Shelf Awareness: Green Valley Library Book #4

by Romance, Smartypants

  “Me neither,” I whispered.

  “All right. Let’s get the hell out of here before anyone else shows up to be an issue.”

  Resigned to my fate, I merely nodded my head. Since I didn’t have a weapon or any other means of fighting back, I couldn’t see any other way out of the situation. At the same time, I was furious that I was allowing myself to go down without a fight. My behavior was the same kind I’d screamed at on the television when I was watching a movie. The only thing left was for me to try to run away from Bart and end up tripping and spraining my ankle.

  Before I could take a step forward, the door to the history room flung open with such a force that it slammed against Bart, sending him reeling back against the bookshelves. His body banged against the shelves so hard that it caused the totem pole replica to ricochet off the edge of the shelf. It bonked Bart in the head, causing him to yell in agony and drop his gun.

  While he rubbed his aching head, I lunged over to where the gun had dropped. Just as I reached for it, Bart momentarily recovered. Placing both of his hands on my shoulders, he shoved me with all his might. For a skinny dude, he had some serious strength. Flailing backward, I knocked into the bottom of one of the desk chairs hard enough that I saw stars.

  As I struggled to get my bearings, I swung my gaze to the doorway. Blinking in disbelief, I croaked, “Estelle?”

  She didn’t pay me any mind. Instead, she whirled around the side of the door. “Hey, asshole!” she screeched.

  When Bart looked up, she nailed him with an epic right hook. “FUCK!” he screeched as blood spattered across an ancient set of encyclopedias.

  With Bart distracted by the punch, Estelle grabbed a hardback atlas and whacked Bart in the forehead. He keeled over onto his back. Crouching down, Estelle grabbed the gun off the floor. After she trained the gun on Bart, she threw a glance at me over her shoulder. “Finley, call the police.”

  Just as I pulled myself to my feet, GramBea and Dot charged into the room. As Bart writhed on the ground, GramBea and Dot began beating him with their purses. Considering how much shit they packed in their pocketbooks, I knew it had to be extremely painful.

  “Finley, the police!” Estelle reminded me.

  “Right.” With a trembling hand, I reached for my phone on the table. The sheriff’s department switchboard answered on the third ring. “Flo? Hey, it’s Finley Granger. Listen, I need a member of the department at the library.”

  “Was there a break-in?”

  “Uh, no, it was more like an attempted kidnapping and an assault.”

  Flo gasped. “Of whom?”

  “Well, it was me who was almost kidnapped, and now the kidnapper is being assaulted by GramBea and Dot while Estelle holds him at gunpoint.”

  “Wait, what?”

  “Trust me. It won’t make any more sense if I repeat it. Just get Jackson or one of the guys here as soon as possible.”

  “I will.”

  Once I hung up, I turned to Estelle. “They’re on the way.”

  “Good.”

  With my knees feeling weak, I leaned back against the table. At the same moment, it appeared I wasn’t the only one feeling weak. GramBea and Dot appeared to tire out from their pocketbook beating. Their chests heaved as they took a step back from Bart. When I got a look at him, I gasped. His face was covered with scratches and gouges from the purses. There was no doubt he would end up with a swollen eye or two, not to mention a broken nose from where Estelle punched him. After an agonized groan, he rolled into a fetal position.

  Estelle cocked the gun’s trigger. “Just in case you get any ideas about moving, I won’t hesitate to blow your head off.”

  My mouth gaped open at how very Clint Eastwood she sounded. I had no idea Estelle had a Dirty Harry side to her. Of course, I also had no idea GramBea and Dot possessed the ability to shed their usual gentility to go apeshit.

  Satisfied that Bart was subdued, GramBea hustled over to me. “Are you all right?”

  I blinked at her. “Me? I think I’m the one who should be asking you that question, considering you just beat the shit out of Bart.”

  Waving her hand, GramBea tsked at me. “Forget about me. Did he hurt you?”

  “Just my pride.”

