Dwyer, Dixie Lynn - For the Love of Anna (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by For the Love of Anna

  Stacy caressed her hands, and Anna flinched at the contact.

  “Anna, honey, talk to us,” Stacy asked, but Anna didn’t respond.

  “Baby?” Charlie stated then Anna looked at each of them.

  “If you’ll excuse me. I need a few minutes alone,” she said then stood up.

  “I’ll come with you,” Ben stated, rising from his seat.

  Anna put up her hand to stop him.

  “No. I need a few minutes…please?” Then she walked toward the porch door and headed across the yard into the night.

  The sound of the door slamming seemed to echo in the quiet night.

  * * * *

  “Fuck! I don’t think she should be alone.” Charlie expressed his concern as he stood and began pacing.

  “She needs a few minutes, Charlie. It’s understandable,” Wyatt replied.

  “She showed no real reaction. I don’t know what thoughts were going through her head, but she looked so numb,” Ben added.

  “I think she’s confused. It was only recently she learned that her father didn’t really love her. She had spent years taking care of him and providing for them. Now, he’s been killed, and she probably doesn’t know whether she should be happy or sad,” Stacy added as she stood up.

  Everyone was silent.

  “Let’s give her a few minutes then I’ll go talk to her,” Stacy replied, and the men agreed.

  * * * *

  Anna walked a good distance before she realized just how far she had walked. The river where she had told Stacy her story had already held special meaning for her. The moonlight glowed above, casting some light across the fresh, sparkling water.

  She hugged herself, waiting for the tears to flow, but they never came.

  She couldn’t shed a tear for the man who broke her heart and nearly ruined her faith in ever being able to trust. Hank Parker was a mean old son of a bitch. He had been abusive, dishonest, and didn’t give a damn whether she lived or died just as long as she provided money. He gave her away the first chance he had.

  Yet, one small part of her felt empty. Perhaps it was because her father was the last living relative she had. That thought brought tears to her eyes.

  But then she thought about Stacy and the men. If it weren’t for her relationship with Stacy, she would have been all alone out there and never would have met Wyatt, Charlie, and Ben.

  A smile formed on her lips as she wiped the stray tears and took a deep breath.

  Her senses kicked in after a moment, and she could have sworn she smelled men’s aftershave.

  Another quick inhale and her chest tightened. It was the same cologne as the man from New York. She looked around, didn’t hear a sound, and the smell seemed to disappear.

  A few seconds passed of her listening to her own heartbeat and the sounds of nature around her when she finally relaxed. It was just her imagination playing tricks on her. Her father was dead, and her past life in New York was over officially.

  She was going to be just fine. She had the men, a new job, a place to live, and she was in love. She had been in love the moment she allowed herself to get to know each of her men. She had known it and pushed it off as inexperience and the fact that her men were cowboys. They were gorgeous, sexy, and rugged. Never mind demanding, especially in the bedroom.

  “Anna!”

  She heard Stacy calling for her in the distance. Taking a deep breath to answer, she turned just as a large, solid hand covered her mouth while another wrapped around her waist.

  Instantly, she knew it wasn’t one of her men.

  * * * *

  “Hey, gorgeous. We’ve been waiting for you,” he whispered against her ear as he rubbed his erection against her back. She instantly smelled the cologne. It was real, and he was here to take her back.

  Anna was so frightened. She remembered that voice. How did they find her?

  She struggled in his arms, and he tightened his hold. She heard Stacy getting closer. Oh, God, no! The baby. She couldn’t let them hurt her.

  “Your cute little girlfriend is coming this way. Maybe my partner should grab her for himself. She had a nice set on her, too,” he whispered.

  Anna shook her head.

  “No? You don’t want us to take her, too? Then cooperate and stay quiet, or she’s dead.”

  Anna froze in place, trying to let him know that she agreed to his terms.

