by Donna Grant
“It wasn’t easy, if that makes you feel better.”
“Brice,” Naomi whispered as she hurried to him. “The call was from Danny.”
Without another word, Brice went to his voicemail and put it on speaker as he hit play.
“Brice? Pick up. I’m leaving Diana Pierce’s house. She had a visitor who beat her pretty badly trying to get information about Naomi. Tell Naomi that Diana is safe. She didn’t tell the man anything. Not even when he threatened her life. Unfortunately, Diana didn’t get to see his face since he was wearing a ski mask.”
Brice wrapped an arm around Naomi and briefly met Caleb’s gaze as the message ended.
“I thought keeping her ignorant of where I was would help her,” Naomi murmured as she lifted her eyes to him.
“Danny will look out for her now.”
“We need to get ready,” Caleb said.
Naomi drew in a shuddering breath. “Someone is coming for me, aren’t they?”
“Our trucks are hidden,” Caleb stated. “This place looks abandoned. They might pass us by.”
But Brice knew better. Whether Diana Pierce had told the man or not, they had figured out where Naomi was. And they were already here.
Naomi’s gaze landed on him as she patiently waited for him to tell her the truth.
He turned to face her. “Caleb and I are going to take care of anyone who tries to come in the house. Stay up here away from the windows.”
“I can use a gun, remember?” she said.
“And it may come to that, but shooting a person is entirely different than a target.”
Caleb made a sound at the back of his throat and handed Naomi the rifle that was in the hallway. “Just don’t shoot us,” he teased.
There was a ghost of a smile on her lips that quickly vanished as she checked the bullets in the chamber. “I thought this was over.”
“The group of men must have found out about the article running in the morning,” Brice said.
“That can’t be stopped,” she stated angrily. “Killing me certainly won’t do that.”
Caleb gave a wry shake of his head. “No, but they’re worried that Whitney might have told you something that could out who they are.”
“If that was the case, why wait to come after her?” Brice asked. “They could have gone looking for Naomi at her mother’s yesterday but they didn’t.”
Naomi rested the butt of the rifle on the floor. “That’s true, but it still doesn’t tell us why they’re coming now.”
Brice’s phone buzzed. He took it out and saw a text from Clayton that rocked him. “There was a murder-suicide in town a few hours ago. It appears our mayor and another man were shot before a prominent businessman then took his own life. Right there in the mayor’s office.”
“Damn,” Caleb murmured. “Do you think they’re the ones Whitney was talking about? She did say they were powerful.”
Naomi held out her hand for Brice’s cell. Once in her hand, she did a search. “No one seems to know why Curtis Moore killed the mayor or Billy Gonzales before he turned the gun on himself.” She lowered the phone and met Brice’s gaze. “It’s suspicious that it would happen right before the story went out in the morning.”
“Very,” Brice agreed. “If those three men were involved, I don’t think they were the only ones.”
Caleb ran a hand through his hair. “That much is obvious. Whoever is running the show is tying up loose ends so no one can point the finger at him.”
“Whitney can,” Naomi pointed out.
Brice frowned as he tried to sort through all the details. “There’s no telling how long it’ll be before Whitney wakes up. No, those remaining wanted to make sure the weaker ones, the men who might break under interrogation and spill everything, were out of the way.”
“And since Naomi took the picture, and they never found the original, if she isn’t around to distribute it or tell her side of the story, then that only leaves Whitney,” Caleb said.
Naomi raised a brow. “Are y’all forgetting the other women this has happened to?”
“They’ve kept silent for years out of fear or who knows why,” Brice said. “I doubt they’ll come forward now after the deaths and Whitney’s accident.”
Caleb’s lips twisted. “Not to mention what happened to the two of you at the rodeo.”
Naomi blew out a breath. “Then these men have won again.”
“You’re still standing,” Brice reminded her.
Caleb gave Naomi a nod. “I’m going to take my position. It won’t be long before the guy reaches the barn and house.”