  Rubbing one of my cheeks, GramBea replied, “Oh Finnie, there was only one of you and three of us.”

  “While that’s true, I think it’s only right to consider your ages in the equation.”

  Grinning at me over her shoulder, Estelle countered, “How many times do I have to tell you age is just a number?”

  GramBea nodded. “And it’s not over until it’s over.”

  I laughed. “I guess you’re right. But you didn’t have a weapon.”

  With a wink, Estelle replied, “If there’s one thing life in the city taught me, it’s anything can be a weapon if you really think about it.”

  As I thought about the totem pole hitting Bart in the head, I nodded. “That’s true.” It also got me thinking about how they’d arrived in the nick of time. “Why did you come back?” I asked GramBea.

  “My maternal instincts told me something was wrong. You were so terribly pale and not acting like yourself. When I got out the front door, I waved the girls to come inside, so we could save you.”

  “I just can’t believe anyone was stupid enough to try to rob the library,” Dot huffed.

  Rolling her eyes, Estelle said, “He wasn’t here to rob the library.”

  Dot’s face went white. “You mean he had Finnie to . . .” Pinching her eyes shut, she choked out, “Assault her womanly person?”

  “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” Estelle grumbled.

  I patted her shoulder. “He wasn’t here to rape me, Dot. He was going to kidnap me for ransom.”

  GramBea gasped. “How did he possibly know how much we have in stocks?”

  Now it was my turn to mutter Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, but I did it inwardly. “No. It wasn’t our money he was after. It was Zeke’s.”

  “Zeke’s?” GramBea, Dot, and Estelle questioned in unison.

  “I think now would be a good time to explain who Bart is.” I then proceeded to tell the girls the good, the bad, and the extremely ugly parts of the reason why Zeke was in Green Valley.

  When I finished, they all wore expressions of disbelief. Motioning at Bart, Estelle asked, “That sack of shit is Zeke’s father?”

  “Shut up, bitch!” Bart bit out.

  Estelle’s response was to kick the shit out of his leg, causing him to howl. “As I was saying, how is it possible Zeke came from him?”

  “It just proves you are more than your DNA,” I replied.

  GramBea nodded. “I’m sure he is the man he is today because of his parents.”

  “His very wealthy parents,” Dot mused with a grin.

  The wail of a deputy’s cruiser interrupted our conversation. Within a few moments, Jackson and Colin were storming into the library, shouting our names.

  “Back here!” we called.

  Jackson and Colin busted through the door to the history room. In a flash, they dragged Bart to his feet. At the sight of Bart’s face, Jackson whistled. “You ladies sure did a number on him. What weapon did you use?”

  “Our purses,” Dot replied.

  Jackson’s brow shot up in surprise. “Your purses did all that damage?”

  A beaming grin lit up GramBea’s face. “There’s a reason why Queen Elizabeth is never without her purse, Sheriff James. When all the bodyguards fail, she knows she has a way to protect herself.”

  Jackson chuckled. “I suppose so.” Winking, he added, “It’s sure going to make a hell of a story for lock-up.” He smacked Bart on the back. “Wait until they hear you got beat down by two old ladies.”

  “Three.” I jerked my chin at Estelle. “She’s the one who rammed him with the door and punched him.”

  Chuckling, he replied, “Ms. Simmons, I’ll make sure you get your credit.”

  “I appreciate that, Jackson,” Estelle r
eplied, as she wrung her swelling hand.

  “Come on, let’s get you to the hospital,” I said.

  Estelle shook her head. “There is no way in hell I’m driving to Maryville tonight.”

  GramBea patted her back. “You won’t be doing the driving, I will.”

  With a groan, Estelle replied, “That’s an even worse prospect, considering your night blindness.”

  While GramBea opened her mouth to protest, a deep voice boomed from the doorway. “I’ll be happy to do the driving.”

  When I jerked my gaze to the doorway and saw Zeke, the last threads of my sanity unraveled, and I burst into tears like a flighty damsel in distress. Zeke closed the gap between us in two broad steps. After he wrapped me in his arms, my tears dried up. “I’m sorry about that,” I murmured into his chest.

