by K. L. Donn
Ten
Lying in bed later that night, Dom held Deedee as close to him as he could. They’d made slow, sweet love earlier where Dee had promptly passed out over an intense orgasm that she said was on the painful side in all the best ways. His ego had been particularly proud of that.
He’d loved her deeper and held her tighter, needing that connection a person could only get being buried so deeply into the other half of their soul. After Casey had walked out, he felt the need to cement his ownership of Deidre. He needed her feelings for him to be as strong as his were for her. If her fire and passion were anything to go by, she did.
He worried about Case when he got that look on his face like he’d had leaving the house earlier, knowing his family was a sore subject for him. Dom had been the one to deliver the news of their son’s injury to them, and the cold detachment from both parents had even hurt him.
When Casey’s own siblings had shown no interest in helping him recuperate, Dom had stepped up and brought him to his home. Got him to and from physical therapy and any other appointments he had. Made sure he never overdid it at home, but six months later, Dom had been called back for another tour. It lasted eighteen months, and by then, Case had been so deep into his new coping mechanism of abusing drugs, alcohol, and women that Dom could do nothing for him until the other man was ready. For a couple of years, they’d lost touch. Casey was sick of Dom trying to fix him, and Dom was sick of watching his best friend waste away.
Some days he still pondered the thought that if it weren’t for Jax coming into his life, he might have lost Casey years ago. It was a sobering thought. He could still clearly remember the day that Case had been injured. The moment his life had forever changed. They’d been sent to patrol an area in Kabul that had yet to be secured by the forces. It hadn’t been swept for IED’s or Taliban insurgents, and they’d paid the price.
Two teams had been sent in that day, the first, which was theirs, was to do a general sweep. Find any civilians and get them out safely. Locate possible hideouts for the Taliban and make sure it was safe for team two.
As they were escorting the villagers out, a few rogue Taliban soldiers had caught them off guard, opening fire on their unit and the people they were getting out. They’d lost three of their men that day and about a dozen civilians—four of which had been kids under six, and one woman was pregnant. He counted that day as his biggest failure.
Case had taken one bullet during the first bout of gunfire, the second came when he’d tried protecting the old man he was helping to walk. Fortunately, that person walked away with only a few bumps and bruises, but Case had nearly lost his life.
After they’d finally ceased fire, killing the seventeen Taliban members to their unit’s ten men, he finally set eyes on Case. In that moment, he’d allowed himself to cry because he believed he was dead. There was so much blood, and no one should have been able to live after that kind of loss. But Case was a fucking fighter if he’d ever met one.
Seeing his friend so full of life one moment—cheering the old man on to seeing him a bloody mess the next—was something that would be forever impregnated in his mind. He’d never forget that first moan of pain as Case came to or the horrifying screams of pain as he tried to stem the flow of blood loss in his missing limb. Nor the cries for death as they walked through the desert with him over his shoulder. Or the moment Case had died just as their halo was landing.
Moments such as those became a permanent part of his life and of who he was. Made him the cold man he’d turned into. The thought of losing his best friend closed off any emotion he might have felt towards anyone else for years afterwards. Until he met this tiny little spitfire of a girl, full of attitude, and as manipulative as he’d ever met. She opened him to caring again. And in a way became his downfall at one point.
She was the reason he failed a mission for the first time after not killing her father.
She was the reason he was vulnerable when he came across Brooke.
She was the reason he woke up in the morning.
*****
Deidre could practically feel Dominic’s mind working. His body said he was relaxed, but his increased breathing indicated his stress level. She knew it had to be about Casey. She felt horrible for opening an old wound that hadn’t fully healed. She could only imagine how these men felt when someone brought up such a horrible time in their lives. It had never been her intention to hurt either of them; she’d simply been curious. And at first, Case had been open to her questions, even joking about certain things.
“Will he be okay?” she whispered in the quiet night.
“Sleep, Princess, Case is a big boy.”
He didn’t really answer her question, and she knew pushing for more would get her nowhere. So she tried a different angle. “Is there anything else I shouldn’t talk about? With either of you?” Does he hear the hurt in my voice like I do?
“No, Princess. I’m an open book for you. Nothing will ever be off limits. But Case? I don’t know. I think talking would be good for him, but he won’t do it with me. Last time he tried, I damn near went and killed his folks. The ignorant fucks.”
“How come?”
“After he got clean and we had Jax in a semi-routine, he decided on trying to contact them. Jax was nearly one.” He laughed. “It sure took us bachelors a long-ass time to get that kid to do anything for us. Anyway, Case went home to Virginia. His mom had welcomed him back into their home, but as soon as his dad got there, he kicked him out again.”
“What the hell for?” She was pissed now, leaning up on her elbow so she could see his face. “Casey is such a caring man. How could they do that!”
“Careful, Princess, or I might think you’re crushing and have to kill the man myself.”
“Oh, please.”
“Try me.”
“Whatever. Why did his dad kick him out?”
“His folks are real old school. They come from the generation where if you have a disabled child, you’re somehow like a leper in the community or some hillbilly bullshit.”
