Protected

by Lexi Blake

  “Wade, I was hoping we could talk.” Her voice was huskier than he remembered. “Could we go somewhere quiet?”

  Was she seriously trying to get him alone? Did she think she could turn those big blue eyes on him and he would forget about everything she’d done?

  He was well aware that stares were turning his way, but he didn’t care. He wasn’t going to cause a major scene, merely let her know the rules. It was obvious something was going on between her and his oldest brother. That stopped here and now.

  “We don’t need to go someplace quiet. We can do this right here and right now. I understand that you’ve been spending some time with Clint. I don’t care what you do with other men. God knows how many you’ve run through by now, but you need to understand I won’t allow you to break up my brother’s marriage. How much to get you to leave town and not come back?”

  He had some money saved up. When they’d found the gas reserves, he’d been given his cut. He didn’t live lavishly so he had a sizable amount collected in his account. He hated the thought of spending it on her, but if it saved his brother, he would do it. And when Clint got back from his honeymoon, they would have a long talk.

  She’d paled visibly. “How much?”

  “Money, sweetheart.” The word came out twisted and nasty. “I’m asking how much it will take to get you to stay away from my brother.”

  “Wade, you have the wrong impression.”

  He wasn’t going to give her a chance to work her magic. She was smart and she’d always known how to manipulate him. “I don’t think so. How much have you already gotten out of him? I understand he paid for your divorce lawyer. What happened? Did you not love your husband as much when he lost his fortune? Why didn’t you sell some of those fancy clothes of yours and pay for your own damn lawyer?”

  Her eyes were steady on him. “I’m paying Clint back.”

  “I’m sure you are. My question is what are you paying him back with?” He was well aware of the nasty insinuation.

  “I didn’t come here to fight with you,” she said, her voice a bit tremulous now. “Please, Wade. I know you’re angry with me, but I need to talk to you. There are some things you don’t understand.”

  “We have nothing at all to talk about except for you to give me a number,” he shot back. “If you don’t give me that number and then get your ass out of town, I’m going to do what I should have done all those years ago.”

  Tears shone in her eyes, but her face had gone stubborn in a way he’d never seen before. “And what is that? What should you have done all those years ago?”

  He leaned in, well aware that he was getting in her space. He prided himself on being a gentleman, but she brought out the asshole in him. “I should have crushed you. I should have made your life hell. I’ll do it this time. By the time I’m finished with you, you’ll wish you’d left town. You’ll wish you’d taken that brat of yours with you.”

  A loud smack split the air around him and it took a second for the pain to hit. She’d slapped him good. His face heated. Had he really just threatened her kid? Who the hell was he? He didn’t recognize himself.

  Still, he couldn’t take it back.

  “What the hell is going on?” Clint stepped up, looking resplendent in his tux. He held hands with his bride.

  “Hey, are you all right?” Lori wasn’t talking to him. She moved to Genny’s side, placing a hand on her shoulder.

  He didn’t understand a thing. Maybe there was something more going on here. “I think she’s fine. I’m sure she’s heard worse. And maybe I was hasty. Maybe Clint knows exactly what he’s doing.”

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Clint asked.

  He held his hands up, backing away. This was his big brother. Clint had taken care of them all. After their dad had died, it had been Clint who stepped in, giving up his chance to go to college because he had to run the ranch. And yet all Wade could see at the moment was his big brother in bed with Genny, enjoying her every curve and that sweet as sin mouth of hers. “It means your sex life and what your wife is willing to put up with is absolutely none of my business.”

  Clint’s face went red and Wade realized no one was dancing. They were all far too busy watching the family drama playing out in front of them.

  Lori had blushed as well, but she simply smiled and waved toward the band and dance floor, nodding. The band changed songs, starting up a beat perfect for the latest line dance. “Please, dance. Have fun! This is nothing but a small misunderstanding between brothers.”

  Abby Barnes dragged her husbands, Jack and Sam, out on the dance floor and the rest of the group joined in.

