Van, Becca - Re-awaken Me (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (13 page)

Mason tilted his head back to look deep into her eyes, letting her see all the love he had for her.

“I can’t, Mason. Don’t you understand? Every person I have ever loved has left me. I don’t think I can stand to go through that again. It would kill me if something happened to any of you. I can’t let you matter to me beyond what we have. Sex is all it can ever be between us.” Pip sobbed and felt tears streaming down her cheeks.

“You’re wrong, sugar. We already have so much more than sex. You just don’t want to admit it, but that’s all right. We know how much you love us, even if you can’t say the words. I love you, Pip. I have loved you since we were all kids,” Randy stated, placing a kiss on her temple.

“I love you, too, darlin’. We’ll wait for you to say the words back to us. We don’t need to hear them when we can already see them in your eyes,” Chip said, kissing her shoulder.

Pip didn’t know what to say, so she buried her face against Mason’s chest, luxuriating in the scent and feel of the men she loved surrounding her. She was going to make sure she remembered every single thing they did together. Every word, touch, taste, and sound was a precious memory she would have in the reserve of her mind. Something she would be able to take out and that would give her comfort when all was lost. She knew deep down she was in serious trouble. Someone was stalking her, intent on killing her, and she didn’t want to be the cause of heartache if the sick bastard after her succeeded. In her illogical emotional state, she had convinced herself the three men she loved with her whole heart wouldn’t hurt as much if she didn’t reciprocate those three little words.

Chapter Fourteen

Pip spent most of the next couple of days on the sofa in the living room, watching movies and napping. The brothers took turns staying home with her. She knew she needed a babysitter and was glad they were being so diligent in their protection of her. No one knew she was at their house, so there was no way the bastard after her could get to her. She felt so safe.

Pip knew something was going on, because if the men were talking and she entered the room, all conversation would abruptly cease. One or all of them would help her get whatever she needed then lead her back to the living room. Her investigative instincts were on high alert, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get any information out of them.

Pip had been at the house for five days now and was beginning to get restless. Her body had recuperated from being poisoned, and she was getting cabin fever. She was itching to get back to work and had every intention of informing her men that night at dinner. She glanced at the clock and realized it was later than she thought. She got up from the sofa and headed for the kitchen to prepare the evening meal. She was rummaging through the refrigerator and didn’t hear Chip enter the kitchen. She gave a squeal and jumped when a slap landed on her ass.

“Whatcha doing, darlin’?” Chip asked, moving back to give her room to turn and face him.

“I’m looking to see what to prepare for dinner. Why?”

“No reason. I just couldn’t resist giving that sweet little ass a tap,” Chip replied, waggling his eyebrows lasciviously.

Pip rolled her eyes and bent back to the fridge. “What time do you think Randy and Mason will be home? I don’t want to prepare dinner too early and have it dry out.”

“What are you thinkin’ of making, darlin’?”

“Hm, I thought we could have burritos tonight. I know how you guys love your Mexican food.”

“Oh, darlin’, we’d be your slaves for life if you made us Mexican food regularly. If you’d like, I can give Mason a call to find out.”

“Please.”

Chip dug into his pocket, pulled out his cell phone, and pressed speed dial.

Pip watched the expression on Chip’s face change from lighthearted and sexy to dark and grim. She wondered what was being said on the other end, because as of yet, Chip hadn’t spoken a word. The more he listened, the darker the expression on his face got. Pip began to feel nervous and more than a little apprehensive. She knew something was terribly wrong.

“I’m on it,” Chip stated then ended the call. “Get some clothes packed, darlin’. We’re heading out of here for a while.”

“What? What the hell is going on, Chip? I’m not leaving until you tell me what’s happening,” Pip stated, folding her arms belligerently over her chest as she stared him down.

“We have to get going now, Pip. I’ll tell you on the way. Now get your ass into that room and pack, or I’ll do it for you. And I don’t give a shit what I pack, just as long as you have clothes covering that sexy little body so no one else can see it.”

Pip took in the resoluteness of Chip’s body language and knew she wouldn’t win this fight. She turned on her heels and stomped from the room. Pip was used to packing in a hurry and was thankful she didn’t really have to concentrate on what she was packing. Five minutes later, she hauled her large travel bag down the hall into the kitchen. Chip was just entering from the other side. He gave her a quick once-over, took her bag from her hand, and headed toward the back door. He stopped before opening the door, turning toward her.

“Stay here, I’ll be back for you in a couple of seconds, darlin’.”

Pip stood near the closed back door waiting for Chip to come back for her. The couple of seconds turned into minutes. She bit on her lower lip, her agitation increasing with every second she awaited Chip’s return. She was just about at the end of her tether and was trying to decide whether to go outside instead of waiting when she heard footsteps on the deck. She flung the door open, about to give Chip a mouthful for having worried her, but froze with her mouth open as she faced Alex White.

“Hi, Alex, what are you doing here?” Pip asked, backing away from the door. There was still something about him that gave her the creeps. She was about to slam the door closed as Alex’s expression changed from congenial to furious. Alex dove for the door, pushing his way through the entry and knocking Pip to the floor with his forward momentum. She hit the floor hard, her head connecting with the hard surface making her see stars. She panted as she scrabbled along, trying to put as much distance between her and Alex as possible. She wasn’t fast enough. Alex grabbed her by the hair and hauled her to her feet, dragging her out the back door.

Pip swung at him with her fists, hitting anywhere she could, trying to get away from him, but her efforts didn’t seem to slow him down any.

