Becca Van (5 page)

Janie hugged Brooke good-bye. The tears in her eyes helped block out the sight of the Garman brothers standing at a distance, but she knew they were there.

They’d woken her that morning with coffee and kisses, but her mind felt much clearer even before the caffeine hit her. It felt like a dam had broken inside her. She knew that she needed to go home and return to her real life.

In a trembling voice, she’d explained to Seton, Wolf, and Lander that she couldn’t risk her parents’ condemnation. She wouldn’t lie to them and feared that they would shun her for being with three men if she stayed.

Janie tried to tell herself that it had just been sexual anyway. Maybe she was even doing herself a favor. Her last boyfriend had lost interest after they had sex, so what was to say it wouldn’t happen again? This time she was the one doing the dumping, but it felt just as awful as it had before.

She had expected the brothers to argue with her, but they had almost seemed to expect her decision. They told her they weren’t going to pressure her into having a relationship with them. They’d added that while they weren’t happy with her choice, it came at a good time. They would be leaving the farm themselves later in the day in pursuit of Dr. Smith, and they hadn’t wanted to leave her alone here.

An hour later, Seton had handed her a cell phone which had all their phone numbers set in it on speed dial and told her she could contact them anytime she wished to. If she changed her mind about being with them, she was to call immediately. Not long after, a cab arrived to take her to the airport.

Now the moment had come to get into the cab. Brooke said she’d keep in touch, and Janie heard herself hollowly echoing that promise. She felt as if the rug had been pulled out from beneath her feet. Her heart was shattering into a million pieces. It cried out to her to turn around and go back to her men, at least to give them one last kiss good-bye. She knew, however, that if she even looked at them a moment longer than necessary, she would cave and change her mind.

Janie bit her lip and kept her emotions bottled up inside. Giving Brooke and the others a final look and wave, she got into the taxi and didn’t look back. A flight had been booked for her from a small airport close by, and she would be taking a small plane to Bismarck. The thought of never seeing Seton, Wolf, and Lander again tore her up. A large knot of emotion was lodged in her chest and throat, and Janie didn’t think she would ever be able to breathe normally again.

She stared out the side window, not seeing anything, lost in her own world of pain and despair. Worrying over their safety and longing to be back in their arms, she couldn’t contain the storm from erupting another moment. Bending over and hugging her waist, she moaned and cried silently, aware of the cab driver in the front.

“Are you all right, miss?” the driver asked.

Unable to reply, Janie lifted a hand and waved that she was okay, but she wasn’t, and she didn’t think she would ever be the same again.

* * * *

Janie sighed with resigned relief as she unlocked her apartment door. Entering her home, she flicked on the living room light and headed straight for the bathroom. Standing under the shower, she cried loudly, sobbing out all the pain of being separated from the men she finally realized she had fallen in love with. Seton was such a black-and-white person. He made decisions and gave orders expecting his commands and demands to be obeyed immediately and without question. But he also had a lot of compassion, which he kept hidden behind an arrogant, dominant veneer. He was always in control, and she would love to see him lose that famous cool of his. Seton seemed to put her and his brothers before himself.

Lander was the most lighthearted of the three. Always quick witted and ready with a smile, he would rush to help her if she wanted something.

Wolf was the most compassionate of the three. He was the one who had looked after her and the other women when they had first been rescued, and he had nursed Brooke back to health with patient diligence.

How could she not love such wonderful men? Why had she taken so long to recognize her feelings? Why had she been such a coward? She had let them order the taxi for her to send her back home even as she began to think she had made a terrible mistake.
You are such a chickenshit, Janie. How could you let the thought of being shunned affect you?

Finally her tears slowed and she noticed the water was getting cold. Turning off the shower, she stepped out and began to dry her cold body. Once dressed, she made a cup of coffee and picked up the cell phone she had dumped on the coffee table. Eying the phone, she prayed that her three loves were safe. All she knew was that they were leaving at nine that morning. The cab had picked her up at eight. Now it was four in the afternoon, and she felt like she hadn’t slept for a week. She was so emotionally drained all she wanted to do was curl up in bed and sleep, but first she had something she needed to do, and she wasn’t going to put it off another moment.

Taking a deep breath, she punched in the numbers and hit
send
.

“Hi, honey, how are you?” her mom asked.

“I’m good, Mom. How’s the vacation?”

“Wonderful. Your dad and I are having such a good time, we’ve been thinking about selling up and traveling around the world.”

“Really? Wow, I never thought you and dad were into traveling,” Janie replied.

“We’re not getting any younger, dear, and now that you are independent there is nothing holding us back. How are your three men?”

“What?” Janie asked and then coughed, choking on the mouthful of coffee she had just taken.

“Your father and I aren’t stupid, dear. We saw the way they looked at you when we came to visit.”

“You did?” Janie’s voice squeaked.

“Yes, dear, and I must say they are very handsome. What’s the matter, Janie?” her mom asked, and she wondered how her mother always seemed to know when she was upset or something was bothering her.

“I’m in love with them, Mom, and I don’t know what to do.”

“What’s there to know? You love them and they love you, what else is there?”

“But…I thought you and dad would be against an unconventional relationship,” Janie replied.

“What we are against are young women in relationships when love isn’t present. As long as you respect yourself and your body, then nothing else matters. Where are you, dear?”

“I’m back home. I wanted to come back, or at least I thought I did. Seton, Wolf, and Lander let me go. Oh God, Mom. What am I going to do?” Janie sobbed.

“What do you want to happen, love?”

“I want to be with them, Mom. I can’t stand the thought of never seeing them again, of not being in their arms and being able to love them.”

“There’s your answer, Janie. Pack up your things, end your lease, and call them to come and get you.”

“I can’t call them right now. They’re away on a mission.”

