by Dakota Dawn
Taking comfort in his words, she knew deep down everything would be all right.
Chapter Nineteen
The day after being disowned, Branda just wanted to sleep her sorrows away. But no. Trent was knocking annoyingly on her door. “Go away.”
“I’m coming in.”
To her surprise, he did just that.
“I am going to keep you moving today. It is clear to me you can’t entertain yourself.” Humor laced his words.
“I’m fine. I don’t want to do anything.”
“Too bad. Get up. We are going into the backyard to practice throwing knives.”
“Not on your life.”
“Get up.”
“Get out.”
Trent moved towards the bed.
She threw a pillow at him.
“Is that the best you can do?” he asked, after dodging the pillow.
She threw another one.
He dodged it then stalked forward and ripped the covers off her.
She gasped then sputtered, “I could have been naked.”
“Although I’m sure that’s a lovely sight, I knew you weren’t.”
“There is no way you could have known.”
A mischievous light entered his eyes. “You’re right. I was hoping you were naked under the sheet so I could see what my brothers find so fascinating about you. Want to strip down and show me?”
“No. Leave me alone. I’m mad at you for trying to see me naked.”
A broad smile crossed his handsome face as he handed her the sheet. “Clutch the sheet to your chest like you did when you were throwing the pillows at me.” He sighed loudly when she didn’t do it. “I’m trying to prove my innocence. Do what I asked, please.”
With a loud sigh of her own, she clutched the sheet to her chest.
“Good. Now move to the mirror and tell me what you see,” Trent instructed.
With a huff, she went and stood before the mirror.
Not cutting her any slack, he asked, “What do you see?”
“Spaghetti straps.” Turning, she faced him. “I’m sorry. I’m not myself since Troy and Trey left.”
“Apology accepted. Now get dressed. I’ve got coffee and pastries waiting for you in the kitchen.”
She watched him leave then turned to get dressed.
* * * *
Trent smiled, showing his dimples when she walked into the kitchen. “Get some coffee, and while you eat, we’ll go over knife-throwing techniques.”
She listened and ate while he talked.
When she finished, they headed to the backyard where he re-trained her. Within an hour and a half, she was doing pretty well. He was a patient teacher.
“Looks like you’ve had enough for today. On to our next form of entertainment.”
To her astonishment, he started walking into the house.
Following quickly, she asked, “What do you mean our next form of entertainment?”
“The movies, of course. I’ll lock up and we’ll head out.”
In his truck, Branda stared out the window. She couldn’t believe Trent was babysitting her today. But she always tried to be honest with herself, and the truth was she needed a babysitter. Starting right now, she was going to pull herself out of her melancholy.
She looked at Trent. “It’s a nice day for a movie.”
He smiled. “I have to agree. What kind of movies do you like?”
“I don’t care. I’ll watch whatever you like,” she responded in a merry tone.
“No chick flicks today. You are, by far, my favorite sister-in-law.”
At the theater, Branda let him pick the movie and guide them to their seats. Thirty minutes later, her hands were covering her eyes and she was wishing she’d picked the movie. All the blood, guts, and screaming had her wanting to run. But not wanting to hurt his feelings, she stayed glued to her seat.
He chortled and whispered, “You can look now. The bad guy is gone.”
She uncovered her eyes and watched the movie until the killer came back then she covered her eyes again.
Once the coast was clear, he’d whisper “All’s clear” and she would uncover her eyes. They did that throughout the entire movie.
When it was over, she hurried out of the theater. “Next time I’m picking the movie.”
“You’re on. Now we have one more stop. I think you’re going to need it after the way you handled that movie.”
“Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.”
He was right about the surprise part. She grinned when he pulled into the parking lot of an ice cream shop.
“I love this place. My mom used to bring us here when we were kids. They have the best ice cream and cheesecake.”
Inside, he insisted she get three different flavors of ice cream.
One bite in and she was hooked. “This is delicious. You said you used to come here when you were a kid?”
