Gale, Avery - Rissa's Recovery [The Shadowdance Club 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) (7 page)

It took Rissa several seconds to comprehend what Mitch had said to her. She noticed Bryant had entered the room and was standing just off to the side with his arms crossed over his massive chest. Both men were barefoot. God help her, their feet were so sexy, she loved when they moved around the house in nothing but a faded pair of jeans with the top button open.
Sex on a stick for sure.
“I…I don’t know…I just feel overwhelmed right now.”

Bryant stepped forward and nodded his agreement to Mitch. Their little sub needed them to help her get back to center, and they’d be happy to provide the small slap of pain that would bring her back where she needed to be. “Bend over Mitch’s lap, sweetness, and let us help you with your little focus problem.” As soon as she was over Mitch’s knees with her rounded ass in the air, they spread her legs apart just enough for them to be able to slide their fingers through her pussy and push her over the edge. They’d decided to push her a bit starting today and she’d just handed them a free pass to begin. Pulling the lube he’d stuck in his back pocket free and laying it on the table out of her sight, Bryant watched Mitch give their woman an erotic spanking that had her panting for release before he’d finished the fifth slap. Her ass was a nice warm pink, hell it had been pink or bright red most of the time they’d been at the cabin. They had tried to be careful to not bruise her delicate skin, but she’d had some bruising yesterday, so they would have to be more careful today.

Bryant moved to separate her ass cheeks, and when she jerked in surprise, Mitch pressed her back down firmly with a hand at the middle of her back. “Shhh, stay still. We are going to start preparing you to take us at the same time. In order to do that we need to stretch out this beautiful rosette of yours.” And as he started rimming her with a finger slicked with her own juices, Rissa went completely ballistic, bucking so hard she knocked herself off his lap, landing hard on her knees on the stone floor. She was completely hysterical, screaming and running from them like a terrified wild animal. She was making sounds but they couldn’t even be called words.

Mitch had immediately jumped up from the sofa, but when he met Bryant’s baffled expression, he knew the other man was as confused as he was. “Rissa. Stop. Now.” Even though he’d used the Dom voice that she always responded to, he didn’t think his words had even begun to penetrate her panic. Turning to Bryant, he just said, “Flashback,” and they both knew in an instant she hadn’t told them everything about the time she’d been held by the human-trafficking assholes. “We’ve got to flank her and get her restrained before she hurts herself. As soon as I have her secured, go get the med kit, there is a syringe filled with Ativan. Bring it to me, we have to get her calmed down.”

Rissa was running around the room as if trying to escape a cage she couldn’t even see. She was running in to the low tables, and Mitch knew Bryant was as worried as he was that she would be bruised from head to toe if they didn’t get her contained quickly. While she had adrenaline on her side, they had years of physical training and size on theirs. As soon as they had he her face down on the sofa, Bryant brought the med kit and handed the small-dose syringe to Mitch. It didn’t take but a few seconds for the drug to course through her veins, and Rissa’s breathing evened out, and they felt her go lax as she succumbed to the sedative action of the medication. They’d given her a very small amount of the drug that was a part of most of the med kits all soldiers carried because they didn’t know exactly how she’d react to the drug, but they hadn’t been able to leave her in her state of total meltdown either.

Mitch stood and gently rolled her to her back, brushing her hair from her face and wondered aloud, “What the fuck was that about? I was totally blindsided by that reaction.”

Bryant leaned over and scooped her up in to his arms. “I have no idea, but it scared the shit out of me. Call Alex and Zach. See what they know, and have them contact Doc Woods. I’ll take her to the bedroom and watch over her while you find out what we need to do. I don’t ever want to see that look of terror on her face again. And knowing we put it there nearly shattered my soul.”

