Ropes and Revenge: Savage Protectors

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Ropes and Revenge
Savage Protectors

Ava Quinn

Summer to Winter Publishing

 Copyright © 2023 Summer to Winter Publishing

All rights reserved

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not
intended by the author.

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 Chapter One
Beth

I’d be lying if I said I haven’t fantasized about this hundreds of times, maybe thousands, if you
count the books I’ve read as fantasies. Rough, calloused hands land on my throat and tug at my hair as
a giant man leans over me and growls.
Of course, in my dreams, the grumbling man doesn’t have his henchman tying ropes around my
wrists and he wasn’t holding a gun to my hip. Not a real one, anyway. This one looks like the real
deal, solid steel. That’s what guns are made of, right?
Who holds a gun to someone’s hip, anyway? Aren’t guns for heads or open mouths?
“You know… if you want that gun to be effective, you should point it at my head.”
The man glares down at me with dark eyes, unamused by my suggestion.
“See… you don’t take criticism. If you did, you’d be so much further ahead. Guns should be
aimed at heads. The hip isn’t a kill shot. And these ropes,” I narrow my gaze toward him, “aren’t
going to change the fact that I don’t know where your necklace is.”
The necklace in question is made of graduated jade beads, a twenty-four-karat gold clasp, and
lined with diamonds and rubies. The piece is gorgeous, and last I checked, worth nearly twenty-seven
million dollars to the right buyer. I know this, because my brother stole the necklace months ago.
The man leans toward me, studying my face. Man, he smells good. Like some exotic cologne from
the vault of some rich person’s home. The scent of money with a hint of cigar, maybe leather.
When I’m done sniffing him, I sigh. “You know, if you cut back on the fancy perfumes, I bet you
could afford a necklace just like the one you lost.”
His jaw tenses, as the rope man moves to my ankles, tying them together tight. At least they’re
using velvet. What kind terrorists.
“I didn’t lose the necklace. The one you returned to me was fraudulent.”
I widen my expression. “Buddy, I didn’t return anything to you. My brother did… and I haven’t
seen him since. So, maybe it’s you that should be apologizing to me.”
“When will you stop with the lies? That asshole wasn’t your brother.”
I sigh. That part is true. While Patrick and I got together for family events, and technically was my
late father’s son, we barely spoke… and for good reason. While I fought for everything I got in life,
he was handed superiority on a bright silver platter. One that he used to feed people shit. He
embezzled money from the bank he managed and stole from safe deposit boxes. He became so cocky
about the whole thing that he brazenly allowed my grandmother to wear Liam’s missing necklace to an
event which was photographed and slapped on Facebook. That was his demise.
“I had no relationship with that man. You can tear my house apart. I don’t have your precious
rocks.” I jerk my feet away from the beast tightening the ropes on my ankles. “Hey! That hurts, buddy!
Are you even here for a necklace or did you hear Patrick has a hot sister and you want to sell me to
sex traders?”
The big man finally cracks a grin. “We’d have to sew your mouth shut first.”
“Ha. Ha. What’s this about, anyway? Do you have mommy issues you need help working through?
I’m a therapist. I can help you. What was it? Neglect? Alcohol? Did mommy forget you in the grocery
store next to the frozen peas?”
The big one chuckles and shakes his head. “Is that what you’re calling yourself? A bloody
therapist?”
Ooh, he’s British. Fantasy level upgraded.
I smirk. “Well, something tells me I’m at least a little better at therapy than your mom.”
He straightens his suit and grins. He’s actually quite handsome when he’s smirking… stunning,
actually. He looks like he belongs on some magazine cover for rich people looking to buy expensive
suits. He glances down at the man on the ground still fumbling with ropes. “We nearly done, Dex?”
Dex. I wonder if that’s his real name, or an alias. Either way, it’s nice to have a name for one of
them.
Dex stands from the ground and huffs. “A few more years and I won’t be able to do this shit
anymore. My fucking knees…”
“You’re worried about your knees?” I blurt. “What about my ankles and my wrists? You weren’t
very—”
“Should I tape her mouth?” Dex, who looks severely underdressed for the occasion in jeans and a
t-shirt, looks up at his suited boss, who’s got his eyes locked on mine, like he wants to eat me. He
probably does.
“No. We need her to talk. She’ll back herself into a corner sooner or later.”
I breathe a sigh of relief. As much as I hate my ankles and wrists being tied, I’d take that any day
over my mouth being covered. There’s something about stifling my ability to speak that gets me
worked up. Maybe it’s the Italian in me. At least that’s what Bryan would say.
Bryan. He should be home any second. I chew at the inside of my cheek, for the first time since
this whole thing happened, worried.
“I need to talk to you.” I stare the big one straight on, trying to ignore all the animal magnetism
dripping off him. I guess that’s what truckloads of money get you… the look of a beast. Apparently,
women dig that. Or at least I am… would… dig that if he weren’t about to kill me.
His brows arch down, and he stares at me as though I’ve lost my mind. “If you have to tinkle,
you’re going to have to go in your panties, princess. We’re not untying—”
“Princess? The first time I let it slide, but let’s not do that. And no, I don’t have to piss.” Though,
I hadn’t thought of how difficult that would be until now. “I’m going to tell you something, and I need
to be able to trust you.”
He laughs. “You need to trust me? You’re dumber than I thought. That’s not how this works. You
tell me what I need, and I let you go.” His tone is dark and ominous as he says, “Otherwise, this
pitiful little life you have… is over.”
Pitiful little life? This guy has no idea where I’ve come from, but I’m running out of time before
Bryan gets home. “Fine! Whatever. I’ll tell you what you want to know, but you have to promise me
that I can trust you.”
“I thought you didn’t know anything?”
“Well, I do. I know something. So… tell me I can trust you.” There’s panic in my tone. Bryan is
going to walk through that door any second and I need to know they won’t blame him for my mistakes.
“You’re fucking with me.” Big man glances toward Dex. “She’s fucking with us. Tighten her
ropes.”
“You know this isn’t a punishment, right? This whole thing gets me off. The soft velvet, the
growling, the gun pointed at my… hip.” I roll my eyes. “Did you get this idea from Bondage for
Dummies? Did you buy this stuff from your local low budget sex shop in between jerking off
truckers? Who uses a velvet rope in a kidnapping?” I grin and roll my eyes. “Anyway, in ten minutes,
my fiancé is going to come through that door and he’s not as… well…. he’s seven generations of
American cheese.”
“American cheese?” Mr. Britain repeats. “What in the bloody hell is that?”
“You know… he’s through and through. He’s a thoroughbred American. Well, technically
speaking, his family came from Sweden like half a century ago. But since then, they’ve all been raised
here… in the good old US of A and he doesn’t have the same… spunk as I do.”
The Brit laughs, scuffing a hand over his beard. “You’re calling this spunk?”
“I am, and I’m adorable, but Bryan is a nice guy. He wouldn’t hurt anyone. Whatever problems
you have… they’re with me. So, take me back to your mothership and leave him out of this.”
“And what makes you un-American cheese, princess? You look pretty Americano to me. Middle
aged woman, entitled, mouthy, on her third career. What’s more American than that?”
I lick the tops of my teeth. He’s found my Achilles heel. The one thing that gets me riled up more
than anything… people who dispute my heritage. “I’m second-generation Sicilian. My mom’s father
and mother are full blood Italian. They came over on the boat themselves. They traveled for months,
and they worked hard and built a life here in America despite discrimination and hardship.”
“You Americans,” he laughs. “Your desire to cling to everything un-American is quite
unpatriotic of you.”
“What?”
“It’s strange is all. Your country's obsession with DNA tests and generational heritage. You were
born in America. You’re American. I don’t care that your mom cooks spaghetti every Sunday and your
grandma tells you stories about lemons the size of baseballs from the old country. You’re American.”
I’ve never been more insulted in my life, though I don’t know why. “That’s what America is,
asshole. It’s a country of immigrants who fled here for freedom.”
He laughs even harder and pats the top of my head. “Don’t worry. We’ll go along with your
delusions. I’m not here to shake your faith in marinara sauce. I’m here to get my necklace.”
I struggle against the ropes, hoping there’s an ounce of wiggle room, but there’s not. The door
handle moves to the left and the slide of a key twists from the outside.
Fuck. It’s Bryan.
“Please.” I stare up at the man in black. “Please don’t hurt him. He’s the sweetest man alive. You
have to understand, he had nothing to do with this.”
I don’t know why I’m asking for mercy from a man who clearly has none to give. Truthfully, I
probably would’ve done Bryan more favors if I’d pretended to hate him. Then maybe they would
leave him alone.
What am I thinking lately? I squeeze my eyes closed and open them again, hoping to God this
whole thing is a terrible dream.
Spoiler alert… it’s not. It’s not and the look on Bryan’s face as he walks through the door crushes
me. His big round glasses fall down the bridge of his nose and he stares with his jaw slacked as
though he’s not sure how to process all he’s seeing.
“Baby… It’s okay…” I try to sound as soothing as possible, but I’m not sure he’s comprehending
it all yet and I doubt it’s taking the edge off of this situation.
The big man laughs. “Yes. It’s all okay, Bryan. We’re just having a little talk with your girlfriend.”
“Fiancé,” I correct, because that’s what I’m used to doing nearly everywhere we go. I’m not sure
why it makes a difference. It shouldn’t… especially now. But here I am, saying more idiotic things.
The big man glares at me. In this space, next to Bryan, he looks like a giant. His hands, his feet,
his shoulders, even his head is oversized. He doesn’t belong on Earth. He belongs on some planet of
seven-foot aliens that aim for the hip instead of the head.
 Shaking, Bryan looks up at the man. “What’s going on? Why is she tied up?” He sets down his
briefcase and walks toward me. His fingers go to the knots on the back of the ropes, but the men must
have little faith in his abilities because no one stops him.
“We’re looking for a necklace. Jewels really.”
“Patrick’s necklace?” Bryan says to me, his brows narrowed. “What do they want with that?”
“Apparently, I’ve stolen everything, and these boys just came out of the Mystery Machine to solve
the case.” I chuckle under my breath. “They were just about to feed the dog some snacks and search
for clues.”
“Alright then. Let’s get on with it. You’re big on heritage, princess.” Mr. Britain clears his throat
and looks down at me. “That necklace and those jewels are family heirlooms. They’ve been passed
down for centuries and they’re of immeasurable value.”
I cock my head to the side. “So, I suppose you’ll tell me next you’re part Russian?”
He nods. “On my father’s side. My mother was from England.”
In a singsong voice, I say, “Is that why you don’t sound like all the other British boys? Your mom
and dad couldn’t figure out what language to teach you, so… they settled for neither.”
Bryan elbows me in the rib as though he’s not accustomed to the language I’ve set up with my
captors.
“Finally,” Mr. Britain says, looking toward Bryan, “a man who recognizes how to treat someone
holding a gun. Smart.” He glances toward me. “You should take note here from your pussy boyfriend.
Fiancé… sorry.”
Bryan doesn’t let the comment phase him. Instead, he reaches for his wallet like we’re at the
register at Target. “How much is the necklace worth?”
The man laughs. “Twenty-six million, give or take a penny. But that’s not the point, Bryan. It’s the
sentiment. I thought you were smarter than that.”
It’s funny thinking about this big, giant man having sentimental value over anything, but I try not to
judge.
Just kidding.
Judging is like my favorite thing to do. I could sit in a Walmart parking lot and judge people
all day long. I wouldn’t get sick of it either. I’d just take my ass inside, order some chicken wings,
and plunk back down in the parking lot again to watch. Watch and judge. You can sit up on your high
horse and pretend it’s something awful, but it’s not. We all do it. We judge the people on the internet
for wearing too much makeup. We judge those moms who leave their kids in the backseat of their hot
cars. We judge people for walking their dogs on hot pavement. It’s a pastime, part of the human
experience, and I wear the badge proudly.
Bryan, however, does not. Which is why I never told him any of this to begin with. For one, we
never talked to Patrick. So, the fact that he was doing stupid shit wasn’t worthy of a conversation.
Second, I didn’t think any of this involved me… until now. Bryan tucks his wallet back into his pocket
and stares up at the man. “I don’t have that kind of money. How can we stop this?” There’s a shake in
his voice when he talks, his hand on mine in comfort. Sure, he’s not the romance novel beefcake in my
fantasies, and I’m pretty sure he couldn’t fight off a cockroach from stealing his Cheeto, but I love this
man and all that he is.
“Well,” Mr. Britain says with sarcasm, “your fiancé is coming with us. When you find the
necklace… you can have her back.”
Bryan stands and anchors himself between the Brit, Dex, and I. From my angle on the ground,
though, I can see his knees are about to buckle. “You’re not taking her anywhere. We can figure this
out like civilized adults.”
Mr. Britain laughs, dark and maniacally, like he gets off on being an asshole. He pushes past
Bryan and lifts me from the ground like I’m a barrel of vodka and he is one hundred and sixty percent
Russian. The ropes tug at my skin. I should hate it. He’s a beast and I’m his unwilling captor.
I know now that I’ve definitely read too many books. Or at the very least, I haven’t allowed
myself the proper exposure to new experiences, because my clit is throbbing.
The man could be murdering me! He could be carrying me off to tie me to a brick and sink me
to the bottom of the ocean. Though, by the look in his eyes, I’d guess that wasn’t the case. There’s
something about him, something sensible. An energy that I can’t define.
I laugh at myself as I hang over his shoulder. Did I really just define him as sensible?
While I’m out in La-La land, Bryan grabs a lamp on the end table and hits Dex square in the jaw.
Dex barely flinches. He’s big too. I’d guess six foot three, and let’s just say, he’s never missed arm
day. He’s also younger than the man whose shoulder I’m flung over. I’d say my age, give or take a
year or two.
“You done?” Dex stares toward Bryan like he’s smacked him with a rolled newspaper, not a solid
metal lamp.
Bryan looks toward me, his eyes drained and red, widened. He’s panicking. He gets this look a
lot. When we’re in line at the grocery store and he can’t find his credit card. When we get a past due
notice on a bill, he knows he paid. When he gets overwhelmed with tasks at work. His intentions are
good, and I love him for it, but the man wasn’t set up for a kidnapping.
The Brit slinks me off his shoulder and tucks me into his arms, bridal style where I beat on his
chest obsessively. I hate it… sort of. “How many times do I have to tell you? I don’t have your
necklace, or your jewels, or whatever you want. I don’t have it!”
The man looks down at me and growls. “Oh… you have something I want.” He’s quiet for a
moment afterward, and I wonder what he really means. “You have a brother in Montana, right?”
My pulse races against my throat. Jack and I are as close as siblings can get without it being
weird. “What does he have to do with this?”
Mr. Britain shrugs. “Guess we’re going to find out.” He glares at Bryan. “You have until Friday to
figure this out for me or we’re going to have trouble. Do you understand?”
“Put her down! We’ll talk this out. We can call Jack together.”
My heart squeezes the second Bryan says Jack’s name. I’m not sure what these guys know, but
giving them another name doesn’t seem smart. “There’s no calling Jack. He’s off grid for a reason.”
This is a lie. I call my brother regularly. Sometimes it’s hard to get ahold of him depending on where
he is on the mountain, but for the most part… he answers.
Dex looks toward the large man holding me. “Liam, are we really trusting this guy to stay away
from the police?”
Liam. Mr. Britain’s name is Liam. I nod, staring at his square jaw and close kept beard. He
looks like a Liam.
Liam turns back. “If he values this woman and his life, he won’t mess with the police.” The
door shuts behind us, and suddenly, I’m squinting from the bright sun as I’m carried to a pickup truck
in a residential neighborhood, tied up in velvet, in broad daylight.
Way to go Floridians. That neighborhood watch thing is really working.
Liam tosses me in the back of the truck with no regard for the egg like ball I’m twisted into and
climbs into the driver’s seat, starting up the engine.
Bryan stands in the driveway, staring toward me like a deer caught in headlights.
 “You weren’t kidding about him being a pussy,” Liam says in a monotone voice. “I’m guessing he
fucks the same passionate way he fights.” He laughs. “No wonder you’re so mouthy. You’ve been
deprived of dick too long.”
“Your mom really didn’t love you, did she?”
He retorts flatly as he says, “My mom died when I was seven.”
“Probably to get away from you.”
I expect him to lash out, maybe give me a second to free myself, but he doesn’t. He only lays in
harder.
“You’d know. Your mother died the day you were born, right?”
I bite the inside of my lip. “How do you know?”
“I know everything about you, princess. I know your dad left shortly after your mom died. I know
you and Jack were raised by your grandmother in a little trailer by some swamp in Ocala. I know you
went to school at Jupiter High where you were voted most likely to end up in the psych ward.” He
laughs. “I also know you went to school to be a therapist, but you settled for life coach because the
classes were too overwhelming. And I know you settled for Bryan because he makes you feel
comfortable, but deep down, you’ve been waiting for this day your whole life.”
A thick lump grows in my throat. Obviously, I post too much online. “What day? What are you
talking about?”
He grins and looks toward me through the rear-view mirror. “The day when a man with some
balls ties you up, tosses you over his shoulder, and gives you a little adventure.” His throat clears.
“Am I wrong, princess?”
My clit throbs and my heart races, but I don’t answer. Maybe because he’s right, and that scares
the living hell out of me.
 Chapter Two
Liam