“Yeah, Mom brought me and the twins here a lot. It’s a happy place.”
Glancing around, Branda had to agree. Two families were sitting with their kids in the corner near the shop’s toys. The kids were laughing and playing. Ice cream covered their lips. A couple sat two tables away, holding hands and whispering to each other. A man sat in the opposite corner, eating cheesecake and doing something on his laptop. Trent was right. Everyone looked at ease and even happy.
Turning a smile in his direction, she commented, “I like this place. Thanks for bringing me.”
“Anything for you. Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
Trent went to the truck then came back in and ordered two coffees.
He put a coffee down in front of her then sat down. “I believe that’s the way you like it.”
She sipped it. “Perfect.”
Pulling a deck of cards out of his pocket, he said, “Go Fish or Spades?”
One brow arched. “I thought you’d say poker.”
“I wanted to, but cops come in here too often. It’d be my luck I’d be winning big time and they’d come in here and bust the game up. I’d never get my money out of you then.”
Laughter burst from her mouth. When she had it under control, she said, “Spades it is then. You’re not going to get mad if I win, are you?”
“I never get mad while playing cards. Anger makes you lose focus and is a sure-fire path to losing.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Branda raised a brow at Trent then tried to rattle him. “Prepare to lose, Cortino.”
In response he merely smiled, and she knew she was in trouble.
An hour later, they called it a draw and deemed themselves both winners.
Before they left, Trent bought a cheesecake, saying it was like tasting a little piece of heaven.
Later that night when they sat in the kitchen eating a piece, she had to agree with him. “You were right. This is heavenly.” She looked down at her hands for a moment then looked back up at Trent. “Thanks for entertaining me today. It’s just what I needed. I promise to be better from here on out.”
His voice was low and filled with emotion. “It’s good to have you back.”
* * * *
The last two days had gone by in a flash. Troy had called the day before, but the line had gone dead before she could talk to him. Trent had just finished telling Troy she was staying with him in their house when the line died. She missed them so much. Trent was great, but he wasn’t the twins. Her heart, body, mind, and soul craved their presence. Without them she felt lost. It was killing her not even being able to hear their voices. Trent reassured her they’d be back as soon as they could. As if clinging to a lifeline, she held tightly to his words. They’d be back soon, and all would be well.
Today Branda had been busy making cookie and fruit arrangements. She had just dropped off the last of the food at Gaven’s, and with a sigh of relief, she headed for the door.
Walking out of Gaven’s Pub, she bumped into someone. Looking at the person, she was about to apologize. A scr
eam pierced the air. A second later, she realized it was her. Jumping back, she ran back into the pub and ran straight into a hard frame. Thinking she was caught, she screamed again and started struggling. The arms around her tightened.
“No, no. Nooo!” She tried to remember her moves. Eyes tightly closed, she tried a few of the techniques as they came to her, but her opponent was better than she was.
Dropping to the floor, she tried to get away, but her opponent followed her down, crushing her beneath his weight. Kicking out, she tried to hurt him, but he locked his legs around hers, blocking her only way to fight back. A sob escaped her throat. Her left forearm started hurting. Feeling the slice of a knife and warm blood running down her arm, she sobbed louder. What would he do to her this time? Fear grabbed her and made it hard to breathe. Lungs burning, she gasped for breath.
“Hey, hey. Branda open your eyes, honey. It’s Gaven, honey, open your eyes. Tell me what’s going on. Look at me. If you don’t look at me, I can’t let you go.”
Softly spoken words enveloped her. The voice sounded strangely familiar. Opening her eyes, she looked straight into worried, light brown eyes. Something in her brain clicked. “Gaven?”
“Whew! You scared me there for a bit, honey. I’m going to release you now.” In a smooth controlled motion, he released her, stood up, and then helped her up.
Gaven moved, and she spotted a man standing behind him. All the color drained from her face. Roy Smyth! Her body started trembling. A heavy fear-filled fog swirled around her. Branda felt weighted down by it.
