Chapter Twenty-Eight

Larissa

"Daddy." I came to my feet but couldn't move toward him. He'd told Caspian he was okay with yesterday and understood what Amon had done to me, but still… So many years had passed. Did he still care for me like before?

"Kitten," he said, opening his arms.

When he said my nickname, it melted away any reservations I might have had. I hurried forward. He welcomed me into his warm embrace. I shouldn't have worried. I inhaled the familiar aromas of my father. I smiled when I realized he wore the same cologne he had always used.

When he raised his head, he looked at the brothers. "Thank you for helping my daughter come back to us."

Caspian came to his feet, as did Ezra and Jude, when Johnathan walked into the room.

"It was mostly Larissa. We'll give you some privacy. You should go into the den where it'll be a little more comfortable and you'll be able to talk. We'll be working in the study. We want to find out everything we can about Amon—whatever might give us more leverage to catch this psycho. Is there anything I can get you before we go?"

"I think we'll be fine."

As the brothers went to the study, we made our way to the den. Dad sat on the sofa, then patted the seat next to him.

"I want you close to me. I still can't believe you're alive. It still seems unreal."

"You'll never lose me again."

"I need to know what happened that night," he said. "Caspian told me a few things, but not everything."

"It isn't good," I warned.

"I don't want it wrapped in a package with a pretty bow. I need to know."

I knew I couldn't tell him everything. He'd been hurt too much already. I glossed over some things, but I think he read between the lines. We were both exhausted by the time I finished.

He pulled me close, wrapping his arms around me. "I'm so sorry this happened to you."

"I'm home now."

He leaned back a little and looked into my eyes, brushing my hair behind my ear. "Not exactly, but I want you to stay here with them. They'll protect you better than I can. They're more used to dealing with a man like Amon."

"Let's go for a walk outside," I suggested, needing some fresh air.

I knew I had to tell him about my relationship with the brothers. I wasn't sure if he'd understand or not. Dammit, I didn't want to lose him all over again.

"This sounds serious, but different from what we were talking about. Am I right?"

My father had always been astute, which is why he was such a good businessman. "Maybe I just need your advice about something."

We left through the patio doors, making sure the alarm was off first, and strolled toward the flower garden. I smiled when I got to the pink roses and showed him the plaque.

"They care about you very much."

"As much as I care about them."

"But roses and plaques aren't what you wanted to discuss."

We began walking again. "No, it isn't." Please don't think less of me , I silently prayed, then took a deep breath. "I love the brothers very much. I always have."

"I know. It's easy to see how much the four of you care about each other. They were as devastated as I was when we thought you died in the car wreck. It changed them, made them harder. Most people were already a little afraid of them, but they got much worse. People could see the anger and the hurt inside them. They didn't want it to spill over to them."

"There's more to our relationship than just being friends," I tentatively began.

He released a long breath. "I think I've always known there was," he admitted.

"Is it wrong to be in love with three men at the same time?"

He stopped, resting his hands on my shoulders. "I would never presume to judge anyone for who they love, even if it's three men at once. As long as they make you happy, I'm happy. That's all I've ever wanted for you. I think I knew that someday you would go back to them, and if that monster hadn't kidnapped you, I believe you would have. There's an unbreakable bond between you four. That's why Amon could never completely get inside your head."

"I tried to kill Jude." I shuddered to think what would've happened if I'd succeeded.

"I think somewhere deep inside you, you didn't want to succeed. It didn't take a lot to bring you back to us. I think you always knew he was trying to control you."

"Maybe. I'd like to think that anyway."

"What'll happen next?"

I blushed and couldn't meet his gaze. "I want you to be a big part of my life. Of our life."

"You'll never have to worry about that."

I loved my father even more now. He started to say something, then stopped. I remained quiet, knowing my father was trying to find the right words.

"This man is dangerous, and he's crazy. I don't want you going after him. I'll not have you put in danger again."

My father didn't know all there was about me. "He trained me to be a killer."

"Yet, you failed to kill Jude."

"True, but maybe it's as you said, somewhere deep inside, I knew I never wanted to kill him. Dad, I have skills. I can take care of myself."

He stopped walking and faced me, lightly resting his hands on my shoulders. "Promise me you won't go after Amon."

I could see my father was getting agitated. The years I was gone had aged him. I didn't know a lot about his health anymore. What if he had a bad heart? I compromised. "I won't do anything the brothers think will hurt me."

He sighed with relief. I would have to prove to the brothers that I could take care of myself now.

