Loved by the LumberJacks_A MFMMMM Reverse Harem Romance

by Sierra Sparks

  “Didn’t he used to work for Bart the mechanic in the summers?” remembered Alder. “Before he started getting locked up for doing oxy, right? I remember.”

  “That’s not evidence,” said Elm. “It’s all circumstantial, but it does point to Tanner. Too many coincidences. We should get the sheriff, report Lila’s assault and then pressure him to reopen mom and dad’s case. Murder cases can stay open indefinitely. There could be some evidence and who knows? If Tanner’s this unstable to try it again– Ash? Where is Ash?”

  “Ash!” I called.

  Oak looked outside the window.

  “He just left. Where is he going?” said Oak.

  “He’s going to confront Tanner.” I concluded. “We have to stop him. He might kill him.”

  Chapter 15:

  Lila

  We scrambled into a truck and Alder decided to drive. I would’ve preferred Elm, he seemed to be able to keep his head when others couldn’t. Elm downed a Red Bull on the way and started tapping his feet as he was prone to do, so maybe he was too amped up and Alder was the best choice.

  “Lila, I don’t know if you should go in with us,” said Teak. “It could be bad.”

  “I’m going,” I insisted. “End of story.”

  “What if Tanner’s dead by the time we get there?” said Oak.

  “Then he’ll be lucky,” said Alder. “That I didn’t get my hands on him.”

  “Look, if we were going to kill Tanner, we’re going about it all wrong,” insisted Elm. “I seriously took at a look at it.”

  “Really?” I questioned.

  “Yes, really,” said Elm, deadly serious. “Look, this guy has been harassing us for years. I didn’t know what he did or suspected, but it doesn’t surprise me now that I know. Quite frankly, I thought he might try to pull something where one of us gets hurt and he gets to buy the mountain because we’re too busy covering medical expenses or something.”

  “How were you gonna kill him?” asked Teak, disbelievingly.

  “I don’t think we need to go down this road,” I cautioned.

  “Let him speak,” insisted Alder.

  “Simple,” he said. “We lure Tanner to an isolated spot. Not hard, considering what a hothead he is and then stab him.”

  “That’s your plan?” I said. “Sounds like a plan to get caught.”

  “Not finished,” explained Elm. “Once he’s dead, you’d have to lure a bear or a pack of wolves to his body. Make sure they eat the evidence. They’d have to tear him to pieces for it to work. Or, alternatively, you burn down the forest where the body is.”

  “Jesus, Elm,” said Oak. “You’re kinda dark.”

  “I wasn’t serious about doing it,” he insisted. “I was merely thinking about the best ways. Either that or drop a tree on him. Make it look like an accident.”

  “Like he did to your parents?” I said.

  That seemed to resonate with Elm. He looked away.

  “Yeah, they weren’t good thoughts,” he admitted.

  “If you guys had caught him at the office,” I said. “I think Ash would’ve killed him right there.”

  “That would be self-defense,” said Elm. “Totally legal. But this. Ash is going to be in trouble if he throws him out a window.”

  “I would shoot him,” said Alder suddenly.

  We all looked at him.

  “I’d take responsibility and just shoot him,” he admitted. “Stand there. Wait for him to die. Call the cops and throw myself on the mercy of the court.”

  “Okay, now that’s dark,” said Oak, acknowledging the darker of the two scenarios.

  “Look,” I said trying to shift the conversation. “I know Tanner has done you guys wrong, but a quick solution isn’t the answer. My father spent his whole life trying to do that and all it got him was pain. He ended up dead in prison, all because he didn’t want to deal with life. Life is tough. Tanner’s not the only jerk in the world. There are lots of them. Are you going to kill them all?”

  “How did you get to be so wise?” asked Elm, smiling.

  “I’m kind of stupid and made a lot of mistakes with my life,” I joked. “But I try not to make them twice.”

  We drove up the long mountain road toward Tanner’s resort. I was kind of embarrassed now that I had driven up the wrong mountain that day. There were signs pointing to the resort everywhere. I really don’t know how I missed them, but I guess it was because of the snow.

