Her Double Mountain Outlaws: Blackthorn Mountain Men, book 8, page 14
I gasped, adrenaline spiking through me as a hand shoved me back into the chair.
“Last chance, bitch,” he growled. “Don’t fucking tempt me.”
Suddenly, there was the sound of clapping. One set of clapping, to be exact. Slow, ominous clapping.
“My, my, my.”
The voice was both comically whiny and shiveringly creepy.
“Shaunessy!” Landon roared, the sound of more scuffling and another hit making me wince.
“So, the fuck is this, huh?” the creepy voice sighed. “Here I am scouring the fucking desert for you two assholes. I’m lookin’ in LA, in Vegas, in Phoenix. Shit I even heard a rumor about you in Miami. But here you are playing lumberjacks up in the goddamn woods?”
Neither Landon or Caleb said a word.
“Take their hoods off.”
I gasped as a hand yanked the bag off of my head, light blinding me instantly as I blinked and winced. Slowly though, I blinked, my eyes focusing and my heart suddenly jumping into my throat.
We were in an old warehouse of some kind—definitely abandoned and half over-grown by the woods. The floor was dirt and broken concrete, the walls crumbling, and the air dark and wet. And standing twenty feet away from me, their arms raised and their wrists tied to an overhanging pipe, were Landon and Caleb.
The hoods were pulled from their faces too, and when they saw me, they moved lunging. The two of them snarled, twisting at their binds and swearing, muscles straining and rippling as they fought to break free.
The creepy voice laughed this extra creepy laugh, and when I turned, my blood ran cold.
The man who looked to be in charge was everything his voice had made me think he’d be. Pale and sickly, with greasy black hair slicked back, a goatee that made him look like the devil, and beady, black eyes. He was dressed in a three-piece suit, and the many rings on his fingers glinting as his fingers curled around the handle of the sawed-off shotgun in his hand.
His thin lips curled into a wicked grin.
“So, this whole thing…” he wheezed out a little laugh, wagging his finger between Landon and Caleb and me.
“What kind of fucked up little freakshow is this?”
I glared at him, rage burning inside of me.
“One of these assholes your boyfriend, honey?” he laughed again. “Let me rephrase that. Is one of these assholes your boyfriend and so fuckin’ pussy that he’s gotta bring another dick in to satisfy you?”
We were surrounded by about twenty guys in black with guns, and they all chuckled along with the man with the shotgun. He turned towards Landon and Caleb.
“So, which one of you shitbirds is it, huh? Who’s got the tiny dick that doesn’t do it for the lady?”
Caleb snarled at him. “How about you come over here and take a peek yourself, asshole.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” he sneered back.
Landon grinned. “Shit, we might, but I know you would.”
The man’s smile faded, a cold rage sparking in his eyes before he suddenly yanked the shotgun up and leveled it at Landon.
“Yeah? Yeah?” He spat. “Who’s laughing now, funny man.”
“Take it easy, Harry,” Caleb growled, his jaw tense and his muscles straining against his binds.
“Take it easy, huh?” Harry muttered. “Take it easy while you two fuckwads run off with my money?” His eyes narrowed as he glanced back at me. “Oh, now, is this what you spent it all on? Pretty little piece like this? Shit, how much does a country mountain whore like this charge to let both you faggots fuck—”
“That’s enough!” Landon roared, lunging so hard that the pipe he was tied to wrenched from its brackets a little. The men around him quickly jumped in, one of them sinking the butt of his rifle into Landon’s stomach as I screamed.
Slowly, through the commotion, I was aware of Harry laughing.
“Well fuck me!” he hooted, glancing at me again. “Wait, do I have this right? She with both of you?!” He held his side, cackling as he doubled over. “Shit, girl, one man just don’t do it for you, huh? I mean, how many dicks do you gotta fuck before you need two of them just too—”
This time it was Caleb who roared, yanking so hard at the ropes holding him back that I saw blood drip from his wrists. He bellowed, rage fuming in his eyes as Harry just laughed while his men shoved Caleb back.
