Crossroads 2: Lacey's Last Chance (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  “We try to. Sometimes our schedules clash,” Louie told her.

  “Yeah, in my job, I can get called in at any time,” Junior said.

  “But you guys are off today and tomorrow, right?” Louie asked.

  “Well, at least for today. We’ve been busy and working on some special cases. With the heat increasing around the city, it could get busy. That’s what usually happens,” Junior told them.

  “How about you, Louie?” she asked him.

  “I make my own hours. I work from home in my office and sometimes have meetings, usually in the city. I do a lot of advertising and marketing for big businesses. A lot of it is done on computers.”

  “That’s great. I worked in an advertising agency, but mostly took care of the numbers and profit-loss statistics for the businesses we were providing advertising and marketing for.”

  “Wow, you must be really good at math,” Louis complimented.

  “I never minded it,” she said, then took a sip from her beer and looked toward the shoreline. The others were starting to get out of the water. On the shore, they saw the volleyball game still going, and now she seemed preoccupied. Louie was going to ask her why she left, but Junior said some guy she was dating gave her trouble and she had to leave. That annoyed him.

  “Let’s head back,” she said, and they followed her. As soon as she was on the shoreline, she squeezed out her hair and then the tank top she wore. Junior must have seen what Louie saw as he reached for Lacey.

  “Holy shit. What is that?” Junior asked her. She looked scared and it sure bothered Louie. He felt his chest tighten with concern.

  Lacey pushed Junior’s hand away.

  “It’s nothing,” she said and then pushed the tank back down and turned.

  Junior touched her hand.

  “Wait. Lacey, hold up a minute,” he said and she locked gazes with him. Junior held her gaze and Louie stepped closer.

  “Is that a bruise? Are you okay?”

  She gulped and then looked at Louie, then back to Junior.

  “I’m good. No worries,” she said and forced a smile.

  Junior didn’t seem to accept her response as he stepped closer and brushed his thumb along her cheek and chin.

  “Is that bruise why you’ve been wearing the tank top all day?”

  Louie felt the twinge of anger. Someone had hurt her, caused that bruise, and she was hiding it? What did that mean? Was it from her ex? What the hell?

  “I’m sorry. Listen, you’re both very nice guys. I had fun. I don’t need…”

  She turned away, and before Junior or Louie could say anything more, Suzette was there, taking her hand.

  “I need Lacey for a minute.” She grabbed her and held her tight as they headed back toward the tables where the food was set up. Suzette took out a towel and handed it to Lacey.

  “What was that all about?” Louie asked Junior.

  “I don’t know. I have a bad feeling in my gut and I think it’s time we had a talk with Miles and Nikko.”

  “I agree,” Louie said and they headed for their friends, who were drinking beers and hanging out by the grills.

  * * * *

  “Now what?”

  Suzette stood by the row of blow-up row boats set up on the beach. It was their means of getting from their boats to the small island where everyone gathered for the party. Even when they squeezed onto the boat, Lacey was forced to sit on Junior’s lap while Suzette sat on Nikko’s. They were all very large men and the boat sat low to the water as they rowed their way to shore.

  “Calm down. They didn’t push for answers. They dropped it,” Suzette replied to her. Lacey looked at Suzette with tears in her eyes.

  “Do you have any idea what they’re probably thinking right now?”

  “No. I don’t know what they’re thinking, and that doesn’t matter. This is your business, your life. The main point to focus on is that Jeb is in the past. He can’t hurt you anymore. You got out of it. Besides, you looked like you were enjoying Junior and Louie’s company out there in the water.”

  “I was being polite,” Lacey whispered.

  “Oh, is that what you were being? I was thinking that maybe because they’re such nice guys that you actually let your guard down and little and enjoyed being with them. Until they caught sight of that bruising.”

  Lacey looked toward the water.

