Guarded for Pleasure (9 page)

He released her slowly. At some point his hands had cupped her ass, and he gave it a pat before stepping back from her. Was it possible he was feeling something more for her, too? She glanced toward Luke, then Rick. She could never choose between the three of them. It was all of them or none of them. The thought almost broke her heart. It shouldn’t be possible for people to come to mean so much in a short amount of time. Maybe it was the fact they were helping her, protecting her. Maybe it was the sex. She’d never been good at separating sex from emotion.

“I’ll be back later,” she promised and took the hand Rick held out to her.

“Want to talk?” he asked as soon as the elevator doors closed them in.

“About what?”

“You seem to have some weighty worries swimming behind those gorgeous eyes.” Rick was far too observant. “I’ve been told I’m a pretty good listener.”

“No.” She shook her head.

He gave her a quiet look, searching her eyes. “You know we’ve been interested in you since you moved here. All three of us have gone out of our way to run into you, to flirt in the hopes of getting you to show interest. I know we can be a lot to take. Three men. It can’t be easy for a woman to handle all of us. I also know it’s not typical, what we’ve brought you into. We like to share. You’ve experienced how incredible the sex is, how intense. It’s like that for us, too. Watching your face, knowing how much pleasure you’re feeling. That’s not going to change, River.” He shook his head as the doors opened. “I wanted you to be aware of that.”

She nodded while a thousand questions fought to explode off her tongue. Was he saying she would never have to choose? That the four of them would keep doing what they were doing? That was if it lasted longer than it took to find and deal with Raymond. Could she take a chance like that? Would they? And how exactly would that work?

“River?” Rick’s voice broke through her thoughts as he led her onto her floor. “You okay?”

“Just excited to see my friends again,” she assured him. True, but not the whole truth.

He nodded, stopping at her door. He bent and kissed her softly on the lips. “I’ll be back in a bit with food. Don’t leave before I get here.”

“I won’t,” she told him.

“Good.” He flicked his finger over the tip of her nose, making her grin. “Open the door, River. I’m betting they’re excited to see you, too.”

With a nod, she put her key in and opened the door. She would have to yell at Kat about picking locks. Taking a deep breath, she stepped in and shut the door behind her. Her friends stood less than a foot from her, watching, seeming unsure for a moment.

“About time you got your sorry ass here,” Kat said.

As if that was all it took to unfreeze them, they all squealed at once and ran to each other. Hugging, laughing, talking over one another, they made it back to the living room and fell in a pile on the couch.

“God, I missed you guys so much,” River admitted.

Kat smacked her.

“Ouch!”

“That’s for being stupid enough to take off in the first place.”

Tara laughed. “We missed you, too. It’s not the same without you.”

And didn’t that open up another can of worms in her mind.

“How did you know where I was?”

“Traced the call,” Tara said unapologetically.

“Wasn’t like you were telling us where you were,” Kat muttered.

“I’m sorry.” River could see how much her leaving had affected them. Tara looked thinner, almost fragile. Kat just looked her usual pissed off self.

“We were hurt, but we understood why you would do it,” Tara said.

River grasped her hand and held it tightly. “How did you know this was my apartment?”

“You forget we helped set up the alias you’re using?” Kat asked with a scowl.

“You used the location from the trace and did a search.”

“Of course we did,” Tara admitted with a shrug. “We knew what name you were using. Once we knew where you were, it was easy. We decided to head your way as soon as you hung up.”

“We could hear something in your voice. Hoped it meant you were tired of letting that prick make you run and hide. He won’t get away with harassing you anymore,” Kat spoke adamantly. “Those days are long gone now.” She threw a look toward Tara that had River looking more closely at her friend.

“Why? What exactly happened? What are you not telling me?”

“Raymond wasn’t happy with any of us when you left,” Kat informed her. “You were the bitch that decided to leave him, and we were the bitches who helped you.”

“Oh, my God, please tell me he didn’t do anything to you.”

Tara looked away. Kat sighed.

“Of course he fucked with us,” Kat finally replied. “We were there. We had to know where you were, had to have helped you.”

“What did he do? Tara? Tara?” Her friend wouldn’t look at her. “Kat? Someone tell me what happened!”

“I’ll tell you what happened,” Kat finally blurted.

“Kat, don’t,” Tara whispered.

