Potential Match [Ménage.com 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Peyton Elizabeth

  “Not a chance in hell,” Des responded. They’d come up to the barn, and while the main part was open that faced the corral, the side door was closed. Des pushed open the door, and Bryn was grateful to see a light on toward the back of the barn. “We’re not leaving your side until this psycho is caught. Duke? What’s taking you so long?”

  No answer was forthcoming. That disconcerting feeling washed over her again as Bryn took in her surroundings. She could have heard a pin drop if it weren’t for the horses in their stalls. Some were eating hay, while the others faced them, looking agitated. Bryn felt her stomach sink when Des tightened his grip on her hand, indicating he’d noticed something wasn’t right as well.

  Bryn’s eyes were focused on the dim light shining from one of the last stalls. As she took a step forward, Des blocked her way and grabbed ahold of her head. He tilted her face up to his.

  “Go back outside. Run,” Des ordered in a low voice. “Go straight to the cop and tell him to call Flynn and the sheriff. Make sure you get into his car and don’t leave his side.”

  “I’m not leaving you here,” Bryn whispered back, wishing that he’d step aside so that she could see if Duke was all right. That’s when something moving caught her sight in one of the stalls. “Des. Look.”

  They both stared into the dark stall to their left. On the ground was a man whom Bryn presumed to be Dean. He was lying on his back, obviously awakening as he placed his hand on his head. He emitted a moan and, when he went to move, must have passed out again, as his body went limp. Bryn wondered how hard he’d been hit on the head. She didn’t see any other injuries on him, although it was very dim in the stall.

  Des was about to go over to Dean when Bryn placed her hand on his arm. She shook her head and pointed down toward the light. There was nothing they could do to help Dean right at the moment. They needed to find Duke and, most likely, find the killer.

  Instead of being frightened, Bryn felt her anger rise up inside of her like a tight ball of coiled yarn. She might be small, talk way too much when she was nervous, and keep things from her mother, but she didn’t deserve to be the target of some psychopath.

  “I’m serious, Bryn,” Des murmured. “Get your ass out of here now. I’ll find Duke. I promise.”

  “And I said I’m not leaving you here, damn it!”

  Both of them turned when they heard someone laughing. Des turned and tried to shield her with his body, but Bryn managed to escape his grip. She was now standing side by side with Des, staring at the man who’d turned her life upside down. He was wearing black dress pants, similar to the ones he had on the night he tried to abduct her. It had been part of his uniform. His shirt seemed to be a black polo shirt, while his dark hair was slicked back in a greasy manner. He was still wearing those dirty, white tennis shoes.

  “Bryn, I am so glad that I chose you. You really need a lesson in how to obey a man.” The man crossed his arms, like he had all the time in the world for a conversation. “You resemble my mother so much and her unwillingness to do as my father asked. A simple request for you to get into the car, and you had to go and ignore me. Tsk, tsk, Bryn.”

  “Run,” Des ordered, although he barely whispered the word. No one but she would have heard him, but if Des thought she was going to leave him here all alone, he had another thing coming.

  “Where’s Duke?” Bryn asked, letting her voice carry. She counted the stalls and saw that they were four away from where the killer stood. Was Duke in one of them? Was he alive? “If you let Duke go, I’ll come to you.”

  “What? Fuck, no,” Des said, grabbing her by the arm. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  “Trust me,” Bryn whispered out the side of her mouth.

  “I don’t make deals with women.” The man held out his hand. “Come to me, Bryn.”

  “Why me?”

  “Because you’re just like her. I was passing you a few weeks ago when you were on the phone, and it was in your tone—that disobedient attitude I remember so well. I would have had you before you even entered this shithole of a town, but you wouldn’t get off the damn phone. I couldn’t have someone know you were pulled over by the police. That would have tipped off the cops.”

  “They already are,” Bryn replied.

  “I’m done talking. Now come to me. Don’t you see? No one has yet to learn how to obey under my hand. It’s a simple test, really. I’m thinking maybe you will be the one who will walk by my side. All of this trouble you have put me through has to mean something, right?”

