Capturing Kylie [Slick Rock 9] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (15 page)

“Jesus. Any wonder the guy isn’t talking? He’s probably scared shitless. That asshole had probably threatened to kill him.”

“Yeah,” Luke sighed. “I’ll get onto the police in Sheridan and make sure the victim and his mother are protected. The asshole used his credit card to book a room at the Mountain Village motel, nearly two hours from here. My deputies just finished running a check on him. This guy served in the army, so he’s probably packing heat. Damon and I are on our way, and I’ve contacted the Mountain Village sheriff. Where are you?”

“In the truck on 141 heading toward Mountain Village.”

“Don’t you do anything until we get there, Xavier. The last thing I want to do is have to arrest your ass.”

“What would you do if this asshole had Felicity?” Xavier asked angrily.

“Shit, just don’t go getting your asses shot off.” Luke disconnected the call.

* * * *

Kylie groaned as a drum beat in her skull. She was really thirsty and her mouth was so dry it felt like her tongue was cleaving to her palate. She shivered and tried to curl into a ball, but she couldn’t move. It was hard work to open her eyes, and when she did, she wished she hadn’t. She was tied to a bed in what looked to be a motel room, and there was a cloth shoved between her lips and tied around her head.

The man who had kidnapped her was sitting in a chair across the room, eating a hamburger and drinking a beer while he watched the television. The noise from the TV set must have muffled her groan, because he didn’t look her way. In between bites of his burger it looked like he was talking, but she couldn’t hear what he was saying. She wondered if he was talking to the TV or himself. He must have felt her watching him, because he turned his head and looked at her. When he smiled she could see the masticated food in his mouth and wanted to throw up. She turned her head away as her stomach roiled.

“You didn’t think I’d find you, did you, bitch? I’m a lot smarter than you are. Did you think I was going to leave you alive so you could testify against me? You’re just as worthless as every other female alive. The only thing a woman is good for is spreading her legs. I’m gonna have some fun with you before I kill you. I’m not letting you put me behind bars because of that little fucker.

“He’ll never say anything against me. Do you wanna know why?” He laughed and the sound grated on her already shredded nerves. The guy was obviously out of his mind. “Because I’m his step daddy. He may be all grown up, but he still knows better than to rat me out. He knows I’ll slit his throat before he can speak up.”

Kylie had to concentrate on breathing through her nose so she wouldn’t vomit. The thought of the young man being violated by someone in a position of trust was wholly evil. She turned back when he didn’t speak again and found his eyes once more glued to the idiot box. Taking advantage of his inattention, she straightened her fingers, tucked her thumb against her palm and pulled. The rope around her wrists bit into her flesh but she kept right on pulling. Blood seeped from her torn flesh, but she didn’t care. She ignored the pain and hoped the fluid would help lubricate the hemp and she would be able to get her hands free. Just as she got the rope around the thickest part of her hand, he moved.

He moved fast for such a big man. Because one moment he was across the room staring at the TV and the next he was on the bed straddling her hips with a knife against her chest.

“You didn’t think I was paying attention, did you, slut?” He chuckled but there was no humor in the sound, only madness. He slid the tip of the knife between the buttons of her shirt and cut them off one by one. When they were gone, he pushed the material aside.

“You’ve got nice tits on you, bitch. I’ll bet those men fucking you would hate to see them marred.”

Kylie was shaking with fear and she panted for breath. But since she had a cloth shoved into her mouth and could only breathe through her nose, she was feeling light-headed. The fear threatened to take over, but then she remembered how it felt to be held and cherished by men who loved her. She had only just found them and she wasn’t about to let her panic take over until she couldn’t think straight. She remembered being surrounded by her three men when they had found out the ranch house was theirs and then she began to get angry. There was no way she was giving up without a fight. If this asshole was going to kill her, then she was going down kicking and screaming.

