Dare to Trust

by Dixie Lynn Dwyer

  Marlena chuckled and Alicia barked at her. “What? Why are you laughing?”

  “Because, I’ve never seen you get so riled up over a man before. It’s like the sheriff gets under your skin.”

  “He rubs me the wrong way.”

  “You like him, that’s what’s pissing you off.”

  “I do not. I definitely don’t need another controlling, demanding man in my life telling me what to do and where to go and who to hang out with.”

  “That’s not what the sheriff did.”

  “Close enough.”

  Marlena laughed.

  “Well, I think you’ve caught the eyes of all three Gordon brothers. Maybe a little push is exactly what you need.”

  Marlena heard the bell ring and knew the food orders were up.

  “Excuse me while I get back to work.” Marlena winked and Alicia shook her head.

  “You’re the one who found three great men. I’m destined for loneliness, to be a failure, and more than likely have Tony up my you-know-what for the rest of my life because I’m such a scaredy cat when it comes to him.”

  “The first step in solving a problem is first admitting that you have one. You’ll figure it out, and if you can’t get rid of him, I know a very tough, sexy deputy that I’m sure would be happy to kick some jerk’s ass for you. Mike’s been gnawing at the bit for days now.”

  Alicia chuckled.

  Marlena walked away and glanced at Danny. He nodded his head and she turned away.

  After work, they would head to her place to get some more clothes. She was upset at not being able to enjoy the new kitchen cabinets they completed. What a shame. All because Peter was on the run from police and possibly heading to find her. But how could he find her? She was all the way in South Carolina. How could he get tipped off?

  She delivered the food and went about her work day, swamped as ever. Seemed to her that every person living within the perimeters of Chance decided to pay a visit to meet her, give their word of personal protection, and console her. Chance was a special town indeed. She was beginning to think Peter would never even reach the perimeter of town, never mind get away with standing right in front of her.

  It seemed to her more and more that coming here, deciding on staying put in the town with the choice based solely on its name, was the right move after all. Maybe she was getting better at making decisions and following her gut instincts. Having her three new best friends and falling in love with the Spencer brothers were what was keeping her less panicked and more confident. Hopefully the police caught Peter before he even stepped into South Carolina. That was what she really hoped for.

  * * * *

  Mike and Deputy Taylor Dawn headed to Marlena’s cottage to do a drive-by. They knew that the town entrances were covered by patrols and that pictures of Peter Jones were posted and passed around to anyone they could reach. But Mike was antsy and doing the drive-by this late afternoon would make him feel like he was accomplishing something.

  As they came up the drive along his uncle’s old place, he caught a glimpse of something by the front door.

  “You see that?” Taylor asked, catching it, too.

  “Shit, look at the side window. Did Marlena leave that open?” Taylor asked.

  “I don’t think so. We were sure to lock things ups good and tight. Let’s be careful,” Mike said.

  “Should we call it in?”

  “Not yet. We don’t know what we got. Just be ready,” Mike told Taylor.

  “You got it, buddy.”

  They slowly pulled up closer and Mike could see the broken glass.

  “Fuck, looks like someone might have broken in.”

  Mike placed the car in park and turned off the engine.

  “I’ll take the front. You want to head around back, in case someone is still in there?” Mike asked.

  “You got it.”

  They got out of the car and drew their weapons. They used their training to case the perimeter of the house and slowly approach. Taylor disappeared around back and Mike stepped onto the porch, hearing the old wooden planks creak.

  He cursed under his breath.

  He slowly turned the front doorknob and it released. The person who broke in probably left through the front door.

  He walked inside and could see Taylor making his way in from the back porch.

  “All clear,” he called out as Mike checked the living room, the kitchen, and then the bedroom.

  “All clear.”

  But the bedroom wasn’t neat and tidy like Marlena left it. Instead her clothes were scattered everywhere, the glass on the dresser mirror broken, and a note was left on the bed.

  “I’m coming for you,” it said in red.

  “This is Taylor, I need the sheriff and Detective Morgan to come out to Marlena Courts’s place, pronto,” Taylor said into his radio, and Mike felt sick to his stomach.

  He looked around knowing that Peter, the man who tried to kill his woman, was in here. She would be a mess if she came home to this.

  “Shit, I have to call Danny and Jack and tell them not to bring Marlena here. She gets off in thirty minutes. She can’t see this. She’ll lose it,” Mike said.

  “You’re right. She’ll be a mess. This is a total violation of her personal space. What a fucking creep. We have to find him. No woman is safe with a guy like this around,” Taylor said.

  Mike made the call and quickly explained to Danny what happened then he hung up the phone.

  “Everyone needs to step up their protection over the women,” Mike whispered as he looked around, being sure not to touch anything.

  “No problems there. We’ve got Marlena’s friends covered. If this guy got this close into town, he could get his hands on Marlena’s friends or people she’s close to,” Taylor said then pulled out his personal phone and texted someone.

  “Texting your brothers about Mercedes?” Mike asked as they heard the cars pulling up outside.

  “You betcha, and she isn’t going to take it well, believe me.”

