Sidney’s Triple Shot [Apache Crossing] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Read online

  Apache Crossing

  Sidney’s Triple Shot

  Sidney Rowe has been abused in ways that most people can’t even imagine. After a horrific miscarriage, she left behind everything she had to escape her ex-boyfriend. She finds refuge in the kindness of the three Dawson brothers. They give her a job and a sense of security in the small town of Apache Crossing.

  Xavier, Tyce, and Noah Dawson have built their bar, Triple Shot, into a profitable enterprise. The three former Marines have also built a reputation for integrity in the community, but their sex appeal and charm are legendary. They enjoy their playboy status…that is until a jumpy, skittish Sidney stumbles into their lives needing their help.

  Sexual tension explodes when the brothers decide they want to protect and share Sidney, but to have her they have to stop her ex from haunting her. Can they keep her safe and win her damaged heart?

  Note: There is no sexual relationship or touching for titillation between or among siblings.

  Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre

  Length: 98,838 words

  SIDNEY’S TRIPLE SHOT

  Apache Crossing

  Lori King

  MENAGE AMOUR

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

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  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Ménage Amour

  SIDNEY’S TRIPLE SHOT

  Copyright © 2013 by Lori King

  E-book ISBN: 978-1-62242-749-9

  First E-book Publication: April 2013

  Cover design by Christine Kirchoff

  All cover 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 Sidney’s Triple Shot by Lori King from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

  Regarding E-book Piracy

  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.

  The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.

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

  Amanda Hilton, Publisher

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  www.BookStrand.com

  DEDICATION

  For the Righteous Perverts, my own little cave of insanity when I need to just break free.

  For my husband who rides this rollercoaster we call life beside me, holding my hand, laughing with me, and wiping away my tears.

  For my children who brighten every day of my life. I would be nothing without you three.

  I hope to always Live, Laugh, and Love like today is my only chance.

  ~Lori

  Acknowledgments:

  I want to acknowledge each song and original artist that I used in the book, and thank them for inspiring my characters and I.

  “Johnny and June”: Heidi Newfield

  “Stand Beside Me”: Jo Dee Messina

  “I Cain’t Say No”: Oklahoma (The Musical)

  “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly”: My Fair Lady (The Musical)

  “Friends in Low Places”: Garth Brooks

  “Steam”: Ty Herndon

  “I Wanna Love You Forever”: Jessica Simpson

  “When You Say Nothing At All”: Alison Krauss

  “Chapel of Love”: The Dixie Cups

  “Breakaway”: Kelly Clarkson

  “Soulmate”: Josh Turner

  SIDNEY’S TRIPLE SHOT

  Apache Crossing

  LORI KING

  Copyright © 2013

  Prologue

  “Ms. Rowe?”

  “Ms. Rowe, I need you to open your eyes for me.”

  Sidney could hear the woman’s voice but it sounded like she was at the opposite end of a tunnel. What was going on? Who did she know that would call her Ms. Rowe?

  “Sidney, you’re in the hospital. My name is Dr. Javier. It’s time to open your eyes for me.”

  A slight crack of sharp light hit Sidney’s eyeballs burning into her brain, and she heard herself whimper. Another crack of light, but this time less painful, then another larger one until she could see a blurry figure in front of her.

  “There you go, that’s a girl. Come on, open your eyes for me, Sidney. I’m Dr. Javier, and I’m taking care of you. Do you remember what happened to you?”

  The woman wore a white lab coat, and had a stethoscope in her ears as she held Sidney’s wrist in her hand. The room she was in was small, and the only furniture was the hospital bed she occupied, and a small chair against the wall at the foot of the bed. A flat screen TV hung on the wall, and there were machines with tubes and beeping alarms on either side of her. Why was she in the hospital? What had happened? Forcing herself to remember, she felt tears leak from her eyes.

  “My baby.” Her voice came out as a croaking whisper.

  The doctor’s eyes met hers and the sadness there stabbed through Sidney’s heart. Her baby was gone. Robert had managed to kill their baby.

  “I’m so sorry, Sidney. Fortunately, there was no permanent damage, but the pregnancy was already gone by the time you arrived in the ER. Do you remember what happened to you?” There was pity in her voice and her actions, and it grated on Sidney’s nerves. If she admitted what had happened to her they would make her file a police report, and that would get Robert in trouble. She didn’t want Robert to get into trouble. It would only end up causing more trouble for herself.

  Shaking her head at the Doctor’s question she croaked more loudly, “Water?”

