Burned

by Stone, Piper

  Kicking out, I caught him in the kidney, shoving him so hard he was tossed into his buddies, all four slamming against the table.

  The sound of pandemonium filtered all around me as panicked customers fled the bar, pushing their way out as chairs were tossed.

  “What. The. Fuck?” Rusty finally roared, lunging in my direction.

  Thank God all four of them were drunk off their asses. I kicked him again. This time, the imbalance was just enough the knife flew out of his hand. In the next few seconds, everything happened quickly. I crouched, grabbing the knife and heading for the back door, screaming at the top of my lungs.

  I hit the door with a hard thud, rushing outside and into the rain. The assholes were still behind me, their footsteps ringing in my ears. I had to get help. I had to find safety.

  Then I’d get the hell out of town.

  My mistake coming here, thinking I could be safe, free of all the demons that had been hanging around my neck, suffocating me. Now this.

  “Help me! Please, help me!” The sound of thunder drowned out my cries, the rain pounding against the pavement. I kept running until a hand gripped and yanked, pulling me backward. A flash of lightning highlighted Rusty’s enraged face.

  “That’s it, bitch. You’re going to die!” He threw himself forward, toppling us both to the ground.

  I continued screaming as we rolled and struggled, his fingers digging into my neck then a hard punch. Stars floated in front of my eyes and I was growing weaker.

  Sirens. Yes, I heard sirens. Someone was coming to help.

  I pushed hard, kicking and scratching, but he was too huge, too much for me. He squeezed my neck, driving the life out of me. Choking. Fighting to breathe.

  Fighting to stay alive.

  Please help me... Please...

  * * *

  “I don’t understand any of this. How could this happen?” I glared at the court-appointed attorney, wanting nothing more than to kick him in his pompous ass. He certainly didn’t have my best interests at heart.

  In the three days since I’d been taken into custody for the maiming of Rusty ‘the motherfucker’ Miller, I’d been treated like I was the criminal. I was sick at heart just trying to wrap my mind around the concept. How could any officer of the law actually think I’d attacked Rusty?

  “Just take it easy, Ms. Aspen. There’s a logical explanation for all of this.” He gave me a haughty look.

  I almost ramrodded the table, slapping my hands on the surface, my face within mere inches of his. “Logical explanation? You must be out of your mind or worse, in bed with the sheriff and his little buddies.”

  “I suggest you watch your tongue, young lady. Making unfounded accusations like that is just going to up your sentence.”

  “Up. My. Sentence? The last time I checked, I hadn’t been convicted yet, but I’m certain that’s going to happen.”

  “It certainly will, Kelly, if you keep on with statements like that.” He shifted his chair back, the metal scraping against the chipped tile floor.

  “Is that a threat, Mr. Adams?” Mr. Asshole? I wanted nothing more than to lunge across the table and wrap my hands around his neck. While I’d been told very little, I pieced together enough from the chattering of the guards. Rusty was alive, but during the struggle, the knife had cut through skin and bone, finding his spleen. The charge levied against me? Aggravated assault and attempted murder.

  I couldn’t believe the circumstances. At least Sherry had made a stink, even going to the press, but I wasn’t entirely certain that was going to do anything but get her killed. Sheriff Wiley Davis certainly didn’t want his little county highlighted in this manner, especially not during an election year.

  Mr. Adams grabbed his briefcase, shoving in the various files he’d placed on the table, not bothering to look at them once. “Just the facts, darlin’. You’re in a county who takes care of their own.”

  “And that doesn’t include me?”

  A grin popped on his face. “You’re an outsider. Too bad you didn’t grow up here. Oh, that’s right. You’re an orphan, aren’t ya? What a pity. Such a pretty girl as yourself. It also doesn’t help that you have a record, Ms. Aspen.”

  A record? I blinked several times, thrown by his words. “That was a long time ago. I was just a kid.”

  “You were eighteen, not a child any longer. That doesn’t bode well for you, now does it?”

