Burnin' Love [Men for Hire: Firemen 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (18 page)

“This is crazy and I don’t pretend to understand it, but yeah, I love you, too.” She accepted another sweet kiss from Troy then turned to see that Paul hadn’t moved. Yet, unlike the times before, she knew it didn’t mean that he didn’t care. It was just his way. “All of you.”

“Forget about the damn gun.” Wade grinned and pressed his crotch against her stomach. His hard-on was unmistakable. “I’ve got a pistol of my own I want you to shoot.”

“Lame, man. Really lame.” But Troy was smiling when he stepped back.

“Naw. That comes later. She needs to learn to protect herself first.” Paul strode over to them and Wade released her.

As disappointed as she was that they couldn’t make love right then and there, she understood. Paul was showing her his love by insisting that she learn to fire a gun. She couldn’t take that away from him.

Paul got behind her and handed her the gun, putting his hands over hers. “First thing to know is to always check that the safety is on. Here.”

The last thing she wanted to do was to follow his directions. Not while she could feel the warmth of his chest against her back. His arms wrapped around her and he put his cheek close to hers as he showed her where the safety was.

“Then, once you’re sure you want to shoot…”

She couldn’t pay attention to his voice. Instead, she watched the muscles in his forearms. If she could have done so without letting him know that she wasn’t listening, she would’ve skimmed her palms over the dark hair there. She felt his warm breath against her skin and her pussy clenched thinking about feeling his mouth pressed against her as he sucked on her clit.

Damn, how she wanted him. How she wanted each of them. But she’d been the one to say that they had to keep their wits about them until the situation with Melissa was resolved. She couldn’t say differently now, could she? She moaned, filling the sound with every ounce of her frustration.

“Daisy?”

She blinked, suddenly aware that she was still holding the gun with Paul’s grip supporting hers. “Uh-huh.”

“I asked if you were ready to shoot.”

“Oh.” She concentrated on the piece of bark sitting on a tree stump. After checking the area behind and around the stump, she was ready. “Sure.”

If she hit the target, would the lesson end? Which meant, of course, that Paul would turn her loose. But it also meant that they could move on to learning something else. Like how she’d teach exactly what she liked them to do to her.

“Daisy, are you paying attention? This is important.”

She drew in a long, steadying breath. “Yes. I am.” She straightened up, determined to keep it together.

“Then just ease your finger on the trigger back, and fire whenever you’re ready.”

She did as he’d said and the shot rang out. As she’d expected, she missed the target.

“That’s okay. It was only your first try. Give it another shot.”

She should tell him she didn’t want to, but it felt too good to have him next to her. Wade and Troy stood behind her, giving her encouragement. Still, once they found out…She lifted the gun and pulled off another shot. The edge of the bark splintered away.

“Hey! There you go!” Wade’s shout of encouragement was followed by his clapping for her.

“Good job, Daisy. You’re a natural,” added Troy.

She cleared her throat and got ready to come clean. “Guys, I have a con—”

“Try it on your own. We need to know that you can handle the gun by yourself.”

She caught the indecision in Paul’s face. He probably thought the gun would pack too much of a retort for a girl to handle.

Oh, Paul, you think you know, but you don’t.

“Okay. Let me try it alone.” She lifted the gun, cupping one palm under the hand that held the gun, then squeezed off another shot. The bark shattered, blasted off the stump.

She paused, giving the realization of what she’d done time to sink in. When she turned around, she found all three men gawking at her. “How’d I do?”

Wade crossed his arms. “Boys, I think we’ve been had.”

“I’m sorry. I should’ve told you. I said I don’t like guns.” Her gaze settled on Paul. “I never said I didn’t know how to use one.”

“Hey! What’s going on?”

The men whirled around to find Kane standing at the edge of the clearing. His dark countenance reminded her of Paul’s as he skipped his attention from one man to the other, then finally came to rest on her.

“I heard shots.”

“Damn. I should’ve thought about that.” She lowered the gun as she walked past her men toward Kane. “Kane Kannal, I’d like you to meet my…friends. This is Paul Winchester along with Troy and Wade Chambliss.”

What else should she call them? Her lovers? Her men? “Kane is with Alex.”

