Soldiers of Pearl 1: Invasion of Hearts (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  She cried out. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. The sounds echoed in her head as she blinked, and she could hear Arabella screaming. When she looked to the right, her head on the ground, she saw boots and heard deep voices. She begged her eyes to focus and to not lose consciousness.

  No, oh God, no. Kever? Anthony?

  She heard screaming, as she rolled to the right into the fetal position. She was in so much pain. She wasn’t sure if she were hallucinating or not but there they were. Kever backhanded Arabella, causing her to fall to the ground. Kever kicked her and Arabella was fighting back.

  “Where are my fucking kids?” She slowly moved her head toward the sound of the muffled voice. Anthony was in her face, yelling, teeth clenched. “Snap out of it, bitch.” He slapped her face and her head throbbed even more. He shook her, smacked her, and all she could do was cry, her body heavy.

  “Useless bitch!” He dropped her head, it hit the ground, and all she saw was blackness.

  * * * *

  “She’s not answering the cell phone!” Smith yelled as he drove with Reno in the deputy car. Rex and Brock were in the other deputy car and a convoy of vehicles were all dispatched from Pearl to Turbank, and even Keanter the moment news came in from Chicago from Storm.

  “He’s going to grab them, kill them. Fuck,” Smith said as he gripped the dashboard and stared straight ahead. Reno was driving fast, weaving through the back roads between Pearl and Keanter.

  The radio kept going off sending in reports.

  When dispatch said there was a report of an accident and women being dragged from a truck by two men, he knew it was Cora and Arabella.

  “I shouldn’t have let her go there without me.”

  “It’s not your fault. She’s been driving in and out of Keanter to see Elvira. She has the cell phone. These sick fucks got past everyone, even Sotoro’s men. We’ll get to her. The location of the accident is right outside of Keanter. People are watching. We’ll get to her,” Reno said, but he felt as if he were trying to convince himself of that, too. They found out so much about Anthony Perrone and Kever Slane. Things Kever did to men and women were beyond sick and criminal The man was a monster. A monster obsessed with having their woman.

  * * * *

  “Forget the weak bitch. We have Arabella. She’ll tell us where those kids of yours are,” Kever said as he held Arabella by the throat against the back of the truck. She was losing her ability to breathe. Her head hurt, and her shoulder was bleeding from the accident. She couldn’t even see Cora but saw the blood coming from her face and head. She was now unconscious, maybe even dead, and Anthony was kicking her and shaking her.

  “Stop it. Stop it.” Arabella pleaded with what felt like her last breath. Kever eased up on his hold and she swallowed, feeling the pain. His body was wedged against hers.

  “I came here for my fucking woman and my kids.”

  “She left you, got you locked up. I say fuck that bitch and go get the kids yourself.”

  Fuck!” Anthony yelled out and kicked Cora again.

  “Stop it please. You’re killing her,” Arabella cried out, holding onto Kever’s wrists that felt like steel. She was no match for his strength.

  The sound of sirens in the distance drew their attention.

  “We need to move.” Kever pulled her toward him and she knew if they got her into their truck and out of here that she was good as dead and would sustain Kever’s idea of torture and abuse. But she felt the pain from the car accident, the inability to grasp her full strength.

  “Let’s move.”

  “No, I’m going after my kids.” Anthony ran toward the truck and Kever was yelling at him. It was craziness. It was like Anthony had lost it completely. He took off in the truck and Arabella’s heart pounded in her chest with worry that he would find Second Chances and the kids, but he headed in the opposite direction so she knew that he hadn’t a clue where they were and there was no way he would figure it out.

  “Asshole!” Kever yelled and then dragged her back toward the truck her and Cora had driven in. Arabella tried to look down to see if Cora was alive. As she looked and saw all the blood and Cora’s lifeless body, she cried out. Kever shoved her against the truck and struck her across the mouth. Arabella cried and nearly fell to the ground. He lifted her up and threw her into the truck. He was around the other side, trying to pull the door open and he couldn’t because of the car accident he had caused. Arabella got her bearings and started easing toward the passenger door, her hand on the handle, when Kever glared and ran around the front of the truck and pulled open the door before she could. He gripped her by the throat. “Cooperate or die.”

