by Becca Van
“That smells amazing.” Sally inhaled through her nose and sat on the stool before picking up her fork and digging in. She moaned as the first bite hit her tongue and he had to shift on his stool when his cock began to harden. She savored every bite and when she was done, sighed with satiation, then picked up her full coffee mug and sipped from it. “Thank you. You take such good care of me.”
“We love taking care of you, Sally,” Frank said after he’d chewed and swallowed the last bit of his omelet. He stroked a finger down her face. “I love you, sweetheart.”
Frank held his breath and waited to see what her reaction would be. He hadn’t meant to blurt out what was in his heart, but now that he had, he was glad it was out there. He just hoped that she reciprocated his feelings.
She drew in a noisy breath and turned to meet his gaze. When he saw the tears in her eyes, his heart stuttered before pounding a fast staccato against his ribs. She slid from her stool and promptly leaped into his arms, and hugged him tight.
Frank lifted her from her feet and held her in his lap. He inhaled deeply before exhaling slowly and kissed the top of her head. She wiped her damp cheeks on his T-shirt and then drew back to meet his gaze.
“I love you, too, Frank.”
Elation filled his heart and warmed him to his soul. He wanted to whoop and holler with joy, but instead he kissed her lightly, reverently, on the lips.
“Thank you, Sallyanne.”
She nodded, palmed his cheeks between her hands, and then she kissed him. It was a passionate kiss but so full of love his eyes welled with tears and he blinked rapidly to dispel them. When she pulled back and smiled at him, his heart nearly burst. She was so damn fucking beautiful, and she loved him.
“Do you think we could go for that walk now?”
“Of course, sweetheart. I need to weed one of the garden beds anyway. Do you like to garden?”
“Yes.” She grabbed hold of his forearms as he lowered her feet to the floor and then she took his hand in hers and led the way to the back door. “My mom and I used to spend hours in the garden weeding, pruning, and watering. We had our own veggie garden, too. I miss her so much.”
Frank tugged on her hand once they stepped outside and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He didn’t have any words of comfort to offer but he could give her to the comfort of his body, his warmth, and strength. She met his gaze, smiled at him, and then drew away as she hurried down the porch steps, pointing toward the garden shed a hundred yards or so away. “Is that where you keep your gardening tools?”
“Sure is.” Frank hurried to catch up with her. The hair on his nape was prickling. He glanced about, looking to see if there was any danger, but he couldn’t see anyone around, but he wasn’t about to lower his guard. He’d never ignored his gut before and he wasn’t about to start now. When he was at her side he made sure to keep his body between hers and the back fence. The fence around the property was made of pine post and wire so if anyone was watching or had a bead on her they would be able to see her clearly. Frank’s immediate thought was to take her back inside but she looked so happy being outside, he didn’t want to spoil her brief sojourn.
He sighed with relief when she opened the shed door and ducked inside, glad that she was out of sight of whoever was watching. The moment he entered after her she turned to him and when he saw how pale her face was, knew she’d felt the threat, too.
“He’s here, isn’t he?” Sally began to tremble and wring her hands.
“I don’t know, sweetheart?”
She frowned at him. “You don’t need to lie to me. I felt the danger and so did you. You put your body directly behind me. What are we going to do?”
Frank bit his lip and rubbed a hand over his face. He wanted her back inside behind locked doors and closed windows, but the space between the shed and house was too open and he didn’t want to risk her life more than he already had. He removed his phone from his pocket and called Luke.
“Luke, Frank. We have a problem … Yeah, we’re being watched… We’re out back in the garden shed. Okay. Thanks, man.” Frank disconnected the call.
“Luke, Damon, and some deputies are coming over.”
“What if there’s no one there? What if we’re wrong?”
“I’d rather be safe than sorry, Sally. Shit! I knew I should have worn my gun. I should never have agreed to coming outside.”
“It’s not your fault. You all can’t keep me locked up forever.”
“We can and will until the law catches this fucker. My brothers and I love you, Sallyanne. You’re the most important person in our lives and we will do anything and everything we can to protect you.”
“I know. I love you all, but …”
“There is no but, sweetheart.” Frank pulled her into his arms and hugged her. He would hold onto her forever to keep her safe. How long they stood like that in the shed he didn’t know. It had to have been at least twenty or so minutes. When he heard footsteps coming toward the shed, he pushed her behind him and readied his muscles to fight, but when he saw Will, he exhaled with relief. His older brother was decked out in a new deputy’s uniform with a gun belt around his waist.
“Sally, are you okay, baby?”
Sally moved out from behind him and gasped when she saw Will. She ran to him with a wide smile on her face and launched herself into his arms. “You did it! I’m so happy for and proud of you.”
“Thanks, baby.” Will hugged her tight and kissed the top of her head. He frowned when she squeaked and pulled back. “What’s wrong, Sally?”
“Your gun belt was digging into my stomach.” Sally took another step away from him and eyed him up and down. “That uniform suits you. You look so big and sexy.”
