And she had to live in this place. She, who had a head filled with rainbows and butterflies and glitter. How ridiculous was that? West had no idea about her life. No idea about anything. None of them did.
Because she knew if they did, they’d look at her differently. And she wanted a fresh start. She wanted to just be Flick. To have none of this other shit following her around. She moved carefully down the hallway, making sure she didn’t look towards his study. Or towards the dreaded living room she only stepped foot in when he made her. She thought she’d made it safe and clear. She’d just reached the stairs when she heard his voice boom out.
“Felicity! Get your ass in here!”
She sighed. Dropped her head and closed her eyes. She tried to go to a happy place. Unfortunately, thirty minutes ago her happy place had been torn away from her. Dreams of West and her, their ridiculous white wedding, and their happy-ever-after was what had been keeping her going. And now she didn’t have that. Time to find another happy place, because it was the only way to deal with him.
“Don’t make me come get you, Felicity!”
She shuddered. No, that would make things so much worse. Like she hadn’t learned that the hard way. And while she might live in her head where there were castles and white knights and moats with draw bridges, in reality her life was filled with darkness and fear. Slowly, she turned and made her way down to the study. The door was slightly ajar. She pushed at it, and moved inside, but only a foot or two. She didn’t want to get too close. She’d learned that the hard way too.
He’d left her alone while her cast was on. She was a fool to think that he’d continue to do so. She had to hold back a wince as she saw he was already on the hard stuff. There’d been a time when he wouldn’t start drinking bourbon until well after ten. He always started off with beer. Beer and an upper body workout. She knew it sounded ridiculous. He stayed up late, slept in, worked out, and drank. But now, instead of waiting until ten or later to hit the bourbon, he was starting earlier. She looked over at the clock on the wall, wasn’t even nine. That didn’t bode well for her.
“Where have you been?” he snapped.
“Just for a ride,” she told him.
“Do not lie to me, Felicity,” he said in a low voice.
Warning. Warning. Her heart raced, her mouth went dry. Why did she always think she could lie to him? It never worked out well for her.
Why hadn’t she waited until he’d passed out and snuck inside then?
Idiot, Flick. Idiot.
“More like you were at those neighbors’, making a nuisance of yourself. That what you been doing?
“I haven’t been making a nuisance of myself. They like me.”
Even she could hear the sad, lost note in her voice. They liked her. At least she thought they did. Now she didn’t know. Because Flick knew she wasn’t a very good judge of other people. People she thought were friends often turned out to be the enemy.
Even family could be the enemy. She stared at the man sitting in a wheelchair across from her, bitterness etched into the lines of his face. A face that had once been handsome, that used to smile, that used to look down at her gently before he’d kiss her forehead, tell her he loved her and tuck her into bed. A man who’d once protected her. A man who’d turned into something cold and dark. Someone she no longer recognized but she knew to be scared of.
“You been throwing yourself at them? At one of those boys? Or more than one? That what you’re doing, Felicity? Trying to get us kicked out of another town?”
“I didn’t get us kicked out of Ashville, and you know it.” She made the effort to try to temper her voice, not to show how upset she was. How bitter. But she guessed she must’ve failed as his eyes narrowed, and he glared at her.
“Wasn’t me that threw myself at Brian, Felicity. Fucking delusional as usual. Thinking he would want you.”
If she wasn’t raw from the run-in with West, those words may not have hurt as much. She’d have built a wall to keep him out. But they hit hard and deep. She’d been an idiot thinking Brian would want her. Thinking he’d want her enough to help her. But like everyone else in her life when they came up against her brother, he’d caved.
“Maybe we should go somewhere else,” she told him. Something moved his eyes. Something that wasn’t nasty. But it wasn’t right either. Nothing about him was right.
“Somebody done something to you?”
That was rich. Coming from him. What hadn’t he done to her? Well, she guessed there were some things. She swallowed the rising bile at the thought.
“No. Nobody’s done anything to me. Just a weird town. The men think they get to boss everybody around. Think they know what’s best for the little woman.”
He barked out a laugh that wasn’t filled with humor. “Thought you’d like that, Flick. Thought you dreamed of a family with a man who was all protective over the little woman.”
She tensed. He hadn’t just guessed that. She knew it. She knew he’d read that in her diary. She glared at him. He smiled back. He got a kick out of this. Out of hurting her. And she knew she shouldn’t give that to him. When she’d finally figured out he got off on hurting her, she’d started building a wall. But, tonight, she was too weak from the fight with West. And that kiss. Holy shit. She knew he’d just been making a point, but she’d never felt anything like that before.
He waited for her to say something. To accuse him of invading her privacy. He was begging for a fight, an excuse to take his anger and hatred out on her, but she’d learned. Oh, God, had she learned. She wasn’t going to give that to him.
“I’m tired. I’m going to bed, Spencer.” She turned around.
“No, you’re not,” he ordered.
She stilled, but didn’t turn back around. Stupid.
“Come here, Felicity.”
She shook her head. She knew that tone of voice. This was gonna go one of two ways for her. Neither of them good.
