by Becca Van
“Hi, baby, how are you feeling?” Tom asked as he walked over to Beth, took her into his arms, and kissed her on the lips. She snuggled against him for a bit and then pulled away when she realized what she was doing.
“Fine,” Beth answered breathlessly.
She couldn’t believe how just a small peck from one of her lovers and the sensation of his arms around her and his big hard body against hers could make her so aroused so quickly.
“Are Zach and Noah in the station?”
“Yeah, they’ve been working for a couple of hours now. I take it you slept well, sweetheart?” Tom grinned.
“Yes. Better than I have in ages.” Beth lowered her head trying to hide her red face, and rested her forehead against Tom’s shirt-covered chest. She couldn’t help but inhale his clean, masculine scent.
“You’ve got nothing to be embarrassed about, baby.” Tom lifted her gaze to his by placing a finger beneath her chin. He placed a light kiss to her small nose, gave her a squeeze, and released her. “What would you like for breakfast, Beth?”
“Just some toast and coffee. You know I’m quite capable of getting my own breakfast. You don’t need to wait on me.” Beth moved into the kitchen and grabbed a mug from the cupboard and poured herself some coffee.
“Yeah, we know that, baby, but we like taking care of you. Why don’t you sit down and drink your coffee? I’ll bring your toast over when it’s done.”
“Thanks, Tom.”
“What would you like to do today, Beth? Do you need anything from the shops?” Tom looked at her over his shoulder as he fixed her toast and then brought it over to the table.
She took a bite and chewed before answering. “Um yeah, I do. Can I go with you? I’ll wear that ridiculous disguise again.” She finished her piece of toast and wondered if he was going to answer her. His expression was wary and then changed to resigned.
“I don’t see why not. You finish up here, I’ll go and let Noah and Zach know where we’re going,” Tom said over his shoulder as he walked toward the station part of the house.
Since Beth had already finished eating her piece of toast, she followed him to the door but made sure to stay out of sight. Tom was just inside the doorway and Noah walked closer, so she was able to hear their conversation.
“Noah, I’m going to the shops with our friend. Can you give me a portable radio to take with me?” Tom asked quietly since Zach was talking to someone at the counter. Beth figured he didn’t want anyone else to hear him.
Beth heard Noah’s footsteps as he moved away and then again as he walked back to Tom.
“Here you go.” Noah must have handed over a spare police radio. “Where are you taking our friend?”
“She needs a few items from the store and if all goes well, I thought we might drop into the adult store, too,” Tom said.
Beth covered her mouth to stifle her gasp. She had the urge to giggle nervously but swallowed it back down. She could just imagine the grin on Tom’s face and the way he wiggled his eyebrows when he was trying to be funny. Tom tried very hard to keep his feelings hidden by using humor, but she had seen the concern in his eyes when he looked at her. He had a depth to him that she would love to see let loose, but didn’t think she would ever get the chance to see that side of him. Not with that arsehole cop looking for her. Dread formed in the pit of her stomach and she shuddered with fear. No matter how hard she tried to shake the feeling of impending doom, she couldn’t.
Beth heard a slap and wondered which of the men was cajoling the other. When she heard Noah’s voice she figured it must be him. “Keep your eyes open and give me a call if you need to.”
“I will,” Tom replied.
Tom walked back out of the station and closed the door after him. He scowled at her, gently gripped her arm, and pulled her back to the kitchen.
“What the hell did you think you were doing? Someone could have seen you.”
Beth tugged her arm from his hand and gave him a frown of her own. “I’m not stupid, damn it. I made sure to stay out of sight.”
Tom sighed and scrubbed a hand down his face. “I’m sorry, baby. I just don’t want anything to happen to you. Are you ready to go?”
“Just let me brush my teeth again and put on my disguise.” Beth hurried away to do just that.