After Caleb left, Naomi handed Brice back the phone and asked, “Why didn’t Caleb wake you instead of scaring us?”
“He knew I’d hear him. You going to be okay up here?”
She smiled and lifted the rifle. “I’ll be fine. Go do what you need to do.”
Brice yanked her to him for a long, lingering kiss before he headed down the stairs. He stood against the wall facing the windows in the kitchen and called his brother-in-law as he put on his boots.
“Clayton, I know Danny has his hands full, but Caleb spotted a man on my land.”
“Have you seen the man yet?” Clayton asked.
Brice was about to answer when he saw movement near the barn. “I do now.”
“I’m on my way,” Clayton said and hung up.
Brice tucked the phone into his pocket and walked to the back door. He didn’t want his house shot up, but he also didn’t want any guns fired in case a stray bullet found its way to Naomi.
He quietly unlocked the door and slipped outside before closing it behind him. Brice looked to his left when he saw something out of the corner of his eye and spied Caleb behind a tree.
Their gazes met. Brice pointed to himself and motioned to the intruder. Caleb gave a single nod before using hand gestures to tell Brice he was going behind the man to make sure there were no others.
The fact that this was so similar to the missions they acted out as kids would have made this humorous if lives weren’t on the line.
Brice watched the man come around the barn, never looking inside. He didn’t wear a mask, but there was a black beanie covering his hair. The attacker glanced around, his gaze skimming over the shadows where Brice hid. When the man reached the house, he came right up to the kitchen window to look inside.
That’s when Brice raised the barrel of his gun and moved out of the shadows. Only four feet separated them, so the man noticed Brice immediately.
“You’ve come to the wrong house,” Brice said.
The man smiled and turned, bringing up a weapon. Brice immediately knocked the attacker’s hand away before the gun could be fired, causing the pistol to hit the house and fall to the ground. At that same time, a gun cocked behind the would-be intruder.
“You’re finished here, man,” Caleb said and kicked the pistol away.
Brice raised a brow as the intruder stood defiant against two guns trained on him. “Did you hear my brother? Perhaps I should beat you like you did Diana Pierce?”
“Or rape him,” Caleb suggested.
Brice laughed. “Castration.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” the man said, eyes narrowed.
Brice lowered his gun and got in the man’s face. “Wouldn’t I? After what you’ve done to Naomi, her mother, Whitney, Ms. Biermann, and countless other women?”
The man snorted loudly. “Sharon Biermann was in on it with us.”
Anger surged through Brice. “I think you should be beaten, raped repeatedly, and castrated.”
“We’ve cut enough balls off horses,” Caleb said. “We could ensure that you don’t feel much. Or … well, we could make you suffer horribly.”
The man shifted uneasily as he glanced over his shoulder at Caleb. “You’re bluffing.”
“I’m not,” Naomi said from behind Brice.
He turned as she walked out of the house, her face pale in the moonlight. Brice watched her carefully. She�
��d left the rifle inside, but there was no mistaking the cold fury within her.
“I’d happily cut off all your manly bits. And I’d do it right now,” she said.
Caleb pulled a knife from the scabbard at his waist and handed it to Brice. Brice watched the man’s face go slack when he then placed the knife in Naomi’s hand.
“You came to kill her,” Brice said to the intruder.
Caleb slammed the end of his rifle into the back of the man’s knees to bring him to the ground. “Hold him with me, Brice, so Naomi can cut.”
“No!” the man bellowed and held up his hands in surrender. “Stop her, and I’ll tell you everything.”
Chapter 34
It was now up to her. Naomi stared at the man on his knees before her. Brice and Caleb were waiting for her decision. They were leaving it up to her whether she castrated him or not.
And she was sorely tempted.
Finally, they had a face to put to the group of men who had assaulted Whitney and countless others.
“Please,” the man begged, his troubled eyes on her.
Brice and Caleb had a firm hold on him. It was the only reason Naomi felt safe enough to move a step closer. “Who are you?” she asked.