I should’ve blindfolded her, taped her mouth shut, tied her extremities, and left a ransom note
for Bryan to find. I’m sure he’d have done some detective work on Beth’s laptop, called the brother,
and we could’ve solved this whole thing with less fuss. The man looks like he grew up masturbating
with more than one computer in his hand.
Instead, I let the woman rattle on and on about things she doesn’t have sense talking about. Like
my mother, God rest her soul. If I didn’t know Beth’s history, I’d have taped her up after that. But
something tells me her words came from her own pain rather than anger towards me.
Bloody hell. What am I doing? Feeling sorry for her? No. The woman is no better than her piece
of shit brother I had my men take care of.
“So, this is it?” Beth snarls. “You’re going to hold me here… until when? You hear from Bryan? If
Jack had your necklace, he’d have sold it. He’s not the type to hold on to something that valuable. If
you were smart, or a good businessman, you’d know that. Why the hell did you have your family
heirlooms in some bank in Clearwater, anyway?”
I try not to smile, but she’s a burning inferno of wild droplets all forced into one giant ocean of
turmoil. It’s so beautiful that it’s hard to look away. She’s unshakeable, self-assured and fucking
hell… she’s lovely.
I hate to admit it, but my body is alive around her. When she flips her dark hair, or opens her
soft lips, my cock wakes up. It comes alive like I’m seventeen and she’s the scrambled porn I’m
watching in the living room at three in the morning.
“Earth to mobster. I’m asking you a question.”
“You think I’m a mobster?” I grin. “Why?”
She crinkles her brows, her wrists still tied together, her ankles attached to the base of a leather
chair next to the fireplace. “You’re not?”
“When you have billions, you stop worrying about labels.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” She rolls her eyes. “Mr. Elite Mobster.”
“So… what was he dying of?” I stare at her from across the room, watching her long, elegant
fingers scratch at the wooden handle of the chair.
She looks away, her gaze on the fire as it roars next to us. “No one’s dying. What are you talking
about?”
“Nine months ago, you posted dramatic soliloquies on your Facebook wall about life and death
and all this shit that people gave you sympathy for. Funny, that’s about the same time my necklace was
returned with the wrong stones in it. I figure Bryan is sick and you stay with him out of guilt or
something.”
She sucks in a heavy breath and lets it out slowly. I’m onto you, you little princess.
“That has nothing to do with this. I love Bryan.”
“Did I ask if you loved him?”
She shakes her head and baulks at my comment. “You said earlier that I settled. I didn’t settle.
He’s a nice guy, and he does nice things for me. That man works all day long and still comes home
and unloads the dishwasher?”
I laugh. “Well, if he unloads the dishwasher… it must be destiny.”
 She rolls her eyes. “I see why you’re single.”
“And I see why you’ve settled.”
“Why’s that?” She rolls her eyes, but I see the curiosity sitting beneath the surface.
“Because you know that no man could stand you long enough to get past the talking stage.”
“Yet, I’m the one engaged and you’re kidnapping women for some old lady’s necklace.”
“Some dead lady’s necklace,” I correct. “Grandma has been gone for a long while.”
“Cool.” She looks around the room. “Some dead lady’s necklace. I suppose that’s why you’ve
smuggled me to Montana. You think my brother is going to have answers I don’t?” She sighs. “We are
in Montana, right? I don’t remember much after the first ten miles of our drive.”
“You’re welcome. A healthy dose of Xanax and hours disappear. What is he dying of?”
She huffs out a heavy breath and scans the cabin. “So, you drugged me? That’s fun. How’d you
know I wasn’t allergic?”
“I figured you’d have posted it on Facebook.”
“You think you’re so quick. You’re not, though. You’re way off on this one. There’s nothing in
Montana.”
“I’ll agree with you there. All I’ve seen are mountains, hills, and a whole lot of nothing. Which
reminds me… how does someone like Bryan keep things interesting for you? It seems maybe he’s the
type of man who doesn’t make you earn your dinner, and I’m not sure you’re the type to respect that.”
“My dinner?” She rolls her eyes. “If that’s some weird British innuendo for sex, it needs work.”
“Well… does he?”
“Does he what? Make me work for my dinner? Yes… he does. We have a very nice sex life.
Thank you very much.”
I laugh. “Well, that explains everything. A ‘very nice’ sex life. So, he’s rubbish.”
“Why are you obsessed with what happens in my bedroom? Don’t you have some jewels to find
or something? Isn’t that why we’re here?”
What is it about her smart-ass mouth that’s getting me so fucking hard? And how can I want to shut
her up and fuck her all at the same time? I suppose that would get her to stop. Though she could be
one of those chatty fuckers, in which case, I’m not sure I wouldn’t love that as well.
I stand and lean into her ear, whispering, “I asked you a question… what is he dying of?”
“Fuck. You.” She stares me in the eye as she speaks.
I grip her chin in my hand, my tone low and rough as I say, “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? A little
spice. Something more than the hump you get once a week. Something spontaneous and wild.
Something you aren’t expecting.”
Her breath picks up, and then she spits. Intentional wetness hits me on the cheek.
I laugh and wipe it off with the hem of her cheap pink dress. “You want this more than I thought,
don’t you, princess?”
She cackles. “What the hell is wrong with you? Seriously? How does me spitting in your face
equal me wanting you?”
“Come on… you went to therapy school long enough to figure this one out. It’s simple.”
“Simple? Why don’t you explain it to me then, Freud? I’m not sure a country girl like me can
figure this one out.” She’s sarcastic when she speaks.
I loosen the grip on her chin and straighten. “You’ll see soon enough. For now, you rest until
you’re ready to tell me what’s wrong with your fiancé.”
She rolls her eyes. “Can you get me a drink? My mouth is dry.”
It pains me that she’s thirsty, but she doesn’t strike me as the kind of person that will hold on much
past her limits. The woman thrives in comfort zones. Going thirsty for more than an hour will, for
sure, get her talking. And when she does, I’ll quench her thirst.
 Chapter Three
Beth

My mouth is dry, my bladder is full, and my stomach has been growling for at least an hour. I
have half a mind to piss right here in this leather chair, but I suppose I’m not that barbaric… yet.
I haven’t seen Dex since we left Clearwater, but Liam hasn’t moved an inch. He sits in the chair
opposite mine and reads a book. It’s something that was in the house already, a cowboy thing. I can’t
clearly see the title in the dark room, but the shadow of a man on a horse is apparent. Is that all men’s
fantasy? To wear a cowboy hat, sling guns around, and ride horses?
My stomach rumbles again, loud this time. Loud enough that Liam surely heard it from the other
side of the room, but he doesn’t mention it. In fact, he ignores me completely.
Fuck. I’m Sicilian. We don’t go more than two hours without some bread or cheese. But maybe
thinking like that is denouncing America.
Fuck. This fish and chips bastard has me questioning myself.
I scrape my tongue against the roof of my mouth as though trying to sponge out some liquid, but it’s
no use. It’s dry as a bone. Unlike my panties, which are sopping wet. They have been since Liam had
his big body bent over me talking about adventure and sex and blah, blah, blah.
He thinks he knows me so well. And while yes, I would like something more sexually, I love
Bryan a lot. He’s smart, thoughtful, well educated, and he’s cute as hell in a Dr. Who sort of way.
Besides that, he’s my best friend.
“I have to piss,” I announce, straight faced.
Liam shrugs. “Go ahead, piss.”
“You want me to piss in this chair? I’ll ruin it, and the room will smell. Plus, you’d just be sitting
there like a pervert watching me pee.”
“How do you know I’m not into that?” Why is everything the man says so evocative?
“Into what… watching people piss?”
“Maybe.”
“I’m not pissing in the chair,” I chide. “And I’m hungry and thirsty. I need something soon or I’m
going to pass out.”
“You’re not going to pass out,” he says. “People fast for days all the time.”
“With water! You’re putting my body under a tremendous amount of stress. If you let me eat and
drink, I’ll feel better, and I can rationalize giving you an answer.”
He shrugs and lifts his book back to his face. “Doesn’t work like that, princess.”
My full bladder presses against my will to survive. Two more minutes and I will pee right here in
this chair… which is a look I decided to give up in the new year. “Fine! I’ll tell you… but it’s a long
story. Can I pee first?”
He sets his book on the side table and looks toward me. “It’s not a long story. It’s simple. You tell
me what’s wrong with Bryan, and I let you piss. One sentence.”
I rummage through my brain for an excuse. Anything to throw this sexy, annoying, brutal man off
track, but his stare distracts me. Finally, for the sake of pissing, I say, “It’s not Bryan who’s sick. Can
I go now?”
Liam picks up his book and continues to read, ignoring my outburst as though I’m a three-year-old
begging for a Reese’s in the grocery line and he’s the totalitarian parent that won’t give it to me.
 My bladder aches. “What do you want from me, you stupid fuck?”
He looks at me over the top of his book. “What was that post about?”
I drag in a sharp breath. “Nine months ago, I was pregnant. I was alone. Bryan and I hadn’t met
yet. The father didn’t want anything to do with me, and I was okay with that. Everything was going
great. I was going to raise my baby boy how I wish I were raised. I was going to be the mother I
never had.” I suck in a breath. “Then, one night, I woke up in a puddle of blood. And well… you can
guess what happened from there.”
I must be convincing, because Liam wastes no time releasing me from the ropes biting at my skin.
“You’ve got five minutes.”
I nod and stand carefully, trying not to jiggle the piss from my aching bladder as I make my way to
the bathroom. I know right where it is because I’ve been watching Liam get up and go.
He stands outside the door, holding guard like the bathroom is Buckingham Palace and I’m the
queen. I should be so lucky.
He doesn’t even fuss when I close the door, which I’m thankful for. I have no idea how many
hours it’s been, but having just a second alone to catch my breath is calming.
The bathroom is high end with a toilet that talks and sings with a series of bells. The sink isn’t
a sink at all, rather a waterfall built into the structure of the room. And the décor is tastefully western
with paintings of the mountains and horses running free. I can’t imagine how much this place is worth.
I could buy a whole trailer park for what I’m sure he paid for one night here.
The toilet warms as I sit, then hums and beeps as I finally empty my bladder. The spill is so
immense that it’s nearly orgasmic. The toilet must feel the same way. When I’ve finished, she hums,
sprays me with an unexpected jolt, then pressures me off by hitting my back with the lid. God forbid I
lingered.
The mirror is fancy, too. It looks as though there’s a TV that lives inside of it. I’m unsure of how
to turn it on, and I’d bet my five minutes is ticking away faster than I’m anticipating, so I pump a few
drops of gold hand soap and rinse under the waterfall before checking myself in the mirror.
God, I’m a mess.
I’m not one to be overly focused on looks to begin with. I keep a pretty low maintenance routine
and I don’t pay much attention to my weight or skin care, but holy fuck I look like hell. My hair is
disheveled and matted. My eyes are black and worn from the bit of mascara I was wearing, and my
lips are chapped to high heaven.
“Let’s go,” Liam barks from outside the door.
I obey, though I’m not sure why… other than knowing I don’t have much of a choice.
When the door opens, his face is different. Somber maybe. I’ve seen the look before. I’m not a
fan. “You don’t have to feel guilty for me. I’m fine.”
“I don’t feel guilty for you.” His voice is deep and rough. “I know what you’re going through.”
I laugh. “Why do people always assume they know what someone else’s grief feels like?”
Liam looks down, then straightens with a sunken look that turns my stomach. “My son died when
he was eight. We were hunting and,” he swallows hard, “my partner wanted more kids after that. I…
couldn’t. We broke up shortly after.”
My initial reaction is jealousy. He got eight years with his son before he was taken. But as I look
toward Liam, it’s like looking in a mirror. The dark, heavy pain I feel is painted on his face like the
permanent scowl of a bear who’s come home to an empty den.
“When did you meet Bryan?”
I shake my head. “Six months ago. He was this logical guy who made sense of everything instead
of feeling it. At the time, it was comforting to me.”
“He doesn’t know about the baby, does he?”
I shake my head.
Liam looks down. “Fuck. You quit school because of the baby, didn’t you?”
I suck in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I quit because I was tired.”
“And you settled for Bryan because he feels safe in a world where everything you’ve ever known
is heartbreak?”
I laugh. “Now who’s the therapist? Look, it’s not that deep. Bad things happen to everyone. You,
me, our kids. We can’t stop it. And we sure as fuck can’t expect anyone else to feel sorry for us. It’s
not their job. Bryan is a good man. Not the most exciting, I’ll agree, but he’s good to me.”
Liam stands from his chair and stalks toward me again, backing me against the wall. This time
though, his gaze is gentler. “You and I have something in common, princess. More than this tragedy.”
I glance away, then back again. “And what’s that?”
“We both need escape to heal. When I carried you out of the house yesterday, I saw it all over
your face. You were craving me. Craving excitement. Craving autonomy from the world as you know
it. Because here, in this world, with me, you’re free. Free from everything in your past. Here, tied up
in my ropes… you have liberty.”
Threatened by his truth and poignant description of exactly how I feel, I revolt. “How poetic. You
should have that printed on a gun or something. Because let’s not forget, you brought me here to kill
me.”
His hand brushes the side of my face. “I’d never hurt you. I knew that the second we met.”
“Weird thing to say for a guy that tied me up and held a gun on me.”
“You said it yourself… no one points a gun at someone’s hip.”
“How romantic. You should use that in your vows.”
“Vows? Wow… you ditched Bryan rather quickly.”
I push Liam away. “Can we end this? Obviously, we’re both losing our minds.” I slunk back
into the chair by the fireplace. Everything is so cozy with no ropes attached. The fireplace is
crackling, there’s a large picture window that stares out at the mountain range, and the ambiance of
the room reminds me of some storybook cabin where a very rich version of Snow White lives.
“Serious question.” Liam’s tone is graveled. “If you love and trust Bryan so much, why didn’t
you tell him about your past?”
“I thought this was another world.” I wave my hand in front of my face as though it’s a magic
wand. “I thought nothing from the real world was discussed here.”
He laughs. “Oh, no. That’s only when we’re fucking. I’ll transport you then. Right now…
we’re talking about feelings.”
“Oh, okay. Because a big guy like you, who hurts people, and can do anything at any
moment… is all about feelings.”
“Not usually, no. You make me feel differently.”
I bite my bottom lip and stare toward him in disbelief, wondering for a second if I’ve cracked
and I’m not here at all. Maybe I’m in a corner of my bedroom rocking back and forth imagining this
entire conversation. “Look,” I say roughly, “I don’t like throwing heavy shit around. And while
analytical, Bryan is also a sensitive guy. If I were to tell him what was going on, I’d end up pulling
him out of a depression.”
“Don’t you think he should be protecting you?”
“He does!”
 Liam nods. “By doing the dishes and coming home on time?”
“He also mows the lawn and there’s something to say about being reliable. Something tells me
you don’t value any of that.”
“I value attraction and chemistry. I value desire. And if I desire a good woman, I’ll be home on
time.”
“Well, there you go. Maybe that’s why Bryan does it. He desires me.”
He laughs heartily. “Does he show you that? Does he help you escape?”
Now, I’m the one laughing. “What’s your obsession with Bryan? You have no idea what it’s like
to be in a real relationship, do you? One where you work all day, you’re tired, and you just want to
snuggle and relax. You don’t need to be fucking every three seconds for that to mean something. Love
can be comfortable.”
He pulls me up from my chair and I land against his chest. With his tone low, he says, “Love can
also make you feel electric. Love can tie you up, fuck you hard, and growl your name. Love can lick
you clean and leave you begging for more. Love can be more than comfortable.”
The truth is, I can’t remember the last time Bryan and I made love. It’s not that we aren’t attracted
to each other, we are, it’s just that we’re always busy.
“Love like that doesn’t last,” I finally say. “It’s intense as hell then fizzles out like a fourth of July
sparkler in a can of half-drunk coke. We both know it.”
He angles his lips in toward mine, his heavy breath less than an inch from my skin. “You’re
cranky. I think you need pancakes.”
I expect him to say, ‘and dick’, but he doesn’t. He simply takes my hand and guides me toward the
kitchen, and for that, my stomach and head are grateful.
 Chapter Four
Dex