  “You have nothing to apologize for. You’ve been through a hell of a lot tonight.”

  Shooing Jackson and his other deputy, GramBea said, “Let’s give them a moment.”

  “Don’t you dare think of leaving, Bea. I’m serious about driving you all to Maryville,” Zeke said.

  “Of course,” GramBea replied, not meeting his gaze.

  When she didn’t seem too sincere, Zeke said, “Jackson, can you park one of your cruisers behind Bea’s car?”

  Smiling, Jackson replied, “I will be happy to.”

  GramBea’s face clouded over. “You two have no respect for your elders,” she grumbled before heading out of the history room.

  Once we were alone, I stared into Zeke’s concerned face. “How did you know to come here?”

  “Estelle texted me when you took so long coming out of the library. I drove like a demon the rest of the way here.” Zeke shook his head. “Jesus, Finley, I’m so sorry.”

  “Why should you be sorry? It’s not your fault.”

  “Considering it was my idiot biological father, I would say it is. Not to mention the fact that Ama worried about something like this.”

  “You didn’t make Bart come here. He did that entirely of his own volition.”

  “But if I hadn’t taken you with me that day, he would have never known you existed.”

  “He would have found a way to get to you. Even if I hadn’t gone with you, he could’ve started snooping around here in town.”

  “He was that determined to get my money?”

  I nodded. “He was. Once he learned who you really were, all he could see was dollar signs.”

  Zeke grimaced. “Yeah, about that—”

  “You don’t have to explain why you didn’t tell me. I’m sure people have always treated you differently because of your family’s wealth. Hopefully none have been as extreme as Bart.”

  “Thankfully no,” Zeke replied, a tentative smile curving his lips. “But you’re right about being treated differently because of my family. Money brings out the worst in people. When I was growing up, people either used me or bullied me because of it.” With a wink, he added, “It sure as hell didn’t help I was a Sci-Fi loving, chess-playing geek.”

  I grinned. “I can’t imagine it did.”

  “It’s the one thing I loved about coming to Green Valley. No one had any idea who I was, and I could just be me.”

  “I would have to say since you’re an amazing person, it’s easy for people to like you for you.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate that.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Zeke’s expression became serious as he cupped my cheeks in his hands. “Speaking of my money, I would’ve given everything I had to ensure you were safe and not hurt.”

  Tears welled in my eyes at the sincerity of his stare. “I know you would have.”

  I could tell there was so much more Zeke wanted to say, but for some reason, he remained silent. Instead, he dipped his head to kiss me. When he pulled away, I was breathless. “Why did you stop?” I panted.

  Zeke chuckled. “As much as I would love a repeat of our previous history room copulation, we need to get Estelle to Maryville.”

  While he was right, I still wouldn’t have minded a quickie. It seemed so wrong to be thinking about being physical with him after all that had happened. At the same time, I desperately wanted to be as close to him as I possibly could. Somehow, I didn’t think I would truly feel at ease until I could feel the weight of him on top of me as we lay skin to skin.

  “I’m surprised GramBea hasn’t come inside to get us.”

  “She’s probably still irked I had Jackson park behind her.”

  Laughing I replied, “That’s probably true.”

  As we started out of the history room, Zeke shook his head. “I can’t tell you how grateful I am for the girls.”

  “So am I.”

  “Did Estelle really punch Bart in the face?”

  I grinned. “She sure did. I’m pretty sure she broke her hand, but it was beautiful.”

  Chuckling, Zeke replied, “I’m sure it was.”

  When we walked out of the library, a crowd had gathered on the sidewalks. News like an attempted kidnapping traveled fast in a small town. The moment they saw me everyone rushed forward. Zeke quickly stepped in front of me, blocking them from touching me. “As you can see, Finley is just fine. We’re going to get Estelle to the hospital in Maryville to look at her hand.”

