Kelly's Heroes [The Men of Treasure Cove 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  The Men of Treasure Cove 6

  Kelly's Heroes

  Kelly Conner is Treasure Cove’s resident go-to gal, eager to lend a hand when needed. Her true happiness is spending her free time at the local community center, helping wounded veterans.

  Second Lieutenant Micah O’Brian wants nothing to do with the required PTSD. counseling the Navy is requesting of him. When a family member dies, Micah seeks the help of the local therapist, only to find a new set of problems.

  After a mission in Afghanistan goes terribly wrong, the Marine Corp hands Corporal Daniel Meyer his walking papers, washing their hands of him. With nowhere to go, he lands in Treasure Cove, where he meets an angel.

  When someone from the past returns, bringing death and destruction, Micah and Daniel join forces to protect their therapist, only to lose their hearts in the process. Can they work fast to save the woman they love, or will the towns past take her from them forever?

  Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre

  Length: 64,176 words

  KELLY’S HEROES

  The Men of Treasure Cove 6

  Rebecca Joyce

  MENAGE EVERLASTING

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

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  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting

  KELLY’S HEROES

  Copyright © 2013 by Rebecca Joyce

  E-book ISBN: 978-1-62740-396-2

  First E-book Publication: August 2013

  Cover design by Harris Channing

  All art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  Letter to Readers

  Dear Readers,

  If you have purchased this copy of Kelly’s Heroes by Rebecca Joyce from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

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  This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.

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  This is Rebecca Joyce’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Joyce’s right to earn a living from her work.

  Amanda Hilton, Publisher

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  DEDICATION

  To all the real heroes in the world, I thank you.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  About the Author

  KELLY’S HEROES

  The Men of Treasure Cove 6

  REBECCA JOYCE

  Copyright © 2013

  Prologue

  “Through their kisses and caresses, they experienced a joy and wonder the equal of which has never been known or heard of, but I shall be silent…for the rarest and most delectable pleasures are those, which are hinted at, but never told.”

  – Chre’tien de Troyes, Lancelot

  10 years ago, The McKenzie Ranch, Treasure Cove, Montana,

  Margaret Hicks quietly entered her sister’s house. She heard the loud voices from the outside and just hoped that she arrived in time. Moving quietly, she entered the kitchen and tiptoed down the long hallway until she could peek around the corner. She saw her sister, Isa, standing behind Stephen Quinn while her husband Glenn furiously ranted, accusing them both of adultery.

  She knew it was ridiculous, for Isabella would never do anything to jeopardize her daughter. If anything, Isabella protected Emma. Margaret regretted many things in her life, and her involvement in coercing her baby sister into marrying Glenn McKenzie was one of them. Looking back, she knew what that mistake not only cost her, but her sister as well. Though Isa never said, Margaret knew Isabella blamed her for everything.

  Secrets.

  The Romanov family life was mainly secretive. Just when Margaret thought everything might just turn out all right, another dark family secret would emerge. To protect the family, Margaret did what she had to. Her family would survive.

  That was why she was here at this moment. Sneaking in and out of homes was easy, but it was what came next that she dreaded. She never knew what to expect, and looking at the man before her, as he venomously shouted at his wife as if she were the dirt beneath his feet, made Margaret cringe.

  Glenn McKenzie was not what he seemed. The sisters realized that shortly after they forced Isabella to marry the man. Hard and calculating, Glenn knew what he acquired when Isa said “I do” and eight months later when Isabella delivered Emma. Glenn gloated that his life was now gloriously set. He saw no reason why he should ever have to work again. Instead of taking care of his family, he chose to gamble, drink, and whore away his life. He only appeared in public as the loving husband and father when needed.

  Appearances were everything to Glenn. That was why when he took his anger out on Isabella, he made damn sure never to touch her above the neck, but he fucked up this time. At this moment, Isa was sporting an exceptionally nice bruise across her cheek and a busted lip. There would be no hiding this.

  Rumors surrounded the wedding even from the very beginning. Margaret and her sisters did everything in their ability to dispel the rumors quickly. After the birth of Emma, the rumors flared to life and never stopped, and because of it, Glenn took his hatred and anger out on his wife. Now that Emma had turned twenty-one, everything
was about to change, and that was why Margaret was here, to stop that son of a bitch from taking what did not belong to him.