I didn’t know Liam when he had his first life. The one with the wife and son. I met him a year
afterward in a time where he’d blocked himself off to the world and trusted only me. At times, the
weight was heavy. He was heavy. Watching him grieve was like watching a sadistic clown gone wild.
He took his aggression out on the business and made a name for himself as ‘Liam the Great.’ Not to
be confused with Henry the Great who has the blood of thousands of men on his hands. In a two-year
span, Liam may have seen more. He was ruthless. It wasn’t until he spent some time with me on the
ranch that he finally calmed down.
In that time, I’ve seen Liam with women. They tend to throw themselves at him. I’d guess it’s
his giant stature and general disinterest. Women tend to dig that for some reason. Never, though, have I
ever seen him react the way he does to Beth. He’s attentive and awe struck. I see it in his gaze. He’s
craving her, hungry for her, circling her like prey.
I see why, too. She’s beautiful and there’s a spark to her that’s bright and unassuming. I’ve
been desperate to sink my teeth in since we were at the house.
I settle down to the island and look toward Beth as she chugs a glass of orange juice while coffee
brews. “You should slow down. You’re going to make yourself sick eating so fast on an empty
stomach.”
Her dark eyes glance toward me as though she’s a hungry puppy and I’ve just stuck my hand in her
food bowl. She continues back on her breakfast.
I smile. “Sorry. We promise not to let you get this hungry again.” I make eyes with Liam who
slides the plate of pancakes toward her before heading out the back door. “I’ll be back in a bit. Don’t
let her out of your sight.”
I nod and twist back toward the kitchen as a wave of awkwardness filters over the room. The last
time she and I were in a room together, I was tying her up. That’s not exactly the best way to make
friends.
“You know,” I say, pouring a cup of coffee, “we don’t usually do this kind of thing.”
She narrows her gaze. “Feed your captors pancakes?”
“Kidnap women. Well, anyone, really. We don’t normally kidnap people.”
She nearly chokes on her pancakes. “Really? You just go straight to killing them?”
It sounds terrible to say out loud. “It’s a little more complicated than that. But… yes. Liam doesn’t
have the patience for getting to his answers slowly. If he decides he’s done… he’s done.”
Her eyes widen as she bites into her pancakes. “Oh good. I’m a special exception!” The over-the-
top attitude was funnier when it wasn’t directed at me. “Is he always so rough?” She shuffles in her
chair.
“Yes. He has to be. His operation spans thousands of people, all of whom are killers. Which is
why you should know, when you stop seeing Liam or I, you better start talking quick. Anyone else
means his patience has run out.”
“Thanks for the tip.” She moves the food around on her plate. “Why does he have so many
unhinged people following him?”
“Because he’s a financial genius.” I sip my coffee. “If there’s one thing that makes a room of
psychos respect you, it’s your ability to make everyone richer than they would ever know.”
 Her eyes roll back into her head. “Financial genius, maker of pancakes, and satisfier of women.
What else can I add to the list?”
I narrow my brows. “Did you guys…”
“No!” She gasps. “God no! I’m engaged… remember?”
“Well, he likes you is all. He hasn’t liked anyone in a long time.”
I can see her wheels spinning. “Well, that’s nice.” She takes a bite of bacon. “Too bad I don’t like
him back.”
It’s obvious to see she’s either lying, or she’s covering the truth of her feelings to save the
awkwardness of the emotional turmoil it would cause her.
“I’m not sure that matters,” I press. “It hasn’t before. When Liam sees something he wants, he gets
it.”
She tips her head back. “Ah.” Her face turns red. “Well, if he wants something, by all means, I’ll
spread my legs right here and let him take it.”
“Sorry if I offended you,” I say, taking a sip of the coffee it’s too late in the day for. “I didn’t mean
it like you owe him anything. I meant it like… the man is relentless and you should watch out.”
She looks down at her plate, pushing the pancakes through syrup and back again. “Yeah. Well, I’ll
be on guard. Thanks for the tip. Forgive me if my breakfast etiquette isn’t the best. I’ve been
kidnapped and I’m a little worried for my fiancé and my brother. Plus…” She hesitates. “Nothing.”
“Whatever it is, I won’t say anything.”
Her eyes widen as though I’m insane. “Oh…. okay. So, this is slumber party time. I tell you, the
big man who tied my ankles together earlier all my secrets, and in turn, you promise to keep them.
Nice try!”
I turn toward her. “Seriously. I met Liam in a similar experience.”
“He kidnapped you?”
“He was holding me for ransom.”
She laughs. “How nice. You’ve got to love those trauma bonds. Hold on to it tight. Friendships
like that are hard to come by.”
“It’s not as nefarious as it sounds. My boss owed him a few million dollars, and I was the pawn
that helped Liam get it. Really, we sat around, drank beer, and talked about boxing.”
She forces a fake yawn. “Please, this is all so interesting. Don’t stop.”
“You’ve got a great sense of humor.” I laugh and take another sip of the dark brew in front of me,
wondering what it would take to break down her walls.
“I think the term you’re looking for is cunt. And yes… I am. Now if you really want to help, you
could give me the keys to your truck.”
“You like him too, don’t you?”
She pulls her head back. “What is with you gangsters always changing the subject? I just told you
I’m happily engaged.”
“Okay.” I hold up my hand and grin. “I’m not trying to step on any toes. I just saw chemistry is all.
That shit’s hard to fake.”
She huffs out a sigh and stares blankly ahead before looking down at the coffee mug on the table.
“What you saw is two people who can’t stand each other.”
For a long while we sit in silence. Finally, she says, “Tell me something so obviously crazy
that you couldn’t bare the thought of it being repeated.” She sips her drink. “And keep in mind that I’m
a human lie detector test.”
“Okay.” I raise my brows gently, looking away then back toward her again. “Well… I once faked
a broken leg so I could get out of doing a job with Liam.” I laugh. “By fake, I mean I broke my own
leg, so I didn’t have to ride with the man while he collected on debts. Got a two-week hospital trip
and loved every second of it.” I make a rainbow with my hands. “Jell-O as far as the eye could see.”
Her eyes both narrow and lift at the same time, like she isn’t sure whether to laugh or shiver in
disgust. “Okay, that’s embarrassing for sure. And sadly, I think you’re telling the truth.”
“Liam still doesn’t know it was fake, so…”
“What did you do? How’d you break it?”
“I stabilized my foot in a vice and smashed it with a sledgehammer. It sounds bad, but trust me, it
was better than the alternative. Besides, we had a girl at the time. Someone needed to be home with
her.”
“We?” Beth’s brows narrow again. “We had a girlfriend as in you and Liam shared a girlfriend?”
Fuck. That wasn’t something I needed to say.
“It’s not a thing. There was this girl we shared. I shouldn’t have said anything. I don’t know what
Liam wants you to know and I—”
“No. You have to tell me this now. You can’t take me to the edge and leave me there.” She takes
another bite of food, relaxes, and for a second it really does feel like we’re at a slumber party trading
secrets. Or at the very least, what I’d imagine it to be.
“I think you owe me a secret first,” I press. “That’s how these things work, right?”
Her brows dim and her gaze drops before drawing back up slowly. She’s thinking something over,
mulling how much to say. Finally, she exhales. “I like him too.” She bites the inside of her cheek.
“Everything. The banter, the attraction, the weird way he keeps pinning me against walls. I think it’s
supposed to be intimidating, but it’s turning me on. I’m sick. I know I’m sick. Don’t judge me.” She
stares down at her coffee and chews at the end of a stirring straw.
“Why is it sick? Because you’re engaged?”
Her words come out fast and anxious. “Because I’m engaged. Because I’m engaged to the nicest
man on Earth. Because Liam is fucked up. Because we met while he was carrying me out of my house
kicking and screaming.”
“Have you ever thought about polyamory?”
She can’t hold in her laughter. “Nope! I’m not as crazy as you two. That sounds like an absolute
train wreck.”
“It wasn’t a train wreck. It was nice while it lasted.”
“While it lasted, being the keywords here.”
“Just because it didn’t work for us, doesn’t mean it wouldn’t for you.”
She cocks a brow, holding her coffee against her palm. “And how does that work exactly? How is
anyone satisfied in that scenario?”
“She was always satisfied. Liam is driven by sex, and I’m driven by emotions. Do you have any
idea what it’s like to be with a person who is having all their needs met? It’s incredible.”
I can see her wheels spinning. “So wait, if she was so satisfied, why is it over?”
“Truthfully, Liam wasn’t ready yet. Back then he was a lot more broken than he is now. I was
thinking the whole process would take the pressure off of him to grow back into a person who could
love again. He got his needs met, and I carried the emotional side of things.”
“I guess it wasn’t enough.”
“It was a learning experience for everyone. When we look back on it, it was like any relationship.
They take work. She was into it for a while, but when she couldn’t get Liam to emotionally invest, she
pulled away.”
 “Right.” Beth says the words with a waver in her tone. “Anyway… none of this matters because
I’m not having a polyamorous relationship. I’m not leaving my fiancé, and I’m not pursuing anything
with my kidnapper. So…”
“Sometimes, your body tells you what you need. You shouldn’t completely ignore that.”
“And the man that I’m currently engaged to? Should I ignore him in favor of whatever whim I’m
currently feeling?”
I shake my head. “No. You shouldn’t. You should be honest with him. Maybe he’d understand.”
She laughs, then adapts a mocking tone as she says, “Honey, I love you. You know I love you, but
I’m going to need to fuck this other man. You’re welcome to watch.”
“Woah! You’re the one that said watch. I was just offering up some options.” I hold back a smile
and tip my coffee back again.
Liam clears his throat at the entrance to the kitchen. How the fuck long has he been standing there?
For a big man, he’s quiet.
“Someone is at the door for you Beth. Turns out the pussy has more spine than I gave him credit
for.”
She looks toward me with something that I can’t define. I doubt its disappointment, but it’s not
excitement either. Standing from the stool, she makes her way toward the hallway, but Liam stops her
before she can leave.
His giant body backs her up against the wall of the kitchen. He places his hand over her head,
and he leans in. “Before you go back out there and get all confused by what you think you have with
that man… I want you to tell me what I just heard you say to Dex.” His voice is low and graveled.
“Leave her alone, Liam. She’s stressed. She doesn’t know what she’s saying.”
He turns back and scowls, letting me know how out of line I am.
I should’ve known better than to think he wasn’t skulking around. That’s probably why he left
the room in the first place.
Breathless, she says, “If you know what I said, why do you need to hear it again?”
He growls low under his breath and leans into her ear. “Because I want you to look me in the eye
and say it.”
“No! Why? Let me go! I’m sure Bryan is—”
“Say it, princess. Tell me you need me to eat that little cunt and fuck you while he watches.”
She’s panting so hard I can see her chest rising and falling from here. Sparks fly between them.
They’re like lightbulbs, overwhelmed with electricity, about to burst.
“Fine!” she blurts. “Do you want to hear how this, right here, turns me on? How sick it is that my
pussy is drenched when you’re growling in my ear? Do you want to hear that I’d pay money to know
what it’s like to disappear in your arms?” A tear streams down her face.
Liam grins and pushes a strand of hair from Beth’s vision. “Good girl, princess. Now go tell
Bryan what you need, or I will.”
 Chapter Five
Beth