“I said, come the fuck here. Is it too much to ask that I get some respect around here? The men in this town have got the right idea, beat the little woman and keep her in line.”
She whirled around at that. Stupid mistake. She should have taken the opportunity to get far, far away. Because now he was right behind her, despite that damn wheelchair, he was fast and he was strong. Far stronger than she was.
“They don’t beat them!” Another wrong move. Defending them when she’d just told him she thought this town was weird.
He raised his eyebrows. “That’s not what I’ve heard. I heard they don’t do what they’re told, they got their asses beat.”
She didn’t know why she was arguing this point. He would never get it. He would never understand. “They take care of their woman. They want them to be safe.”
“My dear Felicity, always trying to see the best in everything.” His voice held a note of false sympathy. Fuck, she hated when he did that. “You don’t see the fucking reality. These men get to yank their woman over their knee and spank their asses whenever they like. Nobody is gonna stop them. Not even the sheriff since he does the same. Ties his woman up, beats her ass. Think they stop with just a spanking? I know that shit doesn’t stop there.”
“Well, you’d know, wouldn’t you?” Soon as she said the words, she wished them back. Idiot, Flick. She should have run. She should have made her way up the stairs and into her bedroom and barricaded herself in. He didn’t let her have a lock on her door, but she’d installed one herself when they’d first arrived. A fairy princess who knew how to use a power drill. Wouldn’t West be shocked? And when she came home the next day, he’d already removed it.
First thing he’d done when they’d bought this house was put in an elevator. It cost a fortune, but it wasn’t like he cared. It wasn’t like they had money problems. And the one thing he never begrudged her were the things she wanted. She wasn’t sure why that was. How he could be so cold and cruel yet give her a diamond bracelet without blinking. Not that she’d ever asked for a diamond
bracelet. Jewelry wasn’t her thing.
But then, maybe she should have been collecting expensive jewelry. Hocking it could have given her the funds to escape him. Yeah, that would have been a better play. She’d tried to get a job in the past, but he’d always manipulated or bribed someone so she’d lose it. When you had money, you had power.
So there she was, stuck. She’d thought of running—so many times. Only she didn’t have the first fucking idea how to start. She knew it would take a lot of money. A new identity. Maybe even a new country, because he’d search for her. He’d come for her and he wouldn’t stop. She knew she’d never be free. She was always tied to him, in more ways than one.
His hand slid around her wrist and held on tightly, so tight she knew it would bruise. He yanked her close, and she let out a startled cry of pain as her arm protested the sharp movement. He’d once dislocated her shoulder. He’d set it again, but it had never been right.
She’d be lucky if that was the only bruise she got away with. When his hand pulled back, she braced. It slammed into her face and pain blossomed, tears filling her eyes. He didn’t often hit her in the face; he didn’t want to risk anyone finding out what he did to her.
He dragged her down towards him. Which wasn’t far considering he was sitting in that chair. Though he was a very tall man and she was short, the top of his head just reached her nose.
He wrapped his other hand around her throat, and she tensed. This was new. He applied pressure and she brought her free hand up to try and pull his away. She clawed at him, frantic. But he was still so fucking strong, and she knew he wasn’t going to move unless he wanted to. She ran her fingernails along his skin, digging deeply. He finally drew away, letting her take a deep breath. She choked and gagged, but the relief didn’t last long. He landed another blow, this time a punch to the gut. She leaned over, trying to catch her breath. She tried to pull out of his hold, but he held on firmly.
“You little bitch, you made me bleed.”
Oh, the irony, considering how often he’d made her bleed. He shook her arm and she cried out again. Agony raced up her arm as he twisted, pulling it up her back. The blinding pain engulfed her as she heard the sickening pop as her shoulder came out of its socket. He pulled her fingers further back, and she heard another crunch. She screamed and fell to her knees as he let her go. Her arm hung at her side and she reached for her hand but pulled up short before she touched it, not wanting to make the pain worse.
“Next time, watch your words.” He wheeled closer and grabbed her arm once more to wrench shoulder back into place. She fell to the floor, tears streaming down her face, the pain so bad she could barely breathe.
“Get up, Felicity, you’re not sleeping there.”
She climbed to her feet, her face throbbing, her hand and arm in agony. His push caught her by surprise, she’d thought he was done with her. She stumbled forward, trying to catch herself. She needed to run. To get out of there, but as she took another step her weak foot folded beneath her and she went down, her side slamming into the wooden coffee table.
That was when she saw the flash of the cane. She didn’t get up again for a long time.
4
“I’m going over there!”
West walked into the house as he heard Mia’s loud voice coming from Alec’s study.
“No, you’re not,” his brother growled back in a firm voice.
West paused, waiting.
“I haven’t heard from her in three days, Alec! Something is wrong. She’s not answering my calls. She’s not responding to my messages. I left her a voicemail this morning and said if she didn’t respond by three, I was gonna go over there and I wasn’t leaving until I saw her!”
West glanced down at his watch. It was ten to three. And he had a good idea he knew just who the she was Mia spoke of. The same she that had been the cause of his bad mood for the last three days.
