Free Broken Dreams by Rissa Blakeley Page A

mates. Xander has already set her up with a truck and weapons.”
    “Jesus Christ,” Henry said again as he scrubbed his five o’clock stubble.
    “Not quite, although I do appreciate you referring to me in that way. Anyway, she is going to bring you back here, and we are going to have a few discussions with a few of your old mates: Mr. Taser and Mr. Brass Knuckles. You remember them, don’t you, Liam?” Kellan chuckled at his joke. “If anyone can bring you back, it’s her. You know how hard it is to resist her. Bloody hell, she was fucking brilliant.” Kellan’s evil laugh made Henry’s skin crawl.
    “You leave her the fuck alone!” Henry barked out in anger. “I told you I would kill you if you got near her.”
    “Too late. Sounds like you still love her. How can you love two women at once? I’ve fucked two women at once, but love? Nah, that’s for bleeders like yourself.”
    “If I ever see you again, consider it done, asshole!” Henry was full of rage, knowing that Kellan took advantage of Sophie and he wasn’t there to stop it from happening. He knew he would have to protect her and keep her with him once she arrived. There was no way in hell he was going to let her leave his side. “She is not bringing me back. You knew that I was done with this bullshit ages ago.”
    “Well, guess fucking what? You are to come back here, or I will personally come hunt your cock-up arse down and punish you for not following orders. I hope I get to come hunt you down because I want to beat the fuck out of you in front of that woman of yours.”
    “Good luck, motherfucker.” Kellan burst out laughing this time, which only made Henry angrier.
    “Oh, Liam, you were always a character.” Then Kellan’s voice grew venomous. “You know you cannot take me on.”
    “Fuck off.” Henry hung up and slammed the phone down on his dresser. He needed to finish changing and get back to Elaina so he could try to work it all out.

    ***

    Henry…if that was his name because I was really questioning that at this point…stopped yelling. I heard him mumbling and I figured he was changing. He growled to himself and swung open the door. He had his handgun at the ready. And, of course, being the newly-minted sissy girl that I was, I screamed.
    “Damn it, Elaina!” he yelled in his American accent. He jammed his gun in the back of his jeans and grabbed my shoulders. “What are you doing? I told you to sit and wait for me.”
    In a moment, I made up an excuse. I do admit that I was a professional excuse maker. I always had an excuse for my parents about why I got fired from job after job. It was never anything I did, of course. I was always an innocent bystander.
    “I...I was looking for the bathroom to get a washcloth for Claire.” Then I narrowed my eyes at him and crossed my arms. “But wasn’t sure where it was, seeing as I haven’t actually been in your apartment in the two years that we have been together.”
    “Stop. Just stop, please. I don’t need this right now.” He held up his hands, walked past me, and turned on the light to the bathroom, which happened to be the second door down on the left from his bedroom. He started the faucet and shoved a dripping wet cloth at me.
    “Gee, thanks -- Henry. If that is even your name.” He grumbled and turned on a dime, heading toward the living room. I wrung out the cloth and headed off behind him.
    “Claire, I got this for you. Here, let me help you clean up some.” Look at me being all mother hen-like. She needed to clean up because she really couldn’t pull off the Goth look very well.
    “Thanks,” she said, as I started wiping away her makeup. Henry sat on the coffee table, staring at us.
    “Okay, so...” He was rubbing his lips with his fingers. “I’m looking for the right words.”
    “Just spew it, would you already? We need to hurry so we can go back and get our family and friends.” My patience had worn thinner than the see-through cute piece I bought