After a while, we went inside. My father stayed for lunch, then left with a promise to return the next day. Jude had his arm around my waist as we watched my father leave. David was still acting as his bodyguard until my father could hire someone else.

"I told him about our relationship," I said as we watched the back of his car disappear.

"I'm assuming he's okay with it since we're still alive and you're here with us," Caspian said.

"He knew before I did," I admitted. "He approves. I think more because I'll have three men who will always look out for my welfare. He won't have to worry so much."

"I don't know," Ezra said. "We didn't protect you very well the first time."

I ran the back of my hand down the side of his face. He grabbed it and placed a kiss on my palm that sent shivers of pleasure down to settle between my legs.

I pulled myself back to the present, but I think Ezra knew what I'd felt because there was a sparkle of mischief in his eyes. "If we'd known there was a monster lying in wait, we would have all taken more precautions," I told them.

When the nurse called for Gina's lunch tray, I asked to take the food. Ezra insisted on coming with me. He drove the golf cart as I held a bag with several containers of food carefully on my lap so nothing would spill, but I shouldn't have worried. Harriet and Mindy had made sure every container was secure. Ezra stopped in front of the cottage where Gina stayed with Mindy, and we got out.

When Ezra knocked lightly, and the nurse opened the door.

"I brought lunch." The nurse smiled as she ushered me inside, Ezra left us alone so he could double check the security of the cottages.

I glanced around. The cottage was small but adorable. A comfy sofa was against one wall with one chair beside it. There was a cozy fireplace. Pictures of Mindy's family lined the wooden mantle. I could see the kitchen with all the modern appliances and a small island. I don't know why I should be so surprised the cottage was more than just a wooden structure with a bed and bare kitchen, but I was.

"I fell in love with it the first time I walked in as well," the nurse said, guessing my thoughts. "The Morelli brothers are very generous."

I followed her into the kitchen, where she fixed a tray for Gina from the food I'd brought.

"This looks delicious, and I'm starved. Harriet is such a wonderful cook. I'll just help Gina first."

"If it's alright, I can assist her."

"I think she'd like that. She's mentioned you a few times and always with admiration."

I was surprised by that. I thought she might hate me after what Bernard did to her. Still, I wasn't sure how Gina would feel about me being there, so I was a little nervous as I walked inside her room. When Gina looked up, her eyes widened with surprise.

I tried to hide my shock. Fading bruises colored her face and she still had some swelling, and her arm was in a cast.

"It looks worse than it is," she said.

"I'm sorry I was staring. I brought lunch. I figured it was my turn to take care of you."

The nurse moved over to the bed and then helped Gina to a sitting position. I put the tray on the bedside table and wheeled it closer. Gina was watching me but not saying anything more. I felt horrible about what happened. The nurse stepped out of the room.

"I'm sorry this happened to you. It should have been me."

Gina shook her head. "It shouldn't have been anyone. You can't blame yourself. I was gullible enough to fall for his line of bull."

"I wasn't sure if you would ever want to see me again," I admitted.

"I do, and thank you. I guess I'm surprised you're here. I mean, Mindy told me you're better. But you don't have to wait on me. The brothers are doing plenty. They're good people."

"I know."

"You have all your memories back?"

"Most of them. Sometimes, I'm reminded of something from my past that I'd forgotten. But for the most part, I know what Amon was trying to do."

"I'm sorry that happened to you."

"I am, too. I can't change the past, but I can make the future better."

We talked for a bit longer as she ate her lunch, but then I could see she was getting tired. I promised to return for another visit. I felt better as we returned to the estate.

"How is she doing?" Ezra asked.

"She'll be okay. She's strong."

He smiled. "Then I know two strong women."

I glanced across the seat. Did he really know how strong I was? I didn't think so. Maybe it was time I showed someone, starting with Ezra. "Do you still have the gym?"

"Yes, why?"

"I feel like working out. Will you come with me?"

"Of course. I just need to change." He pulled to a stop in front of the house.

"My father said he brought some of my things from home. He didn't get rid of anything. I'll meet you in the gym," I said as I went inside.

I hurried to my room. Once inside, I went to the closet, then smiled after I opened the door. I think my father knew where my heart was because it looked like he'd brought everything from my closet. Mindy had said she would put it all away. Everything was hanging neatly in the closet.

Dad was right. He hadn't thrown anything away. I couldn't have loved him more than I did right now. And there were my yoga clothes. I grabbed my black tights and a simple black crop-top, then stripped and quickly pulled them on. I slipped my feet into black sneakers and left the room. I would show Ezra I was no marshmallow.

