A Place to Call Home

by Dixie Lynn Dwyer

  “Well, like I said, I’m not interested.”

  “Not interested in what?” Cheris asked, joining them by the bar with some orders for drinks for the sheriff’s table.

  “Hannah isn’t interested in the sheriff and his brothers.”

  Cheris’s mouth gaped open. “Are you nuts?” Maya snorted and gave Athena a little tap to her arm as she started pouring the beers.

  “No, I’m not nuts. I’m just not interested. I have a lot of things going on in my life. Have bills to pay and other things.”

  “You say that even after you got to roll around on the mats with Culter today?”

  “She did what?” Maya asked. And Cheris explained.

  “How did you wind up there, and what about the dojo in Central Valley?” Maya asked.

  “I’ll probably go back to that, especially if what you say is true and Culter wants to flirt. I don’t need the trouble,” she added, and then continued to wipe down the counter.

  Maya touched her arm. “So who was the dick that broke your heart?” She asked.

  “Yeah, I’d like to know, too,” Cheris said.

  Athena opened her mouth to speak but then exhaled. “I’m not interested, and that’s all there is to it.” She then saw some guys approach the bar to order drinks and she walked over that way. She noticed Curtis watching her, and she looked away.

  Kane watched Hannah wiping down the tables, and then he saw the guy from earlier in the evening stumble toward her with a beer in one hand, and his other hand in the air apologizing for earlier. She nodded her head and he stepped closer, his eyes zeroing in on her chest. It happened so fast. The guy threw the beer at her chest, then pulled her into his arms and went to kiss her. She pulled him closer, kneed him in the nuts, and then gave him an uppercut to his throat and neck, sending him onto his ass. Chairs fell over, including his, as him and his brothers rushed into action, but the guy was out cold on the ground.

  “Oh my God! Go, Hannah!” Maya yelled out, and the crowd cheered, but Hannah looked ready to burst into tears.

  “Hannah, are you okay?” Culter asked her and they surrounded her as the bouncers grabbed the guy off the ground. Her chest was soaked through the white top and she looked like she was in a wet T-shirt contest, her breasts huge, and the cleavage deep. She pulled it away from her skin and it wound up giving them an even clearer view of her full breasts encased in a white bra.

  “Come on,” Culter said, placing his arm around her shoulder as the guys hollered and whistled as she tried to cover her breasts.

  “Cool it!” Kane yelled, and they followed her toward the side hallway.

  “I’m fine,” she barked at them, and then went into the back room.

  Harper was there along with Maya. “Holy shit, did you see her moves?” Maya asked.

  “Let me bring her this to change into. She was getting ready to leave anyway. What an asshole that guy was,” Harper said, and walked back there.

  Cheris came over. “I’ll let you know how she is,” she said, and walked back there, too.

  “Holy shit,” Culter said. “We wait for her. Make sure she gets home safely.” They nodded in agreement.

  Athena grabbed onto the sink in the bathroom. Maya was there with Harper, and Cheris.

  “You did good, Hannah. That was some quick thinking, and that kick and punch knocked that drunk asshole out. Holy shit, I need to go to the dojo more often and not just to check out Nash’s ass,” Cheris said, and Harper and Maya chuckled.

  “Hannah,” Harper said her name, and when she touched her shoulder, Athena pulled away and stepped to the side.

  “I need to change and get back.”

  “It’s okay. You’re done anyway. There’s an hour left and then we’ll be kicking them out,” Harper said.

  She looked at them and she could feel her body shaking. She was shivering.

  “Here, put this on.” Harper gave her the top and Athena turned around, pulled off the wet one, and Maya handed her some paper towels to dry her chest off.

  “Good thing you aren’t driving because if you got pulled over they would think you’d been drinking,” Cheris said.

  “Not with the sheriff as a witness to what happened.”

  She wet the paper towels and cleaned herself up the best she could, and then dried her chest and pulled on the T-shirt.

  “Men are pigs and such assholes, but you showed him, Hannah,” Maya said.

  Athena didn’t need this kind of attention or to be attacked for no reason. Just because she had big breasts and these men found her attractive, didn’t give them a right to treat her like this. She was raging in her head and then Harper touched her hand. She tightened up.

  “Jesus, Hannah, it’s okay. You handled it.

  “I don’t think this is going to work out,” she said to her.

  “What?” Maya asked, and Harper looked at Cheris, and Maya.

  “You girls go back out and finish working. Hannah and I will take care of this.”