  Mike chuckled.

  “You guys should take it as an opportunity to make a move. You know you’re interested in her,” Mike said.

  “Yeah, well, it’s going to take some time. There are things to work out, first.”

  “What’s going on?” the sheriff asked as he walked through the open front door.

  “Looks like a break-in. The asshole is in town. He left a note,” Mike said.

  “Shit. Did you call your brothers?” the sheriff asked Mike.

  “Danny is with Marlena at the diner.”

  “You have a forensics team on hand?” Detective Morgan asked as he entered the cottage.

  “We get help from the state police five miles out of town.”

  “Call it in. We need all the concrete evidence we can get against this guy to prove he’s a criminal and intent on doing harm to Marlena. I need fingerprints, hair follicles, something concrete.”

  “How about this?” The sheriff asked as he pointed to the floor on the other side of the bed. Mike walked around as well as Detective Morgan.

  Mike clenched his teeth and felt about ready to explode.

  A pair of Marlena’s panties were in a ball on the floor and there looked to be something wet on them.

  “I hope the stupid son of a bitch was dumb enough to jerk off in those. Sorry, Mike,” the detective said, and Mike nodded his head and tried to control his fuming temper. This guy was sick, blatant, and unafraid of the law. He felt the hand on his shoulder.

  “Let’s wait outside. The forensics team will be here soon, we all need to work on a plan to go hunting,” Taylor said, and Mike agreed. This wasn’t a normal case. Not just because it was his girlfriend involved but because this guy Peter appeared to believe he was above the law and could get away with doing anything he wanted to try and get to Marlena. He felt sick to his stomach. The guy fucking went through her panties, maybe jerked off in them, and was on her bed. It was becoming pretty clear that Peter needed to b
e stopped before someone else got hurt. They couldn’t leave Marlena alone. They had to protect her no matter what. They had to.

  * * * *

  What do you mean I can’t go back to the cottage? Why the hell not?” Marlena asked as she got into the SUV with Danny and Jack. She was sitting in the middle between them.

  They were being very quiet and yet they were touching her every chance they had and even kissing her or looking at her with soft expressions. But what also caught her attention was the way Jack kept looking in his rearview mirror and side mirrors as if seeing if someone was following them.

  “What in God’s name is going on? Just tell me already,” she said.

  “Nothing is going on. Let’s head to our place. You can shower and change and we’ll make some dinner,” Danny told her.

  “I need more clothes. I’ve been wearing the same things over and over again the last two weeks.” She raised her voice and both men were quiet. Both men had firm expressions and seemed to be half paying attention to her. She saw Jack look in the rearview mirror again and this time Danny looked at the side mirror.

  She looked over her shoulder trying to see what they could be looking at.

  “Why do you keep doing that? Are you looking for someone?” she asked just as they saw multiple state police vehicles pass by them in the opposite direction.

  Looking back, it appeared as if they were headed into the center of town.

  “What was that all about?” she asked and Danny looked at Jack. Jack gripped the steering wheel tighter.

  “Jack?” She pushed, and touched his forearm. He was tense, hard, angry. She gulped and pulled back. This wasn’t his normal demeanor. Then it hit her. The police cars, the state police, the two of them acting funny and not letting her go to her own cottage, and all the chaos as she exited the diner tonight. Peter was in the area and they knew it.

  She covered her mouth and felt the tears emerge just as Jack made the turn down the long dirt road that led to their property. The sheriff’s patrol car was there along with Detective Morgan’s.

  Jack pulled the truck to a stop and Danny took her hand.

  “We won’t let him get to you, Marlena. We will protect you.”

  “Tell me what happened. Did someone see Peter nearby? Did he do something?”

  “Help her out of the vehicle. We’ll discuss everything that’s going on inside with Mike.”

  Jack looked so pissed off. It made her feel unsteady as Danny helped her from the SUV.

  Everyone looked at her and Detective Morgan approached.

  “Mike, the sheriff, and Taylor and I went over the entire house. Everything looks secure. She’ll be safe here when she’s not at work.”

  “She’s not going back to the diner. Not until this nutjob is caught,” Jack stated firmly.

  “What? Wait a minute. Someone tell me what’s happening here.”

  “You didn’t explain things to her?” Detective Morgan asked.

  Jack and Danny looked at Mike as he approached.

  “I asked them not to.”

  “Mike, what happened?”

  Mike looked her over but kept his distance. At first she felt insulted, upset that he would deny any affection of relationship’s status in front of the detective and the others, but then she realized by the expressions around her that they were all affected by whatever happened and Mike was in police mode.

  “We have reason to believe that Peter is in the vicinity,” Mike told her.

  She covered her mouth and took a step back. Jack was there to hold her as she leaned against him.

  “How do you know?”

  Mike looked away. It appeared as if he bit the inside of his cheek and had to gain some composure.

  “He broke into your cottage.”

  She was shocked as she shook her head and felt the tears fill her eyes.

  “How do you know?”

  “He left a note. He tore apart your clothes and trashed the place, and he left other evidence that the state police forensics team collected and is bringing to the lab to analyze.”

