Infinite Ties (All That Remains #3) (8 page)

Emma and Gary join the fun, and I watch
out of the corner of my eye as Nic offers a hand to Troy. He accepts, and rests
his head on Nic’s shoulder. They’re so sweet together. My eyes stray for a
moment to Nic’s firm, round ass flexing as he moves. Damn, Troy’s a lucky man.

Joseph smirks when my gaze returns to his.
“And here I thought it was Airen I had to worry about.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“My mistake. I could’ve sworn you were
checking out Nic’s ass.”
Shit. Busted
. “Relax, ladybug, you’d have to be
blind to miss it, it’s spectacular. We should probably keep it between us,
though. Your husband seems like the jealous type,” he teases with an impish grin.

“Funny, I heard the same about your
boyfriend.”

“Small world.” He spins me around and ends
with an exaggerated dip, cutting off my giggle with a scorching kiss. I assume
it’s Jon’s return that’s earned me all this attention. They both want to make
it clear who I belong to, and I’m certainly not complaining. Isn’t it every
woman’s dream to have an unappreciative ex see them with a gorgeous guy that
worships the ground they walk on? I have that times two.

I throw an apologetic glance at Joseph
when Emma claims the next dance. “Save me a dance, Abs,” Gary calls. “I gotta
go water the flowers.”

“With an invitation like that, how can I
say no?” I laugh. I’m exhausted when I plop down at the patio table and pour
myself a drink.

“Well, if it isn’t Cinderella,” Jon
grumbles. What the hell is he still doing here? Carson went in hours ago. “What
do you do for all these guys, Abby?” Fortunately, Gary returns to the table
before I respond. I’ve had a few drinks, and I’m liable to invite him to go
fuck himself. It’s eating him up that they’re paying such attention to me. I
love every second of it, but in the long run I know I’ll pay for it.

After Joseph and Airen return to the
table, Troy plops down beside me. “Dance with my man, Abby. I’m done in.”
What?

Joseph and Airen wear identical shit
eating grins when Nic holds out his hand. “May I?” he asks in a deep sultry
voice.

“Sure she will,” Airen chirps.

“It’d be rude not to,” Joseph adds with a
smile. Bastards.

“I’d love to.” I smile and take his hand,
allowing him to lead me into the yard. His palm is hard and smooth when his
hand closes over mine, and I can feel the heat emanating from him as he rests
his other hand on my hip.

“I’m not stepping on any toes here, am I?”
he asks, moving with the music.

“What?” I look down at my feet. “No.” He
chuckles softly, and I realize his meaning. Could I be any more dense? He must
think I’m an idiot. “I mean, no, it’s fine.”

“Relax, Abby. I won’t bite.” Christ, that
smile could stop traffic. “Troy speaks so highly of you. I wanted to get to
know you a bit.”

“Of course, Troy’s a great guy.”

“I think so, too.” When I glance back at
the table, Airen and Joseph are watching me. Airen smirks and gives a little
wave. They think I can’t pull it together around this super hot guy, well, they
can kiss my ass. It’s time to teach them a lesson. I step closer and smile
softly, draping my arms around his neck. Joseph’s eyes narrow and the grin
drops from his face. “So, do you love him?”

“Oh, yes.”

I relax, and we find our rhythm. As long
as I don’t get caught up in those unnaturally blue eyes, I think I can do this
without making a total fool of myself. “He’s been through a lot.”

“I know. He told me about the cult, and
what they did to him.”

“I’m afraid we didn’t help things,” I
murmur.

“You’re wrong there. He says coming here
was what saved him. The love and acceptance he found with your family gave him
confidence and hope. I know things were complicated with Joseph, and the reason
is clear now, but he doesn’t regret it or blame anyone.”

“Joseph was in love with Airen from the
get go, but he really did care deeply for Troy. He still does.”

“That’s obvious. He’s doing well, Abby.
There’s no need to worry. I love him, and I’ll take care of him.”

“Thank you, that makes me feel so much
better.”

He smiles, and places a soft kiss on my
cheek. “Troy’s right. You are a sweetheart.”