  Bryn’s anger started to go by the wayside. A prickle of unease ran under her skin at his words. There seemed to be no sanity left in the man. Maybe she should have run when she had the chance, Bryn thought. She felt Des’s grip tighten on her arm.

  Bryn jumped when a horse whinnied and came bucking out of a stall. She turned her head in time to see Dean cower in the corner, covering his head. He had somehow gotten to the next cubicle and made it so the horse caused a distraction. Hooves struck the floor, while the neighing grew louder. Des grabbed her hand and ran.

  “Des, we can’t leave Duke!”

  “I’m not. When we get outside, make a run for the cop. I’ll detour around back and find Duke.”

  When they burst through the door, darkness had settled over the area. The lights from the house illuminated the driveway. Bryn couldn’t tell if the cop saw them, as he was sitting in his car. They had taken two steps when she saw the door to the vehicle open. The cop stood and when he reached for his gun and aimed it their way, Bryn was too late in realizing why.

  Bryn was ripped out of Des’s grip and lost her breath as she was yanked back against a solid chest. She felt a knife at her throat, along with déjà vu. Des spun around when he lost contact with her. He lifted his hands high in the air. The man behind her didn’t seem to care for his attempt at surrender.

  “I’m not falling for your antics, like I did your brother. Back up. And if that cop tries to stop me, I’ll slit her throat.”

  Bryn felt as if her heart was going to rip out of her chest. She tried to call back her previous anger, but it slipped through her fingers. All that was left was a blood-curdling scream that she couldn’t get out of her throat and a sense of overwhelming dread. This was it. This was the end.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Duke opened his eyes and immediately closed them. The pain that radiated through his head was like a spike being hammered into his brain. He could hear the stress of one of his horses as its hooves tapped on the ground. What the hell had happened?

  “Duke, sit up man. That crazy-ass dude has Bryn.”

  Everything came rushing back at once—Dean standing at the door asking him to come look at Daisy, the two of them walking into the barn, a blinding pain coming from behind as he fell to the ground. Right before the blackness enveloped him, Duke had thought about what Dean had said about finding it odd that Daisy was limping again. Fuck. They’d been played.

  Duke used his hands to try and push himself off the ground, but they slipped in the strands of hay. He briefly rested his head on the back of his hands. Get it together, Duke thought. Again, he pushed himself upright and then struggled to his knees. His body felt as if a Mack truck had hit it and then run over it again. Between his shoulders and the back of his head, Duke wondered if he’d be able to stand. But knowing that Bryn was in trouble, he’d have walked across fire.

  “Where is she?” Duke said, gritting his teeth together as he formed the words. “Where’s Des?”

  “They ran outside, but the guy ran out the back. I can hear voices, but I’m not sure what’s going on.” Duke finally looked at Dean and saw that the front of his forehead was split open and blood was running down his face. Dean was one of the younger ranch hands. Duke thought maybe he deserved a raise after this. “I called the sheriff and he’s on his way, but I’m not so sure he’ll make it out here in time.”

  “Then I’ll have to make sure we give him time,” Duke said, struggling to his fe
et. The barn rotated three hundred and sixty degrees. He blinked as everything stopped. Duke took a deep breath. “Kid, I want you to stay here. Find out what this guy did to Daisy and make sure she’s okay.”

  Duke could tell Dean was about to argue, but he shook his head. The last thing he needed was to have to tell this boy’s parents that he had gotten killed. That wasn’t about to happen, just like this guy thinking he could take Bryn away from them and murder her. Duke wasn’t sure when it happened, or how it could happen this soon, but he loved her. Duke loved Bryn, just as much as he knew Des loved her.

  Duke stumbled a few steps when he spotted Spur lying on the ground with a half-eaten steak. Duke fell to his knees at the thought that Spur was poisoned to death. Heart pounding, Duke placed a hand on Spur’s side. Ba-bump. Ba-bump. He was alive.

  “Dean, take care of Spur.”

