I rushed up the ladder on the back of the RV, staying low as I crawled across the roof. The yelling and commotion from the others helped hide the noise I was making.
When I glanced out at the field, I saw a man brandishing a gun. He waved it into the air and fired again, laughing hysterically.
“I am the law!” he shouted.
At the center of the RV’s roof, I saw a hatch. I pulled the handle, sighing in relief as it swung open. I glanced down, but didn’t see anyone.
I sat in the opening and grabbed the other side with my hands to hold myself as I jumped down. As soon as I landed, I crouched into a fighting stance.
When I didn’t see anyone in the front half of the RV, I rushed down the hall to the back.
“Brooke?” I called out.
No answer. I kicked the bathroom door open and glanced around. Nothing.
Fuck!
I looked down the hall toward the front. Still seeing no one, I moved to the very back of the RV with a door to what was probably a bedroom.
“Brooke?” I called out, turning the doorknob.
The door was locked. I took a few steps back then rushed toward the door. It opened when I hit it with my arm. I saw Brooke passed out on a bed.
No!
I went to her.
“Brooke?” I asked, lightly slapping her cheek. “Wake up, Brooke.”
She was still breathing, which was good. Had they drugged her? Before I figured it out, I heard the man with the gun calling out from the front of the RV.
“Come on out, football boy. I want to play with you.”
I stood up and glanced down at Brooke. If I rushed the freak with a gun and he shot me, my football career might be over forever. On the other hand – Brooke.
The thought of her made up my mind in less than a second. I took a deep breath, preparing to run down the hall and tackle him before he got a shot off.
If I got lucky, it might actually work.
One more breath. You got this.
“I’m coming for you!” he yelled in a sing-song voice.
Before I had a chance to take off toward him, I heard another voice.
“Police! Drop the weapon!”
“Fuck you!” he yelled back.
Then he screamed bloody murder.
“You tazed me bro! Why did you taze me?”
“Anyone else in here?”
“Back here,” I yelled. “My hands are up, and I don’t have a weapon. Someone is hurt.”
A second later, two officers entered the bedroom.
“Hands up,” one shouted.
“They’re up!” I said, moving them for emphasis.
“What did you do to her?”
“Nothing. I just wasn’t willing to wait for you guys.”
“Why don’t they ever wait?” He mumbled. “Hey, aren’t you Austin King?”
“Yeah.”
“Wait a minute…That’s Brooke, isn’t it? The woman you love so much you gave up football?”
“Apparently you read my letter,” I said. “Will you please call someone to help her?”
“Everyone read that letter kid.” He bent down and spoke into his walkie, putting his gun away. “We’ve got an unconscious female inside the RV, requesting EMS.”
He looked back at me and I put my arms down. “They’ll be here in a second. I still want to question you though. Let’s move outside, give them some space to work.”
“Fine, but can you tell me something, was anyone hurt outside? I heard a gunshot.” I began walking toward him, sad to leave Brooke, but understanding she needed more help than I could give her.
As we walked outside EMS rushed past me. “No one was hurt, just some idiot with a gun, shooting into the air.”
Well at least that was something.
This night had been a nightmare.
THIRTY-EIGHT
Austin
One Year Later
The final play of the final game of the year, and we were down by three points. I scanned the end zone, looking for someone open. Gonzales waved his hand like a madman, but I waited a moment, not trusting his catching skills. Trey held back the opposing team, giving me a few crucial seconds.
I saw a guy break through and come toward me. Here goes nothing, I thought, throwing the ball toward the end zone. I dodged out of the way of the man who had broken through while keeping my eye on the football arcing gracefully through the air. Come on, Gonzales! Catch the damn ball!
He raised his hands, looking at the ball and running back and forth to line it up. Two other players rushed toward him. Catch the ball! At the last moment, he jumped up about a foot and caught the pass, which had been a bit too high. Oh shit! I thought as he danced around, slamming the ball to the ground.
“We won!” I shouted, soaking up the cheers from the crowd of easily twenty-thousand people.
Brooke sat in the crowd somewhere. She was the only one I really cared about, but I lifted both arms into the air with my index fingers pointing to the sky. The fans ate it up, cheering even louder.
I made my way to the locker room with the other players. We were all exhausted, but we had won. A headhunter was in the stands from what Coach had told me.
Hopefully, he wouldn’t mind my last pass, which had been too high. Even if I didn’t make it to a pro team, my college career was nothing to laugh at.
Trey ran up and slapped me on my shoulder pads.
“What’s up, bro?”
“Good job keeping them away from me. Maybe we’ll get drafted on the same team next year.”
“I don’t think I’m going pro.”
“Don’t sell yourself short.”
We entered the hallway leading to the locker room, walking side by side. After four years of playing and living with him, it felt odd to think of our last game together.
The thought passed quickly as I thought about Brooke and our future together. No matter what happened, we would be together. After having been through so much together, we trusted each other completely with no questions asked. I would die for her, and she would do the same for me.
We loved each other.
***
I told Coach and the rest of the team I would see them later that night before leaving the locker room. Freshly dressed, I went straight to the parking lot.
Brooke sat on the hood of my black and yellow Camaro, looking as beautiful as ever. She smiled and waved as I walked over, stopping in front of her.
