The Eastwood Series

by M. E. Clayton

  “There’s a clearing at the end of the road,” I told her. “Even if there’s people there, it’s fairly private.”

  When we cleared the trees, Mackenzie leaned forward in her seat. “Oh, wow,” she breathed out. “It’s so…picturesque.”

  I pulled into one of the parking slots, turned off the engine, and unbuckled my seatbelt, so I could turn to face her. I watched as she undid her seatbelt, but she didn’t look at me just yet. I studied her profile as she took a deep breath and just looked out onto the clearing.

  Christ, she really was beautiful.

  “Mackenzie,” I prompted.

  She finally turned my way, and the sorrow in those purple orbs of hers would have sent me to my knees if I hadn’t already been sitting. “I…”

  “Mackenzie, baby,” I whispered, “tell me what’s going on.”

  Her lips trembling, she let out a steady breath, composing herself. “I have to say something first,” she replied. “If you decide, after I tell you everything, that…it’s too much, and you want to call it quits, I’ll understand. No hard feelings.”

  Was she crazy?

  She could tell me she had ten of those motherfucker’s babies, and I still wouldn’t call it quits with her. I’d just adopt them as my own, and to hell with him.

  I didn’t say that, though. Mackenzie was an obvious mess, and I didn’t want to add to it. So, I simply replied, “Okay,” and that seemed to settle her.

  And then, Mackenzie started speaking.

  I sat in the passenger seat of my car and listened to every word she was saying, my blood turning into ice in my veins.

  I sat and listened to Mackenzie retell a story that should never have happened in order to be told.

  I sat and listened as silent tears streamed down her face, ashamed that she had let it go on for so long. And embarrassed that she had brought her troubles to Eastwood’s doorstep.

  To my doorstep.

  By the time she was finished, my body was vibrating in a fury that frightened me. I’d never felt anything like it before. I never knew I could feel anything like it, really.

  She quietly wiped the tears from her face, and I just sat there, like an asshole, not knowing what to do. Oh, I knew what I wanted to do-and that was kill that sonofabitch. But I didn’t know how to help Mackenzie with her memories that would never go away.

  I’d never felt so motherfucking helpless in all my life.

  I wasn’t sure how long I sat there, not saying anything, but her voice finally broke the silence. “It’s okay, Samson. I understand if it’s too much. It’s a lot of drama for…teenagers. And no one wants their senior year of high school riddled with drama, right?” She started rubbing her hands over her thighs. “You know, now that I think of it, home schoo-”

  “Stop.”

  She was fucking breaking my heart.

  “Sams-”

  “Just stop, Mackenzie,” I bit out. I willed for my voice to sound soft and soothing, but I was seething inside. I was positively infuriated. I. Wanted. To. Kill. Brayden. Mahoney.

  But I tried.

  I tried to rein it in for Mackenzie.

  “I’m not trying to come off as a dick, I promise. I’m just trying to…process,” I told her. “But while I’m processing, let me make one thing very clear, Mackenzie.” I leaned forward and looked her right in her purple eyes. “You could slaughter the entire town of Eastwood and I’d still never leave you.” Her shoulders started shaking and torturous sobs ripped from her chest.

  I reached down and pulled the lever under the seat and slid all the way back. Then I reached over and pulled her over the gearshift and into my lap. Mackenzie buried her face in my neck and I just held on as she let it all out. And the entire time, I sat there plotting on how I could get away with murder. But, hell, even if I got caught, it’d be worth it.

  Mackenzie was worth it.

  What she made me feel was worth it.

  I knew, intellectually, that mental, emotional, and physical abuse weren’t limited to adults. I knew teenagers could be just as manipulative, but I’ve never known anyone who’s been the victim of that kind of relationship.

  Until now.

  Mackenzie finally stopped sobbing, but I kept holding her. I still didn’t know what to say to her. I still didn’t know how to make any of this better for her. I knew I wanted to kill Mahoney, but that still wouldn’t remove the memories from her mind or the experience from her past. But, moving forward, I could make sure she was safe.

  “Baby?”