  By the time Duke made it to the exit in the back, he was able to remain steady on his feet. Darkness swallowed him as he entered the night. Knowing his property like the back of his hand, Duke walked around the side of the building trying to brace himself on what to expect.

  In the faint light shining from their porch, Duke could see the cop pointing a weapon in his direction. Stopping just short of the man who’d made their lives hell, Duke was two feet away from where he held Bryn. Assuming by their position that the guy held a knife to Bryn’s throat, Duke quickly ran through his options. He only had one.

  * * * *

  Des watched in horror as the knife held to Bryn’s neck dug in a little farther. He didn’t see blood, but he was too frightened for her to be relieved. The cop had yelled out for the killer to drop his weapon, but the man just laughed. He knew the officer didn’t have a clean shot and wouldn’t take one if the potential to hurt Bryn was involved. His fear dropped a level when he saw Duke appear out of the darkness behind Bryn and her captor.

  What could he do to help Duke separate them without having Bryn injured? Des knew he had to keep the killer’s attention away from whatever Duke had planned. And his brother better have something damn good calculated in that brain of his.

  “Look, what’s your name? We can talk about this.” Des cringed at his words. What the hell was he thinking? No one could talk sense into a killer. “There really is no way out. You know damn well that cop back there has called in reinforcements.”

  “You obviously underestimate me.” The man took a step back, taking Bryn with him. “I—”

  “Left a few loose strands,” Duke said, finishing the man’s sentence.

  It was enough of a distraction that the guy loosened his hold on Bryn, turning to see who was behind him. Duke swung the shovel that had been leaning up against the barn, hitting the man in the back. The impact from the metal into muscle was a distinctive thud. The killer dropped the knife. Des understood the need to keep his aim low, as the chances of striking Bryn were less. Des jumped forward, yanking Bryn away from the scene before him.

  Within seconds, Duke was on the ground. The man had the upper hand, knowing exactly where Duke’s injury was located. Des flung Bryn out of the way before returning to help his brother. Waiting for just the right moment, Des paused until the killer brought his arm up to swing. Knowing he had the perfect angle, Des stepped forward and brought his arm around the guy’s arm and neck, placing him in a choke hold.

  “Nobody move!”

  The cop stood above them with his gun drawn. Des wasn’t about to release this guy, but did have the brainpower to remain still. Duke was breathing hard and managed to get out from underneath them. Bryn stood to the side, her brown eyes wide with relief. Duke helped Des place the killer in a better position. Des now held the man’s arm behind his back, with added pressure in driving it toward his shoulder blade. Des felt satisfied when he heard the killer grunt.

  Numerous vehicles could be heard coming up the drive. Doors could be heard slamming, while blue and red colors illuminated the area. The cavalry had arrived, and Des couldn’t wait to put this nightmare to bed.

  “Brynny? Where’s my Brynny?”

  “Tell me this isn’t happening,” Bryn said, using her hands to cover her face. Duke walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. She laid her head on his chest. “Why couldn’t she have just waited until we showed up at the diner?”

  “And have our lives be dull?” Duke asked, stroking Bryn’s back. “After this piece of shit goes to jail, we need someone to keep us on our toes.”

  If Des had been thinking at all, instead of focusing on maintaining his hold on his prisoner, he would have realized the man was too quiet. Within seconds, officers, the sheriff, and Detective Flynn surrounded them. Bryn’s mother pulled up the back and was nothing like Des had imagined. Frances Russell was tall, blonde, and very stylish if that pantsuit was anything to go by.

  “Mother, I’m fine. Really,” Bryn said, trying to reassure Frances. Her mother had taken her away from Duke and was running her hands up and down Bryn’s arms. “Once this is taken care of, we can sit down over dinner and I’ll explain everything. Why don’t you head into the house and—”

  “Brynny.” Detective Flynn had just relieved Des of the killer, placing him in cuffs. Des realized his previous silence had been used to study Bryn. Before Flynn could stop him, the man continued. “Maybe that’s what I should be calling you.”