“But…but…” she sputtered, at a loss for what to say. She could never even imagine the hurt he felt.
“I know, Princess,” he murmured playing with her hair.
She couldn’t fathom that kind of rejection from her parents. Well, no, that wasn’t true anymore considering her father basically sold her to the man currently holding her. But to be rejected for serving your country? For trying to make the world a better place? She just didn’t understand.
It wasn’t long before Dom’s gentle fingers lulled her into a deep dreamless sleep.
*****
“Pincess?” Poke. “Are you awake?” Poke. “Daddy’s not here, and I’m hungry.” Poke, poke.
Being awoken by poke’s in the cheek was not her idea of a good time. “How you feeling, sweetie?” Touching his forehead, she was happy to note his fever was mostly gone.
“Hungry.”
“How’s your tummy?”
Putting his hands on his stomach, he rubbed it before deciding. “Fine. But hungry.”
Laughing as she got out of bed, she said to him, “Wait here, I’ll be right back.”
Quickly going to the bathroom and brushing her teeth, she was out in record time only to find the bedroom empty. “Jaxson?” she called as she made her way downstairs.
“Pincess! Come qwick!” she heard him yell from the direction of the kitchen.
Rushing in, she found him on a chair leaning over the sink looking out the window. “What’s wrong?” As she walked closer, she saw the barn doors wide open, which wasn’t normal even when they were in there because of Honey.
“Where’s your dad, Jax?”
Rushing over to the door, she quickly put her shoes on while Jaxson told her, “Him and Unca Case went to get chicken food.”
“Shit,” she mumbled, wishing he had woken her. Not seeing the note he’d left by the coffee pot.
�
��Uh-oh!” Jax screamed.
“What?”
“Raine got out!”
That stopped her in her tracks. He hadn’t scared her the first time she met him until Dom informed her that the horse didn’t normally like anyone but him. She’d been terrified since then. Now, she had to get him back in the barn? Fuck.
“Jax, I need you to stay here; you hear me? You do not move no matter what.”
“Aw ‘ight.”
“Don’t come outside. Don’t answer the door. Nothing.”
“Got it.” She hoped he did.
Taking a fortifying breath, she stepped outside quietly in the hopes of not scaring Raine. It hadn’t taken her long to see the lock on the barn door was broken in pieces on the ground. The paddock gate where the temperamental horse was currently running around was wide open, too. For whatever reason, he hadn’t noticed that yet, so tip-toeing over to the lock, she was going to try and close the gate before he realized it was open. Only a truck door slammed. Damn!
She heard Jax run out the front yelling, “Daddy! Raine’s out!” Startled from his yell, she watched in horror as the beast bolted out of the paddock running straight for her as Jaxson came running around the house grabbing his attention. Knowing what the horse was going to do, she darted for the child, tackling him to the ground just as Dom and Case came around the side of the house and Raine’s big chest hit the back of her head.
Darkness engulfed her.
*****
As soon as he and Case were out of the truck, he saw his son sprinting outside yelling, “Daddy! Raine’s out!” before darting around the side of the house and to the back.
“Jaxson, wait!” he called futilely, knowing the boy wouldn’t stop. The horse let Jax treat him like a big ol’ dog. Nothing fazed him. So long as Jax was doing it.
The scene that unfolded before him as they rounded the corner had his heart stopping. Raine stood in the paddock staring at Deedee as she tried to make her way to close it. As soon as they both heard Jax, though, Dee took off for him just as the animal darted through the fence heading in the same direction. As she collided with Jax, she enfolded his body into hers so that when Raine’s big chest hit them, the boy wouldn’t be hit. She wasn’t moving as his son squirmed his way from under her.
“Deidre!” he cried out, sliding down beside her.
“Pincess?” Jax’s voice was wobbly with his tears.
Gently feeling around her head for blood, he didn’t find any, but she had a bump growing already. “Case!” he called.
“Right here, man. She all right?”
“There’s no blood, but I’m gonna take her to the clinic in town. Will you take Jax to Angela’s? I need to know what’s going on around here.”
“You got it, man.”
“Daddy?” Jax cried as Dom began to gently pick Deidre up.
“She’ll be good as new in no time, kid.”
Leaning forward, Jax kissed her cheek before Case picked him up, carrying him away as Dom made his way towards to his truck. After placing her in the backseat, he hurriedly jumped into the front.
Speeding away from the house, he was mad that she would even go out there when Raine was loose. He was scared because she was hurt and incredibly frustrated because this incident was the second thing to go wrong on the farm overnight. With Jax sick, he had to feed the chickens, and it was a damn good thing, too, because their feed had been tampered with—rat poison pellets. Had Jax been the one to feed them, they would have all died.
He didn’t know what the fuck was going on, but he would soon. It was another reason why he sent Jax to Angela’s. Dom knew he would be safe there for a day or two. He had a feeling the childish antics could have been Brooke.
“Fuck!” He growled slamming the palm of his hand against the steering wheel.
Deidre could be seriously injured. Hell, she and Jax could have easily been killed by his horse. He should have let Case go to the feed store alone. Should have never left her all alone, period. He just hadn’t been thinking clearly. Discovering the poison had him so angry that he just hopped in his truck without thought.
