by Alex Grayson
I blindly reach out for my purse and dig out my phone. Bringing the screen to life, it opens up to my recent calls and my eyes land on JW’s name. I back out of my recent calls to my phonebook. My guilt grows when I find Mom’s number and press the little green phone icon. I push the thought away and close my eyes as I hear one, two, three rings.
“Oh, dear Lord, Eden, is that you?” mom says in a rush.
I open my eyes and smile faintly. “Hey, Mom.”
Her breath fans across the line. “Thank goodness. You had your Dad and me so worried with the message you left us yesterday. Where in the world are you?”
I fold my hand in the material of my skirt. “I’m just… away. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“You listen here, Eden Marie,” she says, her voice stern. “You tell your Mama what’s going on right this minute.”
I can just imagine her standing on the other end of the line with her hand on her hip and a scowl pulling at the skin around her lips and eyes. What I wouldn’t give to see that expression on her face instead of sitting in some strange woman’s bedroom.
“I can’t, Mom.”
“Eden—”
“No,” I interrupt her. “You know I would tell you if I could. I never keep things from you or Daddy, but this one time I’ve got no choice. I promise I’ll be back as soon as I can and will tell you everything. In the meantime, you’re just going to have to trust I’m doing what’s best.”
“Are you in danger?” Her voice drops, giving away her worry.
“No,” I lie. If they knew I was in danger, there’s no way they wouldn’t call the police. “I just needed to get out of town for a while. I swear I’ll explain soon.”
She’s quiet for a moment, and I fidget on the bed. Melanie Delmont is a force to be reckoned with. She’s head strong, independent, can be very stubborn, brave, and loves her family fiercely. You step between her and her daughter or husband, you better watch out. She may be short and stalky, but she’s not above fighting dirty to get to her family.
“Okay, Eden. We’ll do this your way for a while, but you keep in touch. If I don’t hear from you at least once a day, I’m calling the cops, you hear me?”
I release a silent breath. “I got it, Mama. Thank you. I love you.”
“Love you too. Whatever’s going on, please be careful. And call me tomorrow.”
“I will. Give Daddy a hug for me, will you?”
“Okay, honey.”
After we hang up, I drop my phone by my hip and dig my fingers in my eyes. I’m relieved to have my parents taken care of. I’ve been stressing on how they would take me leaving town. My parents and I have always been really close. We never keep secrets from each other, so for me to do that now, I know is hard on them. Thankfully, Mom is giving me time to work out my problems. I just hope she gives me enough time.
With a tired sigh, I get up from the bed. As soon as I’m on my feet, my stomach rumbles, reminding me I haven’t eaten since yesterday afternoon. Lasagna, even reheated, sounds really damn good right now. Afterward, a nice long hot shower, followed by a good night’s sleep, something I haven’t had since the day I witnessed that woman’s murder.
Opening the bedroom door, I’m immediately met with a delicious smell. As I descend the stairs, my thoughts move to JW and the crazy way my body reacts to him. You’d think after sleeping with Diego and then finding out what his extracurricular activities entailed, I’d be turned off by men for a while. Apparently, I’m way off base thinking that, because I was most definitely turned on.
Especially when he looked at me with his enticingly gorgeous baby blue eyes.
JW
I DROP DOWN INTO MY OFFICE chair at work and swivel around to face my desk and the three men who walk through the door. Trouble and I just left Jenny’s place. Instead of having to repeat myself, I held off on telling him what’s going on until I called Judge and Emo to set up this meeting.
Once Emo closes the door behind him, he stands in front of it with his tattooed arms crossed over his hard chest, his black soulless eyes staring at me.
Both Judge and Trouble occupy the seats across from my desk, watching me expectantly as well, waiting for my explanation of bringing an unknown to Malus.
I lace my fingers and place them on the desk in front of me, ready to get down to business.
“Her name is Eden Delmont. She’s from San Antonio and has a bastard of an ex after her. He’s already got his hands on her once.” I move my gaze to Trouble. “As you’ve already seen.” He gives me a tight nod. “Her time was up today. The next time he won’t leave her alive.”
