Robin and Her Merry Men (15 page)

Breaking Protocol Book Three

By Willow Brooke

Two months had passed since that night at the party, and things had only gone downhill since. Each time Vice was forced to interact with Dom, it had grown harder and harder, making her dread the deployment coming in just two days. The whole farm had been buzzing with blooming love and it made her want to barf.

This morning she had tried to avoid everyone like the plague, but it seemed the forces of Grey Skull were stacking against her. Now, here she was, stuck loading the damn truck in the blazing hot sun with none other than their fearless asshole leader himself.

“Vice, get your head out of your ass and get this shit tied up!” Dom snapped.

Vice fumed. She had been tying the damn tent poles and ammo boxes for the past three damn hours with him barking orders and had had just about enough. Standing up straight, she grasped the small of her back that was aching so bad she could scream and glared at him with daggers shooting from her eyes.

“I don’t know what the hell has crawled up in your ass and camped out but you best get it out before I knock it out.” Her fists doubled at her sides and her eyes narrowed, daring him to say something.

The corners of Dom’s lips tilted up into a cocky smirk. Slowly, he walked toward her, stalking like a prowling lion in that moment before it took down its prey. Her heart pounded against her chest, speeding with each step he took closer. Vice felt her stomach flip-flop, dropping into her toes as he came up, stopping only mere inches from her face. He had intentionally invaded her personal space, using the uncomfortable closeness to knock her bearings—and it worked. She could feel his breath casting against her face, seeping in her pores like a searing branding iron. His eyes roamed over her features, looking for her to falter. She tried to remain cold as stone and keep her feelings hidden but knew he could see straight through her act. When he grinned, her gut twisted. How the hell did one man turn her body into a walking pile of mash potatoes? She watched as his lips parted, seeming to be in slow motion. “I assure you, nothing is in my ass, but if you keep getting lippy I will stick a plug in yours and spank it until it’s a pretty pink.”

Vice’s jaw hit the ground. When she finally found her tongue, she was boiling. “Your threats don’t work on me, Dom. You should know that by now…and you made it perfectly clear where you stood the night after the party. So, unless you want to loose a vital body part, I suggest you back the fuck off.” Her lip curled over her teeth, giving in to the pent up hurt and anger she had been holding since that mouthwatering, panty-twisting kiss.

Dom took a step back, mimicking the same reaction he had when he stormed off that night and backtracked. “You’re right. You are my soldier. Nothing else. Take five and finish up here.” He spun on his heel and disappeared for the rest of the day.

By Willow Brooke

Zara
h
had awoke at the
continual
sound of cabinets being slammed and dishes rattled. Tonight, the unworldly things that took up residency in h
er home took it a step fu
rther. They had graduated rapidly from the ordinary books flying off the shelves to lights coming on and doors locking by themselves to dirty place settings and half eaten food lying on the table. Tonight, she had been attacked. While in the shower, something had locked her in the glass stall and turned off the cold water, scolding her skin. Due to all of the what if scenarios she had went over and over in her mind from the numerous horror movies she watched, she had instinctively used her elbow to shatter the glass and escape before
any
seriously injur
ies occurred
. With blood running down her arm
, she ran.
T
hings started to fly at her violently, and somehow
what she had concluded was a
poltergeist was able to make physical contact with her despite the beliefs that they couldn’t. Scratches raked down her cheek, dripping blood and burning enough to make her totally aware of it despite the fear
fest she faced.

She
’
d grown used to the apparitions that shared the nineteenth century hotel with her, and had learned to coincide with them harmoniously up until now.
For the most part
the premonitions she saw and heard were friendly, or just wanted attention and to be noticed. The grand
ballroom
that once
was
filled with couples dancing on the old wooden floor was now
occupied
with the same crowd and music
—only in a more translucent form than before.
She had stepped into the room on many occasions and been knocked smack dab in the middle of a formal ball, going unnoticed as couples walked around and through her carrying on. The strange thing was, she hadn’t been startled in the least. Her entire life she had experienced contact of all sorts with things of the unknown. From early on, Zarah had been different, but chalked it up to having more intuition than others.

Now, clad in
nothing more than
a black bath towel, she stood out at the end of the driveway shivering, waiting for Jessa. Between the smorgasbor
d
of paranormal magic fairytale stuff the huge group all contained, surely they could figure out how to rid the only place she could afford to live of the dead people, right?

The longer she stood there, the more frightened she
became
. It was in the middle of the night, and here she stood like some overzealous hooker already cleaned, naked, and ready to go.

Ok, I have to stop. I live in a great neighborhood. The small little town is safe. Nothing happens here, ever. Maybe it does...a
nd we don’t hear about it? Or t
he whole town is
involved
in some way like the Hills Have Eyes type deal? Shit! I don’t want to die being dipped in hot wax and left to suffer for weeks or months before my body shuts down.
I have to get out of here now!

Zarah did a little shiver shake, shimmying from her toes to her nose, and back again. Okay, so maybe her addiction to horror movies might have a tad bit to do with tonight.
The ghosts are real, that's a fact…but maybe the evil ones came for help or to hurt because I can speak to them and they understand...vi
ce
versa…

Her neighborhood was a newly developing site, with only a few houses scattered down one road and another in construction. The company that had recentl
y bought the area had demolish
ed most of the old original stores and businesses that had once stood, leaving only a few remaining to add charm to the housing area the
builders
were set to build. The old hotel happened to sit at the end of the street surrounded by woods on two sides, and more than one rubble lot surrounding it. What once was an old church house, was now a pile of wood and stone that was set to be a three bedroom
,
two
-
story house.

Damn spooky if
anyone
asked her.