  The Doctor lifted a straw to her parched lips, and she sucked gently. Surprisingly her body didn’t hurt much. They must have given her some powerful pain meds, because the beating Robert g
ave her should have left her in pain for days.

  Dr. Javier set the cup aside, and stared at Sidney for several silent moments, before she asked, “Who did this to you, Sidney?”

  Tightening her lips, Sidney let her eyes close, and she refused to speak. Robert hadn’t meant to hurt her, or at least she didn’t think so. It was all a misunderstanding. She surprised him with the news of the unexpected pregnancy, and his temper got the best of him. That was all there was too it.

  “Look, I know you’ve been beaten, and probably more than just this once based on the x-rays, but you don’t have to live like this. Whoever did this to you, nearly killed you, and they did manage to kill your baby.”

  “Me?” Sidney questioned in her froglike voice.

  “Yes, you have bruises and cuts all over your body. That black eye will take at least a week to heal, and I was quite surprised that there weren’t any internal injuries from this attack. Was it someone you knew?”

  Stop it, Sidney screamed in her head, stop asking me! There was no way she could tell this stranger and get her to understand what Robert was like. If he hurt her that badly it had to be by accident.

  As if to prove her right, there was a knock at the door, and Robert’s face came around the corner. He was carrying a dozen roses, and he looked contrite.

  “Sidney! Oh, darling, are you okay?” he said as he rushed to her side.

  Sidney’s met the Doctor’s questioning gaze, and recognition flared in the woman’s eyes. Oh shit, now she knew. Turning back to Robert, she tried to smile at him.

  “Excuse me, sir, but Ms. Rowe needs to rest, so I’ll have to ask you to leave and return during normal visiting hours.”

  Robert looked up at the woman like she had lost her mind. “I’m not leaving her, she’s my fiancée.”

  “While that may be the case, Mr…”

  “Wicks. Robert Wicks.”

  “Mr. Wicks, she has had a traumatic attack on her person, and she needs to rest. Perhaps we can go out into the hallway and talk about what has happened. Do you happen to know who might have done this to her?” Dr. Javier’s arm was between Robert and Sidney, and she gestured for Robert to move toward the door in front of her.

  In barely a millisecond, Robert’s gaze went from open and concerned to ice-cold and hostile. “Look, lady, that’s my fiancée, and I have every right to be here. Hell no I don’t know what happened to her, now get out of my way.”

  “Sir, I will call security if you don’t leave the room.” Dr. Javier didn’t seem to be intimidated at all by Robert’s anger, but Sidney’s stomach twisted. He had the same vicious tone of voice he used right before he lashed out at her, and this time there was a stranger in the way. Before she could make a noise to try and warn the woman, Robert’s eyes shut and when they reopened they again held the warmth and charm she had once fallen in love with.

  “I apologize. You will have to excuse me for being emotional. It’s hard to see someone I love injured like this. I would be happy to discuss what has happened with you, but please give me a moment with Sidney first.”

  The doctor held his gaze, looking suspicious and a little confused. That’s what Robert did, he spun people around and around with words and charm until they didn’t know what direction they were coming from or where they were heading. It was mind-boggling sometimes.

  He hadn’t always been so harsh and unrelenting with Sidney. In fact, he had been romantic and sweet for the first couple of months they were dating. She had been swept off of her feet by his generosity, and his take-control attitude. When she needed something, he just went and bought it, without asking her or getting her opinion. At the time she took it as sweet that he wanted to take care of her, but before she knew it he was making all of her decisions for her. She wasn’t allowed to make choices herself, because he told her that it was his job.

  She resented it, but that was just the way it was going to be if she wanted to keep him in her life. She loved him. Or at least that’s what she kept telling herself.

  The woman finally bought Robert’s act of remorse, and left the room after instructing him that he only had five minutes before she sent security in. What Dr. Javier didn’t understand was that Robert only needed five minutes to make Sidney pay for getting herself admitted to the hospital.

  Holding her breath as the door clicked shut, she waited for the shoe to drop. She waited for Robert’s temper to explode like it always did. She didn’t have to wait long. Before she could even whisper a word, he was there in her face, holding her by the jaw so that she couldn’t look away from him.

  “What do you think you’re doing, Sidney? Trying to get my ass put into jail? Why would you call 911? You stupid bitch, you’re trying to ruin my life, just like with that fucking brat you’re carrying. You just want to fuck my life up.”

  Tears leaked from Sidney’s eyes, and she tried to shake her head no. “No baby.”

  His hand dropped away from her chin, and his eyes widened with shock. “What?”