  Looking around the room, Margaret could not see Emma.

  God I hope that the child is not here. Margaret made herself known by walking into the living room. “Stephen, take Isa and get out of here. I’ll take care of this piece of trash,” Margaret stated, moving to stand next to her sister.

  “Well, if it isn’t the queen bitch of Treasure Cove. Welcome home Margaret. What did we do to earn the pleasure of your company? Because we all know it isn’t your family,” Glenn mocked as he walked over to the minibar and poured himself another glass of whiskey.

  “My life is not your problem, Glenn. Where is she?” Margaret asked, moving closer to the man.

  “She’s probably out fucking his sons,” he shouted. Then pointing his finger at Stephen, he said, “She’s a whore like her mother. That one never fell far from the tree.”

  “You know damn well I am not talking about Emma. Where is she?” Margaret shouted in anger. There were not many people in the world that infuriated Margaret, but Glenn McKenzie was the lowest piece of shit on the planet, and she wanted nothing more than to eradicate him from their lives. She still could not believe that she persuaded her baby sister to marry this piece of pond scum. If she knew then what she knew now, she would have taken her husband’s twelve gauge and shot a hole through the insignificant man, saving everyone else the pain that he caused.

  Hindsight was twenty-twenty. The past was the past, but the future she could change. She could right a wrong that happened long ago. She had to. The bastard knew too much already.

  The secrets within this town curled her toes. So much deceit and deception, she often wondered if this town would ever be normal.

  Not likely!

  “I have no clue where she is. She always did what she wanted. Always looking after herself, you know how she is.” Glenn smiled, taking a sip.

  Looking at her sister, Isa asked, “What’s going on? Who are you talking about, Maggie?”

  “Nobody of importance, little sister,” Margaret said, looking as Stephen wrapped his arm around protectively around Isabella. Margaret smiled. “I always knew you two should have been together. I’m sorry, Isa, for what I have done.”

  “What? Maggie, what are you talking about? What’s going on?” Isabella asked.

  “Oh yes, Margaret. Enlighten your baby sister. Tell her what you have done.” Glenn laughed evilly.

  “Isa, don’t worry about anything. This is something that I can easily fix,” she answered, pulling a gun out of her pocket and pointing it directly at Glenn. “You see, Glenn, I can accept my mistakes, but you never could. All you wanted was the money. It took me a while to figure it all out, but it has always been about the money. You told her, didn’t you? What I don’t know is why you two waited until now to do anything, but then I realized that you must have figured out what it all meant.

  “You fucked up when you went after my daughter. You would have succeeded, too, if it were not for Caleb, and when you could not get close enough to her anymore, you thought to kill Emma. Too bad, you won’t ever get that chance.”

  “Are you so sure about that, Margaret? The game is in play. I know where she is. I have seen to it that she won’t survive the night. Nothing is going to save her, and when she’s gone, I will be coming after Antoinette and then Kelly. The men of your family won’t be able to protect them forever,” Glenn maliciously stated.

  “Where’s my daughter!” Isabella screamed as she raced toward her husband. Margaret tried to grab her hand, but Isa was too fast. Glenn raised his hand and struck Isabella across the face hard as she fell to the floor.

  Margaret aimed her gun as Stephen charged Glenn. There was nothing Margaret could have done. Glenn picked up the ice pick from the minibar and stabbed Stephen right in the heart.

  Stephen gasped, falling into the large leather wingback chair. Blood quickly soaked his shirt. Isabella screamed and crawled over to Stephen, begging him not to leave her.

  Furious, Margaret took aim and shot, hitting Glenn in the shoulder. He stumbled back against the bar and then righted himself. “If you kill me, bitch, she will come after you.”

  “I’ll be ready, too.” Margaret grinned.

  “Too bad neither of you will live to see what she has planned next. It truly is a shame. I liked this house. Oh well.” Glenn grinned, and with a flick of his thumb, the match lit. Margaret grabbed Isabella just as Glenn threw the match to the floor. The leather chair Stephen was sitting in immediately erupted into flames. It did not take long for the rest of the house to catch, and within seconds, the living room was a blazing inferno.