“What do you mean her time is up?” Judge asks, his jaw ticking.
“He thinks she has some microchip. She claims she doesn’t and has no idea what he’s referring to,” I answer.
“And you believe her?”
I look at Trouble. “Yes. I do.”
“Why? You know nothing about this woman.”
I swing back to Judge. “Because my instincts tell me to and they’ve never steered me wrong before.”
After a moment, he nods, trusting my judgement.
“I still don’t like that she’s here. We need to take care of this shit fast and get her gone.”
Judge’s words have my fingers biting into my skin. Yes, we normally don’t invite random people to stay in Malus, but the thought of Eden being kicked out has me wanting to put my fist through a wall. The feeling is unreasonable and unwelcome, so I force it away.
“She also saw him murder a woman.” I let that sink in, because I know that’ll change Judge’s tune. After all, that’s what we do. Take out bastards who harm women and children.
Pure hatred settles over Judge’s and Trouble’s faces.
“As soon as the problem is taken care of, she’ll be gone,” I reassure Judge, then tack on because he needs to know I’m not budging on this, “But not a minute before.”
He doesn’t acknowledge my statement and continues, “What do we know about this guy?”
I unlace my fingers and lean back in my chair.
“It’s Emiliano Tomas’ son, Diego.”
Trouble whistles then rubs his hands down his face at this news. Just as expected, Judge snarls out a curse.
“Son-of-a-bitch! Really, JW? Diego fuckin’ Tomas? Do you have any clue what kind of guy he is?”
I nod tightly. “The kind who puts his hands on women. Exactly the kind of person we fight against and take out.”
“Fuck!” He stands and starts pacing the room. “We’re just asking to bring heat to Malus with this. You sure you want that?”
I shrug. “It won’t come to that.”
“You don’t know that,” he counters.
I get up from my chair and lean my fists on my desk. “It doesn’t fuckin’ matter, Judge. We’ve never let shit like that stop us before. He’s already killed one woman. Eden needs our help. If we don’t, we’re sending her to her death bed. You know that as well as I do. I’ll do some digging and we’ll keep this under the radar.”
He spins away and grabs the back of his neck. I give him the few minutes he needs to get over his snit.
Normally, when we come across situations where we need to step in, we simply hunt the person down and take them out, leaving no trail of us behind. The situation is more complicated because of who the guy is and who he’s connected to. It would be hard to get to Diego undetected because he has body guards and tight security. It’s not an easy in and out. We’ll get the job done, but there has to be more of a strategic plan set in place. And it would be better if he comes here, versus us going to him.
“We’ll get it done. Just be careful and keep me posted.”
I barely restrain the need to bare my teeth at Judge. Never have I ever put the town in jeopardy, and it pisses me off that he thinks I would start now.
Without another word, he turns on his heel toward the door. Before he can open it, I give him a warning.
“She’s staying with Jenn
y until this is taken care of. I expect you to show her respect and not make her feel unwelcome.”
I know how Judge can be sometimes. He has a straightforward personality and can come off as an asshole with his bluntness. Eden seems like she can hold her own and won’t be intimidated easily, but I still don’t want her to feel blackballed because Judge is angry at me.
He doesn’t respond, but I know he’ll heed my warning. He jerks the door open and stalks out of the room. Trouble comes to his feet.
“Let me know when the time comes and when you need me,” he says.
If anyone can understand the current situation, it’d be Trouble. A little over six months ago, his now wife came to town and ended up needing refuge from the man who raped her. He went head to head with Judge because Judge wanted the woman gone, even though she was eight months pregnant.
It’s not that Judge isn’t sympathetic—he’s actually very compassionate when it comes to violence against another person, he just doesn’t like not being in control of the situation. He’s always been in control. Even as kids, he looked after Trouble, Emo, and me. That’s how he got his nickname Judge.
