Elite Dragoons 1: New Recruits (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (13 page)

“Do you think they would have taken her back to the house Sara and Nicole escaped from?” Hay asked incredulously.

“Why not?” Thorpe answered. “The sheriff of Chadron said they searched that house but found nothing and he left it the way he found it. If word got out about these assholes’ cohorts being caught in a fight with the law on the outskirts of town then they would probably assume that their house was safe to use again.”

“Okay,” Whit said, “let’s assume that’s where they have taken Prudence. What else did you see, Thorpe?”

“The assholes have her tied up and only release her to use the bathroom and to eat. She’s been stripped naked and she’s tied to a bed. She’s tired, cold, and scared shitless. One of the men has touched her inappropriately and she doesn’t think he’s going to hold out much longer.”

“Fuck,” Whit said. “Okay let’s put the pedal to the metal so we can save your woman.”

Sara was having trouble sleeping because she was worried about her men. Although she had only spent three nights with them sleeping beside her she had gotten used to them being there and missed them so much. She and Nicole had spent one day helping May cook up several meals and desserts which had then been cooled and placed into containers to be frozen, but there was only so much food they could cook in advance.

May had produced a deck of cards, and they had played poker, bridge, and hearts, but Sara often found her concentration waning. May was currently in the kitchen making some sweet tea. Nicole had produced the game of Scrabble, which they were currently playing, but Sara wasn’t seeing the letters in front of her. She was worried about her men and prayed that they would return to her safe and sound. When she looked at Nicole, she could see that her friend’s mind wasn’t on the game either.

“So how was the kiss Ty gave you?”

“Oh God,” Nicole whispered, and Sara watched as her friend’s face turned red.

“That good, huh?”

Words seemed to be beyond Nicole because she nodded instead of answering verbally.

“Have Ty, Rand, and Bromley asked you any unusual questions or told you anything about themselves?”

“Do you mean about wanting to share me?” Nicole asked, and Sara held in a laugh when Nicole’s face turned an even deeper red.

“Yes, that’s one discussion I’ve had with my men.”

Nicole’s eyes snapped up to meet hers again. “Your men? Do you mean to tell me you’ve had sex with three men?”

Sara nodded and felt her face heat this time.

“Oh. My. God. You go, girl. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Nicole, we’ve hardly spent any time alone in the last three and a half weeks. When was I going to be able to talk to you without anyone else hearing? God, what would May say if she knew I’d had sex with three men at the same time?”

Sara jerked when May entered the room with a smile on her face. “I would say as long as love is involved then there’s no problem. And since I’ve seen how much you love those men and how much they love you then it’s no one’s business how you live your lives.”

“Shit.” Sara covered her face with her hands.

May laughed and patted her on the shoulder. “You’ve already met Nyssa and her three husbands Codi, Linton, and Bryden. What you may not realize is that Coulter and his brothers are also in a ménage relationship with their wife Brooke. In fact all the men of the Elite Dragons share a wife.”

“I love Whit, Hay, and Dalton very much,” Sara said. “But I don’t see how three men can be married to the same woman. It’s just not legal.”

“You’re right,” May concurred as she sat on the sofa. “The woman marries the oldest brother on paper but that doesn’t mean she loves his brothers any less. What matters is that you are committed to your men fully in here.” May placed a hand over her heart. “Life is too short to worry about what others think. If you love someone or several someones then grab hold and don’t let go. I was married to a wonderful man for over twenty years and even though his death caused me a lot of pain and grief I wouldn’t have missed one minute of my time with him.

“So”—May looked at Nicole speculatively—“now that you know about your men’s abilities are you going to let them into your bed?”

Nicole had just taken a sip of her water, and she sprayed it everywhere at May’s question. Sara giggled and wiped her dripping face and then burst out laughing at the incredulous look on her friend’s face. Nicole chuckled and then laughed outright and May joined in, and Sara was glad that she had two women to keep her company while her men were on missions, saving the lives of other innocent people. Although she missed them desperately and worried about their safety when they were gone, she knew they were filling a deep-seated need within themselves by serving their country and trying to keep their citizens safe.