  The girls looked like they were seriously disappointed in her statement hinting about quitting. She felt badly. She liked them. Wanted to have friends like normal people did, but that voice in the back of her head warned her that she wasn’t normal. This wasn’t smart. She was supposed to blend in.

  “Hannah, I think you’re just upset. You aren’t used to this type of thing.”

  “I shouldn’t be here, grabbing attention, having to defend myself. I just want to live my life, pay my bills, and be left alone. I don’t need this,” she said, and her voice cracked.

  Harper rubbed Athena’s arms. “You’re just upset. Don’t make any rash decisions tonight. We can talk in a couple of days.” She let her go.

  Athena stared up at Harper. “It’s not a smart idea. I need to blend in not stand out.”

  Harper snorted. “Baby, that is not under your control. You’re gorgeous and then some. You’re likable, sweet, have a great smile, and seem like you have a kind heart.”

  “I just want to be left alone. I don’t want the attention.”

  Harper exhaled. “Everyone likes you. You’ve made friends with all of us already. Your actions tonight might get Maya to actually focus on self-defense and protecting herself if someone comes after her instead of running, or feeling weak and defeated.”

  Athena squinted her eyes at her.

  “It isn’t my story to tell, but something bad happened to her only two years ago. She’s strong and determined. If she wasn’t then she wouldn’t be here, not working in public and definitely not a bar. Trust me, your actions did more good than you know.”

  “I don’t know about that. I just don’t think this will work out.”

  “No rash decisions. Get things wrapped up. I think you have a ride home.”

  “I do, my bike.”

  “Hmm, not sure that’s going to fly.”

  “What?”

  “The sheriff. He was here and saw what happened. Guaranteed the guy is already on his way to jail to spend the night in a cell. The town has rules and you won’t be going to and from unescorted.”

  “I don’t need an escort. They don’t need to arrest the guy. I handled it.”

  Harper shrugged her shoulders. “It doesn’t really work that way, but I guess the only one to really make the final decision would be the sheriff.”

  Athena rubbed her temples. She could feel the migraine coming on. This was bad. So very bad.

  They headed out of the bathroom and she thought she was in the clear as she grabbed her things and Maya said she could drop off the money in tips to her tomorrow. “Give me your cell and I’ll call you to see when a good time is,” Maya said as the McCabe brothers all gathered near the bar.

  Kane was on his cell phone. “I’ll just stop in Monday afternoon after work at Spark’s,” she said.

  “Don’t be silly. I don’t mind.” She was holding her cell phone.

  “I don’t have a cell, just stop by in the afternoon some time. If you see my bike, then I’m home,” she
said, and pressed her fingers to her temples.

  “Hey. You okay?” Ade asked her, placing his hand on her shoulder. She tightened up and stepped to the side, making it obvious she was affected by being touch suddenly. She knew what was coming. She knew it and had to get out of here.

  “I’m good. See you soon,” she said, and Ade looked at her funny but then smiled.

  “Take care, honey. Nice moves earlier, too.” He winked.

  She nodded but then looked down as she walked past the McCabe brothers who she felt following her. She heard someone say that something was wrong and then Culter say, “Don’t worry, we got her.”

  She walked outside and pulled her hooded sweatshirt on and walked by the side of the building to grab her bike.

  “We’ll give you a ride home,” Kane said to her, appearing and putting his cell phone on the clip on his hip.

  “No, thank you,” she said, her head pounding harder. She gripped the handlebars on the bike.

  Chase got in front of her. “Hey, you’re okay and you did great with that guy. He deserved it, and he’ll spend the night behind bars.”

  She nodded.

  Kane stood there with his hands on his hips. “You’re not riding the bike home. We’ll give you a ride, ensure that you get home safely, and while we go you can give me a few details for me to file the paperwork in the morning against that asshole who touched you.” He eyed her over.

  She knew she couldn’t put her name down. It was a false name. Once they looked into the computer, it could pop up as anyone by the name of Hannah Monroe. She’d made it up.

  “No need, Sheriff. Not pressing charges,” she said, and got onto the bike and pushed past him.

  “Wait. You’re what?” he said.

  “Don’t want any trouble. Night,” she said as her chest began to tighten and the panic attack, the episode she hadn’t had in months, was beginning to arise. She pedaled faster. If she could just get to the property. Get to her apartment and then into bed. She’d shower later. She just needed a dark, quiet room.