  On the way up, we could see the ski lift and the skiers. I kept an eye out on the side of the road too. I half expected Ash to drive him off the side of the road, he was probably so furious.

  In my haste to get in the truck, I had left my ice pack behind and I was beginning to regret it. The ibuprofen was working and my pain has been downgraded to a dull ache. Still, I wished I could jump into a hot bath and soak, but that would have to wait.

  When we reached the resort, we found Ash’s truck parked out front with the front door still open. There was a doorman milling about and he shut the door as we pulled up. The boys jumped out of the truck and looked like they were ready to run inside.

  “Whoa-whoa-whoa!” I cautioned. “Let’s try not to look like an angry mob.”

  The doorman looked at us.

  “Did the guy that drove that truck come up here?” Elm asked.

  “Yeah, he ran inside,” he said. “You’d better get him out of here. The manager already called the sheriff.”

  We entered the resort lobby. There was a group of customers milling around to the right and we could hear the fight. Ash and Tanner were going at it near a gift shop. There was a loud crash and the sound of broken glass. We went running.

  “Ash.” I called out. “Wait!”

  We pushed our way through the crowd. Ash was fighting two more security guards to get at Tanner. He threw one of them through the front of the gift shop, which is why we heard the glass break. Breaking the grip of one guard, he punched a second so hard the guard was sent flying backward on a chair in the lobby. The other he elbowed and threw across a table.

  Tanner came at him with his cane and clock Ash across the back of the head. The cane snapped and he tried to stab Ash with it. Ash batted it away and got Tanner in a hold. He started pummeling him mercilessly.

  “Stop, Ash. You’ll kill ‘em. Stop!” I begged. “My father went to jail. I couldn’t stand it if you went too!”

  The boys tried to pull Ash and Tanner apart, but Ash shoved them aside. Tanner took advantage of the distraction to kick Ash in the stomach as hard as he could.

  “Need your boys to fight me, Barrett. C’mon, ya pussy.” said Tanner. “Even crippled, I’ll fight you. I’ll fight you to the death!”

  Tanner grabbed a nearby vase and hurled it. It missed Ash and clocked Oak right in the face. He was surprised, hurt and fell down. Teak ran to his aid. Alder, furious, started to charge at Tanner. Elm held him back.

  “No,” he insisted. “This is Ash’s fight.”

  Ash charged at Tanner again, but this time Tanner threw a heavy chair into his path. Ash stumbled and fell over it and Tanner took advantage and jumped on him. Now it was Tanner pummeling Ash.

  “You sonuvabitch. You ruined my life! I’ll kill you with my bare hands.” he vowed.

  Ash squirmed underneath Tanner, pinned by his weight, but he managed to twist until he could reach Tanner’s bad knee. He bit down on it.

  “Ah. Jesus Christ!” he howled.

  Ash turned the tables on Tanner and threw him aside. He leapt on top of him and started to pound his fist into his face. After several punches, he seemed to run out of steam. Tanner was clearly beaten. He was bleeding profusely from the face. He laughed bitterly at him.

  “You’re fucked now, Barrett.” said Tanner victoriously. “I’ve got witnesses. Dozens of them. You’re going down. I’m going to sue you for everything you’re worth. The mountain will be mine.”

  The boys pulled Ash to his feet. Tanner sat up, using an end tale as leverage.

  �
�I sincerely doubt that,” said Elm, dismissively. “Whatever you get from us, Ms. Rhodes will sue right back from you. Look at her.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Tanner innocently.

  “You sonuvabitch.” said Ash, trying to attack him again.

  “No, brother, don’t.” said Alder. “He ain’t worth it. He’s scum.”

  “Jesus, Mr. Johnson,” said one of the security guards. “Did you do that?”

  The security guard pointed to Lila, genuinely horrified. A second guard sized him up too. They had worked for Tanner for years, but his antics had never gone this far.

  “Shut up, I don’t pay you to talk,” snapped Tanner. “Get him out of the gift shop and start documenting your injuries. It’s going to be a long night with the lawyers, I can tell you that.”

