by Donn, KL
Nate looked over at Ty to see him completely riveted to the young woman. He had to nudge his leg to get him to shut his mouth, so he didn’t start drooling. “But dude…,” he said.
“Ya man, this is the reason,” Nate whispered back.
“Good evening gentlemen, or rather morning I guess, can I get you some coffee?” She asked them in an almost whisper that Nate really had to strain to hear.
“Sure thing, darlin’,” Ty responded for them both. As she turned and walked away, Nate couldn’t help but feel a little angry. That young woman was suffering from more than just a slap to the face. She had a dejected look to her. Face down, shoulders slumped forward, and those gorgeous eyes looked dead, when they should have the sparkle of life in them. He wondered about her and what gave her that look.
“She doesn’t look good, Nate. And I mean more than just that bruise. She’s too thin, despite what the baggy clothes might suggest. She seems a little too pale as well. But fuck is she ever gorgeous. Did you get a look at those eyes, man? Never seen anything like it, and those luscious red lips. Damn.” He agreed with Ty’s assessment of her, but he swore he heard his brother sigh at that last part, too.
“How old do you think she is, Ty?” Nate asked him.
“She can’t be a day over twenty-two,” he replied just before she brought their coffee over.
“Here you go. Have you decided what you’d like, or do you need more time?” She could clearly see the menus closed, so Nate didn’t even think she was really paying attention, more like just going through the motions.
“Just the coffee for now, thanks,” Nate told her. “Why don’t you sit down and join us for a few minutes?” He asked impulsively, surprising not only himself but Ty as well. Knowing that he was moving too fast, but couldn’t seem to help himself.
“Oh, uh, thank you, but I really can’t. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to work,” she said.
Ty looked around noting there was no one else in the diner, so he grabbed her hand and turned up the charm he was known for. “Come on darlin’, there ain’t no one else in here and you look like you could use a cup.” He smiled at her but she still hadn’t looked up yet, she just stood there frozen. So Ty gave a little tug, and she fell onto the bench seat next to him. When she looked up and made eye contact for the first time with Nate that was when he froze. He had never seen such fear in anyone’s eyes before.
“It’s alright miss, we just wanted some company. Ty there gets a little annoying sometimes, if ya know what I mean?” Nate tried a soft smile, hoping to calm her down. She looked down and stared at her hands, like they were the most fascinating things in the world. “How about telling us your name?” Nate held his breath as she looked at Ty first and then him. Some of the fear was gone, but you could still see it lurking in the back of her eyes.
“I..I..It’s Keeley,” she stammered out, with her voice getting a little stronger near the end, and he couldn’t help but smile as she spoke.
“Well, I’m Tyler Maxwell and this here is my big brother Nathaniel. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Keeley.” Ty smiled all dimples just for her, and held out his hand hoping she’d shake it. Nate held his breath, as she almost held in the wince when Ty produced his hand for her to shake. If he hadn’t been watching for that exact reaction, he would have missed it for sure. But now he knew. A man had hit her. It pissed him the hell off but he kept all that anger to himself, so as not to scare her with it.
*******
Ty felt such anger at whoever had hurt this gorgeous, fragile young woman, but then he felt incredibly proud as she took his hand to shake. The minute Keeley took his hand he felt it. This zing that went straight up his arm and embedded this tiny woman into his heart. He just knew she was the reason their Ma had sent them here. She was it. Theirs, forever. He could feel it, and he knew Nate would too. She pulled her hand away quickly and held it to her chest, as if she had felt it as well.
Nate gave him a funny look like he had squeezed her too hard or something, so Ty just nodded his head for him to shake her hand. He stuck his out waiting for her to shake, and when she did both their eyes widened. A huge smile spread across Nate’s face, and Keeley pulled her hand back again and said, “What’d you do, rub a carpet before coming in here?” They both barked out a laugh at what she said, and she looked so startled, like she hadn’t meant to say that out loud. But the look on her face was comical, until a deep blush crept up her neck and hit her face, turning her a nice shade of red that had them smiling at her unwarranted embarrassment.
