Dixie Lynn Dwyer (15 page)

“A lot has changed. I think you need to take this FBI investigation more seriously.”

“Who cares about that? It is more than likely a push from Broderick. I told you to leave and take care of him. I can handle Juliana.”

“You cannot handle Juliana, and this is beyond Broderick pushing back at your demands for control of his business. Juliana has spilled information, Pierce. She’s told her little boyfriends and their gang of wannabes about the murders.”

“And you know this how?”

“Teddy and the guys tried to work on bribing some of the locals to take over the dance hall as you ordered. They even went as far as to send a little message to the main business owner, Susanna. It backfired. Two of our men were caught trying to set fire to Dixie Chix. On top of that, we’ve got our inside men warning that the feds are on their way to find us. Have you looked at your business accounts this morning? Have you seen the red flags? I had to use cash to pay for this hotel room. I’ve taken money from my own accounts.”

“Fuck! I can’t believe this. How could this be happening to me?”

“You should start preparing to get the hell out of here. I’m taking what time I have and heading out of this fucking country after I get my money.”

“We need to grab Juliana. If these assholes are going to start taking away everything I’ve worked so hard for, then I at least want to have my Juliana. I think taking the jet will just raise red flags. We should use the yacht. We’ll grab her. Do you have men on standby?”

“Yes. Of course I do. I have enough artillery to kill the likes of every one of those soldiers and feds that are snooping around.”

“Then go get her. Meet me at the marina. I’ll clear out my accounts and make arrangements for my things to be shipped elsewhere. We’ll do this. We have enough money to live the high life twice over, my friend,” Pierce stated confidently as he grabbed his briefcase and pulled out his cell phone. Robert watched him leave.

“What’s the plan?” Teddy asked.

“We hit the house. Get the men together and hit it tonight. It’s easier in the dark,” Robert stated then began to make his own calls and transfer money into his overseas accounts. They were under false names he had false identification and social security numbers for. He would be set.

“I’m coming for you, Juliana. Get ready for a new life.”

Richie ran his fingers through his hair. He heard their gasps. He felt their shock because he was in shock himself. Juliet had witnessed her own boyfriend get murdered and was then forced to view his face one final time in his grave. To top that, she had witnessed a woman get raped and murdered. Her stepfather had done that on purpose, taking out his anger over Juliet losing her virginity on an innocent woman. The hypothetical scenario that Monte had come up with prior to the evidence Juliet had revealed to them proved that she in fact was a witness to murder, corporate sabotage, blackmail, and corruption.

He looked at Carl.

“I know. I just can’t even imagine how she survived this.”

“Did Monte send the information to the feds?” Carl asked as he locked gazes with BJ and Mason.

“Yeah. They’re sending people to the dump. They should be there within the next fifteen minutes. If they start digging up bodies, then we’ve got them. Add in the evidence Juliet has in these files and they’re getting life sentences as is,” BJ stated.

“Are they making the arrests?” Carl asked.

“They’re at the hotel. They should be moving in shortly,” BJ added.

Suddenly the lights in the house flickered, and then the room went black.

The sounds of bullets penetrating the glass filled the living room. They all rolled to the ground and tried to get cover.

“Juliet!” Richie yelled as he began to get up only for bullets to whiz by his head as BJ grabbed him, pulling him down.

The alarms wailed and chaos exploded around them until finally the bullets slowed down. They could hear men yelling, and they all got up and began to scatter around, weapons drawn and ready. A few scattered shots had them ducking and weaving as Carl and Richie headed toward the staircase with BJ and Mason right behind them.

“Damn it to hell! They’re going to get her. They fucking invaded our home, Carl. They invaded our fucking home. I’m going to kill them!” Richie yelled.

