To the Moon and Back Read online

  

  Slick Rock 26

  To the Moon and Back

  [Siren Menage Everlasting: Contemporary, Romantic Suspense, Cowboy/Western, MFMM, HEA]

  Just as she’s facing financial ruin, Jodi Regan is offered the chance of a lifetime. She agrees to a partnership for a new shop, and though her life is changing for the better, she’s exhausted after three months of disturbed sleep. Someone is trespassing on her property and terrorizing her.

  Whenever the police come, the cops can never find evidence of trespassers or foul play. Jodi wonders if she’s paranoid.

  Deputies Walt, Dirk and Emmet Kyson are mesmerized by Jodi when they meet her and know she’s the woman for them.

  Deeds from her childhood make her wary of men, but there’s no denying the attraction she feels for the brothers.

  Jodi realizes she’s happy and in love, but the danger lurking in the background escalates and she’s abducted.

  It’s a race against time for the Kyson brothers and their colleagues to figure out who’s abducted Jodi and to rescue her.

  When a gun is put against her head, she thinks her life is over.

  Length: 70,400 words

  SLICK ROCK 26:

  TO THE MOON AND BACK

  Becca Van

  

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  Slick Rock 26: To the Moon and Back

  Copyright © 2019 by Becca Van

  ISBN: 978-1-64637-011-5

  First Publication: October 2019

  Cover design by Siren Publishing

  All art and logo copyright © 2019 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

  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

  SLICK ROCK 26: TO THE MOON AND BACK

  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

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Epilogue

  SLICK ROCK 26:

  TO THE MOON AND BACK

  BECCA VAN

  Copyright © 2019

  Prologue

  Please, not again!

  Jodi bolted upright when she heard a thud coming from outside her bedroom window. Night after night it was the same. She was so tired she had no idea how she got through each day, but there was nothing she could do. She’d called the sheriff’s department countless times and each time a deputy or one of the sheriffs came to her home, they didn’t find anything.

  She’d taken to sleeping with a baseball bat in her bed in case she needed a weapon, and she’d even looked to try and find what was making the elusive noises that kept waking her up after only a couple of hours sleep, but so far she’d found nothing.

  So here she was sitting up in her cold, lonely bed with her arms wrapped around her knees, the bat clutched in one of her hands as she rocked back and forth with tears of terror, exhaustion, and frustration rolling down her face. She was so sick and tired of being scared out of her mind.

  Every now and then she got mad and tried to use her anger to her advantage, but her swinging emotions were getting out of hand. There was only one highlight in her life and that was being able to see and work alongside Talia in their new specialty shop. If it hadn’t been for Talia Maxine, Jodi would likely have been out on the streets and bankrupt.

  Her internet café business had been floundering, and if Talia hadn’t approached Jodi with her idea about selling gourmet cheeses and other gourmet food that was grown and produced locally, she would have had to sell her business. As it was, Talia, who’d looked at the shop Jodi had owned with the intention to buy, had offered her a partnership. The shop had only been open about two months but business was booming and they were making tidy profits.

  While Jodi should be over the moon that she was now able to afford to pay her rent, her utility bills, and buy herself food, she was too scared and weary to be elated.

  The noises in and around her home had been going on for around three months now, but no one, including her, had found the source.

  Jodi wasn’t sure how much longer she could continue this way without breaking down or going insane.

  She’d caught Talia watching her with concern often since they’d begun their business partnership, but Jodi wasn’t about to unload her problems on her new friend. Talia was ecstatically happy with her three fiancés and Jodi didn’t want her troubles to mar her friend’s happiness.

  When she heard another loud thud, she almost screamed but thankfully caught herself in time. If someone was deliberately trying to terrorize her, she didn’t want them knowing their plan was working.

  The house she was renting was a few miles outside of the town of Slick Rock, and she’d been here for a little over twelve months. She’d loved the cottage style house and the beautiful gardens as soon as she’d seen them, but right now, she wished she was holed up in an apartment or condo with other people close by.

  She frowned when she realized the next noise was further away from her room. Was whoever was trying to scare her getting tired of her lack of reaction? She hadn’t bothered calling 9-1-1 after the first five times because she’d ended up doubting herself and so embarrassed she hadn’t been able to look the officers in the eyes anymore.