I’ve never burned with so much desire in my life. My thighs are shaking, my knees are weak,
and there’s an audible boom in my chest cavity that wasn’t there a week ago. And even in the crass
haste of Liam demanding I tell Bryan what I need, I still want him. Maybe even more.
Liam Wilde is resoundingly masculine, blunt, and unapologetic. And he’s right, I want to be lost
with him. So much so that when Bryan opens his arms toward me, actual pain resonates in my chest. I
can’t imagine leaving Liam… not yet.
Bryan’s hands are shaking. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”
I shake my head and fall into his arms. He’s comforting, familiar, and warm. “No. I’m fine. We
just had pancakes, actually. How did you find me?”
“These two texted me to come when I had answers.” He holds my face in both his hands and
studies me, checking me over as though I’m a child who’s just fallen off their bike. “Let’s go. We’ll
get in the car and leave. They can’t stop us.”
“The gemstones, though. Did you call Jack?” My heart sinks as I wait for his response.
“I called him when I left the house. I wanted someone to know where I was, just in case.” He
clears his throat. “In case I didn’t come back. Who the fuck knows what these psycho assholes are
capable of.”
“They’re not assholes!” The words fall from my lips before my brain comprehends what I’m
saying.
Bryan stares at me like I’ve lost my mind. “They did something to you. What did they do?”
“They let you walk into the house. Your car keys are still in your hand and what about your
cell? Where is that?”
Bryan pulls it out of his pocket.
“They don’t want to hurt us. They just want the necklace back. I need to tell Jack or he’s going to
show up here.” I take the phone from Bryan’s hand and dial Jack’s number. There are three rings
before he picks up, and when he does, he sounds angry.
“Did you find her?”
“No, it’s me… Beth. I’m using Bryan’s cell. I’m—”
“Where are you?” His voice turns to panic. We’re fifteen years apart in age. Jack knew my mother
much longer than I did, my father too. He had them both when things were happy. I think he feels bad
for that, and that’s why he looks out for me. He deems himself responsible for my wellbeing. He
always has.
“Do you remember that necklace that Patrick—”
The phone is pulled from my ear and in one movement I’m met with the brick wall of a man who,
at this point, knows me better than my fiancé.
“Tsk, tsk, princess. I thought we had a good thing going.”
I stare up at Liam, his black shirt unbuttoned, the hair and tattoos on his chest exposed, his
teeth bared like he’s a wild animal losing control.
Good lord, I want him. All of him. I want him to tear my clothes off and take me right here. I
want him to flush me from this life I’ve created and give me a new one. Please, dear god, make it
happen.
 He snarls under his breath and leans against me, pressing me up against the cool logs of the
living room wall. My clit swells and thumps wildly.
“I think you have something to tell Bryan. If you aren’t a good girl, you know what’s
coming…”
God, I want what’s coming. Whatever it is. I need it. A spanking, more ropes, a chase… I’ll
willingly take whatever he gives. My pussy aches to be touched.
“I was on the phone with my brother. I wanted to keep him from coming after me. Besides, we
should stay focused on Grandma’s long-lost gems.”
“I’ve found something I need more.” His voice is deep and brooding, nearly a growl.
Fuck. Am I the something? Am I what he needs more?
“What about the necklace? It’s part of your family. It’s irreplaceable.”
“You’re going to make it up to me, princess.” His body tenses, and his eyes go black. He’s a
predator. A beautiful, dangerous, animal, ready to shred me to bits and I love it. “Now tell Bryan
what you think about.” Liam’s gaze never leaves mine.
My thighs ache and tighten at the thought of what he wants me to say. It’s so wrong, so dirty, so
fucked up. It’s so hurtful and incredibly insensitive to Bryan and everything he needs. I shake sense
back into my head. “No. I don’t think anything. I was confused.”
Liam runs his hand down over my cheek and stares down at me, his gaze like a beacon of truth
that sees straight through me. “Tell him what you think about, princess.” His voice lowers as he says,
“Now.”
“What’s he talking about, Beth?” Bryan’s voice is quiet and subdued.
I stare toward him, ashamed at the thoughts running through my head. I glance toward Liam. “I
can’t.”
“You will,” Liam presses, his stance unwavering.
“Say it, Beth,” Bryan bites. “What does he think you want?”
I glance toward Bryan, my heart in my throat. “I want you to watch.”
He narrows his gaze. “Watch what?” This is how unsexual this man is. He doesn’t even
realize he’s doing it. It’s not purposeful and there’s no malice in it. He’s just not that guy… and that’s
okay. He’s so many other great guys, so many other things Liam isn’t.
I debate continuing, but Liam presses me again, his hand on my throat, his gaze like the stare
of a lion through tall grass. He’s unrelenting and intense.
“I want you to watch Liam… touch me.” The words shake out in a whisper.
“What? Why? He’s touching you now, Beth. I don’t get where you’re going with this.”
Liam looks away for a second as though he’s having a hard time with Bryan’s missed
connection.
I try again. “Bryan, it’s fucked up, and I’m sorry for that… because I love you. I really love
you, but I have this fantasy, this weird, messed up fantasy, where you watch me fuck Liam.”
Bryan’s face goes white. He glances down to the ground and then back up again. “You just met
the man. He kidnapped you! I drove a thousand miles to save you… and you want me to watch you
fuck him?” It’s the first time I’ve ever heard Bryan raise his voice, though after this, I doubt it will be
the last.
My stomach turns. What was I thinking? “Never mind, I didn’t mean it. I—”
“I see the way you’re looking at him, Beth. I’m not blind.” Bryan pauses and drags in a deep
breath. “Fuck!”
Wow, the man can curse. I didn’t think that was a possibility either.
 He’s quiet for a long while. So long that I sit on the couch and stare out the window watching
dark lit trees sway back and forth in the wind. Liam pets my head in comfort. I should stop him, but it
feels good, and we’re in this deep already.
Bryan finally says, “You really want this, don’t you?”
I consider his words carefully. Even in his haste, he’s relaxed himself and adapted an
undertone of acceptance. I’m sure now, the man deserves an award. An award for being stronger than
all of us, because I for one, couldn’t take the news I just gave. In fact, I’m so out of sorts, I’m not even
sure how to answer his question.
Scrambled, I look toward Liam, his dark eyes swallowing me up again, taking me right back
to the place I wish I didn’t feel. A place where my lips ache to crush against his and my arms ache to
hold him. A place where I get off knowing Bryan is there… watching. A place where Bryan is
touching me too. A place where the three of us are… something.
God, I need to slow the fuck down. If there were rules for kidnappings, I’m pretty sure the
first one would be… don’t fall in love with your captors. Not that this is love. It’s not.
No… but it’s something. Something I need to slow down.
“You really want this, Beth?” Bryan prods.
Slow and shallow, I nod. “I’m sorry. It’s a lot of things. Things we can talk about later.”
Pragmatic and thoughtful, Bryan looks toward Liam. “And this gets us out of the mess with
your necklace?”
“Free and clear, but you both have to follow my rules, exactly.”
My clit throbs again. Nothing sounds better than following every single rule that man makes.
Bryan groans and looks toward the window, the night sky still shading out the land around us.
He’s a sensible man, and something tells me that’s coming in handy right now. He’s weighing the pros
and cons. He’s going through weighted averages of every possible outcome. He’s debating with
himself the terms of what Liam’s rules might be. He’s deciding whether this small indiscretion is
worth whatever Liam may have planned otherwise.
“She’s not yours,” Bryan says, his voice lower than I’ve heard it before. “She’s mine. I need
to hear that you understand that from the start. This is a one-time thing. One night, as long as Beth
consents. And you put it in writing that we owe you nothing for the necklace and we’re free to go.”
Of course, he’d want it in writing. That only makes sense.
“The details aren’t yours to decide, my friend,” Liam announces, leaning into me again. “I’ll
have her as many times as she’ll let me, and while she’s here… she’s ours.” He’s saying ours, but the
hitch in his voice says he means his, and that drives me wild. “That said, you’re correct, you will
owe nothing for the necklace. We’ll call it a wash.” He glares toward me, his voice low, his hand on
my shoulder. “This… is far more valuable.”
My nipples ache, my clit throbs, and I’m pretty sure if he says one more thing, I’ll come right
here and now. Party over.
Bryan stares toward me as though searching for the answer. Maybe he can see it in my eyes,
maybe he can smell it all over me, maybe somewhere deep down inside of him he knows that I’ve
been in pain. He knows I need an escape.
“Good,” Liam says, reaching his hand out for Bryan. “First order of business, I need alone
time with Beth. We’ll call you when we’re ready.”
Bryan’s brows narrow. “No. That’s not what we talked about. You said—”
“I said, she’s ours. You’ll get your time with her too. But right now, I need to talk to her…
alone. Dex will show you to your room.”
 I look up toward Liam. “You can’t do that. Give me a second alone with him first.”
I don’t know what to expect in response to my demand, but it goes untested.
I reach out toward Bryan, landing his hand in mine. “I’m sorry about all this. I don’t know
what’s going on. I didn’t expect to want what he was asking for. I—”
Bryan pulls me against his chest. “You’re confused. You’ve been through hell. I’m sure you
believe a lot of things right now.” His hand tips under my chin. “Are you sure you’re okay with this? I
feel like you’ll regret it, but you do what you have to do to get out of here.”
Oh God! He believes I’m being manipulated. He believes he’s protecting my fragile psyche.
“I’m fine, Bryan. His request… it sounds… fine. It’s not an imposition. Is it for you?”
He stares at me long and hard, thinking over his response carefully, like he always does. “I
want you to be happy, Beth. I guess if this makes you happy, and we get rid of this whole necklace
thing then… who am I to stop you?” He looks down at the ground then back at me again. “Promise me
he’s not hurting you.”
I smile softly. “He’s not hurting me, Bryan.”
Bryan nods and kisses my forehead as Dex wanders in from the kitchen. Dark hair, grey
sweats, all abs, Cheshire grin. I look away. No doubt he’s been listening to every word. I can’t wait
to hear his take on it all later.
Liam reaches out for my hand, and for the first time since we met, I don’t feel the terrible pang
of guilt when we touch. I wonder how long it’ll last.
 Chapter Six
Liam

Throughout history, we learn that for every successful man, there’s a downfall. For some its
greed and fortune. For others it’s an illness or a traumatic event. For me, it will be Beth Ford. I knew
it the moment we met. The way her curves bent and shook. The way her long hair fell onto her
shoulders. The way she ran her mouth like a fucking psycho despite her predicament. That woman
was meant to be loved by me.
The shower runs and I sit on the bench just inside the tile enclosure. Hot steam fills the room
as Beth looks toward me, more terror in her eyes than at any point since I took her.
“What’s wrong?”
She shakes her head. “Nothing… what are we doing?”
Where things had been smooth earlier, they’re more tense now, bent and misshapen.
I stare toward her, dragging my gaze up and over her frame. “We’re showering. Strip off your
dress, panties first. Slow.”
“And what? You’re going to sit there and watch? No!”
“You say no, an awful lot for a girl who has yes spilling out of her panties.”
She knows I’m right. I’ve been smelling her all day, that wet cunt giving away her excitement.
I want it all over me.
“Come on now. Slowly… pull your panties to the ground.”
With her gaze on me, she does as I’ve asked, lifting the hem of her soft cotton dress to pull a
pair of light pink panties to the floor.
Fuck. It’s going to take every ounce of energy not to fuck her tonight. I watch as a small tremor
runs down her back, then drifts away as she catches my gaze.
“What did he say to you out there?” I watch her intently as she slides each strap of her dress
off her shoulders. One by one they fall and lose their grip.
“He wanted to make sure I was alright, and to let me know he cared.”
She’s not wearing a bra. Her nipples are hard and delicate. “Get undressed with me.” Her
voice is small, but confident, the only girl I’ve ever known to give me a command.
“You’re giving orders now?”
She grins and covers her bare body with her arms. This was supposed to be a private show. A
moment where I stripped her down, enjoyed her body, and let her feel a small taste of what I can give
her. The moment where I convince her that she can’t live without me… without this. That idea is
quickly slipping away.
Standing, I unbutton my slacks and let them fall to the floor, boxers and all. My shirt is already
unbuttoned, so it’s not much effort to remove.
Her gaze widens as she stares toward me. “Fuck…”
“What?” I can’t help but grin as I see where her eyes have gone.
“You’re huge and very erect…”
“I already have quite the ego. You’re going to have to be careful with your compliments.” I tug
her close to me. My cock brushes and pokes at her stomach.
She blushes and wets her lips before glancing up. Good bloody hell, Satan did a wonderful
job making her.
 I fist a hand into her hair and sink the other into her ass, her head steady as I lean in for a kiss.
She sighs into my mouth as she squirms against me, my throbbing dick pressing against her.
Moan after moan filter through the back of her throat as our lips work against one another. I’m dizzy,
panting, convinced that this woman is the one I’ve been waiting for.
I nip her lower lip and let my hand wander her bare skin, squeezing her ass hard as I back her against
the inside wall of the shower. Warm water teases at our skin. Our eyes meet.
My willpower is gone, lost somewhere in that kiss. My fingers drag over her shoulders and
onto her tits, pinching each nipple before smothering the tiny buds with my lips. She tastes like syrup.
Warm, sweet, maple. Her body arches into me, willingly, desperate almost… like she hasn’t been
touched in ages, like she needs it, like she wants me more and more with each breath.
My lips wander down over her throat and suck hard, meeting her nipples with pressure again
and again. Without thought, my pelvis grinds against hers and my slippery cock throbs.
She whines out again, this time, thrusting her hips toward me. Her small frame squirms. My
dick is hard as a rock.
“I need to feel you,” she begs, a whine in her voice.
I love to hear this woman whine.
“Sit,” I bark. “Touch yourself.”
Without question, she does as I’ve asked, spreading her thighs wide to reach between them.
She circles her swollen nub with speed as she stares toward me, panting. “I don’t think I can wait,
Liam. I need you. I need you so bad.” Her hips rock back and forth as she rubs.
I kneel in front of her, hot water hitting my back as I inhale her scent.
“Fuck.” She’s breathless. “You’re an animal.” She sighs, sweeping her fingers through my
hair.
I feel like a fucking animal. Like I could howl at the moon, bend her over, fuck her hard, and
growl if anyone tries to come near her again.
But right now, all I want is her yearning, her begging eyes, and the moan in the back of her
throat when she’s so desperate she thinks she might burst. I’m not ready for the tease to be over.
I bite the inside of her thigh, nibbling my way toward the lips of her pussy. Moaning, she grips
the back of my hair and cries, “Again.”
Of course, she wants it again, this little fucking princess wants it hard. She wants my marks all
over her. I bite her again, chewing on her labia gently before sliding my tongue over her clit.
She jumps back and moans. “Yes! God yes!”
I look up from between her legs. “It’s an easy mistake, but you’re praising me, not God.”
She laughs and whines at the same time… my new favorite sound.
I grip her wrists and swing her around so she’s facing the shower wall. “Keep both hands
there,” I demand, before biting her shoulders, the back of her neck, her arms, the curve of her hips, the
side of her tits, and finally, that big, round ass. My teeth sink into her flesh. She jumps and sighs.
“Why do I love this so much?” she pants.
“Do you know what you’re doing to me, princess?” I groan out a low oath of pleasure as I slide a
finger into her cunt from behind, watching as her ass bounces against the tease of my touch. “Take it
like a good girl.”
Her soundtrack is on repeat. Pant, whine, moan. Sometimes, an orchestra of all three. She bends
her knees to angle herself just right against my fingers as hot water splashes down over the top of us.
“I need to come, Liam. I need to come now.”
I spin her toward me, my fingers thrusting into her tight cunt as my cock presses into her belly.
Our eyes on one another, I growl low before saying, “There’s so much that’s going to happen before I
fuck you, princess. You’re going to suck me off for everyone to see. You’re going to tell them how
much you like it. Then, I’m going to watch you. I’m going to watch you fuck them. I’m going to tell you
every single move I want you to make, and you’re going to be a good… fucking… girl.”
Her brows narrow. “Them?”
“Dex deserves a piece of you too. Don’t you think? I heard you two talking like a couple of girls
at a slumber party earlier.”
She shrugs. “Yeah, but…” I press into her cunt further, biting her neck again.
“Then you’ll do as I ask. You’ll let me watch you with him. If Bryan and I are going to get
along, I need him to see that I share too.”
Her pelvis presses against my hand and she moans. “Why does it get you off to watch me? I…
couldn’t watch you with anyone else. It would make me sick.”
Her possession of me hits her like a slow burning firecracker, all at once and bursting. Her eyes
widen. “I mean… maybe. But you’re a—”
I press my fingers in harder. She groans against my chest.
“Some people think it’s degradation, but bloody hell, watching a woman take pleasure is one of
the best sights a man can see. And knowing you’re mine afterward,” I growl, “that’s all I need.”
I squeeze my fingers around her swollen pussy, then back into the heat of the shower, staring
toward her.
“Where are you going? Don’t go. I need to come!”
“And you will, princess. Soon.”
“Now!” she demands. “You can’t whip your cock out, scrape your teeth over me like an animal,
then disappear.”
I smile and cup her face, kissing her cheek, our eyes on one another. “I tell you when it’s okay to
come. Do you understand? And I promise… I’ll take you places you’ve never been.”
She looks toward me blankly, her pretty pink lips parted. Her wheels are spinning. You can tell
she wants to act out. She wants to debate me. She wants to be… her. Truthfully, I invite it. I love a
good sparring.
“Do you get off on this or something? Is withholding sex… some kind of kink? It feels like
abuse!”
I reach for a towel outside the shower door and laugh. “Abuse? Damn. Sorry for that then.”
She sighs. “Liam… you have no idea how bad I need you.”
I stare down at my rock-hard cock, then glance up at Beth. “I have an idea.”
She crosses her arms and looks away as hot water steams over her smooth skin. She’s a fucking
goddess. Any man in their right mind would bend her over right here.
“I like to savor my meals, princess. We’re going to take things slow. And if you disobey… you’ll
be spanked.”
“Spanked? You said nothing about spanking.”
“Are you against it?”
She huffs and turns into the shower, pouting. Inadvertently, her round ass sits waiting like a
beacon of injustice just waiting to be punished.
“Good girl,” I groan, stepping away before I thrust into her ass. “Take your shower and meet me
in bed.”
 Chapter Seven
Beth

