Siren in Waiting

by Sophie Oak

  “Hon, just admit it. There’s no shame in a little bit of revenge. That boy has had you panting all over him for years. I would have left his ass in jail, too.”

  “No, it’s not about that. I have a boyfriend.” That wasn’t exactly the term Trev would want, but she wasn’t about to call him her Master to one of the biggest gossips in town.

  There was a long pause. “Holy hell, Mouse. Clarissa has been spreading the rumor that you done gone and took up with Trev McNamara. Tell me it isn’t true. Hon, that man is bad news. I mean, he’s gorgeous, but he’s bad news. And from what I’ve heard, he’s not really into foreplay.”

  “That’s blatantly untrue, Wanda. He’s very much into foreplay.” She couldn’t let that rumor go.

  “Really? He’s gorgeous and into foreplay? That never happens, Mouse.”

  “Well, it’s true with Trev. Now, tell me how much it’s going to cost me to get Bo out of jail.” She didn’t have time to gossip about her suddenly interesting personal life. Mouse heard Trev shout. Apparently she also didn’t have a whole bunch of hot water. She mentally added a water heater to her ever-growing list of things she needed to shell out money for. She really needed that loan.

  “No charge, hon. Bo’s just a dumb-ass. The sheriff told me to let him go as soon as you showed up. Having to sleep close to Brian Nixon’s drunk ass was apparently punishment enough. Just come pick him up.”

  “I’ll be there soon.” Mouse flipped the phone closed.

  She sat down on the bed, her mind whirling. Bo had called for her, and she’d been too busy with Trev to answer the phone.

  Mouse hurried to get dressed. Trev might not like how his morning was starting, but she was going to ask for a favor.

  “Goddamn, that’s cold.” Trev’s shout resounded through the room.

  Yeah, she was going to have to fix that.

  Chapter Eight

  Bo hadn’t slept a wink. His every muscle felt abused from sitting on the floor of the jail cell with cold metal pressed to his back. His skull felt like it was going to cave in. But that was nothing compared to the nausea in his gut.

  Mouse hadn’t come.

  He’d played checkers for hours, letting the sheriff win game after game. All the while, he’d been sure that any minute Mouse would burst in the doors, all soft, feminine worry, and she would fuss over him. At four a.m., the sheriff had given up. He’d made Bo get back into the cell, and then he’d put his hat over his head and napped until his deputy had gotten in a few hours later.

  Len Miller wasn’t as tolerant as the sheriff. He was an asshole who needed to make up for his teeny-tiny dick with a badge and a bad attitude.

  And Deputy Len was friends with that dickwad Brian, who seemed to be waking up. Bo watched him with narrowed eyes. His big body shifted on the cot, and he burped a couple of times before sitting up.

  “What the fuck?” Brian asked, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. He immediately turned and vomited.

  Bo’s stomach churned. How long before they let him call his brother? How long before Aidan figured out something was wrong? Bo was pretty damn sure everyone in town knew he was wasting away in jail, but Aidan rarely went to town, and he didn’t really talk to a lot of people about anything except business. Lexi had her head in her laptop most of the time. Lucas would just be getting in from Dallas. Maybe, if Lucas had to stop for gas, someone would mention it to him.

  Otherwise, he was pretty sure he was stuck here until the sheriff got back. There was no way Deputy Len was going to let him go. He was enjoying the fact that Bo was in jail.

  “You’re the reason I’m here, ain’t you?” Brian looked like his beauty rest hadn’t put him in a better mood.

  “I ain’t. You’re the reason we’re here because you’re an asshole.” Brian had about seventy pounds on Bo, but Bo was through backing down. “And if you ever mention her name again, I’ll kill you.”

  There was a chuckle from the deputy’s desk. “Now that sounded like a threat, O’Malley.”

  “It wasn’t. It was a promise.” Mouse might not have shown up, but maybe he deserved that after the way he’d treated her yesterday. He would eventually get out of jail, and he’d show up on her doorstep—if it would hold his weight. He would show up, and he would get on his goddamn knees if he had to.

  He loved her. It was right there in the center of his body, an odd sensation that warmed him. Even though he was sitting in jail, he was okay because he was finally going to make things right with Mouse.