He sliced the front of her bra in half and slid the knife over her skin. She watched and waited for her chance. It didn’t take long, because he was so intent on staring at her breasts and not at her eyes.

As he lowered his head to her chest, Kylie reared up and slammed her forehead into his nose. He howled with rage and she felt satisfaction when she saw the blood pouring out of his nostrils and his nose askew. She’d broken the asshole’s nose.

She watched as he raised the knife, as if in slow motion, and then began to arc it down. At the last second she twisted around, wrenching her shoulder and further tearing the skin on her wrist, and then she cried out as agony assailed her. He’d stabbed her, but she’d moved fast enough so that the knife glanced off her shoulder blade, flew out of his grasp, and landed on the bed, only feet from her. She used every ounce of strength and energy she could, bucking and twisting, trying to get him to fall off of her. His fist smashed into her face and then his hand was squeezing around her throat and her vision began to waver. Then he leisurely grabbed the knife from beside her, the metal of the blade glinted under the light, and she waited for more excruciating pain.

* * * *

Will’s hands were trembling and he felt guilty as hell that Kylie had been kidnapped under his watch. If he hadn’t left her alone in the kitchen while he’d gone to inspect the plumbing, she would be safe. He would never forgive himself if something happened to her because of him. There was a huge knot of anxiety in his chest and he didn’t think he’d ever breathe normally again.

He unlocked the glove compartment of Xavier’s truck and pushed the hidden button in the back. A hidden compartment popped open. Lachlan unzipped the duffel and pulled out three nine millimeter Glocks and six clips of ammo. He passed two guns and four clips to Will before loading his own weapon and stashing the extra clip in his pocket. They were only minutes away from the Mountain Village Motel and he wanted to be prepared.

Xavier didn’t pull into the motel parking lot. Instead he parked a hundred yards down the street. Will handed Xavier the loaded Glock and extra clip, and they got out of the truck. None of them spoke as they ran toward the motel. Luke must have called the local sheriff because he was standing on the street waiting for them.

“Are you Xavier, Lachlan, and Will Badon?”

“We are,” Lach replied.

“I’m Sheriff Cal Shone. Parker has her tied to the bed in room five. It looks like your woman is unconscious and the perp was eating a burger and watching TV. My deputy is keeping watch. I want you three to stay back. I don’t want any of you getting hurt.”

“Has he got a weapon?” Will asked.

“I don’t know, son.”

“Are you married, Sheriff?” Xavier asked the middle-aged man.

“Yes, sir, going on twenty years now.”

“Would you stand back and watch someone else rescue your wife?”

“Now look here…”

“Sheriff, we are professionally trained bodyguards,” Lachlan said. “We are packing registered weapons and we know how to use them.”

The sheriff looked to each of them and smiled. “Well, come on then.”

They followed the sheriff into the parking lot, where he stopped and pointed out room five. Lachlan and Will took up position beside the door, glad that the drapes covered most of the window, and Xavier stood in front of the entrance, ready to kick it in. Just as he raised his foot, a loud bellow of pain and fury rent the air.

Xavier kicked the door in and rushed forward, and Will and Lachlan hurried in after him. Rage like he’d never felt before coursed through him as he heard a muffled feminine scream and saw the asshole with his hand around Kylie’s throat, choking her. The fucker raised his arm again, ready to plunge the knife into their woman.

Xavier ran forward, grabbed the hand holding the knife, and tried to wrestle it away. Will had his gun raised, ready to shoot, but with Xavier in the way, he couldn’t risk hitting his brother. Xavier managed to get the knife and flung it across the room. Parker removed his hand from around Kylie’s throat and reached to the middle of his back. He came up with a .38 and pointed it at Kylie’s head.

“Back off now or I’ll pull the trigger.”

Xavier released his hand and placed his palm up in front in surrender then stepped back. Lachlan moved toward the bed, drawing the fucker’s attention and also the aim of his gun. That was just what Will been waiting for. He aimed and fired and watched dispassionately as a hole formed in the middle of Parker’s forehead before he slumped down on top of Kylie and the bed.