“Is she going to be all right, Gaven? I swear all that happened was that we bumped into each other at the doorway. She didn’t hit her head or anything.” The man sounded upset.
Gaven’s gaze shifted back to her. “Oh, shit!” Through the fog, she realized Gaven had picked her up and was carrying her to a chair. “Doug, call 911.”
The man who’d scared her so badly couldn’t be Roy. He was in prison and his voice was different. Gaven knew this man. Looking down at her arm, she realized it wasn’t bleeding. Taking a peek at the man, she noticed he had blue eyes not dark brown.
Putting her head in her shaky hands, she mumbled, “Don’t call 911. I’m fine now. I just want to go home.”
Checking her out, Gaven agreed she looked a little better. Facing the bar, he called out, “Get me a water and a double shot of rum.” Turning to the man she had bumped into he said, “She’ll be all right, Davey. Go get a drink on the house.” Returning his attention to Branda, he softened his tone. “EMS will be here in a minute. There is no way to stop them. You want to tell me what happened?”
Shaking her head, she mumbled, “It…it was nothing. I just thought I saw someone from my past, that’s all. I promise I’m okay, I just want to go home.”
Yelling over his shoulder, Gaven ordered, “Call Trent and tell him I need him here pronto.”
Rushing over to them, one of the waitresses set a glass of water down by Branda and handed the rum to Gaven. He drank half of it then nodded at the waitress. “Thanks.” He focused his attention back on Branda. “Drink some of your water. It will make you feel better.” With a still shaky hand, she did as he asked. “Good girl. Who are you so afraid of?”
She rubbed her left arm unconsciously. “It was silly, really. Don’t tell the twins. You’re not going to tell them, are you?”
Taking her arm, he pushed up her sleeve. A muscle in his jaw ticked. “You thought you saw your attacker, didn’t you?”
Pulling her arm back, she tugged the sleeve back down. She bit her thumbnail then said, “Yes. But it wasn’t him. So no harm done, eh? No need to tell the twins. I feel—”
Pressing a finger to her lips, he stopped the flow of words. “I have to tell the twins, Branda. There are no options in this case. It’s a protective man thing.” A movement from the corner of his eye had Gaven turning to see who was coming.
A waiter ushered the two EMS medics over to them, and they quickly set about checking her out. “Her blood pressure is a little high, but she seems to be doing all right. I recommend she see her regular doctor tomorrow.”
The EMS medics talked to Gaven as if she wasn’t even there. What was up with that?
Trent rushed in and headed her way as Gaven slapped one of the EMS medics on the back and walked with him to the door. They must know each other very well.
“What happened? Are you all right? You look terrible.” Anxiety colored Trent’s voice.
“I saw someone that scared me that’s all. It’s no big deal, really. I just want to go home. Can we go home?”
“Is he still here? Who scared you?” Trent asked in a menacing voice.
“No, yes. I mean the man is here, but he is not who I thought he was. I’m okay now. Let’s just go, okay?” Branda pleaded.
Taking her hand, Trent led her to the door. As they passed by Gaven, he stopped for a second, told him something in a low tone then guided Branda to his truck.
That evening Branda’s stomach stayed tied up in knots. If that’s how she reacted to a look-alike, what would happen if she ever ran into the real attacker or a new one? She had run like a little girl, and her ninja skills hadn’t worked at all on Gaven. Thinking she could find peace in sleep, she went to bed.
Hours later her body started twitching. Darkness embraced her. She couldn’t see a thing, but she could feel. Her knees hit the ground painfully as her body was flipped over. She wailed out in the darkness. The pounding of her heart echoed in her ears. Big hands were roughly roaming her body. Yelling, she demanded he stop. Between harsh breaths, she told herself to control the situation. Control it how? Her hands were being dragged over her head. The knife sliced into her forearm. She screamed into the darkness. The feel of warm blood trickling down her arm and the scent of blood filling her nostrils made her stomach lurch. Fear surrounded her, squeezed the oxygen from her lungs. A driving need to get away consumed her. The more she struggled the deeper the knife cut into her flesh. More blood rushed down her arm. Pain shot through her arm, and tears ran down the sides of her face, dampening her hair.