I was the first one in the gym, which gave me time to look around and find out where everything was. It was larger than I remembered—almost the size of a high school gym. There was every imaginable piece of equipment, a fighting ring, and a miniature obstacle course with ropes hanging from the ceiling.

Along one wall was everything from fighting sticks to swords to nunchucks. There was archery equipment and guns of every size. This would do for now. I rubbed my knuckles, remembering how Arnie and Bernard loved whacking them with the sticks when they trained me.

I began to stretch, bending over at the waist and reaching forward. I straightened, punching the air, then stretched again. When I turned around, I caught Ezra watching me. When he looked at me like that, it was hard to concentrate on why I was at the gym.

He sauntered forward. I suddenly found it difficult to swallow or even breathe.

"What are you trying to prove, Rissa?"

"Who said I was trying to prove anything?"

"You might have been gone for five years, but inside, you're still the same."

"Not exactly. You three are worried that I'll get hurt if I go after Amon. You're wrong. I can take care of myself."

His expression turned serious. "I know you want to go after him. I don't blame you. I would want to end him if he did that to me. But you couldn't defeat us before, and this guy is a psycho."

"Then you shouldn't be worried about going up against me."

He laughed. "I'm not. Name your weapon of choice."

I walked over to the wall and chose a stick. I tossed him one. "Let's start with these. Just to warm up."

He frowned. "This might not look so bad, but you can get hurt using them."

"Don't worry. I'll be careful and try not to hurt you too much." I smiled.

Initially, I hated the sticks with a passion when Amon forced me to start fighting with them. They were long wooden sticks usually used in martial arts, I discovered. Arnie was pretty good with them and loved rapping me on the knuckles. Bernard, not quite as much. It hadn't taken me long to learn defensive measures, and I was rapping their knuckles.

I took up my stance. Ezra stood across from me and, finally, moved into a fighting position. He started slow. I knew he was trying not to hurt me. Nope, I wasn't about to go there. I had something to prove. I began to fight in earnest, rapping his knuckles.

"Ow, dammit, that hurt." He frowned at me.

"Now, are you ready to fight for real? You won't hurt me. I won't let you."

He slowly nodded, then came at me. I whirled to the side, then slapped him on the ass. He quickly turned to face me. I was laughing.

"You think you're funny, don't you?"

"A little."

He came at me full-force after that without letting up, but I met every blow. It wasn't long before we were both breathing hard. He raised one hand.

"Okay, okay, I give up. You're damned good with sticks. But what about hand-to-hand."

"Let's find out," I challenged.

He went to the refrigerator first and grabbed two waters, tossing one toward me. We quenched our thirst and then went to the ring without talking.

"You're not out of shape, are you?" I asked, keeping my expression serious. "I mean, if you're tired, we can stop and rest for a little while," I taunted. "I thought you would be in better shape. I don't want you to pull a muscle or anything."

"Oh, you don't have to worry. I'm definitely in shape."

I almost slipped up and said I could see that. He wore loose dark gray shorts and a lighter gray T-shirt, but it was easy to tell he had muscles. I would say he worked out at least three or four times a week, but I was used to working twelve to fourteen hours every day, and I was in fantastic shape.

I went between the ropes of the fighting ring and then started bouncing on the pads of my feet. He didn't hesitate, but lunged at me. I figured he might and I was ready. I dodged to the left and then to the right. His momentum landed him against the ropes.

"Oh, did you think you had me? So sorry to disappoint you." I chuckled.

He grinned. "You will never beat me in hand-to-hand combat," he promised.

"I like your confidence. Not that I plan on losing."

I ducked and dodged every attempt of his to grab me. I could see he was getting frustrated. I punched his arm, slammed my foot against the back of his knee, and watched him drop to the mat, then put him in a chokehold. I only applied a little pressure. I knew if I wanted, I could kill him.

Maybe Dad was right. Somewhere deep inside me, I hadn't wanted to kill Jude. Besides, Ezra had come out of nowhere and tackled me before I could hurt Jude. Not that I wanted to kill Ezra right now either. I eased up on the pressure, and in the next millisecond, he'd flipped me over his shoulder, and I was lying in his arms.

"That was dirty," I told him.

He only grinned. "I know."

He lowered his lips to mine as he cradled me in his arms. The kiss sent all kinds of heat to my lower region. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him even closer as he massaged my breast. As he ended the kiss, he was tugging at my flimsy top. I raised my arms so he could get it off.