  Why was it that every man in town seemed like a sleaze-ball? He’d dug through my past, or perhaps the sheriff had done that for him. What I did realize was that I needed some kind of ally if I didn’t want to land in prison for the next ten years. “Okay. I’m sorry. I really am. I’m just rattled. Rusty scared me. Okay? He was going to rape me.” Shaking on purpose, I held my arms and moved back against the concrete wall, closing my eyes.

  “Those are some pretty serious accusations,” Mr. Sleaze-ball snorted.

  I continued crying, my shoulders heaving.

  Unfortunately, I’d learned the hard way a very long time ago that sometimes crying was the only way to get what I wanted. I’d become the master of controlling my tear ducts. Lowering my head, I worked my magic, blinking several times until tears formed. I allowed my shoulders to shudder, a sob pushing past my lips.

  Performing like a trained seal was disgusting but necessary.

  “Now, now. We’re going to get you through this. I’m going to have a chat with Mr. Miller and see if I can get him to drop the charges against you. He is a bit of a bad boy himself. Then it’ll be up to the sheriff.”

  “Really?” Sounding hopeful, I lifted my head, giving him the sweetest butter-wouldn’t-melt-in-my-mouth look as I wrung my hands. “I could really use a break, you know.”

  “I understand. You don’t have much going for you. That much I can tell.” He gave me a comforting smile.

  Wow. I couldn’t believe the lengths these buzzards would go to. “You have no idea.” I wiped my tears with the back of my hand, my stomach churning. “What now?”

  “Well, unfortunately the jail here is very overcrowded. They’re going to have to transfer you to the state penitentiary, just for the time being.”

  “What? What did you say?” There would be no more fake tears. I was ceremoniously being railroaded. I took several steps closer until he threw out his hand.

  “Don’t get yourself all worked up, now. I’m going to get you bail real soon.”

  “How long?”

  “Might take a few days, sunshine, but I’ll make certain it happens.”

  I held my tongue, nausea wafting into my stomach like a load of bricks. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think clearly. “How long until the trial?”

  “Four, maybe five months.”

  “In a little town like Hamilton?” I was going to be sick. What had I done in my life to deserve something like this? What? Sure, I’d made some pretty horrific mistakes over the years, including trusting the wrong people, but I’d never committed a crime. Well, not really anyway. All I’d ever wanted was a place to call home, a job that would help me get out of dire straits and a group of friends I could care about.

  I thought I’d found everything I needed in Montana.

  I was such a fool.

  “I know, but the judge is a very busy man. Runs a ranch on the other side of Missoula. Rarely comes into town.”

  The sickness wasn’t going to let up. “Can I get some water?” I inched closer, wanting to look the man in the eye. I wanted him to see my pain and my terror. I wasn’t a bad girl. I didn’t deserve any of this.

  “Well, unfortunately not until you get back to—”

  The heave came without warning, my stomach lurching.

  “Oh, fucking Christ. Jesus, Ms. Aspen!”

  I crumpled over the table as he rushed out of the room, trying to keep from retching again. Maybe I took some satisfaction in the fact that he was going to need a dry cleaner for his ugly suit.

  Then I realized that he’d left the door open. Sucking in m
y breath, I dared to peer out the door, expecting to see deputies waiting in the hallway. This had to be a joke. There was no one within close proximity.

  There was light at the end of the tunnel. Literally. The sunlight streaming in from the single door at the end of the hall might be my only chance at living a normal life.

  Don’t do it or they’ll throw away the key.

  I heard my nagging inner voice, the one that had always tried to keep me from dropping into the darker side of hell, but in truth, I had no other choice. They weren’t going to let me go, not without learning a significant lesson and I wasn’t that kind of girl.

  Without weighing any additional consequences, I bolted down the hall. There were no alarms sounding off as I shot out of the door like a bat out of hell, refusing to look back. There were no yelling voices, beckoning me to return.

  There was simple freedom.

  Now what in the hell was I going to do?

  Chapter Three

  Kelly

  Present day

  Rugged. Dangerous.

  Spectacular.

