Ménage on Moone Mountain

by Bella Settarra

  The sheriff was as good as his word, as less than a minute later Travis could hear the siren as the ambulance pulled up as close as it could get to the wooden shack.

  “Check out the girl,” Mason instructed the paramedics as they ran in with their equipment. “He’s dead.”

  The woman frowned at the sheriff, but seemed to figure he knew his stuff, so she crouched down beside Brooke. “Oxygen. I think I’ve got a faint pulse here.” Her fingers were in the same position as Travis’s had been when he detected life.

  “Excuse us, gentlemen.” The young man with the oxygen mask struggled to get to Brooke.

  “Come on guys, over here,” Mason ushered them to their feet as he stood and went over to the table. They reluctantly left Brooke’s side and walked toward him.

  They studied the instruments of torture that were laid out. Kent looked over at the dead body they had slung over to one side. Mason had checked that they had all done their job right, and the fuckwad was definitely no longer alive.

  “No wonder she was so damn terrified of the single tail,” Kent choked out, staring at the whip lying next to the corpse.

  “Needles, knives…that guy must have been sick!” Travis almost shouted as anger coursed through his veins at the sight of the objects on the table. He knew the fuckwad wouldn’t have learned how to use any of them properly. He scowled at the noose hanging from the battered rafter.

  “That’s what the cops in Chicago thought,” Mason said calmly. “This is what he wanted her to sign.” He picked up the sheet of paper that had been left on the bench. Blood from Brooke’s hands smeared the edges.

  “I’m glad I killed him.” Kent’s voice was calm and quiet as he stared at the body.

  “Me too, buddy,” Travis said with a sigh, looking over at his partner’s pained expression.

  “I’m glad we all killed him.” The sheriff spoke through gritted teeth.

  A hissing sound made them all rush over to the paramedics. “She’s breathing,” the woman said with a smile, apparently seeing the fear on their faces. Brooke’s gorgeous body was a mass of blood, but she was alive. An oxygen mask covered her beautiful face, and tubes trailed from both her arms. A heart monitor was beeping slowly by her side.

  Kent threw his arms around Travis and they both laughed and cried at the same time. Mason patted them both on the back.

  “We need to get her to the hospital right away. She needs to be fixed up to a ventilator; we’re not sure how long we can keep her breathing with the equipment we’ve got.” The medics sprung into action, sliding Brooke onto a stretcher and taking her outside.

  “I’m going with her,” Kent said. Travis looked crestfallen.

  “You can both go in the ambulance. I’ll follow on in my car and arrange for yours to be collected in the morning,” Mason informed them as they followed the paramedics.

  The boys nodded and climbed in behind the stretcher. It was pretty cramped with both large men in the back as well as Brooke and the medic, but there was no way Mason would let Travis drive in the state he was in.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Another coffee?” Kent was on his way to the vending machine in the busy corridor near the intensive care unit at St. Paul’s Community Hospital on the outskirts of Moone County.

  “Thanks.” Travis nodded wearily, gathering up the myriad empty plastic cups they had left strewn across the little table in front of him. He had lost count of how many drinks they had consumed in the long hours since they arrived, and sighed as he gazed at the wall clock for the umpteenth time. The short walk to the trash can gave him a chance to stretch his legs and take a look out of the large window.

  “Here you go, bro.” Kent handed him a fresh cup, taking the opportunity to stroke the big cowboy’s arm in the process.

  Travis winked and smiled at his lover. “Rain’s started again.” He nodded to the window and Kent looked out with him. They overlooked the small hospital parking lot, which seemed surprisingly busy for the time of day.

  “At least we know the fire’ll be out now,” Kent said with a smirk.

  Travis sighed. That was going to create a lot more work. “Hal’s calling in the insurance company for us. We should have the loss adjusters around anytime now.”

  “What about the horses?” Kent bit his lip.

  “Frank Buchanan’s taken them in until we can get the work done on the stables. I sure hope the insurance company doesn’t drag their heels. I want those beauties home as soon as I can.” Travis frowned.

