Imprisoned Match [Ménage.com 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (11 page)

“Her family,” Mitch answered, looking over her shoulder. Anna knew someone must have been coming toward them, because Mitch adjusted his stance. Without taking his eyes off of her, Mitch addressed Elliott. “Take Anna to our house. Do it now and be quick about it.”

“But—” Anna was about to turn around to see who was behind her, but Mitch grabbed ahold of her shoulders, making sure he had her attention. Didn’t he realize that she could handle anything on her own?

“Listen to me. Now is not the time to do this. I understand you would want retribution for your family, but we won’t allow it to be at your expense. Go with Elliott. I’ll say you went to see Doc Jones and he told you to take a couple days off. We’re running out of time. Go!”

* * * *

Mitch knew she’d figured out that Sam was walking toward them. Sam—a local, a business owner, and who some considered a friend. He knew that the other citizens would have believed Sam was innocent, being accused and judged by an outsider. But they didn’t know Anna. Hell, neither did they really, but Mitch knew she was telling the truth. The despair in her blue eyes when she had turned at his voice said it all. For whatever reason, she believed Sam to be guilty of murdering her family.

The relief he felt when Anna walked away with Elliott, without even looking backward to verify that someone was coming their way, was astronomical. It spoke volumes to the amount of trust they’d garnered in the short time that they’d known her.

“Mitch, good to see you. Was that Anna Valdez with you?”

“Yeah, Sam. She just got out of Doc Jones’s office. She’s not feeling well.”

“Really? She’s my new waitress.” Sam was watching Anna and Elliott cross the street to the garage, where Elliott’s truck was parked. If Mitch hadn’t been watching his face closely, he would never have noticed the way the skin around Sam’s eyes tightened. “She just started yesterday, and I must say, that’s not a good way to start off on a new job. You know what they say about outsiders.”

“Well, you know she’s not faking it if she went to see Doc Jones,” Mitch replied. “I’m sure Anna will show up for her shift tomorrow, if she’s feeling up to it.”

Sam finally took his eyes off of Anna and Elliott, switching his attention back to Mitch. “You sound like you’re getting to know her rather well, Mitch. Have the three of you hooked up? I know that Elliott had signed you up for that dating service, but I guess if a pretty woman falls into your lap, why waste time with an online dating service, huh?”

“Something like that,” Mitch replied, giving Sam a tight smile. Since Mitch wasn’t the smiling type, his attitude certainly wouldn’t seem odd. “I better head back to the garage. You have a good evening, Sam.”

“You, too.”

Mitch turned and crossed the street. He could feel Sam’s eyes on his back as he walked away. Mitch needed to hear from Anna exactly why she thought Sam was involved with the murder of her family and why the ATF was involved. If there was a chance she could be sent to prison for her hand in trying to bring those responsible to justice, Mitch needed to find a way to counter that possibility.

* * * *

Elliott had done as Mitch requested and made sure that Anna was safely squared away inside their home. Elliott and Mitch had bought an acre of land off of their parents’ ranch, building themselves a nice one-story family home. Their two dads weren’t thrilled when Elliott had decided to open the garage in the heart of town, hoping he would work the ranch with them. But Elliott knew where his talent lay, and it wasn’t in farming. Plus, the garage would always give Mitch a place to work for when he was paroled, because he was too proud to live off of their parents’ generosity.

They lived a quarter mile away from Russ and Cameron Davidson on the west side of town. Russ and Cam had returned home around a year ago, taking over their family’s farm after their father became too sick to run it by himself. In the last few months, the four of them usually got together once a week for a poker match. Seeing as how they were long overdue, Elliott hoped that they didn’t try and stop in unannounced while Anna was there.

“I—”

“Not one word,” Elliott said, pulling his truck up to the front porch. “Mitch won’t be far behind us, and then you can tell us everything—and I mean everything, Anna. And don’t think I’m not mad at you for running out on me this afternoon.”