  “Yeah?” Her voice was low and raspy from her cries.

  “Starting tomorrow, I’ll be picking you up for school-”

  Mackenzie pulled back and her face was a beautiful mess. “Samson, you-”

  I grabbed her chin between my fingers, and my eyes locked onto hers. “Starting tomorrow, I will be picking you up for school. And get whatever you need to get to do homework while I’m at practice, because I will be driving you home, too.”

  “I’m safe with Charlie driving me, Samson,” she insisted.

  “It’s non-negotiable, Mackenzie,” I replied. “I can drive the both of you, but if Charlie wants to still drive herself, I can have Raiden and Ford, or Duke follow her.”

  “Look,” she began, and I already didn’t like whatever it was she was going to say, “I plan on telling my mom about today. And…and I’m going to come clean with Uncle Silas and Aunt Erin. I…it never felt right lying to them, but we’re still going to be staying with them for another couple of weeks. I think as long as we’re staying with them, they should be aware that Brayden could show up at any time. Now that he knows I’m in Eastwood, anything’s possible. Everyone will be more vigilant.” It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her to move in with me, but I knew she wouldn’t. And why in the fuck would she? We’ve only been dating for two fucking days.

  “I don’t care,” I told her honestly. “If you want me to be able to sleep at night, then I’m going to have to be the one to drive you to and from school, Mackenzie. End of story.”

  Her face softened, and she looked so fucking sad. “Can you understand how much of a burden I feel like, Samson?” She was fucking killing me. “First, my mom has to quit her job. And even though, Uncle Silas, Aunt Erin, and Charlie have been welcoming and wonderful, she had to turn to the brother of the man who abandoned us for help because we have no other family. We share a bedroom with two twin beds, Samson.” She shook her head. “And now, you want to take on the responsibility of being my chauffeur because I…I…”

  “Hey,” I jumped in. “Let’s get one thing straight here. If I can’t do the one thing that a man is designed to do, and that’s protect his woman, then what the fuck good am I?”

  “Samson-”

  “Non-negotiable, Mackenzie,” I repeated. “Non-negotiable.”

  Chapter 13

  Mackenzie~

  The entire ordeal had been…taxing. Telling my mom the night it had happened was different than telling Charlie and Samson all these months later. Samson, more so, because I had told him everything.

  With my mom, I had been scared. I had been scared, and sorry, and regretful. With her, it had felt like I had been confessing all my sins because my decision to date Brayden, stay with him, and leave him had affected her, too. I knew she worked for his father and I had thought it was a good idea to date him anyway. Telling my mom and been relieving a burden and asking for help, all at the same time.

  Now, with Charlie, I had felt safe telling her. I knew she wouldn’t tell anyone, and I knew she wouldn’t judge me. I knew her main concern would be for my well-being and nothing more. It had actually been easier to tell her than I had expected. And I had been right. Charlie had sat there and listened and had offered nothing but her support.

  With Samson, I actually had something to lose. As I thought about that, I wondered if Karma was making its rounds in the form of Brayden for how I had continued to date Brayden after the night I met Samson. I’d had a boyfriend, but
over the course of our relationship, I often thought about Samson Maddox, so what kind of girlfriend did that make me? I knew I didn’t deserve to be beaten, but the drama now might be warranted as I had often fantasized about a boy who hadn’t been my boyfriend.

  And we’d only been dating two freakin’ days, but I had felt like my entire world was going to crash around me if he left me because he didn’t want to handle the drama. It had felt crazy, and quite frightening to be honest.

  After he had insisted on driving me to and from work, we had discussed how he wanted to pull Raiden, Duke, and Ford into this mess. He had admitted to being just as confused as I was about whatever was between Raiden and Charlie but said it didn’t matter. The Ridgeview Eagles showing up on Eastwood grounds was enough of an offense without the details. That’s when I told him he could tell Duke, Raiden, and Ford what was really going on. It might be an extremely private situation, but if they were going to take risks for me, they should know the entire story.

