by Marla Monroe
“I want to pound the bastard when we find him,” Austin said.
“You and me both.”
“What are we going to do when we catch him?” Austin asked.
“Make sure he understands that if any pictures get out, we’ll pay him a less than friendly visit.”
Austin smiled. That sounded good to him. Turning him in as a Peeping Tom would only draw more attention to them, but threatening him with violence might just do the trick. It was worth a try. If the bastard didn’t take the strong hint, they’d look at a more violent solution. He really didn’t want to do that, but whatever it took to ensure that Selena was protected and happy was fine with him.
“I’ve been thinking about that note and who would want to stir up trouble,” Caleb said.
“What do you mean?” Austin asked.
“I think it’s going to be someone really religious, maybe a preacher even.”
“Why do you say that?”
“The wording he used. He said having relations. Most people would have said sex or fucking,” Caleb pointed out.
“True. You may be right then. I’d sure hate it to be someone like that.” Austin didn’t want to believe that of a man of God.
“So would I.”
Austin felt as though it was someone neither of them knew. He was sure he would have noticed anyone who had that much hatred for them. He hadn’t gotten that vibe from anyone other than Martha. And as much as he hated it, Caleb was right. She wouldn’t beat around the bush with notes and such. She’d just come right out and tell them to their faces, which was what she’d done so far.
By the time they were tired enough to go to bed, it was closing in on ten. They slid in on either side of Selena and snuggled up to her. She helped to calm the churning in his gut over the entire mess. He wasn’t sure he would be able to sleep right away, but it didn’t take long before his eyes slid shut and he fell asleep.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Friday night Selena paced in front of the front door waiting on the guys to come down and get her. She’d been dressed and ready for nearly an hour and hadn’t been able to settle down to just wait. The entire day had been a wash for work. She hadn’t been able to finish the editing she needed to, and reading had been out of the question. Instead, she’d wandered from one room to the next for hours.
Finally, she heard the truck driving down the driveway. She looked out the window, then let out a breath at seeing their truck. She waited for them to knock before she opened the door to let them in.
“Ready, babe?” Caleb asked.
“Yes and no. I’m ready to get this over with, but I’m scared,” she admitted.
“Nothing to be scared of. No one is going to get hurt. We’re just going to flush him out and have a few words with him once we’ve caught him,” Caleb assured her.
“Where’s your bag, honey?” Austin asked.
“On the couch. I’ll get it.” Selena started to go, but Austin stopped her.
“I’ve got it. Let Caleb take you out to the truck,” he said.
Selena nodded and held Caleb’s hand as they walked out of the house together. He lifted her into the cab of the truck, then climbed in next to her. Austin walked up and handed her purse to her before tossing her bag into the back seat and climbing up into the driver’s side.
“Remember, we’re going to act normal while we’re in town. We’ll grab a bite to eat at the diner, then stop by the grocery store to pick up a few things before heading up the mountain. You okay with this, babe?” Caleb asked.
“Yeah. I’m nervous, but I’ll be fine. I want to end this. I hate feeling like a prisoner in my own house,” she said.
Ever since the note and the pictures, Selena had kept her blinds and curtains closed. She didn’t go outside at all and felt as if someone were always out there watching her. Deep down she knew that was stupid. They were only out to get pictures of her with the guys, but she couldn’t forget that car being outside her house that day when the guys hadn’t been around. She couldn’t help but be spooked, and she sure as hell couldn’t help being scared that someone was going to end up hurt.
“Let’s do this,” she finally said.
Caleb squeezed her hand and Austin leaned over to give her a quick peck on the lips before he reversed and headed toward town. She trusted the guys but couldn’t help feeling uneasy about the plan.
The diner was crowded but they managed to grab a table near the middle of the room. As far as the plan went, it was perfect, putting them out there where they could easily be seen, but it made her nervous.
“What do you want to eat, honey?” Austin asked.
“I don’t know. I’m not really hungry,” she said.
“You’ve got to eat something. I can tell you’ve lost a few pounds since you’ve been here. You’ll be hungry later once this is all over,” Caleb said.
“I guess a hamburger and fries then,” she said.
When the waitress arrived, Selena told her what she wanted and listened as the guys got the same thing. Her stomach felt as if there were rocks moving around in it. She hadn’t been this nervous since she’d gone to court when she was divorcing her husband.
“So how is the writing going?” Caleb asked.
Selena knew he was trying to set her at ease. She also knew that they needed to act normal. How could she act normal when one of the people in the diner could be the one who’d snapped those pictures and written that note?
“Not very well. I’m having a hard time concentrating. I’m supposed to be editing the book that’s due to the editor by next Friday,” she said.
“You’ll get it done. Next week things will be easier, you’ll see,” Austin told her.
“What about you guys? Everything going well with that bathroom you were redoing?” she asked.
“Yeah, actually, it is. We’ve only got another day on that bathroom, then we’ll have one more to do and we’ll be finished with that house,” Caleb said.
“I bet the guys will be happy to have it all finished,” she said.
