Untamed (6 page)

“Awww, it’s so wrong to leave a girl hanging like that,” she protested teasingly.

“I won’t leave you hanging,” he promised and turned her to rinse then shut off the water.

He grabbed a towel and dried her. She took another towel and tried to dry him and it ended up a hit-and-miss endeavor that had him snatching both towels, chucking them to the floor and sweeping her up in his arms.

Clint carried her to the bed and placed her beside it. He stripped back the bedcovers then pressed her back onto the bed, spreading her legs to kneel between them. Lily looked up at him. “Tell me what you want, Clint.”

“Just you, Lil.”

“I’m already yours.”

His. He liked the sound of that and suddenly he knew what he wanted. He wanted to seduce her with his touch and his love, as if it were the first time. “What do you want?” He braced himself with his arms on either side of her and leaned down, running his tongue over one nipple, at first with the flat of his tongue, softly stroking, circling the areola and then passing over the nipple.

“That,” she murmured and stretched appreciatively, pressing her breasts up. “Touch me, taste me. Take me slowly and completely.”

Clint never heard another sound other than that of her breath or his name on her lips. He didn’t know if time was passing or standing still. Nothing else mattered or existed. There was only the two of them locked in a dance of love that opened a door he had not known existed, the door that led to unity.

Sex with Lily was more than he’d ever dreamed. It wasn’t just physical, even though the sensations were nearly overwhelming they were so intense. It was something that transcended the physical. He felt as if he and Lily were linked, heart and mind. He could feel what she wanted and responded in answer to those feelings.

In turn, he felt her fulfilling needs he did not have to express in words. As corny as it sounded, it truly was a dance of love that ended separation. He was not alone. She was with him, part of him.

He gave himself to it, not caring what lay beyond that wonderful moment. And when they finally lay exhausted in one another’s arms with dawn creeping upon them, he heard her soft whisper. “I love you, Clint.”

It was not the first declaration of love that he’d heard from her, but it came at a time when he was feeling a little overwhelmed by his own emotions. “Lil?”

“Hmmm?”

“I was wondering if…”

“If what?” She raised her head from his chest to look at him.

“I was wondering if you’d ever thought about having children?”

She looked at him for a long moment before answering. “Not until recently.”

“Yeah?” He couldn’t suppress the smile that rose on his face.

“Yeah.”

“Me too.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I love you, Lil. I never thought I’d want kids, but now that I’ve found you, I’d like to give it a try. Which brings me to a question. Will you please see about finalizing your divorce?”

“Yes, I will.”

“Good. And one more question. Once you’re divorced, will you marry me?”

For a moment he thought she was going to say no, she waited so long to answer. Relief flooded him at her words.

“I’d purely love to.”

“Then it’s settled.” He pulled her close, feeling very satisfied and happy. “I love you.”

“I love you.”

Clint closed his eyes, listening to her soft breath. He had not expected any of this but felt very blessed. And he was going to make sure that Lily and the family they had together had a good, happy life.

With that thought he drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Seven

Lily toed off her boots and left them in the laundry room as she entered the house. She started across the room but stopped short of the door. There was no one home and she was filthy so she might as well strip down here.

She tossed her dirty clothes into the laundry hamper then made her way to the shower. Five hours in the Florida sun had her hair matted with sweat. The cool water felt sublime and she indulged herself in a much longer shower than normal.

Once clean, she pulled on a clean pair of thin, worn jeans and a tank top and padded barefoot to the kitchen. She grabbed her iPhone on her way out of the bedroom and jammed it in her pocket. She wanted it handy just in case Clint called.

Her stomach rumbled and directed her steps to the kitchen. There was some leftover chicken from the night before that would make a good sandwich. Thinking about it had her stomach growling and her mouth watering.

She opened the refrigerator door and reached inside for the platter of chicken. Just then someone wrenched her free arm up behind her and wrapped another arm around her neck.

The platter hit the tiled floor, shards of ceramic scattering along with chicken. Lily’s free hand went to the arm around her neck, clawing at it.

“Fucking bitch!” the man behind her exclaimed and wrenched her arm higher behind her, eliciting a yelp of pain.

She thrashed around, causing the man holding her to bump into a chair at the table, sending it crashing on its side.

His grip on her arm loosened and she wrenched free, dived across the table and grabbed a chair on the other side, holding it like a lion tamer as the man closed in on her again.

He grabbed a leg of the chair and for a few moments they engaged in a tug of war. Lily waited and when he gave an extra strong yank, she let go. The man stumbled back and she took her opportunity, racing around the side of the table, headed for the door.

She threw it open and bounded through, right into a solid body. The man she collided with stumbled back a step. Just as she decided to try to dodge around him, the man she’d fought with in the kitchen grabbed her from behind.

