Mountain Rough

by Kelli Callahan

  “That’s true.” I nodded and looked over to Mandy. “When the resort was thriving, it made a lot of money. We pulled a lot of business away from the cabin rentals.“

  “Your email mentioned something about a family matter?” Mandy tilted her head. “Did that have anything to do with the lawsuit?”

  “Honestly?” Abigail shrugged. “I’m not sure. We were already in discussions with your father about the lawsuit against the town when it came up. He never got a chance to elaborate.”

  “This is fucked up.” I exhaled sharply. “I’m going to talk to the mayor.”

  “Do you think that is a good idea?” Mandy reached over and put her hand on my arm. “Perhaps we should let them start working on the lawsuit again and just settle things in the courtroom.”

  “Nah.” I pushed my chair back and stood up. “That ain’t my way.”

  Sheriff Thompson had told me not to approach Brandon Remington, the mayor of Blue Ridge, but I was tired of listening to words. He was the one driving all of the change, and the incorporation was passed shortly after he took office. That definitely wasn’t a coincidence. The fact that his office killed all of my father’s permits after the incorporation passed was a direct attack on my family. I was starting to doubt that my father passed away from natural causes, although I didn’t think Brandon had the balls to resort to murder. If nothing else, it was the stress caused by watching the resort die around him that brought on his rather untimely passing.

  “Do you really think this is a good idea?” I was already halfway to Town Hall before I heard Mandy’s voice again. “I really think you should do this with lawyers. Storming in there with threats isn’t going to accomplish anything except draw more attention to what you’re trying to do.”

  “I already have their attention. I wasn’t trying to lay low when I returned to Blue Ridge, but they clearly had no idea I was working on the resort again. None of this shit started until Charlie started running his mouth.” I pulled away when Mandy tried to take my arm. “They’re not going to let me do any work on it at all. They’re just going to bury me in denials like they did to my father.”

  “This isn’t going to end well. You’re going to piss them off.” Mandy reached for my arm again.

  “Good.” I evaded her grasp. “They deserve to be pissed off.”

  MY BLOOD WAS BOILING when I pushed the doors open and walked into Town Hall. There were more people there than when I came for the permits, but I ignored them all and took the stairs that led to the mayor’s office. Before I could get to the top, I saw a familiar face. He appeared to be heading down the stairs, but he paused in his tracks when he saw me. Brandon Remington had some age on his face, but he still looked like a grown-up version of the sniveling kid I remembered. His eyes opened wide, but then his face turned to a smirk. It was the same smirk I hated in high school. The one that made me want to punch his head off his shoulders.

  “Red…” He took a step onto the staircase and tilted his head. “I didn’t believe it when people said you were back. I thought it was impossible. You were too good for this town.”

  “Yeah.” I glared at him, feeling my rage starting to take control. “I’m back all right. It seems that you’ve used your family’s money to buy your way into public office.”

  “I’m just a civil servant.” He blinked and his smirk faded. “I’ve tried to make Blue Ridge better while you’ve been gone.”

  “I’ve seen what you’ve been doing. You locked everything down so that your family was the only ones that could profit. You’ve choked out of all of the competition.” I took another step and resisted the urge to charge him. “You won’t get away with this.”

  “Classic Red.” He shook his head and chuckled. “You think this is about money? You’re a fool. It’s about family.” He walked down a few steps until he was close enough for me to reach. “My family—that is all I care about.”

  “Yeah, because your family profits while everyone else suffers.” I leaned forward. “Just ask the Thatchers. They were the first victims of your greed.”

  “Victims—greed.” He gave the same sarcastic smirk. “You have no idea.”

  “Red? Brandon?” I heard a voice behind me, one that I recognized instantly after hearing it again in the supermarket.

