Her Silver Fox Mountain Men (Lucky Lady Reverse Harems)

Chapter 25

25

Elise

T he house is surrounded by guards clad in black Kevlar and armed to the teeth. Additional outdoor lights and motion sensors were mounted along the perimeter and property fence, and there’s a base of operations set up in the den. A gentleman dressed in brown camo gear sits behind a computer setup with six different screens, watching CCTV feed in real time coming from ten different cameras.

“We’re safe here,” James says as he comes into my bedroom. “I promise.”

“I’m trying my best to believe you, but—”

“I know it’s not easy.”

“What took you so long?” I ask him, the tension in my voice palpable. “I put the girls to sleep, then I waited for you to call me back.” James had texted me hours after they left, telling me they had set up a meeting to speak with Kara. “How did the meeting with Kara go? What did she say?”

He takes a deep breath and briefly glances out the window. The sound of footsteps in the hallway are followed by Oliver and Roman coming into my room.

“The twins are still far away in dreamland,” Oliver says.

“Something happened,” I conclude, picking up on the awkward yet subtle glances exchanged. They’re all working hard to avoid direct eye contact with me. “What is it?”

“At least you’re already sitting down,” Oliver chuckles nervously as he sits on the edge of the bed. Roman stays by the door, his dark brow furrowed while James comes over and leans against the window frame. He takes a deep breath as he looks down at me.

My gaze bounces between them, and the longer they stay quiet, the more anxious I become. “Somebody needs to tell me what’s going on here,” I say, my voice trembling.

“There was a problem,” James says. “But I need you to do your best to stay calm and just listen before you react, Elise. Please.”

“Just spit it out, already.”

“We were ambushed,” Roman callously cuts in, his eyes never leaving mine.

My blood runs cold as a new kind of dread comes over me, filling my whole being with an icy sensation that ultimately burns through my skin as if it’s consuming me from the inside out.

“What did you say?” I whisper.

“When we got to Candy’s, our guys confirmed that Kara was inside. In fact, she texted me herself as well. We figured going through the back door was best in case anybody was watching the main entrance, but there were four gunmen already waiting for us in the alley.”

“Oh my God,” I gasp, covering my mouth with shaky hands.

“Hey, we’re okay,” he kneels and rests his hands on my thighs, rubbing them gently. I can feel his warmth through the denim of my jeans as I search his face for more explanation. “We took two of them down. Our guys are already running their info through every possible database.”

“The sheriff locked the crime scene down, put a lid on the whole thing,” Oliver adds.

“How did this happen? How could this happen?”

“We were most likely followed. There’s a high possibility that Kara’s phone was tapped. Our lines are all 100 percent secure, so we know the leak didn’t come from us,” James replies. “The other two hitmen got away. Kara was taken out of there as soon as the first shots rang out in the alley.”

“Where is she now?”

“Well, that’s the problem. We don’t know,” James sighs deeply. “We can’t get a hold of any of our guys or her. She’s in the wind.”

“Our guess is she got spooked at the restaurant and decided to part ways with our services,” Roman says.

“That’s pretty fucking convenient,” I mumble, shaking my head in dismay. “No, there’s something else going on here. It was Igor; it had to be him.”

“There’s no sign of him anywhere. We’re hoping we’ll have more information once we ID the two dead assailants, though,” James replies.

“I can’t stay here,” I whisper, beads of cold sweat blooming across my temples. My throat burns with the bitter fire of a decision I knew, deep down, that I would reach sooner or later. “Guys, it’s not safe. Not for me, clearly not for you, the guys, or the twins. There are too many innocent lives at risk. Why can’t you see that everyone’s better off if I just leave?”

James cups my face with his hands and pulls me into a quick but firm kiss. “You’re not going anywhere, Elise.”

“It’s too dangerous having me here! You’re all going to get killed because of it.”

“Elise, we told you we were in love with you, and we meant it. I love you, we all love you. The minute you came into our lives we knew you were special, knew that things were about to shift in a major way. There’s no coming back from what we feel for you. That being said, any one of us are prepared to do whatever it takes to keep you safe. We made you a promise, and we intend to keep it.”

Roman nods in agreement. “We’re not going to let anything happen to you. I know you want to believe that you’re making it safer for us by leaving, but do you really think we’re going to let you handle all of this on your own? That we wouldn’t continue to keep you safe from a distance? You keep trying to convince yourself that you’re more in danger here than out there on your own, but deep in your heart you know that’s not true.”

“I don’t want anybody else getting hurt because of me,” I say quietly, my eyes tearing up. “But… I concede.”

James laughs softly and kisses me again. It feels different this time. An unspoken declaration that says more than a thousand words ever could. Oliver comes closer and kisses me as well. Roman is next, and his kiss seals the deal for me. His lips brush over mine and I melt into his hot breath.

“I love you, Elise,” he whispers. “No fucking joke. You’re it for us. End of the line.”

“End of the line,” I repeat.

The words echo through my head, and for the first time in a long time, I perceive the certainty that comes attached to them. Tears roll down my cheeks. Of relief. Of joy. Of reciprocated, honest love.

“You really do love me,” I say.

“Is that so hard to believe?” Oliver chuckles, gently caressing my face.

“No, it’s just that bringing my past to your doorstep isn’t fair to any of you.”

“It’s not fair to you either,” James kindly reminds me. “You didn’t ask for any of this. You were trying to get away from it. You’ve been victimized, and it’s time someone came through for you. You came through for those you loved when you had to, even if it meant walking away in order to keep them safe.”

“You mean my brother.”