  She’d never felt such pain before. The man with his hands alone could end her life. She knew that, felt the power in his hands. He shoved her toward the driver’s side. “Start the fucking truck and go.”

  In that moment there were police cars coming toward them, the sirens louder. She wondered, hoped that they were her men, their friends coming to their rescue.

  “Start the fucking truck.” He slammed his hand against her head, the blow making her cheek hit the side window that was already cracked. She shook as she started the truck.

  “Step on the gas.” He popped open the switchblade, the tip cutting her skin under her chin.

  “Okay, okay, I’m going.” With her head tilted up, and the broken windshield blocking her view, she stepped on the gas. The tires squealed. The sound of police cars skidding and someone yelling on a loud speaker all blurred in her mind as she kept her foot on the gas pedal.

  “Keep going, don’t stop.”

  One police cruiser pulled in front of them and she slammed the corner of it. As she passed by she saw Smith and Reno. Their fear for her hit her and snapped her out of the fear consuming her body. She took a deep breath. She’d fought so hard for this life. Three fucking years on the run from this monster and she was letting him win. Now? When she had four lovers, a new business, friends, a new life, and this bastard was going to rip it all from her? She’d rather die.

  The tears stung her eyes as he lowered the knife. In the rearview mirror she could see the multiple police cars following, sirens blaring. She looked around, gaging her next move. She had to end it all. If she lived, then so be it, and if she died, at least she got to love her men. Thoughts of Reno, Rex, Smith, and Brock filled her mind. The martial arts training, the fighting she did to survive. Cora’s lifeless body, Julia, Liam, and her mom who would continue to suffer if Kever got away with taking Arabella once and for all. She wasn’t a quitter, and she never backed down.

  I’m not going to start today.

  * * * *

  “Fuck, he’s getting away,” Brock yelled out.

  “Oh God, no,” Rex yelled as they watched the truck pick up excessive speed and slam into the telephone pole. The door kicked open, Arabella tumbled out and then Kever, bloody and stunned, fell out on top of her. She was scrambling across the high grass on her hands and knees as Rex brought the car to a stop and jumped out. They were all running toward her. Reno, Brock, Smith, Mark, and others.

  He saw Reno and Mark draw their guns and yell out, “Stop! Police!”

  Arabella screamed as Kever punched her and she rolled over onto her back. There was a knife in his hand and he stabbed her. The sound of her screams filled the air and took Rex’s breath away. But then Arabella roared in anger and thrust her fist upward under Kever’s chin and neck. His head snapped back, she somehow got the knife, and stuck him with it. Kever roared above her and slammed down at her face then rose up prepared to attack again when two shots rang out. Rex saw Kever snap back, a bullet to his forehead and one to his chest. He fell to the side.

  They were all feet away. One glance and he saw Reno and Mark placing their weapons back into their holsters and kneeling on the ground next to Arabella.

  Rex and Brock were running to get to her, too. When they got closer, they both fell to the ground. Mark was rolling Kever off of Arabella. Her fac
e was bleeding, eyes swollen, and blood was oozing from her side.

  “I need an ambulance here pronto,” Reno called into the radio. Rex couldn’t even process the situation. His only concern was to get to Arabella.

  “Is she alive?” he asked, reaching for her hand.

  “Baby, open your eyes. Come on now, baby, show me those blue eyes. Arabella, come on now,” Brock said to her firmly. She blinked her eyes open, looked at him, and cried.

  “Brock?”

  “Shh now, baby girl, we’ve got you. You did so good, honey. The ambulance is on its way. You’re going to be just fine.”

