Kidnapped at the Gun Show [Ransomed Hearts] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (14 page)

“I’m sorry I ran away,” she whispered, her words mixing with the rising steam. “I’ll be good.”

“You’re already good, Sara,” Kale replied, using a warm, wet washcloth to wipe the sweat off her face.

“Trust us, sweetheart,” Riley told her, his chin settling just behind her right ear. “We will take care of you if you let us.”

“I’ll remember next time,” she whispered. “Will you always spank me like that?”

“Did you like the spanking, Sara?” Kale’s voice was dark, smoldering, and Riley knew how Sara would respond to that tone. She was a natural submissive with an independent nature. She might argue with their everyday issues, wanting her way, but when emotional and sexual issues arose, she’d follow their directives.

Her resonant moan proved him right.

“Yes.”

Riley met Kale’s eyes and they shared a nod. She was theirs.

Sara woke to the smell of men. It surrounded her, invaded her very bones, her brain unable to separate the scent from the world around her. And she was hot.

Not feverish, but the sense that she’d been lying on a beach for days filled her. She needed to get up, to move. Sara lifted her shoulders, pushing down with her hands to sit up, and groaned.

Her back ached, and her butt hurt where it pressed against the bed. The sheet on top of her kept her from sitting all the way up. Blinking, she discovered two large men, both visibly naked, at least from the waist up, next to her, one on each side.

She flopped back down on the pillow. They were both deep in sleep, and she didn’t want to wake them, afraid they might decide on a little midnight sex, and she couldn’t imagine her body handling any more at the moment. Hell, she couldn’t imagine more for the next week but doubted they’d be willing to wait a week.

She smiled to herself, knowing she wouldn’t really wait a week, or even a day, if they wanted to be with her again. The way they spoke to her, touched her. It drove her crazy, made her insane with lust and…love.

She was in love with them. Both of them. Well, she’d loved Kale for years. But Riley hadn’t wasted any time getting into her heart. He was persistently invading her space, her sexuality, and her sense of self. One look from him made her feel beautiful. And what woman could resist that kind of charm?

She had to get out of this bed. Nature was calling. But more than that, she needed a little space to think about how she’d fit into this world of theirs. Ignoring the sting of her butt, she wiggled upward, leaning against the headboard until she could get the rest of her torso out from under the covers. Then she crawled down the middle of the bed and fled into the bathroom.

They were still sleeping when she opened the door. Finally, a few minutes alone. She pulled on a robe and closed the bedroom door behind her, food firmly on her mind. Orgasms took energy, even if she was on the receiving end. Tiptoeing down the hall, Sara turned on the light over the stove, hoping it wouldn’t shine into the hall.

Kale and Riley were wonderful. Tender lovers, even when they went all dominant on her, and being with them was more than she’d ever imagined in a relationship. But a little time on her own was what she missed most about her apartment.

She pulled open the refrigerator and rummaged through the bins, trying to decide what to have for a snack, since it was too late for dinner and too early for breakfast. She found the leftover barbeque and put some on a plate but couldn’t bring herself to put it in the microwave. Didn’t want to wake up the guys. She put it back in the container and dug further, hoping to find something that could be eaten cold.

She settled for ice cream.

The perfect late-night snack when her head wouldn’t shut off. Worry swirled in and out of the crannies of her brain, just like the Blue Bell ice cream swirled around in her bowl. She felt safe with Riley and Kale but wondered what was happening with Paige and Emma. Those men from the meeting promised protection for her friends, but how could she be sure?

Sara left her ice cream bowl on the sink and walked over to the pile of clothes she’d left in the kitchen. Heat flooded her chest at the memory of what Kale and Riley had done to her the minute they walked into the house, and she reached out to steady herself with a hand on the countertop.

Damn it, they’d overwhelmed her with their dominance. Surprising, since she’d never thought of herself as the submissive type, but giving up control was a potent aphrodisiac.

Her bag was under all the clothes. Sara fished out her cell and scrolled for Paige’s number. No answer. She left a message, hoping she’d get a return call when her friend woke up. Next she called Emma. Same result, but more worrisome. Emma lived with her phone in hand. An unanswered call was an aberration for Emma, and Sara’s anxiety ratcheted up the scale from concerned to what-the-hell.

She left a message, the same one she’d left on Paige’s phone.
Please call me.
She sighed and set the cell on the counter next to her half-empty bowl.

A box materialized on the face of her phone. She had a message, no name, but at least something from her friends.

“Sara. Don’t expect to see those two lovelies again. I need the information you took from my company. I’m going to send you pieces of your friends until you give me what I want.”

* * * *

Kale rolled over and reached for Sara. When his hand met cool sheets, he blinked and sat up. The room was still dark, Riley sleeping soundly on the other side of the bed. He stood and pulled on a pair of shorts then started down the hall. Moments later, he was running toward the kitchen, the sound of her tears fueling his body faster than food could.

She was a puddle on the bare tile, her robe pooling around her while she sobbed into her hands. Kale went straight to her, scooping her into his arms and carrying her into the living room. He sat on the sofa and cuddled her to his chest, whispering words he hoped would comfort until he could determine what caused her tears. He hoped it wasn’t anything they’d done.

“Talk to me, baby. Tell me how to help you.” He reached for a box of tissues on the coffee table and dabbed under her eyes, wiped her face, hugged her fiercely.

“Paige,” she cried, “Emma. He has them.”

“What? No, honey. They’re both safe.”

“He said”—she jerked in his arms, pushing his hands away from her body—“he said he was going to send—”

Sara wailed, and Riley came flying down the hall, eyes wide and still half-asleep.

“What the hell happened? What’s wrong, Sara?” He slid to his knees in front of them, cupping her face and wiping her tears away with his thumbs.