  Susan walked towards the stairs with a look of shock and surprise on her face. It wasn’t the first time she had arrived when I was arguing with Brandon, seconds from turning his face into an unrecognizable blood splatter. It felt like high school again. I was close to losing my temper and going across the line I promised her I would never cross—then she arrived to set things straight. The difference was that I no longer bowed to her commands. I didn’t give a shit what she had to say. Brandon had taken things too far and I wasn’t about to let her interfere. I looked at Mandy, who seemed to be stuck in a permanent state of bewilderment as she witnessed the exchange.

  “Susan, stay out of this.” I pointed at my childhood girlfriend and felt my blood boiling again. “This is between me and your husband.”

  “So I guess you know…” Susan stopped and shook her head. “I’m sorry, Red. You left and Brandon was there for me.”

  “I was a little confused to find out you married this piece of shit.” I pointed to Brandon. “Yeah, it stung a little bit, but that’s my fault. I’m the one that left. I’m the one that drove you into his arms—whatever. I’m here to talk about what this fucking asshole did to my father.”

  “Your father?” Susan blinked in surprise. “Your father died, Red. That doesn’t have anything to do with Brandon.”

  “Doesn’t it?” I turned my attention back to Brandon. “I find it rather convenient that he passed away after he filed a lawsuit to challenge the incorporation.”

  “He did what?” Susan tilted her head and then looked at Brandon. “You never told me that, you told me it was about…”

  “About what?” I took a step down the stairs. “What the fuck did you two do?”

  “Nothing.” Susan suddenly regained her composure. “Brandon, we need to talk about this—at home.”

  “I’m the mayor now.” Brandon walked down the stairs and put his hand on my shoulder. “I don’t have to cower in fear of this asshole anymore.”

  I couldn’t hold back anymore. I spun around and my fist crashed into Brandon’s jaw. It was like a lifetime of pent up frustrations coming to life in one punch. Everyone in Town Hall immediately started to freak out. Brandon hit the stairs and rolled to the bottom. Susan ran to him and quickly knelt down, pulling his head into her lap. I stared at the scene for a moment and as more people came rushing over, the weight of what I had done started to hit me. I was motionless for a moment and then I felt someone tugging on my arm. I looked over to see Mandy. Her face instantly snapped me back to reality and I started moving towards the exit. We were in my truck with the ignition cranked before Sheriff Thompson’s car rolled up with the lights on.

  “Fuck!” I snarled and slammed the truck into drive.

  “I told you this was a bad idea.” Mandy pulled her seatbelt across her chest as we peeled out of the parking lot.

  Chapter 13: Mandy

  Some freaking vacation.

  I could tell Red was going to lose his temper before he walked into Town Hall. I did my best to stop him, but it wasn’t enough. He was blinded by rage. We parked near the resort and watched from a distance as Sheriff Thompson arrived. He searched the resort and waited for an hour before he finally gave up. Once it got dark, we returned to the resort on foot. We couldn’t turn on the lights out of fear that someone would see us, but we did have shelter over our head. The mountain did give us some cover. If anyone got near the resort, we would hear them. I wasn’t sure what that would mean, but I was glad we seemed to have some sort of peace for the moment. The quietness was our camouflage.

  “I guess this isn’t what you signed up for when you decided to take a vacation to the mountains.” Red tossed a blanket on the floor and poured a glass of whis
key.

  “No, not at all.” I shook my head back and forth as I took a seat.

  “Brandon said this isn’t about money. What the hell could it be about?” He sat down with his drink and started sipping it.

  “I don’t know.” I shrugged and sighed. “This whole situation is really confusing. Your father obviously didn’t give up the resort. He was doing everything in his power to fix things up, but he couldn’t. Did he ever mention anything to you?”

  “No.” Red shook his head and lifted his glass again. “We didn’t talk much and that was mostly my fault, but he never mentioned a single problem that was going on here.”

  “Maybe he didn’t want to trouble you with it.” I scooted closer to Red. “You moved on and your life wasn’t in Blue Ridge anymore.”

  “I guess.” Red shrugged and stared at the floor. “Tomorrow, I’m going to have to do things my way. As much as I want you here with me, you’re going to have to go. I don’t want you mixed up in any of this.”