Nicole went out to the kitchen for a cloth to wipe up the water she had sprayed everywhere. Sara was just about to remove the letters from the board when she felt a searing pain in her shoulder. She gasped and then cried out in pain and clutched at her shoulder. When she lifted her hand she expected to see blood, but her hand came away clean. She pushed up from her chair and staggered toward the kitchen counter where she had plugged her cell phone in to charge.

“Sara, what’s wrong?” Nicole followed her

“Are you in pain, dear?” May asked as she entered the kitchen.

“Not me,” Sara panted as her vision narrowed, blackness stealing around the edges of her eyes and then covering her sight until she saw nothing at all. “Hay,” she whispered before she fainted.

* * * *

Hay climbed out of the truck and made sure his cell phone was on silent. He watched as his brothers and teammates did the same. They were a mile from the house Sara and Nicole had been held captive in and were about to go the rest of the way on foot.

“Okay.” Whit drew everyone’s attention. “Ty, you and your brothers cover the back. Cal, Fletcher, and Law, cover the sides. We don’t want anyone escaping through any windows. Thorpe, Adam, and Hunt, you can follow us in the front. Are there any questions?”

“No” was the resounding response.

“Lower your shields and let’s head in.”

Hay led the way with Whit and Dalton at his side. He pushed everything from his mind and concentrated on their mission. He could feel excitement and desire mixed in with fear and pain. He picked up the pace until they were jogging toward the house. Lights blazed from nearly every window, and he wondered how many people were inside. He tried to pick out and filter the emotions coming to him loud and clear, but it was too much to decipher. Pain slammed into his cheek, and he almost staggered but was able to keep to his feet by taking another couple of steps.

Thorpe let out a low growl, but he quickly cut it off. The Elite Dragoons took up their positions and let him and his brothers know they were ready by sending them pictures in their minds. Hay gave Whit a nod, and then he tested the handle to the front door. The idiots had left it open. He turned the knob and pushed the door in. Hay took in the room and motioned his brothers and his teammates in behind him when he saw it was empty.

He was in the middle of the living room when one of the assailants entered the room through another door, and he was thankful for his faster-than-average reflexes when he saw the bastard raising his arm. A glint of light caught on the metal barrel of the pistol as he lifted it, but Hay was much faster. He squeezed the trigger on his automatic rifle and shot the bastard, stopping him cold. He watched dispassionately as he fell to the floor, his eyes wide open but not seeing anything.

Movement from the other side of the room caught his attention, and even though he spun to meet his foe, he wasn’t fast enough. Pain shot through his shoulder, causing him to grunt, and he stumbled slightly but he didn’t go down. Rapid gunfire echoed through the room as he pointed and fired. Another fucker went down. His brothers had also fired when the second fucker entered the room, and now he lay dead on the floor with numerous gunshot wounds seeping out blood.

He headed toward the far door to see if anyone else was hiding out, but the kitchen was empty. When he turned to scout the rest of the house, his head spun and he swayed on his feet. His shoulder was hurting like a bitch and he was losing blood fast. His sleeve and arm was covered in red. Hay hooked the strap on his rifle over his good shoulder and then used his free hand to apply pressure to the wound. His brothers had already cuffed one asshole, and Thorpe and his brothers had gone to find Prudence. Another gunshot sounded and then there was only silence.

Hay staggered back to the living room and lowered himself to the sofa.

“Here let me take a look.” Dalton knelt down in front of him and ripped his T-shirt.

“Are they all secure?” he asked and wondered why his voice sounded so far away.

“Yeah.” Dalton removed his Kevlar vest and tugged his T-shirt over his head. He ripped it into shreds, folded up a piece of cotton into a thick pad, and then applied it to his wound. Hay hissed out a breath as pain shot down his arm and up his neck into his head. “Sorry, but I need to stop the bleeding.”

“’S no problem,” Hay slurred.

The sheriff and his deputies arrived, and he tried to focus on them instead of the pain in his shoulder. The sheriff and Ty exchanged words as they passed each other, and then Ty was standing beside Dalton.

“I brought your truck up close to the house.”

“Thanks,” Dalton replied.

Hay tried to remember what he was going to ask Dalton and was surprised when one word came out of his mouth. “Prudence?”