  Des stepped in front of the man, whose name they had yet to hear. Did Flynn know who he was yet? Did he have an idea or was he totally in the dark? Whoever the hell he was, Des didn’t want him talking to Bryn. Des didn’t want her name to pass his lips, in any shape or form. The man had chilling ice-blue eyes that seemed to have not one ounce of emotion running through them.

  “Brynny, remember one thing. Women always listen to me in the end. I hope you’ll wait for me.”

  Des curled his fingers into a fist and brought back his arm. Duke started to curse, and he could hear a light gasp come from Bryn and her mother. Before he could release his swing, Sheriff Whittington yanked him back.

  “Easy, boy. Let Flynn take care of it. We now have enough evidence to put him away for a long time.”

  Des watched as Flynn shoved the man in front of him toward the waiting patrol car. Not wanting Bryn to see the killer looking at her as he walked away, Des closed the distance between them and pulled her into his arms. He held on tight, finally able to breathe normally.

  “Ah, Brynny?” Frances’s voice raised an octave. “I thought, well, with the way the other man was holding you, that you were with him. Am I missing something?”

  Des felt something against his leg and looked down. Spur was leaning against him. He, Duke, and Bryn all leaned down at the same time, stroking his fur. Spur closed his eyes and soaked in all of the attention.

  “I think he was poisoned,” Duke said. “We need to have him checked out.”

  “Oh, you poor thing,” Bryn said, kissing Spur on the head. His tail wagged.

  “I’ll place a call into the vet,” Sheriff Whittington said.

  “He can sleep with us, can’t he?” Bryn asked, her worry evident. “We’ll be able to keep an eye on him then.”

  “Wait a second,” Frances said in a high voice. “Sleep with you? As in the three of you?”

  Sheriff Whittington saved the day by taking Frances’s arm and leading her toward the house. “Ms. Russell, allow me to explain how the majority of people in Triple live their lives. After that, maybe you’d like to join me for a cup of coffee at the diner. I’m sure my deputies can gather your daughter’s statement, along with those of her beaus. We have some real interesting folks in this part of the state.”

  “Wait a second. Beaus? As in plural?”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “What do you mean, a spanking? Are you fucking kidding me?”

  “You’ve just added to your count,” Duke said, standing naked at the end of the bed. He still had a bandage on the left side of his shoulder, protecting the wound underneath. The white material did nothing to hide the outline of his
chest or the movement of his muscles when he placed his hands on his hips. “There is one major rule that you have to follow and that is you are never to put yourself in danger.”

  It was the morning after, and they were standing face-to-face at the end of Duke’s bed. Des was already lying on the covers, smiling like he’d won the lottery. All he got was the chance to see Duke spank her bare bottom with his hand. Bryn didn’t see the joy in that. It was Des’s fault she was standing here arguing with Duke in the first place.

  “How am I to blame that a serial killer set his sights on me?” Bryn bit the inside of her lip. Really? He thought she was the one at fault? Her anxiety rose just a tad. “He’s a lunatic! I was minding my own business, driving to see you, I might add, when he apparently followed me into Triple. How was I to know I resembled his mother? I could have ended up like his other victims, you know. Terrified. Strangled. Dead!”

  “You know damn well that isn’t what I meant,” Duke shouted. “While you were giving your statement, Des told me that you wouldn’t leave the barn when he told you to. In situations like that, you have to trust us. How can we protect you if you have no faith in us to keep you safe?”

  Bryn couldn’t help the smile that cracked her lips. Now they were getting somewhere. Her previous apprehension floated away. And if the leaking from her pussy was any indication, it was ready for that spanking he’d been promising. Once they had all situated in the kitchen, with her mother flitting around making coffee for everything and demanding to know which man Bryn was with, each of them had given their statements. Sheriff Whittington had stayed during all three recounts, although he barely took his eyes off of Frances. And much to Bryn’s surprise, her mother blushed throughout the rest of the night and managed to remain silent until Sheriff Whittington offered to escort her to the bed-and-breakfast located in the heart of Triple.