“Then you tell her,” Kat almost yelled. “I’m so tired of both of you playing the martyr. Maybe if we’d stuck together and communicated…” She let that thought die off as something caught her attention in the hall.

“Divide and conquer,” Raymond said, entering the living room with a gun held comfortably in his hand. “It’s worked since the beginning of time.”

River tensed, and she saw Tara do the same. She’d been in such a hurry to see her friends she’d forgotten to lock the door behind her. She’d been too comfortable knowing that Luke and Phil would be watching. They were watching! Where was the camera in this room? She had to think of the view she’d seen and look in that direction. But she couldn’t let anyone know what she was doing.

Raymond looked strung out. His perfect appearance seemed to be a thing of the past. His clothes were rumpled and baggy as if he’d slept in them. He’d lost weight. His eyes were sunken, and there were deep, dark circles underneath.

“Raymond,” River spoke his name, hoping the guys were picking up on the tension in the room. Raymond was still around the corner, and there was no camera there. “What are you doing here?”

Would Luke be reading her lips? Would Phil? Or would they be ignoring that in favor of giving her privacy?

“I only wanted to take care of you, you know,” he murmured, not moving any closer. “You were the best I ever had. Such beauty, poise. And so incredible in bed, like a well taught whore.”

River shuddered. She didn’t want to be reminded of the things they’d done together before he’d spiraled out of control.

“You ran from me,” he said with a glare. “No one leaves me, River. Ever.” His gaze turned to Tara and lingered on her before skating over to Kat. “And your friends protected you. No matter how much I threatened, what I did, they wouldn’t break and tell me where you were.”

“What did you do?” River whispered.

“She didn’t tell you?” He laughed, and the harsh sound sent tremors down her spine. “I broke in and found your friend asleep. Tsk, tsk, Tara. You shouldn’t sleep on the job.”

Tara shuddered, and River automatically took her friends hand again.

“You sick fucking bastard,” Kat screamed. “Leave her the fuck alone.”

“Ahhh, are you jealous little kitty Kat? Did I not give you enough attention? We have time. I can remedy that.”

“Fuck you.”

He leered, letting his eyes skim Kat from head to toe. “Maybe.”

“Did you miss me, River?” he crooned the question.

“What did you do to Tara?” She yelled the question, all thoughts of staying calm gone as she felt the harsh trembles of her friend.

“I didn’t rape her, if that’s what you’re afraid of, River. I want you, only you. But she wouldn’t talk, no matter what I threatened. So I had to teach her a lesson.”

“The sorry bastard tied her up, easy thing to do when you catch a woman sleeping. Then when she was awake, he tried to interrogate her. When that didn’t work…” Kat swallowed, her eyes closing for a brief moment.

“He beat me,” Tara’s tortured whisper informed her. “With his belt, his hands.” She shuddered. “Pinching, touching, covering me with his filth. And the only reason you didn’t rape me, you sick bastard, is because my neighbor heard the commotion and called for help.”

“Jesus!” River felt the tears spilling down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry, Tara. I’m so sorry.”

“Why? You didn’t do it, and no matter the weight of guilt you feel, you didn’t cause it. This is all on Raymond.” River met Tara’s eyes and saw that she meant what she said. But wasn’t that just like a friend not to blame you.

“If I’d been there…”

“You’d probably be dead by now,” Kat yelled. “Turns out Raymond’s been losing it for a while, and Daddy knew it. Didn’t he, Raymond?” She taunted him. “Daddy knew you were crazy. Be a good boy, Raymond. Do the right thing, Raymond. Think of the family.”

“Shut the fuck up!” he screamed, and spittle sprayed from his mouth. His free hand went up to hold his head while the gun hand shook and bounced between them.

“What will Daddy say about this, Raymond?” Kat kept going. “He’s not going to be happy with you. He’s not asking your brother or brother-in-law to clean up your messes anymore.”

“Shut up, you fucking bitch!” The gun jerked toward Kat and stayed trained on her. “I hate you three. All of you fucked up my life. You planned it, didn’t you? Planned to bring me down.”

“Of course, we did,” Kat kept taunting. “Let’s get golden boy and watch him fall. And you were too weak to see.”