In sync, like highly trained soldiers they made their way upstairs to the bedroom. They could see the bullet holes, the broken glass scattered throughout the hallway. The bedroom door was closed. Mason was on one side, BJ on the other, guns drawn and waiting on Carl and Richie to shove the door open and enter first. Richie’s heart pounded inside of his chest. He didn’t know what awaited them on the other side. Was Juliet dead? Would he find his woman murdered? He felt sick, but he trudged onward. He needed to save her.

He kicked the door open, and Carl rushed through, despite his injury.
Adrenaline must be numbing his pain.

Gun pointed, the room engulfed in darkness except for the moonlight cascading through the broken widow, he knew it was empty. Carl switched on the bedroom light. They saw the blood on the sheets, the lamp turned over onto the rug, the side dresser turned with drawers opened. She’d struggled to stay. She’d fought to remain here, waiting and hoping they would save her, and they hadn’t.

“We failed her. We fucking let this happen. Look at the place. She struggled with her attacker. Son of a bitch! I’m done playing fucking games!” Richie yelled.

He walked toward the window. He saw the men, his friends, down below.

“They took off on ATVs. I’ve got guys on them now,” Keith, one of the Delite Warriors, yelled up to Richie.

“Tell them to remain back a ways. I don’t want to tip them off that we’ve got someone on them.”

“No problem, Richie. I’m on it.”

Richie turned toward his brother, BJ, and Mason. “I’m doing this my way. Call the commander. Let him know what’s up and to clear the way. We’re going to get our woman.”

“Get off of me. Leave me alone, you asshole!” Juliet kicked and screamed as she fought to dislodge herself from the ATV. It was pitch black. The men that broke into the house to take her wore night-vision glasses. She couldn’t see shit.

Her heart pounded inside of her chest. She would never forget the sound of rapid fire cutting through the windows and Sheetrock of the house. Nor would she forget scrambling out of bed as two men shot the windows open and grabbed her before she could reach the door.

She wanted to get to Richie and Carl. The ATV bumped, and she shifted, nearly falling off the man’s lap. She knew who did this. She knew who would be waiting for her once they reached their destination. The ATV came to a halt, and her ribs hit the metal, making her cry out in pain.

The driver stood up, taking her with him as if she were a rag doll instead of a human being. These men were monsters with no respect for human life. She wouldn’t be able to fight them. Not unless she got a gun, and even then, she was outnumbered.

Juliet thought about her options. If she ran, they would catch her, and it would hurt. The guys who broke into the room already worked her over good. Her lips were swollen, her eye was, too, and her vision wasn’t the best, either.

“Get her into the truck. The boss is down the road waiting for her,” some other masked gunman stated. The guy grabbed her, threw her onto his hip, and walked toward the SUV. She knew that Pierce and Robert were in there. She wouldn’t go. She couldn’t be with them. How did things go so badly so quickly? Panicking, she wiggled and kicked, moving her arms, flailing her legs until the guy couldn’t carry her any longer. He dumped her just shy of the black SUV, and she scrambled to her feet, looking to see what direction to run when the door opened.

“Don’t run, Juliana. They’ll track you down and knock you out.” Pierce’s voice froze her in her tracks. She turned to look at him and his smug expression. He was in her face in a flash. He grabbed her by her shoulders and stared down into her eyes then over her body. He looked evil and wild as he stared at her breasts. She was only wearing shorts and a V-neck T-shirt. No bra, no panties. She might as well be naked.

“You’ve grown up.” He licked his lips as he inched his mouth closer to her. She closed her eyes and held her breath while he ran his hands up and down her arms. It didn’t provide any warmth she needed. Instead, it gave her more chills.

“You are fucking gorgeous.” He kissed her on the mouth, wrapped his arms around her in a bear hug, and devoured her pleas for help. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move to defend herself. His arms were like vise grips, his mouth powerful and wanton as he took from her what he wanted.

