Destined to Be Three (10 page)

Jaycee wiggled and tugged the rope, but it was to no avail. Damn the man. Cade knew how to tie it so that she couldn’t get away. “You will pay for this, Cade McCoy.”

“I hope so, darlin’.” Cade paid more attention to the rope around her wrist than her. He inspected her binds, checking his handiwork. “I really hope so.”

His smugness really rankled. She futilely fought her captors for freedom. Unmoved, the men stood their ground.

“Fine,” Jaycee ground out as she gave up.

Gray didn’t speak to her. He disregarded her completely, which only made her need for revenge escalate. This part of the plan had been his, not Cade’s.

Cade intruded on Jaycee’s thoughts before she had a chance to plot all the best ways to murder Gray. “Okay, let’s go.” He grabbed her and hefted her over his shoulder, patting her ass as he set out for the truck.

For the first time, Jaycee got a good look at Gray’s truck and cursed.
Even upside down, she saw the black Ford F-450 from the bar. She should’ve known they would own her dream truck.

Cade’s brisk gait ate up the distance faster than she anticipated. She pounded on his muscular legs with clenched fists, doing her best to ignore that her face was even with his flawlessly shaped, tight ass and failing miserably.

She wanted to take a bite out of his ass just as she would a nice, big, juicy apple. She salivated at the prospect and grew hungry.
Feed me, baby.

A giggle bubbled up in the back of Jaycee’s throat, and she tried in vain to conceal it. Before she realized what was happening, she had stopped beating his ass to cover her mouth as hysterical laughter overcame her.

Cade snarled, firmly swatting her ass. “Darlin’, there isn’t anything funny about this situation.”

His brusque statement only heightened her amusement. “Oh yes, Cade. It’s very funny,” Jaycee managed between cackles. “Your ass reminds me of apples, and you know how much I
adore
apples.”

Gray snorted audibly.

Cade stopped dead in his tracks. “Gray, what in the hell is she talking about?”

When he responded, Gray’s voice was filled with mirth. “Buddy, I think she is complimenting you, in her own twisted way.”

Cade propelled himself forward at a near run, bouncing her up and down until she felt like an upside-down bobblehead.

The truck door opened, and Cade flipped Jaycee right-side up. The blood rushed away from her head, leaving her feeling drunk and disoriented. Before she could regain her bearings, Cade shoved her into the truck.

“Buckle her up,” Gray commanded from the driver’s side as he joined them inside the cab.

Cade wrenched the lap belt out of its holder and across her lower abdomen roughly, leaning across her to reach the buckle. Jaycee used his position to her advantage, angling herself to where she could inhale his masculine scent. His signature spicy aroma danced in her nose. She closed her eyes with a sappy smile plastered on her face and let his yummy smell intoxicate her.

“Just what we needed,” Gray commented, sounding extremely pissed off.

Jaycee’s eyes snapped open as Cade cursed. “Fuck.”

“Oh my God,” Jaycee yelped. Her three very burly, irritatingly overprotective brothers barreled toward them in their pickup truck at breakneck speed. This had disaster written all over it.

“It’s okay, Gray,” Cade soothed. “They’re our friends. It’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, right,” Gray replied sarcastically, reaching for something behind her. “Cade, I am not convinced Jared, Drew, or Randy are going to approve of us kidnapping their baby sister, friends or not.”

“I’m going to untie you. Do not make me regret it.” Gray unknotted the rope and thrust a flannel shirt at her. “Put this on, sweetheart.” Jaycee grabbed the shirt and threw it on gratefully. No woman wanted her brothers to see her bare breasts.

Her mind whirled, her heart raced, and her palms sweated. She wasn’t sure what she hoped would happen. Her mind screamed for her brothers to save her. Her body prayed that Gray and Cade could persuade them to not interfere. Her heart was trapped somewhere in between.

“They would do the same thing with Shannon if they had half the chance.” Cade spoke, rationally and calmly, in an even tone.

“All is fair in love and war, excluding a man’s sister,” Gray informed Cade wryly.

Jaycee remained silent with her hands folded in her lap, not wanting to provoke or interfere.

“I’m not worried. We can take them.” Cade sounded far too enthusiastic about the prospect of beating up her brothers.

“Idiots,” she muttered under her breath, hoping neither man heard her.

Jaycee’s hopes died when Gray shot her a truly sinister smile. “Sweetheart, you are going to pay for that comment later.”

“A girl can dream,” she retorted tartly.

Gray reached toward her, his thumb stroking her bottom lip and promised, “Not a dream, a fact.”

Jaycee shrugged nonchalantly, as though she couldn’t care less if he punished her or not, but mentally she crossed her fingers and her toes.

“Come on, Cade,” Gray instructed.

Both men hopped out of the truck and slammed the doors behind them. Gray flung the door open only a second after it shut. “Sweetheart, you keep your ass glued to that seat. If you get out of this truck for any reason, you will pay dearly. Got me?”

Crossing her arms indignantly, Jaycee nodded.

Gray closed the door without slamming it this time.

Jaycee wanted to laugh out loud. Did he really think she would sit in the truck like a good puppy? Was he going to bring her a freaking dog biscuit and pat her on the head when he came back? Seriously? The man had to be insane. When her chance came, she would be out of this truck in a flash. She wasn’t entirely certain what she would be doing, but she would do something.

