by Kasey Belle
Declan wrapped his arms around Fiona’s tiny waist and nuzzled her neck. “I hope you remember that I am over here being good, when you start throwing around voodoo curses and shrinking penises, love.”
Fiona snorted. “I’ll think about it.”
Paul slid his eyes toward his voluptuous red-headed mate. Cathy stared at Fiona with, what could only be described as, awed hero worship.
“Why don’t we all sit down at the table and talk.” Declan pulled out the chair opposite his at the other end of the table for Cathy. He directed Fiona to sit on Cathy’s right and Paul on Cathy’s left.
Paul dipped his head in thanks at his cousin and alpha, for the consideration. Declan answered with a knowing smile. Paul sat and pulled out his phone. “I’m going to record our conversation, alright Cathy? I don’t want to forget anything or misconstrue something you might say.”
Paul rarely utilized the feature, he had a photographic memory. However, his mate, her scent, and nearness were playing havoc with his concentration.
She cleared her throat. “Will anyone else hear this, um, recording?”
“Not unless it becomes necessary for your safety or that of your son.”
“Then it’s alright, I guess.”
Fiona rubbed Cathy’s shoulder, offering comfort. He wanted to be the one to do that. He itched to touch her. Paul knew it would be sometime before she accepted that from him. For now, he would be thankful that she had Fiona.
“You won’t tell anyone I’m here, will you? Because you can’t.”
Anxiety began to pour off his mate in waves. Out of pure need, he reached out to place his hand over hers. He pulled it back when she flinched. Goddamnit! He took a deep breath.
“I won’t mention it to anyone, again, unless it becomes necessary.”
She nodded with a shy smile that pierced his heart. She was so breathtakingly beautiful.
Fiona cleared her throat. “Cathy, why don’t you start with why you’re here.”
Cathy looked troubled and hurt by Fiona’s words.
Fiona held up her hand. “Not that your coming here or being here is a problem. I didn’t mean to make it sound that way. I just thought that would be the easiest starting point. Don’t go getting all guilty on me now, you hear.”
Cathy looked at Paul. He nodded and smiled, encouraging her to start.
Cathy let out an audible breath. “Jamie Latimer, my ex-brother-in-law, came by my store yesterday to tell me that my ex was out of prison. I’m not sure if he escaped or was released early, because nobody told us anything. He didn’t know how or why Bud’s no longer occupying a cell at Huntsville, where he was serving time for assault and battery.”
“How do you find out, he’s no longer in Huntsville?”
“Bud showed up at Jamie’s house looking for me. Why didn’t they tell us he was getting out? If he goes up for parole, I’m supposed to be informed and have the opportunity to talk to the parole board.”
“I don’t why, but I’ll find out.”
“Thank you. Jamie’s working on finding the answers, as well. He thought it was best if we left town for a while.”
“Who knows you’re here?”
“Jamie and Chief Farris.”
“Why Chief Farris?”
“I told Jamie I wanted to come up here. He asked how I knew Fiona. I explained the Matranga case. I told him only Chief Farris and Fiona’s family knew my identity. Jamie wanted to call Farris himself to make sure it was safe.”
“Is Jamie a P.I.?”
Cathy shook her head. “No, he’s a trooper with Texas Highway Patrol.”
“I need you to write down his information for me.” Paul pulled the notepad and pen from him shirt pocket and handed it to her.
“Alright. I don’t think he knows anything yet or he would have called me.”
“Yeah, well. I’d still like to talk to him.” Ask him how could let his brother abuse you and do nothing, some cop.
Paul realized he hadn’t kept his thoughts to himself, when Cathy froze, narrowed her eyes, and everyone around him went silent. Fuck!
“I’ve known Jamie Latimer since middle school and he’s a good man. He didn’t know because I didn’t say anything. Bud was very careful about how and when he hurt me. Jamie would have stopped it if he had known.”
“I apologize. The thought of someone abusing you, any woman, pisses me off.”
She nodded. “I understand that, but you shouldn’t make assumptions.”
No she really didn’t understand, but she would, when she was ready for him to explain it to her.
“Please don’t take this the wrong way, but if Jamie is such a good man, why didn’t you tell him?”
“Bud threatened Jamie and his family. He said it wouldn’t take much to make Jamie’s death look like a traffic stop gone wrong. He would kill Jamie’s family and make it look like a revenge on cop scenario. He could do it too. My ex is, was a detective with Bryan P.D.”
Paul tried to calm the rage bubbling inside him. Cathy eyed him warily and leaned back in her chair. He hated the guarded look in her eyes, but he couldn’t blame her for it. One day she would look at him with nothing but trust and love. It may not be soon enough for his liking, but it would happen none the less.
“I’m not angry with you. I’m angry at him. Your ex was a fucking cop. The bastard took an oath to protect and serve. Instead of upholding the honor of the badge he used it to abuse and terrorize those he should have protected the most. It makes sense now why Luke questioned my honor and integrity. The one man in his life that should be the prime example of a good cop, was a dirty, abusive fuck.” Yeah, he was going to kill that motherfucker, slow and painful.