  “Where’s the fucking ambulance?” Smith called out. He had his shirt against Arabella’s side. It was drenched with blood and his expression was grim. Rex had seen enough knife wounds and other bad injuries while serving, and this looked like a bad one.

  “Keep the pressure on the wound. The ambulance just pulled up now,” Mark said, looking just as concerned for Arabella.

  “Cora?” Arabella whispered.

  “She’s alive, baby,” Reno told her.

  She looked at them, moving only her eyes around at them. “If I die, know I love all of you very much.”

  “No, baby, you’re not going to die. You’re going to make it because you’re a fucking soldier,” Smith yelled at her.

  “Oh God, please,” Rex said as Arabella closed her eyes. Her head rolled to the side.

  * * * *

  Smith stared at his hands, the blood stains had washed away but not on his pants. That wound Arabella had was a serious one. Her vitals were weak. She’d needed to get into emergency surgery right away and the doctors gave them the heads-up that it was a life-threatening injury. They could lose her, and that just didn’t sit right with Smith at all.

  The waiting room was filled with their friends, and of course Mary and the kids. Millie, Stacy, and Anna were there with their men, bringing moral support to Mary and to all of them. Wyatt was talking to Mark, who was now trying to deal with the Feds and an investigation into organized crime and something to do with Kever and Anthony being hired hit men.

  The more they learned about these men who’d hunted Arabella and her family, the prouder they became of their woman and her strength. But the way she’d told them she loved them and mentioned dying as she lay there on the field of high grass, his shirt pressed against her wound, blood everywhere, made it seem so final. If she died, he would never be the same man again. He would never love again, never want to take another breath again. Arabella was part of him. She was his everything.

  He rubbed his hands over his eyes, trying to hold back the tears that wanted to escape. He was a fucking soldier, not some sniveling weak ordinary man.

  “She’ll pull through. She’s going to fucking make it.” He felt Rex’s arm go around his shoulder. They were all together. Him, Brock, Rex, and Reno.

  It was hours and hours of waiting, and when exhaustion overtook him, it was only the push against his side by Brock that had him waking up, as well as the others around them in the room. There stood the doctor, looking exhausted, and defeated. Smith’s stomach churned with nausea.

  “It was a very deep, damaging wound, but I think we gained control of the bleeding. It was touch and go there for a bit. We had to resuscitate her four times, but her heart rate is stronger. She definitely had the will to live. Our plan is to keep her sedated. Resting, healing, and seeing if the surgery was a complete success will take some time. She’ll remain in the ICU under constant care.”

  Smith covered his face with his hands as the others asked about seeing her, about her recovery, what was next. But all he cared about was the fact that she was alive. He kept thinking about how she’d died and come back four times. She came back for them and they would love her, care for her, and provide for her forever.

  * * * *

  The first few weeks were difficult for all of them. As Brock entered the room alone, he finally started to see some small differences in Arabella’s condition. When they first saw her after surgery three weeks ago, they all broke down at the sight. Her battered face, the tubes, wires, and all the equipment plus the sight of her weak fragile body made them think she wouldn’t make it. But their woman was a stubborn, persistent fighter. After all she’d went through, she was still fighting, still pushing to live and be free. He and his team talked about it, day after day, about how they would cherish her and love her for eternity.

  “How is she doing?” Smith asked, joining him. Brock looked over his shoulder as he held Arabella’s hand and caressed it around the IV stuck in her skin.

  Smith reached over and fixed the covers then caressed her cheek with his knuckles.

  “She seems a little better. I don’t know, maybe it’s just wishful thinking, and hope that she wakes up soon.”

  “She will. She’s come so far,” Smith said.

  “How is Cora doing?”

  “She’ll be here in a little while. The headaches are still bad, but she says she’s feeling a little stronger.”

  “Good. Arabella will be so happy to see her.” He said the words without thinking. Knowing that Arabella hadn’t opened her eyes in three weeks. The last time he saw those baby blues were while she lay on the grass, surrounded by them as she said she loved them.