  They had both made use of the hospital’s payphones earlier. It had afforded them peace of mind as well as something to do to kill the boredom of waiting around. Both guys did their best to take each other’s minds off the horrors of the earlier incident and the fear of the outcome of their poor girl, who had been rushed into the OR as soon as they had arrived.

  “Mason’s asking around about the fuckwad—someone’s got to have seen something. I wanna know how the hell he made the connection between us and Brooke. He must have either been there last night or he saw her at the ranch when she had that accident,” Kent mused, still gazing out of the rain-soaked window.

  Travis arched an eyebrow. “Assuming it was an accident.”

  Kent frowned. “If the fucker had been involved would he have left her there?”

  “He left her for dead after he raped her.”

  “I suppose if he thought she was a goner he could have just left her.”

  “Well one thing’s for sure; he didn’t go down and check on her. I’d have seen his tracks.” Travis pursed his lips.

  “Thank fuck he’s dead!”

  “Amen to that, buddy.”

  Kent sighed and snuggled into Travis, who put a comforting arm around him. Even as deputy sheriff, Kent didn’t like to have to kill anyone, but this afternoon had sure been the exception. They stared in silence as the rain pelted the large window in front of them. His thoughts were still at the shack, his heart in the OR.

  “I thought he’d never move away from her,” Kent said at last, recalling their agonizing wait at the broken window of the shack, guns poised, desperate for the fuckwad to take a step away from their girl so they could kill him. “Our girl played a damn smart game back there, not reacting to him. She must have known it would piss the hell out of him.”

  “I was afraid she’d die in his arms before we could get to her,” Travis said ruefully.

  They squeezed each other tight, still staring vacantly out of the window into the darkness.

  They stood there for nearly an hour before something caught Kent’s eye.

  “Mason’s back.”

  The black SUV pulled up under a streetlamp in the parking lot, and their friend climbed out. He looked older and weary, and Kent guessed he hadn’t gotten any sleep yet, either. They met him by the entrance.

  “Any news?” Mason Bains studied their fearful expressions.

  Travis shook his head. “She’s still in surgery.”

  Mason nodded. “Anywhere to get a coffee around here?”

  Kent guessed he had news for them that could hardly be discussed in the busy foyer of the hospital.

  “Down here.” Kent led them back down the corridor that led to the ICU. He bought them all coffee from the machine before Travis indicated a small empty seating area off the main corridor.

  “Well, the body’s been recovered and Hal drove your truck back to the ranch. He insisted on coming with me back to the shack when I took the coroner up there. Good job, too. He reckons he might have seen the evil bastard at the gig last night. Thinks he might have been talking to Rich Buchanan. I’ll go up there later and check that out.” Mason sighed as they all got comfortable.

  “Fucking hell!” Travis was livid. “He was right under our noses and we didn’t know it? How the hell did that happen?”

  “Oh he was a clever fucker.” Mason was speaking through gritted teeth. “Apparently the cops thought they’d caught up with him a couple of times, but he always managed to
slip through the net. Had a lot of connections, I heard, although a lot of his so-called friends deserted him once they found out he was wanted for rape and attempted murder. Even scum have their principles!

  “I spoke to his mom. She was shocked and…well, relieved to hear he was dead. She’d already told the cops that she thought he was mentally ill. Some of the things he’s done would make your toes curl. The family disowned him years ago when they found out he was dealing in drugs. The cops have been trying to pin something on him for ages but could never quite get the slippery bastard. Seems he had some friends in some very high places. High in rank as well as high on dope.”

  “So he was supplying the rich and mighty? That figures.” Kent scorned.