I sat up and straddled him, then pulled at his top, tossing it to the side. All his delicious muscles were on display, and I couldn't resist. I ran my hands over his chest, lightly grazing his nipples. They immediately tightened. I nibbled my bottom lip as an ache began to build inside me.

"You're fucking beautiful," he muttered.

"And I'm a damn good fighter," I told him.

"Yes, you are. Better than I thought you'd be."

I'm glad he could admit it. I would discuss everything else with him about going after Amon, but not now, later. Right now, I wanted to have hot, dirty sex. I pulled at his shorts. He came to his feet, toeing off his shoes, then removing his shorts and kicking them away. He was magnificent, thick, and I wanted him inside me.

I jumped to my feet, sliding my tights and panties down, kicking out of my shoes as I went. He grabbed me to him as soon as I was naked. I felt his hard length against me. I moaned with pleasure. I deftly turned him until his back was against the ropes.

I put my foot on top of the bottom rung and my arms around his neck. My other foot went to the second rope as I climbed up him. When I was situated just right, I slid myself down over him.

His head dropped back, and he growled. "Oh, fuck yes."

I wrapped my legs tightly around his waist as he grabbed my ass and began to pump inside me.

In and out.

In and out.

He took me higher and higher. I tightened my inner muscles. He groaned and wrapped my arms tighter around his neck.

"Fuck me hard," I told him. I was making up for a lot of lost time.

He drove into me. I was getting closer and closer to my peak. When I came, everything in me tightened, and I began to quiver and moan.

He gasped, thrust inside me once more, then twice before he came. We stayed just like that until he slowly dropped to his knees, still holding me tightly. We both went to the mat, with him rolling onto his back, keeping me on top of him.

When I could finally breathe normally, I rested my chin on my hands and stared at him. "I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

"If you don't kill me first." He laughed.

"There's always Caspian and Jude," I reminded him.

He slapped me on the ass.

I jumped, my eyes widening, but a new kind of heat spread through me just as quickly. I realized I liked that. He must've seen something in my eyes because he slapped my ass again. I swirled my tongue around his nipple and then lightly scraped my teeth across it.

I could feel him getting hard inside me again. I pushed myself up, still keeping myself impaled on his cock. I slowly raised my arms, stretching them high into the air. He reached forward and squeezed my breasts, pulling on the nipples and squeezing again. It was painful but not too bad. It also sent a blaze of fire down to my pussy.

He trailed his hands down my body over my ribcage, crisscrossing his way over my abdomen as the heat began to build inside me. Then he was massaging my pussy, sliding through the slickness of our juices.

I drew in a sharp breath as flames licked my body. I began to rock my hips, sliding up and down his cock. He grabbed my ass, keeping the motion. I squeezed my inner muscles, then relaxed, then squeezed again. His eyes glazed over with passion. I began to move faster and faster. Rocking harder and harder.

We both cried out at the same time, and then I collapsed on top of him again. He rolled me to my back after a moment, but kept his weight up as he stared down into my eyes.

"I fucking love you."

I laughed. "I love fucking you, too."

When we could move again, we got up and raced to the showers. It was becoming a habit to take showers after we had sex. It was extremely enjoyable soaping Ezra down and then having sex again.

Caspian and Jude entered the gym as we left the shower room. Both of us were completely naked. They stared with open mouths. I wondered if they were sick or something.

As I went inside the ring, they were still staring at me. "Are you two okay?" I asked.

I pulled on my tights and top before slipping on my shoes. They were still staring. Ezra began to laugh. I couldn't figure out what was so funny. He finally decided to explain.

"They never expected you even to be alive. Now, here you are, walking around naked in front of them."

"Is that bad? Amon rarely let me wear clothes, so it's something I'm used to. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again. I apologize."

Jude slowly shook his head. "No, we don't mind at all. In fact, it's very enjoyable."

I left the ring and sauntered toward him, pressing against him. It didn't take a genius to know he was hard as a rock. "Then I'll make sure I'm naked a lot of the time. I reached down and squeezed his cock. He moaned. I leaned forward, flicking my tongue against his ear. "Later."

Ezra was laughing.

"What the fuck are you laughing at?" Jude asked.

He shook his head. "Nothing, everything. Just don't get her in the ring. Or anywhere if you want to test your fighting skills. She kicked my ass."

His eyes widened. "Really?"

"Really."

"I told you, I can take care of myself. For the last five years, I've been trained to fight, to kill. I won't stand by and be put behind a desk searching for Amon. I want to go after him."

"You won't have to. I think we've found him," Jude said.