“Get her in the car.” Another voice spoke up.

As Lily was shoved across the back porch, she saw the man standing at the steps. He was short, rotund and middle-aged, his eyes dark and recessed in the rolls of fat that covered his eyelids.

He sneered at her as she was shoved by her captor in the direction of the driveway. Lily didn’t need to wonder who these men were or what they wanted. With her no-account husband in jail, and his tale of the loan sharks being hot on his trail, she’d bet the farm that they’d followed him to Florida.

She almost wished she’d gone with Clint and Cam to the sale. But then, if she’d gone, the goons would just have come at another time. They were land sharks, circling until they could move in for the kill.

The kill was what concerned her. They had to know that Eddie was in jail so what could they hope to gain by grabbing her? All she had of worth was her own skin and that wasn’t going to bring much of a price.

Lily felt the first stab of panic as she was shoved into the back seat of a dark sedan and her captor climbed in with her, leveling a gun at her head. She remained silent. They had not blindfolded her so they were obviously not concerned about her knowing where they were going.

Which meant they had every intention of her ending up dead. That thought hit her like a semi. She had to keep her wits about her if she wanted to survive, which meant keeping her mouth shut and her eyes open for an opportunity to escape.

* * * * *

Clint was in good spirits when they pulled off the main road onto the drive of their ranch. They’d gotten a better price for their stock than he’d anticipated and had been able to afford a bull they’d had had their eyes on for a while.

He couldn’t wait to tell Lily about it. The moment Cam stopped the truck, Clint hopped out and headed for the house. He rounded the back corner of the house and something sick rose up inside him.

Something was wrong. The back door was standing open.

He ran up the steps, across the porch and through the open door. A platter was broken on the floor, shards mixing with pieces of fried chicken. Two of the chairs were lying on their sides and the kitchen table was askew.

“Lily!”

He ran through the house, calling her name. Just as he made it back to the kitchen, Cam walked in. “What the hell?”

“I can’t find her,” Clint said on his way past Cam.

“Whadda you mean you can’t find her?”

“Just what I said!” Clint shouted back at his brother as he dashed across the porch.

“Wait up!” Cam hurried after him.

They searched the entire ranch and there was no sign of Lily anywhere. By the time they got back to the house, more than an hour had passed. “Call the law,” Cam said as he grabbed a glass and filled it with water.

Clint reached for his cell phone in the holder on his belt and at that moment it rang. He and Cam looked at each other for a moment and then he hit the speaker button and answered.

“Clint Marsh.”

“You wanna see your bitch again, you listen real close.”

“If you’ve hurt—”

“I said listen, asshole! You do exactly what I tell you or she dies. You got it?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. You got ’til tomorrow at sunset to get five hundred thousand dollars together. I’ll call you at sundown to arrange a meet. You bring the money and you get the bitch. You show up without it and she dies. You bring the law and she dies. You get it?”

“Yeah.”

“Tomorrow.”

The line went dead. Clint looked over at Cam and for a few moments neither spoke. “How’re we gonna get our hands on that kinda cash?” Cam broke the silence.

“No way we can,” Clint replied.

“Then what’re we gonna do?”

“We’re gonna let them think we have the cash and we’re gonna get Lily.”

“In other words, we’re going to war.”

“Yep,” Clint agreed with a nod.

“Okay.” Cam set his water glass down by the sink. “Let’s check the guns.”

Clint nodded, but put his hand out to stop Cam as Cam started by him. “This isn’t your fight, Cam.”

“Yeah, it is. She’s family. And nobody fucks with our family. Now let’s get moving.”

Without another word, Clint followed Cam to the gun cabinet in the family room. He never thought he’d be opening it to select a weapon to kill a man, but god as his witness, if that was what it took to save Lily that was exactly what he’d do.

* * * * *

It was the longest twenty-four hours of his life. Clint stood on the back porch, watching the sun set behind the trees on the west pasture. His phone lay on the porch rail in front of him.

He had not slept and found it difficult to eat even though he’d tried at Cam’s insistence. All he could do was think about Lily. He hadn’t planned on falling in love, much less asking her to marry him, but the thought of life without her was pretty much like anticipating an endless succession of rainy days. She brought light and joy into his life.  He couldn’t bear the thought of losing her.

He’d forced himself not to think about the possibility that the men who took her might be doing her harm. If he opened that door of thought, it would drive him mad. Ironically, it was her special talent that gave him hope. If she was in mortal danger, she could summon fire and that might be enough to keep her safe from bodily harm.