Harry kept chuckling, wiping a tear from his eye as he shook his head. Finally, he took a breath, snickering as he glanced over at my two guys.
“Assholes. Last chance. Where’s my fucking money.”
“It’s gone,” Caleb spat, sneering at the man. “It was never yours anyways, and we made sure that it never would be.”
“You spend it?”
Landon shook his head. “Burned it.”
Harry arched a brow, peering at the two of them, like he was trying to see if they were messing with him.
“You what now?”
Caleb grinned. “Burned it, douchebag. Every fucking last dollar of it.”
Slowly, Harry shook his head, laughing that creepy, low chuckle quietly.
“Well, that was a big fuckin’ mistake.”
He sighed, nodding to himself before suddenly, he brought his gun up, checked the barrels, and then racked it shut.
“Well, here’s what we’re gonna do. The three of you? This whole… thing you got going? I’m amused by it. So, let’s play a little game. My gun here has two barrels, and two rounds. And on the count of three, I’m gonna let you three decide which one doesn’t get a round through the chest. Capiche?”
The blood drained from my face, my heart racing as I slowly shook my head.
“No,” I breathed, my head shaking faster. “No, you can’t—”
“I most certainly can, sweetheart,” Harry chuckled. “Now personally, I’m rooting for you. It’d be a shame to fuck up a rack like that.” His eyes dipped to the front of my robe, and I yanked it tighter around me, glaring at him as he snickered.
“But who knows what’ll happen! Alright now, we all ready?”
Across from me, Landon and Caleb glanced at each other before they turned to me, eyes burning right into mine as my heart started to break.
“I love you, Kennedy,” Caleb said quietly.
“One.”
“I love you too, angel,” Landon growled, his eyes fixed on me as mine filled with tears.
“Two.”
“Please…”
Before Harry could say three, suddenly, both Landon and Caleb bellowed loudly.
…And they yelled my name.
Harry crowed as I started to sob, my head shaking.
“Aww well now look at that! True love, eh fellas?” He wagged his brows at his men, who all started chuckling. I shook my head tears blurring my vision as I turned away.
And then, I paused.
The man with the mean voice who’d been dragging me along was standing right next to me, and there, by his feet were Landon and Caleb’s cell phones, a backpack Caleb had brought with him, and my purse—a weird collection of things they’d apparently taken along with us from the house.
The sound of Harry loudly cocking the shotgun yanked my attention back towards him.
“So, bad news, kids.” He grinned triumphantly. “I lied,” he snickered. “Did you really think I was going to let you all pick someone to live? None of you are walking out of here.”
My heart sank, and I watched the color drain from Caleb and Landon’s faces.
“Nah, I just wanted to see who the favorite was.” He winked at my guys. “Hate to break it to you, fellas, but she dies to. She’s just gonna die last so she can watch me cut you both in fucking half with this shotgun.”
Landon and Caleb roared, rushing at Harry again, snarling and yanking at their binds as I screamed and cursed at him. But he just laughed, checking the barrels of his shotgun again before closing it up and grinning wickedly. He turned to Caleb and Landon—the two men I’d never seen coming who I’d fallen completely in love with—and narrowed his eyes.
“Time to say goodbye, douchebags.”
I screamed, lunging out of my chair. But the man standing next to me just hissed, grabbing me by the hair and shoved me down to the ground. Harry chuckled, ignoring the chaos of my screams and Landon and Caleb fighting to break free as he leveled the gun. Through the tears, my eyes landed on my bag again.
And suddenly, it was all crystal clear.
I lunged, grabbing for the gun from the pile of stuff at the guy’s feet. He turned arching a brow before he chuckled.
“You need your makeup, sweetheart?”
My hand shoved into the bag, pushing past the makeup kit, past my sunglasses, past my wallet.
My jaw tightened, and when my fingers brushed the side pocket, my pulse jumped.
I shook my head, my fingers curling around what I’d been looking for as I looked up in the sneering, cruel, murderous face of the man holding me by the hair.