“Take a couple of days to organize things and then call them, honey. I’ll bet they’re feeling just as bad as you are.”

“You’re the best, Mom. I love you,” Janie declared.

“I love you, too, honey. Do you want to talk to your dad?”

“Yeah please.”

Janie spoke to her father and once she disconnected the call felt as if she could take on the world. The pain in her heart subsided, leaving only a small ache, since she wasn’t with the loves of her life, but she would work hard organizing things and in a couple of days she would be heading back to the Dragon Stud Farm. Now that the weight of the world had finally lifted from her shoulders, she felt as if she could breathe again. She would only feel better once she was home with her men once more. One woman for three men was her idea of heaven on earth.

* * * *

Janie spent two days cancelling the lease on her apartment, packing up her minimal amount of belongings, and notifying the utility companies of her departure. She’d already booked her return flight and was full of energy. She couldn’t wait to surprise her men when they came back from their mission and then see their faces when she said she was indeed the woman they were looking for.

She loved them so much, and she knew they loved her, too, having seen it in their eyes. She sighed with annoyance at herself for her cowardice, but she also felt elated. In just over ten hours she would be on her way back to the Dragon Stud Farm.

When she finally crawled into bed, she didn’t think she would be able to sleep because of her excitement, but she must have drifted off eventually. Coming awake, she was instantly alert and glanced at the small digital clock she planned to pack first thing.
Shit
. It was only two a.m., and the last time she had looked at the time it had been quarter to one. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, only to have them snap open when she heard a thud in her living room. Was there someone in her apartment?

Being careful to not make any sound, she lifted the quilt and swung her feet to the floor. Reaching for her clothes, she pulled her jeans on beneath the large T-shirt she slept in and pulled a sweater on over the top but left her feet bare so she would be lighter on her feet.

Moving cautiously, she peered around the doorjamb and searched her apartment. She covered her mouth with her hand and her breath hitched in her throat when she spied the silhouette of a large man.
Oh God, someone broke in
.

Edging her way back into her room, eyes scanning for something to use as a weapon, she mentally cursed that she had packed nearly all her things. The candelabra which usually sat on her tallboy would have been a great weapon.

Adrenaline coursed through her body, making her limbs shake and feel uncoordinated. She was panting for breath as she crept her way along the wall toward her bathroom. Another thud and a curse followed as the intruder crashed into the coffee table, just as Janie reached the bathroom door. Quickly ensconcing herself in the small room, she quietly closed the door and grabbed the small pair of nail scissors she had left on the sink, ready to pack in the morning. Whimpering now as footsteps came closer, she sat on the floor with her back against the door. Using her slightly bent legs, she found purchase with her feet against the ceramic toilet. The door handle above her head rattled, and she pushed back against the commode using all the strength she could muster with her legs.

“Open the door now, you fucking bitch. You’ll only make it harder on yourself,” the intruder grated out.

A sob caught in Janie’s throat, but she wasn’t about to give in. Her ass slid a little on the cold tile floor when the bastard pushed against the door. Placing her hands on the tiles, she pushed back with all her might, but she just wasn’t strong enough. She went sliding with the door as it was forced open with brutal strength.

Crying out with pain when her knees connected with the toilet bowl, she scrabbled so she could get to her feet and face her unknown attacker. The prick to her hand reminded her that she was clutching the nail scissors. She cried out when he pulled her hair and yanked her neck back at an unnatural angle. She swung her arm, aiming for his face.

He must have seen it coming, because he gripped her wrist in a tight fist, digging his fingers into the muscle and tendons. Janie sobbed with pain as her fist weakened, the scissors falling to the floor with a metallic clink. Her assailant flicked the light switch on, and she stared at the stranger, wondering who the hell he was and what he wanted. Just as that thought formed, he slapped her hard on the cheek and threw her out of the bathroom. She went flying through the air, and then the side of her head connected with the doorframe. Pain exploded in her skull, but she was damn well going to stay conscious to fight.

Nausea rolled in her belly, and she swallowed convulsively to keep the bile down. Lifting her head, she glared at the bastard as he came at her again. Kicking out, she aimed for his knee, heedless of her bare feet. When the sole of her foot connected with his patella, she pushed, using all the strength in her quads, but he quickly side-stepped and kept right on coming.

He backhanded her across the other cheek, smashing the flesh inside her mouth against her teeth. She tasted blood. Both cheeks now felt bruised and radiated heat like they were on fire, but she wasn’t about to give in. He would have to carry her out of her apartment in a body bag before she gave up fighting. She’d only just realized she was irrevocably in love, and no one was stopping her from seeing her men again.

Curling her fingers into claws, she shot out her arm and scraped her nails down the man’s cheek, tearing his flesh. She gagged when she felt the buildup of skin beneath her nails but ruthlessly pushed the sick feeling back down. He slapped her again, hard enough to make her see stars. While she reeled, he flipped her onto her stomach and pinned her to the floor, straddling her back and sitting on her. Grabbing her flailing arms, he pulled them behind her back and pinned them high up between her shoulder blades, making her cry out in agony.

“You are such a fucking whore. I’m going to make you pay for what you did to my face,” he snarled into her ear.

Janie felt him shift, and his knee dug into the middle of her back. Keeping her wrists restrained in one hand, he rummaged around for something with the other. She could only see a little of him in her peripheral vision, because turning her head too far made pain shoot into her shoulders and down her arms. Catching a glimpse of a long, thin object coming toward her, she whimpered and then sobbed when she felt a prick in her neck. The bastard had just injected her with something.

Oh God, please don’t let me die. Seton, Wolf, Lander, I’m sorry. I love you so much.

They were the last thoughts to run through her mind before she was swept down into a drug-induced abyss.