Paul closed his eyes and once he had some semblance of control over his beast, he opened them and looked at his sweet beautiful mate. Taking a chance, he reached out and placed his hand over hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. He knew, by the way her pupils dilated, the simple contact affected her on the same visceral level as him. He wanted to linger, taking satisfaction from the simple innocent touch, but didn’t want to push his luck. He reminded himself, and his beast. to remain patient.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For not judging me and for not giving him the benefit of the doubt, because he wore a badge.”
“The fact that he wore a badge makes it worse. You did what you had to do to survive. Your ex holds all the fault and blame for what he did.”
He fist-bumped his wolf when she looked at him with those expressive eyes full of appreciation and smiled.
Chapter 8
After his brothers dropped him off at his house, Paul went to the station. He knew he wouldn’t get any sleep this afternoon, so he might as well be productive. He walked through the station, nodded at his assistant Janet, and sequestered himself in his office. He called Jamie Latimer first thing and left a message on his personal cellphone. He didn’t want an official record of their call. Paul didn’t know how many friends Cathy’s ex still had, and he wasn’t taking any chances. Paul figured while he was waiting to hear back from the trooper, he’d research Cathy’s ex. He wanted to know all he could about William “Bud” Latimer and why the man was out of jail.
The information Paul found on his mate’s piece of shit ex-husband had him fighting his shift. The medical records and images of Cathy’s injuries, that led to Latimer’s conviction, stared back at him in horrific glory. He fought the bile that threatened to erupt from his esophagus and decorate his desk.
“That motherfucker!” He muttered under his breath. “I’m so sorry, mate.”
The photographic evidence had been documented from every angle. Her left eye swollen shut due to fractured left cheek bone and eye socket. Her cracked chapped lips still stained with her precious blood. Bruising around her throat where the bastard had tried to strangle her before her neighbors intervened. The worst part of those pictures was the way she stared back at the camera with sad, broken eyes. He clicked
through all the images, each one affirming his resolve to protect her and Luke at all costs, even at the cost of his own life. The report, written in the same sterile, clinical style he and his officers used to keep themselves removed from the carnage, was perhaps more horrific than the images. The damage to his mate written in fine detailed descriptions, the bruising on the inside of her thighs, the vaginal tears, evidence of healing or healed over pelvic and rib fractures, broken arms and fingers. Paul closed his eyes when the screen began to waver. Tears ran unchecked down his cheeks. He cried for his mate, for all the pain, fear, and hopelessness she felt, at the hands of that monster.
Once he was able to compose himself, he placed another call.
“Chief, it’s Paul Creed. How are you, sir?”
“I’m doing just fine Paul. I am assuming you are calling about Cathy O’Brien.”
“How the hell did you know that?”
“I’ve been around a lot of years, after a while, you just know everything.” The old man chuckled at his own joke. “Ms. O’Brien’s former brother-in-law called me yesterday before she, left to come to Copper Creek. He wanted to make sure I kept my word and her identity confidential. I take it, Ms. O’Brien made it safely to the Double C?”
“She did. I spoke with her this morning.” He stopped, unable to let his mind wander there.
“You know full well I kept her name out of those reports, so what’s on your mind son?”
“What did you make of Jamie Latimer?”
“Seemed like a nice young man. I looked into his record. He’s a good trooper, excellent service record.”
“If he’s so damn good, how could Trooper Latimer not know about the abuse? According to Cathy, she and Jamie were friends long before she married his brother. How could he not see it? She was married to his brother for five years, for fuck’s sake. I can’t for the life of me understand how he didn’t know. I would know.”
“That’s a bit unfair don’t you think. We both know how this works. Abusers and their victims are experts at hiding abuse. It’s how those assholes get away with it. They make their victims afraid to speak up with threats of retaliation.”
Paul shook his head. He knew he was being unfair. The sheriff in him knew it, as well, but, knowing didn’t change how he felt. William “Bud” Latimer brutalized Paul’s mate, and right now, it didn’t matter to Paul who felt his anger. For now, Bud was beyond his reach, and his wolf wanted to tear the strip off of someone’s hide, and if it was Jamie Latimer, so be it.
“I know, you’re right.”
“But, it doesn’t help, I get it son, I do. There is nothing you can do about the past. There is something you can do about the future. You can protect her now, if what Jamie Latimer says is true, her ex will come looking for her.”
“You can count on it. Thank you for your time, Chief.”
“No problem, Paul. Keep me in the loop and let me know if you need anything.”
“Will do.” Paul hung up the phone and took a cleansing breath.
Janet knocked on his closed office door.
“Come in, Janet.”
The fifty-plus-year-old woman, he inherited from Sheriff Rawlings, stuck her head in the door and smiled. “How do you always know it’s me?”
Paul grinned and tapped his nose. “I smelled like lilacs.”
“One day, I’m going to switch scents and then we’ll see how smart you are.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “Janet, we both know that’s not going to happen. You’ve worn that same perfume for as long as I’ve known you.”
She waved her hand in dismissal. “Whatever.”
“What’s up.”
“Oh. Sorry, Sheriff. We received some great resumes for the open deputy positions. I printed them, so you could take a look.”
