Liberation Read online

  Slick Rock 16

  Liberation

  After being shot in a bank hold-up, Delta Sykes packs her bags and heads to Slick Rock, Colorado. She is lucky enough to see a real estate advertisement for the sale of the town’s diner and decides a change is a good way to find a semblance of peace.

  However, she doesn’t expect to meet and be attracted to three men—or to have them return the attraction. No one has ever looked at her twice or treated her like a normal human being, and she keeps waiting for the other shoe to drop.

  Major, Rocco, and Ace Porter know Delta is the woman they’ve been waiting for. However, trying to convince the hearing-impaired Delta they aren’t stringing her along is harder than they thought.

  When Delta ends up in danger, the men rally around her to protect her and she finally concedes to try a relationship with them.

  Just when they think the danger has passed, Delta is snatched right out from under their noses.

  Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Western/Cowboys

  Length: 65,105 words

  LIBERATION

  Slick Rock 16

  Becca Van

  

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  LIBERATION

  Copyright © 2017 by Becca Van

  ISBN: 978-1-64010-431-0

  First Publication: June 2017

  Cover design by Les Byerley

  All art and logo copyright © 2017 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book or print book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at

  [email protected]

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  DEDICATION

  This book is dedicated to all my readers. Although I haven’t been around much due to a long illness, you are all in my heart. If it wasn’t for you all, I don’t know if I’d still be writing or even still here. So thank you from the bottom of my heart.

  Love always,

  Becca xxoo

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  My name is Becca Van. I live in Australia with my wonderful hubby of many years, as well as my two children.

  I read my first romance, which I found in the school library, at the age of thirteen and haven’t stopped reading them since. It is so wonderful to know that love is still alive and strong when there seems to be so much conflict in the world.

  I dreamed of writing my own book one day but, unfortunately, didn’t follow my dream for many years. But once I started I knew writing was what I wanted to continue doing.

  I love to escape from the world and curl up with a good romance, to see how the characters unfold and conflict is dealt with. I have read many books and love all facets of the romance genre, from historical to erotic romance. I am a sucker for a happy ending.

  For all titles by Becca Van, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/becca-van

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  About the Author

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Epilogue

  Landmarks

  Cover

  LIBERATION

  Slick Rock 16

  BECCA VAN

  Copyright © 2017

  Prologue

  Delta Sykes smiled as she followed Mr. Curtis with her gaze. He came in each week and she looked forward to his visits. He was such a nice man and he took the time to speak to her about everyday life rather than just getting on with business like all the other customers did. She shifted her gaze to her next customer, the smile sliding from her lips when she met cold gray eyes, and then she began to shake. Her heart slammed against her sternum, her breath hitched in her throat and then she began to pant. Sweat broke out all over her body and her knees felt as if they were about to buckle, but she locked them in place.

  Fear as she’d never known before coursed through her veins with the flight-or-fight hormones, but there was nowhere to run. The New City Bank in Chicago was full of customers and staff. Plus, she was stuck in her locked teller cubicle with no way out unless she used the key to unlock the door.

  Delta stared down the barrel of the gun, but when her brain finally kicked in she noticed that the gun wasn’t what a normal firearm looked like. This one was white and looked as if it was made of plastic. She decided then and there that although this asshole was trying to rob the bank, she wasn’t about to hand over any cash to him. He couldn’t shoot anyone with a fake gun, so hopefully no one would get hurt.

  She glanced quickly toward the security guard and cursed mentally when she saw he was talking and laughing with a gorgeous young woman who’d just entered the bank. No help would be coming from him. All Cory ever seemed to do was flirt with women when he should have been alert and watching all the customers so that nothing untoward would happen. It was a little too late for that.

  Even though Delta couldn’t hear the man talking since she was completely deaf, she could read his lips. “Give me all your money.”

  She frowned and shook her head as she surreptitiously lifted her hand toward the button which would set off the silent alarm.

  “Don’t move, bitch, or I’ll shoot you.”

  Delta’s heart was pounding so hard it almost hurt, but she wasn’t about to let this bastard intimidate her. She moved the inch and just before she hit the silent alarm button, he lifted the fake white gun up higher and he pulled the trigger.

  Shock had her blinking when something slammed into her shoulder and as she looked down and saw blood was already soaking into her white blouse, agony ripped into her shoulder, up her neck and down her arm. Delta opened her mouth and screamed. She had no idea if she was screaming loudly or whether her voice was only a husky, rasping sound, since she couldn’t hear herself, but since her throat hurt she guessed she was screaming at the top of her lungs.