Ty was still watching her as Nate started to speak, “How old are you, Keeley?” The question startling her again.
“I’ll be twenty on April first,” she answered. Ty and Nate couldn’t be more shocked at her response, for two reasons. One being that she was younger than they originally thought, and two was that she hadn’t realized today was that day.
“That’s today, darlin’,” Ty said.
“Oh,” she said as she looked down at her watch. “I guess it is.”
They both just sat there utterly stunned that this gorgeous, now twenty-year-old woman wasn’t more excited about it being her birthday. “Do you have any plans to go celebrate with your folks or some friends?” Nate questioned her.
She just looked at Nate like that was utterly ridiculous before replying, “No, my mom’s dead and my dad’s busy,” was all she said before getting up and walking away.
Chapter 3
Keeley felt like crying, but knew if she gave in she wouldn’t stop. She had to get away from Tyler and Nathaniel, they made her feel things she’d never felt before. Their sole attention had been utterly focused on her and her alone. Not once did they make her feel anything other than like a person. She’d never had that before.
She could have done without the reminder that it was her birthday, though. That meant her father would be awake when she got home, just to remind her that she was the butt of every April fool’s joke, and a huge mistake. It didn’t matter that she paid all the bills or for his drinking habit, he always felt it necessary to put her down any way he could, at every opportunity. How pathetic was she that she had never had a real birthday before? It was just another day in her miserable life.
She had to go back out before Fred came looking for her. So she took a couple of deep breaths, closed her eyes, and pictured a beach, to calm her nerves. Only this time the image was different, Tyler and Nathaniel were there, too. Her eyes popped open and she frowned, feeling a little confused over that image, so she went back out to check for new customers and to see if the guys needed anything.
As Keeley walked back out to the dining area, she saw that she had three more tables. She grabbed the coffee pot and started making the rounds, getting everyone settled before going back to top up Tyler and Nathaniel’s coffees.
“Would you like some more? Or something to eat?” She asked hoping they wouldn’t say anything about her abrupt departure a few minutes before. But, of course, she wasn’t that lucky.
Nathaniel answered. “We’ll both have the pancake special, please, with extra bacon. And we’d really like to take you to breakfast after your shift is done.” He didn’t form it as a question, more like a demand.
“I can see the wheels turning in that beautiful head of yours. Let us take you to breakfast or lunch, or maybe dinner? Your choice. Of course, we could always take you to all three. Yep, I think that one works best for us,” Tyler said to her with a wink at the end.
“Dammit Ty, you’re gonna overwhelm the poor girl. Back off,” Nathaniel told him with a frown, marring his beautiful brown eyes.
“Thank you for the kind offer but I can’t,” she declined and turned to put their order in for their meals.
“Why not?” asked Nathaniel as she was half way across the room. She stopped dead in her tracks, feeling the blush working its way up her face, which, of course, made her cheeks throb. Damn pale skin was all she could think as she turned around, and knew that not only could
they see her embarrassment, but so could everyone else as they all waited for her to answer him.
She stood there for a full minute staring at them, until she heard him… “Because this ain’t no fucking dating service, that’s why,” Fred said as he walked up behind her and put his meaty arm around her shoulders, and cupped her tightly.
She could see the anger in Tyler and Nathaniel’s faces as they stared at where Fred’s hand was. They both stood up and Tyler shot a small smile her way, and that wink she was coming to love, before refocusing his attention on Fred. Nathaniel just looked pissed off and she knew she was about to get hurt again. That was all men did. Good God, was he freaking huge; bigger than she originally thought.
