10. Bogeymen

Chapter Ten

BOGEYMEN

S ame fucking day, different fucking year. Shannon O'Reilly's death would always live on inside her daughter's head. Of all the fucked up things Layne ever witnessed, she couldn't get past the sight of her mom getting into the car on that fateful day. The vibrations that reached inside the house as the explosion went off would never be unfelt. The burst of light as the flames ignited wouldn't ever be extinguished in her mind. The instant when her mother was no longer whole could never be pieced back together in her heart.

Lying on her back, she stared up at her ceiling fan as it made rotation after rotation. The air in the bedroom shifted slightly with each movement of the fan blades cutting through the air. Despite having redecorated the master bedroom upon moving in, this was still the very same room her parents used to retire to at the end of a long day.

"Mom!" Layne bounded into the bedroom on a Friday night after coming home from Rebecca's house. She launched herself onto her parents' bed, bouncing gently against it after landing on her stomach. Her hands propped her head up under her chin while her legs idly kicked back and forth.

Shannon sat there in bed with a book in her hands, reading glasses perched on the tip of her nose, and her beautiful mane of chestnut hair in a loose braid hanging over her shoulder. She lifted her gaze from the words on the page to her ten-year-old daughter with a smile. Her fingers pulled the thin-framed glasses from her face and rested them between the pages of the novel she had been enjoying, titled "Deadly Bonds."

"Layney, how many times have I told you not to throw yourself onto the bed like that? You're bound to break the frame one of these days." Her mother scolded her gently, still upholding a loving smile.

Layne rolled her eyes at the comment she had heard time and time again and blatantly ignored it. Instead, she dove right into her reason for barging into the bedroom in the first place. "You're not going to believe what happened at Rebecca's tonight." She pushed herself up onto her knees, sitting back on her feet as she began to dive into the story.

With childlike excitement, Layne wildly spilled all the details of the eventful evening. "So, we were playing outside on Rebecca's front steps. She was being so bossy again and wouldn't let me pick what game we were gonna play. She was going to go back inside, but that's when Tilly got out the front door!" Layne's hands dramatically moved with each explanation, especially as she mentioned that her best friend's Scottish terrier made an escape attempt.

Her mother gasped, appearing fully invested in the story her daughter was telling."Oh my, Layney! Did you get Tilly back?"

Layne popped up onto her feet on the bed ready to continue explaining while standing on the mattress. However, with a stern look from Shannon and a gesture to sit back down, Layne dropped onto her butt with a mild bounce.

"Yeah, we got Tilly back, but she almost ran out into the street! I ran to go get her, but some nice man managed to scoop her up. He had the COOLEST motorcycle. It had a skull sticker on it and everything!"

Layne grinned as she remembered the stranger. The tall man with the dirty blonde hair had been parked right out front of her friend's house. When he heard both girls shrieking for the little black dog to come back, he stopped what he was doing to snatch up the pup before it ran by him towards the open street filled with oncoming traffic.

He carried Tilly back to Layne, squatting down in front of her as he handed the furry runaway back to her with a polite smile.

"After he gave Tilly back, he told me to be careful and all that jazz, but I'm smarter than that. I wouldn't have run out into the street after her. I told him that, too." Layne declared her intelligence proudly as she wrapped up the retelling of events.

Shannon's smile faltered slightly, forcing the curve to remain on her lips but the hint of concern filled her eyes. "That was very kind of him, Layney. But come here for a second." She waved her hand at her daughter to scoot closer.

When Layne crawled over to sit next to her mother in bed, cuddling up against her side, Shannon pulled her into a close hug. "I'm happy that Tilly is okay, but I want you to realize something that I know you might not fully understand. Not every stranger who does a good deed is a good person. Daddy's job can make a lot of people upset sometimes, and we should always be careful who we trust, okay? Even if they seem nice."

Her mother leaned over and placed a kiss on the top of Layne's head. "Now, why don't you go get your pajamas on, come back here, and we can watch a movie together before you go to bed."

Layne remembered that night so clearly. She and her mother cozied up in bed together, laughing at a silly movie until Layne conked out. It had all transpired in the same room she found herself in now. No matter how the paint changed, how the furniture got replaced, or the different voices echoing in the air–these four walls would always contain the bittersweet past.

Being stuck inside her memories, Layne could still hear the sound of the explosion as her mom's existence was wiped from this earth months later. Layne wondered if her mother felt anything. Had she known she was getting blasted to pieces? Was there fear of death? What pain had she suffered? Did she have any regrets?

This year, Layne had so many other thoughts weighing on her as she wondered about how things would be if her mother were still alive today. Would she be supportive of Layne's relationship with Joey and Gage? Would Liam be the same homicidal lunatic he had turned into? There were so many questions she didn't have answers to and never would.