I thank Trouble and he leaves. I move my eyes to Emo, who’s now standing beside the opened door. His arms lay at his sides, one hand balled into a fist, no doubt letting the key in his grip rip through his skin. It’s what he does in tense moments. That key is never out of his sight, and it’s been the cause of all of the scars on his hands and arms.
Without a word, he gives me a silent nod, his way of letting me know he’s in with my plan and will help when needed. Emo lives for violence against those who harm innocent people.
A moment later, I’m alone in my office. Pulling open my bottom desk drawer, I pull out the bottle of whiskey and lowball glass I keep stashed there. Pouring a couple of inches in the glass, I toss it back and grit my teeth at the burn.
After putting the bottle and glass back, I get up from my chair, ready to get the hell out of here, just as my office phone rings.
“JW,” I bark into the receiver.
“Mrs. Baker called. Sunshine is in a tree again,” Rita, the station’s secretary and dispatcher says.
Just hearing the name Mrs. Baker, causes my head to pound.
“Have Sanchez or Williams do it. I’m headin’ home.”
“They’re on a call out at the Wilkins’s farm.”
I work my jaw back and forth, trying to relieve some of the tension in my temples.
“Fire and rescue then,” I grind out.
“They’re responding to a kitchen fire at the Laymen’s,” Rita responds.
“Fuck my life,” I mutter. “Fine.” I snatch up my keys and cell phone and stride to the door. “I’ll hit her place before going home. And Rita. Don’t call me with stupid shit like this for the rest of the day. I’m done until tomorrow, unless it’s a true emergency.”
“Got it, Sheriff.”
I bypass the front of the office and opt to go out the back door. I parked on the side of the building this afternoon to avoid anyone stopping me on the street to chat. It’s already bad enough that I have to stop by Mrs. Baker’s to get her beast of a cat out of the tree. This is the third time this week and probably the millionth time this year. The old woman needs to get rid of the damn cat because all he does is cause trouble, but he was attached to her late husband and now she’s attached to him.
A hot shower and a beer are calling my name, and I’m only too eager to answer.
FOURTY MINUTES LATER, I’m pushing through my front door. I slam my keys and phone down on the table beside the couch and angrily yank off my boots, wincing when my boot grazes across the deep scrapes on my palms.
Goddamn cat. I damn near strangled the fucker when I finally got my hands around the scruff of his neck. The stupid furball kept inching higher up the tree. I’m not a light guy and the branches got thinner and thinner the higher I went. I’m lucky my ass didn’t fall from the tree. As it was, one of the branches I stepped on snapped and the only thing that kept me from plunging to my death were my hands scrambling for purchase and sliding down the rough bark until I got a good hold. I left several good chunks of skin behind.
The next time Mrs. Baker calls, she can go after the devil cat herself or leave him up there, because I sure ain’t doing it. The asshole will come down when he’s hungry.
Ripping off my shirt, I toss it toward the kitchen and start working on my pants as I head to the bedroom. I don’t wait for the water to warm up before stepping under the spray. I groan when the water hits me. That feels fucking fantastic.
I drop my head and close my eyes and let the water do its work on alleviating the tension in my shoulders. An image of Eden pops in my head and there’s a new tension in my body. My eyes spring open when my dick twitches and starts to fill with blood. One thought. One damn thought of the woman and my dick perks up as if it’s begging me to let my mind run wild. She’s just a woman. One I know nothing about, except for what she’s told me about what happened with Diego, but apparently, my body doesn’t give two fucks about that. That’s fine, because I don’t need to know anything more about her to get under her long skirt. Single, attractive women are in short supply in Malus, and I haven’t been to the neighboring towns on the hunt for one. It’s been too long since I’ve gotten laid. Maybe Eden will be up for a little fun to take her mind off the shit storm she’s in.
Giving into my body’s demands, I grip my cock and squeeze the head while I conjure up just what I’d do to Eden if given the chance. The first thing I’d do is kiss that bright ass lipstick off her lips. Once I’ve succeeded with that task, I’d skim my lips down her neck, between the valley of her breasts, yank the material down that covers the plump mounds and take her nipples between my teeth. They’d be a dusty pink, hard as diamonds, and taste like cherries.