Beth and Tom walked around the supermarket. She was aware of his eyes moving constantly, scanning their surroundings and the other people. He made sure to keep her securely at his side, holding her hand as they walked up and down the aisles. Once they finished the grocery shopping, Tom took her to the coffee shop where they enjoyed a delicious latte and chatted quietly. Beth didn’t know the new owners of Tasha’s store and felt a pang of sadness when she realized she hadn’t seen anything of her friend for a couple of weeks. Even though she wanted to visit Tasha, she was reluctant to do so as she hadn’t been with her two fiancés for very long, and she didn’t want to interrupt the honeymoon stage of their relationship. Plus she could be putting her friend in danger and she wasn’t about to do that.
“Why are you so scared of how you feel about us, Beth?” Tom’s question was so out of the blue her mouth gaped open.
He reached over and nudged it closed with a finger. “What’s wrong, baby? Did you think Noah, Zach, and I didn’t know you’re scared of caring for us? It’s not one-sided, Beth. Don’t you realize we care for you, too?”
Beth shook her head and stared at him. As she watched, his eyes changed from cool to hot in the blink of an eye. But what made her breath catch was the emotion she could see in his gaze. She couldn’t tell what it was, but there was definitely more than lust.
“Where did you grow up?”
She was relieved at the change of subject and found herself answering Tom’s question without thought.
“Sydney. My mum never wanted me. As soon as I was born she’d handed me over into my grandmother’s care and even though I was provided for, my grandmother didn’t have a maternal bone in her body.”
“Shit. That must have been damn hard on you, baby?”
“I learned to be self-reliant and in doing so kept other kids at arm’s length, too. The one time I asked my grandmother if I could invite a friend over to play she snapped out a succinct negative and smacked me on the butt. I never asked her for anything again.”
He felt like he’d been punched in the gut. What sort of person didn’t let a child know they were loved or let them spend time with their peers?
Tom could see the sadness and loneliness in her eyes and wanted to hold her but didn’t want to stop her from talking so he clenched his hands and bit his tongue.
“When I finished high school at the age of seventeen, I came home after my last day and had saw a for-sale sign on the front lawn of the only home I’d ever known. A week later the house had been sold and my grandmother informed me that she was moving to Perth, Western Australia, to live with her sister, and that I was on my own.”
“Fuck!” He could probably see the moisture in her eyes and even though she was speaking in a monotone as if none of it mattered, Tom knew it cut her to the quick. His expression told her how bad he felt for her.
“I was devastated but had learned not to show fear, dejection, or the turmoil roiling inside me to her, my cold grandmother.”
“She sounds like a real bitch.” Tom covered her hand with his.
“She was, but I was lucky enough to have found a part-time job while going through high school and had called my boss to ask for full-time work. I spent the next four years putting myself through night school, learning everything I could about being an accountant, while working in a restaurant as a waitress. It took longer than it should have to graduate but I was determined to finish. I studied hard and in the end succeeded and graduated at the top of my class.”
“You should be proud of yourself, baby. You had a plan and didn’t give up until you achieved it. You’re so strong and brave, Beth.”
“No,” Beth sighed. “I just did what I had
to. Anyway, after applying for and getting a job at with an accountancy firm in Bondi, I looked forward to paying off my school loans and saving some money to buy a home of my own. I worked for that firm for one year and had only just managed to pay off my debt and then that ill-fated terrifying night had happened.”
“God, baby, you’ve been to hell and back, haven’t you?”
“I was better off than a lot of other people.”
She could tell by his expression that he knew there was more to her story and that she was downplaying her life, but she needed to keep control here or she would fall apart. He reached out and took her other hand in his and then brought it to his mouth and kissed the back of it. Tears pricked the back of her eyes and she felt them soften as she continued to look at him. That action went straight to her heart and filled her up with so much warmth it was nearly too much to contain.
Beth just hoped that he couldn’t see how much his, Zach’s and Tom’s caring of her touched her, but by the look in his eyes she wasn’t sure she had succeeded in hiding how she felt. She was scared of opening herself up to anyone but her three men seemed to get to her no matter how hard she tried to stay locked up tight.
