Lyndee's Saviors [Men of Montana] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (23 page)

* * * *

Two strong hands clamped onto her shoulders and she knew that Austin was willing her to forgive him also. Looking down into Storm’s troubled face as he looked up she knew that that’s all he was doing. Trying to protect her with all the means at his disposal and that meant his men. The people he entrusted their ranch to. So what if they knew they had a playroom. They knew that they were in a ménage relationship, so was it that bad? They would just know that they had a very active sex life and enjoyed it.

Wrapping her arms around his head, she held him to her breast. Sighing, she let go of the fear of the others knowing. “I’m sorry I got upset with you. I should have been more understanding.”

Austin’s arms returned to her shoulders, pulling her back against him, her head nestled on his shoulder. Trey, feeling left out, came over and captured her mouth with his, communicating his love for her also. When he pulled away, he and Austin took a step backward and Storm stood, kissing her chastely before he looked down at her.

“I really need you to listen to what I told you though. You need to hide in the playroom wall if they make it into the house.”

Nodding, one thought struck her mind. “It’s not bulletproof though, is it?”

“Soundproof, yes. Bulletproof, no. You just have to make sure they don’t know you are down there at all.”

At least now she knew that no one could hear them when they played down there. No wonder Austin had told her last night she could scream all she wanted. The side of her lip slid up as she looked at the man in front of her.

“You guys need to make sure you are safe also. Don’t go getting yourselves hurt just trying to protect me. I could never forgive myself if anything happened to you because of me,” she said sadly. She didn’t think she’d survive without them in her life. They were in her heart and her soul.

“Yes, ma’am,” Storm drawled with a smile before he left the house. Trey kissed her again before he walked out and she was surprised when Austin picked her up by the waist, turned her around to face him, and slashed his mouth across hers. He kissed her for a few moments and then let up after first kissing the tip of her nose and then her forehead. He started to walk away from her but she reached out and grasped his hand in hers, stopping him. Pulling his hand up, she kissed his knuckles one by one before releasing him. Remaining where she was, she watched the last of her men leave and stood there for a few minutes more, as if expecting them to come back to her, before turning toward the kitchen.

Looking at the sink she knew that the dishes from the previous night still sat there and she knew she was going to be there for a while. Running water in the sink, she looked out the window at the brown fields that spread out before the house. Behind them, rising to the sky were the Rocky Mountains. Soaring up to the heavens with snowcapped peaks, they were majestic and beautiful. This place must be beautiful in the spring and summer and in the winter while snow fell silently upon the land.

The front door opened and panic set in. Stepping over to stand in front of the double oven, she flattened herself against the appliance as she heard footsteps coming toward her. When the footsteps stopped at her side, she swung her body around and brought her foot in contact with the hard abs of a man, knocking him backward. Flailing, he tried to keep himself from falling backward. He didn’t try to retaliate but spoke through his motions.

“Whoa, there, Lyndee!” he said as he righted himself. “It’s me, Connor!”

Rushing forward to help the man, she placed her hands on his forearms. “Oh God! Connor! I am so sorry!”

Touching his stomach, he rubbed it as if to feel the pain this small woman had caused him. Raising a hand before defending her actions, he said, “No, it’s not your fault. I should have announced myself. I must have frightened you. I know I’ll never do anything to make you mad.”

A light laugh emerged from her as she continued to hold onto him. For a brief second she looked into his face and found him to be a very good-looking man. His light gray eyes gave a mystical look to him that was astounding. She had never seen gray eyes on someone with brownish-red hair. A blush lit her cheeks as she let go of him. Stuttering, she asked, “Are you…are you all right? Did…did I hurt you?”

“No,” he said shaking his head to confirm. “I’m fine, or I will be once this pain goes away.”

“Jeez, I am so sorry. Do you need some ice?”

“I’ll be fine, though I hope you didn’t dislodge any vital organs I might need to live,” he jousted with her, trying to make her calm down. “I brought you a radio so you can be in on the sting.”

Taking the palm-sized black device, Lyndee turned it on and could hear the chatter from the men as they began to report on their positions. Looking up at Connor, she said, “I have one question. What if whoever is looking for me is monitoring the radio frequencies?”

“We hadn’t thought of that. We’ll just have to be more prepared than they are, but I will let Storm and Trey know of your concerns.”

Nodding, she watched him leave through the front door and returned to the sink just in time to turn off the water before it overran the edges. Deciding to let the dishes soak for a few minutes, she made her way to her bedroom and retrieved a light jacket to keep her warm as the temperature was a bit on the chilly side this morning. Or was it her nerves? As she passed the mirror, she grabbed an elastic band and braided her hair down her back to keep it out of her face. Grabbing a few other things, she made her way back to the kitchen.

Beginning with the sink full of dishes, she washed them, leaving them in the dish drainer to dry. Tackling the table, she cleaned that off, placing the napkin holder along with the salt and pepper shakers in the middle. She took a moment to gaze out the window toward the west, again appreciating the scenery. Once finished with the table, she cleaned down the counters and the stove. The men may make a mean breakfast, but they also made a helluva mess. Remembering dinner, she removed two casseroles from the freezer and set them out on the counter to thaw, as the others would probably be eating with them tonight.

After sweeping the kitchen floor, she found a dust rag and a can of furniture polish under the sink. Going into the living room, she began to dust. She had to wonder if she hadn’t arrived, what the house would look like when their housekeeper returned home. The woman would be petrified at what the house looked like at the moment. What would it look like after being gone for two weeks?