“Alex, what the hell are you doing?” Pip screamed, digging her heels into the dirt. She grasped his wrist and dug her nails into his skin, trying to make him release her. When that didn’t work, she surged forward until she was level with him, pushed one of her legs between his, and tripped him. She went down with Alex, his grip on her hair firm. She ended up on her back in the dirt, and Alex’s large body slammed into her much smaller one, pushing all the air from her lungs as one of his shoulders hit her solar plexus. The pain was tolerable, but not being able to draw a breath of air into her lungs was not. Tears ran down her cheeks, and if she didn’t know she was winded, she would have sworn she was about to die. Finally, her organs relented and she was able to take great gulping gasps of air to fill her depleted lungs.

Alex moved off Pip and hauled her to her feet by her hair once more. The look in his eyes made her shiver in fear. His face was full of fury as he stared at her with pure malevolence.

“You are going to pay for what your family did to my parents, you little bitch. If it wasn’t for you and your parents, mine would still be alive. I can’t let you get away with what you did to my family,” Alex screamed at her, spittle flying from his mouth in his insanity.

“What the hell are you talking about, Alex? I don’t even know your parents. What have you done to Chip?” Pip asked, her eyes scanning the yard for her man.

“Oh, don’t you worry about him. He won’t be helping you out anytime soon,” Alex replied with a sinister laugh. “Your parents killed mine. You have to pay for what they did to my family.”

“Alex, that’s not true. My parents would never hurt anyone.”

“That’s what you think. God, you are so naive. Your father had my father arrested. He was heading to jail, and he knew he wouldn’t get out for five long years and snapped. So do you know what he did? He came home, and strangled my mother until she was dead. He was sentenced to life in prison, but he was murdered in his cell the first week he was incarcerated. I was fifteen years old. The rumors around town about my father stealing money from your father’s precious newspaper were more than he could stand. Your father had my father charged with embezzlement. So instead of fighting your father for impugning his character, my father killed my mother and he was killed in prison.” Alex laughed without humor. “But I had the last laugh. Oh, yes I did. It was your father’s fault I ended up in foster care. Do you know what it’s like to be beaten and raped just because you exist? No, I bet you don’t. Well, I do. If it hadn’t been for your precious father, my parents would still be alive.”

“Wh–what do you mean you had the last laugh?” Pip asked uncertainly, dreading the answer to her question.

“I studied for days before I could put my plan into action. It was so easy. Do you know how much information you can find on the Internet? Well, that’s what I did. I looked up how to make a bomb using everyday items so I wouldn’t create any suspicion. I made sure I used gloves and always wore a hat so none of my DNA could be found. I sent your parents a little package in the mail,” Alex said. He laughed diabolically then continued with his explanation. “You should have seen the explosion. It was like the Fourth of July. It was a sight to behold.”

“Oh my God. You killed my parents? How could you do such a thing? You were only a kid. How could you have even thought about killing someone, let alone going ahead and doing it?” Pip asked, totally beyond bewilderment.

“How can you ask me that? It was because of your father my whole life changed. I was left with nothing. Sent to a foster home and raped over and over again. All because of your precious father. Well, you need to pay for the sins of your father. I can’t let you get away with living after what your family did to mine.”

“Alex, I had nothing to do with any of this. I had no idea what had even happened. I was a child, for God’s sake. How can you blame me for something I knew nothing about? Maybe you should look into what your father did. Did you ever stop and think that what happened was all your father’s fault? If he hadn’t embezzled funds from the newspaper, this would never have happened,” Pip stated, her eyes still frantically searching for any sign of Chip. She squinted into the twilight sunshine when she caught movement near the large garden shed from the corner of her eye. She had to find a way to get away from Alex. He was totally deranged. Not that she blamed him after everything he had been through, but she wasn’t going to let him hurt her, let alone the men she loved with her whole heart, for something she’d had no control over. She wished now, when the situation she was in was so dire, she had told her men she loved them, too. She was glad that they knew how she felt without her ever having said the words, but she wanted the opportunity to tell them face-to-face. God, why had she been so stubborn and illogical? She should have told them she loved them as soon as they were back in her life. Hindsight was such a wonderful thing. Especially when you didn’t know the outcome.

The unexpected blow that landed across Pip’s cheek made her ears ring. She stumbled to the ground, landing heavily on her knees. She kept her head down, using her hair as a shield as she scanned the area. She caught a glimpse of Chip’s head as he ducked back around the corner of the shed and out of sight. She had glimpsed a line of blood streaming from his temple and down over his cheek. She felt anger rising in her body, directed toward Alex for hurting one of the men she loved. Alex yanked on her hair, pulling her to her feet yet again. The pain at her scalp made her furious, and she built up on that emotion until she was so angry she was shaking with it. As she regained her footing, she spread her legs shoulder-width apart and bent her knees, relaxing her stance in preparation.

Pip watched Alex from beneath her lowered eyelashes. He drew his arm back, the muscles in his shoulder bunching, his hand forming a fist as he prepared to knock her senseless. His blow never landed. As his arm began its forward motion, Pip drew her knee up and slammed as hard as she could into Alex’s groin. He released her hair, bending over with pain. Pip raised her arms, clasped her hands into his hair on either side of his head, and using his own motion against him, she raised her leg and slammed his face and head into her knee. The sound of bone crunching as she connected with Alex’s face made her stomach roil in protest. She let go of his hair, did a quick side step, and watched as Alex dropped surreally to the ground, totally motionless. She took a couple more steps away from Alex, leaned over, and retched.

Pip finally realized Chip was behind her, holding her up, trying to soothe her until her stomach finally settled. She didn’t realize how hard she was shaking until her body was up against Chip’s stable frame. He wrapped his arms around her, turned her into his body, and held on to her tight.

“It’s all right, darlin’. It’s all over now. He can’t hurt you again, Pip,” Chip said, running a soothing hand over her hair and then down her back. She had no idea how long she had stood in Chip’s arms, but she knew it had to have been quite a while. The sound of a siren in the distance seemed to echo in the now-dark, clear night.