  Flinging the covers aside after unlocking her arms from around her legs, she got off the bed, gripping the baseball bat so hard her knuckles ached, and crept through her house on silent bare feet.

  As she moved through her house, she peered out windows wishing she’d remembered to close the blin
ds when she’d gotten home from work, but she’d been so exhausted it had slipped her mind. At least she’d remembered to make sure the doors were locked before she went to take her bath before crawling into bed.

  It wasn’t until she entered the kitchen that she saw two large shadows standing outside her kitchen window. Since she hadn’t turned on any lights she was hoping that the men couldn’t see her, but she sank down to her knees just in case. Now that she’d had her suspicions of foul play confirmed, she needed to call for help, but she’d left her cell phone on her bedside table in her bedroom. She’d never bothered connecting the house phone since she already had a phone and didn’t need the added expense.

  Slowly backing up using on one hand since she was still holding the baseball bat in the other and her knees, she listened intently trying to hear what the men were doing. However, her heart was thundering so loudly, all she could hear was her own rapid heartbeat and the blood rushing through her veins. When she was sure she was out of sight of the kitchen windows, she shoved to her feet and hurried toward her room on trembling legs. Grabbing her cell phone from the nightstand she called 9-1-1 and whispered to the dispatcher to call the police after giving her address and telling her about the men.

  Even though she was told to stay on the line until the police arrived, Jodi dropped her phone onto the bed and raced back down the hall on her tiptoes.

  She stopped outside the kitchen doorway trying to get her harsh choppy breaths under control, but in the next moment she was screaming as something crashed through the window, shattering it.

  She spun around, her hand over her mouth trying to stifle her sobs as she ran to her bedroom, slamming and locking the door behind her, then she hurried to the adjoining bathroom on trembling legs, closing and locking that door behind her, too.

  Jodi stepped into the bath, pulling the curtain forward to hide her body from sight, sank down into a crouch, clutching the baseball bat in both hands while praying that the police didn’t take long to arrive.

  She was scared out of her mind and shaking life a leaf in a stiff breeze.

  Even though she had a weapon, she wasn’t sure she had the strength or the will to use it. If she didn’t find the gumption to take a swing at one of the men, the other guy was sure to make his move while her attention was directed elsewhere.

  Whomever had been scaring her shitless had just upped the ante and Jodi had no idea what to do, or who or why she was being targeted by.

  What frightened her most was that the offenders would get inside and kill her before the law arrived.

  Where they here to kill her? Or where they terrifying her for another reason?

  Jodi wasn’t sure she wanted to find out.

  Chapter One

  “All available units, we have a 146 in progress.”

  “Shit!” Walt Kyson said as he flicked the lights and siren of his patrol car on. When the dispatcher followed up with an address, he hooked a U-turn and pressed his foot down hard on the gas pedal. His brother Dirk acknowledged the emergency and told the radio operator they were en-route. He hated that someone was scared and their home had been broken into and probably invaded.

  He and his brothers, Dirk and Emmet, had moved to Slick Rock about six months ago after retiring from the Marine Corps Security Force Regiment. They’d served with a few men living in the small rural town, and after contacting Wilder Sheffield and hearing how happy he and his brothers were since they’d found the woman of their dreams, he and his brothers had decided to relocate.

  It was the best decision they’d ever made.

  Pushing his thoughts aside, he drifted the vehicle around a curb then applied pressure to the break. He could see two more sets flashing lights in the distance coming from the opposite direction and hoped it was Emmet and his sometimes patrol partner heading to the same property as their backup. He’d tuned the chatter from the radio out as he concentrated on his driving.

  When he spied the drive to their destiny, he turned onto it and sped up again, not caring that his tires were spitting up gravel. Moments later, he and Dirk were out the car and reconnoitering with their weapons drawn. He was aware of Emmet and Gifford Smith racing toward the house with guns in hand, but he didn’t gaze at them. Emmet sometimes rode with Giff or the other way around, but today they’d pulled up in separate patrol cars.

  Once he, his brothers, and Giff had determined that the coast was clear, Walt walked up the steps toward the front door and knocked. When no one answered, he began to get worried for the home occupant. There’d been no sign of forced entry and the only damage he’d seen was a broken window, but since there was still jagged pieces of glass around the hole there was no way anyone had attempted to enter through it. If they had they would have been cut to pieces.