“Come here, Butterfly,” Nathaniel told her. She started to move, thinking whatever he was about to do would be better than having Fred’s stinky self glued to her the way he was. As she took her first step, Fred held onto her arm so tightly that she whimpered. Tyler and Nathaniel growled at that. Actually growled. Glaring daggers at Fred, Nathaniel walked closer, grabbed her hand so gently she thought she was dreaming, and gave one small tug so she practically flew into his chest. The strange thing for her was that the entire time, he made sure she was protected. When she hit his chest, he put one hand to the small of her back and one to the back of her neck. It was very proprietary. His large arms engulfed her, completely surrounding her. Strangely, she felt safe, and she found she really liked the way he was caressing the back of her neck with his thumb.
Turning her head with a small smile on her face, she saw Tyler looking at her with this big wolf-like grin on his, it gave her a moment of peace. She closed her eyes, just wanting to enjoy this feeling of safety that she had never felt before. She wanted to embrace it before it was gone.
“Don’t ever put your dirty fucking hands on our woman again. Are we clear? Don’t even look at her for that matter. If I ever find out that you have done anything to make Keeley uncomfortable or feel less than safe, I will come in here and personally kick your ass before having this place shut down. And then just for kicks, I’ll make you lick the dirt off my shoes. We clear?” Nathaniel said all of this to Fred with such menace in his voice that Keeley couldn’t help but start to shake in fear, and grip his shirt tighter. She had a hold of it just above his abs, and feeling him tighten his grip on her calmed her nerves just a little bit.
For the first time ever, she actually heard a note of fear creep into Fred’s voice when he said, “Ya man, ok. I didn’t know she was yours, she never said anything.”
That’s when Tyler got involved and admonished him. “You think that gives you the right to touch her or speak for her anytime you like?” She tried to burrow right into Nathaniel at that, because even though his voice held a note of steel in it, Tyler’s had such a fierce growl that she wanted to weep from the fear this confrontation was causing in her.
“Look guys, I’m sorry, ok. Keeley, I need you here now, but tomorrow night you can have off with pay, ok? Sound fair?” She simply nodded her head, because she just knew her voice would shake if she dared try to speak. Just then she heard the ding from the kitchen bell, signaling her other table’s orders were ready. Reluctantly she left the safety of Nathaniel’s arms, not looking at anyone for fear that they would see just how this encounter left her. Aroused from being so close to Nathaniel, and fearful that this would only make things worse with Fred and Eleanor.
After getting the other tables their food, she waited on the guys’. While she waited, she decided that maybe she would have lunch with them. They seemed nice enough, and the idea of a hot, filling meal was too much of a temptation to just give up. With that decided, she picked up their meals and brought them to their table.
“If the offer’s still open, I would like to go to lunch with you both, but could we do it tomorrow?” She requested as she put their food down on the table. With still no response, she thought maybe she had said it too quietly, only to look up and see them both gazing at her with huge smiles on their faces. Seeing their response actually caused her to do something she hadn’t done, genuinely, in far too long to remember. She smiled back.
“God, you have a gorgeous smile, woman!” Nathaniel said emphatically. “Tomorrow would be fine, Butterfly.”
“What time can we pick you up?” This from Tyler.
“Ummm, would it be ok if I met you somewhere?” Keeley asked, feeling embarrassed that they would see where she lived.
They both frowned before Tyler responded, “Sure, how about two p.m. at Joy’s Restaurant, downtown on Main street?”
“Ok, thank you. Enjoy your meal,” she said then walked over to her other tables; feeling happier than she could ever remember.
Chapter 4
As Keeley was getting ready to leave the diner, Fred walked into the break room leaning against the door jam, just watching her with a scowl and looking very angry. “That was quite the show your boys put on out there, Keeley. Make no mistake, they don’t scare me, and I’ve been waiting for you long enough. It’s time for you to pay up, girl,” he sneered, slightly confusing her with his comment about paying up.
“Paying up for what? I haven’t borrowed anything,” she replied.
“You didn’t honestly think all those meals were free, did you? You stupid, naive girl,” he said coldly.