  “Suzette, they’ll think I’m weak, a loser who let her boyfriend manhandle her. They could take advantage of that, use it against me and treat me like that, too. I’m all fucked up and it goes back to before Jeb, and you and I know it.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest, as if wrapping herself in a hug with the towel.

  Suzette rubbed her arm.

  “We’ve been over this. It’s normal for you to compare every man you meet to Tye, and now, of course, Jeb.”

  She shook her head. She held Suzette’s gaze.

  “Tye did things to me, manipulated my mind and broke me down to the point of which I didn’t know who I was anymore. I should have seen the same characteristics in Jeb. The demanding tones, the ordering around, the possessiveness. Instead, because it had been so long since I was with any man, I fell for his charms, his lies and manipulation. It’s obvious that I belong alone. This is the best time for me to be alone and to focus on my new life.”

  “What about talking with Louie and Junior?”

  Lacey shook her head.

  “I’ll be polite, generally nice, but nothing more. Look at them, Lacey. They’re both bigger, more muscular, more dominant, and older than Jeb, and there are two of them. That’s not a chance I’m willing to take.”

  Suzette nodded her head. “Okay, Lacey. Let’s lay out to dry off. In a couple of hours we’ll be heading back to the marina. I’m here for you. We’ll handle this together.”

  * * * *

  “Why do you want to know so much about her?” Miles asked and smirked at Junior and Louie.

  “Why not just ask her yourself? What are you, like, twelve years old with a crush?” Nikko teased and Miles chuckled.

  Junior looked at Louie and shook his head. Their friends, of course, were teasing them. It probably sounded sophomoric to come over here and ask them about Lacey, but considering the circumstances, Nikko and Miles would understand.

  “It’s not that. It’s just that something is bothering us that we saw while we were getting out of the water,” Louis stated.

  “You mean how well she pulls off wearing a bikini?” Nikko asked.

  Junior took a deep breath and slowly released it.

  “That and the bruise on her hip shaped like finger marks she’s been hiding behind the tank top.”

  Nikko looked at Miles, and Miles looked past Louie and Junior to where Lacey and Suzette were laying out on towels on the shoreline in the sun. Both had been wearing tank tops all day. That explained a lot.

  “Her ex-boyfriend was a dick. You remember him from Crossroads, Junior. He pulled some shit on her. I’m not at liberty to say what and how they broke things off, but he is an asshole. Obviously Suzette left us out of the loop, too,” Miles said to them.

  “So this guy caused the bruises?” Louie asked, and Junior could hear the anger and concern in his brother’s tone. Hell, Junior was feeling the same way, sick to his stomach, a million questions going through his mind, and now this.

  “Is she okay? I mean, did she press charges against the guy?” Louie thought to ask.

  “I don’t think so. I think she just wants to move on and focus on her antique shop,” Nikko said, and now he seemed just as upset. Junior knew about their sister and how she had died by the hands of an abuser. Hell, they’d nearly lost Suzette in that hostage situation just two weeks ago. Junior was feeling a lot of emotions right now. He wasn’t sure how to handle this. All he knew was that he liked Lacey.

  “So there’s nothing more you can tell us?” Junior asked.

  “Afraid not. Those two are best friends and Suzette will only share with us what she
can,” Miles added.

  “Which probably won’t be much. Lacey is pretty quiet. She seems like she keeps things to herself. At least as far as we know, Lacey is done with that guy Jeb and out of the work environment that caused a lot of problems for her.”

  “That’s important, too. But I’ll tell you one thing. I hope I don’t see that dick any time soon. No man should ever lay a hand on a woman. Not ever,” Junior said and they all agreed.

  * * * *

  Night had come and it was getting late as everyone slowly began to head back to their boats. People hugged and kissed good-bye and talked about meeting up again for the next event as summer was drawing to an end. Lacey couldn’t believe it. Before long, it would be fall, the leaves would be falling, the advertisements for fall getaways and even winter snow excursions would be advertised everywhere. She wondered if this was a good time to begin her business, considering the foot traffic was always lighter in the cooler months, but by the time she got the store up and running, and with hopefully no problems, it might be spring anyway. There was so much to do, especially advertising and gathering product. She would need help.

