Steel Hearts - Patchwork Princess Ch. 03

Authors note: Hello, everyone. As a disclaimer, there is not much eroticism to this story, so if you are after a stroke piece, this might not be for you. For those that dare to read, I hope you enjoy the next instalment of the Patchwork Princess. As always, if you enjoy it, please comment and vote. If you hate it, please do neither, ~ellie.

Patchwork Princess Ch 3.

"Tell me the full story or at least as much as you know," Saxon said gruffly. He would back up Teddy just as the man had backed him up repeatedly, but he wanted to know exactly what he was walking into when they got to this girl's apartment.

"I met Teddy when he was young enough to believe he was eight foot tall and invincible. He and his little crew were responsible for the decimation of the Kallikantzaro club despite all being barely eighteen. No one considered that a bunch of kids could be responsible at the time, which was how they got away with it. He was in foster care with Grace when he started his reign of vengeance," Beau started his explanation.

"He did that because of this girl?" Saxon asked, showing little emotion despite being impressed again by the balls the kid had at such a young age.

"The story goes that the Kallikantzaro president's youngest son took advantage of the war and, when they killed O'Callaghan, took Holly as his trophy. Only he didn't know that the family members who survived the battles began pulling the underground apart, searching for her. She'd been branded and tattooed by the little psycho, but somebody cut those marks out of her body to try and hide the club symbol burned into her skin. Then she was dumped at the hospital. The grandmother of the family, who was in charge at that time, told everyone that Holly had been sent away to school to keep her safe. Teddy didn't find out the truth until Holly was reported dead from the injuries she sustained in the kidnap. That's when he formed his crew and began his vengeance," Beau tried to wrap up the convoluted story quickly as they grabbed their gear and made their way down to their bikes.

"So, she came back?" Saxon surmised.

"Yeah, her grandmother died, and she had to come and deal with the estate and stayed. She and her friends own a business on the north side of the golden mile.

"So, what's going on tonight?" he asked.

"It seems his girlfriend has a stalker now," Beau chuckled. It seemed to be a pattern with the women the six came to love. "A stalker who knows intimate details about her kidnap and injuries, which Teddy didn't even know without fighting for that information."

"Girlfriend?" Saxon raised an eyebrow. He hadn't realised Teddy was serious about the girl and had thought her a childhood friend.

"Rekindled, it's reasonably new," he confirmed as they walked through the speakeasy to where Steve sat at the bar with Grace, who had finished her set minutes before.

"Jack's upstairs with Daisy, and Mitch is already on his way there. So let's not keep them waiting," Saxon commanded.

"I'm patched in with Kris already. I gotta say it, Teddy's crew is good, almost too good. We're lucky they're our brothers," Ian chuckled as they made their way to their bikes.

*****

It was late, and Holly was barely holding herself together when she heard several men arrive at her apartment. The police, she guessed, and she hoped without any real conviction that the officer who had come had some knowledge of her previous kidnapping and assault. She didn't want to repeat her history in front of Teddy and his crew. She didn't want to tell them why the arrival of the doll had freaked her out and why she remained hiding in her bedroom, pretending to be asleep.

While the Ativan she had taken earlier had helped take the edge off and calmed her from the hysteria she had felt when she first saw the doll, she still felt anxious and as if she could jump out of her skin if anything else happened tonight. Carter came in and sat on the bed, reaching out to stroke her hair.

"I know you're awake," she said softly. "Teddy made some calls, and his brothers came to offer their support. They found a detective who knew about your case from a decade ago. It would be best if you talked to her. You can do it here or out there, but either way, Teddy won't leave you alone with a stranger right now, so he will be there no matter what you choose.

"I can't face all those people out there," Holly whispered, finally opening her eyes.

"If you want me to stay, I will," Carter reassured Holly. She looked into the other woman's eyes, knowing how the PTSD had affected her, and while the panic attacks were fewer, Holly's anxiety could cripple her for days after an attack. But, at least this time, they had been able to raise her from the nightmare in her mind relatively quickly. Her resilience tonight seemed partly due to Teddy's presence when the attack hit rather than any real progress in her acceptance of what happened to her. For that reason alone, Carter was willing to leave her best friend with the man who claimed to love her while the detective questioned her.