In the blackness, she felt him raising her skirt. Another wail filled the air. She struggled to get him off her. Every movement dug the knife deeper into her skin. Sucking in another deep breath, she gave off a terrified scream. A rough hand dug into her thigh. Broken fingernails scraped over her soft skin. Her body tried to twist away. Mocking laughter raked over her, inflaming her fear to raging heights. The hand clawed its way to her panties, scratching her as it curled around the elastic waistband. Heart desperately trying to beat its way out of her chest, she heaved air in and out harshly. Her fearful breathing seemed to amuse him. Evil laughter rumbled from his chest.
The ground under her shifted. Muddle-minded, she thought she heard her name. Was someone coming for her? Darkness was everywhere. She couldn’t see anyone. But she could feel. He was leaning over her, shaking her shoulders. Shaking her shoulders? If he was shaking her shoulders that meant her hands were free. She wouldn’t let him get her, she couldn’t, she had the twins now. Their love was reason enough to live. A fear-induced howling sound passed her lips as she drew her fist up in an upper-cut just like she’d been taught. Smack! Contact. She’d made contact.
“Fuck.”
The darkness still surrounded her, but she’d heard him curse quite clearly. What would he do now? She had to get him before he got her. Drawing her fist up for another hit, she whaled out but he caught her hand and brought it and the other one overhead.
“Branda, wake up, baby. Wake up. It’s Trent. Wake up for me.”
A pleading voice penetrated the fog. It was comforting. She liked it. Her body relaxed. She felt her hands being released. He was family. She knew it. He wasn’t the enemy. The fog kept pulling her down. She was safe now. The body moved and scooted away. She didn’t want him to go. If he left, Roy would come back.
“Stay, I need you. Please don’t go,” she mumbled tiredly, her body drained physically and mentally f
rom the nightmare and the struggle. The body stayed on the bed. She moved closer to its warmth and safety. Snuggling to his back, she murmured, “Don’t let Roy get me.”
“I won’t let him get you. Go back to sleep. You’re safe now. I’ll watch over you.”
The low male voice brought back the comfort she’d been missing lately. Snuggling closer, she drifted off to sleep, feeling safe for the first time in weeks.
* * * *
Closing his eyes, Trent let her snuggle to him. If his brothers didn’t get back soon he was going to go crazy. His left eye still throbbed. She had a hell of an upper-cut. After the episode at the pub and now the nightmare, he knew she needed him. Forcing himself to relax, he followed her to sleep.
* * * *
At six am, Troy walked into his bedroom and stopped short. Trey bumped into him. They had come home early and were looking for Branda. A fierce scowl crossed Troy’s features as he stared at the couple on the bed. Troy took a step in their direction. Trey stopped him.
Motioning him out the door, he waited until Troy was in the hallway. “Don’t go in there half-cocked. We don’t know what happened yet. Think about this for a minute. Trent would never go after our woman. If you’ll notice, he is fully dressed with his back to her. He’s not even under the covers with her. I know it looks bad because she is snuggled up to him, but she always sleeps that way. Let’s wake him up and find out what the hell is going on.”
Going to the bed, Troy touched Trent’s shoulder. He woke up instantly. Confusion then relief crossed his bruised face. Bruised. Someone had given him a black eye. What the hell was going on?
Putting a finger to his own lips, Troy made the quiet sign then motioned Trent out of the bed. Easing out of the bed, he followed Troy out to the hallway.
“Damn, I’m so glad you two are back. Words can’t express how happy I am to see both of you.” Seeing Troy’s frown, he quickly added, “I didn’t have sex with her. Are you kidding me? She’s off limits. I’d know that drunk.”