“Yes. Let us do this, Elise. Let us protect you.”

“Igor won’t rest until I’m dead,” I tell them.

“Then we’ll make sure he dies first,” Roman bluntly replies, and I give him a startled look. “It’s either you or him.”

“Okay,” I nod slowly. “I’ll tell you everything I know. I’ll give you everything I have on him. What else do you need?”

The guys look at each other, their gazes softening as they shift back to me.

Outside, it’s getting colder, the sky above a dark grey, a thick mist oozing through the forest, stretching toward the house like an ominous blanket. An unpleasant feeling lingers in the back of my throat as my men go over every option available to us.

“We’ll need to find our missing guys first,” James says. “The crew we had working with Kara. We need to know they’re okay.”

“What if Igor got to them?” Oliver asks.

“Kara’s his sister,” I remind him.

He gives me a subtle yet amused glance. “Baby, you’re the grand prize. He’s gunning for you. And if Kara were to be gunning for you, too, they would’ve teamed up by now, don’t you think?”

“Then why is she here in the first place?” I ask.

“She’s the only one who can tell us that,” James says. “We have to find her.”

I listen quietly as the guys strategize and draw up a plan, going through every possible worst-case scenario and contingency measure. I’m fascinated watching how they employ their military experience in analyzing the situation, building a strategy that’s as safe and efficient as possible under the circumstances. The more I listen, the more I realize how deeply in love I am with these three men.

“I just got a text from Horowitz,” Oliver says as he checks his phone. “Kara is in the wind. She had a cell phone jammer on her. As soon as they got her out of the restaurant, she must’ve turned it on. They lost her at the gas station on their way back to Boulder.”

“Have them do an area search. She couldn’t have gotten far. By her own admittance she doesn’t know the area that well,” James tells him. “Chip can look through the CCTV system across the district. His police buddies will help him out.”

“She must’ve gotten spooked,” Oliver says. “It’s the only possibility that makes sense. If she wanted to harm us, she would’ve. She’s had plenty of opportunities from the moment we signed that contract all the way up to the meeting at Candy’s.”

I lower my gaze.

They’re getting ready to go to war with Igor Konstantinov and possibly his entire family—regardless of Kara’s level of involvement. I have mixed feelings; the Konstantinov’s did raise me after all, and I’m still bound by a debt of gratitude. I’m having trouble reconciling what I know now versus the image I had of these people growing up.

One thing is certain, though: James, Oliver, Roman, and the girls are my new family. The guys deserve to know the whole truth since they are putting so much on the line for me.

“I’m pregnant,” I blurt out.

“Say what now?” Oliver responds.

Everything stops. The silence that falls over the room is deafening, and for a hot second, I regret saying what I just said.

But I say it again. Might as well drive the nail all the way through the coffin. “I’m pregnant with twins and one of you is the father.”

James looks at me with heavy, quiet intention. “How long have you known?”

“Not long. But you need to know, you deserve the truth. The whole truth. And this is it. I’m pregnant, and I’m scared, and I didn’t plan for any of this—”

“We didn’t either,” Roman sighs and gets down on his knees in front of me. “Elise, it’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”

“Is it?” I ask with a shaky voice. “It doesn’t seem that way. Kara’s in the wind. Igor is surely coming for me. And if Lev comes to town, expect the whole of Rustic, Colorado, to burn to the fucking ground because that man will scorch the earth around anyone who threatens his family. And now, this baby…”

Roman tucks a lock of hair behind my ear, a soft smile dancing across his lips. “To be honest, I’ve always wanted a family.”

“The timing’s great, huh?” I scoff.

“Sometimes the best things in life are the unexpected ones,” James says.

“I don’t even know which of you is the father.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Oliver shrugs. “We’re all the father. That kid’s going to be one lucky mini human. Three dads, two sisters, a badass momma. He’s going to have a great life.”

I can’t believe what I’m hearing. It certainly isn’t the reaction I was expecting. Then again, I’m not entirely sure what I was expecting.

“Or she,” I reply with a wink. “How are you so calm about this?” I manage.

“Baby, did you miss the part where we declared our feelings for you?” James laughs lightly. “I’m glad you told us now. Gives us even more incentive when dealing with those Konstantinov goons.”

“It also puts all of us at greater risk,” I say.

He pulls me up from the bed and wraps his arms around me. “Dammit woman, get it through that thick, gorgeous head of yours already,” James says. “You’re ours, we’re yours. And we’re going to make damn sure we all survive so we can properly celebrate this amazing news.”

“I couldn’t have said it better,” Roman adds as he joins us.

Oliver completes the group hug, and I melt into their warm and reassuring embrace. “Knowing that you’ve got a little one on the way makes me want to fight even harder for us, for our family.”

“Our family,” I echo softly.

“You are now part of our family,” Oliver replies.

“Tricia and Ainsley will definitely love welcoming a baby brother or sister into the fold,” James says. “And I, for one, am looking forward to seeing where all of this leads. We’re going to build something beautiful here, Elise. After we remove Igor Konstantinov from the face of the earth.”

“Oh, James,” I tremble and kiss him deeply, breathing him in, clinging to his shirt and holding on to the three of them for dear life. “I’m so scared.”

“It’s alright, baby,” he says. “One day at a time. Please understand that you’re not alone anymore. You’re never going to be alone again. Whatever is headed our way, we’ll handle it together. The four of us.”

“The four of us,” I repeat, hiding my face in his strong, muscular chest.

“Well, four plus two plus another one on the way,” Oliver quips.

“All the more reason for us to extinguish that dirtbag,” Roman says.

And I know he means it.