I’d been slapped around before. I’d been hit, and treated like shit before too. But you know what’d changed since then?
Me.
I’d rebuilt myself. I’d gotten stronger. I’d learned to fight back. And that final push of strength had come from the two men standing in front of me about to die. And maybe that’s what pushed me over.
Because I’d done one other thing since Nick had treated me like his personal punching bag.
…I’d learn to shoot.
“What, you need your fucking lip balm or some shit, bitch?”
The metal was cold in my fingers, and when I looked up, suddenly, the roaring of my pulse went away. The yelling of the men around me silenced. I took a deep breath.
“No,” I hissed, my fingers tightening.
“Just this.”
My arm moved in slow motion, yanking the gun from its hidden holster as I jerked my hand from the bag. The man’s brows shot up, and he looked like he was about to yell as he let go of my hair and reached for his own gun.
I was faster.
The gun thundered in my hand, shockwaves rippling up my arm as fire exploded from the barrel. The man grunted, staggering backwards holding his chest before he toppled to the ground.
Yeah, that’s pretty much when all hell broke loose.
I whirled faster than I’d ever have thought I could move or react, my fingers squeezing the trigger again on instinct as I blasted the guy to the other side of me through the leg. The rest of the room erupted, screaming as they rushed for me, turning away from Landon and Caleb for a second. And that was all the time they needed.
With a roar, the both of them yanked down, hard, muscles rippling and bunching as the metal piping above them creaked, bent, shuddered, and then wrenched free. And suddenly, they were moving.
Landon lunged into the guy right next to him, bashing him to the ground while Caleb smashed another one face-first into a wall. He yanked the gun out of the guy’s hand as he fell, whirling and dropping to one knee as he started firing. Landon did the same with the gun from the guy he’d tackled, and I screamed as I dove for cover behind a concrete pillar.
There was a screeching sound, and suddenly, the big roll-up door to the warehouse buckled and wrenched inward, shattering as the headlights came barreling through it. The big pickup truck screeched to a skidding stop, and suddenly, gunfire filled the room.
Ryker leaned out of the driver’s side window, his jaw tight as he fired off round after round. Axe, Stone, and a blond guy that looked like a linebacker jumped from the truck bed, charging into the warehouse with guns raised and firing. I screamed, throwing myself to the ground and covering my head as the sound of men yelling and guns blasting filled the empty warehouse, until suddenly, it all went quiet.
Hand grabbed me up from the ground, and I hissed as I whirled, yanking my gun up before—
“Kennedy!”
I froze, blinking, trembling as my eyes focused on Caleb, and next to him, Landon.
And just like that, I shattered
I sobbed, the gun clattering from my hand as I threw myself into their arms. Big, powerful hands held me tight, stroking me while they nuzzled into my neck and kissed my cheeks. I shook, the sudden rush of adrenaline now leaving me weak and unsteady.
“Hey, hey,” Landon soothed, stroking my back. “We’ve got you, angel. We’ve got you.”
I held them tight, like I never wanted to let them go, breathing in the scent of them and losing myself in their embrace. It felt like they held me for hours, just rocking me and kissing my forehead, before finally, I pulled back.
“That’s some slick shooting, baby girl,” Caleb chuckled, his eyes burning into mine.
“I mean, the first time was kind of blind luck. I’m not sure how well I’d do patching up another bullet hole in you.”
Caleb hooted a laugh, and it was tears of joy that I felt running down my cheeks as he leaned in and kissed me slowly. I melted into his lips, holding him so tight as our lips seared together. He pulled back, grinning as he stepped aside for Landon to take his place, who kissed me just as fiercely, making me giggle as he spun me around before setting me down.
“You three okay?”
We all turned at the sound of Stone’s voice.
“Thanks to you, man,” Caleb nodded.
Stone chuckled. “Shit, looked like you had it pretty well taken care of. What was that, twenty-one to two? Not bad odds for you two.”
“Nineteen to two,” Landon grinned, nodding at me. “Kennedy took down two before we could get free.”
My brother-in-law arched a sharp brow at me. “Oh?”
