The Heart's Ransom (The Buchanan Brothers 6)

"What happened?" A part of her already knew but she needed the twins to admit what they’d done. "What did you do to her?"

Vince downed another shot and fixed his glazed, whiskey-soaked stare her way. "You want to know what we did? We played on the delicate sensibilities of a girl who was brokenhearted and too naïve to realize that we were sharks and she was just a guppy. We chased her into a corner with pretty words and promises of a future we had no intentions of providing her and then we convinced her that Dillon didn't want her anymore but that we would always take care of her. We lied so that we could fuck her. That's all that mattered. It's all we wanted." Vince's voice rose to an angry pitch but Penny detected a strain of something else lying beneath the surface, something that sounded a lot like pain. Vince continued, grim and final. "And when she realized everything was a sham and that Dillon was truly gone and not coming back she climbed to the top of our building and jumped off."

Penny couldn't help herself, she covered her gasp with her hands as tears filled her eyes for a woman she'd never known. She could only imagine how scared Isabel had been and how desperate. "Did you know about the baby?" she asked.

Both Nolan and Vince shook their head in denial. “We didn't know about the baby until the autopsy report," Vince admitted. "Her family couldn't believe that she would do something like that and insisted that we must've drugged her. They wanted to find proof that there was foul play.”

"Why didn't you call Dillon when you found out about the baby?" Penny asked.

Nolan looked ashamed. "What could we say? Besides, when Dillon found out about Isabel and how she died, Dillon had wanted to kill us. And I'm not sure it was an idle threat. The one saving grace was that he was on the other side of the world with limited funds otherwise we might've joined Isabel in the ground. Not that I blamed him. We figured it was best to just let the information die with Isabel. We paid the right people and that one small detail was erased from the report."

Penny looked aghast. "So her family never knew?"

Vince looked away. "God no. There would've been an investigation and the newspapers would've had a field day with the information and that's something our father wouldn't have tolerated. Trust me, as abhorrent as the idea was, it was the only option."

"Don't you think they had the right to know?"

"Haven't you listened to a word we’ve said? Of course they had a right to know. We didn't care. We were bastards. Nothing we did was right. And we will go to our grave knowing that and trust me, nothing weighs heavier than the guilt on our conscience."

Understanding dawned on Penny as she watched Vince. "You loved her, didn't you?" she said in sad wonder. Nolan and Vince shared incriminating glances and Penny had her answer. "If you loved her, why did you treat her like that? Why did you treat her like garbage?" Penny asked, her voice breaking. "Maybe things would have been different."

Vince's mouth tightened but in his eyes there was a wealth of pain and grief that’d never been allowed to vent. "What does it matter? She's dead. And I'm done with this conversation." He grabbed his leather jacket and this time Nolan didn't try to stop him when he left.

Silence filled the library as Penny digested her newfound revelation. She looked to Nolan. "Did you know that Vince loved her too?"

"Yes."

"Why did you do it?" Anguish cracked her voice as she looked to Nolan for answers. "I don't understand. Both Dillon and Vince loved Isabel. If Dillon couldn't be with her and Vince wanted to be with her, why did you both use her?"

Nolan barked a short laugh that had nothing in common with joy as he answered, "Because I was jealous. I couldn't understand what they were feeling for her and if I couldn't experience it…" He shrugged. "I told you there were no heroes in the story. Now you know the truth. What are you going to do with it?"

Penny didn't know. She thought that she was going to feel relieved or liberated or something other than the crushing sense of loss she was suffering from now but she was disappointed to feel the opposite of relief. Inside, a well of tears threatened to erupt out of agony for a twisted, ill-fated love affair. She wiped at her eyes and told Nolan with certainty, "You need to tell Dillon what you just told me. He deserves to know."

"You don't know my brother. He doesn't forgive lightly. And frankly, he has no reason to forgive us."

"He's your brother. At one time didn't you love each other?"

"At one time he was my hero."

"Then you need to repair your relationship. This fracture has gone on long enough. Your father is dead and there's no one standing between you guys anymore."