  “Evidence? Like what?” she asked.

  Mike shook his head.

  “It’s not really necessary to get into,” the sheriff said, sounding just as ticked off as Mike and looking like he knew what was left and didn’t want to say.

  “It’s important that you understand we need to step up security around you. We’ll find him. We’re organizing a team to help search both by vehicle and on ATVs,” Taylor added.

  She knew whatever was left it really affected the men so she dropped it for now.

  “Let’s get you inside,” Jack said and she looked at Mike as Danny joined her on the other side like they were her personal body protectors. What did they think, Peter would try to shoot and kill them like some sniper?

  As she thought the thought she looked around them and toward the abundance of woods surrounding their home. She hurried to the door with Jack and Danny. Her concern was for them. She wouldn’t let anything happen to them.

  They went into the house and she didn’t feel so good. Her emotions, her anxiety about their behavior was getting the better of her.

  She felt the hands on her shoulders. Danny.

  “Why don’t you go shower and change into something more comfortable? We’ll start dinner. It’s getting late.”

  She looked toward the windows of the house and could see the sunlight slowly disappearing. The cars and trucks were leaving but Mike was still out there. Alone.

  Danny guided her upstairs.

  “I’m fine. I can do it myself,” she told him. She was upset. They were obviously keeping things from her and she didn’t like it at all. They asked her to be honest with them and she was. She didn’t hold back, especially not these last few weeks.

  She started to unbutton her blouse when Danny turned her around and pulled her into a hug against his chest. She felt his heart racing. She heard him breathing heavily, inhaling her shampoo as he used his hands to squeeze against her ass and pull her to him.

  “I love you so much, Marlena.”

  She listened to him breathing. The way he paused and squeezed her as he said those words.

  “I love you, too.”

  “This guy is bad news. He wants to hurt you. He left things at your cottage. He did things to your… God, I hate this,” he said and pulled back.

  He held her gaze.

  “What things? What did he leave? What do you mean? Why won’t any of you tell me?”

  He stared down into her eyes.

  “He lay on your bed. He touched your panties. He…Fuck.” He pulled her close and kissed her deeply. It was as if he was trying to get the images out of her head. She held him tight and she thought about what he didn’t say. What he couldn’t say. Peter was on her bed. He did things. He touched her panties. What had he done to them?

  He released her lips slowly and then controlled his breathing.

  “Let’s get the shower ready. I’ll help you. I need to be inside of you, baby. I need to be that close.”

  He undressed her and she undressed him then they got into the shower together.

  Danny didn’t hesitate. He washed her up, making her skin soft and covered in lathered soap. He turned her around to help rinse her body and then he turned her back to face him.

  “I need you.” He cupped her breasts then leaned forward and kissed her lips. She reached between them and stroked his cock, She ran her sudsy fingers back and forth over the ridge and then to his testicles and massaged them. He kissed her deeply and moaned into her mouth.

  In a flash his fingers were stroking her cunt, bringing her juices out to lubricate her channel.

  The water flowed between them, washing away the remainder of suds and cascading them in warmth. His kisses grew deeper, more demanding, and then he lifted her up and pressed her against the tiled wall.

  She maneuvered his cock toward her pussy and sank down on the thick, hard muscle. Tilting her head back, she moaned and he began t
o thrust and rock his cock deeper and faster into her pussy.

  “I love how you feel inside of me. Everything is perfect,” she told him, and he growled out almost in anger.

  His face wedged against the crook of her neck and his mouth suckled hard against her skin. He gripped her hips and stroked harder, faster into her.

  “You’re mine. All mine. No one can ever have this body, have your orgasms, your pleasure but my brothers and me.” His strokes were so hard, so deep she cried out in ecstasy.

  “Yes. Yes, Danny, all yours and Mike’s and Jack’s. Only you,” she told him as a feeling of possessiveness and need shot through her system. She ran her fingers through his hair, she counterthrust against him, and then she felt her entire body tighten as she screamed her release and Danny growled out his against her neck. The water splashed between their bodies as skin collided against skin in those last few strokes. Then they held one another close and she relished in the way she felt with him inside of her and the connection that could never be severed.

  “I love you, forever,” she whispered and she hugged him tight until the water cooled and they were forced to step back out into reality.

  * * * *

  “I can’t get the fucking image out of my mind. I can’t. I tried, but it’s no use. I see that fucking asshole’s face from the picture in my head. Then I see her bedroom, the way he slept on her bed as if he were waiting for her. The worst, the fucking panties, a bunch of them scattered, ripped on the floor and on the bed, then the one pair on the rug. The ones he jerked off in thinking about our woman. Our Marlena.” Mike raised his voice and slammed his hand down onto the island in the kitchen.

  “Damn it, I fucking can’t even imagine. The sheriff is pissed off, Taylor looks ready to kill someone, and poor Marlena doesn’t know any of this. We need to tell her. She needs to understand that she has to stay with us and be surrounded by people who can protect her until this dick is found,” Jack told his brother.