“You’re going to dent my hood,” I teased.
“I didn’t think you would mind.”
Her legs dangled over the side above the wheel well.
“If it’s you doing it, I don’t mind.”
I stepped in between her legs. She wrapped them around me as I leaned forward and kissed her perfect lips. We knew each other so well, each kiss reminded me of our first.
She broke away.
“Good game today.”
“Thanks. How did you do on your final? Did they post the grades yet?”
“Passed,” she said, head held high and proud.
“That’s my girl.”
“So are you ready for the draft? Skipping your bowl game?”
I shrugged. “I don’t want to skip the bowl game if we make it. I want to play with my team one more time. But I am ready for the draft. I think anyway. And you? Which med school are you going to choose?”
“I figured I’d wait to see where you got drafted. I’m kinda open to anywhere right now. I don’t graduate for another year, unlike you, I have time.”
Her eyes looked past me.
“What’s up?”
“You know I got an email from Jocelyn the other day?”
I was shocked, I thought we left all that behind last year when Brooke was a sophomore. “No. What did she say?”
“That she was sorry. She’s in rehab, ya know. Some nice facility near her family.”
“It still doesn’t excuse what she did. Or what her friends did.”
“No,
but that guy is still in jail. I’m not worried about him. But I did care about Jocelyn, we were friends at one point.”
“Yeah I know. Hopefully one day she can really get her life back on track.”
“Yeah, maybe she’ll find someone decent. Be like us.”
I laughed. “There’s no one like us.”
THIRTY-NINE
Austin
Three Years Later
I pulled up to the two-story Colonial and parked on the street.
“It’s a nice one,” Brooke said. “They’ve sold it already, though.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, look at the sign.”
She turned to me. I grinned, unable to keep the secret any longer.
“What?” she asked suspiciously.
I opened the center console and took out two keychains with two keys each.
“You know who bought it?”
“Yes. We did.”
Her eyes widened as she squealed in delight, just the reaction I’d been after.
“Let’s go inside and check it out.”
“When did you do this?” she asked, opening the passenger door of my Camaro.
“I started the process a month ago. After I knew what you wanted in a house, all I had to do was find one that matched. With all the studying you’re doing for grad-school, I figured I would take care of it for us.”
I stopped beside her on the sidewalk in front of our new home.
“When did you find the time?”
“Between practice and when you got home every night. Took me a couple months to find the perfect place.”
“It is perfect!”
“I have another surprise for you…”
She turned her head.
“Something else?”
I nodded.
“It’s in the garage.”
“You didn’t.”
“I did.”
After getting the clicker out of my front pocket, I opened the door of the garage. Inside, a forest green Mercedes sat all bright, shiny and new.
“Austin!”
“That’s an odd name for a car, but okay,” I teased.
She stepped in front of me and hugged tight while resting her head against my chest. I rubbed her back, loving to see her smile.
“You work so hard going to school and chasing your DNP degree and yet you still make it to my games.”
“I love you, Austin. So much. Can we go for a drive? Oh, wait. I want to see the house first. I feel like a little girl on Christmas morning. There’s so much to see!”
“It’s not over yet,” I said seriously, reaching into my pocket again.
She stared into my eyes, her face expressionless. I pulled out a velvet covered case and got down on one knee in front of her.
“Brooke, you’re the woman for me. You’ve been by my side since the beginning, not knowing if I would make it all the way to the pros or not. I love you with all my heart and soul. Would you do me the honor of marrying me?”
“Yes!” she cried, pulling me up. “So many times yes.”
I took her hand and slipped the ring on. We had met a little over four years earlier, but I felt as if we had been together for a hundred years at least – in a good way.
She kissed me. Neither of us cared who saw us in the exclusive, upscale neighborhood, but I led her to the front porch. After unlocking the door, I picked her up and carried her over the threshold as she giggled, overwhelmed by happiness.
We were living our dream. We had fought hard for our love, but every crazy moment had been worth it. Brooke was my everything. I was playing a game I loved, and I had the best cheerleader. She would stand on the sideline for me every time. And we were finally in the end zone.
6+Us Makes Eight
Copyright © 2018 Nicole Elliot
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places or events are entirely the work of the author. Any resemblance to actual persons, events, or places is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. Please purchase only authorized editions and do not participate in piracy of copyrighted materials.
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Hard Catch
Copyright © 2018 Nicole Elliot/ Sophie Madison
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places or events are entirely the work of the author. Any resemblance to actual persons, events, or places is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. Please purchase only authorized editions and do not participate in piracy of copyrighted materials.
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Her Dirty Billionaires
Copyright © 2018 Nicole Elliot/ Sophie Madison
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places or events are entirely the work of the author. Any resemblance to actual persons, events, or places is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. Please purchase only authorized editions and do not participate in piracy of copyrighted materials.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Charming
Copyright © 2018 Nicole Elliot
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places or events are entirely the work of the author. Any resemblance to actual persons, events, or places is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. Please purchase only authorized editions and do not participate in piracy of copyrighted materials.
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Baby For The Mountain Man
Copyright © 2018 Nicole Elliot
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places or events are entirely the work of the author. Any resemblance to actual persons, events, or places is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. Please purchase only authorized editions and do not participate in piracy of copyrighted materials.
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