Chapter Twenty-Seven
Romy
“G abby says they’re still there,” Eva tells me, the glow of her phone illuminating her face. “She knows the girl who cleans for the neighbors’ Airbnb, so she’s letting her stay there.”
It’s been a few days since Dad and Bastian went dark, but then the housekeeper at one of Dad’s properties ratted them out. Eva’s been working behind the scenes, reaching out to staff at the multiple homes they owned together, asking them to keep an eye out. Since Eva was always the pleasant one to be around, they all agreed to offer their help.
Which is why we’ve been driving through the night to get to Cape Girardeau where one of Dad’s vacation homes are located.
“We can stay at the house,” Eva says. Her thumbs are flying over the screen on her phone. “I’m making an official booking now.”
For the most part, we’ve left Eva out of the graphic specifics. She knows my biological father is dead by suicide because it’s all over the news. Caius told us about Doc Junior’s death in a very summarized way, but I know it had to have been horrific based on the haunted expression on his face whenever I mention it. I think Eva wanted to come along, not just to watch Nova when I need her to, but because she thinks she can keep us from harming Dad and Bastian.
I don’t want to hurt them.
I want to confront them, demand answers, and somehow make them pay.
“Perhaps tomorrow we can all go over there,” Eva suggests, setting her phone in her lap. “Put everything out in the open and have an adult discussion.”
Koyn’s eyes in the rearview mirror are hard. He doesn’t argue with her, but his expression tells me everything. This isn’t a social visit. We’re not here to gripe Dad out for being a terrible person.
It’s so much deeper than that.
There needs to be real consequences for their actions.
Nova fusses from the car seat in the very back of the SUV. Kaitlyn stayed back with Hadley, so at least we only have one kid to worry about at the moment. I unbuckle to reach back and stuff her pacifier back in her mouth. It’s nearly time for her to eat again, but the GPS shows we’re less than fifteen minutes away.
Koyn’s phone rings and he puts it on speaker. “Yep.”
“Got boots on the ground,” Copper says. “Tell me when.”
“I’ll keep you advised. Bye.”
Eva stiffens but doesn’t add to the conversation. I know she’s nervous about what’s going to happen. If I’m being honest, I am too. These are men we both loved, maybe even still do. It’ll be messy. There’s no way around it.
After a bit, we turn down the street where Dad’s house is, and it comes into view. I’ve been here twice in my lifetime. It wasn’t one of his favorites. There aren’t any vehicles in the driveway, which means they’re lying low by hiding them inside.
We pull in next door. Eva texts with Gabby and then the garage opens. Koyn pulls the vehicle inside and the woman mashes the button to close it. They won’t know we’re here until we surprise them.
The home has four bedrooms, so everyone finds a place to crash for a few hours. Caius sets up the portable crib and after a feeding, we put Nova down for the night.
“Shower with me?”
I nod because I need to feel close to Caius right now. I’m unnerved knowing things are about to go down with Dad and Bastian. I feel sick to my stomach.
We undress and then step into the shower together. Caius’s cock is hard, poking into me as he soaps me down. My core aches. I want to have sex with him, but we’re still not able to. It doesn’t stop my pussy from fluttering every time he’s near.
“You’re killing me, love,” he rumbles, voice low and gritty. “It’s hard to be good when you’re practically begging for it.”
Am I that obvious?
I rinse off and then squeak out when he seizes my jaw in his grip. Our eyes meet and his glimmer with desire.
“Your clit’s not sore, hmm?”
“No,” I breathe. “In fact, it needs attention.”
His lips curl into a wicked grin. “I can be doting.”
I close my eyes as his palm slides down my stomach to my pussy. He’s gentle as his fingers slide between the tender lips, seeking out my clit. As soon as the pad of his finger touches it, I jolt from the wonderful sensation.
“I’ve been deprived,” I whisper. “So cruel to make me wait all this time.”
His mouth finds my neck. “The wait is over. I’ve got you now.”
I link my fingers behind his neck and hook my leg around his waist. With each swirl of his finger, I wish he’d slip it inside of me. He doesn’t. I’m not sure it would feel that good either. Still, I ache for him to fill me.
The hot water sluices down my sore breasts and over my stomach. I feel it trickling between his fingers as he works my clit into a frenzy. Stars glitter around me. I’ve missed his touch there.
Another glimpse of a forbidden fantasy enters my mind. His mouth on my nipple. The thought of not being used as a source of food and getting pleasure feels foreign.
“Can you, uh…” I trail off, unable to say the words.
“Can I what?”
I pull his head downward until he’s face first in my cleavage. He nips the inside of my breast and I moan.
“Dirty girl,” he growls. “You want me to suck on these sexy tits?”
“Yes,” I say with a groan. “Make it feel good.”
His hot mouth covers my nipple and it’s completely different than when I’m feeding Nova. This is sexual and feels really good. He tongues the nipple and nips at it. The teeth send ripples of pleasure zapping through me.
“Oh!”
Then he sucks hard enough I cry out in pain. But his fingers work my clit so that I’m unable to focus on how it hurts. The suckling sounds he makes are starved and feral.