  “Man, I’d love to fuck you right here against this tree. If the bitch wasn’t so close, I’d do it. I guess I can hold off a little longer,” he stated as he began walking her farther away from where Stacy was.

  His partner stayed close. They didn’t use flashlights, which made Anna think that they knew where they were going and had been watching her.

  She was so scared. But she needed to focus on Stacy’s safety. As long as she kept these men away from Stacy then she could deal with getting away from them herself as soon as she had the chance.

  Way in the distance, she heard Wyatt’s voice, then Ben and the others. They were searching for her. Were they close enough to Stacy to protect her? She couldn’t take the chance that they weren’t. Her heart continued to pound against her chest. She was so scared, but she worried about Stacy and the baby, so she didn’t fight them.

  They walked through a heavily dense area of bushes and trees before a clearing. Anna hadn’t been this far out on the property, so she had no idea where they were or how far away from the house or main road.

  “We better move fast, Vinny. Marcus warned us about leaving too many dead bodies around.”

  “We’re almost in the clear. You drive, so my woman and me can get to know one another better,” he stated then ran his hands over her thigh and between her legs. Anna shoved his hand away then sprang free, but before she could get away, his partner grabbed her by the hair, pulling her back. She screamed at the pain.

  Vinny smacked her across the mouth, sending her flying to the dirt.

  * * * *

  “Stacy, did you find her?” Eric asked as he caught up to her by the river, along with Max.

  “No. Damn it, where could she have gone?” Stacy asked, now very concerned.

  “Hey, any sign of her?” Charlie approached, along with Wyatt and Ben.

  They shook their heads.

  Wyatt started looking around the area and by the river.

  “She wouldn’t just run off. I don’t like the feeling I have,” Stacy stated as Eric pulled her to him.

  “Wait, listen…do you hear that?” Charlie asked.

  Everyone quieted down.

  “That sounded like a scream,” Ben replied, and they all began running toward the fields.

  “We’ll grab the truck!” Eric stated, still holding Stacy’s hand. Max ran ahead to get the keys to the truck.

  “Motherfucker! We should have never let her leave!” Ben yelled.

  “Let’s just get to her. Damn it, I wish I had a flashlight,” Charlie stated as they ran as quickly as they could through the trees.

  * * * *

  Vinny pulled Anna up off the ground and shoved her against the car. She cringed in pain as the metal made contact with her back.

  “You little bitch! Stop trying to run. You’re mine, and there’s no getting out of it!” Vinny struck her again, but across the cheek instead of the mouth. She felt the pain, but something else came over her. She was angry and so scared, but she didn’t want to leave. She didn’t want them to win and take her away from Charlie, Ben, and Wyatt.

  “I’m not yours! I won’t leave here with you,” she screamed.

  Vinny smirked as Jake yelled for him to get into the car.

  Vinny grabbed her by the hair, and she kicked and screamed, fighting him with all she had. She used her fingernails and felt them rip as they scratched deeply into his skin. She screamed at the top of her lungs as he threw her into the backseat of the car.

  Reaching above her, she grabbed for the door handle to try and escape, but he slammed her in the stomach. She cried out, still tr
ying to fight him and grab for the handle.

  Somehow, she got it open as he ripped the shirt from her body, and she fell to the ground headfirst.

  Her cheek and temple hit the ground hard, stunning her a second, before someone grabbed her from the ground and pulled her up.

  As it registered in her head that Jake had grabbed her, he slammed her head forward and into the metal frame of the door.

  * * * *

  “I hear her, there, over there. Fuck, what are they doing to her?” Charlie stated, but they were running so fast, listening to her screams, and the adrenaline was flowing.

  Wyatt reached the clearing first and growled as he saw a man bang Anna’s head against the car. She looked like a rag doll as she fell to the ground.

  “Get away from her!” Wyatt roared as he attacked the guy and started hitting him.

  Charlie ran to Anna as Ben ran around the other side pulling the other guy out of the car and giving him a beating of his own.