When I finish with my shower, Liam is already in bed. He’s laid out, cock up reading the book
that he’d been skimming earlier. I want to slap him. Of course, I’m fucking him while I slap him and
he’s saying all those dirty, dark things he shouldn’t say while I do it.
“You know, this is pretty interesting shit. They say Billy the Kid shot and killed twenty-one men
before he was twenty. I thought I was bad.”
“Dex told me earlier you had a year where you killed more men than Henry the Great. I can’t see
it.”
“Dex exaggerates. I have men killed. I don’t kill them.” He tosses his book onto the floor beside
the bed and rolls in toward me. It’s hard to believe he’s the kind of guy who’d have anyone killed.
Sure, he’s rough and demanding, but when we were talking about our loss earlier, he was soft. And
now… there’s intimacy in the dim light of the room, like his guard is down. I wonder how many
people get to see him like this.
Dragging my hand through his chest hair, I say, “I don’t think you could kill a man if you wanted
to.”
He narrows his gaze playfully. “Are you emasculating me in my own bed? That mouth keeps
getting you in trouble.”
“Please. At least I was smart enough to bury my family treasure, not put it in some bank and hope
for the best.”
A low chuckle shakes his chest. “That sounds like the kind of thing a hillbilly would do. How
fitting.”
I grin and punch his shoulder playfully. “Kind of, yeah. Right smack dab at the back of the trailer.
Three feet down. No one gives a shit about things buried under a trailer, trust me.” I roll my eyes and
lay flat on the cool silk sheets. Everything about this place is luxurious. “Enough about that. You
know, if you deprive me of an orgasm much longer, I may start murdering people myself.”
He laughs. “Should I consider that my problem, or do you think you came with that attitude?”
“Ha. Ha,” I say, snuggling into him closer. For a second, it’s odd. It’s been years since I’ve laid
with anyone but Bryan. I’m used to his smell of vapor rub and moisturizer. I’m used to Bryan’s
laughter in my ear, his weight next to me in bed, his hands on my back in comfort. But here, with
Liam, it’s like he’s always been there. Like we’ve lived a thousand lives together and in this one we
finally get to meet.
“You’re more sexually deprived than I thought.” He grins and drags his hand to the back of my
neck before pulling me for a kiss. His grip is powerful and strong, but somehow, I feel safe and I
never want him to let go.
My lips against his, I grip his cock and pump up and down over and over, aching to tempt him to
my side of indulgence, but he only groans and bites at my neck, sucking at me gently.
Lord, I love these bites. I never thought I would love a bite so much in my life. They’re tender, but
firm and when his teeth scrape off my skin, I swear I’ve died.
Like an anchor holding me down, he brushes a strand of hair from my face. My hand is crushed
beneath him, but I don’t care. It could go numb, fall off, and I’d smile up at him and beg him to take
more of me.
 I stare up into his dark eyes and relish in his face. He’s perfect. A square jaw, tight beard, and
cords of muscles traveling down over his frame like a wild beast who’s just crawled up and out of
the forest.
“Go to sleep.” His whisper rumbles in my ear. “We’ll talk in the morn—”
A knock at the door interrupts his thought. It’s quickly followed by a creaking. It’s Dex, who
apparently, just lets himself in. He looks panicked.
“Sorry to intrude, but we have a visitor.”
Liam asks no questions. Instead, he stands from the bed without inhibition, his erect cock on
display for all to see. I guess that shouldn’t be weird considering all I know about them, but it’s still
odd to see in motion. He tosses on his button down and pulls on a pair of sweatpants, kissing my
forehead before turning toward Dex. “Pet her softly and keep her calm until I get back.” Liam looks
toward me. “You okay with that, princess?”
Dex glances toward me, still naked on the bed. I reach for the sheet, but Liam stops me. “Let him
look. You like when you’re admired, don’t you?”
Liam’s cock throbs as he waits for an answer. So then, my clit follows suit. I think about what he
said to Bryan and me earlier. ‘We are to follow his rules exactly.’
And though, I don’t usually let a man control me, I make an exception for him and nod in approval.
“Good girl,” he groans, kissing me one last time before stepping out of the room. He whispers
something to Dex before he leaves and I wonder for a second if this is a ruse. He didn’t seem in any
hurry to see who was at the door at midnight. Maybe Liam has camera’s set up. Maybe he watches me
with Dex while he jerks off in another room. The thought alone has me aching again.
Dex stands at the doorway, confident, but not nearly as brazen as Liam. He’s dressed for the night
in a pair of grey sweatpants, and no top. His hand clasps the back of his neck. “Sorry about him. He’s
way over the top. I’ve tried to talk him down multiple times, but he doesn’t have a clue. I don’t have
to touch you.”
“It doesn’t bother me. I like the way he is. I liked the conversation with you earlier too.”
If Liam wants me to have sex with Dex later, it’s only going to help if we talk more. I want to feel
as close to all of them as I can. Maybe Bryan is right… maybe I do have some quick acting version of
Stockholm’s that’s compounded by my previous tragedies.
Dex steps in closer, walking slowly toward the bed as he talks. “Really? I always figure women
want someone softer than Liam. Maybe I’m doing things all wrong.”
I smile as the weight of his body bends the other side of the bed. “Sometimes soft is great. Other
times, it’s nice to let go and trust that there’s a big, strong, smart man who has everything under
control. Including your orgasms, I guess.” I laugh again, mostly out of awkwardness. “Who’s the
visitor? It’s pretty late.”
He shrugs and leans in, dragging is rough fingertip over my belly. “I’m supposed to be keeping
you calm.”
“Right.” His touch is lighter than Liam’s, but not quite as light as Bryan’s. His hands are
rough, calloused by years of farm work, I suppose. Maybe I can convince him to get me off. I’m sure
that would make Liam jealous. I wonder what kind of spanking I would get then? I thought about
acting out earlier, just to know what it’s like to have him punish me, but I’ve never been spanked
before, and there’s a part of me that’s wary about the whole thing.
Dex palms my breast in his hand, groaning with the touch. His cock is hard. He’s hungry too.
Something is wrong with me. Why do I want to be a piece of meat? Why do I want them to
devour me whole? My heart pounds and I swear the room starts to spin.
 “You’re gorgeous. Bryan is a lucky guy. Did you two figure everything out?” His hand tickles
my arm and my neck before exploring downward, landing on my outer thigh.
My lids hooded, I say, “I’m not sure. He thinks I’ve lost my mind, and right about now I’m not so
sure I haven’t.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because twenty minutes ago, Liam was fingering me in the shower and now you’re dragging your
hands all over me like—”
“I’m soothing you.”
“You’re soothing me? Right…” My tone is mocking as I drag my gaze to the erection poking from
his sweats. “It looks like you could use some soothing too.”
Who’s the girl saying these things?
He smiles. “You could say that.”
Is this the part where I’m a whore if I grab his cock? Are you supposed to wash your hands
between dicks? Is Liam really watching? Dex never did say who was at the door.
Without thinking anymore, I reach into his sweats, and take his cock in my hand. Fuck, he’s big
too. Thick and wide. He groans as I touch him, then slides into my side, and massages my pussy,
before stroking a finger over my slick, swollen clit.
I writhe beneath him, twisting in the sheets as his warm hand pulses against my skin.
“Liam says I can’t let you come.” His voice is rough against my ear.
“It could be our secret,” I beg, panting against his chest as his fingertips dance along my seam,
teasing away what little sanity I have left.
He laughs. “He’d know. He’ll smell it on you. He’d sense it in your body. The way you move…
the way you look at him. He’ll punish us both.”
“Let him punish us,” I beg, unintentionally thrusting forward, more desperate than I ever have
been to come.
Dex swirls his finger one last time, then pulls away, returning to the soft strokes of the inside of
my elbow and the crease of my neck. With my arm now free, I pump his cock a few more times, then
give up. I’m not coming until the boss says I come, and who the hell knows when that will be.
“Does your family live in the US?” I ask, hoping he has some long elaborate story about his
grandma that will distract me from the current throb I’m not allowed to take care of.
He grins, shining two deep dimples on either cheek. How is this guy hot as hell too?
“I grew up in North Carolina. I’m a country boy through and through. Hunting, fishing, farming,
you name it.”
“You mentioned something about a farm earlier.” I reach for his hands, studying the callouses
along the crease of his palm.
“Yeah. I stay in the US most of the year with the farm. Liam usually stops by when he needs the
peace, and I like having the company. He can usually solve a problem I’ve been working on for
months in a matter of minutes. I couldn’t do it without him.”
He talks about him like he loves him, like their brothers. It reminds me of the closeness I have
with Jack. Sometimes I wish I’d moved out to Montana with him. Living off grid in the panoramic
wild, like a cowboy, seems like a dream.
“Where’d you go?” Dex strokes the side of my stomach, his voice gentle next to me.
“Your relationship with Liam got me thinking about my brother. He’s got this five-hundred-acre
ranch in Montana. Sometimes, when shit gets rough, I think about throwing everything away and
running out there to live on his compound, but that land may as well be a world of its own the way he
runs it.”
“Sounds like he’s a lot like Liam.”
I shake my head. “That’s gross, but they probably have more in common than I’d like to admit.”
Dex drags his thumb over my bottom lip and leans in gently. His kiss is soft at first, then ravenous
and explosive. His tongue swirls with mine and he grips me with a pressure I want to lose myself in. I
again consider the thought that maybe I’ve lost my mind… but I’m quickly brought back to life by the
loud popping noise coming from the living room.
My veins run cold, my heart stops, and my gaze freezes in place. Dex wraps me tight in his arms.
Three more shots, fast and undefinable in direction. It’s like they’re echoing all over the house, but
they’re not. They can’t be.
“I’m going to go see what that is. You stay here.” Dex squeezes me close to his large frame as he
tries to leave the bed, but I hold him tighter. “No. I’m coming with you.”
 Chapter Eight
Bryan

