Her body was deliciously sore. She stretched languidly, sliding against him, skin to skin, loving the feel of him against her. He gave her the courage she needed to take ahold of life, and this was her most important day. Briony had been so important to her. Mari had made her into a fantasy. Everything she had ever wanted to be—everything she wanted to have, to do—Mari had imagined it all for Briony. Mari had nothing but a stark, cold, much disciplined life, and she wanted the world for Briony.

Her arms slipped around Ken and she held him to her ferociously. She felt almost desperate, wanting to fit into his world but knowing she didn’t. Briony fit. Seeing her just made that clearer. Mari was a soldier. It was her way of life. Ken didn’t see her as a soldier; he saw her as soft and gentle, and the reality was so very far from that image.

Ultimately, Briony was a stranger to her. If Briony couldn’t accept her with all of her shortcomings, it was going to hurt, but it would be okay. Her sisters were the women who had been forged in fire, just as she had been. They knew discipline and duty and what it was like to be held prisoner, vulnerable and helpless. They knew her. They understood her, and they loved her. They were willing to risk everything with her. She belonged with them.

Choking on tears, heart aching, she kissed Ken, nibbled at his lips and licked the scar that split his mouth into two soft segments. She’d fallen in love with that scar. “Come with me to the shower.”

Ken made love to her, taking his time, with the water spraying down on them, doing his best to be as gentle as he could as he held her in his arms. It didn’t seem possible to have her with him in his home, that life could really be so good. In the end, no matter how he tried, the only way for him to be stimulated enough to gain relief was rough penetration. He heard the sound of their flesh meeting, like the slap of a hand, his body pounding into hers when she was already sore from a long night of his demands.

His fingers dug into her hips, taking her to the floor where there was no give, where the penetration was deep and her tight sheath gripped him the way he needed. The rougher he was, the more swollen and tight she became and the more pleasure he felt. He looked down at her, the water pouring over them, his fingerprints standing out on her soft skin, and he hated his body, hated who he was.

She wanted him, her body responded to everything he gave her, pushing her ability to accept pleasure and pain mingled together in order to accommodate his lusts, but how could she ever love him when he was so depraved and driven? When a monster lurked inside of him, one she’d caught glimpses of. Mari was not a stupid woman, and she had lived her entire lifetime with violence. She knew he was capable of making her life hell, and in spite of loving her with his body—worshiping her—he could feel her moving away from him. He turned up toward the spray, letting it pour over his face and wash away the burn of tears.

Mari said nothing as he helped her from the floor, but he noticed she looked as if she had been crying too. She pressed a kiss to his chest and stepped out of the shower to dry off. Ken stayed for a longer time, wishing the water could make him clean again. He watched it run into the drain and wished the small stream could take his sins with it.

Briony waited in the kitchen, pacing restlessly in front of Jack. He swung around as Mari and Ken entered, frowning a little in reprimand.

About damn time. She’s going to have a nervous breakdown.

Ken flicked his brother a quick warning glance. So is Mari. She’s terrified. Don’t say anything to upset her.

Jack flashed him a small grin. Papa bear is getting all growly over his little cub. All the same he positioned his body so he could protect Briony should there be need.

Ken kept his hand on the nape of Mari’s neck, wanting to give her support. He could feel the tremors running through her slender body. The woman had enough courage for ten people, but facing her twin for the first time in years was traumatic.

“Briony,” Ken said softly. “Jack and I promised you we’d bring your sister to you and we have. This is Marigold—Mari.”

Briony’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m sorry. I can’t stop crying. I’m sure it’s the pregnancy. I’m so happy you’ve come at last.”

Mari simply stared at her, drank her in, could barely believe they were in the same room. “Look at you. You look so happy.”

“I am happy.” Briony wiped at the flowing tears. “Whitney did something to my memory, and I couldn’t think about my past without feeling pain. I couldn’t remember anything, but as soon as I did, I tried to find you.” She took two steps closer but stopped again, afraid of rejection.

Mari took a step toward her. “Whitney did that to anyone leaving the compound. He liked to tell me he knew where you were, and what he could do to you if I didn’t cooperate.”

Briony ducked her head. “I’m sorry. It must have been terrible for you.”

“No,” Mari said quickly. “It wasn’t. Not really.” She took another step toward her sister. “I didn’t know any other way of life, and as a child, it was rather exciting. I missed you every single day.”

A fresh flood of tears turned Briony’s face bright red. Jack started across the room, but Mari got there first. She gathered her sister into her arms and held her. Jack stilled, halfway to his wife, his throat working convulsively. If there was one thing he couldn’t take, it was Briony’s tears.

Ken handed him a cup of coffee, and they sat at the kitchen table while their women went off together, arms around each other, into the great room.

Jack scrubbed his hand over his face. “Briony’s killing me with her tears. I’m hoping Mari can get her to stop.”

Ken flashed him a small grin. “You’re looking a little pale, bro. What are you going to do when she goes into labor?”

“I’m contemplating shooting myself.” He tapped the table restlessly. “What about you? How are things going?”