"Hey," Teddy said gently as he entered the room and went to sit on the bed beside her. He took her hand in his and kissed her palm. The sooner you talk to the police, the sooner it is over," he said softly.

"Who else is here?" she asked.

"My brothers and my sister, Grace, who is impatient to meet you," he sighed.

"You don't have a sister," she frowned.

"Foster, sister. Her name is Grace, and she saved me when I lost everything," he admitted.

"I didn't know you were in foster care," she frowned again.

"A lot happened to all of us back then," Teddy shrugged as if it was no big deal. "You'd already left by the time the dust settled."

"No! I will not wait one more minute," Nicky raged at someone in the living room as she pushed one of the men out of the way to barge into Holly's room and flung herself on the bed to hug her friend. "This is fucked up, and you will not face it alone. We got you, girl! Get your skinny butt in here, Nessa!" Nicky yelled through the open door.

"I'm sorry, Hols. You know how she is when one of us is hurting," Nessa mumbled and joined the group hug with her girls. "There's a freaking wall of muscle out there, no one is getting close to you, except us, and maybe that guy," she rolled her eyes at Teddy. He crossed his arms over his chest and scowled at the two girls who had pushed their way into the room despite that wall of muscle protecting his girl.

"I'll give you five minutes. Then I will be back with the detectives," Teddy grumbled and stepped out of the room again.

"I'm good," Holly said, sitting up in the bed and scooting back to lean against the bedhead. "Teddy's right; the sooner I talk to the police, the sooner it's over, and everyone can go home again. I don't know what's going on out there, but it can't be good, and I have enough protection with the new security and Teddy, who I doubt will agree to go home tonight and leave me alone," she sighed.

"Ooh, you don't get it, do you?" Nicky asked. Her expression showed the incredulity she had felt when she got here. "Teddy called in the big guns, Saxon Steele and his sexy six are out there with Teddy's crew, and they are planning to find this fucktard harassing you and make them sorry they ever thought they could intimidate you."

"The sexy six?" Holly asked incredulously.

"Hell yeah, there's a trail of Nessa's drool leading in here," Nicky grinned as Nessa opened and closed her mouth speechlessly. "It's wall-to-wall hard man meat out there, the stuff Magic Mike dreams are made of. Honestly, your lucky you're in here, or Teddy may have blindfolded you before you realised how much more was on offer out there."

"Pfft, she probably likes all that kinky shit, blindfold included. Of course, we were all on that bandwagon after Darker came out," Nessa giggled.

"Seriously? This is what we're doing now of all times?" Carter asked in exasperation. "He gave you five minutes. Do you want to go to the bathroom before they come in? Maybe brush your hair or teeth?"

"Stop being a mother duck, Carter. You look beautiful like always, Holly," Nicky hugged her friend close. "I got you, okay? No little bitch who has to hide behind anonymous threats is gonna do my girl wrong, believe me."

"Thanks, Nicky. You've always had my back. All of you have. I know that. It was just the shock because no one should know, except you girls, the medical team and the people who did it," she sighed. "Doesn't take rocket science to determine where the threats are coming from now."

"But the guy who did it to you is dead," Nessa frowned. "You know that."

"Yeah, but maybe one of his friends got out before the club imploded along with half of the underground," Nicky nodded wisely and looked up at Holly. "It's not us, and I doubt anyone on the medical team who took an oath to do no harm would do it, so Holly is right, and I bet the guys out there have already worked that out."

"Unless that's why we were told to come? Maybe they plan to interrogate us!" Nessa whipped around to eye the door to the living room.

"Dean and Scotty wouldn't let them do that," Nicky shook her head. "We're here for Holly because she needed us."

"Carter was right. I need the bathroom. I love you girls, and I did need you, so thank Dean or Scott or whoever called you," Holly smiled softly. "You're the best, and I feel better just knowing you have my back. So go out and enjoy the man buffet. I'll be okay now." She manoeuvred to swing her legs over the edge of the bed and padded into the bathroom, trying to smooth the wrinkles out of her rumpled work clothes.