  “You’re just going to get arrested. You saw how fast the sheriff got to Town Hall. He’s going to slap the handcuffs on you the second you show your face.” I reached out and took his hand. “Come with me. You left Blue Ridge behind once. This isn’t worth your life or your freedom.”

  “I’m not leaving.” He squeezed my hand. “I don’t regret my choices, but I left because it was what I wanted. I’m not giving Brandon Remington the satisfaction of knowing he drove me out of Blue Ridge.”

  I wasn’t going to change his mind. Begging wasn’t even enough to sway him. I was only going to have one more night with Red, but I intended to make the most of it. I pulled him closer and started kissing his neck. I didn’t have to ask for what I wanted. He put his glass down and wrapped his arms around me. His hands moved underneath my shirt and started sliding it up. My body started to ignite with the desire he had unlocked inside me. Being in his arms was the only place I wanted to be. He peeled off my shirt and removed my bra. His lips drifted down to my nipples and he started licking them passionately, circling each hard nub with his hungry tongue. If I could just take his mind off things for a little bit, it would definitely be worth it.

  “I don’t want to lose you.” I leaned against his ear with a whisper. “It isn’t fair.”

  “You’re not going to lose me.” He kissed his way back to my ear. “Not tonight.”

  He pushed me back against the blanket and started removing my jeans. Once they were off, he stripped my panties from my waist and tossed them across the room. I was naked in his arms, which was exactly where I wanted to be. He pushed me back against the blanket and started kissing his way up my inner thighs. His lips made me forget the turmoil brewing around us. In that moment, he was the only thing I could focus on. He moved his lips to may labia and slowly licked it before sinking his tongue down onto my clitoris. I was so wet with desire that I didn’t need his tongue, but I wasn’t going to turn it down. I clenched the blanket in my fists and started to gasp when he circled the tight bundle of nerves.

  “That feels good.” I moaned and started to grind my hips against his tongue.

  He moved his tongue against my clitoris until I was almost on the brink of an orgasm before he lifted up and started to remove his shirt. I leaned forward and unbuckled his jeans, desperate to feel him inside me. I was no longer a virgin scared of sex. I wanted to feel his fury between my thighs. Once he was undressed, he lifted my legs and I felt his glans against my wetness. I was so turned on that it didn’t take much effort for him to enter me. His thrusts were gentle at first, but once they picked up speed, he leaned forward and kissed my neck. I melted into his touch, feeling his furious passion enveloping me in the lust I truly craved.

  “Harder.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned into his ear. “Please!”

  The floor started to thump as he drove his cock inside me. I was almost certain the cabin was going to collapse around us as his thunderous thrusts sent me to a new world of ecstasy. The pressure built quick after the stimulation from his tongue, and I caved in as the pleasure consumed me. I started to orgasm and he didn’t slow down. My pussy massaged his length while he drove himself into my g-spot, but it didn’t seem to bring him closer to climax. He was like a man possessed, chasing every ounce of passion he could get from my body. My first orgasm left me wetter than before, which made his hammer-thrusts even faster. I quickly spiraled towards the edge and went tumbling into another orgasm. My passionate cry filled the quietness of night, but it was drowned out by his grunts and the sound of our bodies colliding with the cabin floor. The blanket barely muffled our passion.

  “Red! Oh god, please don’t stop!” My second orgasm was barely gone from my body when the third one began.

  It was more than I expected when we started, but there was no turning back. My body was locked an an endless orgasm while he kept thrusting himself into me without stopping. I felt his cock start to throb and I knew he was close as well. My lust was only one half of our passion and I felt his quickly beginning to unfold. My pussy squeezed on his dick and while he was still moving, his pulsations were stronger than I had felt in our previous encounter. His hips buckled and he threw his head back with a roar. I knew it was coming even before I felt the surge of cum moving through his shaft. It erupted inside me and another orgasm took hold. I milked his cock with my spasms while he unloaded deep inside me.

  “Damn, I just can’t stop.” He started to move his hips with hard, erratic thrusts.

