Chapter 20
I smiledto myself as I stalked down the hall towards her room.
Shit.
I was grinning, and I was not the grinning type. Something about this girl got me…well, it got me grinning, for one. Something about her made something click inside of me. Something I’m pretty sure I’d forgotten about — the capacity to care like that. Growing up the way I had — the way all three of us had — without parents and in and out of the foster system most likely broke something inside of us. The absence of a family does that, I supposed, but then, that’s probably why we found each other, and Amy back then.
But then, here I was, grinning as I approached Mia’s room.
Because I had that itch. I had that nagging, pulling feeling of wanting her — to watch her face as I slid inside, and watch her mouth open in a moan as I filled her. Sharing her with Erik and Oliver was phenomenal of course. We’d shared plenty of women over the years, but they were faded imitations of whatever this was with Mia. Nothing in a million women could ever be as intense, or as perfect as it was with the three of us and her.
But then, I also wanted a taste of my own, too. Of course, what we had was shared between all of us, but I also wanted that moment of just her and I.
I rapped my knuckles on her doorframe before stepping inside.
My grin faded — empty.
Shit.
I grumbled as I headed downstairs, through the huge living room, past the downstairs library, and the study, past the doors out to the gardens, and into the kitchen.
I loved this place — big enough for all three of us, away from the city, and yet close enough to go when we needed. I rolled my eyes as I caught myself wondering if this place was big enough for four.
Jesus, and I used to be a hard ass.
Oliver was in the kitchen, and he grinned as I stepped in.
“You were looking for her, weren’t you?”
I shrugged casually. “No.”
“Your shirt’s unbuttoned and I can practically see your blue balls from here.”
“Ass,” I flipped him off with a grin.
Oliver chuckled. “She went up to the east library wing to make some calls.”
“Family and stuff, huh?”
“Yeah.”
For a second, I could hear some sort of sound outside — something mechanical barely in the distance. I frowned, wondering if we had a gardener coming out today.
“For what it’s worth,” I glanced back as Oliver cleared his throat. “I was looking for her too.”
We both laughed as Oliver hit the brew button on the espresso machine. “Man,” he shook his head. “She’s—”
“It.”
He nodded. “Yeah, man. She is.”
“Could we do this? Her, here, with all of us?”
He shrugged. “What do you think?”
“I think not having her here would kill me.”
“Well, there’s your answer.”
That mechanical noise outside got louder, and this time we both frowned at the sound.
“The fuck is that?”
Erik ducked into the kitchen. “You guys going into the city or something?”
I scowled. “No?”
He looked at me quizzically. “Well then why the fuck is there a helicopter landing on the—”
We froze for one millisecond, before we bolted. Oliver’s espresso cup dropped to ground and shattered as we dashed for the stairs, blood pounding.
“Mia!” I roared, charging ahead at the top of the stairs and running full tilt down the hall to the library wing.
“Mia!” Erik went crashing through the doors to the library—
…Just in time to see them carrying her to the ladder dangling from the copter.
My world went black.
“Mia!”
I was somewhat aware of taking the metal stairs three at a time with Erik and Oliver right at my heels. Barely conscious of smashing through a side table and chair, and seeing white fury as I crashed right through the glass doors to the balcony as they bound her to the ladder and started to rise.
I ran forward, roaring like a fucking animal as the helicopter rose, taking the women we loved and the men who’d stolen her away.
The helicopter rose higher, and I watched through blood-tinged vision as it turned and flew away over the trees.
Gone, and taking our Mia with them.