  Everything from then on seemed to happen in slow motion. The robber turned away from her, and for a few seconds she thought he was going to start shooting all the innocent people. That was until she saw him falling onto the floor. Blood pooled rapidly underneath his body, and when she glanced toward the entrance, she was relieved to see that Cory had his weapon in his hand and there was smoke coming out of the end of the barrel.

  Delta swayed on her feet when she got dizzy. When her knees gave out she grabbed for the edge of the counter, but missed. She cried out in agony when she hit the floor, her injured shoulder connecting first, and even though she tried to keep the encroaching darkness at bay, she
couldn’t. With a sigh, she gave into the black abyss with relief.

  Chapter One

  Major sat back after eating his dinner with a replete sigh. He’d heard there was a new chef working at the diner, and after the wonderful reviews the food had gotten, he and his brothers had decided to find out for themselves.

  He’d ordered steak and vegetables, and the meat had been so tender it almost melted in his mouth. “That was fucking delicious.”

  “My chicken was the best damn roast chicken I’ve ever tasted.” Rocco, one of Major’s brothers licked his lips and patted his flat belly. “How was your lasagna, Ace?”

  “If I wasn’t so stuffed I would have ordered another one,” Ace, Major’s youngest brother, answered with a smile.

  “Has anyone seen this new wonder chef?” Rocco asked as he glanced toward the diner counter.

  “Not that I’ve heard,” Rocco replied.

  Major was too curious to let this go. He raised his finger to call one of the waitresses over.

  “What can I get you?” the teenage girl asked with a blush.

  Major glanced at her name badge before meeting her gaze again. “Cindy, could you get the chef out here please?”

  “Is there a problem?” Cindy asked as she eyed the empty dinner plates.

  “No, honey, we just wanted to give our compliments to the chef. That was the best damn steak I’ve ever tasted, and my brothers said their food was delicious, too.”

  Cindy smiled. “I will pass on your compliments but I’m sorry to say, the chef doesn’t like coming out front.”

  Major frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. Was the chef so far up himself he didn’t like interacting with his customers? If so, the asshole wouldn’t last long in this small Colorado town.

  “Why the hell not?”

  Major scowled at his impetuous brother. Ace was always rushing in without thinking.

  Cindy’s blush deepened and she shifted on her feet. “The chef is very shy.”

  That may have been true, but it wasn’t the whole truth. Major didn’t need to be a genius to figure out that the waitress was hedging since she’d glanced toward the left. She met his gaze again. “Did you want to order something else?”

  Rocco cleared his throat. “I’ll have the apple pie with ice-cream, please.”

  “I have the chocolate self-saucing pudding and ice-cream,” Ace gave his order.

  “I don’t want any dessert, but we all would like another round of coffee.”

  “Sure. I’ll be back to refill your mugs after I place your order.” Cindy scurried away.

  Major wished he and his brothers hadn’t chosen a booth in the back of the diner. He wanted to see whoever took the order from the waitress through the serving window, but he was too far away. His curiosity wouldn’t let up, and without conscious thought he stood and moved down the aisle between the tables and booths. He was just in time to see a small hand take the order slip from Cindy before disappearing. No other part of the person’s body showed in the window.

  He hurried back to the booth and sat.

  “Well?” Ace smirked at him.

  “Didn’t see anything except for a small hand.”

  “You think the new chef is a woman?” Rocco asked.

  Major shrugged. “How the hell am I supposed to know that? That hand could have belonged to one of the kitchen hands.”

  “Someone has to know who the new chef is?”

  Major nodded and then glanced toward the door when the bell above tinkled. His smile returned when he saw his friends, Ridge, Bull, and Rocky enter with their wife, Carly. He’d met Carly years ago when he and his brothers had visited his father’s brother’s ranch. It was good to see his three friends and their woman so happy and in love.

  “Hi guys,” Carly greeted with a smile.

  Major rose, took Carly’s hand in his and tugged her into his arms. “How are you doing, sweetheart?”

  “Good.” Carly hugged him back before drawing away. “How are you all doing? Have you finished with all the new fences? I know the barn and sheds are all finished.”

  “It would be hard to miss since our ranch butts up against yours.” Major smiled. “You’re full of energy. You haven’t been eating too much chocolate, have you?”