  “You killed my parents, you sonuvabitch.” spat Ash. “You’re gonna pay.”

  “Don’t know what you’re talking about,” Tanner dismissed. “I was the wronged party here.”

  The sheriff walked in with his hand on his gun and the other on his cowboy hat. He was an older, silver haired guy that looked like he was no nonsense. Didn’t seem scared at all, despite the fact he was all alone and there were dozens of people in what could’ve been a riot.

  “All right, all right,” he said routinely. “What’s going on here, Johnson? You running a fight club or what?”

  “This man attacked me, Sheriff Barnes,” said Tanner pointing and trying to conceal a smile. “Ash Barrett. I want him arrested and I want to press charges.”

  “Sheriff, there’s more to this story,” started Elm. “If you’ll just give me a minute to explain the entire chain of events in context, I’ll think you’ll see–“

  Barnes raised his hand as if to silence Elm, which he did.

  “That true, Ash? This ruckus all your doing?” asked the sheriff.

  “Don’t say anything until we get a lawyer,” insisted Elm.

  Ash looked away. He felt cornered. That look was enough for the sheriff.

  “All right, then,” he said taking out his cuffs. “Let’s go down to the station and sort this out. Looks like assault and property damage.”

  “Hold on,” I said, as he put the first cuff on Ash. “I was assaulted by Tanner. He came up to our mountain and attacked me. He pushed his way into the office!”

  “That’s breaking and entering.” insisted Teak. “Isn’t it?”

  “Maybe, if he wasn’t invited,” said the Sheriff. “That true, Tanner?”

  “I don’t know what she’s talking about,” denied Tanner. “I didn’t go up there. Don’t I have enough to do here at the resort?”

  “Got any proof?” asked the sheriff. “You boys got any security cameras up at the cabin?”

  “They’re on order,” admitted Elm. “But there’s evidence there. And just look at her.”

  “Well, that may be true,” he said. “You’re welcome to come down to the station and file charges.”

  “My men were assaulted too. They’ll back me up and they’ll testify that I never left the resort. Right guys?” said Tanner.

  Tanner was giddy with his success. He really wanted to pile on the misery onto the Barretts. But the security guards had clearly had enough of Tanner over the years. They decided they weren’t going to support him anymore, job or no.

  “He wasn’t here,” said one of the guards. “He just got back and he was bleeding.”

  The sheriff took the cuff off of Ash and started listening intently. Tanner’s smile disappeared.

  “Really? Bleeding, huh?” prodded the sheriff.

  “Yeah,” said the second guard. “Looked like he’d been in a fight. Was muttering about some bitch or something.”

  “He borrowed a pair of needlenose pliers from the maintenance guy,” said the first guard. “I saw him put it in his pocket when he left.”

  “You’re dismissed.” said Tanner, furiously. “You’ll be lucky to have jobs when this is over. You signed non-disclosure agreements!”

  “I’m done working here,” said the first guard. “I don’t need this.”

  “Tell them how Ash beat you up.” insisted Tanner. “You’re injured. Tell him.”

  “I didn’t fight with this guy,” said the security guard. “I don’t know what my boss is talking about.”

  “Me neither,” said the other guard. “We tripped.”

  The third guard, who had been thrown into the gift shop, leaned on the second guard. He was bleeding from the face.

  “I, uh, tripped too,” he said. “Didn’t see a fight.”

  “You’re all fired!” snapped Tanner. “You’ll never work in this town again. I’ll see to it. Half the people in this town depend upon me.”

  The sheriff started cuffing Tanner.

  “They might have to learn to live without you for a while. And you might want to calm down for the ride to the station,” the sheriff said. “Looks like your witnesses can’t corroborate your story and it’s clear this young lady has been injured.”

  “You’ll never prove it,” said Tanner dismissively. “This guy attacked me. He’s nuts. Thinks I killed his parents.”

  “I caught him tampering with the brakes on one of our trucks,” I told the sheriff. “And he mentioned that Ash should’ve gotten his punishment twelve years ago.”

