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  There was no way she wanted to or could face Mica after he, Dante, and Jalen had seen her naked, after they’d touched and kissed her all over. No one had seen her naked since before her mother had died. When she’d been able to choose the clothes she’d wanted to wear for the day, Kat had always chosen garments that covered as much skin possible. She’d owned a few pairs of shorts but had only ever worn them once.

  The men who’d worked for her father had been in and out of the house constantly and at all times of the day and night. One day, she’d gone to the kitchen to start preparing food for lunch, and she’d felt one of the men’s eyes roaming her body. When she’d turned to glance at him over her shoulder, he licked his lips grabbed his crotch lewdly and thrust his hips forward. She’d been fifteen years old.

  From then on, she’d worn clothes that weren’t tantalizing in the least. In fact, she’d been practically puritanical with her choices.

  That had all changed since her escape, but she still didn’t show off too much skin if she could help it. Whenever she wore shorts now, they weren’t short enough to show off her ass cheeks. She wore long shorts that started a couple of inches above her knees, and there was no way in hell she was ever wearing a revealing top that would expose the cigarette burn marks on her side or the whip scars on her back.

  Kat pushed her thoughts aside as she tried to figure out how to get out of here without alerting Mica to her activities, but she knew if she didn’t make a move soon, she’d be stuck. She could just stay in her room and sneak out when he was asleep, but she had a feeling that wouldn’t work, either.

  All three of the Donnybrook men were observant and vigilant. If she made too much noise, Mica was likely to come and investigate. He’d also come and check up on her if she stayed hidden for too much longer.

  Rubbing the sore skin on her arm, she made her decision. She was going to leave by the bathroom window. The window over the spa bath was big enough for any of the men to climb out without any difficulty, so it should be a piece of cake for her. She was also grateful that the house was fairly new and had no security system. Plus, she was hoping there wouldn’t be any telltale creaks or squeaks as she made her escape.

  Glancing at the lock on the bedroom door, she hurried over to engage it. She’d thought she’d locked it after storming away from them earlier, but she must have forgotten. Looking down at her socked feet, she shrugged. She didn’t know where her shoes or her clothes were.

  Seeing the dresser, she turned toward it, opening and closing drawers searching for her clothes. She hit pay day on the last drawer. Her slacks and wrinkled blouse had been folded and placed in the otherwise empty drawer. Hurrying toward the closet where she was hoping her shoes would be, she sighed with relief and picked them up from the rack.

  They weren’t the best walking shoes, but they would do in a pinch.

  Holding her things against her chest, she entered the bathroom again and closed and locked the door behind her. Stripping off the borrowed clothes, she dumped the sweatpants and tee into the hamper and dressed in her own outfit. Discarding the socks into the hamper, she pushed her feet into the flats and then stepped over the rim of the tub and stood in it. Holding her breath as she raised the blind, she unhooked the latch on the window and opened it. The window slid smoothly and almost soundlessly in the grooves, and Kat lifted the flyscreen up and pushed it out. She lost her grip on the tab and gasped when the light aluminum frame dropped to the ground. Thankfully, there was some sort of ground cover plant in the garden bed beneath the window, which softened the flyscreen’s landing.

  Kat froze, once more holding her breath as she listened intently for any movement near the bedroom door, but all was quiet on the home front. Holding onto the window frame, she lifted first one leg until she was straddling the sill and tried to ignore the ache in her inner thigh as the frame pressed into the underside of her flesh and muscles as she swung her other leg over.

  Even though the drop to the ground wasn’t far, she slid down to diminish her feet thudding onto the ground and landed on the balls of her feet to soften any noise. Kat turned quickly, closed the window almost all the way, and tried to lift the screen back into place. When she realized it wouldn’t work with the window mostly closed, she rested the flyscreen against the side of the house and took off.

  Since it was getting dark, she kept to the shadows as much as possible and took all the back streets as she made her way through the outskirts of town. Whenever she heard any vehicles heading her way, she ducked behind hedges, hid behind fences, and remained out of sight.

  The last thing she needed was to get caught walking the streets by one of the deputies out on patrol.

  Kat couldn’t figure out why she was sneaking away. She cursed under her breath as she wondered when she’d become such a coward. She wasn’t backward in coming forward and normally spoke her mind and after escaping from her prison. She’d done whatever she wanted to without caring what anyone else thought of her. She’d decided to become an “in your face” kind of gal, but here she was creeping about as if she was a scared little girl.

  Stopping in her tracks, she frowned over the choices she’d made when she’d decided to leave the Donnybrook men’s house. Was she just fooling herself? Was she still that frightened child she’d been while living under her father’s iron rule?

  Kat shrugged since there was nothing she could do about it now. With a weary sigh, she began trudging toward her apartment again, but this time she chose not to hide. She didn’t have anything to feel guilty about. She was a grown woman and had no reason to feel remorseful over her judgments.

  If any of the Donnybrook brothers took her to task, she was going to stand up for herself and tell them to fuck off.

  A shiver of awareness skated over her skin. If she argued with them, would she end up in bed with them? Was that one of the reasons she’d slunk out when no one was looking? If so, then maybe she was more fucked up than she’d thought.