  “No baby. Miscarried,” she said through her tears.

  “Oh my God. Shit. Shit! You miscarried?”

  She couldn’t see him anymore as her eyes blurred with tears, and she thought to herself that the pain meds must be wearing off, because she could feel a burning in her chest suddenly. Her baby was gone. There was no pregnancy. There would be no late night feedings, no giggles and coos, and no one to love her completely and without question. It was nearly too much to bear.

  “I’m sorry, Sidney. I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt my baby. I just reacted. I mean, you sprung it on me! We hadn’t even discussed having a baby yet! How the hell did this all happen?” He paced the room and she could feel the barely restrained anger and grief vibrating off of him.

  See, she thought, he didn’t mean to hurt me, or our baby. It was all an accident. Surely things would get better now. Robert loved her, and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. She just needed to figure out how to approach him about his temper. If this kept up, someone would get suspicious.

  A nurse opened the door and told Robert that it was time to leave, and he leaned over kissing her forehead. “I’ll be at the house when they release you. I love you, darling.”

  Once he was gone, she sighed with relief. When Robert was nearby there was so much pressure on her to be perfect. It was daunting. That doctor would be asking more questions, and she had to figure out what she was going to tell her this time. No one seemed to understand that, without Robert Wicks, Sidney Rowe had nothing and no one. She needed him, and he needed her. It would all work out, eventually.

  It was hot in Greenville, South Carolina, ridiculously hot and muggy. The air hung like a thick, wet blanket, making it difficult to breathe, and impossible to enjoy being outside. Sidney Rowe tossed her purse onto the floorboard of the car and slumped behind the steering wheel, resting her head back against the seat. Her body ached unmercifully. It wasn’t just the pain from her stay in the hospital that she was feeling tonight. It was the ache of something lost that can never be found again. Her soul had a black hole in it that she wasn’t sure she could ever mend. Losing her baby had stolen something from her. Robert didn’t seem to understand. He hadn’t even visited her again in the two days that she stayed at the hospital. Of course, when she got home he was anxious enough for her to get back to all of her duties. He was belligerent and angry when she told him that she was supposed to wait two weeks to have sex again, but he did leave her be.

  With a heavy sigh of regret, she started her small sedan, and backed out of the office parking lot. She tried to return the smile that the Security Guard flashed her as she passed, but she barely managed a lopsided grimace. She had just been released from the hospital yesterday, and had returned to her job at the accounting firm today. According to Robert taking three days off was plenty, and she needed to stop being a pussy about it all. A glance at her watch filled her stomach with dread. She was late. Robert was going to be pissed.

  The street lights wer
e just flickering on as she pulled into the driveway of their home. The small house looked pristine with its lawn service manicured grass, and flower beds. Robert wouldn’t have it any other way. It would be a crime to allow one of his business associates the opportunity to think things in his life weren’t perfect. She sighed with resignation as she let herself in the front door, and dropped her purse and keys on the side table.

  Glancing into the living room she was surprised to find it empty and the TV off. That was very unlike Robert. He was always seated in his recliner with the news or a sporting event on, and a scotch in his hand. If he wasn’t in his seat, then he was waiting for her by the door pissed off over some new infraction of his rules. She had learned to enter her own home cautiously and braced for a beating. Her bruises hadn’t faded from the last beating, so she was glad to avoid one now.

  A feminine cry startled her, and she spun in the direction of their bedroom. Questioning her own hearing, she took a nearly silent step toward the doorway. The sound came again, but this time it was followed by a sharp slapping sound. A shiver shot down her spine. She knew that sound intimately. Robert was hitting someone in the bedroom. No, not hitting. That was the sounds of skin slapping skin. He was having sex with someone in their bedroom.

  She stood there for a moment just letting that sink in. The asshole that had consumed her life for the last year, taking away her friends, and every freedom she had ever enjoyed, was now enjoying someone else in her bed. Hurt rolled over her, and she forced her feet to carry her down the hallway to the bedroom door. Standing in the shadow of the hallway, she could see the whole scene in living color.

  Betrayal should have cut deep, but her first thought was that her fiancé, and the supposed love of her life, was screwing another woman on top of her favorite bedspread. It was a really pretty one with lilac and blue hydrangeas on a cream-colored background, and the blonde Barbie with her fingers gripping handfuls of it right now looked very out of place. The smell of sex hung heavy in the thick air outside the bedroom door, and Sidney let it fill the hollow spot in her chest. Why was she worried about her bedspread and not her fiancé?