Mitch reached over and grasped the shoulder of his friend and squeezed. “No, brother, whoever terrorized her is responsible for that reaction. Our responsibility lies in helping her heal.” He turned and quickly made his way to the office and Bryant could hear he was already speaking with Alex before he’d carried his precious cargo to the top of the stairs. Leaning forward to kiss her forehead, Bryant marveled at how perfect she felt in his arms. “You were made just for us, sweetness, and we’re going to help you recover from this and build a wonderful life together. No one will ever hurt you again, please let us love you well.” Placing her gently on the bed, Bryant tucked her against him, covering them both with a soft throw and just held her close so he could feel each beat of her heart and every breath she took. He absorbed her warmth and let his mind drift in to a state of relaxation while he waited for Mitch to return to them.

* * * *

Mitch spent over an hour on the phone with Alex and Zach Lamont. They’d called several PTSD experts to confer via a teleconference call and gotten as many different theories and suggested courses of action. Not surprisingly it was Katarina Lamont who had finally barged into her husbands’ office and into their conversation that offered the most useful advice and insight.

“I’m telling you…I have been where she is…You have to spend time with her. The only way to overcome her fears is to love them away.” While Alex and Zach had not been happy with her intrusion, and they were going to superhuman levels to shield their beautiful wife from anything and everything while she was pregnant, they both looked oddly touched by her words. “Holding her, talking to her, and above all
listening
—and I mean really hearing what she is saying—is what she needs. Well, that and a girls’ gab session with my famous margaritas, but since that’s not on the table at the moment…” Glancing at the glares she was getting from both Alex and Zach, she smiled sweetly and then returned her attention to Mitch’s image on the monitor. “Seriously, Mitch, I’d love to come over to the cabin and help, but with the weather the way it is, I’m sure I won’t be allowed to leave the house.” Sighing deeply in the dramatic way she was quickly elevating to an art form, she finished with, “But please, please listen to me on this one. Love her, listen to her, and we’ll do some checking on this end to see if there is any other treatment that is recommended. Jenna and I had talked about this a while back, and we were worried that she’d been holding back. We’d actually planned a mini-intervention of sorts after the wedding. I just wish we hadn’t decided it could wait.” When tears started to roll down her cheeks, Zach stepped forward and wrapped her in his arms.

“Come on, kitten, that’s enough for now. If Mitch needs anything more from you, I’m sure he’ll call. Let’s get you upstairs for a bit of rest, okay?” His voice was soft and sweet, but there was no doubt in anyone’s mind Kat was on her way upstairs to rest despite her protests.

As they left the room, Alex watched as his entire reason for living was escorted out of sight by his brother. He returned his attention to Mitch and said, “Honestly, I really think Katarina might be right, and she certainly has a unique perspective. I’ll make some more phone calls. There are a lot of PTSD experts around, but in the meantime, please try what my lovely, sweet-spirited wife has suggested. We all know she would have Rissa’s best interest at heart, and handling her with love is certainly not going to cause any harm, even if it doesn’t solve the problem.”

After he and Alex had ended their call, Mitch realized he’d been sitting just staring out in to the darkness watching the swirling snowflakes dance in the moonlight.
What did they do to you, baby? Whatever it was, nothing is so bad that we can’t work it out. You’ll never be so far gone emotionally that Bry and I won’t swim out and pull you back. Hang in there, sweetheart, we’re on our way…
 

Chapter Eight

Jenna and Colt made their way slowly back up ShadowDance Mountain’s narrow road, grateful for the tire chains and their four-wheel-drive vehicle. They’d been in Denver for several days making all the arrangements for Jenna’s apartment to be moved as soon as weather allowed, and they’d stopped for supplies on the way back when the weather reports become more and more grim. Colt broke the silence and filled Jenna in on the conversation he had with Alex and Zach while she had been packing up some personal items in her apartment. “Rissa had what appears to have been a very traumatic flashback. Mitch and Bryant had to restrain her and administer a sedative.”

Jenna’s eyes widened to the size of small saucers. “Oh my God, is she okay? Do we need to go to the cabin and help? Oh I wish Kat and I hadn’t put off talking with her. We’ve been concerned that she was teetering on the edge, and we’d decided to wait until things settled down a little before trying to get her to open up to us.” Jenna was wringing her hands and biting her bottom lip, both major tells as to her anxiety level. Colt knew that she and Katarina would both be really empathetic toward Rissa as they had both been through really horrific experiences themselves.