  And now, I was sitting in my Uncle Silas’ living room, telling him, Aunt Erin, and my mom about what happened today. Charlie was sitting next to me, and while Samson had insisted on joining us, I had told him I wanted it to just be family. Uncle Silas was sure to feel upset about us lying to him, and I didn’t think he’d want an audience for that. Samson relented only when I promised I’d call him immediately after our family pow-wow.

  However, I had been wrong about Uncle Silas. He hadn’t gotten upset.

  The man was bloody furious.

  It took Aunt Erin twenty minutes to calm his ass down, and now, we were all sitting in the living room, discussing what to do next.

  “Look, Mackenzie, I’m not going to even pretend to understand what you went through and are still going through,” Uncle Silas said. “But…my struggle is with you refusing to call the police on this asshole. He hurt you, honey. Don’t you want to see him punished for it?”

  “It’s not that I don’t want to see him punished, Uncle Silas,” I said again for the millionth time. “But it would be my word against his, and…if I lost? Mom’s life would have been a living hell in Ridgeview.”

  He sat forward in his chair. “But you’re not in Ridgeview anymore,” he replied. “And you’re not alone in this either.” My heart thumped painfully. My father might have turned out to be a worthless human being, but Uncle Silas was topnotch.

  “I appreciate that, Uncle Silas,” I told him. “I really do, but this…if I do this, I want to do it without regret. I was a mess back in May. I would have taken him to court and lost because I was too…raw to do it right.” His face softened. “This isn’t about me punishing him. It’s about me being strong enough to do the right thing. And, back then, I wasn’t.”

  “And now?” Aunt Erin asked. “I mean…he came looking for you, Mack.”

  “She’s right, honey,” my mom chimed in. “Brayden showing up in Eastwood is…bothersome.”

  “I know,” I told her. “And I’m taking it seriously. I am. But he and the Ridgeview Eagles didn’t do anything they haven’t done a million times. The rivalry between the two schools is legendary. No cop is going to take them showing up here as a serious threat.”

  “Maybe we can get a restraining order?” Aunt Erin suggested. “I mean…right?”

  “That’s not a bad idea,” Charlie added.

  “I agree,” Uncle Silas remarked.

  “I researched that,” I admitted. “It’s not that easy. Restraining orders go on a person’s police record, and they’re public. In order for a judge to issue a restraining order, there has to be proof of misconduct. And if there isn’t, then you basically have to both go to court and it becomes a he said/she said situation. The judge then rules on who’s more believable.”

  “So, if you’re going to have to go to court anyway, it might as well be for pressing charges,” Charlie surmised.

  I looked over at her. “Exactly,” I replied. “Also…it’s painful to have to explain to a complete stranger why I didn’t call the police on Brayden that night. It makes me feel like…a liar. Like I’m automatically being judged, and I must not be telling the whole story if I didn’t press charges.”

  “Christ, Mackenzie,” Uncle Silas groaned. “Please don’t think that’s what I’m doing.”

  I shook my head. “No, Uncle Silas. No,” I assured him. “It’s different when it’s family. I know you guys aren’t judging me. But I also know you can’t possibly understand something like this unless you’ve been through it yourself, and…that’s where the disconnect is.”

  “So, what do you want to do, honey?” my mom asked, once again, letting me be in control.

  “Samson is going to drive me to and from school,” I told them. “Since I don’t have a car, I’ll never be alone anywhere. If Brayden shows up again, and approaches me specifically, I’ll let him know I have the pictures you took that night and tell him if he doesn’t leave me alone, I’ll go to the police.”

  Samson had insisted on walking me to the door when he had dropped me off earlier. Then he had insisted on coming in to meet my mom. Then he had insisted on meeting my uncle and aunt. He introduced himself as my boyfriend, and he had wanted them to be able to put a face to the name when I told them about his role in my life and his role in protecting me against Brayden.

  “Is he eighteen yet?” Uncle Silas asked. “Because how about I just go kick his ass? And his father’s, too, if he decides to jump in?”

  “Well, we have enough in savings for bail,” Aunt Erin murmured, and I loved them both just a little more.

  “He doesn’t turn eighteen for another couple of months,” I said, breaking the news to him. “I think that was another thing that had bothered him about me. He didn’t think women should be older than their counterparts.”