She sighed as she remained there in the empty bed for another fifteen minutes while getting lost in the whirlwind of emotions. Layne assumed that at least one of her men was in the house, if not both of them. Joey had been adamant about keeping eyes on her with Liam off his rocker. Gage was being equally protective. The two of them took turns at her side, no matter where she was. She couldn't even shower in peace, but that was because both of the guys had other intentions besides her safety.

If she got up out of bed, she could immediately start raising her blood alcohol levels. Yet, the blankets weighing down on her were very convincing in their efforts to dissuade her from leaving their captivity.

Deciding that caffeine and booze made a better tag team than some Egyptian cotton bedding, she kicked the sheets off herself.

Trudging downstairs in her dark blue boy shorts and gray tank top, she grumbled when she entered the kitchen and saw the coffee pot empty. "What the fuck…"

Layne began to go through the process of preparing a pot of coffee so she could at least pretend to be a shell of a human being today. About the time she hit the button to kick off the brew cycle, she looked around the kitchen. It was quiet. Why had no one made coffee this morning? Where were the guys?

She poked her head around a corner, "Joey?"

No response.

Walking down the hall and to the bottom of the stairs, she called up to the second floor, "Gage?"

Silence.

Shrugging with indifference, she shook her head and walked back to the kitchen. Their presence, or lack thereof, wasn't going to alter her self-destructive agenda for today.

Noticing there was enough coffee in the pot for a single cup, she grabbed a mug and filled it halfway with the wake-up juice. The other half was filled with the good stuff: whiskey. For good measure, she added a splash of Irish cream.

Armed with today's breakfast of champions, she headed back upstairs. Once she returned to the bedroom, slowly she sipped the bitter beverage in her mug as she flipped through her phone, finding no messages from either De Luca brother.

"Whatever." She tossed her phone down onto the bed carelessly. Why should she care if they were going to listen to her and actually leave her alone for the day? Last night she had threatened them both that she would give up sex for Lent if they interfered with her plans for today. That in and of itself would be the greatest gift they could give her as far as she was concerned.

Before she could take her coffee into bed with her, an unusual sound came from downstairs. It sounded like something had fallen, or had it been knocked over?

Placing the mug on her nightstand she went to pull her firearm from the corresponding drawer, only to discover that it wasn't where she had left it. That was…odd.

Another crash of something downstairs. She tiptoed to the door, straining for any other sounds that would give her a clue of what was transpiring on the first floor. When she heard nothing further, her bare feet carried her down the hall to the top of the stairs as she peered over the railing looking for anything out of place.

Waiting another moment, she continued to investigate while slowly creeping down the steps. Her paranoia began to grow louder inside her head; anxiety sped up her pulse. On one hand, her brain was yelling at her for stupidly walking closer to potential danger, unarmed. On the other hand? It was telling her to stop overreacting and continue towards the source–it was likely nothing at all. As for the teeny part of her brain that thrived off of danger, it was getting excited like it was the damn Fourth of July.

Her feet met the cool tile at the bottom of the stairs. There were no more sounds, no bogeyman was jumping out at her, and all she was met with were thoughts of her ridiculous imaginings.

The tension in her shoulders finally released, visibly lowering them into a state of ease. This damn old house had too many noises.

Layne turned to go back upstairs, only she was stopped by the looming presence of not one, but two bogeymen.

Layne yelped at the sudden appearance of two men clad in dark clothing who had managed to creep up on her. She practically jumped out of her skin at the unexpected sight after settling into a false sense of security.

The man closest to her immediately grabbed her by her arms with a firm grip to prevent her from running off or wildly swinging fists. As her initial shock wore off, her eyes finally observed the obscured faces of the two intruders. One mask with a toothy skull across it and the other with bloody demon canines. Both were unmistakably familiar.

These fuckers had her heart racing inside of her chest thinking that someone had broken into O'Reilly Manor.

As she opened her mouth to bitch them both out, Mr. Tall-Dark-And-Skull-Masked, who had his hands on her, lifted her and tossed her over his shoulder with ease. Her barely covered ass was up close to his face. His gloved hand gave it a hard smack that echoed across the foyer.

"What in the fuck?!" she yelled out. "Joey, I swear to Christ!" Her hands pushed against the flexed muscles in his back.

As she began to protest loudly, that was when Mr. Demon-Couture-Mask approached. He pulled something from his pocket.

"Open up, baby." His brown eyes glimmered in excitement. Excitement that she was not currently sharing with either of them.

She wrinkled her nose up as she often did when she was riled up. "Gage, I will fu?—"

Her words were cut off as he shoved a ball gag into her mouth, securing the straps around the back of her head. He made sure that it was tight enough to remain in place, but as comfortable as one could hope for.