He let his expression soften and he looked at her for just a second before returning his gaze to the blizzard conditions surrounding them. “Slow down, princess, first of all, we’re going to the mansion, and I want to get you settled and rested. I know it’s been a challenging week.” When she opened her mouth to argue, he just continued, “No, I mean it, I want you to rest, and then after that we’ll sit down with Alex, Zach, and Katarina and see what we can do from our end to help. Rissa is important to all of us, pet, and we’ll get her through this. Please don’t worry about it right now. With the move, getting ready to start school and wedding plans, you have plenty on your plate.” He’d winked at her when he’d mentioned the wedding. She wasn’t sure who was more excited about their upcoming wedding and all the elaborate plans, her fiancé or her mother, she was convinced it was likely a toss-up.

Sighing, Jenna looked out the window without really seeing anything and spoke so quietly Colt wasn’t sure if she was talking to him or herself. “I’ve been where she is, flashbacks are just so devastating, and there isn’t any way to explain to someone how it feels. The terror is all consuming…It’s like being right back in that moment all over again.” She visibly shuddered, and when she turned back to Colt, he was just putting the truck in to park. Jenna looked up and was surprised to see they’d arrived at her family home. She’d been so lost in thought she hadn’t even realized they had driven past the front gate and up the long-winding drive.

Colt reached over and unlatched her safety belt and pulled her on to his lap, hugging her tightly to his chest. “I love you so much, Jenna, and I don’t want you to ever feel like you can’t come to me if you are hurting or if something in your life is causing you any discomfort.” Brushing away tears she hadn’t even realized were falling, he kissed her forehead. “I’ll always be in your corner, I’ll be your biggest advocate, your champion, your knight in shining armor. All you have to do is make sure I know you need me, and I’ll move heaven and earth to be there for you, please don’t ever forget that, love.” He leaned into her and hugged her tightly once more before opening the door and carrying her quickly inside.

Of course, Kat was standing just inside waiting for them and wrapped Jenna in a hug as soon as they were through the door. Jenna laughed to herself. Kat had been her best friend forever, and now she was her sister-in-law and was pregnant. Kat looked like she was trying…unsuccessfully…to hide a beach ball under her shirt. She would never say anything to Kat, but she was starting to remind Jenna of a Weeble.
Great, now I’ll have that damned Weebles Wobble but They Don’t Fall Down jingle stuck in my head forever!
As usual, Kat was in full-on fast-forward mode. “Come on, we have to talk. Did Colt tell you about Rissa? We have to figure out how to help. How was your trip? Did you get everything you were after? Thanks for getting supplies by the way, you’re a lifesaver.” Suddenly she realized everybody in the room was openly staring at her. “What?” she asked, her face reflecting her puzzlement.

“Love, I think we are all wondering how you do that without stopping to take a breath. It’s incredible really, even if you are overwhelming Jenna.” As always Alex was amazed at his wife’s ability to think of so many questions in succession and ask them in a rapid-fire manner that would make the most seasoned White House reporter proud. Alex continued his calm words. “From what Colt told me, he would like for Jenna to rest a bit before your strategy session, and Zach and I are going to insist on the same for you.” Drawing his little sister away from Katarina he gave her a big hug. “Welcome home, little sister mine. I’m thrilled you’ve decided to move home, did I tell you that?” At her slow headshake he added, “Well, Zach and I are both thrilled we’ll all be living under the same roof again. We love you and want to be able to help Colt protect you. God knows it’s going to take all three of us working together to keep Lucy and Ethel out of mischief.” His smile was so unexpectedly soft, Jenna almost cried. Was this the same hard-assed brother she’d grown up with? Zach had always been her shoulder to cry on and her champion. Alex had been the one she went to if you wanted to know how to knock somebody out or if she just felt like arguing.