by Sam Crescent
She was surprised they hadn’t killed him already.
Tears filled her eyes, and she sat on the bed, holding onto her stomach.
Everything will be okay.
Caleb will come.
Until then, she needed to stay alive, and to keep Damon alive as well. Staying in the house wasn’t going to work. Staring at the window, she knew she had to get to safety. If she could get out of the house, and find Caleb, or at least intercept him, she could give him a heads up, and give Damon some time.
Shit! Everything was going to hell, and it was only because Caleb had to go and get some supplies.
Hot water wasn’t worth losing either of them.
She loved them, dammit!
Even as she thought it, she covered her mouth at her own revelation.
She loved Caleb and Damon White. The two bushmen who’d saved her. Not only had they saved her, she’d fallen hard for each of them. This crazy life that they had set up for themselves, she wanted it more than anything.
To be their woman, to share each of them, to give them both everything they desired. To have a family with them. That was what she wanted so much, a family of her own.
She found a bag that she could carry on her shoulders, and in it she placed a gun and ammo that she found in the bedroom closet.
“I have to be the kind of girl that falls in love with men who have a thing for guns.” She whispered the words, and once everything was in the bag, she heard movement outside of the bedroom.
“You know, are you two faggots or something?” one of the men asked.
She quickly dived into the closet, and closed it just as the door to the bedroom opened. “Two men livin’ alone is sure a weird thing. Do you fuck each other?”
“We’re brothers, asshole,” Damon said.
“You’re not in a position to talk back to me.” The man flicked the light on and Opal held onto the bag she was holding a little tighter.
Her heart pounded inside her chest.
“You want to see what we’ve got?” Damon asked, entering the room. “We’ve got nothing to hide.”
“Two brothers, and no woman here at all.”
“No woman here,” Damon said.
From the crack in the door, she noticed his gaze kept looking around, and she wondered if he was looking for her. There was a gun trained on him. She stayed perfectly still even as the man stood in front of the closet. She closed her eyes, knowing that if they caught her, they’d hurt her and Damon would die trying to save her.
“I bet you fuck each other to pass the time. No woman, living in the middle of nowhere, it takes all sorts to deal with those urges.”
Damon didn’t say a thing. He simply shrugged.
“Come on, I’m bored, and I’m hungry.”
They left the bedroom, and she waited several minutes to make sure they weren’t coming back. She didn’t know why they were waiting, only that they were. Opening the closet, she moved toward the window, easing it open. Caleb had shown her an escape route in case of any danger. Holding on to the frame, she eased out, shuffling toward the end of the raised window ledge. At the time, she’d moaned to Caleb about the practice. She hated heights, and would do whatever it took to avoid them. The raised bungalow wasn’t too high, but high enough. When she next saw Caleb, she was going to hug, kiss, and tell him exactly how sorry she was. The moment her feet touched ground, she wanted to kiss it, but didn’t waste any more time. Moving toward the forest where she saw Caleb leave, she ran, trying desperately to follow the tracks. She didn’t have much choice but to pull out her flashlight. She only hoped none of the men would see her and that she was far enough away from the house.
****
Caleb didn’t like the bad feeling he was getting. After loading up his truck, he glanced around the parking lot, seeing that it was surprisingly quiet. Taking the snowmobile back to the bay, he saw Rich, one of the guys that helped out at the guide parties.
“You okay, Rich?” Caleb asked.
Rich looked up from typing on his cell phone. “Yeah, yeah, surprised to see you out so late. We’ve got a bad storm heading our way.”
“I heard. I was just grabbing a few supplies.”
“Could you send our apologies to Opal? There’s a gift basket at the office, complete with women’s supplies, cards, and also a couple of coupons. I can’t believe the guys forgot to pick her up.”
She couldn’t afford the excursion flight, but he couldn’t understand how they forgot the one who stayed behind.
“Damon found her, so no worries at all. She’s perfectly fine.” He looked around again, wondering why he felt uneasy. “I wanted to ask, do you have another guide tour or something wandering through the forest?”
Rich snorted. “Not since Opal’s one. We’ve had to cancel the last three tours due to bad weather. Even though a bunch of people want to get back to nature and see what they’re missing, we have to do everything by the book, and if we can’t guarantee safety, we can’t allow it to happen.”
“Huh,” Caleb said. He didn’t like that. “Has there been any word on anyone being up near my end of the forest?”
Rich rubbed at his chin. “No. We’ve had a couple of tourists coming around, but that’s not unusual. They’ve asked a bit about your land. We’ve not said anything about anything, though. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, I’ve got to be heading back.” He said his goodbyes and rushed toward his vehicle. No one talked about his land, and he didn’t like the bad feeling he was having either.
Those tracks he found were fresh, as in a couple of hours fresh. Some person was wandering around on his land, and if it wasn’t someone from the tours, then he wanted to know who the fuck it was.
Putting his foot to the floor, he rushed out of town, and was already on his way home. The time seemed to stand still for him. He’d been gone way too long, and he tried to think of all the reasons why someone would want to step foot onto his barren land, or even why they were asking about it. They had no gold or mining of interest. Just their little cabin and thousands of acres of nature.