  The searing heat was incredible. Margaret shielded her face as the smoke billowed all around her. The room quickly filled with a thick, black fog, making it difficult to breathe. Her lungs felt as if they were on fire. She had to get out of here.

  Margaret turned to flee when she realized that her sister was no longer standing next to her. Dropping to the floor, she tried in vain to find Isabella. Looking at the chair, she knew there was no hope for Stephen. He was gone.

  Crawling around, she bumped into furniture that was ablaze. Her whole body felt as if to were about to combust into flames. She could barely see where she was going. The only thing on her mind was saving her sister. She knew Glenn would not take the time to save his wife. Left up to her, Margaret needed to make sure Isa made it out of the house. Besides, she had unfinished business with Glenn, and when she caught up to him, the bastard was going to pay.

  Margaret found her sister, lying facedown near the window. Checking for a pulse, she knew that her sister had just passed out. Pulling and yanking her furiously, Margaret made her way toward the front door. Reaching up, the doorknob was hot, but it was the only way out. Grabbing the brass knob, Margaret screamed out as the knob scorched her palm. Turning it quickly, she opened the door and then dragged her sister out into the hot summer night.

  The neighbors and the town residents could now see the fire, and it would not be long before they arrived. She did not have much time before help arrived. Shaking her sister awake, she told her sister what she needed to do. “Find Emma! Do you hear me, Isa? Find your daughter and get her away from here. Never come back. I will find you when it is safe. Do not tell anyone you saw me. I love you, always.”

  Margaret could hear the fire trucks and the police. They were coming. She needed to get out of here. Getting to her feet, she looked up at the house, fully engulfed in flames. There was nothing left of the house. It was gone. Turning toward her sister, she saw that Isabella was staring into the fire.

  “Isa, go get Emma. Protect her at all costs.”

  “Everything’s gone,” Isabella whispered. “He’s gone.”

  “Isa! Listen to me. You must protect Emma. When you can, go to the shack. Look under the broken plank. Take what you find and bury it somewhere safe. Do not tell anyone, nobody. Do you hear me? We must protect them,” Margaret shouted, grabbing her sister’s attention.

  “I understand,” Isa whispered softly, never taking her eyes off the flames. “Find Emma, bury the treasure, and never come back.”

  “Yes, that’s right. Can you do this?”

  “I will do it,” Isabella murmured.

  “I have to go. Do not tell anyone you saw me. I have to get her before she hurts anyone else,” Margaret said, kissing her sister and giving her a quick hug. As the first fire truck turned down the driveway, Margaret fled into the night.

  Chapter One

  The night of the wedding reception…

  The music was blaring loudly as she watched her daughter and loved ones laugh and enjoy themselves. It was not every day that Treasure Cove celebrated two couples in wedded bliss, which made the celebration even more joyous. However, sitting in the back of the reception hall, watching from a distance, Margaret smiled as she watched her daughter kiss her two husbands. She admitted that she never thought Antoinette w
ould give in to one man, let alone two, but as always, the girl surprised her at every turn. She wished her daughter nothing but happiness and love for the rest of her days, and she prayed that Gabriel and Alexander kept their vows and kept Antoinette safe from harm. In the meantime, Margaret was going to see to it that nothing interfered with her family’s happiness.

  Her sons, Jeff and Caleb, were already settled and doting husbands to Janie. The young librarian was too good for her senseless sons. She hoped they cherished their good fortune daily, but it was Antoinette she needed to keep an eye on, along with her nieces Emma and Kelly.

  Protecting the girls was never more important than it was at this very moment. Now that the word was slowly coming out that the town charter was invalid, it was not going to take long before they found out. Margaret knew when they did all hell was going to break loose, and those girls were going to be in danger.

  Looking around the room, she spotted Anne moving through the crowd, making her way toward the table. Margaret smiled when her sister sat down next to her, but did not utter a word, never taking her eyes off Antoinette.

  “Sophie said she’d be here momentarily. She’s talking with her boys.”

  “She’s the lucky one,” Margaret said, taking a sip of the ginger ale before her.

  “Maggie, how can you say that? Sophie knows what we feel, and she said she would help protect the girls. Just because she only had sons doesn’t mean she doesn’t care.”