Each man said his hello, but as soon as Kane started to step toward them to shake hands, she whipped the gun up and pulled the trigger. Troy shouted in surprise as they all jumped at the shot.

“What the hell, Daisy?” Kane had jumped to his left after the bullet had hit the target on his right.

She thrust out her chin. “Rattler.”

Although her men were used to danger, her abrupt action had left them jumpy.

“Damn. She’s a regular Annie Oakley.” Wade flattened a hand against his chest. “How about giving a guy a warning? I think my heart stopped.”

“There wasn’t any time. I don’t fool around with snakes.” She made a funny face and led them to her target.

The men crowded around the dead snake. Wade let out an appreciative whistle. “Like I was saying, guys. I think we’ve been had. She can shoot as good as I can.”

“Better,” added Troy.

“I’m surprised at you guys. Most girls growing up in the Oklahoma countryside know how to shoot a gun.” She arched an imperious eyebrow. “’Tweren’t no big thing.”

Handing the gun back to Paul, she took Kane by the arm and led him toward the house. “Guys, grab the basket and wine. We’d better get back. Alex and Melissa are probably worried to death right about now.”

The picnic and wine would have to wait for another day. But it didn’t matter. She’d gotten the answer she needed.

Daisy sat straight up in bed. Her heart pounded and she had trouble catching her breath.

What the hell?

Yet the screaming that she’d first thought came from a nightmare continued.

Melissa.

She bolted from her bed and rushed to her bedroom door. Flinging it open, it was still another minute before her sleep-fogged brain would function well enough to remind her which room was Melissa’s.

Wade and Troy burst out of their room and were by her side. Paul stayed inside his doorway, assessing the situation.

“Are you all right?”

She nodded at Wade as Troy motioned to Paul. Together, the men ran to Melissa’s room. Troy turned the knob, but the door was locked.

“Melissa, open up. It’s me. Troy.”

A cry, not as loud but just as desperate as the earlier ones, came again. But it wasn’t Melissa’s voice that shouted at them. “Stay out!”

“Who the fuck is that?” whispered Paul.

Daisy followed Wade to their side. She kept her own voice low. “I can’t be sure, but I think it’s Charlie.”

“The girlfriend?”

“Yeah.”

“Please, stop, Charlie. You’re hurting me!”

She’d been right. Charlie was the one in Melissa’s bedroom. Yet when she started to speak to her, Paul held up his hand, stopping her.

“Charlie, this is Paul. You don’t know me, but you’ve got to know what you’re doing is wrong. Open the door and let’s talk this out.”

“Back off. Leave us alone.”

There were murmurs, frantic and angry, as well as scuffling noises coming from the other side of the door. Daisy didn’t want to think what Charlie might be doing to the young girl. She didn’t understand why Paul would want her to remain silent, but she had to trust him. Although he was a firefighter and not a police officer, he still had to have had more experience dealing with life-and-death situations than she had.

“I don’t think talking is going to work, man.”

Troy made gestures that Daisy couldn’t interpret, but she gathered that they were coming up with a plan. Once they’d nodded at each other, confirming everything, Troy took her arm and moved her back down the hallway. He bent low and put his face close to hers.

“Stay here and stay out of the way. We don’t know what we’re up against. Until we say it’s all clear, you keep back. Do you understand?”

“No, I don’t. I have to help her.” She wasn’t sure what she could do, but she had to be there for Melissa. If anything went wrong, she’d blame herself.

“You’ll be helping her by staying out of the way. Please, Daisy, you have to trust us on this. Do you trust us?”

She did. As much as she wanted to get inside that room, she trusted their judgment. “Yes. I do. But please, be careful.”

“I always am.” He winked, then rushed back to Paul and Wade.

Exchanging a few more signals, the men stepped toward the opposite wall. Troy took another step back then lunged forward, landing his foot in the middle of the door. The door burst open and the men charged inside.

Daisy held her breath, fearful of what she might hear.

“Get back!”

“Please, Charlie, no!”

“Charlie, just put the gun down.”

Terror leapt to life inside Daisy. Fighting the urge to run to them, she inched down the hallway.

“I told you to leave us alone. Put your gun down or Melissa gets it in the head.”