“Yeah, they will be. Place is a mess though. Going to take them some time to get it all cleaned back up and furniture moved back,” Austin added.
“What’s next after that?” she asked.
“Then it’s on to Gabriel and Baldwin’s place. They need a wall busted out, the kitchen completely gutted, and one of the bathrooms reworked. Going to be about a month’s worth of work even with their help,” Caleb said.
“I can tell you’re looking forward to it though,” she said.
“We always like starting a new project. It’s fun to imagine the potential a place has and make it come alive,” Austin said.
“That’s kind of like how I feel about starting a new book. I get all excited about making the characters come alive on the page and snagging the reader’s attention. I want them to enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it,” Selena said.
“Hadn’t thought about it like that, but you’re right. It is kind of similar,” Austin said.
The waitress brought their food over, and they ate in silence. Despite feeling as though she wasn’t hungry, Selena managed to finish off the burger and half the fries. Once the guys had paid and they were on their way up to their house, Selena began to feel that sick feeling about the upcoming night.
“What’s wrong, babe?” Caleb asked as she rubbed her stomach.
“I can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong,” she told him.
“Nothing is going to happen. We’ll do a little kissing and pull off your blouse. You have that tank top under it, so you won’t be naked at all. Just enough to stir the guy’s interest so that he gets closer and the guys can trap him,” Caleb said.
“I know, but I still feel a little sick about it.”
“We’ll keep you safe, honey,” Austin said.
“But who’ll keep you guys safe?” she asked.
* * * *
Selena sighed as Caleb kissed her neck, then sucked lightly on her ea
rlobe. As far as distractions were, it went a long way to easing her knotted-up stomach. Austin kissed along the other side of her neck, then back up to nip at her jaw.
They were standing in front of the living room window on the side of the house that was easily accessible from the road. The curtain was parted about two inches so that the man behind the photos would have just enough room to take pictures from the window. They’d planned everything right down to where everyone was positioned and when they would close in on the man.
“Where did you get those walkie-talkie earpieces?” she asked as Caleb nipped at her shoulder.
“Holdover from our days in the army. We worked special ops with these guys. Always knew they’d come in handy again,” Caleb said.
“I can’t believe you were able to keep them,” she said.
“Any movement out there, guys?” Caleb asked softly.
“Negative.”
“Negative.”
“Wait, I see movement about nine o’clock.”
Selena could barely make out the words even though Austin’s earpiece was next to her ear. Her stomach churned at the thought that someone was out there who meant them harm.
“Keep on him,” Caleb said.
She couldn’t hear anything else because Austin had moved around to begin unbuttoning her blouse. She had the tank top underneath, but it felt as if they were stripping her in front of the window.
“Easy, hon. Just relax. Everything is going to be fine.” Austin finished unfastening her blouse and eased it over her shoulders before stopping to kiss along her skin.
Caleb followed suit and started kissing the other side.
“Close in slowly so he doesn’t spook and get away from us,” Caleb whispered into the mic.
“What’s going on?” Selena asked.
“Shh, babe. Just let us handle it,” Caleb said.
Austin pushed the blouse farther down her arms so that she was trapped with the sleeves keeping her arms down by her sides. He nipped at her shoulder, then kissed her collarbone before sucking on her ear. They’d turned her so that her chest wasn’t directly in view of the window. Caleb did the same on the other shoulder and sucked lightly on the skin there.
“Hold up. Wait until he’s right at the window, then grab him, guys,” Caleb said in a whisper.
“They have him?” she asked.
“Almost. He’s not at the window yet. We want to catch him in the act of taking pictures so he can’t talk his way out of it,” Austin told her.
“This is making me crazy,” Selena said.
“I know, babe. But it won’t be much longer now,” Caleb said.
Austin gripped her neck with his hand and pulled her in for a kiss. He nipped her lower lip, then sucked on it until she opened her mouth and let him in. The kiss was hot and wet and all it took to get her mind off of everything. That was why she missed it when Caleb chuckled and pulled away.
“What?” she asked when Austin suddenly let her go and pulled her blouse back up her arms.
“They have him, hon. Button up your blouse and wait in the living room while we go put the fear of God into this man,” Austin said.
“I want to see him. I want to know who’s been spying on me,” she said.
“Let us talk to him first, then we’ll let you see him. Okay?” Caleb asked.
“Okay. Make sure I can recognize him once you get through with him,” she said.
Caleb winced. Yeah, she knew they were going to beat him up. They might have thought they were keeping that from her, but she knew them. They were furious that someone had been following them. Following her.
“We’ll be back in a little bit. Just relax until we do, okay?”
“Okay.” She really had no choice.
* * * *
Caleb and Austin made sure the door locked behind them when they walked out the front door and around the side of the house to where the guys were holding their voyeur. The men parted as they approached, and the man waiting on them seemed so inconsequential surrounded by so many big men.