At that Nolan smiled briefly. "But you're wrong sweet girl. There is someone between us. You. Once again Dillon has what Vince and I both want. And I can guarantee that none of us are going to concede defeat to the other graciously."

Penny sucked in a tight breath. She'd be a liar if she said she didn't have feelings for Vince or Nolan. Inside her heart, a war raged and she didn't know who was going to win but she knew one thing for sure. "I need more than being someone's property,” she admitted with a whisper.

Nolan advanced to caress her cheek. "Tell me what you need and I'll gladly give it to you."

Penny gazed up at him and fought the urge to lean into his touch. "I want it all. I want the fairytale — the one where the girl and the boy live happily ever after because they're in love."

A sad smile lifted Nolan’s lips as he brushed a soft kiss across her mouth. "You want the moon, sweetness."

Penny closed her eyes and held back her true desire. She wanted Dillon. She wanted her happily ever after with Dillon. Nolan pulled away and heard what she hadn't said. "We could promise you a life most people could only dream about. He could only promise you heartache." Nolan searched her gaze. "Say you’ll consider staying with us."

Penny nodded. Nolan was right. When she thought of the life with the twins she knew she would want for nothing but she would remain the bird in the gilded cage for neither were offering her love. Yet with Dillon, she sensed the promise of an unparalleled love if only Dillon would trust his heart with her. The question was, would he ever trust her with something so precious?

She didn't know.

And she had a feeling, Dillon didn’t know either.

Vince didn’t plan to end up at Isabel’s grave but somewhere between heading to his favorite bar and driving aimlessly, he found himself pulling up to the quiet and stately grounds of Brookstone, the small but private cemetery where all the Buchanans have been buried for generations. Nolan and Vince had agreed it was fitting for Isabel and her unborn child to be buried there. Vince still remembered the epic fuss their father had put up when they’d buried her within the family plot.

“Have you lost your fucking mind?” their father had shouted, his face turning a florid red as spittle sprayed from his mouth in his anger. “What were thinking to bury that little whore in our plot? Only Buchanans are allowed in that ground, not unstable little cock teases.”

“Watch it, Father.” Vince all but growled, unable to hold back his true feelings for Isabel in that moment. “She was nearly a part of this family and we owe it to her.” God, they owed her so much more than a piece of dirt and a fancy headstone. “Besides, her family didn’t have the money to afford Brookstone and she would’ve ended up buried in some poorly maintained cemetery in God-only-knows-where.”

“And why is that our problem?” their father had quipped, not the least bit concerned about the poor girl who’d taken her life atop a building the Buchanans owned. Vince grit his teeth and knew that in order to make his father drop it and move on, he’d have to make him care. The elder Buchanan, a striking man with salt and pepper hair and a trim physique, wasn’t hard on the eyes, which gave Vince hope that they’d age similarly as well but his soul was black and after recent events, Vince worried that his soul was equally as damaged. “I don’t care what you have to do but I want her corpse out of my plot,” his father said, calming a little with the help of his scotch. ?

??You never should’ve done this without my approval. Now you have an embarrassing problem to clean up.”

“If you make us dig up Isabel’s grave, it will be a publicity nightmare. Right now, we’ve made a magnanimous gesture to the grieving family and we’ve come out smelling like a rose. You don’t want people digging into this particular story, Father. Trust me, no one wearing a Buchanan name will come out the winner.”

“How so?” his father asked, an irritated but concerned frown pulling at his brows. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“Isabel was pregnant with Dillon’s child when she died. So, you see…she does belong in the family plot.”

His father pinned Vince with a hard stare. “What are you talking about?” he asked.

“The coroner confirmed she was about twelve weeks pregnant,” Vince answered, hating how much it hurt to share that private information with their father. Why couldn’t she have loved him? He would’ve loved and cared for her — even married her — everything would’ve been different. If only he’d had the balls to be something more than the bastard part he’d been playing along with Nolan. “We fucked up her life. We owe it to her to at least lay her to rest in a nice place.”

His father digested the new information and although he didn’t like it, finally caved with ill humor. “Fine. Who else knows about this?” he asked. “Does Dillon know?”

