Colters' Gift

CHAPTER 38

LIAM was about to come out of his skin as they raced down the winding drive of Joel Knight’s lake home. Every beat of his heart was magnified ten times until it felt like his chest would explode with the pressure.

He was terrified. Lauren had been in Knight’s hands for hours. If Knight hadn’t already killed her, Liam could only imagine what he’d done to her.

The tension inside the SUV was tangible. Noah’s hands gripped the steering wheel while Seth and Dillon were in the second row, stiff and ready to bolt into action. In the back, Adam and Ryan looked worried, their brows creased with anxiety as they imagined Lauren’s fate.

Max was on the floor in between Seth and Dillon, his hands knotted together, his knuckles white. Liam wasn’t sure if he was praying or plotting vengeance. Probably a little of both.

Noah turned off the headlights as they made the last turn and the house came into view. He slammed on the brakes and turned off the engine a good distance from the house and then motioned everyone out.

There was a car parked in the front. A sleek black Mercedes. Only one light burned from within the house, a beacon for Noah and Liam.

Seth drew his weapon while Noah and Liam both pulled their guns as well. Then Seth turned to his brother, his dads and Max.

“You stay behind us. This isn’t time to play hero and get yourself killed. Let us go in first and take care of any threat. We don’t want this to get bloody unless it’s necessary.”

They nodded their agreement, but Noah and Liam were already starting across the gravel drive to the house. Liam broke into a run, not willing to wait a second longer to get to Lauren. Noah caught up to him and they charged toward the front door.

It was the view from the picture window that stopped them in their tracks. There were no curtains or blinds on the large window looking into the living room, and what they saw made Liam’s blood run cold and then instantly molten with rage.

Lauren was bent over a couch—naked—and the welts on her back were visible even from a distance. The son of a bitch had beaten her! It looked as if someone had taken a belt to her back. Joel Knight stood to one side, his face set with satisfaction as another man roughly parted Lauren’s legs as he prepared to rape her.

Liam hurtled to the front door, throwing it open. He barreled into the living room, gun raised.

“Get away from her!” he roared. “Hands up, asshole!”

“Liam, look out!”

He heard Noah’s shout and then several things happened at once. One gunshot. Then two. Pain bloomed in his left shoulder. The man who’d been abusing Lauren dropped and rolled, and Liam could see he was going for the gun lying beside his discarded pants.

Liam tried to move to cut off the man’s access, but his reaction time was ridiculously slow and part of his body felt encased with lead.

Seth stopped in between Liam and the man on the floor and all Liam could get out was, “No!” He didn’t want Seth Colter to go down for him.

Seth dove low, tackling the man while Max surged forward and kicked the pistol away from the man’s grasp.

Knowing that threat had been eliminated, Liam turned his attention to Lauren. Noah was also rushing toward Lauren, and they reached her at the same time.

Noah worked furiously at the ropes around her wrists, while Liam knelt by the couch and gently turned her head in his direction. Her eyes were closed and his heart nearly stopped in his chest.

“Lauren?” he asked softly. “Lauren, baby, it’s okay now. Noah and I are here.”

Even as he spoke, he put his trembling fingers to her neck, feeling for a pulse. His left arm hung uselessly at his side, but he shut out everything but the woman in front of him.

As Noah got the ropes free, Max pushed in with a blanket to cover Lauren’s naked body. Noah pulled her upward, wrapping her in the blanket, ignoring Max’s demands that he see to his sister’s well-being.

Ryan and Dillon tried to pull Liam back, their questions urgent about his wound. They tried to get him to sit down, but he shook them off, only wanting to get to Lauren. He pushed Max aside, uncaring of his own injuries or that Max was her brother and by all rights should be the one seeing to her. Lauren was Liam’s. His and Noah’s, and Liam wasn’t leaving her side.

Noah eased onto the couch, holding Lauren in his arms. Liam knelt in front of Noah, his shaking hand going to Lauren’s bruised and bloodied face.

Behind them Seth was on the phone, his voice low and urgent. Liam had no idea what happened to Joel or how he himself had been shot, or if Seth had the other man under control, but he wouldn’t allow himself to do anything but focus on Lauren.

“Lauren, honey, you’re safe now,” Noah said in a choked voice. “Open your eyes. You’re safe, I swear it.”