I shrugged, and he grinned.
“Damn. Always knew you were an outlaw at heart,” he chuckled. “You badass, you.”
“Maybe don’t tell Jackie that part?”
“Yeah, how about we don’t tell her about me riding in the back of a pickup truck punching a hole in the side of a warehouse full of dudes I get into a firefight with either. Deal?”
“Hell yes.”
Landon and Caleb laughed as Stone and I shook on it, before pulling me back into them.
“So, this is a thing, isn’t it?”
They both nodded at Stone, unblinking and unafraid.
Stone just smiled and shook his head. “Now that one I’ll definitely let you explain to your sister.”
“Get those fuckin guns outta my face!”
We turned to see Ryker, Axe, and the blond guy growling as they leveled guns at a bloodied and beat-up looking Harry. Three or four of his guys lay groaning on the floor around him.
Ryker looked up at me, Landon, and Caleb.
“You three okay?”
I nodded, biting my lip as Landon and Caleb put their arms around me.
“Yeah, we’re good,” Caleb said quietly.
“Well,” Ryker snarled, turning back to Harry before glancing at the big blond guy. “He’s all yours.”
The blond guy bristled, cocking a pistol and snarling as he pushed the barrel against Harry’s temple, who suddenly paled.
“Hang—now hang on here! Let’s talk!”
The blonde guy grinded his jaw, his hand clenching on the gun, before slowly, his shoulders untensed.
“Fuck it,” he hissed, turning away. “I’m calling it in.”
Harry snorted. “Knew you didn’t have the balls to—”
He grunted as the guy whirled, cracking his pistol across Harry’s face.
“Don’t thank me, douchebag. You’re going to jail for the rest of your fuckin’ life.”
He turned, sighing as he nodded and Landon and Caleb.
“Kennedy,” Landon muttered. “This is Special Agent Turner, with the Feds.”
My mind quickly went to my two guys’ less than… legitimate backgrounds, and my blood chilled.
But Agent Turner just shook his head.
“I made some calls to some of my people about you two,” he nodded at Landon and Caleb, and my hands slid into theirs, tightening.
“Whatever shit you’ve got hounding you from your lives before, consider it gone.”
I felt my guys stiffen, glancing at each other.
“Pardon? Caleb frowned.
“The work with Harry,” he nodded at Landon. “Your shit with the mob before that.”
He turned to Caleb.
“And your problems with the military discharge and all the shit after that?”
His jaw tightened.
“It’s gone, all of it. You two were instrumental in getting this shithead.”
Landon snorted. “All we did was get the shit kicked out of us while you found him.”
Turner shrugged, grinning. “Well, someone had to do it.”
Caleb chuckled as he shook his head. “Asshole.”
Landon elbowed him.
“By which I mean, thanks for the record expunging thing.”
“It’s the least I could do. Especially after what you did for Mario’s family.” He turned to me. “Heard you’re a hell of a shot, miss.”
I smiled wryly. “It’s kinda hard to miss when he’s a foot away.”
He grinned. “Still. Those two owe you for that.”
“Happy to pay you back in full any way you want, baby girl,” Caleb murmured darkly in my ear, making me shiver.
* * *
At some point, the local cops from Loggersville came, along with a few agents from the somewhat local FBI field office. A medic gave us all a once over, and eventually, finally, I found myself back in Landon and Caleb’s arms.
“You okay, angel?”
I nodded, smiling up into Caleb’s face. “I’m great.”
He frowned. “Look, I know shooting someone can—”
“No,” I smiled, shaking my head as I looked up into both of their eyes. “Trust me, I’m fine. He was going to kill you two, and that…”
My mouth thinned.
“That wasn’t going to happen. I just found you,” I whispered fiercely, pulling them both close. “And I’ll be damned if I let anyone take either of you away from me.”
Landon grinned, leaning in to kiss me slowly.
“Shit, how’d we get you again?”
“Caleb got shot?”
They roared out laughter, pulling me close and then each kissing me as they scoped me into their arms.