When her hands instinctively lifted to pull the gag out from between her lips, they were ensnared by Gage's hand while his other pulled a set of steel cuffs from Joey's back pocket. With expertise, both of her wrists were detained by the metal rings.

Neither of the guys could understand her muffled ramblings and grunts, but their imaginations filled in the gaps. Layne was less than thrilled they had interrupted a day where she wanted everyone to leave her the fuck alone while she wallowed in misery and obscene amounts of booze.

Gage patted the side of Joey's arm. "She's set."

Joey adjusted her weight on his shoulder. "Be a good girl, Layney, we're going to go take a drive."

Based on the way she smacked her hands against his lower back, she wasn't planning on following directions. He was more than happy to let her throw her fit; it gave him all the more reason to remind her how to be a good girl for them both.

Joey chuckled as he carried her into the garage where his Challenger awaited them.

Gage got into the backseat first, then helped pull her into the back with him. He was careful not to bump her around too much. However, Layne didn't make it easy for either of them.

Wrapping his arms around her, Gage pulled her into his lap while Joey took up the driver's seat. He smirked behind his mask, knowing his already hard cock was pressing right up against her ass.

"Relax. Today we're going to make sure you're going to be very well taken care of," Gage whispered into her ear.

The engine of the car began to purr as Joey started it up before pulling out of the garage. His eyes glanced up at the rearview mirror to take a look at Gage and Layne. Thank fuck for the heavily tinted windows. He couldn't imagine being pulled over and explaining to an officer that this was just a casual kidnapping of his wife in an effort to make her day better.

"Layney, I better hear you behaving back there." Joey grinned to himself trying to consciously pay attention to the road. It wasn't a long drive down to the docks, but his dick was telling him that it wasn't a short enough trip.

With one arm remaining latched around Layne's waist, Gage pulled his mask down enough to use his teeth to yank off one of his gloves. Using his now bare hand with the WRATH tattoo across the back of it, he slid it down over her stomach until it passed underneath the waistband of those tiny boy shorts she had on.

Layne's breath caught as she felt his finger stroke along her crease. She melted back against him.

Gage let out a groan as he felt how much her arousal was coating her already. "Baby, you're so damn wet. Are you getting off on being taken hostage by us?" His finger stroked a circle over her clit.

Her hips pressed down into his lap as her moan vibrated against the silicone sphere lodged between her lips. Layne's ass pushed further against the excitement of his cock.

Hearing that first moan, Joey's hand adjusted his erection in his pants, beginning to regret his decision to be the driver. "That's a good girl, you let Daddy Gage work your cunt." Fuck, he hoped he didn't crash the car before they arrived at their destination.

Skillfully using his fingers, Gage continued to massage circles over her sensitive bundle of nerves. Each movement drew another velvety moan out of Layne. Her ass continued to grind against him, teasing his dick and driving him to stroke her quicker.

The way her heart was pounding in her chest before they left the house had been from the surge of adrenaline. Now, it was the rise of pleasure saturating her body. With her hands bound in front of her at the wrists, she pushed Gage's hand further into her panties, wanting his touch inside of her. Her thighs parted, allowing him more access to her heated core.

Chuckling, Gage pulled his touch back up to her clit. "Mmm," he growled into her ear. "It seems like you've had a bit of an attitude adjustment, Lucky Charm." His fingers made tighter circles over her slick nub, listening to each of her moans grow heavier with the need for release.

Layne whimpered as she felt her climax drawing closer, but still just a breath out of reach. Just as she thought he was going to leave her dangling on the edge, Gage finally dove his hand lower to shove two fingers deep inside of her tight pussy. Curling his fingers, he had no difficulty finding the sensual spot that would have her coming undone.

She cried out as her pleasure spilled across her body, squirming against him as she came. Gage's arm tightened around her so he could selfishly take delight in the way her body writhed in his hold. Each of her loud moans was dampened by the obstruction he had placed in her mouth, only making him harder at how her ecstasy couldn't be fully silenced.

"Fuck, baby. Coming so soon?" He wiggled his fingers inside of her tauntingly to extend the clutch her orgasm had on her. "We haven't even gotten started." Tauntingly, he pushed his hips up, driving the solid bulge of his cock against the center of her ass.

She panted hard as she laid back against his chest, her breaths being forced past the sides of the gag. Layne shut her eyes allowing herself to bask in the afterglow while Gage kept his fingers buried deep inside of her. Every so often she could feel him move them, prompting her body to respond with delightful little shivers across her skin.

Joey found himself placing more pressure on the gas pedal as Gage had their girl already unraveling between her legs.