  “Kind of a weird time frame,” said the sheriff cuffing him. “The only thing I can think of that happened 12 years ago was when the Barretts brakes failed and they went off the cliff. Weird you would mention that. Thought it was an accident.”

  “So?” said Tanner, feeling trapped. “I mean, I didn’t. I wasn’t there, she’s lying!”

  “I remember your dad talking about you working the garage,” said the sheriff. “Said you specialized in brake repair, if I recall.”

  “What’s that? Illegal now?!” said Tanner, incredulous. “You know me, Barnes. You really think I’d do that?!”

  “I thought I knew you, Tanner,” said the sheriff. “That was before I started busting you for buying oxy on the street. Remember those days? You were into some bad shit then. Pretty much do anything to get your fix if I recall.”

  “I was in pain.” insisted Tanner. “This bastard crippled me! Ash is the one you should be arresting.”

  “I was at that game,” said the sheriff. “If you hadn’t been trying to show off for the scouts, you probably wouldn’t have gotten injured. Dammit son, why didn’t you just move on with your life? You actually killed the Barretts over this? My God, what’s wrong with you?”

  “That’s a lie. Ash cost me everything. And I’m going to take everything away from him.”

  “No offense, but just because you have money, doesn’t mean you have that kind of power,” said the sheriff. “Basically, you’re just a junkie with a bank account at this point.”

  “You bastard, I’ve been clean for years. You don’t know what I can do. I can destroy this town. Anyone! Ash was going to pay. His parents were just the beginning.” ranted Tanner.

  The room went silent. Even Tanner realized he had said too much and gone too far. He abruptly shut up.

  “Tanner Johnson, you’re under arrest,” said the Sheriff. “You have the right to remain silent. If you give up that right, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law…”

  The sheriff escorted Tanner out of his own resort. He placed him in the back of the police car and walked back to us.

  “I can’t promise anything,” said the sheriff. “That case was a long time ago, but I’ll reopen it. If there’s any evidence still in the evidence room, you might get some justice. I can’t blame you for what you did, but stay away from him for now. Promise me, Ash.”

  Ash nodded. His body relaxed a little.

  “Thanks, sheriff,” said Ash. “I appreciate the consideration. You won’t get any trouble from the Barrett boys.”

  “Better not. As of today, this is over,” proclaimed the sheriff. “I’ll be in touch. You�
��d better get yourselves looked at. You look like you’ve been in a fight.”

  Ash was left standing there with us. It was finally over. The events of all those years ago had finally come to a head. Tanner was finished. Even if he never got convicted of the Barretts murder, he’d certainly do time for assaulting me. It would take a miracle lawyer to dig him out of this hole.

  We watched as Sheriff Barnes drove away from the resort and down the mountain. The sun was shining bright. The crowd of customers dispersed. I had to wonder what they thought of all this. They were on vacation and suddenly saw this drama play out. If it were me, I would assume it was some kind of play. The staff started cleaning up from the fight and we drifted out of the front door toward the trucks.

  “I’ll drive you back, brother,” Elm said to Ash. “You know if Tanner is forced to sell the resort and the mountain to pay his legal fees, we might be able to leverage our mountain to buy his.”

  I gave Elm a look. This really wasn’t the time.

  “But ya know, just ignore me, I’m blathering,” he said backing off.

  I helped Ash into the truck. He was scratched up and bleeding, just like me. We had been through Hell, but came out the other side in one piece. As we drove down the mountain, we sat in silence for awhile.

  “It’s over,” said Ash. “It’s finally over.”

  I held him. He held back the tears. He was too manly to cry, but there was a lot of emotion there. Emotion for his football years, his parents and even for Tanner. You had to feel sorry for the guy. He had so much, but it didn’t matter. He was twisted up inside and broken. Maybe now, he could come to terms with what he did and Ash could move on.

  Chapter 16:

  Lila

  Driving down to the resort, Elm thought it best that Ash and I both got looked at by doctors. Oak was injured too, so why not him while we were there. There was a small hospital at the edge of town. Mostly, it was used to stabilize patients that got hurt on the slope until they could be transported or for minor injuries like ours.