  She was pedaling and the fact that she could hear the diesel engine behind her, knowing they followed her added to her anxiety. What did they want? What were their intentions? God, please don’t let them attack. Don’t let them see me like this. Are they going to hurt me? I can’t tell them about my life or who I am. I can’t press charges. They’re going to figure out I’m lying, that I’m running. Oh God, they’re huge and they can hurt me, too. Why is this happening to me?

  The pain in her head was so bad that as she got up the driveway, she nearly fell off her bike. She teetered and then pressed against the wall. She heard doors slam closed, the engine stop, and then hands were on her.

  “Easy, sweetie. Slow down,” the sheriff said, and he pressed his hand to her forehead, then her cheeks. She tried to push his hand away.

  “Please, just leave me alone. I know what to do. I have to get upstairs.”

  “Well you aren’t climbing up those stairs like this,” Fox snapped at her, and then she felt the sheriff lift her up into his arms and carry her up the stairs.

  “Oh God.” She didn’t want to like how it felt to be in his arms. To need so desperately a hug, a human embrace. She didn’t. “Put me down. It’s okay. This happens sometimes.”

  “Where’s the key?” Chase asked.

  “Front pocket of the bag. I got it. Go, please,” she said, and leaned her head against the door. She could see their expressions. Was that concern or were they pretending? Chase unlocked the door and they walked inside with her.

  “The light?” the sheriff said.

  “No. No light, just go. I need darkness. I need to just lay down and be in the darkness and—"

  She teetered as felt her head pound. She held it with her hands and headed to her bedroom. “Go. Just lock up. I can’t take it.” She walked into her room, climbed up onto the bed and laid down. She pulled one pillow over her head. Could hear them talking and then the bed dipped and she felt the hand on her leg, caressing it.

  “What do you take for the migraines? I’ll get you it and some water and then let it do its job.” The sheriff again, being persistent, but he was right. She wouldn’t get any better if she didn’t take the over the counter pills.

  “Nightstand, green bottle, three pills,” she whispered, her voice cracking. She was trying to block them out yet feared not paying attention. She could hear the drawer open, the bottle too, and a light shone on it. Then footsteps out of her bedroom and then the sheriff’s voice.

  “It says one as needed, not three.”

  “Three works.”

  “But.”

  “God damn it, Sheriff, three,” she said through clenched teeth, and tears spilled from her eyes.

  “Okay, sweetie. “

  “Here.” She heard Culter and then the sheriff.

  “Culter brought in water. I have the pills.” She slid the pillow away from her head. The sheriff helped her sit up and she leaned into him, her head heavy, pounding. She moaned.

  “Nice and easy. We got you, doll,” he said, and she took the pills, and Culter held the glass of water to her lips.

  She drank, unable to say she didn’t need them when she did need the help. She lowered back down. “Thank you, now go. Lock up, please. I’ll be fine.” She covered her head with the pillow. He got up from the bed, and she heard the footsteps as she rocked back and forth, moaning from the pain and praying that the pills kicked in faster than normal. Tomorrow she would worry about the questions.

  “Jesus, that’s a bad one, and she said she gets them every so often,” Culter said to Kane.

  Kane looked around the room, and then at Chase and Fox who were sitting on her couch. Her place was impeccably neat, and she had hardly anything. It was so bare that the small vase on the coffee table with some flowers in it looked out of place.

  “You know something is up with her right? She could be running from trouble, or from a past she doesn’t want to look back on. All the signs point to it, Kane. No cell phone, refusal to press charges, cash pay at Harper’s.”

  “What?” Kane asked.

  “Ade told us that. He’s concerned, too,” Chase said to them.

  “Fuck,” Culter said, and looked back toward the bedroom. “She knows a lot of martial arts moves, kickboxing, grappling, too, like she’s preparing to have to fight. Like she knows it’s coming,” Culter told them.

  “We weren’t halfway out of our seats before she knocked that dick on his ass. She pulled him towards her to knee him in the balls and then did that uppercut to his throat and chin. He didn’t know what hit him, and we weren’t even halfway there. That’s training and then some,” Chase said.

  “That’s someone who knows that trouble is headed her way, and she’s trying to give herself a chance to escape or evade being caught. The question is, from whom or what is she running away from?” Fox asked, and then headed to the door.

  “We’re leaving her?” Culter asked.

  “It’s what she asked, and if you want to gain her trust, and let her see she’s safe here in Cherry Hill, I suggest we go,” Fox told them as he headed out.