Protecting My Hart (Protectors Series Book 1) (37 page)

“Babe, you feel so good.” I rasp.

“So perfect, Tesoro.” He pants, while keeping a firm hold on my hips. Slyde moves me back and forth, swiveling me so that his piercing grazes against all the right spots. I’m not sure how long I can hold on. The need for release is already clawing at me desperately. Slyde has complete and total control over my body, the only thing I can do is hang on tight while he works us both up higher and higher. His deep moans and groans vibrate through his chest and I can feel them echo through me. His breath is hot on my neck and his skin torches every inch of me he touches. The pressure increases, higher, tighter, I just know I’m going to shatter. I clench down on him, he moves my hips again, I press my face into his neck, I can feel it starting. I hold him tight, he pulls me against him again, he’s deep, he’s filling me, he’s pressed against all the right spots and I shatter, crying out into his neck. My body shakes and convulses in his arms, my mind blanks and can only focus on the waves and waves of pleasure washing over me, making it difficult to breath. I can feel him pull me against him twice more before he goes ridged, his cock swelling, jerking, and pulsating as he pours into me and I flood around him. I keep my grip tight on him, refusing to let him go. He holds me tight against him with both arms, neither one of us wanting to let go. I continue to sink into him as the minutes pass by, and I know that nothing and no one in this world could ever make me feel as loved, cherished and protected as this man. I have no idea how long it is before Slyde moves, I can barely keep my eyes open. Slyde lays me on the bed, I can barely process the fact that he’s cleaning us up, or that he’s put his shirt back on me, or that he’s replaced my panties with a new pair. I can feel him climbing back into bed, pulling me into his arms, his lips pressed softly against mine, his body surrounding me and his voice as the words “Sweet dreams, Hartley. Te amo, mi Tesoro, siempre.” float though my head.

Things have become normal over the last couple of months. Slyde is back to full strength and back at work. Like Mack said they are all busy with paperwork and the guys are much more relaxed. Slyde and I picked a school for Ethan to attend and he loves it. I’m so glad that he’s made some new friends and this time we don’t have to worry about moving again. I’ve started to take a few classes online through a community college; I’m very interested in business management, who knew? Slyde is of course supportive of whatever I want to do and some days I still have a hard time believing that this is my life now, but I couldn’t be happier. However, right now I’m in the middle of a panic attack. See, I took a pregnancy test two weeks ago, but then got distracted by Ethan and waited too long to look at the results, so it didn’t count. I figured I would wait a couple of weeks and see if I got my monthly visit and try again. I haven’t said anything to Slyde because there was nothing to say, but now as I stare down at the test, there is so much that I need to say. I can’t believe that this happened to me again. What am I going to do? I know that my situation is very different this time. I’m not living in hell. My boyfriend doesn’t beat the shit out of me, and I’m not being held prisoner. This time, I’m married to an amazing man who I know would do just about anything for me and my son. I want to be happy about this, but I am completely terrified. We never talked about more kids. I don’t know if this will fit into his life. Suddenly, all my insecurities come racing back. I’m scared he might want me to leave and like before I will be left with nothing and have to start over. Only this time I’d have two children that I have to care for. I was barely getting by with just me and Ethan. I don’t know that I can handle this on my own. A baby. I’m going to have another baby. How could I let this happen? I never even thought about the fact that I’m not on birth control; it was never a concern before because I was never having sex again. It never crossed my mind to tell Slyde, or suggest we use condoms. I never even considered it, simply because I’ve never had to deal with it. JD never used condoms and it’s a shock I never got pregnant sooner. But here I am again, pregnant and terrified. I have no idea how to tell him. I have to call Leia.

“Hey, honey, what’s goin on?” she answers and I can hear the smile in her voice.

“Hey, Leia, I’m actually getting ready to get Ethan from school, but I need girl talk. Can I come by after I pick him up?

“Of course! Everything OK?”

“Um, I’m not sure. I’ll explain in person. See you in about twenty.”

“See ya, doll.”

Hanging up, I feel a bit of relief. I love having a girlfriend to talk to, it makes things so much easier sometimes and I’m eternally grateful to have Leia in my life. I know that she will be able to talk me out of my panic and help me come up with a way to tell Slyde, who I pray will be happy. Please let him be happy. Something feels off again, and I can’t quite put my finger on it. I’m thinking that it’s probably just the anxiety of having to tell Slyde I’m pregnant and what his reaction is going to be. Yeah, I totally need girl talk. I grab my bag, toss my phone inside and leave to pick up Ethan from school.

“Hi, Hartley, did Ethan forget something earlier?” Nancy asks me as I pass the front desk at Ethan’s school.

