Chapter 25
25
Anya
T he only place where my cares disappear is in the bedroom.
When we’re together, wrapped in the quiet of night, the world vanishes. I lie naked on the bed, hot and breathing heavily, as I watch Booker, Chance, and Nico peel their clothes off.
“It’s been a long day,” Nico says, stretching his strong arms out to relax.
“But we’re making progress,” Chance adds.
I’m mesmerized by the lines of their muscles as they join and wrap around their massive torsos, as they reach down their thighs and up their arms. The air thickens as I breathe it in, catching whiffs of cologne and heightened testosterone.
“Progress?” I ask, lying against the soft linen sheets as I let my hands wander up and down my body. It’s my favorite thing to do—touching myself as they watch with hunger burning in their wild green eyes. “What kind of progress?”
“Mills posted deputies at every road leading in and out of town,” Booker says. “If Leo’s bringing people in from the city, we’ll see them coming. They’re checking every plate and following anyone who looks even remotely suspicious.”
“And we’re getting some help from the locals, too,” Nico adds, “including kids from the reservation. They’re watching everyone and everything. Sooner or later, someone will see something.”
Their optimism is infectious. I want to believe that what they’re doing will be enough. But for now, I want to put all of that out of my head and focus on what comes next. My men are hung and hard as rocks as they slowly approach the foot of my bed as I let my fingers slide between my parted legs.
“Fucking hell, Anya… I wanted to say something else, but…” Chance manages, his voice low and gruff as he cups his bulging manhood, eyes fixed on my slick folds. “You’re the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, baby.”
“Am I?” I giggle, then moan softly as I push two fingers inside. “Oh.”
“You’re making it hard for us to focus,” Nico says.
I give him a broad and hungry smile. “Right now, I really want the three of you inside me.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Booker says. “But first…”
He drops to his knees and yanks me by the hips, pulling me closer. I gasp as he dives headfirst into my pussy, licking and kissing every inch of tender, hypersensitive skin until tension builds up in my core. His fingers replace mine, and I brace myself for one hell of a ride as Chance and Nico climb onto the bed.
“Let me taste you” I reach out with both hands, taking a firm hold of their massive, thick cocks. The veins throb fiercely against my grip as I take turns licking the tips first.
Tasting the precum, I then suck each of them with great delight, moaning louder as Booker licks me deep into a shattering orgasm. He finger-fucks me harder and faster as his lips close around my swollen clit.
“I don’t want this to end,” Chance hisses as I let him slide down my throat, his full length cutting off my air supply for a moment.
“Oh, that’s a good girl,” Nico groans as I stroke him faster and tighter before I take him in my mouth again.
Booker’s fingers curl with every retreat, causing an orgasm to explode through me.
“God, yes!” I cry out, writhing in sweet ecstasy as heatwaves ripple outward from the very center of my being. My hips thrust upward as he plunges deep inside me, and I wrap my legs around his waist as I receive every glorious inch of this man. “It feels so good.”
“So perfect,” he groans, still for a moment as he revels in the sensation.
I’m clenched tightly around his cock, still pulsating from my orgasm as he begins to move. In and out he goes until the rhythm builds as I suck his brothers off. Nico holds my head in place with both hands for a long moment, his cock buried deep down my throat as Chance comes down to lick and gently bite my nipples.
The sweet sting travels through my body as Booker turns us over.
I end up on top of him, laughing and moaning at the same time, as Chance gets up. I hold on to his muscular thighs as I take him in my mouth as Nico climbs up behind and joins Booker in the wet heat of my stretched pussy.
“Oh, fuck,” Nico growls as his big hands cup my full, tender breasts, but I welcome the sweet pain of his squeeze as Booker’s fingers dig into my hips.
My whole life, I was made to feel inadequate because of my weight. Yet to these three gorgeous men, I am the most desirable woman in the world.
I am the woman of their dreams, the woman they love to claim and share until I’m spent and covered in sweat, panting from too many orgasms for me to count.
“I can feel you,” Booker tells me. “Tightening…”
My mouth is full. I’m too busy taking his twin brother all the way in, tasting him as two cocks pump into me. Harder, faster, and deeper they go. Stretching me, filling me to the brim until my muffled cries become the only sound I can focus on.
