Hunted [Bound & Cuffed 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 8

  “Me?” Big Bob blinked. “Dare I suggest you actually do your job and investigate the matter? Or are you too far gone to use something other than your dick to think with?”

  That was a threat, and Tex didn’t back down from it. “And what the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means maybe you and Brick are a little too close on this one and I should put somebody else on the case.”

  Big Bob couldn’t be any more blunt than that. Tex also knew the old man wasn’t joking. That left Tex no options but to retreat before his uncle did the unthinkable.

  “Fine.” Tex turned on his heel and fled back out the door, not at all certain what to do and pissed to all hell about that.

  His indignation carried him right back out of the office, but he stalled out at the top step, uncertain where to go or what to do. Big Bob had suggested he investigate the matter, and the first thing would be to map out everybody Janie knew. Janie and Ken, because Tex still believed the little twerp was somehow involved…or, maybe, he wasn’t.

  Tex’s gaze narrowed in on the splash of red peeking out of the dumpster. This time he focused on it, disturbed for some strange reason and not sure why. Compelled, though, by the itch tingling at his nerves, Tex crossed the parking lot to stick his head in the dumpster. That was when he realized what was really going on.

  * * * *

  Brick listened to what Tex had to say, but it just didn’t make any sense. He wasn’t the only one left confused. Logan and Bruce sat there, staring at him as if he’d lost his mind. Maybe he had. After all, love did drive some men insane.

  “Dude.” Logan shook his head sadly at Tex. “You’ve lost all sense.”

  “I have not!” Tex flushed slightly at Logan’s condescending tone.

  “Big Bob?” Bruce smirked. “Really? He’s behind everything? I don’t think so.”

  Brick had to agree with his cousin. He didn’t see any angle to justify Tex’s suspicions. A little red paint in a trashcan hardly made for a smoking gun. Tex, though, seemed to believe that it explained everything.

  “Big Bob and Helena went to high school together.”

  “Dude, this entire town went to high school together,” Logan shot back. “We went to high school together, for cripes sake. Does that make us suspects?”

  “Only if you’re trying to set me up,” Tex snapped. “I’m telling you Big Bob is up to one of his games.”

  “And the point of that game is…” Bruce waited expectantly for Tex to fill in the blank. They all waited, but Tex shot a look down the hall before leaning into the counter to answer in a hushed tone.

  “To get me to settle down.”

  A moment of silence greeted that suggestion before Logan and Bruce burst out laughing. Even Brick broke into a smile. The whole idea was ridiculous, and Logan didn’t hesitate to point out why.

  “If that were true, then why did Big Bob offer this case to Maryanne first?” he asked, referencing the bounty hunter Big Bob had recently hired.

  “Because he wanted to press her,” Tex retorted instantly. “He was trying to see if she’d fallen for Collin and Jason…and look where they are now.”

  Nobody knew exactly where Collin and Jason were right then, but they could all guess what they were doing—Maryanne. The three of them had fallen like dominoes for each other, but that didn’t mean Big Bob had anything to do with the matter.

  “You’re paranoid.” Bruce grunted. “Big Bob wouldn’t throw a brick through Janie’s window to harass her much less run her off the road all in a twisted attempt to get you to settle down.”

  That seemed to throw Tex for a moment, but he recovered quickly. “No, but he wouldn’t be above taking advantage of the situation.”

  “And you’re an idiot.”

  “And probably the next to go down.”

  That had Bruce and Logan sharing a quick smile that spoke volumes of what they thought of that idea, but they weren’t laughing. Brick knew why. Bruce and Logan had already gone down. The problem was getting the woman they wanted to agree to go out with them. That was their problem.

  His was that Tex had obviously lost his mind. Like a crazy man, he came up with a genius idea.

  “Fine.” Tex held his hands up in defeat. “You don’t believe me? Then let me prove it to you, to all of you.”

  “Yeah?” Logan lifted a brow, clearly not impressed by Tex’s offer. “And how you going to do that?”