As he released her lips, she cried out in torment, anger, fear, and pain while the sick bastard licked across her neck, her shoulder, and to her breasts. He was grabbing at her, cupping her breasts then turning her toward the truck. Her back slammed against the side of it. He was a monster. He was huge as his paws scratched against her skin, and his hand delved below her waist and into her shorts. She screamed and fought, but it was no use. He took from her what he wanted. She wouldn’t let him rape her. She would rather die. She growled then bit into his shoulder, piercing his skin. She screamed and shook and scratched at his eyes. She did everything she could to fight him off.

She sensed something going on around them. She heard yelling and gunshots. Then Robert yelled and then screamed in a high-pitched voice.

Pierce yelled and then forearmed her to the throat. She lost her breath and gasped. Just as she took a small breath and panicked, feeling like she might die from the strike, he hit her again and again. His forearm landed against her throat, against her upper lips, and then held her there against the truck.

He began to shove her shorts down. More yelling and gunshots echoed around them. It happened so fast, like a blur as her vision faltered. She knew he was pulling down his pants. He was going to rape her right here, out in the open.

“They killed Robert, but I’ll have you before they kill me,” Pierce yelled at her.

“No!”

She heard the roar, but as she tried to cry out, nothing happened. She was in so much pain. As Pierce’s body was ripped from hers before he could shove inside of her, she collapsed to the ground, holding her throat, curling up into the fetal position.

In the back of her mind she could hear Pierce’s cries of pain echo somewhere close by. He was begging for life, and she thought she heard what sounded like a crack then Monte’s voice and Carl’s saying that they were dead and it was over. No more gunshots, no more chaos. She blinked her eyes open and tried to look through swollen eyes, still holding her throat, still trying to see in the darkness, when two faces appeared. She blinked her eyes, trying to remain conscious. Who was there? Who was coming for her? Were Robert and Pierce really dead? She saw Richie and Carl. Both looking enraged and furious right before blackness overtook her vision.

* * * *

They were still dressed in their gear. Carl and Richie stood by the bedside and stared at a sleeping Juliet. Her face was battered and bruised, and so was her throat, which was where she’d sustained the most damage. Richie had gone into complete soldier mode. He had been on a mission to kill, and Monte, BJ, and the others knew it. They didn’t stand in his way, not after the home invasion and the injured guards that were left at their home. Carl had been right beside him, his adrenaline pumping through his veins just like Richie’s as they hunted their woman’s captors. When Richie saw Pierce trying to rape Juliet, he had lost the last bit of control that would have allowed Pierce and Robert to live. Carl went after Robert, killing him on the spot, and Richie took out Pierce. Just one twist to his neck and the man would never harm Juliet again.

“So what did the doctor say?” Susanna asked as she caressed Juliet’s hair from her face. The tears hit her eyes, and she began to cry.

BJ held her from behind.

“She’s going to be okay. She’ll have a bit of a recovery ahead of her, but the damage isn’t permanent.”

“What about the emotional damage? What is she going to do? She hasn’t slept well and without nightmares for years,” Susanna said as she wiped her eyes.

“Her monsters are dead. There’s nothing more for her to fear.” Richie took Juliet’s hand and caressed it. It was so tiny and fragile.

“The doctor called it laryngotracheal trauma. She’ll have difficulty speaking for a while and a hoarse voice for a good amount of time, too, but hopefully not permanently,” Carl told them.

“Well, we’ll leave you guys alone with her. Mason and I will talk with the feds. I’m sure they’ll want your statements, too.”

“When we get around to it. We’re not leaving her side,” Carl stated.

Richie stared at Juliet. She looked so fragile and lost in the hospital bed. A few times she had awoken, drowsy from the painkillers, and had difficulty swallowing. He would never forget the sounds of her screams, the way she fought to defend herself, nor how close Pierce Mellbrook had gotten to taking her. He closed his eyes and tried to stop the images that continued to haunt him.

He felt Carl’s hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, she’s alive, they’re dead, and we’ve got her. She belongs to us, Richie. She needs us.”