“Mmm.” He moans around my breast before sucking even harder.
Does he like the taste of it?
It’s so weird but also incredibly hot.
“Fuck me,” I beg, hardly breathing from the need pulsing through me. “Please.”
“No,” he growls. “I’m going to get my fill, love. Your taste is addictive. I’m going to suck these titties dry while you come on my fingers. Then, if you’re lucky, I’ll let you suck me off too.”
His words are my undoing. I feel the crescendo building and I’m close to the edge. He moves to my other nipple, doing as he promised, and drinks from me, the gulping sound hotter than anything I’ve ever heard. My clit is buzzing and it only takes a pinch before I’m exploding.
I’ve barely come down from my high when he guides me down to my knees. With the water soaking my head and face, I greedily suck his cock, wanting him to feel even one ounce of the pure bliss I’m still flying high from. It doesn’t take long and I swallow down his salty release.
Has it been six weeks yet since Nova’s birth?
How in the hell am I going to wait that long to have sex with this beautiful man?
Koyn pushes the key Gabby gave us into the door of Dad’s home. The alarm isn’t activated because it doesn’t blast when we enter. We can hear voices in the kitchen.
“We could probably get to Canada the easiest,” Bastian says, voice tight. “There’s still a risk of getting caught.”
“This is unbelievable. My life is ruined,” Dad bites out. “I know it was Orion and his sons. He’s not answering my calls, which means he’s guilty.”
They both go quiet for a second.
“Did you hear something?”
“Probably the housekeeper. I told her she wasn’t needed—”
“Hi, Dad. Bastian.” I walk into view, with Caius and Koyn flanking me.
It’s comical to see Bastian’s eyes bug out of his head. Dad wears the same cold, annoyed expression as usual. The bags under his eyes are new, though.
“What the hell?” Dad demands. “What are you doing here? I thought…”
“You thought I’d been shipped off to be brainwashed?” I smile sweetly at him. “I was, Dad. It was terrible. Did you know I was pregnant?”
Bastian gapes at me. “What? You had a baby?”
Dad sneers at me. “Of course I knew. Just like I knew you escaped. I’m pretty sure my fucking wife has been aiding in your efforts.”
My brother scowls at our father. “I didn’t know she was pregnant. How come I wasn’t informed?”
“Forget about it. Not important.” He’s waved off with a dismissive gesture from Dad. “Are you here to kill us? Like you did Seth Portman?”
I cross my arms over my chest. Behind me, I know both men have Glocks in hand. Dad speaks bravely for someone on the wrong end of a couple of guns.
“I just want to know why,” I say softly. “I thought you loved me.”
“We do love you,” Bastian interjects. “It was what was best for you.”
Caius cracks his neck audibly. I’m sure he’d love to pummel my brother even worse than the last time. His self-control is admirable. I’ll have to reward him later.
“If you loved me, you wouldn’t have shipped me off to have my brain wiped.” I bite on my lip for a second to keep the emotion from swelling up. “Seth was an abusive rapist. That wasn’t what was best for me. Just like when you shipped me there as a child to have them scrape my mind.”
“So this is personal,” Dad snaps. “You ruined my fucking legacy because you were upset that Daddy sent you to the insane asylum where you belonged?” He snorts out a cruel laugh. “Romy, you were always going to be like your mother. A crazy bitch!”
In three short strides, Caius lunges at him. The Glock smacks my father across the temple and he groans in pain.
“Call her a bitch again. I’ll unload every damn bullet into your gut.”
Bastian glowers at Caius as he steadies Dad. “Your family is going down too. It’s not just us. You Crownes are guilty as fuck.”
“In due time,” Koyn grunts out. “Don’t worry, we’re getting to it.”
“This part is personal,” I agree, shrugging. “I thought this would be a lot more painful, but turns out, my heart always knew I wasn’t loved by you. I’d been a pawn for you to use. You liked having something that belonged to my biological father. I bet you were so proud of yourself to march me in there as a child to have him work his fuckery on me. You make me sick.”
Dad’s nostrils flare. “Power is everything, and owning something that belonged to him was always satisfying. You were a tool, child.”
Caius tenses like he might attack him again. I grip his elbow to keep him from doing something stupid.
“Well, fucking kill us already,” Dad snarls. “Drawing it out is boring. There’s nothing left for us anyway. You successfully destroyed our legacy, Romy. You ungrateful little bitch—”
Bang!
At first, I think it’s a gunshot, but it’s a door slamming against a wall. Footsteps rush for us. Men and women with matching jackets and guns drawn enter the space.
Feds—carefully vetted and friends of Copper. He’s with them, looking more like he belongs to those people than as a biker, and gestures for us to get the hell out. He allowed us our moment, but the Feds were going to get them in the end. It was always the plan.
I linger long enough to watch my brother and father get handcuffed. Then I let Caius drag me by the hand out of the home and next door. As soon as we’re alone and Koyn makes himself scarce, I fall against Caius’s chest.
It’s over for Bastian and Dad. They’ll never step foot out of prison again, not after all their crimes.
“Is it over yet?” I ask, voice fatigued.
Caius kisses the top of my head. “Soon, love. Really fucking soon.”