She didn’t say anything after that, for which Elliott was grateful. He was starting to piece everything together now, and no matter where the pieces fit, it wasn’t going to be a pretty picture. It was time to face reality. They had fallen for a woman who would most likely end up where his brother had just left—prison. Elliott had waited so long to see a spark of light enter Mitch’s eyes, indicating that somewhere inside, he hadn’t given up hope on living the life they’d always dreamed. Anna had provided that glimmer of hope, and now she was going to extinguish it.

Elliott pushed hard against his door and slid out of the truck. Slamming it shut, he made his way around Anna’s side. He couldn’t bring himself to look her in the eye, so he calmly waited for her to exit before closing the door behind her. Taking the lead, he made his way onto the porch and unlocked the front door. Elliott caught a glimpse of her looking around and wondered what she thought.

When the house was being built, Mitch had still been in prison. Elliott would make trips to where they had had Mitch incarcerated, bringing blueprints and showing him the plans. At first, he was disinterested in the project, but as time wore on and the construction had started, Mitch slowly came around. It seemed to give him something to hold on to—a home for when he was finally released.

The one-story ranch-style house had a long white wooden porch with white whicker furniture to match. The exterior was blue, with a large bay window to the left of the front door. Throwing open the front door, Elliott stepped back to make way for Anna. She stepped over the threshold and directly into the living room. The stone fireplace was the center of attention, just as Elliott had wanted. It was surrounded by cherrywood furniture, along with a dark-brown leather sofa with matching chairs. Their large-screen TV sat in the corner, although it was hidden behind the doors of a cabinet.

“You have a beautiful home.”

Elliott hung his keys up on one of the brass hooks they had mounted on the wall in the living room. Shutting the door, Elliott didn’t reply right away. He wasn’t sure he could contain all of his questions until Mitch arrived home. Instead, he walked past her and started to pile a few logs into the fireplace. Once he felt he could contain himself, Elliott started to explain the layout of the house and where they were situated on their family farm.

“Is it just you and Mitch?”

Elliott had just gotten the fire started when she asked the question. It was the first personal inquiry she had made on her own. He didn’t know whether that was a good thing or not, considering the timing of her interest. He watched as the flames got higher, reaching for the oxygen they needed to expand.

“Yes. Our mom and dads are still doing well though. They’ve hired some hands to help around the farm, but overall, they still enjoy getting out and being part of the land.”

“Did you ever feel different having two fathers?”

Elliott shook his head. He’d heard her shed her coat a little bit ago, but she hadn’t taken a seat. “No. As you can guess, the town of Triple was named appropriately due to the founders of the town. Sure, with society the way it is, a lot of standard relationships have been established, but for the most part, you’ll find that ménage affairs are still the norm around here.”

“What made you sign up with the dating website? If everyone around here is accepting of ménages, then why look online? I mean, it’s not like you’d have trouble finding a woman. You’re downright s—well, you’re a handsome man.”

It was a good thing Elliott was facing away from her, or else she’d have seen his smile. It was one thing to think a woman thought of you as attractive, but when she spoke the words aloud, it gave a whole new meaning. Now that he thought about it, he wasn’t sure he had ever told her how beautiful he thought she was. Elliott wondered if he would ever get the chance. He heard Mitch’s truck pull up outside.

“Men outnumber the women here,” Elliott explained, standing up. Turning around to face her, he saw that she was standing behind the couch with her arms folded underneath her breasts. Her position pushed them upward, making him want to be the one holding them up. She was a very responsive woman, and he found he liked to hear her whimper, as she had in the shower when he’d discovered certain erogenous zones. “When Cyn and her friends created the website, it seemed like the natural thing to do to find someone who would be interested in our lifestyle.”

“But Mitch isn’t,” Anna said, tilting her head to the side. “At least, he says that he’s not.”

“Mitch seems to have changed his mind, though, hasn’t he?”