The frown that had been on Will’s face turned to a smile. “You think so, huh?” He pushed his hat back and winked at Sally.
“Oh yeah. Most women love a man in uniform.”
“Does that include you?” Will asked with a smirk.
“Of course it does.” Sally chuckled, stepped toward Will again, and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I love you, Will.”
Will swallowed audibly as he looked up at the garden shed ceiling before meeting Sally’s gaze. “I love you, too, baby.”
Sally sighed as she once more drew back and Will looked deeply into her eyes with the love in his heart there for her to see. He gently wiped the tears from her eyes before kissing her lightly on the lips.
“Everything okay?” Damon asked from the door to the shed.
“Everything’s perfect.” Will replied. “Come on, baby. Let’s get you back inside.”
Sally nodded. Frank and Will put Sally between them and exited the shed. Frank led the way and Will brought up the rear. Both of them were alert and their gazes didn’t stop looking for danger until Sallyanne was safely inside.
Frank sat next to her on the sofa and Will left the house again. The longer his brother and the sheriffs were gone the more anxious he became but he made sure to keep his feelings hidden from Sally. His woman was already nervous enough without him adding to her rioting emotions.
Luke and Damon entered with Will behind them. Luke shook his head. “We didn’t find anything.”
“Fuck!” Frank exploded. “We know there was someone out there watching us. Both of us felt it.”
Damon nodded. “We believe you, but there were no signs that anyone was close to the property.”
“They could have been watching through binoculars,” Sally said as she stood and began to pace.
Frank was thinking more along the lines of a sniper rifle but wasn’t about to say that in front of Sally. She was already rattled enough.
“I think you should bring in a body guard,” Luke suggested.
“Why?” Sally turned to stare at Luke. “One of my men is with me all the time. They’re trained military. Plus, Will has just become a deputy.”
“I agree with Luke,” Will said as he walked to Sallyanne. “Baby, we can’t be too careful. T
his guy is dangerous.”
“I know,” Sally shouted and then she began to cry. Will drew her into his arms and held her. Her bout of tears didn’t last long and Frank realized that it was her way of dealing with the stress of the situation. She’d been strong for so long and now that she had him and his brothers to lean on, she was more comfortable releasing the tension.
“I’ll call Rick. Remy will no doubt suggest someone if he hasn’t got someone on his payroll already.” Frank headed to the kitchen to make the call. After explaining to Rick what had happened, Rick said he would call back after talking to Remy, Giles, and Brandon.
Frank hoped they had someone who could come right away. His gut was tight with dread and he had a very bad feeling that it wouldn’t be too long before the shit hit the fan.
Chapter Fourteen
Angelo cursed under his breath when his woman hugged the big man at her side. That fucking bitch was supposed to be his. She was his and he would get her back. He’d taken her fucking virginity, which meant she belonged to him for life, but it looked like she was fucking another man. She needed to pay for sending him to prison, for running and letting someone else touch her.
Fucking bitch!
It had taken his man longer to find her than he’d thought but as soon as she’d been located, Angelo had given Officer Brush orders to charter a small plane for that afternoon. He’d boarded it a few hours later and landed on the outskirts of town at the small landing strip. Ramon had been waiting for him and taken him to the place his right-hand man had been spying on Sally.
Ramon cleared his throat and when Angelo glanced at him, he saw how nervous the other man was. “There’s something you should know, boss.”
Angelo didn’t say anything but looked at him expectantly.
“She’s been fucking three men.”
Rage filled his body, making every muscle feel as if it was about to burst. He felt the veins in his head pop out and was sure his face was as red as it felt. He struck fast, grabbing Ramon’s throat with his hand, and squeezed so hard the other man choked and tried to claw at his hand, but Angelo held on tight. It wasn’t until he noticed that Ramon’s lips were starting to turn blue and his eyes were beginning to bulge that he realized he was trying to kill the only man he ever really trusted. He released him quickly and shoved to his feet before he started pacing back and forth.
“She needs to pay.” Angelo spat on the ground and tried to quell the fury coursing through his blood.
“Do you want me to kill her?” Ramon asked, his voice hoarse after Angelo had tried to strangle him.
“No. She’s mine. Her brother, however …”
“Say no more,” Ramon wheezed as he inhaled and removed his cell phone from his pocket.
Satisfaction replaced the anger and he picked up the rifle to see if Sally had come out of the shed. What he saw had the rage returning. There were cops everywhere, searching the grounds. When he realized the cops were there because of him, elation rushed into his heart. She felt him in her heart and soul. She knew he was close. Angelo groaned when his cock stood at attention and rubbed over his hard dick.
She knew he was here for her and before too long he would have her back in his arms, under his body as he fucked that tight pussy.
He lowered the rifle and nodded to Ramon, who led the way back to the car parked in amongst the trees hidden from view.
Soon, Sallyanne. Soon I will wipe away the touch of any other man and you’ll be mine.