I stare at the smoke as it billows from the end of the pistol Jack is holding. He’s a big man.
He’s as big as Liam… maybe larger. Something about him always intimidated me.
At first, I thought it was his size. If it’s true, that men are still predators deep down, then it
makes sense that I view him as a hazard. It’s the same way I view Liam and Dex. So far, they haven’t
proved me wrong.
Getting to know Jack was something I had no choice in. The man is close to Beth, and I want
Beth to be happy. So, I pushed past initial reactions and got to know the man better. Turns out, he’s
more than a giant. He’s also a headcase. Not the kind that lives in a mansion in the English
countryside like Liam, but the type of man that runs his land like a small country. And out here, in
Montana, there isn’t much law to govern anything differently.
Liam pulls his gun and aims. The first shot is a warning and lands on the frame of the door.
The next three, landing lower on the frame, are to show how good a shot he is. He doesn’t speak. He
only waits.
Beth screams and there’s a commotion in the hall with Dex. I can’t see what’s happening, but I
can tell from the sounds that he’s trying to hold her back. She calls out for Liam.
Liam. The man who kidnapped her. She calls out to him for help. I suppose she’s going to
need more therapy than I thought to recover from all this.
Surprisingly, he’s attentive to her, calling back with a firm tone. “Princess, come here.”
Princess. At first, I thought it was something he was annoying her with. Now I think she might
like it.
She rushes down the hall and buries herself in his arms, as though he’s her safe place. Part of
me doesn’t blame her. The man exudes confidence, dominance, supremacy, and power. Hell, she’s
even wearing his t-shirt.
What were they doing? For a second, I imagine him on top of her, making her smile, making
her come. It’s a disturbing thought, and it flees my mind nearly as fast as it comes, but for that brief
second, I’m aroused.
“Beth!” Jack growls. “You said you were in trouble.”
She glances up for the first time at the man in the doorway. “Jack? What the hell? How did
you find me?”
“Brian has that tracking app on his phone. So, I followed it here. You’re only an hour away
from the mountain.”
“The mountain? We’re surrounded by mountains,” Liam notes.
Does he feel threatened by Jack?
“He owns five hundred acres on Jasper Pass.” Beth speaks of the place positively like he’s
re-homing lost puppies, but Jack’s mountain is nothing of the sort.
“How nice for him,” Liam chides with sarcasm. “And what do you do on your cozy, little
mountain?”
Jack steps forward, his large frame meeting Liam’s stare. “If you don’t kindly return my sister,
you’ll find out.”
I glance toward Beth, expecting her to be outraged, but she shrinks and quiets, sliding into the
background as though she’s trying to disappear.
Liam narrows his gaze. “You have a lot of balls showing up here unannounced. So, I’m going
to assume you have answers as well?”
Jack glances toward Beth who’s thumbing through a book from the shelf on the back corner.
He stays fixed on her for a long minute until she meets his gaze. They’re talking the way they do. In
this weird all-knowing way that only requires eyes. I’ve always been a bit envious of it. “I took
them.” Jack’s jaw tightens and his fists clench as he looks toward Liam. “The jewels have been sold.”
“You’re lying.” Liam twists toward Beth with a beastly growl. “Why is he lying?”
She doesn’t respond.
Liam barks, “Beth!”
She jumps in place, then slides the book back onto the shelf before slowly making her way
back to Liam’s side. She looks up at him, guilty. Like she’s done something wrong, and she can’t hide
it any longer.
Jack reaches out for her. “Let’s go.”
Liam’s brows narrow as he laughs, his gaze toward Beth. “Let me guess. You, the girl voted
most likely to end up in a psych ward, took the gems for yourself, in hopes of selling them to solve all
your problems.” He clears his throat as he says, “Am I right, Beth?”
She looks up at Jack, then Liam and Dex, before landing on me. Her gaze has changed, her
veil has fallen, and I see her for the woman that she is.
Broken.
“I’m ready to go. I can’t do this. I’m not going to be blamed for something I didn’t do.” Her
voice is torn and lost. “Bryan, let’s go.”
Liam grips her arm and pulls her forward, his teeth grinding against each other as he spits, “You
owe me an answer!”
She laughs. “I don’t owe you shit. You fucked with my head for two days. You made me believe
you cared… and all you wanted was your stupid fucking jewels!” Her voice is loud. She’s losing
control.
He grips her tighter, his teeth clenched. “You know I want you more than all of that… but you’re
lying to me, Beth. I don’t like to be lied to.”
She laughs. “No one does, Liam, but here we are.”
Jack steps in, squaring up with Liam. “I’ll figure this out and get the gems back to you. You
have my word.” He reaches his hand out toward Liam, whose expression has gone void.
“I had a man’s word once before and, well, his head is no longer attached to his body.”
Jack unlatches his watch and hands it to Liam. “It’s only worth fifty grand. It’s an antique. It’s
not much, but maybe it will buy us a few days.”
Liam holds the vintage Rolex in his hand, studying the make and build. His dark eyes draw to
Beth. “Last chance to be honest. If I take the deal your brother’s giving me, there’s no going back to
where we were.”
She narrows her gaze and tucks behind Jack, her hand in mine. “There’s nothing to lose,
Liam.”
I know that’s not true, she knows that’s not true, and I’m pretty sure by the look on Liam’s
face, he didn’t believe that to be true either.
Deafening silence fills the room where bullets were flying a few minutes earlier. Finally,
Liam lifts his hand to meet Jack’s before he turns away. No words are spoken except seven that I
know tear Beth apart.
“Get her the hell out of here.”
 Chapter Nine
Beth

I sit in Jack’s truck and listen to the engine rumble beneath my feet. He’s disappointed in me. I
can see it in the lines of his face, and I know a lecture is coming.
“What the fuck were you thinking? Why the hell did you lie to the man, Beth? You could’ve
settled this in Florida and saved yourself and me the fucking trouble. And what’s with the way he was
looking at you?”
He continues talking, but I lose myself in the moon as it filters through the trees and drowns in
the lake. It’s a scene from a movie. A shitty movie where the girl is a complete idiot and most
definitely does not get any of the guys. I can’t even see going back to Bryan after this. I don’t deserve
him.
Jack continues his lecture from the front seat of the truck as I stare toward the cabin. The
windows are open. Dex is in the kitchen, pulling a beer from the fridge. His large frame leans against
the back counter and he crosses his arms one over the other, as though he’s in thought, probably
wondering what the hell my problem is.
I don’t blame him. I’m wondering what my problem is.
A few rooms away, Liam sits behind a dark live edge desk staring at the wall in front of him.
In his hand, he holds a small glass of brown liquid. His shirt is unbuttoned, his firm chest on display
as he swirls the crystal in small circles.
I think of what he told me in the hall earlier tonight, ‘I want something more precious than
those jewels.’ He meant what he said. He’d rather have me than the twenty-six-million-dollar family
heirloom he’d lost.
He opened up to me. The big, murderous man who, according to Dex, opens up to no one,
opened up to me. I rewarded him by withholding everything I know. Great job, idiot.
Tears stream down my face, and my stomach convulses with regret. The truck rolls back as
Jack continues to talk.
God, I’m so fucking stupid!
I contemplate the thought of Liam forgiving me with a spanking, but I doubt that’s reality. The
only reality here is the one where I’m a mess and everyone knows it.
“Beth!” Jack bites, pulling me out of the drama in my head. “You gotta tell me what you did. I
can’t help if you don’t listen.”
I bite the inside of my cheek and stare at my older brother. We text every day, but it’s been
months since I’ve seen him. He’s changed. His beard is longer, and his muscles are thicker, like he’s
been doing more work outside.
“Are you still working on the cabin?”
“Beth!” he shouts. “You’re starting to piss me off. Tell me what you want to do!”
Bryan looks toward me, his face tired and worn.
I’ve done this to him.
My bullshit.
I’ve fucked with everyone.
With soft eyes, Bryan grips my hand in his. “Did you have something to do with this, Beth?”
Frustrated with my continued silence, Jack shifts into drive quickly and heads further up the
mountain. I assume we’re going back to his place, but I don’t ask.
I don’t care.
I don’t care about anything.
I could open the door and roll out into the street, tumble down the side of the mountain, and
sink into the lake with the moon, and that would be okay. At the very least, I’d be reunited with my
baby boy. And maybe, more than anything, that’s where I belong.
 Chapter Ten
Liam

“You don’t look good, man.” Dex taps on the door and lets himself in, slinking down in the back
chair of the office. He wants to talk, but I don’t know if I have it in me.
“Just thinking about the list of shit we have to do when I get back to London. This asshole that’s
working for me in the field is stealing money from the pot. He’s going to have to go. I called Jamie to
deal with it, but he’s not answering his bloody fucking phone.” My jaw tenses as I stare toward the
laptop screen. Thankfully, Dex can’t see it. I’ve googled Jack Ford a thousand times since I watched
Beth pull out of the driveway. By the looks, he’s some ex-agent who burned out and was asked to
leave the force.
“That’s not what I meant, man,” Dex continues. “You had feelings for her. I’m sure you still do.
What are you thinking?”
Usually, I’m thankful for Dex. He pulls me out of my head and reminds me to see things that I tend
to close off… like my son’s death. He stood next to me for years while I processed that in the worst
ways possible. Hell, at one point the man pulled me out of the fucking lake. This, though, is too fresh
to talk about.
“She was a mistake. I let my guard down. I shouldn’t have. We’re moving on.”
Dex stays quiet for a long moment. He stares at a painting of a horse being bridled on the wall. I
saw he and Beth talking. They spent time together in bed. He was forming feelings for her too. I
should ask him how he is. I should be the friend he is to me.
“How are you dealing?” My voice is rough and lined with more aggression than I’d planned for,
but it’s out there.
Thankfully, he doesn’t make me repeat myself. Unthankfully, he has no trouble talking about his
emotions. “It’s just… it’s been a while since I connected with someone like that.” His forehead
wrinkles. “Do you really think she was lying to us the whole time?”
I roll my eyes and laugh. “Yeah. I think she was. I think she took the jewels, then used her
sexuality to form bonds, so we’d be dumb enough to fall into her trap. She played us. Now, we play
her back.”
His face crinkles and his hand bends over the back of his neck like he doesn’t believe what I’m
saying. In part, that’s why I love Dex. He’s the kind of guy who believes the good in everyone, even
when they don’t deserve it. I’m the best example of that.
“But we trashed her house. There was nothing. We also checked the bank for any recent
transactions, and she doesn’t have a safe deposit box.”
I stare out at the dark night, watching as the moon lies on the lake. It’s a haunting scene, like a
horror movie come to life. Tiny fractals of silver and white shimmer up from beneath the black, and
shadows from large pines reflect onto the surface.
I think back to the conversations I had with Beth this week and wonder how much of it was
true. She could’ve googled me when Patrick went missing and read anything about my son, then lied
about the loss of her baby to form a connection. The entire weekend could’ve been a ruse.
I’m a fucking idiot for falling for it.
“She mentioned some trailer by a swamp. Apparently, that’s a good place to hide shit. Three feet
under a swamp.” I laugh at the ridiculousness of that statement. “We’ll start there.”
 “It’ll be a few days before I can get men here to do it,” Dex says. “Or we could dig ourselves. It
won’t be clean, but it’ll be fast. We can put this whole thing behind us.”
“Fast is good. I want this over with. I want every memory of Beth Ford erased from my head. Get
my jet here now. We’ll fly to Clearwater in the morning.”
 Chapter Eleven
Beth

Jack’s ranch is more beautiful than I’d imagined. Hills roll for miles and mountains rise in the
distance, as tiny cottages dot the long dirt road that travels the expanse of his property. A winding
creek meanders behind the cabins and rows of fences corner horses and cattle into place in the open
field.
The front porch rocker is the perfect place to take it all in.
“Are you feeling any better this morning?” Jack settles his large body in beside me before passing
over a steaming cup of coffee. “You slept for nearly forty-eight hours. Bryan was getting worried
about you.”
I lean my head back and sip the dark roast coffee. I’m going to need about fourteen scoops of
sugar before I can take another gulp.
Wow, that’s bitter!
“What’s that face about? You don’t like the coffee?”
I choke, wishing I’d taken a smaller sip. “No! It’s like drinking battery acid. How do you
swallow this shit?”
He ignores my short tirade and takes another sip of the steaming hot caffeine.
“Have you seen Bryan? He was still asleep when I came down.” I set the coffee on the table
next to me and study my brother. He hasn’t been right since the FBI asked him to step back a year ago.
Though, if I’m being truthful, he’s never really been right. The man watched a murder happen, and
I’m not sure he even had a reaction.
“Confused,” he finally replies. “You should tell him what’s going on. He deserves answers.”
I swallow hard, wondering how much my brother knows. It’s probably everything. While I like to
think I’ve learned from him, he’s the real human lie detector. “He wouldn’t understand. I’m sorry I
dragged you into this.”
Jack rolls his head to the side, then drags his gaze back again. “Do you remember when Dad
died? There was a huge rift about where you’d go. When I got old enough, I fought to be the one to
take care of you. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that Grandma wasn’t going to be the greatest fit.
She had the best of intentions, but she was checked out. And now I see how it’s truly affected you.”
His statements are so unemotional.
“If this is another lecture about how I’ve disappointed you, I’m not sure I can take it.”
He sighs. “Bryan couldn’t stop talking about how this Liam guy looked at you and how you looked
at him. He’s convinced he’s the fourth wheel in some polyamorous love box. I think you need to give
him something. He’s the kind of guy that needs that shit.”
I sigh and go back to watching the ranch. Horses whinny in the distance as wind blows across the
porch. I need to change the subject. I can’t think about Liam and Dex or I’ll ball myself up and sleep
for another two days.
“I haven’t even asked how you are.” I reach my hand toward Jack. “We never really talked about
the whole early retirement thing.”
He chuckles under his breath, then stares out at the mountains. “It wasn’t early retirement, Beth.
They cancelled me like I wasn’t their best fucking agent.” His words are biting, and agitation filters
through his fingers until he’s scratching against the wood grain of the rocker. I never noticed we both
have the same tick.
“Can you appeal it?”
“No. I wouldn’t want it, anyway. They made their choice.”
I bite the inside of my cheek and look toward him as he scrubs his hand down over his beard.
Maybe I should stop asking. I think I’m only irritating him more.
“There are a lot of guys out there. Where did you find them all? I didn’t think there were this many
people in Montana.” I laugh, trying to lighten the mood.
He looks toward me, his gaze dark as always. “Most of them are ex-cons.”
My gaze widens. “Oh. Is that like… illegal?”
His brows narrow. “Illegal? They’re ex-cons. So, no. They needed a place to stay, and I wanted a
ranch. They work cheap, and pretty fucking hard.”
Before I can leap into the endless amount of questions I have for my brother, whose life I
apparently know nothing of, Bryan slides the porch door open.
“You’re awake. I was about to have one of Jack’s guys check you over.”
I narrow my brows and twist toward Jack. “Yeah, I think I’d be okay skipping that exam. Do you
have doctors on sight too?”
Jack nods.
“Cool. Are they fresh from prison or…”
Jack grins and stands from the rocker. “You’re a pain in the ass. Talk to your fiancé.”
Bryan takes Jack’s place in the rocker beside me. He’s wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of
sweats. It’s what he showed up in, but he looks to have showered since then and his clothes smell
fresh like he’s done laundry.
“How are you feeling?” His hand reaches toward mine in comfort.
I shrug. “Better, I guess.”
There’s so much more I could say then, ‘better, I guess,’ but I don’t know how to say any of it.
Bryan looks away, then back again as though he’s struggling with himself. He scrubs his hand
over his beard then looks back at me. “I know about the baby, Beth. Jack told me. Why didn’t you say
anything? You shouldn’t be dealing with that alone.”
My heart tightens and words catch in my throat. I’m glad Bryan knows, but I’m pissed at my
brother. “It wasn’t Jack’s place to tell you!”
“Someone had to. We’re going to be married and you’re walking around with a closet full of
secrets.”
“What else did he say?”
Bryan lets out a heavy sigh. “Is there more to tell?” He exhales again. “If you took the guy’s
necklace, we have to give it back.”
I sigh and pinch my lips together gently, trying to stop the squeezing in my chest. “Don’t you ever
want to escape, Bryan? Start a new life? Be something different?”
He shrugs. “You’re my escape, Beth.” He looks down. “You have feelings for Liam, don’t you?”
“What? Who?” I pause, realizing my charade isn’t very believable. “No. I mean, I did, but that’s
over now. And it was never realistic, anyway. I—”
“So, you wanting me to watch… that turned you on? Or was it your mind bridging the gap to when
you were going to cut me loose.”
I shake my head. I want to deny it. Bryan’s giving me an out. But still, even the thought of what
could have been, has my clit throbbing. Staring down at the wood planks of the back porch, I whisper,
“It was never about cutting you out, Bryan. I love you. But, yes, the thought of it all turned me on.”
 “What about it?”
I glance up toward Bryan and swallow hard. “Really? You want to know the details?”
He stands and reaches for my hand, a sinister look in his gaze that I’ve never seen before. His
cock is hard and easily visible through the sweatpants. He’s turned on by this.
Does he want me to tell him because it gets him off too?
His hand brushes my cheek. “I’d like to know the details of what you were thinking, yeah.” He
leans in and kisses the lobe of my ear, leaving behind warm heat.
A tractor runs in the distance. I look toward it before staring back at Bryan. This isn’t him. I mean,
this is his face, and his mouth, but the things he’s saying, the things he’s thinking, I don’t know who
that man is. He stands and pulls me into his arms.
“I’m confused.” I scratch the side of my forehead and stay hard-pressed against him. His cock
pokes into my stomach.
He tips his head to the side, his cheeks pink. “Everything made sense when Jack told me what
you’d been going through. Your need for escape, your need to be dominated, held, and made to feel
like you’re safe.” He sucks in a deep breath. “I liked seeing you with him… with Liam. You were a
different woman. Your eyes, your voice, the way you carried yourself. He brought you to life and gave
you something I can’t.”
“Bryan, I—”
“No. I give you other things. I know that.” He drags his hand up and over my frame, palming my
breasts as he leans into my ear. “But… I need to hear every detail of what he did to you. Every detail
of what you wanted.”
My clit swells at the thought of Liam and I in the shower, Dex and I on the bed, and the thought of
the fantasies I had with them both while Bryan watches.
“Are you sure you want to know? It’s—”
Bryan opens the door to the cabin and guides me in. “It’s all I’ve been thinking about, Beth. Tell
me every detail.”
 Chapter Twelve
Beth