The grin faded, and for a moment Jack glimpsed pain sliding into the shadows in Ken’s eyes. “She isn’t going to stay.”

“You sure?”

“Why would she? She’s got everything going for her. I’m not exactly normal. And unlike Briony, she isn’t going to be accepting of me telling her what to do all time.”

Jack nearly snorted coffee through his nose. “Is that what you think? Briony pretty much tells me how it’s going to be, except maybe in the bedroom, and even then, she likes what I do to her or she wouldn’t be doing it. Don’t kid yourself, bro, my woman makes up the rules and yours will too.”

“Maybe.” Ken couldn’t very well tell his brother just what it took to feel with his skin sliced to pieces—although maybe Jack already had guessed. More than once he’d repaired damage when Ken had been unable to feel the blade of a saw slicing through his hand until it was too late. He didn’t want to go there and see pity in Jack’s eyes. “You hear anything about the senator?”

“He’s being guarded at an undisclosed location. No one is saying how badly he’s hurt. Nothing on the news. Not a single thing about him being shot and nothing in the media about Whitney’s laboratory. The general sent in a team, but the place is abandoned and all data appears to be destroyed. Of course they’ll take weeks to comb through everything. Whitney’s moved on.” Jack frowned. “Logan radioed last night to warn us that Sean was last seen getting off a plane in Montana. He’s heading here. You know he is.”

Ken nodded. “I was certain he’d follow her, but I didn’t think he’d come so quickly. Take the women and get out of here, Jack. I’ll deal with him.”

Jack grunted. “Like that’s going to happen. I’ve already called Logan. He’ll be here in an hour, and he’ll protect the women. I’m going to be backing you up just the way we always do it.”

“Sean isn’t going to stop until he has her or he’s dead. Whatever Whitney does to these men makes them believe they’re entitled to the women. They don’t care whether the woman wants them or not; she’s a possession.”

“We’ll get him.” Jack’s fingers drummed against the tabletop. “You realize Whitney isn’t alone in this? Senator Freeman’s father is involved, and Mari dropped the name of a banker. She’s seen at least two of the others, and that means the other women probably have as well.”

“Which increases the risk to them. Whitney and the others are going to want them back for many reasons. I should have realized when Mari didn’t really talk about them or let me see what they looked like when she was thinking about them, that they planned to strike out on their own.”

“You can’t really blame them for not trusting anyone,” Jack said.

“No, but I’m a little upset with Mari. If she’d warned me, I could have tried to persuade them that there was help out there for them.” He kept his face averted from his brother. Mari was thinking of leaving him. She was going to join her sisters and follow through with their original plan. He was desperate to cage her—but how?

“She trusted you with her life, just not with the other women’s.”

“She did at that,” Ken agreed, and stared out the window as he sipped at his coffee.

An hour later, Logan arrived, grim-faced and angry.

“I spotted Sean, or what I’m fairly sure was him,” he said. “He ducked into the trees and he’s too careful to make the same mistake twice. I didn’t have a clear identification so I couldn’t take him out.”

“How close is he?”

“Close, Ken. He’s moving fast. Tell me what you want and I’ll get it done.”

“You’re going to stay and protect Mari and Briony. Jack’s going to climb the mountain and let Sean get a real good look at him. Hopefully he’ll think it’s me. I’ll try to look like Mari and go for a little walk, lead him away from the house to the spring that runs along the bluff. I’m guessing he’ll make his try for Mari. If not, he’ll go after Jack. Either way, Jack will be waiting or I will.”

“And I babysit.”

“You’ve got the most important job, Logan,” Jack said, coming up behind them. “Anything happens to Briony and I’m no good to anyone anymore.”

“I feel the same way about Mari,” Ken added. “If he gets by us, you have to kill him. No matter what, he has to die.”

Logan nodded and glanced at the two women as they entered the room.

“Why the grim faces?” Briony asked.

Jack took her hand and tugged until her smaller body was up against his. “You’re going to have go down into the tunnel, Bri. We have a nasty visitor and we can’t take any chances. Get your emergency pack and go with Mari and Logan.”

Mari frowned and shook her head. “It’s Sean, isn’t it? He’s found us.”

“That’s right, honey, and you’ve got to get moving,” Ken said. “Go with your sister and Logan. We’ll take care of this.”

“What? You think I’m going to go hide while you and your brother put your lives on the line for me? Think again,” Mari snapped, her dark eyes flashing. She looked furious. “Sean is my responsibility, not yours.”

“Like hell. Get in the damned tunnel, Mari, where I don’t have to worry about you while I take care of this bastard.”

“I’m going to stay with you.”

Strobes went off in the house. A soft alarm buzzed. Jack and Ken sent Logan a quick, hard look. “An hour?” Jack said.

“I don’t have time for this,” Ken snapped, his voice icy cold. “You’ll do what I say. This is about safety, and when it comes to safety, you get in line, no arguments.”

“No one controls me. No one. Whitney couldn’t control me and I’ll be damned if you do. I’m not hiding while you take the risks.”