“Only Nolan.”

“And you tied up loose ends?”

Vince nodded. “There’s no record of the fetus.”

“Good.” His father took a deep breath as he stared into his scotch before saying, “Well, that’s that. Probably better this way. You’re right. We’ll come out looking like the generous benefactors, which is far better than being called out as the villains,” he mused openly as if weighing the pros and cons in his head. Finally, he nodded in agreement and said, “Good call, son.”

He’d called Vince son. The sudden endearment caught Vince off-guard and for a moment all Vince could do was stare in shock until he recovered with a slow nod. His father was proud of him for lying and covering up a potential scandal. How fucked up was that? Vince swallowed the bitterness choking him and simply nodded; he didn’t trust himself not to say something that he would regret later. Unlike Dillon, Vince had no wish to become penniless by choosing off his father. He hated the man, but Vince knew which side his bread was buttered. His father, wasting no more thought on the matter, returned to his business and Vince couldn’t wait to get away from him.

Jerked back to the present, Vince kneeled before the polished granite headstone and wished he’d brought flowers but he hadn’t exactly planned to visit.

“You deserved better,” he murmured, tracing her name with the pad of his finger. A likeness of her beautiful face smiled back at him and sudden tears rushed his eyes. He swore and wiped at his eyes. It was a long moment before the tightness in his throat eased enough to speak. “I should’ve told you then…I didn’t have the balls…but I loved you, Isabel Walker. I’d give anything to take it all back. I should’ve been the one you could turn to but I fucked it up. I was too much of a coward to stand up for what was right.” Tears trickled down his cheek. Life was such a bitch. All the money in the world wouldn’t bring Isabel back. Maybe that was why nothing truly satisfied him for long. Until Penny came along, his sexual appetite for variety had been voracious. One girl after another, an endless stream of women more than willing to hop on his cock for the chance to snag his attention for longer than a night or two, and he was able to lose himself for a short time. But the harsh light of morning was a brutal reminder that he couldn’t run from the person he saw in the mirror everyday. How maudlin. He’d become a morose, self-pitying prick and he could barely stand his own company most times. Fucking fabulous. Vince wiped at his eyes and allowed his gaze to roam the scenic solitude of what the best money could buy —marble headstones, manicured lawns without a single dried and dead patch that betrayed poor maintenance, and tranquility fit for monks deep in prayer — and he felt mocked by the stately elegance. “I screwed up again, Isabel,” he admitted, his voice barely a whisper. “And I don’t know what to do anymore. She’s not you but I think I could love her.” Penny was beautiful and strong, yet fragile at the same time. He admired her spunk and he loved fucking her. But…he knew that she loved Dillon. And as much as he’d enjoy spending more time with Penny to see where their relationship could go, he knew that he couldn’t cross that line again. Human hearts, he’d learned the hard way, were far more delicate than he’d ever realized. Dillon used to be a self-entitled asshole who’d been as bad as any Buchanan, but if there was a chance for Penny to find happiness with the black sheep of the family, maybe he ought to help her achieve it.

However, if Dillon was too stupid to realize what a gift he had…Vince wouldn’t make the same mistake twice — he was going to make a serious play for Penny’s heart.

And this time…he was going to do things right.

Dillon watched with an indolent yet narrowed stare as the two women who’d accompanied him to his hotel room dropped their scant clothing and stepped from their puddled designer sheaths wearing nothing but their toned skin and wicked stilettos.

Gigi — was that her name? — smiled at her friend, Stacy — and bent down to suck Stacy’s pert, pebbled nipple into her mouth for a long, teasing suck. A half-smile lifted the corner of his mouth as he enjoyed the show, his cock stirring to life with promise. He refused to allow his brain to think of anything but the moment at hand. He had no reason to think at all. He planned to get fucked — and Gigi and her hot friend were going to help facilitate his plan. Dillon settled in to enjoy the show as Gigi knelt before Stacy and buried her face into the bare folds, nuzzling the flesh before slipping her tongue between the slit, playing with the tiny clit jewel that winked in the soft light. Dillon had a nice view of Gigi’s heart-shaped ass as she pleasured her friend and as he freed his cock from his trousers, he palmed the length slowly as the two women got the party started. Gigi glanced over her bare shoulder to ask coyly, “Do you like what you see?”