  He ejaculated inside me until it felt like was done, but he kept driving himself between my thighs. There was a brief pause in his explosion, but after a half-dozen more thrusts, I felt him start to buckle again. One wasn’t going to be enough for him. His head went back again with a primal roar on his lips. His shoulders slumped forward and he stared directly into my eyes. The intensity that was burning his orbs was as clear as day, even in the dim light of the cabin. It was like they were glowing with embers of his desire. He started to erupt again and it made my body quiver. I shook with my desires meeting his as we shared another orgasm. When he finished emptying his second load inside me, he dropped down onto the blanket beside me.

  “Forget the world for a little bit.” I pulled his arm across my body. “Just hold me.”

  Exhaustion took him fairly quickly after the intensity that burned between us. I lay in his arms, dreading what was in front of us. Red wasn’t going to stop until he had the answers he needed. He was ready to set the world on fire to get them. I felt like I had to stay, even if he was trying to push me away. I couldn’t leave without knowing what happened to him. I hoped that if things took a turn for the worse—worse than they already were—that he would consider leaving with me. I didn’t know what that would mean, or how we would make it work away from Blue Ridge, but one thing was crystal clear. I didn’t want to lose him. He had burrowed himself into my thoughts, my desires, and every fiber of my soul. I couldn’t let that go, no matter what it took to keep him.

  “I’M SORRY, MANDY.” I heard Red’s voice and when I opened my eyes, I found that my hands were bound.

  “What are you doing?” I pulled against the tightness on my wrists, which appeared to be tied behind my back.

  “It won’t hold you for long.” I could hear what sounded like keys being dropped on the kitchen table. “When you get free, you need to leave Blue Ridge.”

  “No!” I struggled and when I kicked my feet, I found that they were tied together with a sleeve from one of his shirts.

  “You know what I have to do.” He stepped into view with his shogun draped across his shoulder. “I know you would do anything in your power to stop me, and I just can’t let you do that. I’m going to confront Brandon and when I’m done with him, he’ll either be dead, or I’ll know the truth—but he might still not live to see the conversation end.”

  “Red, please! Don’t do this!” I twisted on the floor and tried to free.

  He left the cabin and slammed the door. I knew he was walking b
ack to where he left his truck. He was headed to the town and he wasn’t going to rest until he got the answers he needed or a bullet from the sheriff. The binding wasn’t tight, but it wasn’t easy to escape. I struggled with it for nearly two hours before I finally got my wrists free. Once they were no longer tied together, I untied my feet. I grabbed my keys and ran outside. He definitely had a head start on me, but I hoped I wasn’t too late. I ran to my car, cranked it up, and hit the gas as I drove down the mountain.

  You’re not getting rid of me that easy, Red.

  Chapter 14: Red

  It was still early, which meant Brandon wouldn’t be at Town Hall. I was able to find his address on my computer and get Mandy tied up before she finally stirred. She was clearly exhausted from what we had done the previous night. I was torn between the past and the present. I really did like Mandy. I wanted to stay there with her. I was even tempted to leave Blue Ridge with her. The past just wouldn’t let me. I had to know the truth and I had to find out if Brandon had anything to do with my father’s death. I parked my truck near his house and walked up on a hill so that I had a good view. I didn’t want to break down the door if Susan and the kids were inside. I hoped Brandon would leave and I could run him off the road. If I could get him alone, it wouldn’t take long to get the truth.

  Come on, Brandon. Your loyal subjects await. Come be their king.

  It was still hard to wrap my mind around Susan marrying such a spineless twerp. I thought she was nice to him because they were friends and she didn’t want to break his heart. She never reciprocated his advanced, she always told him his romantic gestures were sweet, but even when she was rejecting me, she never showed any interest in Brandon. It was my fault they were married. The pain of my goodbye must have hurt her a lot worse than I realized if she found comfort in Brandon’s arms. I saw the garage door open and I knelt down to stay out of sight. A black SUV passed and I saw Susan in the driver’s seat. It looked like it was just her and the kids.