Salvation [Slick Rock 15] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Becca Van

Bull got out of the truck and hurried around to Carly and Ridge. Carly’s gaze skittered left and right as she took everything in.

  “You’re all very lucky to have such a lovely home and ranch.”

  Rocky came up behind Carly and placed his hands on her shoulders. She startled and then exhaled when she looked back over her shoulder at Rocky. “Sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  Carly nodded.

  Bull clasped her hand at the same time Ridge held her other one, and they led her up the front steps to the wide, wraparound verandah. While the ranch and house was familiar to him and his brothers, Bull was actually looking at the place as if seeing it through new eyes. Carly’s eyes, and he liked what he saw. Pride filled him at the hard work he and his brothers had done over the last twelve months.

  “Is that a gazebo?” Carly asked, pointing off toward the end of the house. The roof of the small, outside pavilion could be seen from where they were standing.

  “Yeah,” Ridge replied. “We built that not long after we bought the place.”

  “Wow,” Carly breathed out. “That is so pretty. You guys are amazing to be able to build something like that.

  Pride filled his heart at Carly’s compliment, and Ridge nodded and smiled.

  Usually it took a while before a rancher saw any benefits to their hard work, but he and his brothers were fortunate to have grown up on a similar set-up in Montana. They were already reaping the rewards of their knowledge and labor.

  “Come on inside, baby.” Bull unlocked and opened the front door, sweeping his arm out to Carly.

  She released his and Ridge’s hands and stepped inside. When he heard her gasp, he rushed in after her but stopped in his tracks when he saw that she was okay and taking in the house. His heart had flipped in his chest, and he’d been ready to fight the unseen nemesis. He and his brothers were trained military, and it was hard to curb the natural instincts that had shaped who they were. Bull was glad that Carly hadn’t noticed how fight-ready he was as he moved in behind her. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her off.

  “It’s so big,” Carly said as she turned in a circle.

  “Yeah,” Rocky said as he closed the door. “There are six bedrooms, three bathrooms, the living area, kitchen and utilities room, plus an office.”

  “Come into the kitchen, Carly.” Ridge placed his hand on her lower back and nudged her in the direction of the kitchen.

  “Oh my god,” Carly gasped as she stepped into the kitchen. “This is a chef’s dream kitchen.” She walked over to the granite counter and ran her fingers along the stone before turning to look at the appliances. “You have an industrial oven and cook top.”

  “If you say so.” Bull smiled at her. “We just thought they were big.”

  Carly nodded and turned to face the dining section of the large room. “That table is huge.”

  “We have a few men working for us. We all eat in here so we need the room to accommodate so many,” Ridge explained.

  “Do they live here, too?” Carly asked, shifting from foot to foot nervously.

  “We have a bunkhouse near the barn. They sleep there,” Rocky said as he moved closer to Carly.

  “Do you want something to eat or drink, baby?” Bull asked.

  “A cup of tea would be nice, but nothing to eat, thanks. I’m still full from dinner.”

  Bull didn’t even know if they had tea since he, his brothers, and the hands only ever drank coffee. He opened the pantry and searched the shelves until he found a small packet of unopened tea bags, grateful that someone had thought to buy them.

  Once the drinks were made and they were all sitting at the table, Bull decided to confront the elephant in the room. “You need to tell us what you’re running from, Carly. And what happened to Shaun?”

  Chapter Three

  Scott had managed to steal a laptop from a locked, parked car. He’d spent the last few days setting up alerts for her name and hacking into the city’s CCTVs. He hadn’t found her yet, but he wasn’t giving up. They were meant to be together. He imagined her standing beside him as she stared into his eyes adoringly. He’d seen that look in her gaze the first time they’d met. He was going to make her so happy. He couldn’t wait to consummate their relationship and impregnate her.

  In his mind, he saw a little girl in the exact image of her mother. She would love him and look up to him, making sure he was cared for. If Carly bore him a boy, that would be even better. His son would carry his name, immortalizing him forever.

  Rage threatened to take hold again, but he managed to push it deep down inside. Now wasn’t the time to let his demons out. He needed all of his concentration to find the love of his life. He’d spent countless hours looking through the security images searching for her face to find out how she’d escaped his clutches.

  Scott wondered if his boldness had scared her away. The rage boiled up again until he ground his teeth so hard they made a horrible scraping noise. She should have just stayed and talked to him. He would have understood her shy innocence and taken care to ease her into the physical side of their relationship. Now his patience was all gone. When he found her, he would take her body with his, claiming her for all time. That would be her first punishment for running from him. He would tie her to his bed, naked and spread out, and he would take her over and over again. After that he’d use his strength to make sure she never ran from him again.

  * * * *

  Carly drew in a deep breath and pushed all the fear and grief down deep inside. The only way she was going to get through this was to embrace the numbness again.

  “I have to start at the beginning for it all to make sense,” she explained in a monotone.

  All three of the Atkins men frowned at her, and she knew from the worry in their gazes they were concerned for her. She looked down at the table and drew another deep breath as she tried to get her thoughts in order. She couldn’t look at them when she began to tell them what happened, because if she did, she might just end up lost in the agonizing grief again.