When she walked back into the bedroom, two detectives waited for her and Teddy stood leaning against the wall closest to the bed where she had been sitting while Carter remained at her side, helping her back into the bed. She noted the two chairs the detectives had brought in to put themselves on her level and breathed a sigh as she began making the report. Somehow one of the detectives that had worked her case ten years ago as a constable sat opposite her and was sympathetic toward what had happened to her both then and now.

*****

"Alright, we got it. My team's en route with the gear," Ian announced, coming back into the apartment.

"How long?" Saxon asked.

"I gave them an hour and a reservation confirmation for the Hermitage. So it wasn't a hard sell when I said they could come back and check on the place and pick up more of their belongings each evening that we are there," Ian explained. He'd effectively convinced Holly's neighbours across the hall to allow them to use their apartment for a couple of weeks.

"Alright, Beau, take Grace home. I don't want to risk her getting caught up in this vendetta," Saxon said. "Mitch, you go with them and check on Daisy. Send Jack here. I'll stay with Ian and his crew until they get set up, then meet up with Steve, who can see if we can talk to any of his Besomar contacts. They're the most likely to know if any of the Kallikantzaros who survived are looking for revenge now that Holly is back in town."

"She's been back for a while, from what Teddy said," Mitch added.

"Maybe it took whoever it was time to figure that out. I'm not sure how long Teddy has known she was back," Beau agreed.

"I don't want to go, yet I want to talk to Teddy," Grace crossed her arms as if daring the men she loved to make her leave against her will.

"You're being a bigger brat than Daisy," Mitch rumbled. "You think Teddy needs this right now? Don't you think he's worried enough about the girl he loves without you throwing a tantrum and butting into his business? You seem to forget why we're here while guaranteeing that we won't be bringing you with us next time." He was abrupt with her, but he had to be because his brothers tried to spare her feelings more often than not. "Go home, little brat and give Teddy a break tonight. Then, you can demand all the answers you want tomorrow."

"I wasn't going to demand anything! He was there for me, and I just want to be here for him," she defended herself.

"I know," Beau said softly. "But Sax is right. If you got caught up in this vendetta, Teddy would lose his mind even more so than he already has."

Grace was about to deny that she would get involved in whatever this was, but she also hadn't planned on getting involved in any of the dramas that had happened in her life in the last few years. She sighed and nodded, not arguing anymore.

*****

It had been a long night, and Teddy slipped into bed with Holly just before dawn, moving gently against her, not wanting to disturb the sleep he knew was helped by her earlier medication. He'd spent the last hour with Ian going through the security measures he and his team had put into place to ensure that Holly was safe and the whole building from garage to roof was covered by watchers. They'd also accessed the costume shop through Carter and ensured the extra security Teddy's team had installed covered all angles inside and out.

Holly felt the bed dip as Teddy finally joined her. She was in that twilight world of sleep, aware of everything around her but couldn't pry her eyes open enough to acknowledge it. She rolled toward him and took comfort in the strong arm wrapped around her and the warm body pressed against hers. She murmured and smiled against his chest, relaxing into him further and thinking over everything that had happened that night.

The doll had been startling, and all those memories close to the surface after her time at the cabin with Teddy had come back in full force, trapping her in that void of pain and terror. It seemed that no matter how long she managed to live and avoid those memories, it only took one moment to bring them all crashing down around her. The worst part, however, was the fuzziness of the memories of her time in captivity and who had done this to her and who had finally taken her to the hospital, barely alive to save her life.

"You awake?" Teddy whispered.

"No," Holly whispered back.

"Good, you need the sleep," Teddy chuckled and kissed the top of her head.

"Have you slept at all?" she asked into the silence.

"I have some things to do first, including convincing you to come to my place today so I can sleep knowing you are untouchable and safe from anyone wanting to harm you," he said as if picking his words carefully.

"I have to go to work. The Halloween event is close, and we still have so much to organise," she complained. "You should sleep, though. Maybe drop me at work and go home to sleep. Then, you can pick me up this afternoon if that will make you feel better about me being there."