Blushing to my roots, I feel Airen and
Joseph staring at me when I return the kiss, while Jon glares hatefully in my
direction. “Troy’s a lucky man.”

He beams, stealing my breath with his
killer smile. “Thanks for the dance.”

Joseph just shakes his head in amusement
when Airen grabs my hand and pulls me into his lap. They put me on the spot and
tried to embarrass me, but I came out on top. “You found a keeper, Troy,” I
chirp, as Nic settles beside him.

“Any more of that and my hand is going to
find your ass,” Airen whispers into my ear, biting the lobe.

“He’s gay,” I whisper back with a giggle.
Not to mention too gorgeous to even dream about. Of course, so is Airen.

“That’s the only reason you aren’t over my
knee right now.”

“After all the sweet things you said
earlier?”

“I’ll say them again while you’re begging
me to spare your pretty pink ass.”

“Stop,” I admonish, feeling my face
ignite. I’m glad it’s so dark.

“We need to talk about something,” Troy
announces. “It’s pretty serious. We didn’t just come to visit.” Troy gazes at
Joseph. “We need your help.”

“What can we do?” Joseph asks.

“A few weeks ago, a little boy showed up
in my back yard. He was filthy, and dressed only in a pair of underwear. He was
sitting in our garden, eating raw vegetables out of the ground. His body was
emaciated, and covered in sores and bruises. It took a few days before he’d
talk to us. The poor kid is afraid of his own shadow, and with good reason.” Troy’s
voice falters, and Nic places an arm around him reassuringly.

“He was kidnapped and held prisoner,” Nic
explains, picking up the story. “A group of men held him and abused him for
months. He doesn’t know exactly how long, only that there was snow on the
ground when he was taken.”

Airen’s voice is rough when he asks, “What
kind of abuse?”

“They did everything to him that you could
imagine,” Troy whispers, his eyes on Joseph. “They beat him, sexually abused
him. He has…scars.”

“How old is the boy?” Airen asks, his jaw
tight.

“Twelve. His name is Sammy.”

“Fuck.” Joseph sighs. “How is he doing?”

“Physically, he’s healing, but he’s an
angry, frightened young man,” Nic replies. “With enough time and attention we
hope he’ll be okay. He has a lot of guilt about the kids he left behind when he
escaped. That’s why we’re here. We want to rescue them, and we need your help.”

Shit, this can’t be happening.

Airen leans forward in his seat. “What do
you know about who has them?”

“Sammy says there are six men. They live
in a hotel, and keep the women and children locked inside. Five women and five
kids. They’re sex slaves. There’s no easier way to describe it.”

“Are they armed?”

“He said they use guns to hunt, but they
didn’t threaten them with a gun. They prefer to beat them into submission,”
Troy says. I can’t imagine how this is affecting him after suffering such a
similar situation.

Airen nods. “When do you want to leave?”
What?

“Airen!”

“Hush, Abby, we’ll talk about it later,”
he replies distantly. All his attention is focused on Troy. Normally, I’d be
royally pissed at such a dismissal, but I’ve watched the change in him as he
listened to Troy’s story. His posture is rigid, his jaw set. Tension radiates
from his body. He’s like a rubber band stretched taut, a millimeter away from
snapping.

He jumps when Joseph touches his arm. “Are
you okay?”

“Of course,” he growls. “When do we
leave?”

“Let’s get everyone together tomorrow and
discuss it,” Joseph suggests. “We absolutely want to help, but the more men the
better. If Gary and Eric come along that’s six of us. We’ll outnumber them at
least.”

“I’m in,” Jon speaks up.

I remain silent when everyone turns to me.
I don’t give a frog’s green ass what Jon does. Once again, I’m in danger of
losing everything, but how can I object? I couldn’t live with myself.

Finally, Nic nods. “My buddy, Mac, will go
along as well. That makes eight.”

“How far away?” I ask softly.

Troy reaches across the table and takes my
hand. “Two days by car. The back roads aren’t bad. We got the truck and camper
through with no problem. I’m sorry, Abby. I know what you all went through this
past winter with Airen. I hate to do this to you, but we have no chance on our
own.”