Pulling up to the small clinic in town, he threw his vehicle in park and jumped out while the engine was still clicking. Grabbing Dee out of the backseat, he quickly made his way through the front doors, worried because she still hadn’t woken up yet.
“Doc!” he yelled, startling the receptionist and two other patients in the waiting room.
“How can I help you, sir?” the new receptionist asked him.
“I need the Doc,” he growled.
“Mr. Slade?” The doctor finally rounded the corner. It’d been a couple years since he’d had to bring Case in, so he was sure the doctor was probably surprised to see him with an unconscious woman in his arms.
“Raine nailed her as he barreled out of the corral about thirty minutes ago. She hasn’t woken up since then.”
“Bring her this way,” he instructed.
Following behind him, Dom was reminded of the last time he’d been here. Case had been drunk out of his mind; the fool had tried to ride Goldie. Raine didn’t like that and showed him by trying to gnaw his shoulder off. It was just after Jax had come into their lives and before Case was completely clean. It was a sobering moment for him. Since then, they hadn’t needed to come back. The doctor used to run a dual clinic: One side for family practice and urgent care, the other for addicts that were detoxing under medical care. Thankfully, he’d decided to keep family and urgent care open.
The physician had a close call once with a detox patient that wasn’t wanting to get clean and had tried to stab a nurse with a needle. Two weeks later, that side of the practice was closed.
As they entered an exam room, Dom placed Deedee on the exam table waiting anxiously for her to wake up or something.
“Did he kick her?”
“No, she was protecting Jax when he ran at them. His chest nailed her, and when she fell, I think she hit her head. I wasn’t very close.” He filled in the blanks and was getting more upset by the moment.
“Jax is all right?”
“He’s fine. Upset about Dee but fine.”
After filling the doctor in on all of her personal information, he went out to the waiting room as they did a full x-ray on her, hoping he wouldn’t have to bring her to the city for a CAT scan.
“Good news, Dom!” He came out not long after. “She’s awake and demanding you.” His smile was infectious.
“Thank fuck,” he mumbled going back to her room.
“Dominic.” She took a breath when she saw him. Her voice was filled with pain.
Going to her side, he ran his knuckles down her cheek. “You scared me, Princess.”
“Scared myself, too,” she mumbled. “The barn door was broken, Dom.”
He’d noticed that as soon as he saw the paddock gates open. “I know, Dee. Let’s get you better before we worry about that, though.”
She went to nod her head only to wince in pain immediately.
“She’s got quite the knot on her head and a small concussion. Otherwise, her body might be a bit stiff the next couple of days. Make sure you wake her every two hours after she falls asleep the first twenty-four hours. If she develops any nausea or her headache worsens, bring her back,” The doctor instructed, filling out a prescription for painkillers before he sent them on their way.
Eleven
It’d been three days since her accident. Dom and Jax waited on her hand and foot, making her feel like the princess Dom called her so often. But she was restless and looking for something to do. She needed out of the house, and since Angela had come by the day before to check on her, she knew a trip into town would be needed.
Dom had a meeting with one of his guys—whatever that meant—so she had to convince Casey to take her and Jaxson for groceries. And since the way to that man’s heart, or rather guilty conscience, was food, she had faith she could get him to help her.
Jumping out of bed and into the shower, she was out, dressed, and ready to go in record time. Wandering downstairs, she found the boys right where she thought she would—the kitchen.
“Who’s hungry?” she called out. Both of their heads popped up at her voice with eager looks in their eyes for food that didn’t come from a… “Tell me that boy is not eating an MRE?” she demanded. Knowing now more than ever, she would get her way.
“Me, me, me!” Jaxson jumped from his chair running to her.
“Casey?” she asked again, nodding at the nasty food in front of where Jax had been sitting.
“He liked it?” She arched an eye brow at his lame answer. “I liked it?” She could hear the disgust in his own voice. “We’re growing boys?”
Shaking her head, she picked up the small one, telling them both, “We’re going to get some groceries.”
“No can do, pretty Dee,” Case said half-heartedly behind her.
“I can, Casey, and I will.” She didn’t even turn around, just kept walking out to his truck that was parked out front.
“Dom’s gonna kill me,” he grumbled behind her as she started strapping Jax into his carseat.
“Not before those MRE’s do.” She laughed at his sour expression.
“Are you sure about this Double D? You’re feeling up to it? No lingering headache? Vision’s clear? We know your hearing’s obviously impaired since you’re not listening to Dom.”
“Shut up and drive.”
“This is a bad fucking idea.”
“No swear, Unca Case!” The young boy clapped from the back seat.
*****
As they pulled into the grocery store parking lot, Dee instructed Case, “Will you go get us a cart please, while I unbuckle him?”
“I ain’t shopping, little lady.” He seemed horrified at the prospect.
“I don’t need you to shop; I need you to get us a cart.”
Growling, he jumped from the truck looking down and mumbling about being a whipping boy for someone else’s woman. She and Jax shared a look before laughing.