  In the distance, I could see Naomi, Thuy, and Sabrina standing beside GramBea’s car. At the sight of me, their ashen faces lit up. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so glad to see you,” Thuy remarked as we walked up to the car.

  “I’m pretty glad to see you too,” I replied.

  As her gaze flickered over me, Naomi asked, “Are you really all right?”

  “I’m a little banged up emotionally and physically, but I’ll be all right,” I answered with a smile.

  “That had to be so scary.”

  “It was,” I choked out.

  Thuy reached out to pat my arm. “Take tomorrow off. In fact, take all the time you need.”

  “I appreciate that, but I don’t think it’s necessary.”

  “You might be surprised,” she argued.

  Holding up my hands, I replied, “Okay, okay, you’ve twisted my arm. I won’t argue about taking a day to Netflix and chill.”

  “And I’ll take the day too if you don’t mind,” Zeke said to Thuy.

  She grinned. “I might have to dock your pay.”

  With a laugh, Zeke replied, “Man, you’re a real hardass.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Thanks for being so understanding.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  GramBea opened the back passenger side door and poked her head out. “We really need to get going.”

  “How’s Estelle holding up?”

  “She’s had a little something for the pain.”

  “Like some Advil?”

  GramBea rolled her eyes. “She downed her flask.”

  I snorted. “That works too.”

  The passenger side door opened. “Speaking of the flask, we’re going to need to stop at the house for a refill before we head to Maryville.”

  Grinning at Estelle, I replied, “I think I’ll take a to-go cup too.”

  GramBea sucked in a horrified breath. “I cannot believe the two of you are discussing this with Jackson James standing three feet from us.”

  “I think since neither of us is driving and we both underwent some trauma tonight, Jackson will overlook it.”

  He nodded his hat at us. “As you were.”

  “I’m going to request prayer for you, Jackson!” GramBea called before she slammed the door.

  Chuckling, I thanked my lucky stars for my family. Most of all, I was grateful for the self-awareness to know that Green Valley was home.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  My attempted kidnapping had Green Valley tongues wagging for weeks. As a journalist, I had to admit it had all the elements of making a compelling story: an innocent victim, a man who wasn’t who he said he was, and a heartless thief. Throw in the fact that a few silver-hai
red strong-arms had taken out Bart, and it was absolutely riveting. I couldn’t recall a single story in my career about three eighty-something women taking down a former MC one percenter. It wasn’t too surprising when the AP wire picked up the news.

  There was the added sensationalism that this was the second time the Green Valley library was the sight of an attempted kidnapping. Not to mention one that involved a biker. Since that had occurred before my time in town, GramBea had filled me in on what had happened on our way to take Estelle to the hospital. The last time it had been Darrell Winston and his fellow Wraiths who had tried kidnapping his son, Billy, over issues with Bethany Winston’s estate. He would’ve tried to do the same thing to his daughter, Ashley, but she punched him in the nose and managed to foil the rest of the plot. Of course, some had the nerve to ask me why I hadn’t been more assertive like Ashley. In turn, I punched them in the nose . . . well, at least I did in my mind.

  One good thing about my fifteen minutes of fame is it got more people into the library. Suddenly, people were interested in what exactly I was doing in the history room. They wanted to learn more about their town’s history as well as their state’s. Estelle had also seen an upsurge of traffic through her studio. Many of the older ladies wanted her to add a self-defense class since she was able to take down Bart with her bare hands. I told her if she did, I would sign up in spite of my age. I didn’t want to ever again find myself helpless in a situation like that.

  For the first time in a week, I found myself with a free hour before I went to the elementary school to do a demonstration on the Cherokee alphabet. I decided there was no time like the present to wrap-up a chapter on the Yuchi tribe in my book. It was slow and steady going, but I had still made major headway since moving to Green Valley.

  With my head buried in my laptop, I didn’t hear the history room door open. “Excuse me, I’m looking for Finley Granger. I hear she’s a local celebrity.”

  I snorted before looking up into Zeke’s grinning face. “Har, har.”