“I understand. They’re kids. We have to do
something.”

“
We
have to do something,” Airen
argues. “You’re staying here.”

“The fuck I am.”

“Abigail.” His voice is soft, but
threatening.

“I won’t raid the hotel or whatever you
plan to do. I’ll hide out, and help with the kids after you get them out, but I’m
going.” Last winter without Airen was a nightmare. I’d never have made it
through without Joseph. No way are they both leaving me.

“We’ll discuss this later,” he snaps. Jon
watches our argument with an amused expression.

“We can discuss it all you like, but you
may as well include me in your plan because if you leave me here, I’ll follow
you. I’m going. End of.”

“I’ll talk to Eric and Gary in the
morning, and we can meet here at lunchtime,” Airen says, ignoring me and
directing his words to Nic.

Nic gets to his feet and takes Troy’s
hand. “Sounds good. We should go.”

“So should you,” Joseph tells Jon, glaring
at him.

“Good luck, guys. She’s a stubborn one.
I’ll see you at noon.” Jon laughs and saunters off. The table rocks as Airen
leaps to his feet and stalks into the house, leaving me and Joseph alone.

“Are you pissed at me, too?” He embraces
me so tight I can hardly breathe. “No, ladybug. I’m terrified.”

“Me too. I can’t stay here and wait.”

“I know. We’ll work it out. Try not to be
too upset at Airen. He’s afraid too, and trying to protect you. Let’s go to
bed.” He keeps his arm around me and leads me to our bedroom.

I’ll never fall asleep. Joseph’s arm is
warm and comforting around my middle, but Airen’s distance fills me with a
terrible hollowness. My time with them may be very short. It’s just too painful
to think about. I need him, even if he’s pissed at me, and I know what Joseph
would encourage me to do.

“Air,” I say softly, placing my hand on
his back. Could he get any closer to the edge of the bed? “I know you’re mad,
but…I need you.” My voice is small and embarrassed.

He rolls to face me, his eyes softening as
his fingers comb gently through my hair. “I’m right here, darlin’. What can I
do?”

“Just hold me. Tight. Give me a night to
feel safe before everything goes to hell again.”

I’m enclosed in two sets of strong,
masculine arms, caged between their bodies while gentle hands stroke and
reassure. “Everything will be okay, sweetheart,” Airen murmurs. “Please don’t
worry.”

“I’ll do whatever you want, Air. I’ll
watch from a distance, but please, don’t ask me to wait here. I can’t take it.”

He sighs. “They take women for sex, Abby.
What if we get hurt or killed and they get their hands on you? We may not get
to you in time.”

Shit. I hadn’t thought about that. “They
won’t know I’m there. I’ll stay out of sight.”

“We’re going to Troy’s place first. Maybe
Abby could stay there and at least be close by,” Joseph suggests to Airen, resting
his chin on my shoulder. “She won’t have to wait weeks for news.” His arms
tighten around me. “Airen’s right, if one of them touched you, I’d never
forgive myself.”

“How far is Troy’s house from the hotel?”
Airen asks.

“Troy said Sammy walked a few miles after
he escaped, so it can’t be too close. If he’s safe there, then Abby will be
too.”

“Okay, Abigail.” He sighs and tightens his
arms around me. “Come to Troy’s with us, but if you even think of following us
any farther, I’ll tie you to a tree in his yard.”

“Does it have to be a tree? I’m sure he
has a couch. It’s a bad time of year for mosquitoes, you know.”

“Then do what you’re told for once.”

Joseph snorts. “Because she’s so good at
that.”

“Hey! I am when it counts!” I poke him in
the ribs. “When the cult had us, I did what you asked me to.”

“Yes, you did. You can’t hesitate if we
tell you to run or hide this time. These people are worse than Abraham and his
followers. They won’t want to capture us. I’m hoping we can take at least a few
of them out from a distance,” Airen states. “We should have everyone target
shoot and see who our best marksmen are.”