Unexpected Protector (Isthmus Alliance)

by Sloan Johnson

  “Okay, Holly, we need to discuss the terms of your deal. If you agree to them, there’s some paperwork for you to sign and then we’ll get you back home and in Tommy’s bed before too much longer.”

  My heart skips a beat at the thought of spending the night in Tommy’s bed. I still don’t deserve a man like him, but for the time being, I choose to not dwell on that point. The fact is that I’m going home soon. Home to Tommy’s. It only makes sense that she assumes we’re sleeping together. After all, not only is his address the same as mine, but he’s footing the bill for her services. Who goes to those lengths for a woman he barely knows? Tommy Reed, that’s who.

  “Whatever it says, I’m good,” I say enthusiastically. As long as it ends with me going home tonight after signing on the dotted line, I’m all good.

  “Holly, we have to go over this,” she scolds me. “I’m sure I don’t need to tell you what will happen if you agree to the terms and then go back on your word.”

  “No, ma’am.”

  Most of the points they address with me for the next half hour seem fairly straightforward. I’m not allowed to leave the state, I have to check in weekly, and the deal is contingent upon me staying sober. That makes sense, I suppose, since I won’t exactly be a credible witness if I have track marks all over my arms and glassy eyes.

  It’s not until they start telling me about their safety concerns that I feel as though I’m going to vomit. Nick’s attorneys won’t know immediately that I’m testifying against him, but the day will come when the prosecutors will have to tell him. At that point, they’re worried, as am I, that Nick will do something to attempt to keep me quiet.

  “Forgive me, but are you planning on doing anything to make sure that doesn’t happen?” My voice cracks, fear gripping my chest.

  “Ms. Richards, at this time, we don’t feel there is a need to place you in protective custody, but that could change at any time. Do you think Mister Romero will retaliate before it’s public knowledge that you’re testifying against him?” The thing I hate most about this guy is that he’s talking to me as if he’s my buddy. He’s not. I don’t want to testify against that asshole, but I really have no other choice.

  “Right now? No.” The truth is, until Nick realizes how much trouble he’s in, he’ll stay too strung out to do anything. The fear comes into play once the dealers beneath him are no longer able to get their supply because he’s in jail. I’m sure he’s not smart enough to have given anyone a way to keep the pipeline running in event of his absence. “But once his attorneys know and tell him, everything changes. What is your office going to do to make sure I don’t wind up in a body bag before the trial?”

  I cross my arms tightly over my chest, suddenly uncertain this is the best decision. Perhaps I would be better off serving the time I’m facing if it means not pissing off some really bad assholes. Fuck that! They’ve already taken too much away from you; don’t give them years of your life.

  “Where do I sign?” I ask before I can have too much time to think about Nick, Nathan or anything else from that part of my life.

  The prosecutor slides a document across the table and points to multiple places for me to sign and initial. He shakes my hand once everything is complete and leads me to the administration desk to retrieve my belongings. I can’t believe I’m walking back out those doors tonight. I thought for sure I was going to be stuck here until after the weekend, if not until the end of the trial.

  “Did you see the tall blond guy when we first got there tonight?” Dylan asks as he cautiously maneuvers his Barracuda down the snow-covered road.

  “Yeah, why?” I haven’t mentioned Jeff to Dylan because it’s slightly awkward to see Holly’s therapist as at ease behind the bench as he is behind his desk.

  “I talked to him for a bit when you were having your little texting session with Mary. He’s new to town, so I invited him out tonight.” I don’t know why Dylan feels the need to tell me this, but I’m thankful for the advance warning. It gives me a little time to put on my game face. Jeff’s a nice enough guy; I don’t want our connection to make either of us feel uncomfortable with him hanging out. That would completely go against the fundamental principles of the Alliance. I have a feeling the harder moment will be looking him in the eye Monday when we sit down for Holly’s weekly family session.

  “Whatever,” I say as nonchalantly as possible. “It’ll probably be good for him to meet some people.” Given Dylan’s attitude toward Holly, I need to tell him who Jeff is. With everything that’s going on, I really don’t need to listen to Dylan go off about his girlfriend’s fucked up friend when Jeff wouldn’t be able to do anything other than sit there and take in what’s said. Then again, maybe it would be good for him to see what she’s up against in regards to the cards being stacked against her.

  “Hey, about him….” I’m not sure what exactly to say. I don’t want to betray Holly’s confidence, but it’s no secret to Dylan that she’s in treatment since he’s the one footing the bill. “There’s something you should know.”

  Dylan’s car slows as we approach a red light. “What do I need to know? I’m pretty sure there’s nothing you can tell me that’s going to have any influence on the fact that he’s good shit.”

  While that’s true, this has nothing to do with whether or not Jeff is a good person and everything to do with Dylan’s stubborn mind. “No, you’re right. He is a good guy. But I feel it’s only fair to let you know that he’s Holly’s doctor.”