The orgasm is working its way up to the top as Nico and Booker fuck me out of this world, but Chance comes first.
“Oh, Anya, hold on.”
He wants to pull back, but I lock him in and look up to meet his gaze. He’s trying to hold it in, yet he cannot resist.
I welcome the guttural sound he makes as he comes, and I follow. I welcome the hot spurt of his seed rolling down my throat, his cock throbbing against my tongue as I drink every drop.
“Fucking perfect,” Nico manages as he lovingly slaps my ass and drives himself deeper inside me.
I fall apart at the seams, hanging on for dear life as Nico and Booker fill me with their seed.
This is our last night together.
I know it.
They don’t.
So I intend to make the most of it. I put everything I have into every gesture. I play along and let them do everything they wish. I lose count of my climaxes as we fuck each other late into the night.
I fall asleep in their arms, my heart breaking, my body covered in sweat.
“I’ll miss this,” I whisper, my eyes popping wide open as I realize I just said it out loud.
But they didn’t hear me.
They’re fast asleep, chests rising with every even breath.
There’s no other way.
* * *
“You seem sad,” Nico says.
It’s early morning. The sun hasn’t come up yet, but the sky is cracking open for dawn, the dark blue turning lighter with every passing minute. Soon enough, I’ll watch the sun come up over the eastern ridge, its golden glow flooding the kitchen.
I’ll miss it.
“I’m just sleepy,” I reply, then motion for him to sit on the comfy bench at the breakfast table. “Saved you some coffee from the first round.”
“You’re having coffee?” he raises an eyebrow at me. “And you’re fully dressed already.”
Smiling softly, I pat the seat next to me again.
Nico relents and joins me, planting a kiss on my lips before he takes his first sip of hot, black gold. I rest my head on his shoulder, trying to memorize as much of him as possible before it all ends, while still playing my part.
“It’s a Guatemalan specialty,” I tell him. “Breonna got it for me. It’s got a weird name that I cannot for the life of me pronounce correctly, but I do know it’s very low on acid. One cup won’t harm me or the baby; I promise.”
“Fair enough,” he says, taking a moment to enjoy the taste. “It’s really good.”
“It is, isn’t it?” I glance around at the kitchen, then measure him from head to toe, marveling at how his jeans and his sweater hug his massive figure. “Chance and Booker?”
“They’re coming down soon,” he replies. “They’ll go out on patrol, and I’ll stay with you.”
“Good. I look forward to a little bit of alone time with you.”
Nico gives me a curious look. “You’ve got something planned? Just for me?”
“Oh, yes,” I whisper as I nibble on his ear lobe.
He stirs beside me, his hand quick to come up and grab my breast. “Anya, if you don’t stop what you’re doing, I might just have to bend you over this table, right here, right now.”
But the sound of boots thudding down the stairs brings the moment to a full stop as we both laugh and pull away. Nico gets up and sets the coffee machine for a second brewing as the twins take turns kissing me good morning.
“How’d you sleep, babe?” Chance asks. “I didn’t hear you get up.”
Breonna’s voice bursts through the lodge, accompanied by several desperate thuds on the front door. “Help! I need help!”
In an instant, everything changes.
I hold my breath as Nico forgets all about the coffee machine and bolts out of the kitchen. Half a minute later, he returns with a pale and shaking Breonna in a pink velour tracksuit, wide-eyed and downright horrified.
“Oh, God, thank you… I didn’t know what else to do,” she says.
“What the hell happened?” Booker asks.
I scoot over to make room for her to sit down, inwardly marveling at what a good actress she’s turned out to be. Someone needs to give her an Oscar for this performance, because I am really close to buying it myself.
“Breonna?” I ask in a low voice.
“I woke up to some weird sounds in the house. Someone was trying to get in through the front door. The lock kept clicking and jamming. I was so scared,” she sobs. “I grabbed my phone, I wanted to call you guys, but I wasn’t sure you’d make it in time. I didn’t know what else to do, so I just bolted through the back door.”
“Did you see anyone?” Chance asks.
Booker is already in the hallway, unlocking the weapons cabinet. My blood thickens as the guilt begins to eat away at me from the inside. It’s a terrible trick that Breonna and I are pulling here, but it must be done.