  “I don’t think I like the way you’re talking to me, O’Malley. You know, you used to be a good guy until you started hanging with the fags.” Brian’s fists curled in his hands.

  And he was going to stop listening to that shit, too. He heard it all the time, and he just took it. He was sick of taking it. His blood was starting to boil. He’d put up with it for far too long. “You talk a lot about fags, Brian. You know, I read somewhere that most prejudice comes from ignorance. That just might be true because you’re the most ignorant person I know. Now stop talking about my family, and we can avoid another fight where I set you on your ass.”

  “You didn’t set me on my ass, you motherfucker.” Brian managed to get to his feet.

  Bo struggled to his. He could hear Wanda in the background. She was on the phone giving better play-by-play than an ESPN color announcer.

  “They’re going to fight right there in that jail cell, Patty. Bo just called Brian a dummy. I know he is, but he doesn’t like to be told that.” Wanda kept it up.

  Bo looked out at the deputy. Brian might have weight on him, but he was also hungover. Bo was just tired, but his adrenaline was starting to flow. He clenched his fists. “Are you going to stop this?”

  Deputy Len stood up. He walked around to the bars, nightstick in hand. There was a malicious little smile on his weaselly face. He walked around to the front of the cage to where Brian held on. He shoved the nightstick through the bars, and for one moment, Bo was terrified the deputy was going to start in on Brian with the weapon.

  Nope. It was worse. Bo shrank back, and Len handed Brian the weapon.

  “Oops, I must have lost my hold,” Len said with a sigh. “I hate it when prisoners get the upper hand, don’t you, O’Malley?”

  Brian clutched the evil-looking stick in his hand. Len leaned against the cell bars and yawned as though all of this was simply boring to him.

  Wanda stood up at her desk. “What are you doing, Leonard?”

  The deputy shrugged. “Well, I was trying to stop the prisoners from fighting. I dropped my nightstick. I guess I’ll have to go get the Taser.”

  Bo had no doubt who he would use that Taser on. This was going to get really ugly.

  Brian wasted no time. He charged across the small cell, nightstick raised. Bo barely managed to avoid the swing of Brian’s meaty arm. He ducked and rolled to the other side of the cell as the sound of wood striking metal clanged through the building.

  God, that would have been his head. Bo looked for anything to defend himself with. There was nothing in the cell but a toilet and the cot, both bolted down.

  He was fucked.

  “Don’t you dare touch him!” Mouse roared into the room. She practically threw herself against the bars, her arms coming through them as though she could catch the bigger man and keep him away from Bo.

  “Mouse, you get back.” Bo wasn’t about to let that asshole get his hands on her.

  “Lookee here, O’Malley. You got a mouse coming to your rescue.” Len hadn’t moved from his position. “Ain’t that lucky for you?”

  “Do something,” Mouse demanded, looking at the deputy. “He’s going to kill Bo.”

  Len sighed. “I’ll go get the Taser. It might take me a minute or two to find it.”

  “I suggest you find it sooner, Deputy. You now have witnesses to your improper use of police force. I assure you, if Mr. O’Malley comes out of this experience with a single scratch on him, you will be looking at a police brutali
ty charge.”

  Bo looked out, and Leo Meyer stood beside the deputy’s desk. He stared at Len, and suddenly the bastard looked like he gave a damn.

  Shelley Hughes came running into the room. “Beth, what’s going on? Why the hell does Brian Nixon have a weapon in a jail cell? Give me that.”

  What the hell was going on?

  Bo pushed that bastard Brian out of the way. He was way too close to Mouse. “Don’t you touch her.”

  Leo stepped forward before Shelley could get her hands on Brian. The big former Navy SEAL hooked an arm around each woman’s waist and started to pull them away from the cell. Bo was about to express his gratitude when Mouse dug in. She tightened her hands around the bars.

  “Let go, Beth.” Leo’s voice was calm, but there was a dark command behind it.

  “Mouse, you let go!” Bo just shouted his command. And then he ducked again because Brian didn’t care that there were witnesses.

  “Stop it!” Mouse yelled.

  Leo used a little of that muscle of his, and Mouse didn’t stand a chance. Bo thanked whoever had taught Leo Meyer to work out. At least Mouse wasn’t in the line of fire anymore.