  She felt the hand on her hip and turned quickly, shocked at both the sensation of arousal and the fear of who might be touching her. She locked gazes with Louie. His dark blue eyes held her gaze as his firm lips curled up on the corners.

  “Long day, huh?” he whispered, his eyes roaming over her lips. She wondered what it would be like to get kissed by him, by Junior, and she was shocked at her own thoughts.

  “Sure was.”

  “What were you just thinking about? When I approached, you looked so concerned and dazed,” he asked. She pushed aside thoughts of kissing and instead focused on her plan of being cordial and polite, despite the chemistry between them. Now Junior joined them, too, coming up to her side. Louie raised one of his eyebrows at her in question.

  “I was actually thinking about the shop and the time of year it might be by the time I open. There’s so much to do, and lots of inventory to stock and display. I’m feeling overwhelmed.”

  Junior clasped her hand with his. He brought her fingers to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “Hey, you’ll be just fine. Whatever you do, don’t overwork so much that you get yourself sick and then can’t function. If you need any help, lifting things, doing any heavy stuff, just call us and we’ll come over right away,” Junior offered. She felt her cheeks warm and then that pessimistic concern fill her gut.

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “And if you need help with the marketing and advertising, I know a lot of people. I can help you get a grand opening together quickly, and with a lot of interest, too,” Louie offered.

  She was so touched. They really seemed like such nice guys. They stared at her and she was in shock, especially as she replied honestly.

  “Are you two for real? I mean, what is it you’re after? There are plenty of women on this beach all day long drooling over the two of you. What’s the deal?” she said, starting off with a soft tone and then hearing her tone grow deeper and angrier. What did these guys want from her? Sex? A woman they could possess and abuse because they saw the bruises and finger marks on her hips?

  Louie cupped her cheek as Junior held her hand.

  “Slow down. We’re not after anything from you. We had a great time hanging out with you today, and we’d like to be friends. You do have friends, don’t you? Aside from Suzette, I mean,” Louie teased. It made her feel foolish for assuming the worse from the men. Both were so damn sexy and attractive. What woman could be only friends with men this sexy? Say no. Deny any future contact with them. Guard yourself for once.

  “Come on. We’ll discuss it on the boat ride back,” Louie said to her as Junior took her beach bag to carry and Louie led her to the shore line and the small blow-up row boat they were all going to squeeze on again to head out to the main boat, anchored further out on the lake.

  Her heart pounded in her chest as Louie pulled her onto his lap and Junior squeezed next to them.

  The others gathered inside and this time Suzette sat on Miles’s lap.

  “So, what’s the plan for this week with the shop? Is Stone going to begin the construction?” Louie asked, his warm breath colliding with her ear and neck, sending goose bumps over her skin. She had forgotten all about Stone until now. He was their brother, and she would be around him a whole lot after Tuesday and closing on the building.

  “I close on Tuesday, so hopefully Stone can meet me there in the afternoon to go over everything.”

  “Great. I’ll try to stop by, too, next week and see your ideas for the store, perhaps talk about your route for advertising and marketing the storefront. Maybe I can offer some feedback?” he asked, and she knew she should say no and deny any feelings of attraction and comfort with these men, but Junior and Louie were both so damn nice. Maybe she could just be friends with them. Maybe it wasn’t such a terrible idea after all.

  “Sure,” she whispered, and he smiled wide and squeezed her a little snugger on his lap. She sure could get lost in arms as big as his, and his hard thighs under her ass were arousing her pussy and her nipples as the waves rocked the boat. She was in serious trouble here. Who the hell was she kidding?

  Chapter 6

  Caroline stared at the wall. She hadn’t moved in hours. She couldn’t. The pain her body felt, the disgust at letting Tye do the things he did to her, had her physically paralyzed. But she was nothing without him. She was empty, useless, except for Tye and his needs, his pleasure, his obsession with pain.