You can’t blame her. You drove her away. You got what you wanted.
And he should be proud of himself for a job well done, it seemed, since she not only wasn’t hanging around, annoying him any longer but she’d also quit pining after his family.
Only, now, Mia was on a tear and Alec wasn’t gonna be pleased his wife was upset. And his displeasure was gonna make its way onto West’s shoulders. Shit.
Sighing, he made his way down to the office.
“Mia, you’re not going over there. End of story.” There was a finality to his voice. West moved into the doorway, waiting for Mia’s capitulation. Then, he’d explain to her why Felicity was avoiding them all. She could give him shit then work on getting over it.
Except, Mia didn’t give in. She walked straight up to her big, imposing husband, got in his face, and growled. Actually growled.
West’s eyes widened. He’d known Mia for a year now. And she was a sweetheart, but she had a backbone; you had to have gumption to live with Alec and the rest of his brothers. But, mostly, she just liked to take care of the people around her.
Right now, she wasn’t the least bit interested in pleasing Alec. Or obeying him, it seemed.
“Flick is my friend. She’s in trouble, and I’m going to help her.”
“No. You. Are. Not.”
“What trouble?” West barked. What the hell kind of trouble could Felicity be in?
Mia whirled, and the look she sent him might have made a lesser man back away. That look was full of anger and contempt.
“You.” She stabbed her finger at West. “This is all your fault. I don’t know what you did to Flick, but I do know you’re going to get down on your goddamned knees and beg her forgiveness for being a jackass.”
He turned from Mia to look at Alec. “You wanna get your woman under control.”
Alec crossed his arms over his chest and gave him a nod.
Good. Cause he didn’t enjoy being called a jackass. And the only reason he wasn’t making that clear to Mia was because she was his brother’s woman.
He also liked her, so he didn’t want to scare her, but he fully expected Alec to take her in hand.
“Get me under control? Are you serious?” Mia’s eyes shot sparks. Her temper was in full swing.
“Mia, calm down.”
She whirled towards Alec. “I can’t calm down. She’s my friend and he did something.” She pointed back at West.
Alec nodded. “I know he did.”
Hey. Wait. What?
West frowned.
“And when Beau and Maddox bring her back here, this jackass can get down on his knees and fucking apologize to her.” Alec’s eyes didn’t flash with temper. They were arctic cold. Why the fuck was he the bad guy? He’d done what needed to be done. He’d thought Alec would back his play—Felicity wasn’t one of them.
And he was completely over being called a jackass. There was also no way in hell he was getting down on his knees and begging anyone’s forgiveness.
“Like fuck I will.”
The full force of Alec’s gaze hit him. “You saying you didn’t say something to that girl that meant she’d cut herself off not only from you, who she clearly adored, but from this family and most importantly from my woman, who she also adores and who adores her back?”
“That’s a lot of fucking adoration going on,” he muttered.
“Quit with the bullshit, West. You did something.”
“I just made it clear I wasn’t the right choice for her.”
“Right. And that made her shut the rest of us out?” Mia asked him, hands on her hips, her stance telling him she didn’t believe him for a second.
“Might have also made it clear that this wasn’t her family and never would be.”
“Jesus fucking Christ, man. Why the hell would you do that?” Alec barked.
West stared at him. “Seems to me, wasn’t that fucking long ago you were all for keeping everyone else out. Malone’s have their own rules, right? She had this stupid idea in her head that I was gonna be hers and so would this family. She needed to know the truth
; I wasn’t her way in.”
“She doesn’t need a way in, West. She’s already in.” The disappointment in Mia’s eyes as she stared at him hit him harder than he thought it would.
“Look, Mia, I get that you like her—”
“You don’t get anything,” Mia retorted.
“Fine. You want that friendship back, I’m sure she’ll give it to you once she’s over her snit.”
“Over her snit? Over her snit? Seriously!” Mia raised her hands into the air. “I knew you could be an ass, but this is a whole other level, even for you.”
“Mia,” Alec said in a low voice.
Finally, he was gonna step in.
“What? I’m not the only one who’s worried, Alec.”
“Know that, baby. That’s why I sent Beau and Maddox. They’re gonna bring her back. You can tell her what you need to say. Then West can apologize for being a shit.”
“I’m not fucking apologizing. I said what I said ’cause it was true. She’s not for me. I’m not for her.”
“It seems to me you could have said it with more care, brother.”
“Since when do you care what I say to a woman who ain’t Mia?” West was confused. Alec didn’t care about anyone who wasn’t family.
“I care because this girl is fragile. She’s got a shield, but it doesn’t come close to covering her soft spot, and I know you. You would have gone straight for the jugular without a care for that soft spot.”
“Since when do we give a fuck about tenderness?” he growled. This conversation was fucking ridiculous. He was not fucking apologizing for doing what needed to be done.
“We do when it’s a woman who means something.” The voice came from behind him and he turned to find Butch standing there.
“Mean something? You got something to tell me about your relationship with Felicity, Butch?” The jealousy that sailed through him was a complete shock and not a welcome one.
How West Was Won (Haven, Texas Book 7) Page 4