  “Anyway, it turns out Brooke had no choice but to furnish the cops with all the information she had on him. No one expected her to make it through more than a couple of days after she came out of the coma following that attack. She thought she had nothing to lose. When she started to recover, they had a guard sat outside her hospital room twenty-four hours a day in case he showed up. They promised her protection at home too. That’s where they messed up. They checked that the apartment was safe, so she went to fetch her stuff. Unfortunately there was some mix-up, and the cops who were supposed to look out for her got deployed on a massive job which turned out to be a hoax. By the time they got to the apartment, she’d gone. By their reckoning, West had left town around the same time.” Mason rubbed his hands over his tired face.

  “She said the cops let her down. That’s why she wouldn’t trust the law. That’s why she couldn’t trust me.” Kent sighed sadly.

  “But she did trust you, buddy. You heard what Stella Montgomery said. She tried to call us because she wanted to be with us. She realized she’d been wrong about everything. She wanted to join our family. She loves us.” Travis put a hand over Kent’s as he spoke softly to him. Kent leaned his forehead against his lover’s.

  “The cops reckon he probably had something to do with the hoax call but haven’t been able to prove anything yet,” Mason said quietly.

  Travis’s head shot up. “Just like he set fire to the stables to stop us from getting to her.”

  Mason nodded. “That’s exactly what we thought, son.”

  “Bastard! If I hadn’t already killed him, I’d do it right now,” Kent seethed.

  Travis caught sight of a woman in scrubs walking down the main corridor and leapt to his feet. She was a nurse who had spoken to them when they first arrived. He caught up with her in a couple of his massive strides.

  “Yes, sir, the doctor will be out to see you shortly,” she replied curtly to his inquiry.

  “Have you seen her? Is she OK?” he couldn’t help but ask.

  The nurse bit her lip. “She sustained multiple injuries and is still on a ventilator to help with her breathing. The doctor will be able to give you more details.”

  “Have they finished in there? Is she coming out?”

  The nurse sighed. “They’re finishing up now. She’ll be taken to the ICU in a while, sir. The doctor will be able to tell you whether or not you’ll be allowed to go and see her.”

  “Thank you, ma’am, I much appreciate your help.” Travis nodded as he turned to go.

  “Er—Mr. Beaumont.”

  “Ma’am?” Travis took a step nearer to her, his eyebrows raised quizzically.

  She bit her lip nervously as she looked up at him. “I have to know. She’s sustained multiple severe lacerations across her body. The person who did this…?”

  “He’s dead, ma’am. I shot him,” Travis replied.

  She let out a sigh of relief and smiled at him. “Thank you, sir.” She turned and hurried off up the corridor.

  Kent was waiting for him when he returned to the seating area. “Any news?”

  Travis relayed the message.

  “She’s alive. That’s the main thing,” Mason stated, seeing the disappointment on their faces.

  “Yes, sir, you’re right.” Travis sighed and leaned back in his seat.

  * * *

  It was nearly an hour later when the doctor came out to speak to them. He must have been in his fifties and was still dressed in scrubs. “Are you Brooke Anderson’s next of kin?”

  Kent opened his eyes. He hadn’t been sleeping as such, just resting. “We’re the nearest she’s got, sir,” he replied, standing up to shake his hand.

  The doctor looked over to the sheriff, who nodded his affirmation. “Very well. I’m Mr. Shearan, Brooke’s consultant. They will be taking her out of surgery very soon and she’ll be looked after in our intensive care unit, just down the corridor. I have to warn you that she is still in critical condition and is using a ventilator to help her breathe.”

  “Will she be all right, Mr. Shearan?” Travis stood next to Kent, trembling slightly.

  “The honest answer is that I’m afraid I don’t know. Apart from a broken arm, several fractured ribs, and obvious lacerations to her body—some of which were very severe, I should warn you—we also had to check out some renal trauma and a damaged spleen. We managed to stem the internal bleeding, but now it’s a waiting game to see if we’ve done enough. We’ve scanned her head, which sustained some severe trauma in the car crash, and we’ve detected some slight swelling, but no bleeding. We just have to continue to monitor her for now and see how she fares. We won’t actually know the full extent of the damage until she recovers consciousness.” Mr. Shearan frowned as he spoke.