Kale shook his head. “I found her this way a few minutes ago. She was on the floor in the kitchen.”

“Is she hurt somewhere? Damn, did we do this?” Riley asked.

“No. At least, I can’t find a particular spot she reacts to as pain. I think she’s worried about her friends.”

Riley stood and went into the kitchen, returning with a glass of water and Sara’s cell. He handed the glass to Kale, who encouraged Sara to sip. After a few minutes, her tears subsided, becoming little, wet hiccups. Riley fiddled with her phone, and the last message repeated.

“Fuck. No wonder she’s so upset,” he said, sitting on the other side of her and wrapping an arm around her.

“That can’t be true. Let me make a few calls.” Kale eased Sara onto Riley’s lap and retrieved his cell from the charging station in his room. It took him about half an hour and several apologies, since it was three a.m., but he finally got a number for the NSA agents who’d agreed to protect Paige and Emma.

Three more calls and he had an answer. “Sara, I talked to both men protecting your friends. They are safe and sound, being well taken care of. Both girls are asleep, but you can call and speak to them tomorrow. Briefly.”

“Why briefly? Are they in jail or something? I didn’t want them to get locked up, just protected.”

“No, they’re not in jail. But neither of them is happy about being sequestered.”

“It’s better than being murdered or tortured.”

“Can we go back to bed, sweetheart?” Riley said with a yawn. “Everything will look better in the morning.”

He set her on her feet and Sara willingly followed them back to the bedroom. Cuddling between them helped her relax, and knowing Paige and Emma were safe allowed her to fall into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Sara woke to the smell of Riley’s cooking. What a wonderful way to start the day. She loved breakfast but hated to cook. She took a quick shower, brushed her hair, and reached for her robe. With one arm in a sleeve, she remembered Kale’s comment about being naked when they were alone in the house.

The air conditioner cycled on, and the sudden breeze brought her nipples to attention, adding a sensation she hadn’t expected. Anticipation. Wandering naked wasn’t something she’d done much, at least not outside the bedroom. But life was about taking chances, and she was already trying new things with this relationship.

Riley and Kale were sitting at the kitchen table when she walked into the room. Both men stared as she poured herself a cup of coffee and opened the fridge to find the creamer. They didn’t say a word, and she wondered if she’d made a dreadful mistake.

“Damn, woman,” Kale groaned, “you sure do know how to make a man’s day.”

“Amen to that,” Riley added.

Sara poured her creamer and turned around to give her guys a smile. “Morning, boys.”

“Where’s my kiss, honey?” Kale asked.

Sara walked over to him, using her best come-hither stride, and kissed him soundly. Of course, Riley needed his fair share, so she kissed him, too.

“Sit, baby. You need to eat,” Kale told her, putting a full plate in front of her. They settled next to her with their own breakfasts, and Sara sighed. Even sitting naked while they were half-dressed, she felt comfortable. When her cell rang, she jumped, surprised by the sound and not too sure she wanted to answer it. Riley checked the number and answered for her.

“It’s Paige, sweetheart,” he said, handing it to her.

“Are you okay?” she asked her friend.

“If you consider solitary confinement okay, then I guess the answer is yes,” Paige said.

“It can’t be that bad. Where are you?”

Paige’s groan was heard by both men, and Sara covered her phone so her friend wouldn’t hear their laughter. “What?” she asked.

“I’m not allowed to tell you where I am. Something about national security. Anyway, I’m stuck with this guy.” Sara could barely hear Paige. It sounded like she was whispering. “He’s really hunky, but his personality is more Frankenstein’s monster. How long do you think we’ll be in hiding?”

“I don’t know. I wish you weren’t involved, but, well, last night I got another threatening call. He said…he said he was going to hurt you if I gave the information I have to the police.”

“Oh, Sara. You have to work with the police, or this will never be over.”

“I know. And I am.”

Kale tapped her shoulder. “The agents are here to question you, honey. You might want to get dressed. Or not.”

Sara stared over his shoulder at the three men coming up the front walk. She was out of the chair and down the hall in seconds, male laughter following her. “I have to go, Paige. I’ll try to call you later.”

Riley smiled when she finally came back down the hall. Sara was wearing a pair of navy slacks that stopped halfway between her knees and ankles and a light-blue sleeveless top. Fairly conservative, but at least she’d left her hair down. He introduced her to the two men, Agents Martin and Jenkins, and they all sat around the kitchen table, though Kale chose to stand behind Sara.

“We’ve accessed the information you surrendered, and, while agents are still deciphering the names and locations, we can be fairly certain you were dealing with a domestic terrorist organization.”

“I had no idea,” Sara said, looking to Riley for counsel, and he cut her off.

“Ms. Brennan was not involved in any way, aside from managing what she knew as a software business.” He focused his attention on Agent Martin, the agent in charge of Sara’s case. The two men measured each other for a few long minutes.

“At this point in the investigation, and since Ms. Brennan voluntarily turned over evidence, we do not anticipate filing any charges.”

“Thank you. That is exactly what I wanted to hear,” Riley said, reaching over to squeeze Sara’s hand. “What can you tell me about locating her boss, Mr. Adams?”

“I can’t give you details, but we have agents in place and are tracking several suspects.”

“And the security issues we discussed?” Riley asked.

“Both women have been provided security details, and we have someone watching your house. Please understand that these precautions are temporary. Our budget is tight, and we are hoping to resolve this as soon as possible.”

“You have a plan in place to catch these people?” Kale asked.

“We are working on something, yes.” Agent Jenkins stood and paced the room. “We can’t share information about an ongoing investigation, but we have people working on locating Adams and the other members of his organization.”