foreboding seeping down his spine.

  After traveling several more feet, he was forced to stop when the riverbank fell off sharply. At that moment, any chance that the first spot he’d stopped at was the wrong one completely disappeared. Jared turned around, brushing past a startled Sparrow, and headed back to his starting point. He stopped at the fallen tree once more and stared down. There was nothing but leaves and water.

  “Son of a bitch.” Fucking hillbillies. Nothing was safe in these parts. Not even a fucking boat.

  Sparrow made some type of moaning sound and Jared turned his furious gaze on her. She kept gesturing and nodding her head. Determined to ignore her, he turned back to face the empty spot, but for what? His only means of transportation was gone. And the threat to his brother’s life had increased a thousand times over. Sparrow tapped him on the back, but Jared clenched his jaw and ignored her. Adrenaline pumped through his bloodstream, his heart rate increasing with each second. What was he going to do? There was no way he could carry his brother the next fifteen miles to the nearest town. Especially before sunrise.

  Sparrow nudged him again, reminding him that this was all her fault, and he turned, ready to unleash the full force of his fury on her. “Touch me again and lose a finger, got it?”

  Instead of backing up, she rolled her eyes. The freaking girl rolled her eyes at him. When he could snap her neck with a flick of his wrist and toss her lifeless body in the river.

  She kept indicating some spot beyond him with her head and lifting her hands.

  “You think I’m going to untie you?” As a matter fact, he had every intention of doubling up the rope as soon as he got her into a boat or truck or whatever the hell method of transportation he could find.

  She shook her head no and indicated her gag. It was obvious she wouldn’t let up until he heard her out and his back was screaming for a break. Jared gently settled his brother onto his stomach on the ground and sat the duffel bag down next to him. The he yanked her to him, using the rope as a leash. Her chest slammed into his and physica
l awareness shot through his body. How could he still be physically attracted to such a monster? His reaction only made him angrier. “You that desperate you can’t wait until we get out of here?”

  Jared cupped her ass and lifted her against his hard cock, forcing her to feel his body. She moaned and shook her head, but he didn’t release her. “As much as I look forward to it, too, sweetheart, we can’t right now.”

  He thrust against her belly again and watched her eyelids grow heavy. Her nipples budded beneath the near see-through material of her cropped shirt. Fuck she was hot. And deadly. Jared forced himself to remember what she had done to his brother. He tangled a hand in her hair and yanked her head back, eliciting a grunt of pain from his captive. Jared nuzzled against her neck, up to her ear, savoring the shiver his touch evoked. Whether it was aversion or arousal or some combination of both, he didn’t care, his body craved hers. But no matter how much he wanted her, he couldn’t force her. “Don’t worry, I promise to use your body as soon as possible.”

  She jerked against him, pushing against his chest with her bound hands, but her attempt was laughable.

  When he pulled back, he fully expected to see tears in her fearful eyes, but she shocked him once more. Her golden gaze had turned molten with fury, and she reached up and started tugging at the gag, making noises like she was trying to talk. Fuck. He let go of her hair and yanked the gag down, pulling the wad of material out of her mouth.

  Sparrow coughed and sucked in deep heaving breaths. He could only imagine how she must long for a drink of water. But had she given his brother the same courtesy?

  “The boat.” The words rasped out of her mouth and Jared stiffened.

  “My boat? Where the fuck is it?” Before he knew what he was doing, Jared buried his hands in her hair once more, bending her backwards. She’d probably asked someone to move it while she was busy playing the innocent seductress and distracting him.

  “Where the hell is my boat?” He was so close to pushing past reason. His vision didn’t turn red. And it didn’t turn black. It just hazed over from the force of the rage surging through his veins.