  “Jesus, could he be any more of a douchebag?” Charlie huffed. “I mean, it’s becoming a superpower, at this point.”

  I smiled at her, then looked over at the adults. “I promise to be careful,” I told them. “And I trust Samson to hold up his end of the deal. I’ll be fine. I promise.”

  Uncle Silas stood up, walked over, and hauled me up into his arms. They were tight bands wrapped around my body, and all I felt was safe and loved. Where Declan Harden failed, Silas Harden was making up for it. He was a good man, and Aunt Erin and Charlie were very lucky.

  “Okay, sweet girl,” he mumbled against the top of my head. “But the first sign of trouble, you let us know, okay?”

  I hugged him tight. “I will, Uncle Silas. I promise.”

  I got hugs all around from him, Aunt Erin, and my mom, and afterwards, everyone retired to their rooms. I followed Charlie to hers to break the news to her about Samson’s decree. Needless to say, she didn’t take it very well.

  “I don’t mean to be an insensitive asshole, but he’s after you, Mack, not me,” she reasoned. “Why do I need to be escorted by any of those idiots?”

  “I’m guessing because Samson knows I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you,” I offered. “I just know that if you drive yourself, Duke or Ford and Raiden will be following you. My guess is Duke.”

  She cocked her head. “Why Duke?”

  I shrugged a shoulder. “Because they leave the house at the same time, maybe? I don’t know. It just makes more sense for it to be Duke.”

  Charlie shook her head. “I suppose he’s not as annoying as the other two,” she grumbled. “But that’s still not saying much.”

  I smiled. “If he’d just quit called me Dee, he’d be perfect.”

  Charlie laughed, but then the joy quickly faded from the sound. “I hate him, you know.”

  “Who? Duke?”

  “No,” she chuckled. “Brayden.”

  “Charlie…”

  She reached across the bed and placed a hand on my leg. “It’s just hard being stuck on the sidelines, watching you lose the game, believing you can make a difference if they would just put you in.” Little did she know, I didn’t want her in the game.<
br />
  I didn’t even want her anywhere near the damn field.

  Chapter 14

  Samson~

  Duke was staring at me as if I’ve lost my mind and, maybe, I have.

  After I had forced my way into Mackenzie’s family’s home and met everyone, I had come home, ignored Duked demands for details, and headed straight towards our home gym. It took two hours of me punching the shit out bag before I was finally able to exhaust my rage.

  The worst part about it all? While my knuckles bled because of what that motherfucker had done to Mackenzie, they also bled because I could identify with the asshole. While I would never harm her, I couldn’t say I’d ever let her walk away from me if she tried. In fact, I’m certain I wouldn’t let her. So, what did that make me?

  Did that make me abusive? Did that make me no better than Mahoney? The questions and doubts came when I remembered the look in her eyes when I had told her to hand over her phone. I was dominating by nature. My strong personality came from having to pretty much raise Duke on my own, football, having to protect myself and Duke from people wanting access to our father’s money, and just around being a fucking man. How was I supposed to tone that down? How was I supposed to turn…me off?

  I knew, logically, it wasn’t the same thing as the abuse Brayden inflicted on Mackenzie, but I needed to find a way where I could be me and she’d love me anyway. I didn’t want Mackenzie ever confusing me with that asshole. I wanted her to be able to feel safe calling me a no-good cocksucker if I was, indeed, being a no-good cocksucker. It was a conversation we were going to have to have and have soon.

  “Alright. We’re all here. Now, what the fuck is going on?” Duke asked once we all got settled in the game room. Yes, we were type of rich that had home gyms and game rooms and a pool house.

  I found myself repeating Mackenzie’s earlier sentiment. “Before I say anything, I want you guys to know that I won’t trip if any of you decided you don’t want any part of this.” I glanced around the room. Ford was sitting on the pool table, and Duke and Raiden were sitting on the couch next to it. “Mackenzie is my responsibility. I understand that, and there won’t be any hard feelings. Nothing will interfere with what we have.”