As she began to dust the coffee table, which looked like a large slab of a tree cut vertically and then set on legs, the radio began to squawk. Kevin, on the north road, reported that a car with government license plates just passed his vantage point, which gave them about twenty minutes before arriving at the house. Connor answered him, as did Storm, Austin, and James, as if it was a normal conversation that kept them abreast of activities on the ranch. Apparently Connor had spoken to them about the possibility of an intrusion on the frequency.

Deciding her options at the moment, she went into the kitchen and opened the door to the basement. She wanted easy access to where she needed to go if necessary. Opening the door next to it, she found a small utility closet. Inside she eyed the mop bucket along with the mop and the broom. Grabbing them, she thought of how she could use them to her advantage. Moving into the living room, she looked around before moving down to the bedroom.

Looking around the room, she eyed the stereo. Turning it on, she knew the men would flinch if they heard what she tuned it to. Classic rock. She grew up on the music as her parents loved it. Creedence was playing at the moment and she wiggled her ass to the beat before sashaying back to the kitchen. There, she took the broom and ran it through the handles on the cabinets on both sides of the doorway. The handles were about one and a half feet off the floor so whoever was to try to enter the kitchen would get a helluva whack in the shins. Briefly she thought of her reaction when Connor entered a few hours ago but this was different. This was life or death time.

By lifting herself up onto the counter next to the sink she gave herself an excellent vantage point through the window. She had a perfect view of the rounded driveway in front of the house. It wasn’t too long before a trail of dust appeared above the horse barn before it got closer. The silver sedan with extremely darkened windows pulled up from the road and turned in the drive, stopping in front of the house.

Noticing her heart pounding in her chest, she was certain it could be heard if anyone were in the room with her. Reminding herself to breath as she waited for the occupant of the car gave her a brief respite until the doors opened and she gasped. She was expecting only Philip to show his treacherous face but five large men exited the car. The long, black-haired man that emerged from the driver’s seat was one person she had hoped she would never see again though he was expected.

Besides Philip, the others were obviously Russian musclemen. Tall, muscular, and blond, each man wore a business suit and dark sunglasses, looking conspicuous out here in Montana country. Lyndee was certain that under those coats each man had at least one gun if not more. She knew they were all in for a hell of a fight and she hoped her men and the others were up to it.

Watching for a few more moments, she watched as two men stalked off toward the closest barn, which was the horse barn. She prayed that Austin and the others were prepared for what was about to happen. Philip and the two others looked at the house with determination. He thrust his chin out in her direction and the three started walking toward the front porch. Jumping down from the counter, Lyndee went to the basement door. Closing the door behind her she disappeared to the basement.

* * * *

Philip drew his gun before he reached for the front door. He had come with the resolve that he was going to kill the woman that had been the bane of his existence for the past several years, and he didn’t care if he had to kill the three men that owned this ranch. Anxiety rushed through his veins as he felt the prize was within his reach this time. Indicating that one of the men remain at the front door, he indicated the other one come with him. Knocking at the door to appear on the up and up he waited briefly for an answer. When none came, he turned the knob and found it unlocked. Holding his gun up in a normal police stance, he glanced around the living room and noticed the dust rag and furniture polish on the coffee table. Wondering if it was left in haste, he listened for any movement or sound.

Hearing the music down the hall he motioned for the Russian to follow him. Making their way down the hall, they cleared each room along the way for anyone hiding in them. Reaching the master suite, they found the stereo playing music and they checked the closet, the bathroom and all the nooks and crannies but found the room lacking of a female occupant.

* * * *

In the horse barn, the two foreign men entered through the large door that led into the wide aisle between all of the stalls. They were both holding Glocks in their hands, prepared for any encounter with anyone who would deter them from performing the job at hand. Collateral damage was expected with this job even out here in the middle of nowhere.

Horses neighed and whinnied in their stalls as they watched the men slink through their domain. Mirrored images moved with grace down the aisle in their dark-gray suits, white shirts, and black silk ties. Their black dress shoes clicked softly upon the cement walkway as they neared the other end of the barn, not finding anyone. Turning around at the other end, they moved back toward the entrance. When they were near the entrance, the back door slid shut loudly, causing the two men to turn quickly. As the door had closed, the barn had darkened considerably since the morning sun had been streaming in and the entrance was still cast in shadows.

“Toss the guns toward the open doorway!” A loud baritone voice sounded through the barn. The men looked around trying to find the source of the order. “Do it! We have guns trained on you right now and are ready to use them!”

One man trained his gun at waist level while the other one waived his around as he turned looking in the rafters, toward each end of the barn or anyplace he could think there would be a person. Both whipped off their shades as they couldn’t see anything in the barn. Letting their eyes adjust, they tried to find the disembodied voice but no sound or visual of anyone appeared.

Rustling from the stalls continued as the horses ate from their mangers of hay that had been filled earlier, unaware of the danger that was evident. Their tails swished as their heads moved around. The normal sounds of the barn continued as the men continued to make their way back to the entrance. Turning to the large opening they found themselves face-to-face with five cowboys holding shotguns. Menacing, the five men didn’t budge while the two Russians stood their ground, guns aimed back at them. Nerves rattled the two men when the disembodied voice sounded again.

“Now one more warning. Slide the guns toward my men and then raise your hands! I have a gun aimed at your backs so unless you want to die in the next thirty seconds, do as I say.”

Glancing at each other, the two men nodded before leaning down and slid the Glocks to the five men. The next few seconds became a blur for everyone involved as the two men went to stand. They both reached for the small guns they had hidden in their socks under their trouser legs while dodging to the sides of the aisle. Shotgun blasts sounded before the handguns could be fired. The sound was deafening as the horses panicked within their confines. The two men fell, blood covering their thousand dollar suits from the front and back. The five men slowly advanced on the two, guns still aimed at them cautiously.