He looked to be about five foot eight inches and thin. He obviously didn’t work out because despite his slim appearance, he had a beer belly. His dark-brown hair was greasy and unkempt, as were his clothes. He wore a pair of black sweatpants and the matching black top. All in all, the man was pathetic looking.
“What is your problem, asshole?” Austin asked, stomping toward the man.
“What you’re doing is an abomination to God. You’re evil men luring that poor woman into your trap,” the man said.
“What are you? A preacher?” Caleb asked.
“No, but I know the Bible and you’re what they warn about in it,” the man said.
“Somehow I don’t think the good Lord would like you spying on people and taking dirty pictures of them,” Austin said, taking a step toward the man.
“I’m only gathering information to prove that you’re doing evil.”
“So if we go to your house, we won’t find loads of dirty pictures there?” Caleb asked.
“I think we should go take a look at his place since he’s been looking at ours,” Austin said.
“No. You can’t go to my house. I won’t tell you where it is,” he whined.
One of the men flipped open a wallet. “I think your address is right here on your driver’s license.”
“Give that back to me. You’re stealing from me. That’s against the law,” he said.
“Say’s here his name is Lawrence Montgomery and he’s forty-six years old,” Baldwin said.
“And it’s not stealing if we give it back to you once we’re finished with you,” Caleb said.
“What do you mean finished with me?” Lawrence asked with a slight tremble in his voice.
“We have a problem, Lawrence. You’re bothering our woman and threatening to publish those pictures you have where everyone can see them. That’s not going to happen,” Caleb said.
“You can’t stop me from posting them,” the man said, lifting his chin.
All it took was one punch to the man’s belly and he was sobbing that he’d tear up the photos and never step foot on their land again. Caleb didn’t believe him, so he hit him again just to be sure.
“We know where you live, Lawrence, and will come after you if we ever even think you’ve been watching us or Selena. Do you understand?”
“I understand,” he blubbered.
“On top of that, we’re going to go back to your house with you right now and take every photo you have, and we’ll give them to the people they belong to if we see you on this mountain again. Understand?” Caleb asked.
“Yes, yes. I understand.” Lawrence was crying and holding his stomach.
“Austin, you stay with Selena. The guys and I will take Lawrence home and confiscate his pictures and any memory sticks we can find.” Caleb grabbed the man’s arm with Baldwin grabbing the other.
They walked the man down to where he’d parked his dark sedan, and Quinn went to get their truck to follow the sedan so they’d have a way back. Caleb drove while Baldwin kept Lawrence occupied in the back seat.
“Please don’t hurt me anymore. I promise I won’t bother you again,” the man was saying over and over.
“Let’s see what you have at your house before we decide what to do with you,” Baldwin told him.
“Oh God, oh God,” Lawrence said over and over again.
“Something tells me I’m not going to like what we find,” Caleb said.
They pulled up outside the man’s apartment building, then duck-walked him to his door.
“Unlock it, Lawrence,” Caleb said.
“Please,” Lawrence said again.
“Unlock it, man.”
Lawrence pulled out his house key with shaking hands and fought to get it in the lock. Once he’d opened the door, they shoved him inside and closed it. Caleb looked around the little living area. It was super clean, but there were no pictures scattered around to cause the man to be this nervous.
<
br /> “Search the apartment, guys,” Caleb said, keeping Lawrence close.
A few seconds later Quinn called out.
“You’re going to want to see this, guys.”
The three of them with Lawrence in tow walked into the back bedroom to find the walls plastered with photos of women from town. There was half a wall dedicated to them and Selena.
“He has a nice color printer. Looks like he’s been pretty damn busy,” Quinn said.
“No shit. You’ve got a problem, Lawrence. You need help,” Caleb said.
“I’m not hurting anyone, and I won’t bother you guys again. I promise.”
“That’s not good enough. You need to get some counseling, as well, man.” Caleb shook his head as he started removing the photos of them from the wall. “We’re going to keep tabs on you, Lawrence, to be sure you aren’t falling back into old habits. Guys, get the rest of the pictures.”
It took nearly an hour to clean everything up and make sure he didn’t have any residual pictures stored on his computer or any cards or sticks. Once they’d finished and had reiterated that Lawrence wasn’t to go anywhere near them again and would get counseling, they left, planning to drop Caleb off at his house, and continued up the mountain.
“Thanks, everyone. I appreciate the help.”
“No problem. That little turd would be after us if we had a woman, too. Took care of it for all of us,” Quinn said.
Caleb smiled and was just about to unlock the door when it was flung open by Selena, who’d been waiting on him. She threw herself into his arms and squeezed him so tight he nearly couldn’t breathe.
“Easy there, babe. You’re going to crack a rib,” he said.
“I was so worried that something would happen. Austin said it was all done, but I didn’t get to see him.”
“Don’t worry. I have a picture of him for you. The little shit was a bad boy. He had pictures of women from town all over one of his bedrooms,” he told her.
“That’s just sick. He’s been watching other women, too?”
“Yep. I got all the pictures of us and the memory cards and sticks. Thought you might like to help us burn them,” Caleb said.