“Stop it!” His hand steadied. “I’m going to fucking kill you. All of you. But you, you I’m going to shoot first. Maybe take your knee out, or a shoulder, so you have to listen to me kill your friends. Then when you can hear them dying, when you know I’ve won, I’m going to gut you like a fish.”

“I wouldn’t do that, Raymond.” Tara’s words had him glancing toward her. His eyes flared as he took in the gun in her hand. River wasn’t sure where she’d pulled it from. One moment Tara had squeezed and released her hand. The next she had a gun in it. But then River’s eyes had been focused on Raymond and Kat, who was working hard at getting herself shot.

“It’s me you want, Raymond.” River tried to draw his rage from Kat to her. “Me, remember. I did this. I left you.”

“You left me,” he agreed with a nod, but his gaze and the damn gun stayed pointed on Kat.

“I’m sorry about that,” River said. She licked her lips nervously. “I want to apologize. Will you let me do that? Maybe we could go somewhere, the two of us?”

“Fuck that!” Kat yelled. “No one wants you now, Raymond.”

“Shut the fuck up, or I swear I’m going to blow your fucking brains out!”

“Don’t do that,” Tara warned. Her gun was steady and pointed right at Raymond’s chest.

“Are you going to shoot me?” He laughed. “I bet I fill your dreams at night, don’t I? My hands on your breasts. My fingers. The slap of my palm on you. You liked what I did. You were hungry for what I was giving you.”

Tara never wavered. Her hand remained steady, but River could see the shadows in her eyes.

“Please. Tara and I laughed when she told me what you did.” Kat started up with the taunts again. “Sweaty hands, stale breath, and a tiny little dick.” She snickered. “We figured it must have been pity that had River staying with you, and disappointment that had her finally leaving.”

“You fucking cunt!”

River screamed as gunfire exploded in the apartment. Kat went down with a cry and then Raymond was the one falling. He never screamed. His eyes widened with surprise. He jerked once, twice, three times and staggered back against the wall, slowly sinking to the floor. Blood bloomed over his chest.

Her door burst in, and Phil, Luke and Rick spilled into the room. Tara lowered her gun, looking numb. River didn’t know what to do. Her friend needed her, but she needed to check on Kat first.

“Kat!” she screamed her friend’s name, and that seemed to break the fog that had descended around Tara.

Both of them moved around the back of the couch, avoiding Raymond, to where Kat lay.

“Fucker shot me,” Kat slurred.

“Jesus Christ, Kat! Why would you taunt him like that?” Tara yelled. “You know how fucking crazy he is.”

“Was,” Kat returned. “Pretty sure you killed him, Tara.”

“Here.” Rick tossed his shirt over to them while Luke checked on Raymond and Phil spoke into his phone.

Tara caught the shirt and wadded it up, thrusting it against her friend’s bleeding shoulder. “At least he aimed for the shoulder like he threatened.”

“Hurts like a bitch.” Kat’s eyes were blinking as if she was fighting to stay conscious.

“Don’t you pass out on me,” Tara yelled. “You don’t get to check out.”

Kat laughed, but it quickly turned into a moan. “I can’t be the leader all the time. You’re going to have to shake that bastard out of your head. Both of you. It’s time for you two to check back in. I can’t hold it all together anymore.” Her eyes closed again, and this time she didn’t open them. “I’m tired, so tired.”

“Kat!” River and Tara both screamed, but Kat didn’t answer.

Chapter Ten

That night would haunt River for years to come. Seeing Kat shot and passing out. Watching Tara shoot and kill a man. She was still having nightmares, even though a week had passed. Kat was being released from the hospital tomorrow. Her brother Charlie had arrived, threatening to knock heads together if he thought Kat wasn’t getting the best care.

River smiled. Charlie in a rage was a sight to be seen. Tara had been the one to calm him down. And in the morning, he would be taking both of them back to his ranch in Texas to recover where he could watch over Kat. River had a feeling he would be keeping a pretty close eye on Tara, as well. She wondered if Tara even noticed the looks he gave her. She doubted it. Tara was dealing with her own demons, and it broke River’s heart to know she held a certain amount of responsibility for them.

They’d spend tonight together in Kat’s hospital room. River smiled. She figured the nurses allowed it because Kat was driving them crazy. Then, Kat could drive a saint crazy.

“Come to the ranch with us,” Tara begged River.