  “Whatever you need, darlin’.” Ridge went to cover her hand with his, but she flinched away.

  “Sorry. You can’t touch me until I’ve explained everything.” She gave him, Rocky and Bull an apologetic look. “I need to get through this as quickly as possible. I don’t want…to cry again.”

  “Okay, darlin’. I understand. None of us will touch you until you’ve finished.” Ridge picked up his coffee and took a sip.

  She stared at the table again as she let the memories wash over her.

  * * * *

  Carly entered the bar and, after glancing about, hurried over to where her brother was sitting. She smiled at Shaun as he laughed. He looked so happy, and she was ecstatic that he had finally got his sense of humor back. It had been months since she’d seen him so happy.

  Sometimes she wished he’d never signed up to the Marines or done tours overseas in god-only-knew-whatever, war-torn, ravaged country he’d been sent to fight in. She was proud of him for taking a stance and fighting for others less fortunate than them, as well as for their own country and their freedom, but when her brother had first come home, he’d seemed to be a shadow of the brother she’d once known.

  He’d been moody and angry, snapping at her over the stupidest things, but she loved him, so she’d kept her mouth shut. Now it seemed her patience had paid off and her loving brother was returning to her.

  He’d been more than just a brother to her for far longer than she could remember. When their mom had died of cancer and their father had fallen apart, Shaun had stepped up, making sure she was fed and taken care of. Of course their dad hadn’t been around much either because he was also a soldier. Their dad had taken leave from the army when her mom had been so ill she couldn’t get out of bed, and though he’d taken good care of his wife, he practically ignored Carly.

  She’d often wondered if her dad had hated her because, whenever she caught his eyes on her after her mom had passed, there ha
d been anger and bitterness in his gaze.

  Carly had tried to understand that her dad was grieving, but barely two weeks after her mom had passed, her dad had contacted his team leader and said he was ready to get back to fighting. As her dad had said goodbye to her, there had been tears and regret in his eyes. She hadn’t really understood it at the time, but now that she was older, looking back, she thought that maybe her father had chosen to die. That thought still hurt her more than she could bear, and she sucked in a breath as sharp pain pierced her heart.

  Her father had died on the battlefield not one month after her mother had been buried. He’d been able to retire from the military honorably but had chosen to go back rather than take care of her. Though he hadn’t been on the front line of the war he and his troops had been fighting, he’d died behind enemy lines when the plane he’d been in had been shot from the sky. Thankfully Shaun, who was eight years older than her, had still been on leave. He had been the one to comfort her and hold her as she grieved. If it hadn’t been for him, she may well have walked around in a catatonic stupor for the rest of her life.

  Shaun had arranged for her to stay with their childless neighbors so she could finish school, and though she appreciated everything the Denyers had done for her, she’d resented not being able to stay in the house she’d grown up in. The house where so many memories had been made. She’d been devastated when she and Shaun had packed all their belongings away and put them in storage, but even more so when the house had been put onto the rental market.

  Life had been a struggle for her parents, with her mom being sick for so long and her dad absent most of the time, and with all the medical bills, there hadn’t been enough money for her parents to buy their own home.

  “You okay, munchkin?” Shaun wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.

  “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  Shaun looked deeply into her gaze as if trying to see if she were telling the truth, so she quickly pushed her sad thoughts to the side and smiled up at him.

  “It’s so good to have you home.”

  Shaun smiled at her as she hugged him around the waist.

  “I’ve been thinking about what I want to do now that I’ve retired from the Marines.”

  Carly nodded. “That’s good. Have you decided on anything?”

  Shaun shrugged but then nodded. “I’m used to fighting and protecting people, and I know there is no way in hell I want to be stuck inside behind a desk.”

  “I get that.” Carly smiled.

  “I’ve thought about opening up a security company, but that takes a lot of capital, and I just don’t have it.”

  “I have some savings put aside. You can have…”

  Shaun placed a finger over her lips. “I’m not taking your money, munchkin. I’m already bunking in your spare room. I’m sorry I’ve been so hard to get along with lately, it’s just…”

  This time it was Carly who placed her fingers over his lips. She had to stand on tiptoe to do it since her brother was a good foot taller than she was.

  “You’re my brother, and I love you. I would do anything for you, Shaun. You took such good care of me when mom and dad died. The least I can do is to help you out until you get back on your feet.”

  Shaun chuckled as he brought her into a fierce, bear hug. “You make it sound as if I was injured or sick.”

  Carly shook her head. “I know you’re fine physically, but I also know that what you’ve seen has affected you.”

  “Carly,” Shaun said in warning.

  “Shaun, please don’t get angry with me. There is no need to hide that you’ve been struggling. Do you think I’m deaf, dumb, and blind? I know you have PTSD, but please never think that is something to be ashamed of. A lot of soldiers and people who’ve been victims of crime have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

  “You should be so proud of what you’ve done. I know I am. Proud of you, that is. You need to accept that I love you and will do anything to help you back into a civilian life.”

  Shaun stepped back with a sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. “You’re right. I love you, too, munchkin. Now let’s put this conversation aside and have some fun. Okay?”