By the time they’d finished their coffee he knew almost everything about her. She asked him about his life and he had told her bits and pieces but when she asked him about being in the Air Force, he clammed up, but she’d seen the sadness in his eyes as he stared off into space and he could tell she wondered if he’d lost friends while defending their country. She reached over, placed her hand on top of his and squeezed.
“Thank you for protecting our country. You are a hero and deserve every accolade there is for serving in the military.”
Tom looked away but she heard him swallow loudly because her gaze softened again and when he turned back and gave her that goofy smile he did when he was trying to lighten the mood, he knew he hadn’t succeeded and she could probably see the moisture in his eyes.
“Just doing my job, baby. Have you finished? I want to stop at one more shop before we head back, but we’re going to take the car this time.”
Beth sighed and looked at Tom as he rose to his feet. Obviously their discussion was over. He held out his hand and when she took it, he helped her to get up from her seat and guided her out of the shop, around the building, to the nearly empty parking lot out the back of the store.
Tom’s body was taut with tension and she glanced about her nervously, but she couldn’t see anything to be afraid of. Tom spun around just as a man rushed toward them. He defended himself as the guy threw a punch and connect with the arsehole's jaw. But the man was nearly as big as Tom and the punch he’d landed on the fucker didn’t seem to faze him. He shook his head and grinned and then curled his hand telling Tom to come get him.
“Run baby,” Tom yelled as he attacked. Beth heard Tom but she couldn’t seem to get her feet to cooperate. Plus she wanted to stay with him in case he needed her. Tom ducked the next punch but as he stood up again the guy came up with his other fist and hit Tom square under the chin. His head snapped back and he stumbled to the ground. As he landed Beth heard the sickening thud as his head connected with the hard ground.
She took a staggering step toward Tom but when the bastard lunged toward her. She turned to run but the man’s large hand gripped her arm so tightly she was afraid her bones would break. She turned her body to face her attacker and froze with fear when she realized she faced her worst nightmare.
It was him.
The cop she had seen murder an innocent man in cold blood. Her heart leapt in her chest as adrenaline-laced blood pumped through her body at a furious rate. She heard roaring in her ears as she confronted her enemy. Fear turned to rage and she struck out with her foot aiming for his groin, but he moved too fast and blocked her kick with his thigh.
Beth whimpered and saw stars as he backhanded her with his free hand and her knees buckled. She tried to hold onto consciousness, knowing if she gave in, her life would be forfeit.
She breathed deeply, trying to regain control of her senses as she knelt on the hard bitumen. She tried to scream when he began dragging her to his car across the rough asphalt but the sound caught in her throat. Her arm felt as if it was being pulled out of its socket as he hauled her along behind him.
She had to try and keep calm and remain conscious, it was her only hope of escape. She raised her free arm and clawed at the hand holding her arm so cruelly. She gave a cry of pain as he pulled the hat from her head, tossing it to the ground, and grabbed a handful of her hair, pulling her head back, and cricking her neck in an unnatural angle.
“Shut up you, little slut. I want you to get up and walk with me to my car as if you want to be with me, otherwise I will kill your lover right here, right now.” He pulled a gun from the small of his back and aimed it at Tom.
“No! Don’t shoot him! Please? I’ll come with you quietly,” Beth sobbed.
She held her breath waiting for the horrifying sound and anguish she knew she would feel if he pulled the trigger and killed Tom. She wouldn’t want to live if he killed Tom, Noah, or Zach. Oh God. She loved them, all three of them, and she hadn’t even had the chance to tell them.
She would rather he killed her than harm the men she loved more than her own life. She rose to her feet, swaying slightly as dizziness assailed her, and gave a sigh of relief when he lowered the gun and pulled her toward a dark sedan. He got into the driver’s side of the car, pulling her in after him and scooted over until he was on the passenger side of the vehicle. He handed the keys to Beth and pushed the gun into her side.
“Drive and don’t do anything funny because I won’t hesitate to shoot you,” he snarled.
“Please, let me go. I don’t even know your name. I can’t tell anyone who you are.” Beth sobbed as tears coursed down her cheeks. She was shaking with fear. Sweat formed on her skin but inside she felt so cold. Beth didn’t think that she would ever feel warm again.
