CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

STELLA

We all get out of the vehicle, and Sebastian and Mav drag Scott deeper into the woods. Lucy stands to my right, gripping my hand like she might disappear without the physical contact. I glance at Gage, as we begin following the path where Mav and Sebastian went.

"Are we really going to Paris? Or is it just a cover?"

He chuckles, a low deep sound that makes me pulse in my core, and now is not the time for that.

"Baby, you know I fucking hate Paris, right?"

There's my answer. I'm disappointed, but not entirely surprised, because he has made it abundantly clear that he has no interest in going.

He stops walking and grabs my arm. "You know that, right?"

I give him a slight nod. "Yeah, I know. It doesn't matter anyway."

Gripping my chin, he tilts my head back, forcing my gaze on him. "I love you a whole fucking lot more than I hate Paris, so yes, we're going."

"Really?" I ask excitedly and Lucy complains. "I just want to go home."

Gage kisses me on the forehead. "Really. After we take care of this dickwad, we'll take our girls to Paris."

He pulls both of us into his arms. "It's only a few more days, Lucy. I promise, we'll go home soon, but this is for Stella."

When we finally get to Mav and Sebastian, they have Scott tied to a tree. His face is bloody, so they obviously started without us. He looks up at Lucy with tears in his eyes as if he's begging her to help him. The problem is, if our guys think we were wronged, there's nothing we can do to change their minds. It's like stopping a train that's barreling eighty miles an hour down the track at you. It can't be stopped. And anything in its path will be destroyed. The best Scott can hope for at this point is for the guys to make it quick. However, that's unlikely.

Gage stands over him with narrowed eyes, looking like the God of death. I should be scared, right? Yeah, there's no way this should be hot.

"Tell me exactly what you did to our girl."

He doesn't look at Gage, instead he stares at Lucy with a confused expression. "That was in college. Are you seriously still upset about that?"

Gage steps forward and wraps his hand around Scott's throat, his grip tight, causing me to wonder if he's going to crush his windpipe.

"You don't look at her. You don't talk to her. Now answer my fucking question."

He releases his throat, and Scott coughs as he gulps for air.

"I was a stupid kid, alright. There was a girl, Mariah, who didn't like Lucy. She told me she'd suck me off if I pretended to like Lucy. So I did. I took Lucy to a party, and she was held down by two of my buddies, while she watched me make out with Mariah. She cried when Mariah sucked my dick. It was cruel, because everybody knew how Lucy felt for me, but I was just a fucking kid."

Gage walks over to Lucy and places his hand on her belly. "And look at you now, pretty mama. You found three men that know your worth. Three men to make everything better."

She smirks at him. "Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure you found me."

"Are you going to beg me to spare his life, baby?"

Lucy doesn't speak but she shakes her head slowly, giving her answer.

Gage grips her chin, tilts her head back and murmurs, "Our fucking good girl. So beautiful. Step back with Stella."

I take her hand and we both move away from the hell that Scott is about to be in.

Anybody who knows Gage, would expect him to pull out his knife, but he doesn't. Instead, he uses his fists, as do Mav and Sebastian. They take turns punching him in the face, and then the stomach, the ribs, everywhere. Gage once again pulls his fist back and sucker punches him in the mouth, and teeth fly from his mouth. Lucy and I flinch, as blood pours from his mouth. Lucy turns to me and buries her face in my shoulder, and I hold her while our men get revenge for her. The person I used to be would've questioned whether this is right. Is it okay to murder people who have wronged you? Once upon a time, the answer would've been no. However, I don't question it at this point. What I think doesn't matter, because the second our men realized this is the man who harmed our Lucy, broke her heart, and made her think she could never be quite enough for anyone, his death warrant was signed. While I might not have ever murdered someone, I am not sad to see him go. What he did was not okay. And then to think, when he saw her at the bar, that he had any right to put his disgusting hands on her?

Gage glances at Mav. "Got the gas can?"

Mav picks it up and hands it to him. "Have at it. You're the firebug."

Scott is still alive, but barely. I don't think he can speak, but he whimpers and groans every once in a while. Gage pours gas on his body, starting with his head, and then douses his entire body in fuel.

He pulls out a zippo, and nods to Sebastian. "Get the girls to the vehicle. I don't want either of them inhaling this shit."

I've learned a lot about this man in the last two years. Gage Rage is very real. You never want to be on the end of it that Scott finds himself on now. However, he's also caring. He always makes sure Lucy and I are safe. There's no doubt in my mind that he would do anything to protect us. We walk to the vehicle, Lucy kind of subdued, while I'm filled with excitement. Paris has been a dream of mine for a long time, but I never imagined I'd ever actually go.

SEBASTIAN

Apparently, we couldn't fly to Paris because Gage had already put us on the manifest the day before, so to keep our cover intact, we had no choice but to drive. I didn't realize you could drive from London to Paris, because there's a body of water between the two. We went through the ‘chunnel' to get there, which was kind of cool. Your car is loaded onto a carriage train and that's how you get there. Stella is an absolute bundle of excitement as we get to Paris, whereas poor Lucy is exhausted. The early days of pregnancy seem to be taking a toll on her. Her nausea seems to be mostly controlled with frequent small meals, but the fatigue is real, and nothing seems to help, other than sleep.

Her head is on Mav's lap as we approach the hotel. Gage has complained no less than one hundred times about the fucking idiots driving on the wrong side of the road yet again. Lucy has done the majority of the driving while we've been in England, and not in cabs, but she's simply too exhausted to drive at this point.