  Tex smiled, and Brick felt a chill run down his spine. “I’ve got an idea.”

  * * * *

  Janie yawned and stretched, waking up slowly with a sense of contented peace that filled her from the soul up. She felt good. Better than that, a new sense of excitement filled her day. It was Saturday, the best dang day of the week, but more than that, it was the first day of her new budding relationship with Tex and Brick.

  The very idea that she had found not one but two men should have had her curling back beneath the sheets in shame, but Janie felt too good for embarrassment to bother her. Maybe she’d end up regretting what had happened. Maybe she wouldn’t. Only time would tell. Right then, time felt like a luxury that held the promise of happiness and joy.

  That had Janie smiling with anticipation as she sat up and discovered that Brick had returned, or maybe he’d never left. Sitting in the chair near the closet door, he stared at her with a grim expression that ate away at her excitement. Suddenly, Janie felt very self-conscious and uncertain.

  She reached for the sheets, pulling them up to cover her nakedness as Brick stood up and crossed the room to settle down on the edge of the bed. Then he took her hand in his, and that was when Janie started to get really scared. She didn’t even bother to hide her fear.

  “Something is wrong.” Janie’s mind raced with all the possibilities. “My mom?”

  “Is fine,” Brick answered instantly, soothing one worry while fanning many more.

  “Then what—”

  “We need to set a trap.” Brick didn’t elaborate, but he didn’t have to. Janie knew what had him so tense.

  “And I’m the bait.”

  Brick heaved a deep sigh and slowly nodded. “I want you to know that there is not going to be any danger to you. I won’t allow it.”

  Janie smiled and couldn’t help but lean forward to drop a kiss on his cheek. “I know, but you need to ask me something, and you don’t want to.”

  Brick frowned, and Janie knew she had it right, especially when he heaved a heavy sigh and nodded. “We’re going to take you up to Big Bob’s cabin in the woods for a romantic getaway. You need to call in and take the week off from work.”

  “Okay.”

  That wouldn’t be hard to do. Janie’s manager knew about her problem and would understand that she needed to do this. Besides, she had several weeks of vacation saved up. The problem was that she didn’t think that was all Brick had to tell her.

  “And?” Janie prodded when he remained silent.

  Brick hesitated a second longer before finally responding. “And we don’t think it’s Ken.”

  Janie blinked that in, trying to make sense of it, but it just didn’t compute. “You don’t?”

  “No.” Brick took her hands in his and held on as he gazed into her eyes. “I’m only telling this because you need to understand the danger, but last night somebody graffitied Tex’s porch, and we had men on Ken. It wasn’t him.”

  “But…” Janie didn’t know what to say but felt compelled to say something. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

  “No, it doesn’t,” Brick agreed. “It also means we don’t know who we’re dealing with, or why they’re stalking you, and that means we don’t know how far they’ll go.”

  Janie didn’t need to ask what that meant. She could see it in the worry in Brick’s expression. That left her with one big worry.

  “My mom?”

  “Will be protected.” Brick paused, his hands tightening around hers. “That’s why we need to set this trap because we need to end this quick.��

  “But…” Janie added, sensing the word lingering on Brick’s lips. It didn’t shock her when he repeated it.

  “But not knowing who is after you, we need…everybody to know that you’re with us.”

  Janie knew both what he was saying and not saying. They were going to wreck her reputation and spread the word all around town that she wasn’t just doing one cousin. She was doing both and taking a whole week off for them. She was about to be branded a slut, and hopefully that would antagonize her stalker to strike. While Janie probably should have been concerned about her own good name, a different worry sprang instantly to her mind.

  “If you do this, you and Tex are likely to become bait, too.” Janie didn’t like that thought at all.

  Brick scowled, clearly thrown by that comment and apparently unconcerned. He shrugged. “We can handle ourselves.”

  “That’s not reassuring,” Janie informed him. “I don’t think we should do this.”

  “Yeah?” Brick snorted. “That’s not really an option.”