“No, just shadows moving around the corner,” Breonna says, gasping loudly. “I was so scared. I ran as fast as I could, and I came here. I don’t know how many of them there were or what they wanted. I’m sorry.”
“Breonna, no need to be sorry,” Nico tries to comfort her.
“What do I do?” she asks, looking up at him. “I’ve got money in there, jewelry. Oh, God, my laptop. It has some really sensitive information on it. I need that back!”
“Trust me, the last thing you need to worry about is that,” Chance mutters.
Booker comes back with rifle for each of his brothers and a stern look on his face. “We all know who’s involved,” he says. “If they’re out there, we can intercept.”
“Are you serious?” Nico frowns, though he’s giving that box of ammunition a second glance. “That’s not what we agreed on.”
“No, but this is better. Breaking and entering?” Booker insists. “We’d be acting in self-defense. Let’s not forget, this is Montana. There are different interpretations of the law for gun-owning folks who only want to defend their homes.”
Chance’s eyes light up. “He’s got a point.”
“You three should go,” I tell them. “End this now. I’ll stay here with Breonna. We’ll call Sheriff Mills and have him come up with a few deputies.”
I’ve already got my phone in my hand, eagerly unlocking the screen.
Nico gives me a doubtful look. “I don’t like leaving you alone.”
“She’s not alone,” Breonna snaps, tears streaming down her cheeks. “And we’re calling the sheriff right now. Anya’s right, you guys need to get those fuckers. Now!”
Within the span of a minute, the Hayes brothers have slipped into their boots and winter gear. Nico pauses to kiss me and give me one last look.
“Lock the door and keep an eye on the security screens,” he says. “You’ve got the password to my laptop, right?”
“Yes. Go. Be careful!” I urge him.
As soon as they’re out the front door, armed to their teeth and ready to put a few Russian mobsters down, I lock the door and set Nico’s laptop on the coffee table. Breonna rushes into the living room with raccoon eyes and a deep frown.
“What are you doing?” she hisses. “We need to go!”
“Just a minute,” I reply. “I just need to make sure the road’s clear. They’ve got cameras mounted at the junction, too.”
I send the CCTV’s DVR software to my phone as well, then input Nico’s credentials to make sure I have access to the live, wireless feed. We’ll need that on the way down.
“God, I feel awful,” I groan as I get up and grab my little go-bag from behind one of the armchairs. I left it down here last night, precisely for this moment.
“Yeah, I’m not too proud of myself either,” Breonna admits.
“At least, this way, they won’t be able to blame you for anything.”
“Oh, they’ll be mad either way. But we need to get you out of here. Come on.”
Once I’m ready and fully equipped, I follow Breonna out the back door. Dawn cracks over the mountain as we head in the opposite direction from the Hayes brothers. We take a lesser-known path down to the bottom, where Breonna left her Jeep earlier last night.
“Alright, once we reach the road, we’ll both need to turn our phones off, so Mills can’t ping our GPS,” Breonna says as she gets behind the wheel. “You’ll find an envelope in the glove compartment. Take it. It’s yours.”
I give her a curious look as she turns the key in the ignition. The engine roars to life.
Out of the envelope, I pull cash and instructions to go straight to the tarmac. I take a deep breath. “I cannot thank you enough, Breonna. Really…”
“Thank me later, when you’re safe and sound. Now buckle up. We’re headed to Missoula, hopefully without a frickin’ tail.”
I give the forest one last glance, knowing I’m going to miss this place and the tranquility it offered—at least until Leo found me, anyway. I’m going to miss Nico, Chance, and Booker more.
Maybe we’ll find our place again before the baby comes.
Assuming I survive this.
* * *
“Okay, it looks like we’re in the clear,” Breonna says after about a half hour.
We’re out of Seeley Lake and heading toward Missoula, the road stretches ahead—a dull grey slashing through hills of white. I feel awful about leaving Booker, Chance, and Nico behind like this but everyone in that town will be safer if I get away, if I’m out of the picture, and Leo has no one to chase after.
“At least, this way, they’ll be okay,” I say, tears welling up in my eyes.
Breonna gives me a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry, honey. I really am.”
“Me, too. I never asked for any of this.”
“Maybe not, but sometimes you have to make some tough decisions in order to protect the people you care about,” she says. “All I can promise is they’ll be fine, and those Russian mobsters will leave us alone. For good.”