  “You have got to be fucking kidding me.” Dylan sounds shocked, but not upset. “Well, if he’s as good there as he was with his sub tonight, I think Holly has the perfect guy helping her,” he laughs. I know what he means but my jaw clenches at the thought of him dominating her in any way.

  About two miles from the diner, I slide my phone out of my pocket. I’m beginning to worry that Holly is being obstinate and not realizing what a gift any sort of deal is to her.

  “I swear, I’m going to throw that fucking thing out the window the next time you pull it out to see if there’s any news,” Dylan chuckles. “The beautiful thing about cell phones is they make a noise when you have a new message.”

  “Easy for you to say,” I groan. “You aren’t the one waiting for information.”

  “And if I was, would you put up with me acting like a teenage girl with her first phone? Honestly?”

  He’s right, but I won’t tell him as much. I bury my phone in my jeans and turn to look out the window. When Holly gets out, I want to take her for a walk around the square at night. Seeing the lights strung through the trees reflecting off the unmarred snow is one of the most serene sights in town.

  Look at me, the miserable sap planning romantic walks through downtown with a girl I’ve only kissed once. Next thing you know, I’ll be walking down State Street looking in the window of the jewelry stores. Pathetic.

  Mary’s car is in the parking lot when we arrive at the diner. I resist the urge to sprint inside to see what the hell is going on and why she couldn’t be bothered to call me. Dylan would never let me live that down.

  “Just go,” Dylan laughs when he catches me glaring at her empty Mercedes.

  Zeke’s Jeep is also here, which means that Dylan will soon be lost in the mystique that is Tasha. The sight of the two of them would make me vomit if I wasn’t so happy for the guy.

  Rather than drive me home after I’m released, Mary heads to the far east side of town. I don’t want to seem ungrateful, but right now, all I want to do is sleep.

  “I appreciate what you did for me tonight,” I tell her, trying to break the tense silence filling her white Mercedes sedan.

  “Don’t mention it,” she says as though it’s nothing for her evening out to be interrupted to sit with someone who has lived a considerably questionable life.

  “How can you be so calm about everything?” Her poise is disconcerting. It’s as if nothing fazes her.

  “It’s what we do for one another. Tommy asked me to
help you, so I did. Really, he would have done the same for me. Hell, I owe him so many favors I’m not sure I’ll ever repay him. Luckily, we don’t keep track of those things.”

  “I’m confused. How do you know Tommy?” My fists clench as she talks about him, jealousy coursing through my veins. I don’t know what he is to her, but I don’t like it.

  She stares at me as we wait for the light to turn green. “I think it’ll be easier once you see. It’s not easy to explain.”

  Now I’m thoroughly confused. I’ve heard some pretty messed up shit in my short life, so I can’t fathom what I could learn that can’t be explained.

  “Do you mind me asking where we’re going?” I find it ironic that I’m the one sitting in the car with no clue as to our destination. I find it ironic that I’m the one heading toward the east side of town with no clue where we’re going. The only solace is that I’m fairly certain Mary’s intentions aren’t malicious.

  “As I said, there’s something you need to see.” She turns up the radio, effectively ending our conversation.

  We follow a dark blue Jeep into the parking lot of a diner. I have a feeling I know where we are, based on conversations I’ve had with Tasha, but I’m still confused as to why we’re here. It only takes about four seconds for me to recognize the long legs getting out of the passenger’s side of the other vehicle.

  Mary barely has the car in park when I throw open the door and jump out, almost landing on my ass in the slippery parking lot. “Tasha!” I yell out, slipping and sliding my way to her.

  She throws her arms around me, making it possible for me to ignore the biting cold of the night air. How I got so lucky to have this amazing woman in my life is beyond me. She’s stood by me through countless missteps without wavering, even when I put her in the line of fire.

  “How did you get out?” she asks, pulling back to run her hands down my face, checking to make sure I’m okay. Even though she’s younger, sometimes I feel as though she sees herself as the protective big sister. “Tommy said they came by the house earlier tonight, and he thought you were going to be stuck up there all weekend. Does he know you’re out?”

  She starts looking around the parking lot, likely hoping to see Dylan’s purple muscle car. She sighs before turning her full attention back to me. “Where is your coat?”

  “It wasn’t exactly the first thing I was thinking of when I left the house,” I say with a shrug. Now that she mentions my inappropriate attire, I feel the cold leeching through the cotton of my hoodie. “Let’s get inside. I need coffee.”

  As we turn to walk inside, I turn to see Zeke staying back, waiting for Mary. I don’t know him all that well, but if he’s as amazing as Tasha and Tommy claim he is, I would like to get to know him better.

  Tasha bypasses the hostess station, making her way to a semi-private area to the right. “Make yourself at home, T,” I laugh. Never before has it felt so good to do something as mundane as go out for coffee with a friend.