"I'd sleep better if you were beside me," he grumbled but knew better than to push her. "We've stepped up security here and at the shop, though, so if you have to go to work, I won't argue with you, but Medusa, Scott and Dean will be there today. They will watch your friends and ensure they don't become bargaining chips or collateral damage."

"Oh my God! I hadn't even thought of that," Holly's eyes popped open, and she tilted her head to look up at him.

"That's why we manly men run the security while you girls play dress-ups," he teased but grimaced when her hand landed with a sting on his thigh, far too close to his cock for comfort. "Careful! That's an important piece of equipment your endangering there," he picked her hand up, holding it in his.

"You seem to forget you have a woman on your oh so manly security team," she shook her head at him.

"Who, Medusa?" he seemed genuinely amused. "She's one of my closest friends and fights better than some of the guys, so she doesn't count," he grinned widely, still teasing her.

"If you say so, but I'm awake now," Holly sighed. "So, tell me about the extra security you manly men have put in place for us weak little women." She was far from weak and could hold her own in a fight. It was the psychological warfare that undid her. Her memories of that time were her Achilles heel, and they had already been so close to the surface as she dealt with this man who wouldn't let her push him away. Still, she took the teasing for what it was and held tight to the man beside her who had stayed by her side through her meltdown last night.

"I don't want any secrets or lies between us, so if I want honesty from you, you will get it from me," he began and tightened the arm that held her to him so she couldn't pull away when she realised just how much security she had now. "We've taken over the apartment across the hall from this one, and two brothers will operate that room at all times. Others will cover the carpark, the roof, the foyer and the rear of the building."

"Overkill?" her voice held the question, but it sounded like an accusation.

"Maybe, but necessary now that this psycho is sending gifts as well as texts, showing you that they had access to your building. We have also put a tracker on your car, although I would rather if you drove one of mine for the time being or let me drive you, so I know you have the highest safety standards," he said gently, knowing this may be a sticking point.

"I already told you that you could drive me and pick me up today if it helped you get some sleep," she sighed, frustrated by all the fuss but also strangely warmed by his concern. "And what do you mean one of your cars?" She tried to raise her head to look at his face, but he held her tightly to him.

"I have several but if you insist on driving your car, then let me do a few modifications to ensure your safety?" he suggested. He hoped that giving her a choice rather than demanding she do what he said even though it was in her best interests would help her make the right decision.

"I'm sure with all the other security you have, screwing around with my car won't be necessary," she sighed, pushing against him until he released his hold on her enough that she could prop herself up on her elbow and look at him properly. "This is a lot. You know that right?" she asked and sighed again as he nodded. "You're a lot. You get that too, right?" she asked again.

"Yes, but these are not normal circumstances, and I couldn't protect you when we were kids, but I can protect you now," he said earnestly, looking into her eyes to show his determination.

"I freaked out last night, and I get how that probably looked to you and everyone, but I am okay now," she said softly. "After hearing what the police said, I am just as worried about you. All the messages were about me letting the people who loved me die. So who says they won't come for you?"

"Yeah, well, I have a shadow of my own for the foreseeable future," Teddy admitted making her eyes widen. "It's what we put up with for the ones we love, and I would never hurt my brothers by ignoring their concerns for both the woman I love and me."

"You love me?" Holly gasped.

"I always have," he smiled gently and kissed her, groaning as she pressed forward and deepened the kiss.

Holly couldn't remember being this bold before, but she felt safe enough to take the chance with Teddy. What he had done to her and for her in the cabin had been life-altering, and she could admit she wanted more. Not that he hadn't been in her bed every night since their time in the cabin, but she needed his soothing love to smooth out the frayed edges from the night before. The strange messages may have escalated, but there was still no overt threat about any of it. Sure, she could read between the lines as well as anyone, but someone was trying to rattle her, not hurt her.

Breaking the kiss, Teddy reached out with his hand and brushed his fingers across her cheek, his eyes locked on hers, seeking what she was feeling, wanting, needing from him. She may not use words to convey those things, but he would always read it in her eyes and body language, and he would be a fool not to be reading her intent, but as she'd never been the one to instigate intimacy before, he wondered if last night had screwed with her more than he had thought. He groaned at what he saw and leaned over to kiss her again, taking control of the moment as his tongue danced with hers.