  It was to her. The more Janie thought about it, the more the truth became clear. “In fact, I don’t think we should see each other at all until this issue is settled.”

  That had Brick going slack in the jaw. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me.” Janie took advantage of his confusion to pull her hands free. She slid from the bed, taking the sheet with her and wrapping it around her body before making her decision perfectly clear. “I’m sure Big Bob has other men he could put on this case.”

  “Other men?” Now Brick sounded dangerously outraged and looked it, too, as he rose off the bed slowly. “I don’t think so.”

  “Well, too bad,” Janie shot back. “I’m the client, and what I say goes.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Janie expected an argument, but Brick didn’t offer her one. Instead, he simply turned and walked out of the room, leaving the door open behind him. Not that she was fooled into thinking he intended to give up. That didn’t mean she knew what he intended, but she could figure out that it was time to get dressed…and fast.

  That thought hit, and she sprang into motion but wasn’t quite quick enough. When Brick returned, he had Tex in tow. Neither man looked particularly happy. They didn’t even need to say a word for Janie to guess what they had in mind. The cuffs dangling from Tex’s hand spoke for themselves.

  Janie didn’t really have anywhere to run, but that didn’t stop her from trying. With a squeal, she flew across the bed, jumping up on the mattress and pounding across its soft service in a blind panic. She tried to go around Tex only to end up caught in his arms as he pulled her right off the bed. She fell over his shoulder, screaming and kicking as he whipped the sheet off of her. Then he tossed her right back on the bed.

  This time, she landed on her back and managed to kick him in the stomach, not that Tex even flinched as he reached out to roll her over. In quick order, she found her hands caught in his, her arms pulled back, and the cold clink of a pair of cuffs snapping around her wrists.

  “Damnit, Tex!” Janie spat, finding her patience so worn past the breaking point that she cussed. “Undo these cuffs right now!”

  “Ha.” Tex snorted. “Like that’s going to happen.”

  “It is,” Janie insisted, searching for the worse threat she could come up with. “If you don’t undo these cuffs, I’m going to tell my mom on you!”

  That got a laugh from Tex, who leaned down to whisper in her ear. “You don’t want to start tattling now, honey, or I might reveal a few secrets you don’t want your mom to know.”

  Janie growled at that but didn’t dare to argue with him. There was no point. She was at his mercy now, and not surprisingly, Tex didn’t show her much of that as he straightened back up. He released her hands, only to capture her ankles. He bent her legs backward, spreading her knees and folding her ankles inward until they touched. Then, much to Janie’s horror, she felt another set of cuffs link her feet together.

  They had her hogtied and quickly finished off her binds with a link of chain that connected her ankles to her wrists and left Janie almost immobile. As embarrassing as her position was, there was also no denying the excitement that had her nerves tingling. She knew something else came next and wasn’t the least bit surprised by the rough feel of a pair of callused fingertips sliding down between her swollen folds.

  She was hot, wet, and couldn’t control the moan that fell from her lips as those magical fingers settled over her clit and began to rub in a slow, sensual motion that had her cunt melting with a wanton need. The pleasure sizzled through her, leaving Janie completely unprepared for the moment when those amazing fingers abandoned her flesh, only to crack down over her pussy a second later in a sharp smack.

  “Listen up, honey,” Tex snapped. “As of this moment, you are under our authority, and you will do as told. Understand?”

  “Kiss my ass,” Janie shot back, not about to be intimidated by that hard command.

  After all, she knew the truth.

  They wouldn’t really hurt her. So, she had nothing to fear…or so she thought, but Tex and Brick didn’t get down to finishing what one of them had started. Instead, they wrapped her back up in the sheet and toted her out of the bedroom like barbarians.

  That made her their trophy.

  Chapter Eight

  Tex helped Brick load Janie into the backseat of his truck. There they undid the chain binding her arms to her legs and reattached her cuffs to the handlebars over the windows. The new position stretched her limbs out, assuring she wouldn’t get stiff or be uncomfortable for the long trip.