Anna shook her head, her blue eyes clouding over. It was rare that she seemed unsure of herself, but Elliott picked up on her insecurity right away. His first instinct was to tell her that everything would work out and she would get this justice served that she seemed so intent on dishing out. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do that.

Before either one of them could continue the conversation, not that Anna probably would’ve wanted to, Mitch walked in the door. Seeing them in the living room, Mitch made his way into the area and immediately confronted Anna. Elliott hadn’t seen Mitch so alive since before his incarceration. It just really sucked that it took such an extreme situation to do it.

“From the beginning,” Mitch demanded, positioning himself in front of Anna. He crossed his arms, causing his chest to expand. Elliott was impressed to see that his brother’s size didn’t phase Anna one bit.

“You got the gist of it, Mitch,” Anna said defensively, crossing her own arms. The black turtleneck enhanced her breasts, causing Elliott’s concentration to break. “Sam Fowler murdered my family. I’m here to set things right.”

“By what? Returning the favor? You don’t strike me as the type of person with the ability to kill someone and have no remorse.”

“You should know above everyone else that sometimes we do things we didn’t think we were capable of,” Anna snapped.

“There is a big difference between voluntarily committing yourself and involuntarily being forced into something. Weren’t you the one who explained the distinction to me last night? Or were those just irrelevant words in order for you to get a quick fuck?”

“Mitch,” Elliott said in warning, knowing that if they pushed Anna too hard, she was likely to put up those barriers she seemed so fond of. “Anna, when and how did your parents die?”

Anna’s chest rose as she took in a deep breath. One would think she was about to face the death chamber. She took a step back and then walked around Mitch, not meeting their gazes. They watched as she went to the bay window overlooking their front yard. Dusk had fallen, making the shadows seem darker and the night more solemn. From the way her shoulders were bent, it was easy to assume the evening matched her mood.

“I was eighteen and about to graduate high school. My brother called the house, begging me to come help him. He said he was about a mile outside of the city limits, which put me about twenty minutes away from him. I knew from the panic in his voice that he didn’t want Mom and Dad to know what was going on, so I made up an excuse about going to a friend’s house to discuss her graduation party.” Anna became quiet, and he shared a look with Mitch. Reliving these memories was causing the pain in her voice, but it was something that had to be done if they were to help her. “I followed the directions he gave me. When I arrived, it was at an abandoned warehouse. My brother’s body was lying in the middle of the parking lot.”

“And you think Sam killed him?” Mitch asked.

Elliott remained by the fire, while Mitch stayed standing behind the couch. Anna didn’t reply right away. The crackle of the fire was the only sound that could be heard while they waited for her to continue.

“He ordered the hit,” Anna replied, finally turning to face them. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, and Elliott knew that while she’d been on her journey of vengeance, she’d never really grieved. “You see, my brother fell into the wrong group of people. Sonny Jones took him under his wing and taught him the ins and outs of the business. But my brother was young and reckless, wanting more and more of the money it provided. According to some of my contacts, Antonio was to deliver a shipment of illegal weapons to a person only known as the Contractor. Antonio knew the Contractor had resources that the other subordinates didn’t. He tried to extort more money.”

“Someone rat him out?” Mitch asked.

“Yes. Sonny Jones got wind of Antonio’s plan and made sure word got to the Contractor.” Anna looked down, almost as if she were ashamed. “I’m not saying my brother didn’t deserve some punishment for the illegal activities he was involved with. But he was twenty years old and didn’t deserve to die.”

“No one said he did, Ginger.” Mitch took a step closer but stopped when he reached the end of the couch. He sat on the end, facing Anna. “We make stupid decisions when we’re young that can cost us our lives.”

“And yet here you are, having come through your consequences with a self-pity that is keeping you from living your life,” Anna said, motioning toward him with one hand. “My brother will never be able to redeem himself. He will never be able to see the error of his ways and right the wrongs that he has done.”