  Kent clutched Travis’s arm. He felt cold and weary, but that was nothing compared to the fear and anxiety that gripped him by the throat.

  “How’s her back, doctor?” Mason Bains was studying the man’s face and apparently didn’t like what he saw.

  Mr. Shearan cleared his throat and looked over to the sheriff, who had just stood up to join them.

  “It looked to me like she had been whipped long and hard. The lacerations were quite deep in places, but what about internal injury?” Mason’s voice was calm and clear.

  Travis and Kent both turned and stared at the doctor. What wasn’t he telling them?

  Mr. Shearan took a deep breath. “We checked her out for spinal cord injury and cervical dislocation or injury. The scan didn’t show much, although there seems to be some swelling around the lower lumbar region. Her legs appear very bruised, but we couldn’t detect any thrombosis at this time. We’re going to keep a close eye on things in case something emerges in the next twenty-four hours or so. Also, her neck has been placed in a cervical collar for the time being. We believe she has whiplash injuries, and the tissues around the neck area are severely swollen.”

  “She must have been in agony.” Kent had tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. Travis wrapped a strong arm around him, as much for his own comfort as for his lover’s.

  “Can the boys see her, doctor?” Mason was clearly shocked but maintained a professional demeanor.

  “Just for a few moments after we get her settled. I’ll send a nurse through in a while,” Mr. Shearan replied and set off toward the ICU.

  “How about you boys get freshened up a little before you go see her? I’ll see if I can find us some sandwiches or something while we wait.” Mason smiled kindly at the teary-eyed guys, and they nodded gratefully before heading for the men’s room.

  “I look like hell!” Travis declared in his lazy drawl as he caught sight of himself in the mirror. He immediately removed his shirt while running a basin full of warm water.

  Kent stood next to him. The men’s room was small but beautifully clean. He looked at his own reflection and sighed. “It’s a good thing she won’t be able to see us. She won’t want either of us looking like this.” He stripped off his own shirt and began to wash.

  “I’m not sure about this soap,” Travis said with a grin as he smelled the pile of foam he had just dispensed.

  “Let’s see.” Kent leaned over to sniff the substance in his hand just as Travis lifted it, planting a pile of sweet-smelling froth right
in his face.

  Kent stared at his lover, stunned for a second. That was the last thing he’d expected. Travis let out a whoop of laughter that echoed around the empty room.

  With a giggle, Kent scooped a handful of water from the hand basin and splashed it over Travis’s naked chest.

  Travis raised his eyebrows as he laughed again and returned the favor. Soon the boys were giggling like schoolchildren and splashing water all over each other. After a few minutes, Travis reached over to Kent and, with a wet hand, washed his lover’s face using the soap he had deposited there earlier. He felt Kent’s stubble with his rough hands and he toyed with it lovingly. He took more water and rinsed the soap away before leaning in to kiss his lover’s soft, full lips. His tongue lapped at the seam before gliding into Kent’s welcoming mouth. He felt Kent’s hands run down his chest, over his shoulders, and then down his back as they squeezed each other in a warm embrace.

  Kent could feel his lover’s heat as their tongues danced slowly together, and their bodies pressed against each other, melting into each other as though they had become one person. Time seemed to stand still as their love and care for each other emanated through their minds, each engulfing the other in their adulation.

  Gradually they withdraw their mouths and loosened their grip on each other’s body. They stared into each other’s eyes, sharing unspoken emotions. Neither spoke as they smiled to each other before resuming their wash up. It was a relief to feel clean again, and they both sighed as they pulled on their shirts and ran their wet hands through their tousled hair.

  “I look better already,” Travis said with a grin as he studied himself in the mirror. His eyes were a little red and baggy, and his cheeks looked quite drawn, but he felt better.

  Kent laughed and Travis watched him study his own reflection. He had lines on his cheeks where he had been leaning against the side of the chair resting, and his eyes looked pale and weary. Whiskers had grown on his usually clean-shaven jaw, and he looked a little rugged.