“That’s the plan.”
“Do you know what you’ll do next?”
I gaze out the window, watching the blue of the sky melt into the distant white horizon. My heart aches with every mile that I put between my men and me.
“I’ll go and find my grandmother; she might still be alive,” I say. “From there, we’ll reach out to what’s left of my father’s crew and see if we can gather enough men to show up at the next council of families. We just need to show them that the Asimovs are alive and still kicking. It should be enough to deter Leo, at least for a while.”
“And what about your baby?”
I can only offer a shrug. “Single motherhood, I guess. What else can I do?”
“Gosh, I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. You’re doing so much for me right now, Breonna. I couldn’t thank you enough.”
As soon as we enter Missoula, the air feels different. Something heavy hangs over my shoulders. Perhaps its fear amplified, or regret. But I have trouble focusing, as my gaze keeps darting around, worried someone might’ve followed us. Breonna assures me the coast is still clear as she drives me to the airport.
With my go-bag on my shoulder and my ticket ready, I give her one last hug. She smiles, but only with her lips. Something about her expression doesn’t sit right with me, but I can’t figure out what it is.
“We made it this far,” Breonna says. “Just text me when you land, okay?”
“I will.”
“I’ll tell the Hayes brothers not to be too upset. You’re doing this for them.”
I laugh softly, bitterness building up in the back of my throat. “They’ll never forgive me.”
“You underestimate them. When enough time has passed, they realize what bloodshed you avoided when you left,” Breonna says with a heavy sigh. “They’ll understand you had their best interests at heart. Now, go, honey. And stay safe.”
* * *
With shaky knees and swallowing back tears, I make my way up the steps leading to the front hatch of the plane. It’s a charter jet.
The flight attendant in a purple and pink uniform greets me, her ascot fluttering around her tiny neck as she smiles and checks my ticket.
“Miss Asimova. My colleague Danny will help you to your seat.”
“Thank you,” I mumble and make my way down the aisle.
The plane feels weird, empty and quiet. There is one other passenger already seated. Dark suit, dark eyes. Fine scar running down from his temple. He doesn’t look at me, and I don’t linger either.
Danny, the other flight attendant, says, “Miss Asimova, welcome!”
“Hi,” I mumble and give him a weak smile.
My stomach tightens with every passing minute. Part of me wants to turn around and get off the plane, but I’m so close to getting out of here.
“Step right through here,” Danny says as he gingerly reaches for my go-bag. “Just let me put this up for you.”
“Thank you.”
Stepping to the side, he pulls the curtain back for me to go through. “Right this way.”
The look he gives me as I pass him fills me with instant dread. I glance ahead and immediately realize why.
As the curtain falls behind me, I freeze and stare at a first-class section filled with Leo’s men. I can tell by their suits and their expressions as they turn their cold gazes on me. The haircuts, the tight jaws, the dead glimmer in their eyes. And in the seat of honor is Leo himself.
“Oh no,” I whisper and turn around to leave.
Danny is at the front of the plane, urgently telling his colleague to shut the door.
The guy I mistakenly identified as an air marshal gets up and blocks my way. Fuck, he’s one of them.
“Welcome, my darling Anya,” Leo says and gets up from his seat, his arms wide open.
My skin prickles all over as I quickly realize I’m not getting off this plane. “Leo,” I say, and slowly turn around to face him. “What is this?”
“We’re going home, of course.”
“You planned this,” I manage with a trembling voice.
“I had some help.” He chuckles and points at the seat next to him by the window. “I’m giving you the good spot, mind you.”
“You can’t do this.”
“Oh, but I can. And clearly, I am. You could try to fight me,” Leo replies, “but we both know how that ends.”
For now, I’m trapped. I just need to remain calm and think this through. I’ll find options along the way. But I am not letting Leo get what he wants, and I will do whatever it takes to protect my baby.
“What’s your endgame here?” I ask, my voice raspy.
“To finish what we started., I’m taking my fiancée home,” he states matter-of-factly.
He’s acting as if the last couple of years never happened, as if he is the master of my fate, and I’m but his humble servant.
Then a thought rips through the haze of my confusion, and I realize I’ve been betrayed by a brilliant actress.