“Eleanor told me that I got one free meal a shift when she hired me, though.” She was in a huge panic now. She couldn’t quite hold in the shiver of fear as he took a step closer.
“Yo Fred, you gotta order supplies, I’m running out of food!” Shouted Mike, the night cook from the kitchen. When Fred turned around to shout back, Keeley grabbed her bag and made her escape, running around him and out the front door. Not paying attention until it was too late, and just wanting to get away from him, she ran right out into the pouring rain. After just a few seconds of being out there, she was soaked to the bone and shivering like crazy.
Resigned to her fate, she started to walk the ten blocks to the house she shared with her father. Not owning a warm enough jacket to keep out the chill of the rain, she kept her head down and continued on. It was nine in the morning and most of the people had already gone to work or school, so even if it wasn’t raining out, the streets would have been empty and quiet. Just what she needed right now. To be left alone, so she could think about what she’d gotten herself into by accepting the date with Nathaniel and Tyler.
Hopefully, her father would pass out shortly after he berated her. He normally laid into her for about two hours or so. That would leave her the rest of the day to get the house cleaned up and try to figure out a way to avoid her father.
About three blocks from her house, Keeley wasn’t paying attention when she stepped into a puddle and fell. She hit the pavement landing on her arm, with pain instantly coming from her wrist and traveling all the way up her arm. She sat there just cradling her arm to her chest for almost twenty minutes before getting up and carrying on home.
When she finally made it there, her father was up and waiting for her just like she suspected he would be. “What the hell took you so long, dumbass? You should have been home an hour ago,” Mack said to her.
“I’m sorry. I had a few extra tables,” she said this without thinking.
“Ah, so you have more money for me then? Go ahead, give it here.”
“No father, I have no extra money, you know the tips aren’t as good at night,” she meekly replied while slowly starting to walk towards the hall to get to her room.
“Bullshit!” He yelled at her and got up, stumbling towards her before finally leaning against the wall and grabbing her around the throat, so tightly she could hardly breathe. She just knew she was going to have a handprint, and that Nathaniel and Tyler would see it and find out just how much of a waste of time she really was.
“Please father, I swear, I have nothing extra. Check my bag,” she wheezed out when he finally let go of her throat, but not before tossing her to the floor causing her to land on her injured a
rm, and making her cry out.
“Shut up, bitch!” He yelled as he upended her bag, looking for the money she had hidden in her bra; knowing he’d never think to look there. He was mumbling as he dug around in her bag, about what an ungrateful little brat she was. When he finished looking through it, he got up and tossed it at Keeley telling her, “It’s high time your ass moves out of here, you’ve been nothing but a burden since the day you were born. Nobody wanted you, and I still wish your mother had aborted you when she had the chance, instead of wasting the money on her next fix. You have five minutes to pack your stuff and leave.” He went back and sat down in his chair, grabbing his bottle of vodka. Keeley was surprised at this. She didn’t know what to do. She had nowhere to go, no friends. Nothing. Twenty years old and she’d just been reduced to nothing.
“I said get out!!” He yelled at her again. Scrambling up she ran into her barren room and went through a few things, grabbing a couple changes of clothes and the fairy music box her grandmother had given her on her fifth birthday. It was the only present she’d ever gotten, and the last time she had seen her Grammy. One thing to be thankful for, though, was Mack had forgotten it was her birthday.
As she was walking through the living room to the front door a few minutes later, her father looked up and snarled, “Where do you think you’re going, you stupid whore?”
Stupefied at his question, because he had told her to get out just a couple minutes ago, she stuttered out, “Yo—you told me to get out.”
Narrowing his eyes he bit out, “Shut the fuck up and sit down.”
Sitting down, across from him, on the old couch that they’d had since she could remember, Keeley was incredibly confused by his behavior. She knew today would be bad, but he’d never tried to kick her out before, and now he was acting like he never even said it.