  Carly nodded. Shaun winked at her before turning toward the bar and placing their drink orders. When they had drinks in hand, her brother led her through the crowd toward the tables and chairs. They perused the menu, and just as the waitress stopped at their table, someone called Shaun’s name.

  “Shit! You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  Carly looked up to see Shaun grinning, and she followed his line of sight to a group of four men sitting in a large booth off to the side of the room.

  “Come on over.” One of the men gestured with his hand. “We haven’t ordered yet.”

  Shaun met Carly’s gaze. “Three of those guys were in my unit, and the other also served in the army. Do you mind if we join them?”

  Carly shook her head. There was no way she was going to deny her brother since the light in his eyes had finally returned. She had been looking forward to spending some quality time with him out of the small apartment she rented and had hoped that she could get him to open up and talk to her, but maybe being with men who’d seen and done the same things he had would be more cathartic. There was no way she would ever to be able to fully understand what her brother had been through, but hopefully talking to his friends would help him come to terms with things better.

  Carly took Shaun’s hand and let him help her to her feet. They picked up their glasses and walked over to the large booth.

  “Guys, this is my sister, Carly. Carly, these reprobates are Matt Hewitt, Glen Winsome, Troy Stanton, and Scott Gold.”

  “Hi, nice to meet you,” Carly greeted them with a smile.

  “Shove over,” Shaun said.

  The men moved to make more room. When Carly saw Scott eying her body up and down, the hair on the back of her neck stood on end and her skin crawled, but she pushed the disconcerting feeling aside. The other men all smiled at her, but Scott continued to stare at her as if she was a piece of meat. Carly drew in a deep breath and sat next to Shaun, wishing for the first time tonight that she hadn’t suggested going out.

  “You didn’t tell us your sister was such a looker.” Matt smiled and winked at her.

  Carly smiled and took a sip of her drink, hoping that her brother’s friends weren’t about to hit on her. She’d never been a socialite or a flirt. In fact, after her dad had died she’d decided that there was no way she was ever going to have a relationship. She’d seen her father wither before her eyes from grief. She also believed that he’d deliberately put himself in the line of fire after burying her mom. As far as she knew, there had been no reason for him to have been on the plane that had been blown from the sky. Her father hadn’t loved her enough to live, or maybe he’d loved her mother so much he hadn’t been able to live without her in his life. Either way, she had lost both her parents when she’d been a teenager. Love was just too hard. She didn’t want to end up loving someone only to lose them and have her heart broken. It hurt too much.

  Carly came back to the present and sighed with relief. The men must have noticed that she was uncomfortable and had changed the subject. She listened as they joked and laughed, interjecting a comment of her own now and then, but she was aware of Scott’s eyes on her nearly the whole time.

  They ate dinner, and after another glass of wine, Carly covered her mouth when she yawned. It had been a long, tiring week. Actually, it had been a long couple of months, and she was exhausted. She wondered if Shaun would mind if she left for home.

  “Carly?”

  She looked up to meet her brother’s questioning gaze and raised her eyebrow at him. “Are you ready to go home, munchkin?”

  “Yes.” Carly stood and waited while her brother said goodbye to his friends. She waved and then let him lead her out.

  “You look tired, sis. Do you want me to drive?”

  “Yeah.�
� Carly handed the keys to her car over and let her mind drift as Shaun drove.

  “So what did you think of the guys?”

  “They seemed nice.”

  “Would you be okay if we had them over to dinner sometime?”

  “Shaun, I told you that my house is your house. You don’t need to ask if you want to invite your friends over.” While she was sincere, Carly hoped that Scott wasn’t included in the invitation. She didn’t like the way he looked at her or watched her all night. There had been such cold calculation in his eyes, and just the thought of seeing him again gave her the creeps.

  The rest of the week flew by and before she knew it, it was Friday. Carly loved her job. She worked at the Great Falls women’s shelter, and though it broke her heart to see scared, injured women when they first came to the shelter, she was happy to see the change in those women as they recovered and discovered that they were stronger than they suspected. The in-house psychologist did wonders helping the victims to deal with whatever they’d been through and to gain the courage to set out on their own.

  Carly was a chef. She loved to cook, and feeding hungry women and kids was a joy. Seeing their faces light up when they tasted the meal she’d prepared for them was so rewarding. Some of the women and kids were so skinny when they first arrived, but Carly soon put some meat back on their bones after making sure they were fed filling, nutritional meals three times a day. She also made sure that the cookie jars and cake stands were kept full so that if anyone wanted or needed a sweet treat, they were readily available. There was also a large basket of fruit sitting on the massive table in the dining room, and she often cut up apples and such for the kids to graze on.

  Carly sighed tiredly as she parked her car and walked up the footpath toward her apartment. It was small, with only two bedrooms and a bathroom in between, plus a living room and small kitchen, but she’d been lucky enough to get an apartment with a private courtyard attached off the dining room. She’d bought a secondhand, outdoor dining setting, as well as a brand new, six-burner, stainless steel barbecue. That not-so-little beauty was big enough for her to feed an army on. She’d used it to cook roasts and vegetables, as well as grill steaks and chicken.