I jerk my cock, making sure my fingers run across the underside of the head.
The image transforms into Eden on her hands and knees on my bed. Her ass in the air, her little cunt and rosebud peeking at me. Her head is turned to the side as she watches me approach. I grip her hips and drag her to the end of the bed, then bury my face in her sweet pussy. She tastes like peaches and cream. So damn delicious. I run my tongue from her clit, up her slit, to her hidden entrance, then do it all over again.
She withers and moans, all the while bucking her hips, but I hold her still with a firm grip on her thighs. I devour her until she screams and claws at the sheets. Only when her tight walls stop pulsing do I get to my knees behind her and shove every inch of my cock inside her warm depths.
“Shit,” I grit and pump my hand harder. My knees begin to shake like I’m some Goddamn school boy having his first orgasm.
Blindly, I reach out with my other hand and place it on the wall. My balls tense up and my dick swells even more. Intense pleasure races down my spine as my orgasm hits me so hard I become lightheaded.
“Fuckin’ hell,” I groan and tip my head back, letting the water hit my face.
I don’t remember the last time I’ve come that damn hard. It’s sure as shit’s been too long. And that was just from a fantasy.
Once my bones are no longer made of jelly, I quickly wash my hair and body, then get out of the shower. Half-assedly drying off, I pull on a pair of sweatpants and go to the room next to mine. As soon as I open the door a chattering squeak greets my ears. Piper, my black ferret, races excitedly back and forth in her cage. Releasing the latch and opening the door, she darts from the cage. She makes it to the door before turning around and scurrying back to me. Her claws dig into the material of my sweats and she crawls her way up my leg. I scoop her up when she gets to my waist and put her on my shoulders where I know she wants to be.
“Hey, girl.” I run my hand along her head and she burrows her face in my hair.
Chuckling, I take her back with me to the living room to grab my phone then go back to the bedroom. Normally, anytime I’m at home, I let Piper run free. She’s a little shit sometimes
when she finds something to chew on that she’s not supposed to, and she likes to horde my socks, but she’s typically a good ferret and she’s litter trained.
Once I’m close enough to the bed, she jumps from my shoulders onto the mattress. She runs around, rooting under my pillow, only to pop out on the other side, looking at me as if seeking approval. I’ve had Piper for three years. One of the boys in town got him for his birthday. Three days later, they found out he was allergic to pet hair. No one else wanted her, and since I’ve always had a soft spot for furry creatures, she ended up with me.
Putting my phone on the bedside table and flipping the switch off on the lamp, I get in bed. It’s still early, but I’ve been up since four this morning when I got a call from Lucy about a noise she heard outside her house. She thought someone was breaking in, but it ended up being a raccoon digging in her trash. I love my job, but fuck if it isn’t a pain in the ass at times.
Piper comes to rest on the pillow beside my head. Yes, my ferret sleeps with me. No, I don’t give a fuck if someone thinks it’s weird.
I close my eyes and my thoughts once again drift to Eden and the clusterfuck I have to fix for her. Well, I don’t have to fix it, but I find that I want to. Not only because she saw Diego kill a girl, but especially because he laid his hands on Eden.
The world doesn’t need bastards like Diego running free. Unfortunately, there are more like him than most people realize. I don’t like hurting anyone; I’m sheriff of Malus because I like to prevent shit like that from happening, but when it comes to scum such as Diego, I can’t help the little thrill I get when we wipe the ground with their dirty faces.
When I find Diego, he better pray like hell I’m having a good day, because only that will determine how gruesome I am when I slaughter him.
EDEN
I’M ON THE COUCH IN SOME other stranger’s house with Jenny sitting beside me holding a cute little baby boy. Hysterical giggles fill the space in the living room, and I can’t help the smile from spreading on my face. Remi, the woman’s house we’re in, glances over at her and the baby, her own smile making her already beautiful face even more stunning. Jenny has him lying on her legs while she gently tickles his sides.