“Great, thank you, Janet.”
She handed him an impressive stack of resumes. He hoped there were at least a few qualified women in there. His department only had one female deputy, and he wanted a few more. He hoped to fill one of the open slots with one. He felt women were better at handling certain situations, such as abuse, rape, and runaways. The victims in those situations usually felt more comfortable with a female officer, especially the children.
“Any female officers apply?”
“A few. There is one that looks great on paper. I clipped it to the top with a few male candidates that looked great as well. The maybe’s are mixed together.”
“What would I do without you?”
“I shudder to think. It would be chaos around here.” Janet reached out and laid a hand on his forearm. “Paul are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Uh-huh. I’m not going to call bullshit, even though we both know you are full of it. I am going to say, if there is anything I can do, you let me know.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
He smiled when she glared at him.
Janet wagged a finger and scolded him like a child. “Don’t you start with me, young man. I would have had to give birth to you at nineteen for you to be mine.”
“You were nineteen when you had Jeremy.”
“That is beside the point. Keep it up and you’ll be making your own coffee.”
Paul held up his hands in mock surrender. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry. No need to start talking crazy.”
His personal cellphone rang cutting off whatever witty comeback she had in store for him. He looked at the screen. “About damn time,” he muttered.
“I’ll let you get that.” She tilted her chin and smiled in triumph, closing the door behind her when she left. She technically hadn’t won that round, but he didn’t doubt the sharp old gal would have, so he let it go.
He swiped the screen to answer the call, “Sheriff Creed.”
“Sheriff Creed, this is Jamie Latimer. Is she alright?”
“Are you alone?”
“I am.”
“Who is that I hear in the background?”
“Just my neighbor’s kids. I’m sitting on my front porch. There isn’t anyone around who could over hear our conversation, I swear. Is Cathy alright?”
“She’s fine. I have a call into the DOC, but haven’t heard back. Have you heard back about your brother’s release?”
“Yeah, it was a fuck up in paperwork. They released the wrong guy. They’re trying to correct their mistake.”
“Good luck with that.”
“Exactly.”
“Have you heard from your brother since his initial contact?”
“No and that’s not a good thing.”
****
Nobody to hear your conversation but me, Bud thought to himself, as he hid behind the Red-tips, on the side of his brother’s house. This was working out much better than his original plan. He didn’t have to tip his hand, and no one would ever know he was here.
He’d questioned some of his old buddies this morning, the ones that still stood by him, anyway. None of them had seen Cathy since the trial. They all said she wasn’t around anymore. He knew Jamie knew where she was, even though he denied it. Jamie never could lie for shit. Bud had originally come here to confront his brother and get some answers, preferably with a gun held to Stacy’s or their brat’s head. Instead, he’d gotten lucky for a second time in a week.
The first, of course, was the snafu with the prison paperwork, that gained him early release. Unfortunately, according to what he just heard, they discovered their error and were looking for him, so they could send him back to that hell hole. Bud had no intention of going back. Cathy had to pay for taking his son away and for putting him behind bars. If it hadn’t been for that bitch, he wouldn’t be in this position. If it wasn’t for her, he would still have his job, his home, and his son. He sure as shit, wouldn’t be slinking around, hiding from the law, if it wasn’t for her.
He would still have everything, but he lost it all because she couldn’t follow a few simple rules. All she had to do was accept her place and do what she was told. He had a right to disci
pline her. She was a stupid, fat whore, and she was lucky he wanted to fuck her. She should have been grateful. She was weak. Cathy had to pay for what she’d done to him.
He heard enough of his brother’s phone conversation. Bud got what he came for. He creeped around to the rear of the house, jumped the fence, and made his way to the next neighborhood where he parked his car.
He was so much better than everyone else. Better than his weak father and even weaker brother. He never understood how they could hand their balls over to a woman and just give them whatever they wanted. Women were supposed to serve their men, kneel at their feet, and say “yes, Master” to whatever they wanted. If it hadn’t been for his friend, Randy, Bud would have been just like them, never understanding his own power. Bud wished he had the time to take his bitch to the special club Randy owned. Maybe he should make time. Bud owed the man after all. Randy would gladly arrange a nice little gangbang for her, break her just right, as his buddy would say. Bud should have listened to Randy all those years ago, but he had been selfish. Bud hadn’t wanted to share her. Bud was Cathy’s first and only, and he’d wanted to keep it that way. Fat, fucking load of good it did him. Too late to change it now, but he could still make her pay. He could make them all pay. He didn’t really care about losing his job or his family, it was the betrayal they had to atone for. It was the principle of the matter.
Bud unlocked his car, got in, and drove off towards the library. Sneering with glee and mentally rubbing his hands together, he made his plans. Bud needed a computer and Google. All he had to do to find Cathy was locate Sheriff Creed. He would grab her and his son before anyone knew what was happening. He’d kill her, of course, after he broke her, and then he’d take his son and disappear. Soon it would be just him and his boy that had a nice ring to it. He’d teach Luke how to be a real man, not the pussy that cunt was raising him to be.