  The words were exactly the way to describe the soot- and grime-covered man who so far hadn’t turned me into the authorities.

  But he will...

  Yes, inner sanctum of my mind. My subconscious was correct. Hawk had every right to tie me to the bumper of his truck and drag me all the way back to Hamilton.

  I couldn’t allow him to do that.

  I also had absolutely no right to think of him as anything but additional trouble. Sure, he’d caught me completely off guard with his rough and tumble attitude, so damn dominating as if he owned the world.

  Arrogant.

  That’s the way I should think about him.

  But then there were his eyes, so ice blue that I could swear I was able to see a hint of the Arctic Ocean in them, yet so cold that they left my breath frosty.

  And his muscular body, not huge like a man spending days in a gym but chiseled from hard work and solitude.

  And his mouth holding a spectacular and sexy place over his strong jaw, the slight dimple in his chin as sexy as every other part of him.

  I rubbed my forehead almost violently, trying to get the images of him out of my mind. I had to figure out what the hell I was going to do now, not pine away for a man I couldn’t have.

  A guy who certainly could never want the kind of baggage I was bringing with me.

  I’d simply needed rest, time to think. To figure out how to get myself out of this jam. Now this.

  Who the hell was he and why was he living by himself in the mountains anyway? I’d missed an opportunity to find out whose cabin I was hunkering down in, but I honestly thought the place had been left for the season. Or maybe I was just kidding myself. Hopeful thinking.

  Buck shifted, a slight whine coming from his muzzle. I was reminded I was no longer alone and had limited options.

  Everything in Hawk’s kitchen was sparkling, probably more so than before I’d arrived. Maybe he’d find it in his heart to forgive me, or at least forgo any additional punishment. I slipped my hand against my behind, rubbing gently. He certainly knew how to pack a wallop.

  I folded the towel and looked out the windows, the majestic snowcapped mountains as a backdrop. Everything about Montana was beautiful, serene in a picture book way. Leaving California had been tough for me, zapping every last red cent in my bank account just in the effort to move what meager belongings I had. I’d thrown a dart on a map, determined to follow karma instead of my heart.

  Karma must have a sick sense of humor.

  Well, that was only partially true, but this had been a decent choice. Now Hawk.

  Hell, no. I wasn’t going to fall into another trap.

  I thought about his words regarding a fire. I hadn’t paid any attention to the fact roads were closed, but I had seen heavy smoke during the drive. I’d ditched the truck I’d stolen for two reasons. One, I’d run out of gas. And two, someone would eventually figure out I’d snagged it outside a hardware store. The poor owner was likely buying fertilizer or paint and I took his ride.

  But there’d been limited options at the time.

  Maybe I really was a criminal at heart.

  I’d been shocked to find the driver’s side door unlocked and the keys over the visor. Who did that any longer? I’d taken the back roads getting out of the sleepy town, heading straight for the mountains. I had no clothes, no identification, and no knowledge of the area surrounding me.

  In other words, I was fucked royally, unless Hawk took pity on me.

  Well, Hawk had certainly made certain I was his prisoner, taking his truck keys to the shower with him. I guess there were worse places I could be.

  Including a prison cell.

  Cringing, I closed my eyes for a few seconds before deciding to snoop. I’d paid little attention to the cabin-style home after breaking in, other than raiding the refrigerator. By the time I’d found this place, I’d walked at least two miles, my throat parched, exhaustion and anxiety pulling me into a very dark place. I’d also heard critters in the distance, exacerbated by stories I’d read of the Wild West. I wasn’t even certain what I’d heard was real or some crazed product of my indulgent imagination.

  The two days alone had been a godsend, even though I’d remained on edge. While the cabin itself was small, a few rooms and an expansive deck out back, the setting was magnificent.

  Peaceful.

  Safe.

  As if there was anywhere safe on this earth.

  “Tell me about your master, Buck. Is he a good guy or is he running from the law himself?”

  Buck whimpered, nudging my leg as he looked up at me.

