Van, Becca - The Love of Three [Elite Dragons 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (11 page)

“I love your sugar, baby. You taste real sweet.” Angling his head, he kissed her with a rapacious hunger and then finally let her go when they were both panting heavily. “Go get your shower, Alicia, then we can all go to the main house for dinner.”

He slapped her lightly on the ass as she passed by. Her head whipped around, and she glared at him. Stedman held in his laughter until the shower turned on.

“You lucky bastard. Was it as good as we expected?”

“No. It was way better. She may be shy at times, but inside she’s a real wildcat.”

“Shit,” Stedman groaned. “I’d better wait out in the living room or we’ll never get dinner. By the way, don’t you ever fucking do that again. You scared the shit out of us.”

“Sorry. Believe me, I don’t want to, but I could feel them, bro. I just knew that if I kept my shields down I would be able to find them.”

“We were damn lucky that one of those women was able to broadcast to you, and we’re damn lucky you’re such a good empath. But don’t risk your own health like that again.
”

“I can’t promise not to save someone again that way if I can. I know you would have done the same.”

“Yeah, ain’t that the truth. I am so sick of this shit.” Stedman pulled the chair beside the bed and sat. “Anybody filled you in yet?”

“You’re the first to show up. Did the women we rescued tell us anything?”

“Not much more than we already knew. They both went to see a Dr. Jones in Miles City. A couple of days later, they were abducted by men in balaclavas and sunglasses. We’ve got the details on Jones’s appearance, but no one else.” Stedman’s mouth firmed. “If that’s the only Dr. Jones.”

“What about the information we got from the clinic in Miles City?”

“Weirdest thing. It led us to another town in Montana, then to Billings.” He gave Bronsin a nod of acknowledgment. “And finally to that barn.”

“And Jones?”

“Nowhere to be found.”

Bronsin considered this. “If they wanted us to find the women, why lead us all over the damn state? And if they didn’t want us to find them, why leave all these clues? The smugglers have never been sloppy before.”

“They must have new leadership now. Maybe they’re not as organized.” Stedman shook his head grimly. “I don’t think that’s the whole story, though.”

The reference to leadership tripped Bronsin’s memory. “Did anybody ask the congressman if he knows what’s going on? He might have more information that they didn’t get out of him.”

“Coulter had the same thought, but we can’t even go and talk to him.”

“Why not?”

“He was murdered.”

“Fuck! Didn’t they have him in a top-security prison?”

“Yeah. Maybe the guards were bought off, or one of them was ordered to kill him. We probably won’t find out. But it’s proof that these people are still organized.”

Which meant, Bronsin thought, that their trail of evidence all over Montana didn’t make any sense. He let out a sigh of frustration as his brother stood up. “How the hell are we going to find these fuckers and end it if we don’t know who’s running the show?”

“That’s a question I would like very much to be able to answer.” Stedman headed for the door. “Hurry up and get dressed. Dinner is waiting.”

* * * *

Alicia was so glad to have Bronsin back that she was reluctant to leave dinner even after she’d finished. But Wolf said he wanted to check her hand, and she looked forward to receiving the all clear from him. They went into the living room so he had more room to work.

Wolf seemed pleased with the pace of her healing and told her the stitches could come out in a few days.

Though he returned to the dining room, Alicia was craving fresh air after spending the whole day inside worrying over Bronsin, so instead of following Wolf, she moved toward the front door and went outside.

She walked around the timber decking and glanced inside. When she caught Ward’s eye, she indicated she was going to the corrals. It was still light out, but it wouldn’t be for much longer. The sky was already changing color and the sunlight was waning. She breathed deeply and felt her head clear. Because she was eager to start working with the horses, she decided to go into the stable and visit with them. Her favorite mount, Starlight, stuck her head over the stall door and snorted.

“Hey, girl, have you had any exercise today? I bet you’re just as eager as I am for a good run.” Starlight snuffled her velvety nose against her hand and blew softly as if in agreement. All of a sudden and without any explanation the horse startled and skittered back from her.

Alicia half turned when she caught movement in her periphery. Before she had completely caught her balance, she heard a grunt behind her.

Pain exploded across the back of her head. Crying out, Alicia stumbled forward. Her feet tangled in a coil of rope on the stable floor. She felt herself falling.

Her head hit the corner of the stall door on her way down and her vision swam. Her hands connected hard with the floor of the stable. Something clattered to the floor not far away. Struggling to stay conscious, she looked up to see an unfamiliar man running out the barn doors.

I need to tell someone
. Her mouth didn’t seem to be working, though. All she could do was kneel on the floor, looking with mute surprise at the pitchfork lying nearby. The intruder had dropped it as he ran. He had hit her with the pitchfork?

Alicia thought she might be bleeding. She felt nauseous and knew she needed to get up. She tried to get her uncooperative limbs to move, but she was too dazed. Had she really been attacked? Everything that had just happened seemed fuzzy. She hadn’t seen anyone when she had entered the building, so maybe she’d been imagining things.