  Kat had gone after whatever she’d wanted once she had control over her own life again. She began to think that because she had no idea how to interact with the opposite sex unless it was to cower that she was trying to goad the three men into making a move on her. That didn’t make a lick of sense since they’d just touched and kissed her until she’d screamed with ecstasy.

  Certainty over the last thought settled in her gut, and yet she still didn’t want to have anything to do with them, but only because she was worried that they’d take her over, that they’d rule her life just like her father had.

  Pushing her thoughts aside as she turned to corner onto Main Street, Kat couldn’t help but glance into the storefronts of the shops she passed, knowing she couldn’t afford the clothes and other luxuries inside.

  She was about to turn the corner at the end of the Main Street shopping strip when she heard a truck roaring along the street behind her. Without turning her head to look over her shoulder, she picked up her pace. When she heard the truck slow enough to take the corner even if the wheels screeched slightly, her heart rate picked up. Her apartment was only a few streets back from the main thoroughfare. She had a bad feeling in her stomach and her heart flipped. She was about five minutes from home. Kat was indecisive on whether to make a break for it and run the rest of the way home or turn back toward town where hopefully there’d be someone about.

  “Hey baby, want to go for a ride?”

  From the corner of her eye she saw a twenty-something man hanging out the rear passenger window. The vehicle had slowed right down and was keeping pace with her. Fear surged and her breathing sped up as her fight or flight instincts kicked in. She was just about to break into a jog, but the truck swerved toward her, the wheels mounted the curb, and the front of the vehicle ended up on the pavement blocking her path.

  Kat backed up as three men jumped from the passenger seats and started toward her. With her heart now thundering hard and fast in her chest with fear, she spun on her heels and ran, but she wasn’t fast enough.<
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  One of the men was on her before she’d taken more than a few steps. He grasped her shoulder and turned her back toward him. Fear and rage had her limbs trembling, but she reacted without thinking. Kat balled her hand into a fist and swung at his face with all her might.

  Her knuckles connected with his nose, and while her hand hurt like hell, she was satisfied when he shouted and blood started to pour from his nostrils. He released her shoulder and bent over at the waist as if trying to regain his breath.

  “You fucking bitch. You’ll pay for that. Get her!”

  Chapter Six

  Dante took note of the license plate of the truck as it passed the sign welcoming travelers to Slick Rock. When he saw it was full of young men probably out to have a good time, he hoped they didn’t get up to any mischief.

  He and Jalen had been sent out to pull over anyone speeding. They’d caught a couple of locals going fifteen miles over the speed limit but had let them off with a warning. He and his brothers didn’t want to make any enemies since they were fairly new to the area, but they’d told the drivers if they ever caught them again, they’d be issued a ticket. They’d fined a couple of truck drivers for exceeding the limit by twenty miles and a couple of people passing through town for not stopping at a stop sign.

  “It’s almost time to head back to the other side of town,” Jalen said.

  “Do you think it would be all right if we got a cup of coffee to go from the diner?” Dante asked. “We didn’t get much sleep today, and I need to caffeine to give me a pick me up.”

  “Yeah, me too. I don’t think Luke or Daman would care. They’re pretty laid back as long as we get our work done,” Jalen said. “I also want to make sure that truck full of guys don’t go breaking any laws or disturbing the peace.”

  Dante nodded. He pulled his seatbelt on as he glanced at Jalen. “I think that’s a good idea. My neck started itching when I saw them driving past.”

  Dante kept looking for the vehicle as Jalen drove them into town. Since there was no sign of the truck, he figured it had just been passing through. Jalen slowed and indicated when he spotted and parking space right outside the diner. They both got out and headed toward the door, but Dante stopped when he heard a woman scream. Turning on his heel, he ran as fast as he could toward the sound, Jalen right behind him.

  When he turned the corner and saw two men holding a woman between them by her arms and another punching her in the stomach, anger flooded him. Dante pulled his weapon from his holster and flicked the safety off. Jalen had his gun drawn, too. “Police,” he said loudly. “Let the woman go and put your hands behind your head.”

  Dante sighed with relief when the men holding the woman let her go, but then one who’d been beating on her reached out with a hand toward her neck, and before he or his brother could stop the asshole, he was using her as a human shield. He must have had the knife concealed in his pocket, but now he held it against her neck.

  Dante’s knees nearly buckled when he saw Kat’s battered and bruised face and the blood seeping over her chin from a split lip. “Let her go!” he ordered from between clenched teeth. Jalen was already dealing with the other two and the driver, so he was no help. Saving Kat was up to him. “If you free her, things will go better for you in court.”

  “I’m not going to court, you fucking pig. Back off or I’ll stab her in the fucking neck.”

  “And then you’ll be dead,” Dante said calmly. He had no idea how he was keeping his cool when inside his gut was churning with rage and fear. Fear that the motherfucker would kill Kat before he could save her.

  Kat shifted on her feet, drawing his gaze. One of her eyes was already swelling shut, but instead of seeing fear in her gaze, there was fury.