Daisy plastered her back to the wall, then peered around the corner, using the crack between the door and the wall to spy through. Paul, his arms straight out as he’d taught her, pointed his gun directly at Charlie. Wade and Troy, weaponless, stood on either side of him. Charlie held Melissa in a chokehold and held a gun at the men.

“Look, Charlie, no one needs to get hurt. How about we both put our guns down and talk about everything. It’s you and Melissa who will make the decisions. Not us. How about it?”

“I’m making all the decisions. She’s mine and she’s coming with me.”

Melissa’s frightened gaze slid from one man to the next. Then, by chance, she saw Daisy peeping into the room. Daisy lifted a finger to her lips to warn the frightened girl not to let on that she’d seen her.

“Charlie, think about this. If you force her to go with you, every cop in the country’s going to come after you.” Troy took a small step forward, earning him a scowl from Charlie.

“Don’t get any closer,” warned Charlie. Her eyes were almost as round as Melissa’s. Although she was the one creating the hostile situation, she was just as scared as her victim.

“Look, if you turn Melissa loose, we promise we’ll sit down like rational adults. You and Melissa can decide what you want to do.”

Wade took a small step forward, too. “Listen to my brother. If Melissa really belongs to you, then you’ll be able to talk her into going with you. And if she decides to go on her own free will, then no one’s going to go to the cops. You two can live your lives in peace.”

“Do you think I’m buying this shit?” Charlie yanked backward, jerking Melissa along with her. Melissa let out a sob, then coughed as her assailant’s arm tightened around her neck.

“Come on, Charlie.” Paul lowered his gun a couple of inches. “We both put down our guns at the same time.”

Daisy wanted to warn him. Charlie wasn’t going to put her gun down. Did he really believe that she would?

“On the count of three. Okay, Charlie?”

Yet Charlie seemed to loosen her hold on Melissa. “I’ll do it if you guys go back downstairs and leave us alone to talk.”

“We can’t do that, but we can do the next best thing.” Paul raised his free hand. “We put down our guns, then we all just take a seat where we are. We’ll be sitting on the floor and you two can sit on the bed. There’s no way we could jump you from a sitting position on the floor. Will that do it for you, Charlie?”

She’s considering it.

And yet, even though she appeared to be thinking it over, Daisy couldn’t bring herself to believe that Charlie would give up so easily. Not unless she was forced to.

“Come on. On the count of three.”

Paul held his gun so that it was parallel with the floor. All he had to do was to bend down and rest it on the area rug at the tip of his feet. “We talk. That’s it. No calling the cops.”

“That’s right, Charlie. Are we good?”

Charlie turned her gun the same way Paul had done. “Okay.”

“Great. One. Two.” Paul knelt down, almost going into a squat.

Charlie released the chokehold on Melissa, but clutched her by the arm as she bent forward.

“Three.”

Paul put his gun on the carpet in the same moment that Charlie did. But Charlie’s hand never left the weapon. Instead, as soon as Paul’s gun was out of his hand, she gripped her gun and jumped back up to a standing position.

“Keep your hand off it, asshole.”

Daisy could tell that Paul thought about going for his gun. He stayed in a half-crouch far longer than he should have.

“Go on. I’m itching to pull the trigger.” Charlie’s eyes gleamed with joy. She’d like nothing better than to shoot Paul.

Paul stood up slowly, lifting his hands into the air. “Charlie, we had an agreement.”

“No, man. You only thought we did. Now we do it my way.”

“Let her go, Charlie.”

Charlie smiled, but there was no warmth, no humanity in it. “Not a chance.” She turned Melissa’s arm loose, then shoved her fingers into her hair and grabbed hold. “Leave now or I’ll shoot.”

Wade took a quick step forward. “No way. We’re not leaving without—”

The shot rang out, stunning Daisy. In the next moment, Wade was on the floor, groaning with pain. Troy dropped to his side, then took him under the arms and dragged him over to the other side of the bed. A trail of blood marked their path.

Paul reached for his gun, but Charlie was too quick for him. She leveled the muzzle at him. “Uh-uh-uh. Don’t even try it.”

He straightened up, then froze, obviously realizing the futility of going for his weapon. But that didn’t mean he was giving up. She knew he wouldn’t. “This isn’t helping you or anyone else. I need to get my friend to a doctor. Don’t make this worse than it is.”