  Clint turned to him, his voice going low. “You want to explain to me why you’ve decided to wreck my wedding? And I would love to know exactly what you’re accusing me of.”

  Heath Rycroft made his way through the crowd. “What’s going on?”

  “I’d like to know that myself,” Clay said.

  West and Rand joined the circle. The gang was all here.

  And it was obvious that he was the one left out. They were all looking at him like he was some kind of freak, like he was the troublemaker. Well, he’d walked out on them. He hadn’t come back because he couldn’t stand the thought of seeing her again. The years and distance had turned him into an outcast. Genny had won and she would continue to win. Lori held her hand and his new sister-in-law frowned his way. It was definitely time to retreat. His brothers didn’t need him.

  Anger boiled inside him. “It was a mistake to come here. Lori, I’m sorry I ruined your reception. Clint, I thought I was saving you, but you have obviously made your choice. Hope you have fun with her.”

  “We need to talk.” Clint took a step toward him.

  He held his hands up because he was done talking. “No. We don’t. I need to go back to Dallas and you need to get on with whatever it is you’re doing. Y’all have a nice night.”

  “Don’t be an asshole,” one of his brothers said. He couldn’t tell which. There were a lot of them. Three older, two younger. He was somewhere in the middle and the truth was they hadn’t missed him. They had each other.

  And apparently at least one of them had Genny.

  He stalked off, tearing at the tie at his throat. It had been a stupid idea to come home after all these years. There was absolutely nothing left for him here. He would head back to Dallas and the life he’d built there. If he hurried he could make it into work in the morning. He’d taken the week off, but the thought of sitting in his quiet house with nothing to distract him was unsettling. He needed work, the harder the better. He would ask Tag to send him on the worst assignment possible, one where taking a bullet was almost certain. Then he could spend his time surviving and not thinking about Genny Harris.

  Howard. She’d made that choice. It didn’t matter that she’d divorced the bastard. She would always be a Howard to him.

  As quickly as he could, he made his way to the house and picked up his duffel. He hadn’t exactly unpacked. The truth was he’d tried to spend as little time in his room as he could. Ghosts. They were everywhere in this house, but particularly strong in the room he’d grown up in. Someone had thought it was a good idea to make it a shrine to his teenaged years. It was exactly as he’d left it. The desk where he’d done his homework was still pushed against the wall and the buckles he’d won during his rodeo days were on display.

  And there wasn’t an inch of this room she hadn’t imprinted herself on. He’d made love to her on the bed, sneaking back in when everyone else was at a church dinner. He’d lied to his parents about having to study for a test and then he’d been the tutor. Most of the time she knew way more than he did, but when it came to sex, he’d been the teacher. He’d lost his virginity at sixteen to a barrel racer, but it hadn’t been until Genny that he’d finally realized what sex could mean.

  And it hadn’t been until Genny that he’d realized how stupid he was. She kept teaching him that lesson even fifteen years later.<
br />
  He slung the duffel over his shoulder and started down the stairs. He wasn’t coming back here. Dallas was home now.

  He’d made it to the bottom of the stairs and turned to go when he realized he wasn’t alone in the big ranch house.

  “All right, you son of a bitch, we’ll do this the hard way.”

  He saw her through the mirror in front of him. She was standing there like a warrior, her eyes wild, and she hadn’t come unarmed. Yep, she’d pulled a gun on him. It looked like Genny wasn’t done with the lesson for the day.

  Chapter Two

  Genny held the pistol in both hands, her feet planted firmly. Clint and Lori had gone over and over how to handle her recently purchased firearm. Of course, she was certain at the time, they hadn’t thought she would be holding it on their kin.

  But damn it, he’d pushed her too far.

  She’d promised Ash she wouldn’t do anything crazy. Actually she’d specifically promised her son that she wouldn’t point a gun at her high school boyfriend. One more promise she’d broken.

  At least she could tell him she’d kept the safety on, and after Wade’s complete assholery, that was a true sign of her maturity.