  Neither would she be able to escape.

  That was the point of all of this or, at least, what motivated Brick. Tex, though, clearly had other plans in mind, given the way he whistled as he worked. Of course, his cousin didn’t think that a threat really existed. Brick remained unconvinced and concerned. Thankfully, so did Logan and Bruce.

  Brick knew he could rely on them as backup, even if they wore big, goofy grins as they descended the porch steps. They clearly enjoyed the show, making Brick ache to say something, but he held back as Tex darted back up onto the porch and into the house. Logan watched him rush past before turning that mischievous smile back on Brick.

  “What’s wrong with him? His britches on fire?” Logan smirked.

  Brick shot Logan a dirty look for that bit of obnoxiousness but didn’t bother to respond with anything else as he took off after Tex. He didn’t know what his cousin was up to and planned on finding out, but he turned out to be too late to catch Tex in whatever act of mischief he was up to. There could be no doubt he was up to something. Tex looked guilty as hell as he came sauntering back down the hall from the bedroom.

  “What did you do?” Brick blocked his way, not about to move without an answer.

  “Took a pee,” Tex shot back without hesitation, lying like a pro. Brick wasn’t fooled, and he didn’t move. A fact Tex couldn’t help but take note of. “So? We going to stand here all day?”

  Brick didn’t take that bait but crossed his arms over his chest and made his position clear without words. That had Tex groaning, his head tipping back slightly as he rolled his eyes in exasperation.

  “Come on, man,” Tex all but whined. “You don’t really want to stand here and argue.”

  “No, but I really do need to know what the hell you did.” At least he could be prepared.

  “Fine.” Tex pouted as he heaved an aggrieved sigh and dug a cell phone out of his pocket. He tossed it over to Brick, who caught it, knowing instantly that it was Janie’s. “It’s not like you can undo what I did.”

  Brick shot his cousin a dirty look for that one as he flipped the phone upright and tapped the screen. It lit up with a numeric key, requiring a pass code to access the main dashboard. That had him glancing back up at Tex, who snickered.

  “It’s one, two, three, four…because our girl is that kind of mastermind.”

  Of course. Brick should have known. Janie didn’t think in terms of security and lived in a bubbly world of Disney-like happiness and naiveté. That was just why they had her chained up and naked. They were going to have to sit on their golden egg like well-armed geese if they wanted to keep her safe.

  The question was, did they want to keep her safe? The answer was clear as Brick typed in the passcode and watched the screen light up with the message Tex had text. It was outrageous, lewd, and so clearly not Janie, but the thing that had him looking up at his cousin in total disgust was who he’d sent it to.

  “Are you kidding me?” Brick couldn’t believe Tex had sunk that low. “You really just want to rub it in the man’s face.”

  “Ken isn’t a man…he’s a twerp,” Tex corrected Brick, snatching the phone back. “And whoever painted up my porch steps knows him and will no doubt hear all about how much Janie prefers us to him. So, this works perfectly with the theory you three hare brains are sticking with.”

  “But it doesn’t work with yours,” Brick countered, his mind skipping quickly ahead to figure out just what Tex really wanted to accomplish. “Unless, of course, you’re setting a trap.”

  “What trap could I possibly set?” Tex snorted with a smirk. “There is nobody stalking Janie. This is just Big Bob setting us up.”

  “And if that’s true, Big Bob is going to feel really guilty when you taunt Ken into doing something you can have him arrested for, isn’t that right?”

  Tex blinked, smiled, and shrugged. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”

  Brick didn’t buy that line for a moment but knew better than to argue over the matter. There was no point, and he didn’t really care if Ken ended up in jail. What he did care about was Janie waiting on them in the car. Waiting and, no doubt, stewing.

  Janie would have more than enough time to do that over the long drive ahead. His worry, though, faded away as less than a half-hour into the trip, Janie began to snore softly in the backseat. Brick savored those small sounds, knowing that they were proof of her trust in them.

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