  In the distance, they heard a truck approaching and sirens as well.

  Eric and Max jumped out of the truck with guns drawn and had to stop Ben and Wyatt from killing the two men.

  * * * *

  Stacy screamed then cried as she saw all the blood and Anna looking like she was dead on the ground.

  Wyatt and Ben immediately went to Anna’s side.

  “Is she alive?” Wyatt demanded.

  “I got a real weak pulse. Shit! Did you see how fucking hard he slammed her to the door. God, I think it’s bad,” Charlie stated.

  “The ambulance is on its way,” Eric added from a few feet away. Just then, three other patrol cars and the paramedics made their way across the field.

  The paramedics were immediately by her side evaluating her injuries.

  They listened as the paramedics spoke into their radios.

  “We need a medevac ASAP. Patient in critical condition, large laceration plus swelling, unconsciousness, and dangerously low blood pressure. Surgeons on standby, ETA twenty minutes,” the paramedic stated as they prepared to take Anna by helicopter.

  “What’s going on? What do they mean ‘medevac’?” Stacy asked.

  “What hospital are you taking her to?” Charlie asked.

  “Memorial Hermann, sir,” the paramedic responded, and Charlie felt his stomach clench. It was a great hospital known for treating everything from amputations, head and spinal injuries, to Lupus. But it was also an hour away.

  A few minutes later, they could hear the helicopter approaching and beginning to land.

  Ben, Wyatt, and Charlie kissed Anna before they rolled the gurney to the helicopter.

  They weren’t going to let anyone get on the helicopter.

  Wyatt pulled out his badge.

  “I’m the sheriff, and this is my woman. Please let me go with her so she’s not alone?”

  The pilot nodded, and Wyatt got on with Anna and the medic on board.

  He locked gazes with his brothers and fought to keep the tears from flowing.

  * * * *

  “Let’s get moving. It will take an hour to get to the hospital by car,” Max stated.

  “With a state police escort, it will take half the time,” Eric countered as he hit the speed dial on his cell phone.

  “Let’s get back to the house, lock things up, and get to Anna as fast as we can,” Charlie replied, and they all headed toward the vehicles.

  Chapter 17

  Wyatt sat in the emergency room waiting area for over an hour before his brothers and cousins arrived.

  “How is she? What are they saying?” Charlie asked as he embraced his brother. Then Ben, Eric, Max, and Stacy followed suit.

  He shook each of the deputies’ hands one at a time then answered.

  “I don’t know anything yet. They rushed her inside and told me to wait here and that the doctor would be out to see me as soon as he could.”

  “Was she still unconscious?” Charlie asked.

  Wyatt shook his head.

  “Shit!” he exclaimed as he ran his hand through his hair.

  “What, Charlie? Why did you ask that?” Stacy asked, placing her hand on his arm.

  He looked at her, the sadness and concern apparent in his eyes.

  “In a brain injury, the longer she remains unconscious, the worse her prognosis could be.”

  “That fucking asshole banged her head against the door frame so hard,” Ben whispered, then swallowed hard and turned away from everyone. Wyatt saw the tears in his brother’s eyes. He was about to lose it himself with worry over Anna.

  “Let’s not jump to conclusions. All we can do is wait until the doctor comes out and tells us more,” Wyatt stated, and everyone agreed.

  * * * *

  It was a good two hours later when the waiting room filled with more visitors. Mary and Jack came by with food and drinks for everyone from Francine’s. The workers from the ranch and a few other store owners and friends from town came in as well. When Doctor Jones arrived, he went right up to the front desk, smooth-talked the nurse, and was able to go into the restricted area where they weren’t allowed to enter.

  “Dr. Jones will get an update,” Eric whispered to Stacy as he held her in his arms.

  Everyone turned toward the door as Dr. Jones and another doctor dressed in scrubs came out. He looked a bit taken aback at the crowd.