Cam stepped out onto the porch just as the sun sank behind the trees. Clint turned his head to meet his brother’s eyes. He knew that Cam would ride into hell with him if need be, and would fight to his last breath to save Lily. There weren’t many men who could count themselves as lucky as he when it came to having a brother who always had your back.

His phone rang.

Clint punched the answer button and went to speakerphone.

“You know where that kiddy farm is?”

There was only one in the area, an old farm that had converted into a tourist attraction with a little train that ran through the farm and a petting zoo. Surely they would not be holding Lily there?

“Yeah.”

Across the road, two miles down, there’s a road that turns to the right on an abandoned farm. Bring the money or she dies.”

The man did not wait for Clint’s response. Clint pocketed his phone and turned to face Cam. “That’s the old Wilfred place.”

Cam nodded. “Been vacant for going on five years.”

“If we take the main drive, there’s no way to get the drop on them.”

“But if we cut across that pasture to the west—you know, the one they turned into that paintball park? If we leave the truck there and go in on foot, we’ll come up behind the old homestead.”

“Let’s do it,” Cam agreed. “You got the truck loaded?”

“Armed and ready to roll.”

“Then let’s roll.”

Together they walked out to Cam’s truck and climbed in. It was time to save Lily.

* * * * *

Lily felt as if she’d been kicked by a mule. She had not slept and had not been offered anything to eat or drink. Her mouth was dry and her gut hurt from Eddie punching her when he found her trying to text Clint. He’d had two of the goons hold her so he could hit her. Fucking coward. He wasn’t man enough to take her on alone.

Fortunately, his actions had sparked enough anger to remind her that she was not weaponless. She’d set his eyebrows on fire. Today he was sporting a unibrow blister across his forehead.

She’d set more than one fire since she was tossed into the crumbling shed behind the old house. Every crack she could see through she’d targeted an area to set a fire. She’d kept the men running all night and day, literally putting out fires.

A couple of times the head goon had threatened to shoot her. When she tossed a fireball at him, he decided to leave her alone. She hoped he didn’t get it in his head to just burst in and open fire. Not even pyro kinetics could stop a bullet.

She’d heard him on the phone and knew that Clint would be on his way. How he’d managed to raise that much money was a mystery. She didn’t think he and Cam had access to that kind of cash.

The head goon, Johnny Something-or-other, referred to as Johnny B by the others, had four men posted on watch, all armed. Lily didn’t think any of them would hesitate to shoot first and ask questions later. They were a rough-looking lot who, from what she’d overheard, had spent as much time in prison as out.

The weakest link in Johnny B’s chain seemed to be Eddie. She could tell he was terrified of Johnny B, and that he was not exactly trusted. She wondered if Johnny B didn’t intend to kill Eddie along with her as soon as he got his money.

Eddie getting shot didn’t concern her nearly as much as the idea of Clint walking into this viper’s nest. She didn’t think Johnny B intended for any of them to live, and a deserted farm in Florida, with all the available swampland, was a good place to dump bodies.

She had to come up with a way to protect Clint. The problem was, she was locked in the damn shed and aside from setting it on fire, she hadn’t found a way out. There was little she could do but wait and worry.

* * * * *

Clint and Cam stopped behind an outcrop of palmetto on the edge of the overgrown pasture. Beyond the pasture was a small run-down shed, an even more run-down barn and, beyond that, the house.

There were two cars parked behind the house, a big new Lincoln and a Dodge Charger.

Cam tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to the left. Clint saw the man walk around the side of the house, a gun in hand. He scanned the area and spotted a second man on the other side of the house.

“How many you think there are?” he whispered.

Cam shrugged. “Only one way to find out.”

“Yep. So what’s your plan?”

Clint studied the area for a few moments. “You work your way around to the right and see if you can get up to that old oak there near the house—the one with all the vines and palmettos. I’ll see if I can ease up behind that shed.”

“Let’s do it.”

They set off in opposite directions. Clint made his way slow and as quiet as possible. He made it around the perimeter of the pasture to the edge of the overgrown yard. He had more than thirty yards to go to reach the back of the shed and there was no cover.

He hunkered down and watched for the men on patrol. The one guarding the back corner closest to him was focused on the driveway. He rarely looked back. The other man’s view of Clint’s location was partially blocked by the shed and a few scrub oaks to the far side of the shed.

If he moved carefully, he might be able to make it. He started making his way, careful to make as little noise as possible. His luck held and he made it to the back of the shed without being spotted.

Clint pressed his back against the rough wall of the shed and ventured a look around the corner. The man on patrol at the driveway was standing in the open, lighting a smoke. Clint eased to the opposite end of the shed to get a look at the other side.

He spotted Cam, his back against a big oak about twenty feet from the side of the main house. Cam gave him a hand signal to let him know that a patrol was on the side of the house.