The small side door to the stable slammed open, and Ward’s voice called for her.

“Alicia, where are you?”

“Here,” she answered, but she knew her voice hadn’t been loud enough to carry. She moaned with pain but tried to ignore it as she concentrated on moving her arms and legs. Her vision finally began to clear and her limbs cooperated. Just as she got to her hands and knees, strong, firm arms wrapped around her waist.

“What’s happened? Are you all right?” Ward kept her steady. “Don’t move until I’ve checked you over, honey.”

“I’m okay. I tripped and hit my head.”

“Shit!” Ward gently pulled her into his lap. He was kneeling on the floor of the stables and looking her over. “I need to get you to Wolf, honey. Wrap your arm around my neck.”

“Again? No, I don’t need to see Wolf. I’m fine. I just hit my head. All I need is an aspirin or something and I’ll be right as rain.”

“Whatever you say, honey.” Ward stood.

Her world spun crazily, and no matter how many times she blinked or tried to focus, it didn’t help. Alicia moaned as her stomach protested.

“Ward?”

“Yeah, honey.”

“You have to stop rocking me or I’m going to be sick.”

“Just hang on a little longer for me, Alicia. You’re okay, honey.”

Did I just hear a wobble in his voice? Nah, not possible.

A door slammed and Alicia winced as pain reverberated through her skull at the noise. She opened her eyes slightly and wished she hadn’t. Light pierced her eyeballs and stabbed into her head.

“Ward, sick,” she gasped.

“It’s okay, honey. I’ve got you.” Ward talked calmly as she lost the contents of her stomach. Groaning with pain and embarrassment, she hoped she hadn’t thrown up all over him. A cool washcloth wiped over her clammy face and a glass was held to her lips. Alicia took several small sips and flopped back down. The movement caused her to reach up to clutch her head with her hands.

“Don’t touch, Alicia.” Stedman’s voice sounded close by. “Wolf is trying to clean up the cut on your head.”

“WWhat ccut?” She didn’t want to see her own blood. Mixed in with that fear was something more urgent. She needed to tell them that she’d seen something. If only she could remember exactly what she’d seen.

Bronsin’s voice seemed to float all around her. “Shh, darlin’. Don’t try to talk. You just rest.”

“Bronsin?”

“I’m here, Alicia.”

“SSo worried. I saw…”

“Don’t talk, darlin’. I’m fine.”

She recognized the new voice but couldn’t seem to bring his face into focus. “SStedman? There w–was a man. I ththought I saw…”

She was in too much pain to complete her sentence and couldn’t even remember what she had been going to say. The whole inside of her head hurt, from the back of her neck to her teeth, and the only way to escape it was to let the darkness take her.

Chapter Nine

Stedman managed to hold in his outburst until Wolf had shut the door to the infirmary. Then he turned to Bronsin and Ward, both standing with him in the hall. “What the fuck happened?” he snarled.

“I don’t know. She was on the ground when I found her,” Ward said. “She was on her hands and knees, and I think she was trying to get up. She said she’d tripped.”

“She also said she saw someone. Did you see anyone?”

“No,” Ward replied solemnly.

Both of them turned to look at Bronsin as he spoke. “She thought she saw someone, but she tripped and hit her head before she could turn around. She saw him running away, though. I think he must have hit the back of her head with the pitchfork, then she cut open her forehead as she fell.”

“You were in her head?” Stedman glared at Bronsin.

“She was slurring her words and about to pass out,” he snapped at Stedman. “For fuck’s sake, Stedman, you saw her.” He gestured violently to the closed infirmary door, behind which Wolf was attending to her wound. “That cut is at least an inch long, and she was in shock. I just wanted to find out if someone had hurt her before she lost consciousness.”

“Fine, I’m sorry. You did the right thing.” He sighed. “I just hate seeing her hurt. So what did she see?”

“I’m not sure. She saw someone running away, someone she didn’t recognize.” Frowning, he started to add, “I’ve had this feeling ever since I woke up…”

Bronsin cut himself short when the door opened and Wolf came out of the infirmary.

“What’s the prognosis, Wolf?”

“Stitches and a concussion,” he said. “Come in and see her if you like.”

They trooped into the infirmary. Alicia was still out cold. Stedman hated the sight of her so pale and still.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Bronsin said as he took Alicia’s hand in his. “There is someone on this property that doesn’t fit, but I don’t know who.”

“What?” Stedman turned to glare at his brother.

“Are you talking about someone on the team?”

“No, and I don’t mean any of the women either.”

“You think we have a spy amongst the hands?”

“I’m not sure.”

“What the hell do you mean by that?” Stedman roared.

“Hey, Stedman, calm the fuck down or get out,” Wolf snapped. “Your woman already has enough pain to deal with without your yelling adding to it.”

Stedman glared at Wolf but knew he was right. He paced away and back a few times and breathed deeply, trying to control his fear and anger. When he was relatively calm again, he turned back to Bronsin.