  Brian lifted the nightstick, and Bo didn’t have a damn place left to go. He looked out at Mouse. Tears were streaking down her face. She struggled against Leo’s hold. Bo wasn’t sure what had brought Aidan’s friend to the sheriff’s department, but he was damn happy the man was here. At least Mouse would be safe.

  Bo closed his eyes and waited for his skull to crack.

  There was a pop and then the sound of sizzling and a loud groan. Bo opened his eyes just as Brian Nixon fell forward. There was a Taser dart in his back. His enormous body shook with the force of the electric current flowing through him.

  Mouse had calmed, but Leo still had an arm wrapped around both women.

  “You let him out right now, Len Miller,” Mouse demanded. “I’m going to hire a lawyer. I’m going to sue this whole county starting with you.”

  “Now old Mouse is threatening to sue Len. And there’s a really attractive man here who won’t let go of Mouse and Shelley Hughes. Yes, I think so. It would serve Bryce right.” Wanda just kept talking.

  “We don’t need your commentary,” Leo said to Wanda. He let both women go as Len opened the cell door.

  Wanda looked up at him, utterly unintimidated. “You might not, but Patty sure does. Yes, hon, he’s very bossy. I think so. Just like Aidan. Uh-huh.”

  Bo ignored her. He stepped over Brian’s still-twitching body and muscled past the deputy. He pulled Mouse into his arms. He’d never seen a more welcome sight than that pretty face looking up at him. Pretty? Hell, she was beautiful. How had he not seen it before? She wasn’t flashy like Clarissa, but she had the loveliest eyes, and her hair was soft. She usually wore it up, but now it tumbled all around her shoulders and down her back. He let his hands sink into the soft stuff as he pulled her close.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t get the message until this morning,” she whispered.

  “It doesn’t matter.” He squeezed her, enjoying the way her breasts felt against his chest. She was so damn sweet. His dick was getting hard. The adrenaline of the fight was still riding him. He wanted to kiss her right here and now.

  She’d come. She hadn’t been pissed off. He believed her. She just hadn’t gotten the message. And it looked like he wouldn’t even have to ride on her handlebars to get back home. The thought made him smile.

  “I’m just glad you’re here.” He pulled back so he could look at her. Her eyes were still a little red, but there was a tremulous smile on her face. “I have so much to tell you. Can we go somewhere and talk?”

  He’d thought about this all night. He had a speech prepared, and at the end, he was going down on one knee and asking her to marry him. There was no need to wait. He’d known deep down she was the one for him for ten years, since that night when she’d taken him in without a single question. She’d been his haven ever since. He’d just been stubborn and stupid and focused on the wrong things. He knew he should wait and buy her a proper ring before he asked, but now that the moment was here, he was brutally impatient to get on with the rest of his life.

  “You ready to go?” a deep voice asked from the front of the room.

  Bo knew that voice. He turned and saw Trev McNamara standing there, a ferocious scowl on his face. What the fuck was he doing here? Bo checked his temper. He didn’t need to start another fight. There was a perfectly reasonable explanation for Trev being here. There had to be.

  Mouse tried to take a step back. She was so shy. Bo wasn’t going to let her be so shy anymore. He pulled her close again. It was time to start staking his claim.

  “Did you try to ride that bicycle of yours all the way out here? Did Trev pick you up?” He looked over at Trev, not really giving Mouse a chance to respond. “Thanks for picking up my girl. I’m going to force her to get more comfortable driving.”

  “I picked her up last night.” Trev’s eyes were on the place where Bo’s hands held Mouse.

  “Trev was nice enough to give me a ride to pick you up. Leo and Shelley came along. Shelley was worried about you,” Mouse explained.

  Bo noticed she wasn’t clutching him the way she had in the past. When he’d hugged her before, she’d practically inhaled him. She’d been starved for affection. Now he was going to drown her in it.

  “Well, I’m fine. No need to worry now. What do you mean last night?”

  Mouse pulled away. There was no way to mistake the fact that she wanted to stand on her own. Bo felt the loss of her warmth as she stepped away from him.

  “Wanda, do you need anything else? Can we take him home?” Mouse asked.