“If I didn’t you wouldn’t still be here. Less talk, more action,” he instructed with a narrowed gaze. He didn’t want chit-chat and he didn’t want to get to know them beyond the superficial satisfying of physical need. Stacy moaned and clutched at Gigi’s head, her breathing becoming harsh and gasping as her face flushed with pleasure. Dillon enjoyed watching a woman cum — nothing aroused him faster than a woman losing control of herself as her body clenched and released — but as he watched the two women together and heard Stacy’s cries, he felt little more than a mild flush of arousal, which not only frustrated him but angered him as well. He wasn’t naïve. He knew why he wasn’t fully hard when by all rights he ought to be busting out of his skin — and her name was Penny.

Nothing about Penny had been tawdry, unlike the XXX show he was getting three feet from his nose. Penny’s cries of passion had been gasoline to his flame, igniting a firestorm that swept them both away until they were rasping for breath and clinging to one another in amazement. He squeezed his eyes shut, determined to shake her from his mind, gesturing for the women to join him. They fluttered around him, kneeling before him, cooing and twittering about how lovely and big his cock was and it was all he could do not to get up and walk away. You will get over her! He felt soft lips wrap around his cock, while a wet tongue slid along his shaft and clever fingers sought out his ass. He scooted down a little further in the chair to allow better access and concentrated on how amazing it felt to have his ass fingered by someone who was skilled in pleasuring a man in a myriad of different ways. If he asked Penny to stick her finger up his ass, she’d probably shriek in embarrassment, he thought with a faint smile. And even that would be hot because it would be Penny. She had this sexy, sweet and vulnerable quality about her that rocked his world and when she found her release with him, he nearly embarrassed himself by cumming almost immediately afterward because he’d lost the ability to remain d

etached and controlled. God, it’d been amazing. Nothing like what he was getting right now, which felt wrong and dirty — and not in a good way.

His lids flipped open almost desperately as he sought a way to kickstart his arousal but as Gigi rose to plant her lips on his, he shifted his head, unable to stomach the idea of allowing her dirty mouth to graze his. He’d never been a huge fan of kissing — until Penny. God, he could kiss her senseless.

“What’s wrong?” Gigi asked softly, her breath smelling of Stacy’s musk. “I thought you wanted to have a good time.” She nuzzled his neck. “If you want to fuck me in the ass, you can. I love a fat cock in my ass; it’s my favorite way to get fucked.”

“Aren’t you afraid my fat cock will rip your ass wide open?” he asked with faint mocking, which she completely missed as she practically purred in answer.

“Baby, I can take whatever you want to dish out. It’s not my first rodeo,” she said, giggling as she added in a conspiratorial whisper, “But if you want a really tight hole, Stacy has never been fucked in the ass and she’s dying to try it.”

He looked to the peroxide blond and raised a brow. “Is that true? Never had a cock in your ass?” At her practiced shy shake of her head, he resisted the urge to call her bluff. He was willing to bet a small fortune these two women played men all the time with this routine. However, he was more amused than outraged by their play and went along to see where they were going with it. “I like virgin asses…what’s it going to take to allow me to fuck you in your virgin ass?” he asked conversationally, as if he weren’t lying half-reclined with his cock jutting out and two naked whores plying their wares in his over-priced penthouse suite.

“Well, for you…I’d let you have it for an extra five thousand,” Stacy said, almost demurely, which almost caused him to laugh out loud. It seemed ludicrous to him for someone to try and play the innocent card when they were quite expertly manipulating his prostate with their clever little fingers. There was a reason Gigi and Stacy drove up in a Mercedes — they were good at their jobs. He had no doubt that both Gigi and Stacy (likely not even their real names) had been fucked in every which way possible, so many times in fact, it would be a miracle if his cock didn’t flop around uselessly like a hot dog thrown down a hallway. At that he burst out laughing, causing both women to stare and frown at his outburst.