  “Some ferocious dog you turned out to be.”

  Everything was rustic, tongue and groove paneling and exposed beams crisscrossing the cathedral-style ceiling.

  He lived a simple life; a tattered couch in front of a massive stone fireplace, what appeared to be a bearskin rug on the floor. There were few pictures, except for one in a frame on the mantel. The sprawling leather chair drew my attention, the thick rolling arms and oversized seat meant for a king.

  Or a sexy brute like Hawk.

  I brushed my fingers over the smooth leather as I walked into the living room, drinking in the staunch fragrance, Buck following me every step of the way.

  I knew instinctively that Hawk had secrets, just like everyone did, fears and complications that prevented true happiness. How had I become so jaded over the years?

  Years of being forced to start over.

  The picture drew my attention. Easing the wooden frame into my hand, I smiled seeing the faces of five men, Hawk included. They were all wearing uniforms, various axes and mauls in their hands. What the hell were they doing? The photograph had been taken from a good distance, but there was an insignia on two of their shirts. Squinting, I finally figured it out.

  Forest rangers.

  Ho-ly fuck. They were still considered officers of the law, capable of making arrests. Oh, no, this wasn’t good at all. The second he found out who I was and what I’d done, he would be responsible for taking me in. This was crazy. This was horrible.

  My thoughts muddled, I knew one thing for certain. I needed to get out of here. I flew into the bedroom, searching for the simple tennis shoes I’d arrived in. Where the hell were they? Groaning, I could hear the shower cutting off.

  Shit. Shit. Shit!

  Dropping to my hands and knees, I managed to find them under the bed. Panting, I struggled to slide them on, giving Buck a look. The dog sat directly in the middle of the bedroom doorway, as if knowing exactly what I was planning, daring me to even try.

  “Don’t look at me that way,” I whispered. “I have no choice. I’ll make it up to him. I promise.” Now I was having a real conversation with a dog. Maybe Buck was actually a man’s or woman’s best friend. Or maybe I was nuts. I bit my lip as I attempted to move past him, literally running toward the front door.

  I hadn’t hotwired a ca
r in several years, but they said it was just like riding a bike. As soon as I closed the door, Buck started to bark.

  Warning his master.

  About the wayward girl ready to steal his truck.

  I had about three minutes, if not less before all hell broke loose. There’d be no way to explain myself out of this particular mess.

  Jumping in, I reached under the console, thankful the big black Dodge Ram wasn’t a newer model. If so, I doubted I’d be able to work my magic. I found and yanked the wires, my fingers fumbling as I stripped the ends, finally able to touch them together. The initial spark made me jump. “Come on, baby. Come on.” The second I was able to make the connection, the front door of the house opened.

  Buck raced out first, one very powerful and pissed-off man wearing only a towel around his chiseled hips immediately after. My body’s reaction was instantaneous, my nipples scraping against the tee shirt, my pussy clenching. “Oh, fuck me.” He was a tanned and perfect Adonis, his wet hair clinging to his high cheekbones, his carved muscles glistening from the delicious wetness covering every inch of his solid, hard body.

  Another rough and tumble bark from Buck dragged my eyes away, even as Hawk took long strides in my direction. I couldn’t help but steal another glance. One hand was attempting to keep the itty-bitty towel around him, the other pointed in my direction, chastising me with a single index finger.

  I felt so small, so stupid. I was a grown woman with a penchant for finding danger. I could also find a clusterfuck of problems without any issue.

  “What in the hell do you think you’re doing?” he demanded, his booming voice heard loud and clear even over the roar of the engine.

  I revved the engine before I threw the gear into drive, making certain he knew I was deadly serious. “Please get out of my way, Hawk. I have to get out of here.”

  “Hell, no!” He closed the distance, standing a mere foot away from the front grill.

  Dear God, I was attracted to the man, even with his obvious surly attitude.

  Huffing, I threw the gear into reverse, slamming my foot on the gas. The tires spun in the dirt, kicking up a cloud of debris, grit, and rocks, the tires skidding.