“Larry,” he said, swallowing loudly. “Larry Anderson.”
“Well, Larry, how many of the women that were groped and raped and bullied begged to be left alone?”
He frowned, glancing at Brice.
“How many?” Naomi demanded again, her voice rising.
Brice twisted Larry’s arm hard. “Answer her.”
“A-all of them,” Larry said with a wince.
Naomi looked away as emotions rose quickly inside her. She wanted to cry for Whitney and the others, but her anger was too great. Her eyes swung back to Larry. “Why should I listen to you then?”
Larry’s head jerked from Caleb to Brice, trying to find an ally. He looked imploringly at Naomi. “I’ve agreed to tell you everything I know. Just don’t hurt me.”
Caleb glared at Larry. “I have a particular hatred for men who think they can bully women. The only reason you feel that way is because of the dick between your legs. We take that away, and you have nothing.”
“I have a family,” Larry protested.
Naomi was appalled by his words. “What about all those women? Did you think of their families? Did you stop for even a second and wonder what your assault would do to them mentally?”
“You might not have left a physical mark on them, but the scars are still there,” Brice said.
“Look,” Larry hurried to say. “Look! I was just one of five. Names. You want names? I’ll give you names.”
Naomi met Brice’s gaze. He was waiting for her verdict. Never in her life had she wanted to do physical harm to someone before. Not even the man who had been driving drunk and struck the car that killed Suellen.
But this was different. Someone had laid hands on Whitney, forced her to do things against her will and made her feel as if there was no one she could turn to. These men had intimidated, frightened, and terrorized. They used their strength, their standing in society, and their power not just for assault but for murder, as well.
She wanted justice for herself and everyone involved. And she feared that this asshole might get away with all of it if he got the right lawyer.
But she wasn’t a vigilante. Not now. Not ever. However, she wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to get all the answers.
“Start talking,” she demanded.
Larry nodded, relief filling his face. “Raymond Bell is who you want.”
“The construction guy?” Caleb asked in surprise.
Larry’s gaze moved to the side. “We’ve been friends since elementary school. Where he goes, I follow.”
“And when he decided to force women, you eagerly joined in?” Naomi asked.
His hazel eyes met hers. “Yes.”
While she digested that, Brice asked, “I’m guessing our mayor and the other two men killed were part of your group?”
“Yeah,” Larry answered. “Raymond wanted to make everyone think those three were the ringleaders.”
“That would leave just Whitney and me to deal with,” Naomi said. She gave a sad shake of her head. “Where you the one driving the dump trunk that plowed into Cooper’s truck?”
There was a slight hesitation as Larry glanced at the knife she held before he said, “Yes.”
“You were trying to kill Whitney.”
He closed his eyes for a moment. “Along with Sharon, yes.”
Naomi looked past Brice and Caleb as Clayton and Danny came around the house with a flashlight that he pinned on Larry. She didn’t move as Danny walked to stand beside her. Larry drew in a deep breath, blinking against the harsh light. This was the part where he could claim that they’d forced him to confess under duress.
“What have we here?” Danny asked after looking at Brice and Caleb.
Brice shrugged. “A trespasser who intended to kill Naomi.”
Danny eyed Larry’s pistol on the ground. “Trespassing with the intent to harm. And caught in the act.”
“Not to mention you have his weapon with his fingerprints on it,” Clayton said from the corner of the house.
Danny’s lips twisted as he nodded. “That’s very true.” The sheriff rested his hand on the gun at his hip. “When I walked up, I heard you telling the others a fine story. How about you repeat everything for me?”
“Sure thing, sheriff,” Larry said. “Can you put the cuffs on me and get me away from these people?” he asked.
Naomi backed up as Danny cuffed Larry and got him to his feet. Another deputy took Larry away while Caleb relayed the conversation to Danny and Clayton. Brice moved to her side, linking his hand with hers as Danny hurried to his car to go and arrest Raymond Bell. She should be rejoicing, but she was numb.