  He held his hands up. “Can I turn around or do you plan on shooting me in the back? Last time you used a knife.”

  Yup, she wished she hadn’t promised her only child she wouldn’t commit murder tonight. “You can turn around.”

  Slowly he turned, and then she wished she’d kept him facing away from her. He was almost too beautiful to look at. Pitch black hair and soulful brown eyes. The man was even more overwhelming than the boy she’d known. He’d put on muscle and seemed to be taller than he’d been, but that might be a trick of her memory. Or it might be because in the years that spread between them, she’d been made so small.

  He’d gotten more handsome, more masculine, and she’d been reduced to nothing. Sometimes she felt like she’d died that day and only came back to life for brief periods. She was a walking shell and always would be if she didn’t take control of this. This was her one and only chance. Perhaps she could have avoided this scene if it had only been her chance, but it was Ash’s only chance, too, and that meant everything to her.

  “You owe me, Wade Rycroft.” She’d been waiting fifteen years to say those words. “And the time has come to pay up.”

  “I owe you?”

  “Yes. You owe me and I’ve come to collect. Here’s how this is going to go,” she started.

  Before she could begin to explain her plan, he was on her. His left hand chopped up, batting her hands and making her lose her grip on the pistol. It clattered to the floor, banging against the hardwoods. He gripped her wrist, dragging it around her back as he shoved her against the wall.

  She found herself caught as he pressed himself in, using his weight to hold her still.

  “You think I owe you? I see things differently, darlin’.” The words were spoken softly against her ear. He was close enough that she could feel the heat of his breath, but there was no way to mistake the words coming from his mouth as anything but cold. “I think you owe me.”

  Her breath hitched and she struggled against him. Rage formed in her gut. Or maybe it was always there and he simply turned the furnace up a notch. “Let me go, you bastard.”

  He pressed in and suddenly she could feel something hard against her ass. “Not until I figure out exactly why you decided to pull a gun on me. Did you think I’d let you get away with that? Damn it, Genny. Stop squirming. Please.”

  The please coming out of his mouth sounded so much like her Wade that she went still for a moment. “Let me go.”

  “Could I have a minute? I need to calm down. I don’t want to hurt you. Stop fighting me and don’t pretend you’re the victim here. You pulled the gun on me. And I’m sorry about the…I’m sorry about that. Adrenaline can do that to a man. I don’t want you to think I’m going to hurt you.”

  She closed her eyes to try to keep the tears from flowing. God, even when she’d pulled a gun on the man he was concerned for her. He would rip her heart out, but he wouldn’t hurt her physically. Unlike her ex-husband.

  She’d made the right decision.

  “The safety was on.” Maybe that would get him to back off. She needed to bring the tension in the room down.

  “It doesn’t matter. You threatened me and I’m not about to let that pass. I know I’ve been your fool before, Genny, but I’m a different man now.” He’d calmed considerably, but there was still anger in his tone.

  “You weren’t a man at all. You were a boy who got hurt and never looked back.” Despite the violence that marked the beginning of this encounter, there was a piercing sweetness to feeling his warmth, breathing in his familiar scent. Even after fifteen years she could remember that woodsy, masculine scent that was uniquely Wade. It reminded her of the last time she’d felt safe.

  It was all a lie, of course. But he still owed her. She wasn’t coming to him for love or even pleasure. She only wanted protection. When her son was safe again, she would walk away and they would finally be done.

  “Hurt? You think what you did hurt me?” He pushed away from her and she could breathe again. “You did me a favor. I’m sorry I never thanked you for it. Getting married to you would have been the worst mistake of my life. I was a dumb kid and you saved me from myself.”

  Damn that hurt. She’d gone over and over this meeting in her head for days and she’d thought she’d been prepared for his anger. His disdain. God knew she’d gotten used to disdain over the years. Brock had twisted her reputation when he’d needed to. He’d made people she’d known all her life hate her. But somehow knowing Wade hated her hurt worse.