Nothing came up, and that fucking pissed him off. Slamming his hand against the steering wheel, he was ready to kill.
Damon and Opal were at home all alone. They were the only two people who mattered to him. Damon could take care of himself, but he also wasn’t as good when it came to shooting shit as he was. He didn’t care about hurting someone and asking questions later. Damon needed a good reason to hurt someone. This was just one of the many reasons that made them different.
The drive felt longer than normal and he was trying to hold his shit together. All the time he couldn’t help but think that Opal and Damon were in danger. The past three weeks had been pure heaven. He couldn’t recall a time when he’d been so happy. Having Opal in his arms was the dream he always wanted.
He’d give anything to share his life with that woman.
Loving her came naturally to him. Seeing her smile was a blessing, and he couldn’t lose her.
“You don’t know anything is wrong. It could all be fine, and you’re worrying for nothing.”
His father had told him to always trust his instincts, that when he needed them most, they’d help him survive.
Time passed, and with it, his anxiety grew.
As he made his way through the forest, going along the regular path, he paused as a flashing light waving up ahead distracted him. Fucking trespassers.
Back and forth it moved, and he came to a stop. Reaching into his glove compartment, he grabbed his .44 Magnum. After stopping the snowmobile, he climbed off, keeping the motor running. Raising the gun in front of him, he waited.
Someone rushed toward him, and then gasped.
The instant he saw it was Opal, he lowered the weapon and exhaled the breath he held.
“What the fuck are you doing out of the house?” he asked, stepping toward her.
She threw herself into his arms. She was panting hard. “Some strange men came. I don’t
know who they are. I hid and they have Damon. They asked about where you were. They had a gun. I didn’t know what to do. I needed to warn you. I left Damon … shit … I left Damon all alone.”
He cupped her face, and he saw the fear and panic in her eyes. “Calm down, baby, I’m right here.” She wasn’t dressed for the weather. He didn’t like any of this.
“We’ve got to go back. We’ve got to go and help Damon. I can’t believe I left. It seemed like a good idea at the time. What if they’ve shot him or something? Oh no.”
He slammed his lips down on hers, doing anything he could to distract her. The panic rising up inside her wouldn’t do either of them any good.
“Did they see you?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I climbed down the escape route you showed me. I was so wrong about that. It is the best plan to have. Thank you.” She kissed him back.
“They didn’t shoot Damon on sight?” he asked.
“No. I don’t know why they’re there either, Caleb. They seemed interested in what you guys did. Where you were. Damon told them you were only a few hours out. I don’t … everything’s a blur right now. I can’t think.”
Her hands were shaking.
“You did good coming to me, Opal. You’re going to have to stay—”
“No, you’re not leaving me behind. I can’t … no, I’m coming with you. I’ve got to be there for Damon. I have to know he’s okay. I’m sorry. I can’t just leave like this.” She pulled the bag off her shoulders. “I’ve got guns and ammo. I figured you’d need them. Please don’t make me stay here.”
She looked at him with her big eyes, and he was a goner. There was no way he was going to be able to say no to her, and he cursed.
“Get on.”
He didn’t know what he was going to do, but whatever it was, saving his brother was high on the fucking list.
****
Damon was going to kill the guy who kept the gun trained on him. He didn’t like being on the end of something that could kill him. If this guy slipped, then his face was going to get blown off, and that wouldn’t be pretty.
“You know, I’m starting to think you guys have a bit of a crush on me and my brother,” he said.
He didn’t know their names and so he referred to them as Asshole and Bigger Asshole. Bigger Asshole was the one who held the gun on him, and it was really pissing him off.
“Shut up,” Asshole said.
“I don’t get it. I mean, come on, guys, you’re holding me at gunpoint right now. We’ve been waiting for what, an hour? What exactly are you wanting? Because it’s clearly not my death. You wanting my ass?” He stood up, bent over, and showed it to them.
“Sit the fuck down, queer!” Bigger Asshole growled the words, and Damon couldn’t help but chuckle. These guys had a laundry list of issues.
Caleb had warned him many times that he had too big of a mouth, and one day it was going to get him killed. He wasn’t going to go down without a fight though.
Opal had been hiding in the closet, and he’d also heard the shuffling of her getting out of the window. He and Caleb had practiced it enough that they knew the sounds. Their parents had done the same thing with them as kids in case of fire or predators.
He hoped she’d gone to find Caleb. He also hoped that she hadn’t gotten lost in the forest. That was the last thing he needed right now.
Everything was riding on her finding Caleb.
When she did, and his big brother saved the day, Caleb was so going to kick his ass for going out without some kind of weapon. It was a rule they lived by, but he only expected to chase after the dog for a minute. It proved he could never be too cautious.
No one was going to berate him more than himself, and right now he was so fucking pissed off. He’d put Opal at risk because of his stupidity.
“You know, you seem to have a real issue with homosexuality. You ever thought about talking to someone about that?” he asked.
Again, no one said anything.