A few minutes later, Clayton and Caleb joined them. Clayton smiled at her. “Y’all did good.”
“I didn’t do anything,” she said. “It was these two.”
Caleb grinned at her. “Larry really thought you were going to geld him. Hell, I even thought you were.”
“I nearly did.” She met Caleb’s brown eyes. “He and the others hurt women in ways you can never understand. And I wanted to hurt him in kind.”
“I did, too,” Brice admitted. “Hell, I still do.”
Caleb ran a hand down his face as he sighed. “Yeah.”
Clayton’s lips turned up into a soft smile. “Danny will have Raymond in custody shortly. I’m sure you’d like to see your mom and Whitney.”
“Yes,” Naomi said. She’d forgotten everything but Larry over the last few moments.
Clayton nodded to Brice. “Take her and go. I’ll lock up here.”
“I’m coming, too,” Caleb said.
The three of them walked to the barn, where the trucks had been hidden. On the drive there, she looked out the window, thinking about the fierce rage that had consumed her when she faced Larry.
Had she been alone, she may well have shot him. He had come to kill her, after all. Yet those feelings were something new and entirely disturbing.
Brice took her hand that had been lying on the seat. She turned her head to him as the lights of a passing car illuminated them and smiled when she met his gaze. They pulled into the hospital parking lot and hurried into the building with dawn fast approaching.
Caleb jumped into the elevators to see Cooper, while she and Brice stopped at the reception desk to find out where her mother was. When she learned that Diana had already been treated and left, she could only shake her head.
“I can take you home,” Brice offered.
Naomi looked at the elevators. “I’d like to see Whitney and Cooper.”
“Come on,” he said and took her hand.
On the ride up in the elevator to the ICU, she couldn’t stop looking at him.
“What?” he asked with a grin.
She scraped the pads of her fingers a
long the dark shadow of his beard. “You’re amazing.”
“Woman,” he said as he faced her, pulling her against him. “I’ve never felt such need as I do when I’m with you.”
The desire that flared in his eyes made her heart skip a beat. “Show me.”
His head lowered, their lips brushing just as there was a ding and the elevator doors opened, signaling their arrival. They both laughed and walked out together.
After a word with a nurse, Whitney’s father came out the ICU doors and got both of them. The sight of her best friend lying motionless on the bed with all the tubes hooked to her brought a rush of tears.
Naomi walked to the bed and took Whitney’s hand in her own. “Hey,” she said to her friend. “I’m sorry I haven’t been here. I was trying to catch the men who did this to you. And, we did. So you can wake up anytime now.”
“Look,” Brice said as he pointed to the TV that was on but muted.
Naomi glanced at the screen to spot Danny putting a man in handcuffs into a squad car. The banner at the bottom of the television said, “Local businessman, Raymond Bell, arrested for sexual assault, conspiracy to murder, and several other charges not yet released by police.”
“See?” Naomi said to Whitney as she blinked through her tears. “This part is over. Those men will never bother you again.”
The hardest part was yet to come. Not only would Whitney have months of physical therapy, but she would need to address the assault with help, as well. But she was strong. Naomi knew Whitney would come out stronger in the end.
Naomi lifted her head to find Mrs. Nolan crying in her husband’s arms. She walked to the couple, and they pulled her into their embrace.
“Thank you,” Mrs. Nolan said through her tears.
Mr. Nolan sniffed loudly. “Whitney is lucky to have you as a friend.”
Naomi remained with them for a little longer before she and Brice went to see Cooper. They found him sitting up in bed, joking with Caleb and Jace.
It was good to see him smiling again. Brice pulled her into the room after him. Cooper wanted to know everything that had happened, and Caleb was happy to retell everything.
Naomi listened, but her attention was on Brice. His head turned to her before he gave her a sexy smile. That’s when it hit her. The thing that had brought them together was over. She had no reason to remain in Texas anymore.
