Heather's Gift (Men of August 3)

“Of course I knew,” she growled. “I lived there, Sam. I heard every scream, every plea out of your pathetic mouths. Whining bastards that you were.”

Shock shattered his system, weakening his knees, sending his stomach dipping with horror. He could only stare at her, his body tightening with ragged, enraged fury.

He remembered how he had once looked up to this woman. When he was younger, before his father’s abuses, his mother’s death. Remembered how she would come to Cade when Joe’s screaming rages first started, huddling in a bed with the three boys, trembling in fear.

“You’re insane,” he whispered. “You’ll never get out of here. Never get away with this.”

“Of course I will,” she cooed almost gently. “We’re going to walk out of here, Sam, and go to the back door. The guard there is sleeping his final sleep. And we’ll walk out into the night. You’ll never return, and neither will I, until Rick’s crew pulls out, and Heather will go with them. No one will know me then. No one will suspect when I return.” She waved the gun to the door. “Let’s go before your little whore wakes up and I have to kill her, too.”

He moved to the door, praying for a chance to catch her off guard. He couldn’t do it in the house. Couldn’t take the chance that Cade or Brock, or one of the women would be hurt. His best chance would be outside, in the dark.

“Don’t try to screw me over, Sammy,” she snarled as he reached the door. “Make sure no one’s out there. If they are, they’ll get hurt.”

He paused, opening the door slowly.

“You first,” she hissed, waving toward the hallway.

He stepped from the room, his body tense, tight, desperate to get Anna from the house before anyone else, especially Marly, saw her. He stayed where she could see him, knowing he had to get her away from Heather, then away from the house. After that, he would make damned sure she paid for the hell she had put them all through.

She stepped carefully from the bedroom, tucking the gun in the pocket of her light jacket as she motioned him forward. He headed for the stairs.

“Sam, is Heather awake yet?” Cade’s bedroom door opened and Marly stepped from the room. Between him and her mother.

Sam swung around, moving in front of her, placing his own body between her and the crazy woman intent on death.

“Momma.” Her voice was dazed, confused as she fought Sam. “Move, Sam. Move. It’s my mother.” Joy lit her voice as it rose in volume, until she glimpsed the gun Anna had jerked from her jacket and aimed at Sam’s heart. “Momma?”

“Stay back, Marly. Get the fuck back in your room.” He fought to crowd her to the open doorway, as Brock moved from his own bedroom behind Anna.

Sam glanced at his brother, seeing instant understanding as Anna started to dart back to Sam’s room, and Heather. Brock moved quickly, placing his body between her and the room, ignoring the gun wavering between him and Sam, and the desperate-eyed woman watching them with hatred.

“If you fire that gun, you’ll wake her up,” Sam warned her. “You can’t get to her, Anna.”

“Momma, what are you doing?” Marly fought Sam as he held her back, terror thickening her voice. “Damn you, Sam, get out of my way.”

“No, Marly.” He pressed her against the wall, turning to her, holding her in place. “Baby, she’s fucking crazy. Please. Please God, Marly. Stay behind me.”

“Let her go!” Anna screamed, the barrel of the gun homing in on him.

“Pull the fucking trigger, bitch,” he yelled, turning back to her, fury marking his face. “Do you think I’ll let you have her? Let you close enough to hurt her? You’re crazier than Marcelle was if that’s what you think.”

Anna blinked. “She’s not your woman, Sam. I could take Heather instead. She’ll be out of here in a minute,” she sneered. “Would she trade herself for you, I wonder?”

Sam snarled and glanced at Brock. His brother moved closer to the bedroom door just in case. “Brock will protect her, Anna. The same as I’ll protect Marly.”

“And if you die?” she screeched. “I’ll kill you, Sam.”

“You won’t get Marly before Brock gets you, Anna,” he warned her. “Either way you go, one of us will get you.”

“And one of you will die,” she spat out. “What then, Sammy?”

“Then the other will protect what’s his, Anna,” Brock spoke for him. “The same as we protected what was yours when you brought her to us. Family, Anna. We protect each other.”

“Protect!” She growled the word. “You dirtied my baby. You made her your whore, the same as Jack and Reggie tried to make me. You raped my baby and you made her accept you. Monsters, just like they were.”

“Momma, no!” Marly cried out, tears thickening her voice, pain echoing in it. “What are you doing? Why would you do this?”

Anna paused. She stared at Sam, then at Marly as she fought to see around Sam’s wider body. “Because they destroyed it all, baby,” she whispered gently. “Don’t you understand? I gave Marcelle Sam. It was my idea, honey, so he would make Reggie and Jack leave you alone. Don’t you remember your daddy, baby? Always wanting to touch you, to cuddle you.” Anna shuddered. “And Sam ruined it. He ruined it all in a way that made me lose you. I had to let you go until I could find a way to destroy them. To keep them from you.”