“I’m not fucking stupid, you little slut. Those cops you’re banging have already searched the law database and I’m not willing to take the chance that they will find out who I am. You’ve already told them what’s going on. Just shut the fuck up and drive, before I decide to pull onto the side of the road and shoot you right now.”
* * * *
Tom groaned as pain throbbed through his head. He tried to remember what he was supposed to be doing as he pushed himself slowly into a sitting position. Oh fuck! Beth! Where was Beth? He grabbed the police radio clipped to his belt and called Noah.
“He’s got her. Get to the shops fast.” Tom tried to get to his feet but every time he moved, nausea roiled in his stomach. His vision was blurry and when he tried to focus, he was seeing two of everything, but that was the least of his worries. Beth had been kidnapped from right under his nose. Guilt assailed him and fear curled through his body. He feared for her life and knew if anything happened to her, it would be all his fault.
* * * *
Beth’s cheek was throbbing from where he had hit her and she had a headache pounding through her skull. She was at the end of her tether and didn’t think she could drive much further. It felt as if she had been driving for hours, when in reality it was only over an hour and a half. She had seen the signs indicating they were close to Bendigo and tried to formulate a plan to escape. No matter the scenario that popped into her head she knew she was in trouble. She was going to have to bide her time and hope an opportunity presented itself and take a chance to escape when she had it, even if she ended up with a bullet inside her.
The man beside her indicated she was to turn off on the dirt road ahead, so she slowed the car down and turned. They traveled down the dirt road for about five kilometers until they came to a smaller dirt track. She followed that track and felt fear slam into her again when she noticed the small cabin in amongst the Eucalyptus and Gum trees. She pulled the car to a stop and put it into park with the engine still running, hoping he would get out the passenger side so she
could make a run for it.
“Turn the ignition off and give me the keys.”
Beth did as he told her and handed the keys over knowing her chance of escape was hopeless for the moment. He pocketed the keys and pushed her out the driver’s door, following her out with his hand wrapped around her arm in a tight grip. He pulled her to the cabin steps and pushed her into the sparsely furnished room, slamming the door closed behind him.
“Get into the kitchen and make some food, bitch. And don’t try anything because I will shoot you.” He pushed her into the kitchen and sat down on a chair, at the small, scarred wooden table. He placed the gun on the hard surface and watched as she moved about the kitchen.
Beth was trembling with fear. She was so scared she could barely move, but she set about rummaging in the pantry and small stocked fridge. She made him some soup from a can and some sandwiches and placed them in front of him. She turned back to the small kitchen to make some coffee.
Beth grabbed the other chair and pulled it across the room. She didn’t want to be anywhere near him, but her legs were so weak she couldn’t stand anymore. She sat down with her mug of coffee, her hands wrapped around it trying to relieve some of the chill in her fingers, and she kept her gaze on the floor.
“You’ve ruined everything. If it wasn’t for you, I’d be sitting pretty right now on a island somewhere. Now I’m gonna have to kill you as well as your lovers. I don’t like my plans to be fucked up, especially by some stupid slut.” The chair scraped across the floor and he was at her side a moment later. He reached out and grabbed her by the hair, making her drop the mug of coffee, and dragged her into the bedroom off the main room of the cabin.
He pushed her down onto the bed and used his body to cover hers and keep her pinned to the mattress. Her wrists were caught in a cruel grip and then her arms were wrenched up above her head. Beth cried and wriggled, trying to get free, but he was too heavy to move off of her and she wasn’t strong enough. A rope was pulled tight around one wrist and a moment later around the other and then both were tethered to the slats of the old, wrought-iron headboard. She jerked and sobbed when the hemp tore into her flesh. He rolled to the side and then off the bed. The cold malicious look he gave her sent fear skating up her spine and she trembled. When he gripped one of her ankles, she kicked out with both feet, but he just laughed and squeezed until tears streamed down her face. Rope was wrapped tightly around one ankle and then the other and then tied to the foot of the bed.