  He picked up her gun, shaking his head. “I’ll keep this. Now, I’m going to talk to the sheriff. I think I saw him on the dance floor. You’ll enjoy prison. Maybe they can reunite you with your dear husband.”

  “Give it back to me.” She might have lost her chance to talk with him. He wouldn’t even give her the time of day, but she couldn’t be without the gun.

  Cool brown eyes rolled as though she’d said the stupidest thing possible. “No. I might be willing to forgo sending you to jail though. Let’s talk about you leaving my brother alone.”

  She didn’t really hear anything past the word no. She’d spent everything she had left on that gun. Brock would be out of jail soon. He would come straight for her.

  I promise you, I’ll make you wish you’d never been born. And then I’ll take my boy back.

  He couldn’t leave with her gun. Panic threatened to overwhelm her.

  “Give me my gun.” The words came out surprisingly calm given the fact that she could feel her heart pounding. Her time was running out and Wade wasn’t going to help her. She could likely tell him what she’d done all those years ago, how idiotic she’d been, and he would laugh. He might not be as violent as Brock, but he was a man. She’d made him look foolish. It wouldn’t matter that she’d done it for the best reason possible. Men only cared about their own egos. If a woman threatened that, she would get ground under his boot.

  Which was precisely why she needed that gun.

  “No,” he replied implacably. “Now are we having a talk with the sheriff or are you going to pack your bags and get the hell out of town? No one wants you here. I have no idea what the hell you’ve done because I didn’t care enough to ask about you, but if there’s one thing I’ve figured out, it’s that these people hate you. You might have tricked my new sister-in-law into a friendship, but that’s over now. You’ve done enough to this family.”

  Enough. She’d done enough? She’d lost everything and now he wanted to take more. All the years of pain and abuse came rushing back and suddenly she didn’t really see Wade in front of her. She saw Brock. She saw his mother and her father. She saw everything and everyone who had conspired to wreck her life and yes, he was in there, too. He’d been the reason she’d walked through Hell.

  One minute she was standing i
n front of him and the next, she attacked. Her vision had bled to red and she felt her fists pounding against him, nails trying to scratch him. She went wild, everything she’d shut down coming out again now that she was in the room with the man who’d started it all. All the pain and humiliation. All the aching years of loneliness. He wasn’t taking another single thing from her.

  “Goddamn it, Genny,” he was yelling as his arms came up to ward off her attack. He stumbled backward, falling on his ass.

  She was on him in a second, but he was too good, too strong. He caught her hands and flipped her over and once more he held her down with his bigger, stronger body.

  Story of her life. She was weak. She was powerless. She couldn’t even protect her son.

  “Genny, why do I owe you?” There was a scratch on his face that welled with blood, but his eyes were wide and he looked down on her with something like concern. “What’s going on?”

  “Get off me.”

  He shook his head. “No. Not until you tell me why I owe you. What do I owe you? No woman goes that crazy unless something terrible happened to her. What am I missing?”

  Perversely, she couldn’t tell him now. She had to get him off her. She tried to bring her knee up, tried to get at the part of him that was hard and male, but he was too close.

  “Hush, baby.” His voice soothed, hands gentle on her now. “Genny, calm down. It’s all right. I need to know. Tell me what I owe you.”

  “Everything,” a familiar voice said. “You…we owe her everything, brother. And it’s time you heard the truth.”

  She blinked back tears because Clint was here and she would finally have to tell her tale.

  * * * *

  Wade stared at her across the living room, his whole soul aching. He had no idea what she’d been through, but it had been bad. His gut twisted into a knot. What the hell had happened to her?

  You owe me.

  She’d looked haunted when she’d said the words and damn it, she’d been holding a gun. When he’d known Genny Harris, she’d been the single gentlest soul he’d ever met. She believed in talking out her problems, in the good of all stinking mankind. She’d been naïve but in the best way possible. She hadn’t been the kind of woman who drew down on a man.