  The tear rolled down her cheek. She thought about how he’d taken her tonight. How he tied her down, cut her skin as he had his way with her body, all the while lost in another world, in another woman’s body as he called out to his sweet angel. At first, Caroline had thought that he was talking about her, but then realized he wasn’t calling her “angel,” he was calling for another woman, the woman he really wanted, the woman he fantasized about getting back, the woman he really wanted tied to his bed and at his command.

  Before he had taken her so brutally hard last night, Tye had opened his iPad and stared at something. She hadn’t known what it was and feared he might have looked up some new kind of way to torture her and bring her pain and him pleasure. He was friends with a group of men from the area who engaged in similar sexual acts, and they brought in specialists to teach them things. She didn’t know what types of things, just that whenever he returned from one of those secret meetings, he was all riled up and ready to practice on her.

  Everything he did to her hurt and then brought some pleasure, but knowing he was thinking about another woman brought on nothing but pain. The more she cried and called out in pain, begging for mercy, the worse things got. But when she accepted the pain, his harmful, hurtful strikes, he achieved his pleasure faster and it ended quicker. He doesn’t love me, he’s using me. So why am I still here? Why can’t I get up right now, get dressed, and disappear from Wellington?

  Because he’ll find me. He’ll hunt me down and kill me. I don’t want to die. I just want to get away from this monster.

  She looked around the room, wanting to force herself up from the bed so she could get washed up, soak in a tub, and heal from the pain. Why did I ever leave home? Why couldn’t I just accept my life there? Why was I so determined to land a wealthy man who would be my ticket out of the city and out of poverty and the lack of love from my mother? Why?

  She felt the tears fill her eyes, but she dared not cry. Not with Tye still in the house. She knew he was in his home office. He had a routine. He demanded that everything had a place and that schedules needed to be followed down to the minute. He would expect her to leave for her workout classes in an hour. From there, she would hit the farmer’s market, one of her favorite places, where she felt normal and like everyone else instead of a prisoner to her destiny.

  Tye allowed her very little freedom, but he had been so busy with business lately and an upcoming event that he had be
en more lenient. She bit her lower lip as she thought about that. Is he losing interest in me? Is he thinking about finding someone new to replace me, or perhaps going after the angel he really desires?

  A panicked feeling consumed her. She instantly felt worthless, anxious, and petrified. She would be nothing, no one, without Tye in her life. She had become dependent on him and on his attention, even though most of the time he caused her pain. He still held her in his arms afterwards. His strong, capable arms, and a fit body from his rigorous workouts, were attractive yet intimidating. Everything was done excessively. He worked out and trained like a maniac. He trained with whips, swords, and knives on a regular basis. She hated him, yet she loved him, because without him, she was nothing.

  Caroline glanced at the iPad. She flipped it open and saw it required a code, but then she remembered the camera didn’t need one as she flipped her finger up the side and revealed a gorgeous young woman.

  Her heart raced, pounded inside of her chest as she absorbed everything about the woman, the one who Tye really sought. She had long, blonde hair, similar to Caroline’s, but this one’s eyes were a bold, gorgeous blue, where Caroline’s were dark blue, almost as dark as the night sky. She was wearing a strapless dress all in black that hugged her shapely figure. She was well endowed, similar to Caroline. Staring at the woman’s face and body, she could see similar shared features, but this woman was stunning and seemed angelic.

  I’m not angelic. Never was. Look how easily I spread my legs for Tye when I first met him, looking for the easy way out, a means to end, feeling worthless and living poor. Look what it got me.

  She traced the picture with her finger, jealousy, envy, awareness of some sort compelling her to close her eyes and pray.

  Tye is mine. I need to do everything I can to keep him happy and to make him forget about this woman and focus on me. How can I make him happy? How can I show him that I would do anything, everything in my power to make him all mine?