  Wanda pulled the phone away from her ear. “Are you sure you don’t want to hash this out here, hon? Bo seems to be in a fighting mood.”

  “No one’s going to fight,” Mouse promised.

  Wanda sighed. “Well, then I guess you’re free to leave.”

  “Now, Wanda, I am the deputy here.” Len tried to reassert himself even as he checked Brian Nixon’s pulse.

  Wanda wasn’t having it. “And I know your momma. How is she going to feel when I tell her you keep a bottle of whiskey in your desk? And I bet she doesn’t know about your card game every Wednesday night when you’re supposed to be at men’s bible study.”

  Len waved. “You’re free to go.”

  Bo got a nasty feeling in his gut. Trev didn’t look like a man who was doing a woman a little favor. He was staring at Mouse like he was going to pounce any second. Trev looked predatory and possessive. What had he meant when he’d said he’d picked her up last night?

  “I’m going to take Shelley home. She’s been up all night, and I suspect her husband will wonder where she’s been. I’ll drop her off and meet you out at Aidan’s.” Leo put a hand on Shelley’s back. She had flushed at the mention of her husband.

  Bo doubted Bryce Hughes would even notice his wife was gone. He’d fucked just about every girl in the county. The man seemed to prefer the trailer-trash girls of the world, and they loved him back. Bo had noticed that Bryce always had people coming in and out of that real estate office of his, and at all hours of the night. Bryce liked to work late, it seemed. Bo felt bad for Shelley. She was a nice lady.

  Leo turned to Wanda, pulling a card from his pocket. “You would make an excellent Domme, ma’am. If you ever decide to investigate the lifestyle, give me a call. I can get you into training.”

  Wanda stared down at the card, phone still in her hand. “A Dom? I don’t know what that is. Patty, do you know why some man with a ponytail would call me Dom?”

  Leo and Shelley walked out toward the parking lot, but Bo just stared as Mouse walked straight up to fucking Trevor McNamara and put her arms around his waist. She leaned in to Trev’s body like she belonged plastered against him. Trev sure as hell wasn’t pushing her away.

  “What’s going on here, Mouse?” He suddenly had a terrible feeling that he knew.

/>   Mouse gave him a shy smile. “Trev picked me up last night. I guess you could say we’ve decided to start dating. I hope you’re happy for me. You’ve told me for years that I needed to find a keeper.”

  That was a joke. He’d said it a hundred times because trouble always seemed to find Mouse. He’d told her to find a boyfriend, too. He’d said it because he’d known damn sure she wouldn’t find one. Certainly not an ex-football star with addiction problems.

  “Yeah, I hope you’re happy for us, Bo.” The way Trev’s hands curled possessively around Mouse’s shoulders set Bo’s teeth on edge. The bastard thought he could just swoop in and steal Bo’s girl, did he? “I want to get along with Beth’s friends. I hope we can do that for her sake.”

  “Yes, Patty, Trev is being very polite. But I think Bo just figured out what we’ve known all along.” Wanda didn’t bother to keep her voice down.

  Bo flushed. He scrubbed a hand through his hair. He’d just gotten over what people would say about him marrying Mouse. Now he realized that losing Mouse was going to be even more humiliating.

  “Bo, are you ready to go? Do we need to take you to your truck?” Mouse asked. Her hand went to Trev’s chest.

  His truck was still out at The Rusty Spur. He hoped. Unless someone had towed it. Hell, the way the last twenty-four hours had gone, his truck might have been blown up by aliens or some shit. It would be fitting. “No. Just take me home.”

  The Rusty Spur was on the other side of the county. There was no way he was going to ride with them for twenty damn minutes watching Trev hang all over his Mouse.

  Fuck. She wasn’t his anymore. How had things gone so fucking wrong in the course of a single evening? How was he going to win her back before she slept with that asshole? Trev wouldn’t wait long. Trev was used to all kinds of freaky shit and probably a whole lot of it. He hadn’t been picky. The asshole could easily give Mouse any number of diseases. No, there was no way Bo was letting that happen.

  The good news was Mouse liked to take things slow. She was the kind of girl who slowly pulled off a bandage, hoping and praying that it wouldn’t hurt too much. She took six months to buy a refrigerator, looking at hundreds and researching to get the best price. He had a little time, surely.