Asshole came out of the laundry room, and he held a pair of Opal’s thongs. Dammit. “I thought you said there was no woman here?”
“They’re not a woman’s, they’re mine.” He couldn’t think of anything else to say, and he was cursing himself a million times over right now. “Let’s be real for a second, and forget my weird taste in lingerie. Let’s talk about why you’re on my land. You’ve got me here, in my very own home, at gunpoint. Don’t you think that should warrant … I don’t know … an explanation?”
“You live in a beautiful place,” Asshole said. “There’s a lot of land, a lot of trees. You know, a lot that can be … done with the place.”
Damon stared at him as everything clicked into place.
He smiled. “Wow.”
Bigger Asshole frowned. “What’s wow about it?”
“Let me guess, you’re two hired thugs that have been given the job of taking my brother and myself out of the equation. This land belongs to us. Our family. We’re dead, we’ve got no one to hand it down to, and so it goes up for sale.”
“Where it will sell for the cheapest price, and make a shit load of money.”
Their uncle had warned them both about certain land purchases, and how companies would do anything to make a quick buck. The logging industry was ruthless and in desperate pursuit of old-growth land.
Sitting back in his chair, he stared at the two men. “I don’t get it. You can kill me now. What are you waiting for?”
Before they could answer, the sound of an engine out front had Damon cursing.
What the hell had happened to Opal?
His heart raced, and from the position he was sitting in the living room, he couldn’t see who had arrived.
This was not how he wanted his life to end. He didn’t know why the two men hadn’t killed him, unless they just wanted them both to suffer. Whatever the reason, he couldn’t let them attack his brother.
Caleb needed to get out of this alive. He’d be able to care for Opal.
He glanced around the room, looking for a weapon. His brother always stashed them around the house. When someone knocked at the door, he used the distraction to his advantage.
Running his hands across the cushions, he moved toward the end of the sofa, and leaned down. Now that he knew what the hell was going on, all they needed to find out now was who the company belonged to, and also, who hired them.
Reaching beneath the sofa, he felt the edge of the gun strapped underneath. Bigger Asshole chose that moment to look at him.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
He didn’t answer.
“Get back in your chair or I’ll tie you to it!”
The door swung open as he sat back down.
“Damon, baby, I’m home.” The sound of Opal’s voice from the front porch had him gritting his teeth.
What the fuck was going on?
“I thought you said there wasn’t a woman here?” Asshole said.
Before he could say or do anything, Asshole opened the front door.
“You’re not Damon.”
“I’m Damon’s friend,” he said. “Who are you?”
He heard Opal giggle. “You’re Damon’s friend? I don’t think he has a lot of friends. Except these.”
He didn’t know what she did but from the moan that came out of the other man, he had to figure it was something sexual.
“Opal, what the fuck are you doing?”
“Damon, baby, are you not coming to the door to invite me in? It’s our special time, and you know how I love it when you’re all mean and rough to me. Where’s Caleb? Doesn’t he want to join in the fun?”
He had to be in some kind of fucking dream right now. He didn’t have a clue what was going on.
First, he’d never heard Opal speak like that, and second, she knew the trouble they were in. With a gun trained on him, he was having a harder time thinking than normal.
Had she found Caleb?
Did they have a plan?
Dam
mit!
Chapter Ten
Opal’s heart was beating like a freight train. She had to keep up a cool exterior even though she felt like crumbling to pieces. The men inside the house were worse than she imagined—dirty, savage, and cold. The one who answered the door had a beer gut, a filthy beard, and yellow teeth. It took all her resolve to follow through with their plan of seduction. She wanted to be sick.
“We all like to have fun, little lady. Come on in from the cold.” The drifter held the door open for her to enter. She cautiously stepped inside. Damon was sitting in a chair, not moving to get up. The other drifter stood awkwardly to the side, trying to hide his rifle, but she noticed the barrel peeking out from behind his leg. She put on her best acting job and pretended to be oblivious to everything.
“It’s nice and warm in here,” she said.
“Sure is,” said the man with the gun. “You come here often?”
“When I feel like having a little fun. The men in town are too boring for my taste. What about you two? I haven’t seen either of you before, and I’m sure I’d remember if I did.” She pretended to flirt, and was shocked when they actually seemed to believe the lies coming out of her mouth.
What she needed to do was stall. To give Caleb enough time to save them all. He had a plan to make things right, but he needed a distraction and as much time as she could give him.
She just didn’t want him to take too long. What if one of these pigs expected her to follow through on her promises? The thought of either of them touching her made her want to retch, but she’d do whatever it took if it meant saving Damon’s life.
“You weren’t supposed to be here,” said Damon through gritted teeth. He definitely didn’t want her there.
“Well, I decided to visit earlier. You should be happy.”
“Damn straight you should be happy,” said the big man. “Hell, I thought you was gay.”
“Three’s a crowd,” said Damon, looking over at the two men.
The big man shook his head. “That’s not up to you, is it? I think our guest is more than happy to see us.”
“It is kind of exciting,” said Opal. “I like all the attention.”