In the time Bryan and I have been together, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him this turned on. For one,
we’re in someone else’s house, which in the past, would’ve been a major turn off for him. He’d have
been worried about the noises, the possible interruptions, the dirty sheets we’d be leaving behind.
Second, it’s broad daylight. I’m talking ten in the morning. That’s not Bryan’s thing. He’s all about
late night sex. The kind that comes after you’ve properly completed the day and shut off all the lights.
Now, he’s sucking on my neck in the hallway of Jack’s cabin like we’re two teenagers who are
suspended in a hormonal dream state that we can’t control.
His voice low and husky in my ear, he says, “Tell me the details. What did he do to you?” Bryan’s
hand grazes my shoulder and runs down over my hip. His breath is hot in my ear.
I almost laugh when he asks the question. Not because it’s funny, but rather because it’s awkward.
He’s never talked like this before, nor could I imagine that he could. So, hearing his words out loud
like this is strange, like everything else he’s doing right now.
“You don’t have to do this, Bryan. I’m—”
“I want to know, Beth. I want to know what he did. I want to know what you want.”
Warmth floods my panties, and a throbbing sense of urgency overtakes my clit. I need him to rub
me, to touch me, to take me!
But telling him what I want from another man? Telling him how another man touched me?
Saying those words? The request both turns me on and seems insanely wrong.
Maybe that’s why I like it. Maybe that’s why he likes it.
He rumbles in my ear. “Tell me, Beth. Tell me how he touched you.”
Panting, I follow Bryan’s lead into the bedroom. He kicks the door closed behind him and he
leans me back on the mattress, paying no mind to the lock.
I’m convinced he’s another man now.
His fingertips are lost in my hair, and on his skin, the softest scent of pine.
He kisses my neck, sucking gently below the lobe of my ear.
Damn. It’s like he’s been possessed.
“Go on,” he prods. “Tell me.”
Unsure of how to start, I stumble through my words. “I… Liam and I… we took a shower together.
He… sat me on the bench and licked me clean while I… while I played with myself. I… I’m sorry,
Bryan.”
“Don’t be sorry,” he groans. His hard cock presses against my leg.
He’s really turned on by this. I’m really turned on by this.
“Tell me more.”
“Well, he ate my pussy, then stood me up against the shower wall, and bit me all over. It was
gentle, but fuck… I loved it.” I pause, waiting for an adverse reaction, but Bryan has stripped off his
sweats and his cock is hard and throbbing in front of me. “Then,” I continue, “Liam thrusted his
fingers inside of me and edged me. He was making me wait.”
Bryan frees my tit from its cage and suckles at my nipple, pulling up a suction before begging for
more. “Did Dex touch you?”
“Just a little… with his hand. He was interrupted when Jack showed up.”
 Bryan groans and holds me against his chest as his cock pokes against me. “You want me to watch
that? You want me to watch them fuck you?”
Panting, and aching, I moan, “I did. I wanted you to watch them touch me. I wanted you to watch
them take me.” I grind my hips against Bryan at the thought of what could’ve been. “Liam said he
wanted to watch with you… while I… sucked Dex off.”
Bryan groans and something dark passes over his eyes. At first, I think he’s angry, but when he
slides his hand over his cock, I realize that’s not the case. He wants to fuck. For the first time in I
don’t know when, he genuinely wants to fuck.
Nearly shaking, I lean back, and let him take my mouth again.
“Do you fight Liam, or do you let him take you?”
A low laugh leaves my throat. “I fight him a little.” I bite my bottom lip. “I like to make him work
for it.”
Bryan palms my pussy, then slides a finger inside, circling my clit. “Is it wrong that I want to
watch him pin you down? Is it wrong that the second you told me what you wanted, my cock struggled
to control itself?”
Jesus fuck. Never in a million years did I ever think this would turn me on, and I surely didn’t
think it would turn Bryan on… or any man for that matter.
“If it’s wrong,” I pant, “then I’m wrong too. I wanted you all so bad. I still do.”
Bryan flips me onto my knees and sinks his fingertips into my hips. We aren’t making love, this is
primal. This is raw… animalistic. He grunts and drives into me, his big cock like hard steel against
my wet, swollen pussy.
“You like it when he fucks you, don’t you, sweetheart? You like it when he holds you down?”
I moan loudly as Bryan explores depths he’s never reached before.
“Did he spank you?” Bryan groans, thumping into me.
“He said he would if I didn’t follow the rules, but we never got that far.”
Bryan reaches around my hip and fondles my clit as he thrusts. “Do you want him to spank you?”
“I want him to punish me… for what I’ve done.”
Bryan thrusts harder against me as my nipple scratches against the cool sheets. I allow myself to
be taken by him. I allow him to devour me. I surrender to him… and I love it. I love thinking about
him, Liam, and Dex. And more than anything, I love that Bryan loves it.
He rasps, “Come for me. Come on my cock.”
The words sound like a foreign language coming from Bryan’s lips, but my body doesn’t care. His
words are like a spell that crash over me until I’m coming and crying about it. I fist into the sheets and
hold tight as he continues to thump.
“Tell me again,” he groans. “Tell me you want to fuck him.”
God, it seems wrong… saying it out loud.
“Say it!” Bryan pants.
“I want to fuck him…”
Bryan grips my hips tighter and nips at my neck. He’s rough and not at all like the man I’ve come
to know. This man is an animal. An animal who gets off on seeing his woman touched by another. Too
bad that will never happen.
Thrusting harder and erratically, he spills inside of me with a roar.
We fall limp against the sheets, and he stares toward me, his eyelids heavy and blinking.
“Are you okay?” I whisper, my hand resting on his galloping chest. “You know I love you, right?”
He sighs and wraps me in his arms. “And you know I love you?”
 “Yeah,” I clear my throat, “but I’m confused.”
“What’s there to be confused about? I like the idea of watching you. It turns me on.”
“Yeah, but… it can’t happen. Liam and Dex think I’m the biggest asshole of all time, and I am.”
He rolls toward me, his hand in my hair. Brushing strands away gently, he says, “We’re all
assholes. We’re human. I didn’t see you and Dex together, so I can’t say much for him, but I saw the
way Liam looked at you. He didn’t want to let you go. He was hurt. You should talk to him.”
I chuckle. “And then what? This whole thing made sense when I was being ‘forced’ to fuck him,
but now… it’s a choice. Bryan, I don’t know if it’s right to mess around with everyone’s feelings like
this.”
“I think the worst you can do, is ignore what you feel.” He pulls me in tighter. “What if life was
supposed to be like this, where you were supposed to care for three men? What if you were supposed
to have us all?”
I laugh to myself. Now I know I must be dreaming. “Yeah, well… when I come out of this coma, I
can’t wait to tell you what I just dreamt.”
“You’re not dreaming.” He laughs. “Is it such a bad idea? The thought of you being taken care of,
in every conceivable way?”
“Yeah, it is.” I huff. “What about your needs? What about theirs? I can’t please all of you.”
“What do I need, Beth? I don’t need anything… except for your happiness. I can have that with
Liam and Dex around.”
I stare toward him, my mouth dropped open far enough that I’m sure there’s a colony of flies
setting up shop. What is he saying? Who is this man?
“Do I even know you?”
He laughs. “You had your secrets. I had mine too.”
I narrow my gaze. “What? What secrets? I know everything about you.”
He smiles. “Mostly, but there are a few things I’ve kept to myself for fear that you would think I
was a weirdo.”
“So, what, you’re like a cuck or something? You get off on the pain of watching me fuck other
men?”
“No,” he laughs. “Well, sort of… but it’s not the pain. I enjoy watching my partner with other
men.”
“How many partners have you done this with?”
“Just one, nearly ten years ago now. The relationship wasn’t serious. We fell apart in a few
months, but that experience stuck with me.”
“But you’re so confident, smart, and… I didn’t think you’d be into something so… demeaning.”
He laughs. “It’s not demeaning, and I think I’d have to be confident to watch you with another
man. I love you, Beth, and I know you love me.”
I sigh, tears welling inside of me. I’m not even sure where they’re coming from. I only knew Dex
and Liam for a couple of days, and they were holding me against my will. I shouldn’t be mourning
their loss. But somehow, we connected, like I’d known them for years. How do I walk away from that
like nothing happened? How do I pretend that I don’t need them in my life?
How do I accept reality when the fact is… they aren’t coming back?
 Chapter Thirteen
Liam

Crooked, black trees with water dripping down the bark, sit at the back of the trailer park. Moss
hangs off the branches and casts shadows across the night. Slime coats everything, even the back of
the trailers. The stench is almost too much to bear. It’s a cross between algae and rotting flesh. I’m
sure it’s a mix of the two. Seepage from the swamp has snuck into the park and everything is a soggy
mess. I’m not sure why anyone ever thought it would be a good idea to bury anything of value here.
One bad flood and you’d think everything would wash away.
“What about gators?” Dex groans beside me.
“There aren’t any alligators.”
“Don’t they have those reality shows in London? The ones where the Florida boys go out at
night and wrestle gators out of people’s yards?” He sighs. “The yards look just like this.”
I look toward him, swatting at a mosquito the size of my thumb, remembering why I usually hire
people to do this shit. “I don’t see any gators, do you?”
He twists around in a circle, shining the light of the cell phone as he twists. “No, but it’s fuckin’
dark, and they’re predators. They’re not going to wave hello.”
I eye the edge of the trailer and follow the base to a lot of uneven ground. The address was easy
to find, as is everything thanks to the internet. “We’re going to be ten minutes. Let’s dig this thing up
before we alert the trailer park gang.”
Spinning the light in circles again, Dex nods and hands me the shovel. “I’ll keep watch.”
“You do that,” I grumble, digging into the soggy soil. It doesn’t take long before I hit something
solid. For a second, I wonder if I could’ve hit a pipe or some kind of tank, but when the object lifts
with little resistance, I know I’ve hit the box I’m looking for. Or… I’ve hit a very square shaped gas
tank, and we’re all about to be in trouble.
“I knew she wasn’t lying,” Dex says, taking the shovel from my hand.
I roll my eyes and my sleeves, before reaching down in the soggy earth to grab out the small
rectangular box that’s been hidden beneath the surface.
“She wasn’t lying about what? About having a box that she kept her family’s junk in? That’s what
liars do, Dex. They tell little truths with their lies to keep you confused.” It’s hard to see in the dark,
but it looks like an old military ammo box with hinged clasps on all four sides. Oddly, it’s not
swamped with water, and from what I can tell in near darkness, it looks to be in decent condition,
except from the silver marks of a shovel scraped on the top and sides like it’s been buried and
reburied time and time again.
“Good, now you’ve seen it,” Dex says. “Let’s put it back.”
About an hour from the trailer, he had a change of heart. One where this entire expedition was an
invasion of privacy.
When I don’t answer, he changes his focus back to the gators.
“Seriously, we should move. I think I heard something.”
It’s funny. The man deals with thousand-pound cattle and unpredictable horses all day long, but
he’s afraid of the dark and a few lizards.
I had him the box, toss the unturned soil back into place, then motion him in front of me.
He doesn’t waste time. Frogs, crickets, and the slow slurp of steps sing in chorus as we make
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Title: L'apotecari de Malgrat
Comedia en un acte y en prosa

Author: Teodoro Baró

Release date: April 24, 2024 [eBook #73457]

Language: Catalan

Original publication: Barcelona: Francisco Badia, impresor, 1900

Credits: editor digital: Joan Queralt Gil

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK

L'APOTECARI DE MALGRAT ***
 L'apotecari de Malgrat
Comedia en un acte y en prosa

Teodor Baró

1900

Aquest text ha estat

digitalitzat i processat per l'Institut d'Estudis
Catalans, com a
part del projecte Corpus Textual Informatitzat de la
Llengua
Catalana.

Repartiment

Personatjes i Actors:

Apotecari: Sr. Bonaplata

Blay: Sr. Oliver
Jaume: Sr. Oliva
Micaló: Sr. Borras J
Pere: Sr. Virgili
Sisa: Sra. Morera
Senyora María: Sra. Pallardó
Ignés: Sra. Caparó
 Acte únich
Botiga d'apotecari de poble, á la dreta lo taulell ab tots los útils com,
balansas, morté, etc.. Porta al foro, que es la del carrer. A dreta y esquerra
las de las habitacions. Unas cuantas cadiras.

Escena primera

Apotecari, Blay, Pere, després Jaumet

Apot. Home, no sembla sino que'l cuarto dels nuvis l'hem empaperat
ab paper sellat. Puja molt. ¡Y'l pintat de la sala!

Pere: Recordi que vosté ha volgut...

Blay: Ungüent de basilicorn! ¿Per quí es?

Apot. Per en Capsa.

Pere: Vosté ha volgut lluirse, fer las cosas ben fetas.

Apot. Las cosas ben fetas ja m'están be; lo que no m'está be, es...

Blay: Aquesta grapialtesa sembla un xich rancia.

Apot. Tréula del altre pot. No m'está be que'm costin tant las obras.

Pere: Bo y barato no pot ser. Vosté'm va dir: Pere, jo vull que'm

posis...
Jaume: Una emplastre de ranas.

Apot. Ves al noy que't despatxará.

(Jaume s'acosta al taulell.)

Pere: Vull que'm posis la casa com nova, y com nova ha quedat. Los
preus son los convinguts. Vegi'l compte.

Apot. Axó no es un compte; aixó es una manxiula que'm plantas

ahont més m'escóu; á la botxaca.

Pere: Vosté ray que es apotecari y te la mina al pou.

Apot. ¡Ja ha sortit lo pou! ¡Lo pou! ¡Lo pou! Ximplerías que's
creuhen los tontos que dexan morir als seus per no felsi remeys. ¿Ha
sortit del pou tot axó que hi ha als pots? Precisament ni l'aigua del
pou podém aprofitar tal com es, perque l'hem de destilar.

Pere: No s'enfadi.