  “Hey, she’s going to make it. She needs the rest, and remember what the doctor said. The longer she’s not moving around the better. Plus, the tests they did show the wound is healing well and there’s no more internal bleeding.”

  “I know. I know.” Brock released her hand and stepped back.

  The door to the room opened and there came Rex and Reno in uniform.

  “Hey, how is she?” Rex asked, coming closer.

  Reno joined him and gave a soft smile to Brock and Smith as they touched her hand and leaned down to kiss her cheek on either side.

  “She seems a little better today. Those other tests came back great. It’s just a matter of her waking up and continuing to rest, I guess,” Smith said.

  “Is that right? Hey, Arabella, are you listening, baby? The guys say the tests came back great. We miss your voice,” Reno said, his voice slightly cracking as he kissed her cheek.

  When Smith saw her move, his chest tightened and his breath caught in his throat.

  “Did you see that?” Reno asked them and they all moved closer.

  “Arabella, baby,” Smith said her name. She slowly began to open her eyes. The sight of those blues eyes caused a gush of excitement and relief to fill his body.

  “Arabella?” Brock whispered.

  She cringed from pain and they all started comforting her and telling her to rest. Rex ran out of the room to get the doctor.

  “We love you, baby. You did it. You fought so hard. You keep fighting and come back to us,” Reno told her.

  She couldn’t talk but her eyes welled up with tears and they knew in that moment that everything was going to be okay. Their woman was going to make it.

  Chapter 16

  Arabella plopped down on the bed without a care in the world but to get off her aching feet and to rest. It was such a long day, but everything turned out fabulous. The food and the party for Elvira that she had held off having for six months. What a hell of a recovery, but Arabella was feeling fine.

  “You overdid it. Goddamn it, I said it was too early for you to start the catering business up again and to do this party.” Brock’s concerned voice filled the bedroom. He stormed toward her and she took in the sight of him. Black T-shirt stretched across bulging muscles, his tattoos, colorful and intimidating staring back at her, and that firm, commanding stance and expression he had on his face every time he was in his commander mode. It all turned her on and made her smile.

  “What the hell are you smiling at? I ought to throw you over my knee and spank that ass of yours.”

  “Promises, promises.”

  The men had been so careful with her even though she had the all clear and only the scar on her side as a physical reminder of t
he attack. But every time they made love to her they focused on that scar, kissed it, and made love to her slowly. She lay back and allowed them to get through their upset in their own ways.

  But today was different. Seeing Brock like this, hearing his tone and ordering turned her on, and despite how tired she was, she wanted to play. She wanted to make love to her men and was certain the others would join her shortly.

  “What is that look for? You’re not taking me seriously!” he yelled as she heard footsteps and knew one of the others was coming.

  She was on her back on the bed, her feet bare, her skirt lifted slightly above her knees and she reached her hand out across the bed. “Come here, baby,” she said.

  His eyes widened. That deep, dark, angry expression instantly lessened and he slowly approached.

  “You’re right. I overdid it, and I’m achy.”

  “Fuck.” He ran his fingers through his hair.

  “What’s going on?” Rex asked.

  “She fucking overdid it. She’s achy.”

  “Damn, Arabella, we said you weren’t ready for this,” Rex told her.

  Reno and Smith walked into the room, too. All her men gathered around her. They were all looking so sexy and edible in their casual attire of T-shirts, jeans that showed off their tight asses, and tattoos galore.

  “What are you feeling? Can I get you some ibuprofen?” Reno asked.

  She reached down and held Brock’s gaze as she shook her head. She lifted her skirt up, spread her thighs, and began to maneuver her fingers under her panties to her pussy.

  “I’m achy here.”

  “Arabella,” Brock reprimanded.

  She quickly removed her panties and then scooted to the edge of the bed. “I’m fine, Brock, but I need you. Please.” She stroked her finger up into her cunt. In and out she moved her finger and the men watched in awe.

  Smith chuckled. “I think we can help her out, don’t you?”