  She sits at a booth along the back wall. I slide onto the seat across from her and thank everything holy for the fact that the heating vent is directly over me. I’m still freezing from walking around Madison in December wearing nothing but a well-loved, thin hoodie. “How did you know I was going to be here?” I ask her, noticing that without having to ask for it, there is a steaming cup of coffee in front of me. Good service is one thing, but this is crazy!

  “I didn’t, obviously. I was shocked to see you get out of that woman’s car!” You’d never know that it’s almost two in the morning by listening to Tasha’s perky tone. “We come up here just about every Friday night. I think you’re going to like it.”

  “You drive across town to a diner on Friday nights? Settling into a totally different type of married life?” I ask her, forcing out a laugh. I’m not sure how I feel about how easily she seems to be slipping back into a domestic role. At least this time it’s with a sinfully sexy man who I no longer doubt would do anything he possibly can to make her happy.

  “Very funny,” she giggles, reaching across the table to playfully slap my arm. “No, this is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Just keep your eyes open tonight and we’ll talk about it tomorrow, see if you figure it out.”

  “Whatever,” I say dismissively. It’s too late and I’ve had far too much excitement to play guessing games tonight. “Where are the guys?”

  “They’ll be here shortly. They had to go to Marquee tonight,” Tasha informs me. My blood heats, knowing they were at Leather & Lace night. I try to convince myself I’m upset because I didn’t get to go but it doesn’t work. What I’m actually feeling is overwhelming desire to go home and finish what we started earlier, combined with a small dose of frustration that he was there and I wasn’t.

  “Okay, cool.” Something near the door has Tasha’s attention, so I’m reasonably certain she didn’t notice my thinly veiled disappointment. “What the hell are you looking at? I just got out of the slammer and you’re ignoring me!”

  “Whatever,” she laughs. “You spent, what, four hours down there? And probably never saw the inside of a cell, so you don’t get to play that card.” She leans forward, her expression suddenly serious. “And I seriously hope you never get to play it. No more shit, Holly. You’re almost twenty-seven; it’s time to grow up.”

  I’m not used to Tasha being this blunt. She’s always been the one who kept her feelings to herself. Maybe Dylan really is good for her. Granted, I’m not a huge fan of my best friend telling me what a fuck up I am, but if this assertiveness extends to other areas of her life, I’ll take it.

  “I know,” I say petulantly. “Trust me, Tasha; I want those days to be behind me. It sucks most of the time. I still want to run to the medicine cabinet when things get too real to pop an Oxycontin until I can see Nathan for a real fix. And believe me, shit is raw real almost every fucking day.”

  I brush my bangs away from my face, my eyes glued to the paper placemat in front of me. It sucks laying myself bare this way to anyone. I’ve gotten used to it with Jeff because he gets paid good money to listen to me. He also doesn’t know shit about me, other than what I choose to tell him, so I feel like I have nothing to lose by sharing with him. It’s not as if I have to worry about his opinion of me outside the walls of his office.

  “Holly?” My head jerks to the side, realizing we’re not alone. I look up and see none other than the fuckably sexy doc standing in the aisle. He reaches across the table, shaking Tasha’s hand. “Tasha, it’s nice to see you.”

  “You know these two?” There is more than enough shock to go around. Zeke’s brow is furrowed as he tries to figure out the connection. Mary’s arms are crossed over her chest. Damn, does everyone know everyone with the exception of me?

  “Yes,” Jeff chuckles. “But I will leave it up to Holly if she wants to share the connection with anyone. How do you know them?”

  “Well, Tasha is Dylan’s girl and Holly is her best friend. I have a feeling that as long as Holly keeps doing as well as she has been, we’re not going to see much of one without the other from here out,” Zeke laughs. Now I’m just getting annoyed. How in the hell do they all know each other? Perhaps most importantly, how does Jeff know Dylan? I’ve been told that he is signing the checks but staying out of things otherwise.

  “Oh, hell,” I groan. With the exception of Zeke, everyone who is here is going to eventually know everything anyway, so I might as well tell them. “Zeke, Jeff is my counselor up at the hospital. Jeff, Zeke is Tommy’s cousin and Mary is my attorney.”

  Jeff cocks his head, trying to process the information that I now have an attorney. I’ve obviously never mentioned anything about her in our sessions. “Everything okay?”

  “Are you asking as a random guy in the restaurant or as my doctor?” I ask, narrowing my eyes on him. I’m not supposed to have to do this touchy-feely, share your feelings bullshit until Monday.

  “I’m sorry, Holly. I shouldn’t have asked, but believe it or not, I don�
��t stop caring when I walk out of my office at the end of the day.” His apology seems sincere and I feel bad for being such a bitch. At least he knows that this is nothing compared to the raging psycho I was for the first few meetings.