Mav carries her into the hotel, and Stella locks arms with both Gage and I. If you've never seen a woman with pure happiness, put it on your bucket list because it's fucking beautiful. Stella wears an excited smile that causes her hazel eyes to turn green and practically glow. When Gage initially told us we were getting a hotel room, not a house, she was concerned about the smaller size. Her eyes dart around the room, taking in the huge space, and she runs out to the circular patio. Stella squeals, "Oh my God," before she turns to Gage and I who are watching her. "If I come out here naked, please understand the assignment."

She leans back against the black iron railing, her hair hanging behind her with the sun beaming down on her. Stella looks like a goddamn angel.

Gage winks at her. "Take your clothes off. You know how much I hate procrastination."

She giggles. "I was thinking at night, the sun has just come up and someone could see."

He stalks over to her. "It wasn't a request, Stella. You have five seconds to comply, you've gone far too long without cum inside you. Naked now."

We both watch intently as Stella pulls her black t-shirt over her head, followed by her matching lacy bra, and Gage groans. "All clothing off, now." He glances at me. "You too, Pretty Boy."

We get undressed while watching our beautiful girl, and my eyes drift down to her pebbled nipples, traveling further south down her creamy skin, until I spot that little patch of hair above her pussy. Gage motions for me to come over to him so I do, he grabs onto my hair and pulls my mouth to his in a hungry kiss. He pulls away breathlessly. "I know we need to breed our woman, but I need that ass tonight, Sebastian, I fucking need you so bad it hurts."

He grabs my cock and squeezes. "Go fuck a baby into our beautiful woman."

I walk over to Stella, turn her around so she's facing the railing, and bend her down slightly before sliding into her pussy with a groan. Kissing her neck, I whisper in her ear, "Our little writer slut is always so wet for us. Always ready to be fucked, aren't you baby?"

She doesn't answer me, so I pinch her nipple, causing her to yelp from the pain, followed by a moan of pleasure. Three pumps in, Gage comes up behind and presses his cock into my ass.

"Gage," I moan as he pushes inside me.

I never imagined I'd get used to this, or even want it, but I do now. I crave it when we haven't had the contact with each other that we so frequently have with the girls. Gage flicks his tongue over the back of my neck while he fucks me, and I cup Stella's breasts while I move in and out of her. Every sound she makes seems to make both of us fuck harder. The feel of Gage's barbell with every thrust brings me closer to a climax I'm not ready for yet. I groan, "Stella, you better come for us, baby."

Normally I have excellent control over my orgasms, but with feeling both of them, I know it won't be long, because the intensity is too great. Like a well-oiled machine, all three of us come together.

LUCY

There's just so much on my mind right now, and it's exhausting me to the point that I'm sleeping more, and maybe that's a relief, because I'm not ready to deal with the thoughts and fears I'm harbouring right now.

Seeing Scott again has woken up a lot of the bad feelings that his actions caused way back in my college days, and honestly, I think I never told Mav and the others the full story before, because of how ashamed I'd always been. It's so painful to fall for someone and have them not return those feelings, but it's doubly painful when that person takes those feelings, and instead of treasuring them, and returning them, chooses to use them to punish and abuse you.

I'd spent years putting aside all the hurt he'd caused, and the damage he'd done to any confidence I had, but all of the time with our men and Stella had been healing me. Five minutes in his presence again though, and I'm spiralling back into that pattern of self-hate, and wondering why anyone wastes their time being around me. Why do Mav, Gage and Sebastian see any worth in me, when they already have Stella, and she's prettier, smarter, and more fun than me? Why don't they see me the way Scott did?

Feeling bad for his death is secondary to these other feelings, and I know that seems weird, but I suffered a whole lot longer than he did. I'm still shocked that the guys chose to avenge me, and it should help to reaffirm some of my new confidence, but it doesn't. It just makes me wonder if it's all about the baby now. Are they keeping me around because of the baby in my womb? Crazy, right? We've been together for almost two years at this point, and I'm only recently pregnant, but this is how my mind processes things, and works against me.

"Baby, don't make me say this a third time," Mav's voice suddenly permeates my brain and I try to sit up on the bed, wondering what the hell I missed. I'd barely taken in the stunning hotel we're in, because I'd been half asleep when we arrived, and I think I've been asleep since.

"Sorry, Mav, I'm listening."

He grins widely at me. "So what did I say, baby?" Oh hell, I have no idea.

"Something about sex?"

He points at the steaming mug by the bed. "I said I made you a cup of tea, so wake your lazy ass up, so we can go sightseeing."

He sits by me, reaching out to help me sit up so I can pick up the mug.

"Where are the others? Thanks for the cuppa, by the way."

He jerks a thumb over his shoulder. "Probably still fucking on the balcony," he says with a roll of his eyes, like it's weird or out of character for them.

"Why aren't you with them?" He should be, because at least they're all living their best lives, while I'm moping and freaking myself out.

Mav runs his hand through his dark blonde hair and raises his eyebrows at me.

"You think all I care about is sex, Lucy?"

"Well, duh." I mean he'd been all about sex when we met, and I'd been a virgin, but I've had a lifetime's worth of it since we met.

"Sassy minx. I… uh," he looks embarrassed all of a sudden, "watched over you, just in case you had bad dreams." I think my panties just melted.