She unclipped the seat belt then slid over to the passenger side and grasped the door handle. She would know exactly what to do when the time arrived. For the moment, there was nothing left to do except wait.

Chapter 9

Gray marched away from the truck, fully aware that Jaycee wouldn’t remain there for long. He had to convince her brothers that this plan they’d hatched would work, pronto.

Jaycee thought that she had him fooled, that her act had worked. Her naïveté astounded him sometimes. He knew that little girl better than he knew himself.

With a squeal of tires, Jaycee’s brothers’ truck ground to halt a few feet away from Gray and Cade.

Like the impatient bastards they were, all three jumped out of the truck before the dust and rocks could settle back down on the asphalt.

Jaycee’s eldest brother, Jared, spoke first. “For both of your sakes, I hope we were misinformed about your little scheme to win back our sister. I would hate to maim, castrate, and dismember two friends.”

“Hell, I wouldn’t hate to beat the shit out of them,” Randy interjected with a frown. “I would take great pleasure in it.”

Drew glowered in menacing silence.

Gray decided it would be best to ignore the two youngest of the triplets. Appealing to Jared was the most rational thing to do. “Jared, we want your sister back. Don’t make this any more difficult than it already is.”

Jared’s jaw clenched and his nostrils flared.

Gray knew that look. If he didn’t do something, fists were going to fly in the next few minutes. He was going to have to take a gamble. “What would you do if it was Shannon?”

Gray expected the first punch to be thrown at this point in the strained verbal exchange. When no one attacked, he proceeded cautiously. “If Jaycee wasn’t your sister, would you be acting like this?”

Gray paused and let those words sink in before going in for the kill. “See, I don’t think so. I think you would be in the thick of things, plotting and planning along with us, Katie-Anne, and Shannon. Hell, I figure you would be in the middle of this just to be near Shannon.”

Drew and Randy’s eyes grew stormy. Both men wore identical expressions of rage mixed with fury and violence. All they waited for was Jared’s go-ahead, and they would attack with a vengeance.

Despite his brothers’ feverishness, Jared hesitated. He watched Gray and Cade carefully with his eagle eyes, seeming to be mulling things over in his mind. Gray could practically hear the gears turning in Jared’s head.

Gray held his breath, forcing himself to maintain eye contact when he wanted desperately to check on Jaycee. He knew now was not the time, but old habits died hard.

“So, boys, what’s the verdict? Are we going to be girls and air out our secrets? Or are we going to rumble?” Cade asked playfully in a far-too-transparent attempt to diffuse some of the tension.

Gray had the urge to send Cade a dirty look, but fought it off. There was already too much discord present in the situation. He didn’t need to add any more testosterone. Gray would make sure to discuss it with Cade at a later, more opportune time.

“I have one question for you two. Why now? She’s been suffering and alone in this godforsaken town for three years. All of a sudden, you want her back and she’s supposed to fall at your fucking feet? I don’t think so. Give me one good reason why we shouldn’t kick your asses.”

Before an appropriate response could form in Gray’s mind, Cade burst out, “You know why—”

Gray tried to cut Cade off, but Drew beat him to it. “We want to hear it from him.” Drew pointed at Gray. “If he can admit what we all know, then we’ll be sure you two can win over Jaycee and make her happy. That’s all we want.”

All eyes turned on Gray, making his head hurt. He knew he had one shot at giving them the answer they all apparently wanted, Cade included. Well, fine. “I fucked up. Okay? I didn’t give her what she needed because I couldn’t let go of my own shitty past. I drove her away then hid my head in the sand until I was suffocating without her. Cade and I need Jaycee. We’re not complete without her. Satisfied?”

“Yeah, boys, are you satisfied?” Cade asked in overly exaggerated petulance. “I am getting awfully tired of this girlie shit. You’re making me want to take a leak out in the wide open, have a spitting contest, and chew some tobacco—in no particular order.” Cade shuddered theatrically. “Do you know how much I hate tobacco?”

“Yep,” Randy agreed. “Very satisfied. The only way I would be more satisfied is if I had Shannon between my legs with my dick shoved down her throat.”

Drew and Jared groaned at the same time, followed by cursing.
Fuck
and
Goddamn it
were distinctly heard by Gray, but he couldn’t determine which brother said what.

Cade genuinely shuddered this time. “Did you have to go there, Randy? I mean, she’s…well, she’s Shannon. I don’t even want to think about you and Shannon. Or them”—Cade gestured toward Drew and Jared—“and Shannon.”

Randy shrugged indifferently, answering, “Hell, you asked me. I just answered with the God’s honest truth.”

Cade glared at Randy and taunted, “Do you want to have a friendly chat about Jaycee with Gray and me?” He stopped as if he was waiting for an answer but didn’t give anyone time to respond. “Nope, I didn’t think so.”

Gray knew that he and Jared had to get everything back on track. Otherwise, Randy and Cade would be useless. They didn’t have much time before Jaycee would inevitably stick her nose into the situation.

Gray directed a pointed look at Jared that conveyed his thoughts and placed his hand on Cade’s muscular back.

“Boys, boys, boys.” Jared spoke slowly, shaking his head. “We have some plotting and planning to do before Jaycee jumps out of the truck and mows all of us over like she is dying to do. I can see her bouncing in her seat from here.” Jared pointed at the truck with a condescending smirk and waved.