Apot. Si que m'enfado, perque aquestas tonterias perjudican als curts

de senderi que las prenen per veritats. Sols faltaría que os sentís la
Sisa.

Pere: Aquesta te remeys per tothom menos per ella. May es á casa, y'l
seu home se desespera perque, cuan ve del treball, tot ho troba per
fer.

Jaume: ¿Que trigará molt á estar fet lo pegat?

Blay: No, tot seguit.

Apot. Be, que'n rebaxarém del compte?

Pere: Tot lo que'n quiti, ho perdré. No veu que las portas tenen duas
capas de barnís?

Apot. L'embarnisat soch jo.

Blay: Te.

(Dona l'emplastre á Jaume.)

Apot. Tres cents cuaranta set duros, tres pessetas y cinch céntims.

Pere: Be, déxils estar los céntims. Ja sab que jo no soch tirano.

Jaume: Senyor Apotecari, fará'l favor de posarme'l pegat aquí.

(Senyalant la glándula del coll.)

Apot. ¿Qué tens?

Jaume: No puch encanyonar, y cuan vuy empassarme la saliva,

sembla que m'esgarrapin la gargamella.

Apot. A mi si que m'han esgarrapat ab axó. (Lo recibo) Vina. Tíngalo

ab la ma ben apretat. Vatja; Veyas si'n pots rebaxar alguna cosa.

(Haurá posat lo recibo á Jaumet y allarga l'emplastre á Pere.)

Pere: ¿Qué'n faig d'aquesta emplastre?

Apot. Eh, tú. (A Jaumet que s'en anirá y retrocedeix.) ¿No ho has
conegut que t'he posat lo recibo y no l'emplastre de ranas?
Jaume: ¿Qué ho veya jo? (L'Apotecari li posa'l pegat.) Be. ¿ja n'está
segú de que m'ha posat el pegat?

Apot. Sí, home, sí. Ves en nom de Deu.

(Se'n va Jaumet.)

Blay: Pare, ja está despatxada la recepta.

Apot. Te; guayta quina altra recepta. Tot per tú, perque'l senyó y la
senyora que ha de ser la meva nora, estigan ben allotjats.

Blay: No n'está vosté poch cofoy de la sorpresa que avuy, cuan

arribin, donará á la sogra y á la Ignés.

Apot. Es veritat: no he volgut dir res de las obras que he fet á casa;
mes aixíns que arribin las porto á dalt y crech que quedan
enlluhernadas. Ja'm sembla sentir las exclamacions de la mare de la
Ignés. Y jo li diré. Tot per la vostra filla. ¿Estará be ó no á casa?
¡Cuan vegi la sala empaperada!...

Blay: Y'ls cuartos tan ben pintats.

Apot. Y'ls balcons embarnissats, que semblan miralls.

Pere: ¿No val tot axó mes de tres cents cuaranta duros...?

Apot. Tres pessetas y cinch céntims.

Pere: Dexemho á tres cents cuaranta set rodons.

Apot. Fem un surgit al set y quedin á tres cents cuaranta.

Pere: ¡Per que estiga content!

Escena II

Dits Jaumet

Jaume: Me tiba molt el pegat.

Apot. Ja t'ha de tibá.

Jaume: Es que m'amohina.

Apot. ¿No tens el mal dintre?

Jaume: ¡Si no puch encanyoná, vegi si es dintre.

Apot. ¿No estira el dentista per tréure fora el caxal?

Jaume: Si senyó.

Apot. Donchs el pegat estira fora per treure el mal. Escolta: en lo tren
d'ara ha de arribar de Canet la senyora María ab la seua filla.

Jaume: ¿La núvia y la sogra? Ja ho se que venen per firmar els

capítols.

Apot. ¿Quí t'ho ha dit?

Jaume: La Sisa.

Apot. No hi ha com ella per donar remeys y noticias.

Jaume: Si tothom ho sab.

Apot. Miréus que n'hi ha un tip: ¡tot se sap á Malgrat!

Jaume: ¿De que parlaríam si no sabessim res?

Apot. Del temps. Estigas á la estació cuan arribi el tren per portar el
fato. ¡Y que no'ls hi cobris! Ja t'ho pagaré jo.

Jaume: ¿Que hi estaran molt temps aquí?

Apot. Ja vols saberho per anarho á cantar á la Sisa.

Jaume: No'ns parlém gayre desde alló del cataplasma d'all y

arengadas.

Apot. Torna á fe'ls seus remeys.

Jaume: Ja li dich jo que'n vaig quedar ben escarmentat. (S'en va.)

Apot. Ves al carril. Tú. (A Pere.) Vina ab mi, que't pagaré, y al mateix
temps t'ensenyaré las rajolas del cuarto del hort, que's mohuen.

Pere: ¡Ha quedat bonich aquet cuarto! Llástima que no'l viscan; mes
com tenen tanta casa...

Apot. Massa: n'hi haurá per dugas familias y encara sobraría puesto.

Pere: ¡Quína idea senyó Benet! Tenint la casa tant gran, ¿per qué no's
casa vosté també?

Apot. No digas ximplerías ¡Estich per tornarme á casar! ¡Déu m'en

guart! Vina ab mi.
(S'en va ab Pere per la esquerra.)

Escena III

Blay després Sisa

Blay: Gracias á Deu que he acabat la feyna. Avuy me sembla que'l

tren triga més que'ls altres días, perque ab ell ha de vení la meva
estimada, que axís que'm vegi'm dirá...

Sisa: Ola, senyó Apotecari jove.

Blay: Sisa, tinch nom ben cristiá. Me dich Blay.

Sisa: Tan fa que risqui com que rasqui, perque'l seu pare será
mentres visca l'Apotecari vell, y vosté l'Apotecari jove. Escolti be:
fará'l favor de donarme...

Blay: ¿Ja'm veníu ab algún remey de dona?

Sisa: Aquestos son los que curan, aquestos, perque els metjes no hi
entenen res.

Blay: Hi entenéu vos, que no sabeu llegir ni escriure.

Sisa: ¿Qué fa cap falta'l llegir y escriure per posar un pegat en un

banch? Donchs tampoch ne fa per posarlo á una persona. ¡Y els
pegats son los que curan, els pegats!

Blay: Si axó fos cert vos ne posava un de ben gros al clatell, á veura si
os treya las bestiesas que se os han ficat al cap.
Sisa: ¡Bestiesas! ¿Vol posar que no creu que una sargantana ficada
dins d'un canó de canya y penjada al coll del malalt, curi las febras?
Donchs las cura. Sí senyó que las cura, y no s'en riga. ¿Vol que li diga
trenta, cuaranta remeys per curar la marassa, tots segurs? Escolti:
borras xupadas ab aiguardent cremat; tripa de gallina ensalsada ab
clavells y canyella...

Blay: ¡Prou!

Sisa: Per purgarse tres vasos d'aygua de mar y altres tants d'aygua
dolsa.

Blay: Y si no vos purgan, vos reventan.

Sisa: Pel mal de melsa, un pegat dels sis sirvents; per las dents,
collarets de saúchs; pe'ls cuchs collarets d'alls. ¿Qué hi ha remey
millor que l'aiguardent de las 48 herbas pe'l mal de ventre? Cura
feta. ¿Qué m'en diu de l'aigua de las set sangrías per rebaxar las
sanchs?

Blay: ¿Y per la pigota?

Sisa: S'agafa un galapat, se'l fica dintre d'una olla y se'l posa sota el
llit, sense que'l malalt ho sápiga.

Blay: Y á la nit, el galapat se'n fuig de l'olla, salta al mitj del cuarto y
esglaya á las donas que vetllan al malalt, que's posan á cridar y
xisclar, com va passar á cal Triadó. ¡Ja os va escridasar be!

Sisa: Perque es un poca vergonya, un malagreit. Hi ha molta

ignorancia á aquet mon. No'n parlém mes y dónguim cinch céntims
de greix de ballena, cinch de seu de crestat, cinch de moll de bou,
cinch de pomada de cacáu, cinch de mantega de sa y cinch de
unguent de malví. Tornaré d'aquí una mica y m'ho emportaré.
Passiho bé.

Blay: Passeho bé.

Sisa: (A la porta.) Ay, senyó Blay, ¡qué veig!

Blay: ¿Volar un ase?

Sisa: Vinga, que no l'enganyo.

Blay: ¿Que hi ha? (Surtint á la porta.) ¿Cóm? ¿Es possible?

(Desapareix.)

Escena IV

Sisa, Apotecari, Pere després Blay, María é Ignés

Apot. ¡Noy! ¿Ahónt vá?

Sisa: Vinga, senyor Benet. (A la porta fons.)

Apot. ¿Qué passa?

Sisa: Vinga y ho veurá.

Apot. ¡Si que m'extranya! (Se'n va.)

Pere: ¿Qué'ls hi dona?

Sisa: ¡Veníu Pere!

Pere: ¿Y axó? (Va á guaytar.)

Sisa: Veníu, home.

Pere: ¡Quina sorpresa! Ben vinguda. (A María.)

Blay: Entréu. Te trobo mes maca. (A Ignés.)

(Pere s'en va.)

Sisa: Si que ho es.

Apot. Entri senyora María. ¡Quin plé me fa de veurerla tant reïxida!

Sisa: ¿Se tractava de veure volar un ase ó de la núvia?

Blay: Sisa, miréu que teníu feyna á casa vostra.

Apot. Pero, ¿per hont han vingut, si encara no ha arribat el tren?

Maria: ¡Ah! ¿Qué's pensa que no hi ha altra manera de venir á

Malgrat?

Blay: Jo, volant aniría ahont tú ets.

Maria: Molt. Hem volgut donalsi una sorpresa...

Sisa: Y'ls hi han donada ben gran, perqué si no soch jo... ¿Que no ho
sabían que venían avuy?
Apot. Mirat Sisa: torna d'aquí un rato, sens, perque ara no estém per
tú.

Sisa: No tinch res que fer y m'esperaré.

Apot. Si que deus tenir que fer á casa. Vesi, que ja sabs que'l teu
home s'enfada.

Sisa: ¡Bé! ¡Bé! ¿Deuhen voler parlar dels capítols ¿eh?

Maria: ¡Ay, ay! Si que está enterada.

Apot. ¿Vols anarten?

Sisa: Quin génit té senyó Apotecari. (Se'n va.)

Apot. ¡Quína dona tan batxillera! ¡Ja es fora!

Sisa: Escolti; com he de passar per devant de ca'l notari, si volen li

diré que enllesteixi els capítols.

Apot. No, dona; gracias y vesten, que fas falta á casa teva. (Se'n va
Sisa.)

Maria: En lloch de venir directament á Malgrat, hem passat el día á

Pineda, á casa la meva germana. Avuy hem pres una tartana, y
aquí'ns te.

Apot. Y vosté deya; ells anirán al carril á esperarnos y no'ns trobarán.

¡Ben pensat! ¡Ben pensat! ¿Eh, noy, que está ben pensat?

(Blay é Ignés estarán enrahonant.)

No'm sentan. Cuan jo festejava me passava el mateix.

Maria: ¿Ja deu fe temps d'axó.

Apot. ¡Bastant!

Maria: Ara son ells.

Apot. Veurá quin susto'ls hi vaig á donar.

(S'acosta ahont son, se posa en mitj y'ls hi diu de sobte.)

Noys, s'ha desfet'l casament.

Ignes y Blay: ¡Que no! (Rient.)

Apot. Ja ho veu, senyora María!

Maria: ¡Prou que ho veig!

Apot. Ara aném al menjadó y pendrán xocolata.

Maria: No'ns parli de menjar, perque hem esmorsat á Pineda. Lo que

estich es cansada.

Apot. Séntis. (Li acosta una cadira.) Lo notari ja te en net los capítols
y sols falta firmarlos.

Maria: ¿Tot hi está ben especificat?

Apot. Com si's tractés d'una recepta. Lo noy es heréu.

Maria: La noya pubilla.

Apot. Y cuan acluquém els ulls, tot será seu. Es un casament
ensopegat, senyora María.

Maria: Ensopegat, senyor Benet.

Apot. Dispensi, que'm sembla que'm cridan.

(S'acosta a la porta esquerra.) ¿Hont ha d'anar el bagul de la senyora

María? Al seu cuarto.

Maria: Ja hi vaig, que tinch d'obrirlo.

Apot. Si, puji, que li ensenyaré la casa.

Maria: ¿Per ventura no la conech?

Apot. ¡Qué ha de coneixer! Ja veurá com ha quedat.

(S'en van, esquerra, Apotecari y senyora María.)

Escena V

Blay, Ignés

Blay: Ja ho has sentit Ignés! Avuy se firman els capítols y diumenge

va l'última amonestació. La darrera festa, al sentir que'l capellá deya:
“Matrimoni pactat entre Blay é Ignés”, semblava que'l cor comensés
á fer capgirells. ¡Qué t'estimo Ignés.

Ignes: ¿De debó Blay?

Blay: Ja ho sabs que t'estimo. ¿Recordas la primera vegada que'ns
varem veure?

Ignes: Prou me'n recordo. Va ser a la estació d'Arenys.

Blay: Jo tenia set y vaig baxar del tren per beure una gaseosa.

Ignes: ¡Quina casualitat. Jo també'n tenía, y la mare'm va dir:

“Baxém y beurás un vas d'aygua ab xerop.”

Blay: Y'ns varem trobar de costat, y mentres bebía, jo't guaytava de

reull y pensava: que es guapa aquesta noya. Tú també'm miravas,
¿eh?

Ignes: Sí; la veritat.

Blay: ¿Y, qué pensavas?

Ignes: Me vares agradar.

Blay: Al tornar los vasos, las nostras mans se varen tocar una mica,
miqueta, y jo'm vaig tornar roig.

Ignes: A mi'm va donar un tremoló...

Blay: Y'ns varem tornar a mirar ab una rialleta tant tú com jo.

Ignes: ¡Quína memoria tens!

Blay: Y tú també, sino que no ho dius. Al arrancar el tren, ¡quina

casualitat! me vaig enganyar de vagó.
Ignes: ¡Y quína altra casualitat! Vares pujar al que eram nosaltras, y
varem fer el viatje junts.

Blay: Y'm va semblar molt curt.

Ignes: A mí també.

Blay: ¡Quí t'havía de dir que serías l'Apotecaria de Malgrat!

Ignes: ¡L'Apotecaria! La dona del fill del Apotecari.

Blay: Que també es apotecari.

Ignes: Pero que, un cop casat, no'n fará, perque anirá á Canet á viure
al mas de la seva dona.

Blay: A Canet hi anirém de tant en tant á veure á la teva mare.

Ignes: No; hont vindrém en tant de tant es á Malgrat á veure el teu

pare.

Blay: ¿Y per qué hem de venir aquí, visquenthi?

Ignes: No, home, hont viurém es á Canet ab la mare.

Blay: ¿Qué s'ha pensat la teva mare que m'en aniré á viure al mas ab
vosaltres?

Ignes: No s'ho ha pensat; n'está segura.

Blay: ¡Ay Mare de Déu! ¡Quín temporal se'ns ve á sobre! Ignés!

Ignés! No'ns casarém!