“Safe and sound,” Thorpe answered as he entered the room.

Hay looked up to see a petite blonde woman in Thorpe’s arms. From what he could see at least one side of her face was battered and bruised. Her ankles had red marks around them from where she had no doubt been tied up and she was wearing Thorpe’s T-shirt.

“Good,” Hay groaned out as Dalton tied another piece of his ripped shirt tight around his shoulder. His eyesight wavered, and for a moment all he could think about was what Sara would say when she found out he’d been shot, and then he slid into the welcoming darkness where no more pain existed.

* * * *

“Sara, wake up, honey.”

Sara groaned because she didn’t want to wake up. She was warm and comfortable and just wanted to be left alone. She was so tired. She hadn’t slept properly for over two nights and just wanted to continue sleeping. When she shifted in bed she automatically reached out searching for Whit, Dalt, and Hay. She frowned when she couldn’t find them.

“Come on, Sara, open your eyes, honey.”

That wasn’t her men talking, but the voice was familiar. She frowned as she tried to get her sluggish brain to work, but it was too foggy to think straight. Her eyes snapped open and she stared at Wolf Garman. He was frowning down at her and he was taking her pulse. He was the team medic of the Elite Dragons and he was checking her over. Nicole and May stood at the foot of the bed looking worried.

Memory slammed back with a vengeance. She had thought of her men and then searing pain had coursed through her shoulder and then everything went black.

“Oh my God. Hay!” Sara pushed Wolf’s hands away from her and scrambled from the bed.

“Whoa, honey, calm down.” Wolf wrapped an arm around the waist and lifted her from the floor, cradling her against his chest. “You shouldn’t be up on your feet until I know what’s wrong with you.”

“Put me down right now,” Sara snapped. “There is nothing wrong with me.”

Wolf lowered her feet to the floor and held her arms to make sure she was steady. Sara pushed his hands away and rushed toward the kitchen. Sara felt bad about snarling at Wolf, but she needed to reach her men and talk to them. Once she knew they were safe then she would apologize.

“Sara, what is going…” Wolf began.

Sara held up her hand as she hit speed dial. It rang and rang until finally going to voice mail. “Whit, please call me as soon as you get this message.” She disconnected the call and hit another speed dial button. Again she left a message but this time on Hay’s phone. She tried one more time and got the same results. She slumped against the kitchen counter and stared at the phone in her hand.

“What’s going on, Sara?” Wolf asked.

Sara lifted her head and looked at Wolf. “I’m sorry I snapped at you, but I promise I’m fine.” A sob escaped as she gulped in air. “I was thinking about my men when all of a sudden I felt excruciating pain in my shoulder. Hay’s image flashed in my mind just before I passed out. I think Hay’s been hurt.”

Sara couldn’t contain her tears as fear slammed through her. She loved Hay just as much as she loved Whit and Dalton. It would devastate her if something happened to him.

Wolf stepped up close and pulled her into his arms. “Shh, honey. I’m sure they’re fine. Coulter would have heard from Tony if anything was wrong.”

“I don’t need you, Coulter, or Tony to confirm that one of my men has been hurt,” Sara snarled. “I felt it. What more do you need?”

“Sara!” May admonished her for the tone she had used.

“Oh God. I’m sorry, Wolf. I’m just so scared.”

“Take it easy, honey.” Wolf rubbed her back. “Let me see if I can find out anything. Okay?”

Sara sniffed and nodded and moved away from Wolf. She walked toward the living room and sat down. Five minutes later she paced back and forth behind the sofa. Glancing at the clock frequently, she watched as the number on her phone changed slowly. First one hour passed, then another, and by the time the third hour was over Sara was so scared she couldn’t move. She was once more sitting on the sofa, but this time she was curled up in the corner as she stared at her phone and willed it to ring. Just as she decided to try her men again her cell rang. She drew in a ragged breath when Whit’s name and number lit up the display screen. Sara answered her phone and began talking before Whit could speak.

“How bad is Hay?”

“Sara, I don’t know how the hell you know he’s hurt but he’s fine. He took a bullet to his shoulder and lost a bit of blood but I promise he will heal.”