  Dr. Jones whispered something to him and pointed toward Wyatt, Ben, and Charlie.

  “I’m Dr. Martin, brain injury specialist.” He reached out and shook the men’s hands one at a time.

  “First, let me tell you that we are taking very good care of Anna. She is getting the best treatment, and we are thorough in our evaluations. The medevac paramedics explained how her injury occurred, which is important for me to know in order to evaluate her treatment and make certain she recovers.”

  “Did she gain consciousness?” Ben asked.

  “No. Not yet, which is what I am most concerned over.”

  “Jesus! What else can you tell us?” Charlie asked.

  “Is she going to be all right? Will she recover completely?” Stacy asked.

  “I can’t say with a hundred percent certainty that she won’t have lasting side effects. She’s very petite and to sustain such a blow as she did there are many concerns.”

  “Those being?” Wyatt asked.

  “My first concern is that she is still unconscious. The longer she remains that way the more severe her injuries can be.”

  “My God! What about tests like CAT scans or MRIs,” Stacy asked.

  “We are in the process of doing those. So far, it doesn’t appear that there are any contusions to the brain. Basically, brain contusions are bruises of the brain tissue that occur as a result of brain trauma. In some cases, brain contusions lead to hemorrhages that are absorbed into the brain tissue.”

  “Has the swelling gone down?” Dr. Jones asked.

  “The swelling has remained the same since she arrived in the ER. As you know, Dr. Jones, brain contusions are localized, a characteristic that distinguishes them from concussions, which are more spread out. Once we do the CAT scans and MRIs, we should be able to rule this out.”

  “So we wait for the results of the tests?”

  The doctor nodded.

  “Can we see her?” Wyatt asked.

  The doctor hesitated then looked at Dr. Jones.

  “I suppose for a quick minute. No more than that. We should have the results from the tests soon, and then we’ll determine what we need to do to help her recover.”

  The men shook his hand, then followed him to the ICU.

  * * * *

  The nurse told them one at a time, so Wyatt entered first, although Charlie and Ben could see her through the windows. She was covered in wires, her face battered and bruised. Wyatt’s heart pounded in his chest. The thugs had beaten her before him, and the others knew she was in trouble.

  They had failed to protect her when she needed them most. He swallowed hard, finding it difficu
lt to not become emotional.

  She looked so pale and fragile with all the wires hooked up to her. The beeping sounds filled the room. It was surreal and frightening. One look at the gash by her head and the swelling that the doctor was concerned about had Wyatt shedding tears.

  He knew he had little time, so he wiped his eyes and leaned down to kiss her cheek below the bruise.

  “I love you, baby. Please wake up and come back to us. I can’t live without you,” he whispered as the tears rolled down his cheeks and he walked out of the room.

  * * * *

  One look at his brother and Charlie felt like vomiting. He’d never seen Wyatt cry before.

  He touched Wyatt’s shoulder as he passed him, but Wyatt’s head was down as he exited the ICU.

  Taking a deep breath, Charlie walked into the room and stopped short at the sight.

  “Oh, Jesus, Anna!” he whispered, covering his mouth as he absorbed the sight of tubes, bruises, and monitors beeping. The sound of her heart beating should have brought him some peace, but instead, it scared him. Her face had cuts and bruises on it, and the gash by her head had been stitched up and bandaged. He prayed that there wasn’t any internal bleeding or brain injury. He clenched his fists as the tears rolled down his cheeks. He should have killed the fuckers. They had enough time to rough her up again, and he hadn’t been there to protect her. He swallowed hard.

  He slowly moved closer and touched her delicate hand then a finger that didn’t have some sort of monitoring device on it.

  He leaned down and kissed her lips gently, away from the cut there.

  “I love you, baby. Please pull through. We need you.”

  Slowly, he stood up and exited the room, closing his eyes and inhaling as he made eye contact with Ben. Ben looked downright pissed off.