“Call the paramedics,” Xavier yelled to the sheriff.

Will secured his gun and rushed toward their woman. Lachlan pulled Parker off of Kylie and removed the gag from her mouth, and between the three of them, removed the rope from around her wrists and ankles. Kylie didn’t look like she was breathing and her lips were tinged blue. Will pressed his ear to her chest and then tipped her head back, squeezed her nostrils and opened her mouth. He forced air into her lungs three times and then turned his head to watch her chest. He repeated the action three more times and then sagged in relief when she coughed and began to breathe on her own.

The paramedics pushed into the room and began to assess Kylie. They covered the stab wound on her back, placed an oxygen mask over her face, and when they had her hooked up to an IV, they lifted her to the gurney and wheeled her out.

“Where are you taking her?” Xavier asked in a raspy voice.

“Telluride Medical Center.”

“Will, go with her. One of us needs to be with her when she wakes up.”

Will followed the paramedics to the ambulance, climbed in, and sat near her head. He held her hand for the full seven-minute trip and didn’t want to let go when they arrived but held back as they wheeled her away.

He was going to have nightmares for the rest of his life after finding the woman he loved on the verge of death.

Kylie spent a total of three days in the hospital and none of her men left her side. Friends she didn’t realize she had made the long drive to visit and gave her get-well gifts. Luke Sun-Walker arrived to take her statement and then lectured her men about rushing in where angels feared to tread. But Kylie was glad her men had the skills to protect her and had been able to rescue her.

If she was ever in a situation like that again—God forbid—she would not hesitate to trust them to take care of her. The doctor had just left after giving her a final examination and the nurse was already processing her release forms, which had been signed.

Her throat and neck were sore, but there wasn’t any permanent damage. She had stitches in her shoulder blade, but she had been lucky that no tendons had been impaired, and since she was healthy, her bones were strong and hadn’t suffered any chips or fractures. She was good to go.

Kylie pushed the covers aside and moved her legs to hang over the side of the bed. Will rushed over to help her and she let him. He’d already told her he felt guilty for leaving her alone in the ranch house and she had told him what had happened wasn’t his fault, but she wasn’t sure if she had gotten through to him.

Xavier told her how she hadn’t been breathing and Will had performed the kiss of life. If it hadn’t been for her men rescuing her and Will breathing for her, she would be dead. As far as she was concerned, they were her heroes, her knights in shining armor. Now, if she could only get them to believe her.

“Are you okay, sweet thang?” Will asked as he helped her dress. She’d had a shower earlier that morning and had been waiting impatiently to be released from the hospital.

“I’m fine, Will. Where are Xavier and Lach?”

“Xavier’s gone to bring the truck around to the front and Lach is finishing up the paperwork.”

“I’m here, sugar. Xavier has the truck out front. Are you ready?”

“You have no idea.” Kylie smiled. “Quick, let’s get out of here before they change their minds.”

Kylie thanked the hospital staff for taking such good care of her. They smiled, but when she left she noticed it wasn’t her the nurses had their eyes on, but her men. She couldn’t blame them. Her men were hot.

Will lifted her up into the backseat of the truck and got in behind her. He patted his knee and looked at her. “Why don’t you put your head on my lap and take a nap, sweetheart? It’ll take nearly two hours before we get back home.”

“You’re kidding, right? I’ve had more sleep in the last three days than I’ve had in the last three weeks.”

“Then come over here and cuddle with me, honey.”

Kylie moved to the middle of the seat and snuggled with Will. That was the last thing she remembered until she woke up in her bedroom in Eva’s house.

Another four days passed before Kylie was able to get the stitches out of her back. Her men had been in and out of the house often, but one of them was with her at all times. She had asked them what they were up to and they had just smiled and replied, “It’s a surprise.”