  Before Dante could give a slight shake of his head, Kat slammed her arm up and back, hitting her attacker in his already bleeding nose. He howled with pain and lifted both of his hands to his broken nose, almost stabbing himself in the eye. Kat turned and kneed the bastard in the balls, and he dropped to his knees like a sack of spuds.

  Dante carefully nudged Kat to the side, kicked the blade from the asshole’s hand, and took him to the ground. Once he had the prick in handcuffs, he turned to glance at Kat to see if she was all right.

  She was sitting on the concrete sidewalk with her arms wrapped around her knees. As soon as she met his eyes, she started laughing, but there was no humor in the sound.

  “More units are on the way.” Jalen rushed over to Kat and knelt in front of her. “Shh baby, you’re all right now. You’re safe.”

  Kat stopped laughing when Jalen lifted her into his arms and held her against his chest.

  Dante searched for the other men and sighed with relief when he saw that Jalen had secured them into the back of the patrol car. He wanted to go over and hold Kat, too, to make sure that her injuries were only superficial, but he needed to keep his prisoner subdued. If he let the fucker up off the ground, the bastard could still charge at their woman even though his hands were secured behind his back. She was already hurt way too much, and he didn’t want his carelessness adding to her wounds.

  Kat was sobbing now and had her face buried against Jalen’s neck.

  Dante’s heart broke all over again. Kat and Niki had endured so much brutality in their lives. He and his brothers were supposed to be protecting Kat now that her sister had men of her own to keep her safe, but they’d failed. Again.

  Dante wondered if they would ever gain Kat’s trust. She’d been hurt twice on their watch. He was so fucking angry at himself and the men who’d hurt her, he wanted to kill someone.

  What the fuck is she doing on the street at this time of night? Where the fuck is Mica?

  * * * *

  Mica was getting tired of Kat avoiding him and decided it was high time to change that. He’d frowned when he’d heard the shower running again but shrugged it off. Kat had been hiding in her room for close to three hours. He wanted to talk to her, get to know her better, but that wasn’t going to happen if she continued to evade him and his brothers.

  He had a feeling she’d had the rug pulled out from under her after he and his brothers had touched and kissed her sexy, naked body and made her come. He felt as if they were taking three steps forward and two steps back with Kat. His, Jalen’s, and Dante’s progress in courting her was going way slower than he’d wanted it to, but they couldn’t push her too fast.

  Kat had only ever experienced abuse at the hands of men, so he wasn’t shocked that she was fighting the attraction to him and his brothers, but he had no idea how to get through to her that she was safe with them. Telling her that they would never hit her hadn’t worked worth a damn. They were going to have to show her that they weren’t abusive men, but how the hell could they do that if she kept eluding them?

  With a sigh of frustration, he walked down the hall and knocked on the bedroom door. When he didn’t hear any movement or get a response, he called out, “Kat? Are you okay, sweetie?” Still no response. “I thought you might like something to eat and drink. Are you hungry or thirsty, sweetheart?”

  Mica began to worry when Kat didn’t answer. He needed to see her to make sure she was all right. He gripped the doorknob and turned, but the door was locked. “Kat, open the door!” He started to think the worst. Had she fallen and hurt herself? Had she knocked herself out? Not willing to risk her health, Mica backed up a couple of feet. “If you’re near the door, Kat, get away from it. I’m breaking it down. Three. Two. One.” He lifted his leg and slammed his foot into the door right near the latch. It burst open and banged into the wall behind it. He was inside the room before it bounced back toward him. When he saw the room was empty but the bathroom door was still closed, he hurried across to it. “Kat, if you’re in there, answer me now!”

  Adrenaline rushed through his body when she didn’t reply. After trying the handle and finding another door locked, he didn’t bother telling her he was about to bust it open. With a well-placed kick, he was in the bathroom
moments later.

  The room was empty. Fear and anger fought inside him, but his ire won out when he noticed the bathroom window above the spa bath was slightly open. Leaning over the tub, he pushed the window wide, and when he saw the top of the flyscreen resting against the house, he figured that she’d left by her own accord. What pissed him off was that she’d snuck away without talking to him first.

  After shutting and locking the window, he ran back toward the kitchen to grab his truck keys. Just as he was getting into his vehicle after locking up the house, his cell phone rang. Instead of pulling it from his pocket, he answered using the Bluetooth connection through the truck stereo as he backed out of the driveway.

  Mica didn’t even get to answer, because Jalen started speaking before he could. “Kat was attacked and has been taken to the hospital.”

  “Fuck! Is she all right?”

  “Her face is bruised. One of her eyes is already swollen shut, and she was punched in the stomach,” Jalen snarled.

  “Shit. I’m on my way.” Mica disconnected the call. He was angry at himself for not checking on her sooner. If he hadn’t assumed she’d been hiding from him because she was embarrassed that he and his brothers had seen her naked and made her come, he might have known she was missing sooner and prevented her from getting hurt.

  Mica wasn’t sure he was ever going to be able to forgive himself. He just hoped his brothers and Kat didn’t hold his stupidity against him and exonerated him from blame even if he wouldn’t be absolving himself any time soon.