  Giff and Emmet were following the tracks they’d found, and though Walt wanted to cover his younger brother’s ass, his first priority was the homeowner. Plus Emmet was more than capable of taking care of himself.

  After banging on the door again loudly, he called out, “This is the police. Open up.”

  His ears pricked up when he heard movement inside and then he heard rustling from behind the door. He already had his badge in hand, and when the porch light was flicked on he held it up to the peephole in the front door. Seconds later, locks were disengaged, and he swallowed down a gasp when he met a pair of startlingly blue, frightened, feminine eyes.

  “I’m Deputy Walt Kyson and this is my brother, Deputy Dirk Kyson. Are you all right, ma’am?”

  She nodded and swallowed audibly, shifting nervously from foot to foot as she clutched at the door.

  “May we please come in and talk to you?” Walt asked gently. The poor woman was so scared she was shaking. He could see that she’d been crying since she had tear tracks down her cheeks.

  “Sorry,” she whispered in a soft tentative voice as she stepped back, opening the door wider.

  Walt stepped into the house and Dirk followed him. When he saw the baseball bat she was gripping he hoped she wasn’t about to try and hit him and his brother with it. He’d seen terrified people do things they never would, but he didn’t think she was so scared she couldn’t think anymore.

  She was so fucking small, and when he noticed she was trembling harder, he cautiously walked toward her, hoping his bigger size didn’t frighten her, and gently gripped her elbow then guided her to the small sofa.

  “Can I please have your name, ma’am?” Walt asked.

  Her pale cheeks flooded with color. “I’m Jodi Regan.”

  Walt pulled out a notebook and wrote her name down. “You called 9-1-1?”

  “Yes.” She licked her lips nervously, glanced at Dirk, then back at him briefly before lowering her eyes.

  When Walt noticed he and his brother were still standing he stepped toward the sofa and sat down, making sure to keep space between him and her. Dirk slowly walked toward an armchair and sat.

  “Can you tell us what happened?” Dirk asked.

  Jodi tugged at the robe she was wearing before wrapping her arms around her waist and started talking. He frowned when he heard about her calling for help previously and that none of the officers had found anything when they’d arrived. The hair on his nape stood on end and rage speared his chest but he ignored his anger. She’d be living in fear for months, and now whoever had it in for her was escalating. He was also having trouble dealing with the fact that none of his fellow officers had found any sign of trespassers. The only reason he could think of as to why any of his colleagues hadn’t found any tracks or anything else was that the motherfuckers were maybe professionals.

  “Is there anyone we can call for you? I think it would be best if you didn’t stay here by yourself. Can you go and stay with family or a friend?”

  She met his gaze and lifted her chin. “I’m not leaving. I’m not letting those assholes drive me out of my home.”

  “It would be better if you stayed somewhere else until we catch these men,” Walt said.

&nb
sp; She shook her head stubbornly.

  Although Walt couldn’t make her leave, right now all he wanted to do was pick her up, carry her out to his car, and take her home with him.

  She was one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen, and he was attracted to her. As soon as he’d peered into those amazing, albeit scared, blue eyes, his cock had started twitching and pulsing.

  Thankfully, his anger over what she’d been dealing with, over her fear, was enough for him to get his wayward dick under control.

  “Whoever these bastards are, are long gone,” Emmet said as he entered the house. His brother glanced about the room and locked his eyes onto Jodi. He smiled and nodded at her before introducing himself and Giff, who’d followed him into the home. “I’m Deputy Emmet Kyson, and this is Deputy Gifford Smith.”

  “Hello,” she said shyly then glanced down toward the floor.

  “What did you find?” Walt asked.

  “We followed their prints to a dirt road a couple of miles east. There were fresh tire tracks and from the looks of the tread, they were driving a truck.”

  “How long have you lived here, Jodi?” Walt asked.

  “Just over a year.”

  “Do you have any enemies?” Dirk asked.

  “What about ex-boyfriends?” Emmet asked.

  “I don’t think I have any enemies. As far as I know I haven’t upset anyone. There are no exes since I haven’t dated anyone since moving to this town.”

  “What about before you moved?” Giff asked.

  Jodi shook her head. “I was too busy going to school and getting my degree.”

  “Did you date?” Walt asked.

  “A couple of times, but nothing ever came of the outings.”

  “You don’t know that, Jodi,” Emmet said gently. “Why don’t you tell us who the men were so we can check them out?”