“No, I’m here to pick him up.” I smile then freeze. “Wait, what do you mean earlier?” Something she said doesn’t fit, and that feeling that I have becomes stronger.

“Um, you’re here to get him?”

“Nancy, what’s going on?” Panic is starting to rise as reality hits me that Ethan is not in this building.

“Ethan was picked up earlier by his uncle.”

“His uncle?” I ask and the sinking feeling in my stomach deepens, the knots gets tighter. The guys are at work, and they would not have picked him up without letting me know first.

“Yes, your brother James Dobson, came to pick him up about an hour ago.” I have completely stopped breathing. How did he? When did he? Why did we not know?

“He’s not my brother.” I whisper.

“What?” Her face pales.

“He’s not my brother, I don’t have a brother, that man is not my brother!” I screech! My body running on pure panic right now.

“Oh my god.”

“You let my son leave with that man without calling me? There is a reason you made me fill out a list, he’s not on that list! He has my son. That man has my son!” I yell loudly. Panic and pure terror have consumed me. JD has my son. I barely hear Nancy calling 911, I reach for my phone and hit Slyde’s number. He answers instantly.

“Hey, Tesoro.”

“Slyde.” I choke out through unshed tears.

“What’s wrong, Hart?”

“Ethan.”

“Where are you?”

“School.”

“I’ll be right there.”
And then he’s gone. I don’t know what to do; my son is missing. He’s in the hands of an evil man who I have no doubt would kill my son just to get even with me. How did he find us? How did he find Ethan? If he wanted to get even with me he should have just taken me. Not my son. Not my baby.

“Slyde,” Mack calls out. “My office.” I don’t like the sound of his voice, something in my gut tells me whatever he has to say is bad. Stepping inside his office, Kash and Beamer are there and I know now that whatever it is, it’s bad.

“Got some bad news, gentlemen. I have no fuckin’ idea how it happened. Got top dogs trying to figure it out, looks like Mason had something to do with it, which means he’s still local.”

“Had to do with what, Mack? Fuckin’ spit it out already!” I snap.

“JD has escaped. Not sure when, not sure how, but he’s not in FBI custody anymore. Nobody can seem to fuckin’ find him.”

“Are you fucking serious? Tell me you are fucking kidding. Tell me right fuckin’ now that this is a joke. Tell me that the man we’ve spent the last ten fuckin’ years watching, and gathering intel on has not vanished. Tell me that the motherfucker who beat the crap out of my wife multiple times and let two men rape her while he watched, is not out wandering the streets, free as a fuckin’ bird with a man who kidnapped my son and stabbed my wife half a dozen times, leaving her to die in a god damn alley like trash! Tell me Mack that you are fucking kidding me!!” I roar.

“I wish I were, Slyde.”

“This is fucking unbelievable!!!” Panic and anger and terror race through me. We have no idea where he is or what his plan is. I know that he will seek me out. He want’s revenge, I cost him everything and he will want to take all from me. I need to call Hart and find out where she is. She needs to stay put until I can get to her. Pulling out my phone to call her, it starts to ring and Hart is calling me.

“Hey, Tesoro.” I try to keep my voice calm

“Slyde.”
Her voice is choked up, she’s crying. FUCK!

“What’s wrong, Hart?” I ask, my heart in my throat. There is no fuckin’ way he found her this quick.

“Ethan.”
She rasps out and I stop breathing. Fuck did he get hurt? I need to know where she’s at.

“Where are you?”

“School.”

“I’ll be right there.” I tell her and hang up the phone.

“Something’s wrong with Ethan. I’m out. I’ll call you when I know more.” I call back and as I race out of Mack’s office and out of the building. I jump on my bike and race to Ethan’s school praying that he’s OK. Also trying to figure how the fuck to find JD. This is nothing but a huge damn cluster fuck!

I have somehow made it outside. Not sure how I accomplished that, but I’m sitting on a stone wall that runs along the outside of the building. Panic continues to increase along with the fear. JD has Ethan and I’m terrified as to what he is going to do to him, what he wants. I know what he wants. He wants me. This is all about revenge. I hear the roar of his bike and watch as he pulls into the front parking spot, he jumps off his bike and is running toward me. I’m suddenly aware that I’m walking toward him and I only become aware of this because after the second step my legs give out and I begin to fall, but I fall into Slyde whose arms wrap around me tightly as I sob hysterically against him.

“He…has…my…son!!!” I cry out.

“Who has him?”

“J…D…”

Nancy comes outside and I listen in a detached way to her explain to Slyde what happened. The only thing I can focus on is the fear that my son is missing, also the strength that Slyde is providing. He has yet to let me go. The cops have arrived and I robotically answer their questions, not hearing at all what they have to say in response.