  “A girl can never eat too much chocolate.” Carly giggled. “We wanted to check out the new chef. Since the diner was sold there hasn’t been an empty seat in the place.”

  Ridge hooked an arm around Carly’s waist and guided her toward the booth opposite theirs. Bull and Rocky sat on the other side of the table.

  “We’ve finished putting up the new fences,” Rocco answered one of Carly’s questions.

  Ace leaned forward so he could see Carly around Rocco. “Do you know who bought the diner?”

  Carly shook her head. “Rumors have been rife, but that’s to be expected in a small rural farming town. Although more and more people seem to be moving to Slick Rock.” She sighed and her eyes glazed over for a moment. Bull must have seen the sadness in his wife’s eyes, too, because he reached across the table and clasped her hand in his.

  Major glanced out through the large window and into the waning light. Carly was right. More and more people were moving away from busy stressful city lives looking for a slower more relaxed pace of life. There was a new housing estate on the west side of town and he’d heard the sheriffs, Luke Sun-walker and Damon Osborn, talking about hiring on more men. He just hoped that the town didn’t get too big too quickly.

  He and his brothers had moved to Slick Rock two years ago. It hadn’t been a hard decision since their parents had died when they were still little kids. He, Rocco, and Ace had been brought up by their grandparents and had often stayed the summer with their friends to give their grandparents a break by taking care of three boisterous boys. Luckily, they’d lived close to the Frost men. The friendship they’d forged way back when had survived and would continue to survive for years. The six of them were more like brothers than best friends.

  As soon as they’d finished high school, they’d headed straight into the military, one after the other. There was just over a year’s difference between him and Rocco, and only ten months between Rocco and Ace. They’d been inseparable as kids and still were. They’d all ended up in the SEALs and had even done a couple of stints in Delta Force.

  The last mission had gone fubar. Major, Rocco, and Ace had been lucky to escape without injury. A couple of their teammates hadn’t been as lucky, but at least none of them had lost their lives. When they hit the States he and his brothers had all decided enough was enough and retired.

  They’d headed to Slick Rock to attend his friends' and Carly’s wedding. Major and his brothers had been astounded by the number of polyandrous relationships in and around the small regional town.

  He’d taken note of the way the citizens of Slick Rock had treated the people in those unusual relationships and he’d been pleasantly surprised that they’d been accepting. He, Rocco, and Ace had shared a few women between them from time to time while on leave, and though those women had known upfront that they weren’t looking for anything serious, Major had loved every second of the experience. His excitement and desire had seemed more intense, and the women had left with big smiles on their faces.

  After seeing how happy Carly and the other women in town were, he and his brothers had decided they wanted to share a woman, too. It had been just over two years since they’d bought the ranch next to Ridge’s, Bull’s and Rocky’s, but they hadn’t met a woman who was right for them.

  It wasn’t that they didn’t have any choices since single women seemed to throw themselves at him and his brothers. They could have had women in their beds on a regular basis, but fucking for the sake of slaking his lust was real old. Major wanted to go home to the same woman each and every night. He wanted to build a solid, loving relationship that would weather the storms that tested their mettle. He wanted to have kids and have a member of the opposite sex love him in return. No
t because he had a tall, fit body and a passably good looking face. Not because he was a notch on the belt of a woman hell-bent on getting laid by a retired soldier or a cowboy.

  Major wanted to hold the same woman in his arms night after night. He and his brothers had been celibate since relocating to Slick Rock, but thankfully they’d all been too busy setting up their ranching operation to even think about getting their rocks off.

  The first twelve months they’d all practically fallen into bed and had been asleep as soon as their heads had hit the pillow. The house had been rundown and small. They’d gutted the insides and extended. After the house had been finished, they’d begun working on the outside. The barn had been dangerous with its sagging roof and rotting beams and trusses. However, now that everything was done except for working the land and keeping the animals safe and fed, they had more time on their hands. They were no longer spending sixteen to eighteen hours running from one chore to another.

  Nighttime was the worst. The loneliness seemed to encroach in the darkest hours, and the yearning to meet that one special women who would fit perfectly between him and his brothers had become an incessant craving. Sometimes Major wondered if they’d ever meet the right woman. Maybe he was going to have to accept that working their new ranch was it.

  “What are you thinking so deeply about?” Rocco nudged his foot under the table.

  “Nothing much,” Major murmured, and while he tried to stop his gaze from wondering over to their friends and Carly, he couldn’t seem to help himself.

  Rocco knew him too well. “You’re pining.”