Her eyelids fluttered sluggishly and then opened. She stared sightlessly at Liam, almost as if she didn’t recognize him.

“Lauren?” Liam whispered. “It’s me, baby. It’s Liam.”

Her eyes were dull and she didn’t react to his voice. It was apparent that she’d retreated to somewhere far away from where she was.

Noah lowered his head to kiss her brow, but she didn’t stir. She continued to stare lifelessly at Liam, but it was as if she looked beyond him. Into nothing.

Tears burned Liam’s eyelids. His fingers curled into tight balls. Helpless rage fired through his body. He’d allowed this to happen. She’d been taken by this bastard because she’d protected him and Noah.

As he lifted his gaze to his friend’s, he saw the same answering grief and rage in Noah’s eyes.

Liam leaned into Lauren, resting his forehead against hers. “Fight this, baby. Don’t let that bastard win. Come back to us. Come back to me and Noah where you belong.”

He turned, searching out Knight with fury in his heart. He wanted to kill the son of a bitch with his bare hands. But Knight was lying on the floor in a pool of blood, his eyes glassy and fixed in death. He glanced back to Noah, question in his gaze.

“He shot you,” Noah said in a low voice. “You barged in, intent on saving Lauren, and you never even saw him pull his gun. I had to put him down.”

“Good,” Liam said savagely.

Then he put his forehead to Lauren’s once more.

“He can’t hurt you anymore, baby. He’ll never hurt you again.”

She didn’t stir, and fear gripped Liam’s throat. He glanced up at Noah again, grief so thick he had to swallow back the knot in his throat.

“What did he do to her?” he asked in an agonized voice.

He touched her bruised face again in a whisper soft touch. He was afraid of causing her more pain. He had no idea what Knight had done to her before he and the others had arrived.

Noah’s mouth tightened and his throat worked up and down as though he were fighting the same overwhelming grief that consumed Liam.

“We were too late,” Noah whispered. “He hurt her. The son of a bitch put his hands on her. Did you see the marks on her back? The bruises on her face? Not to mention the bruises and marks we can’t see.”

“Noah, Liam.”

Seth’s grim voice broke into their conversation. Liam turned to see the other men standing right behind them, worry reflected in their gazes. To the side, the man who’d been about to rape Lauren when they arrived was bound hand and foot, forced to sit upright against the wall.

“The ambulance just pulled up,” Seth continued. Then he looked at Liam. “You and Lauren both need to go to the hospital. You’ve been shot and you’re still losing blood.”

“I’m not leaving her,” Liam said fiercely.

Adam held up his hand. “No one said you had to, son. We’ll all be there. She won’t be alone. Let’s get you patched up so you can be with her that much sooner. The quicker you let them take a look at that arm, the quicker you can be back with her. She needs to be in the hospital.”

Noah nodded his agreement. A moment later, the paramedics entered the living room, followed closely by the local police. It was a madhouse of endless questions. To Liam’s frustration he was separated from Lauren as one medic tended her and the other bandaged his arm.

When they began to wheel her away on a stretcher, Noah walking beside it holding Lauren’s hand, Liam bolted up from the couch and strode after them. Over his dead body were they leaving without him.

Max was about to climb into the back with Noah and Lauren when Liam shoved him out of the way and hauled himself up to sit beside Noah on the bench next to the stretcher. When Max would have protested, Adam put his hand on his shoulder.

“Think what you would do if it was Callie and her brothers were trying to be at her side. They love her. Just like you love Callie. You’d never allow yourself to be parted from her, just like Noah and Liam won’t allow themselves to be away from her. Let them go. We’ll follow behind and you can see her at the hospital.”

Max sighed, but Liam could see that Adam’s words had hit the mark. Liam sent Adam a grateful look. The last thing Liam wanted was a confrontation with Max Wilder when the priority had to be on getting Lauren the care she needed.

The other medic closed the doors and then hurried to get into the cab. Liam reached down for Lauren’s hand, pulling it up so he could twine their fingers together.

“We’re with you, baby,” he whispered. “We won’t leave you.

He leaned down to brush his mouth across her delicate hand.

“I love you. Don’t leave me, Lauren. Hang in there and be strong. We’ll guide you back home.”