* * * *
No matter how hard she tried, Sallyanne couldn’t seem to relax. She was a bundle of nerves and every little noise had her jumping out of her skin. Rick was working in the study and although she’d tried to engross herself in a book, she couldn’t seem to concentrate. She’d tried reading the same sentence at least ten times and each time she did none of the words made sense.
She dropped the book on the coffee table and stared out the window to the front yard. It had been two days since she had felt as if she was being watched and although she no longer felt the hair on her neck standing on end, she couldn’t settle.
She looked up when she heard Rick walking toward her and tried to smile when he frowned at her.
“Are you all right, love?” Rick asked.
Sally nodded.
“I was about to start dinner. Do you want to help me?”
“Sure.” Sally shoved to her feet and followed Rick into the kitchen. She knew that he was trying to keep her occupied and she appreciated it, but nothing was going to get her mind off Angelo hunting her. Sometimes it felt as if she could feel him breathing down her neck.
She took the ingredients he passed her as he got them out of the fridge and started to chop the vegetables. “What are we making?”
“Chicken casserole.”
“Sounds good,” Sally replied distractedly.
After she’d browned the chicken, garlic, chili paste, and onion, she scooped the ingredients into a large casserole dish, layered the vegetables on top, and poured some chicken stock in after adding some fresh herbs, salt, and pepper.
“Let me put that in the oven, love. It’s heavy.”
Sally nodded and Rick opened the warming oven door and stepped back. They worked in silence as they cleaned up and then Rick grabbed three beers and poured her a glass of wine. She looked at the clock and saw that it was almost time for Frank and Will to arrive home.
“Come and sit on the sofa, Sally.”
Sally took his hand and let him lead her into the living room where they sat close to each other. Rick wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side. “How are you holding up, love?”
“Okay,” she sighed.
“You don’t need to lie to me, Sally. We can all tell you’re scared.”
“Yes, I am, but I’m not about to let that bastard ruin my life again. I love you, Rick. I love Will and Frank, too. I’ve only just found you all and I’m not going to let him destroy what we have.”
Rick nudged her chin up and kissed her passionately until they were both breathless. He rested his forehead on hers. “I love you, too, love. We’ll get through this. Luke, Damon, and Will are doing everything they can to find that fucker and put him behind bars.”
“I know. It’s the waiting that’s killing me. I feel as if I’m walking around with a big target stuck to my back. He’s coming Rick and I don’t know how I’m going to react when he finds me.”
“We won’t let him get to you, Sally.”
“You can’t promise that. He has men he uses to kill for him. For all we know we could be surrounded and don’t even know it.”
“That’s not true, Sally. There are deputies patrolling regularly and Remy said that the men he contacted should be here tonight or tomorrow.”
“Is that why we made so much dinner?”
“Yeah, just in case.”
“Do you know these men?”
“Not personally,” Rick replied. “But I trust Remy, Giles, and Brandon. If they recommend someone you can be sure that he, or they, can be trusted.”
“I hate this. I hate that you all have to put your lives on hold. That you have to spend money to hire other people to keep me safe.”
“Sally, stop it. You are important to us, love. We all love you. We don’t care if we have to sell our house to make sure you’re protected. However, we haven’t had to spend a penny. The men that Remy have called, owed him and they are doing it as a favor.”
Sally shoved to his feet. “It was his favor, not mine.”
“What’s going on?” Will asked as he and Frank came into the living room.
“Nothing,” Sally snapped and then hurried toward the bedroom.
Rick sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair before he explained to his brothers.
“She’s scared.” Frank glanced toward the bedroom.
“She’s also exhausted.” Will sat in an armchair and snagged the bottle of beer off of the coffee table.
“The nightmare keeps
waking her.” Rick took a sip of beer.
“I’m worried that she’s going to break.” Frank scrubbed a hand over her face. “She startles at every little noise.”
“Of course she does,” Will said. “She’s been through hell.”
“When are the men supposed to turn up?” Rick asked.
“Tonight,” Frank answered.
“Thank God.” Will sighed. “I’ll feel better knowing we have more men here to protect her.”
“Me, too.” Rick rose and walked toward the kitchen.
“Is the spare room ready?” Frank followed him.
“Yeah, everything’s set. It will be a little crowded but at least they have a bed to sleep in.”
Frank checked the timer on the oven before pushing the button on the rice cooker to start it.
“Why don’t you go and check on her?”
Will nodded before leaving the kitchen. Frank hoped that his brother could calm Sally down. She hadn’t smiled for a couple of days and the happiness was no longer in her eyes. He wanted to see her smiling, laughing again. Maybe tonight was the night they made love to her together. If they helped her to relax and wore her out by their lovemaking, maybe she wouldn’t wake up crying from the nightmare.
* * * *
Sally rolled on to her back when the bedroom door opened. Will had changed out of his uniform to jeans and a T-shirt. He looked sexy no matter what he wore, but she loved seeing him in his uniform and was a little disappointed that he’d already changed clothes.
He sat on the side of the bed and held his hand out to her. Sally rolled to her hands and knees, crawled over to him, and scrambled into his lap.
“You have to stop worrying, baby. You’re going to get sick.”