“You’re really our last hope, Lena. He’s been drinking, and it’s not good for the healing process both physically and emotionally. Last night he wound up in the hospital after falling and cutting his leg. He needed stitches.”
She stepped back when she heard those words about being their last hope and about Bryant needing stitches. Instantly, her drunk of a mother entered her mind as well as the pigs she brought home to the apartment.
“Lena, what’s wrong?” Will asked.
“I don’t know if I can take that type of abuse again,” she admitted then sat in the chair and hung her head. These people had done so much for her, and now she could pay them back by helping with their son, but she was afraid of her past.
She felt the hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw that it was Will.
He knelt down beside the chair.
“What do you mean, Lena?”
She took a few seconds to answer.
“I know I haven’t shared a lot about my life with any of you. It’s because it’s just too painful to have to recall. I’m not sure if I can handle some drunk ex-Marine I don’t even know, cursing me out, calling me names, or treating me the way my mother treated me when I was growing up.”
“Oh, Lena, your mother was an alcoholic?” Doc asked.
“She was drunk most of the time, and when she wasn’t passed out, she was entertaining.” She leaned back and took a deep breath then stared at their faces.
“That’s terrible for a kid to have to witness,” Frank added.
“I want to help you. You’ve done so much for me.”
“I think that you’ve come a long way from those years living in that type of home environment. You’re a very bright, very beautiful young woman who’s kept positive despite that childhood. You’ve shown us how wonderful and caring you are and how much of a hard worker, too. Don’t regret being unable to do this. We’ll keep thinking of a way to help Bryant,” Abigail stated, and Lena stood up, prepared to leave the room.
“I’ll think about it, okay?”
Abigail nodded her head.
* * * *
Lena was tired of getting hit on, tired of turning down dates, then getting called a slut, and she was tired of the Jones brothers giving her a hard time about working at Rocky’s. She needed the money, and she knew that Doc Jones was keeping her in the office without really having work to do. She was going to have to take the job with Bryant. She wanted to quit this stupid job and do something positive with her life. Enough was enough.
As she headed out of the bar prepared to take her bike, she noticed a group of guys standing near the corner of the building. It was beginning to rain as she started to pull out her bag so she could throw on her sweat shorts and a hooded sweatshirt. Hopefully there wouldn’t be a downpour.
She stepped into the shorts as she heard the sound of sneakers hitting gravel and coming closer.
“Hey, Lena, what are you doing?” some guy named Derrick asked, slurring his words. His other buddies took position around her. She knew this wasn’t a good situation and hoped that someone else would exit the bar. It was late.
“I’m headed home, Derrick. Don’t you think you should, too?” she asked as she began to zip up her bag then pull on her sweatshirt. The rain began to get a little heavier.
“I was thinking about taking you home with me. What do you say, Lena? Come home with a real man, and you’ll never forget it.” He touched her sweatshirt and she pulled away.
“I’m not interested. You seem like nice guys and all, but I’m tired and need to be at work early tomorrow morning.”
She wanted to jump on her bike and leave, but then she felt the hand on her shoulder and someone else turn her toward them. Some creepy guy grabbed her around the waist and turned her so she was flat up against the wall.
The panic hit her that she was being attacked. Flashbacks of Triumph entered her mind.
“Get off of me!” she yelled.
“Keep her quiet or someone is going to come outside,” Derrick whispered through grinding teeth.
She felt the hands on her ass, and then they moved under her sweatshirt.
“Get off!” she yelled again as a hand covered her mouth. She bit down hard.
“Fuck! She bit me!” someone yelled, and the heavy body pressed her into the wall, making it difficult for her to breathe. She felt the hand move down her sweats, then over her panties.
“You’re fucking wet for me, aren’t you, bitch?” the disgusting one stated, and she lost it. She head butted him in the nose then kneed him in the groin. Another one grabbed her as the first one went down. She swung her bag at his head then threw a forearm at his face. The front door to the bar opened as the owner, Rocky, came out with three other men.
“What the hell is going on?” he yelled.
“They attacked me,” she cried out, nearly breathless as the guys grabbed the three men who tried to hurt her.
“Come back inside, Lena, I’m calling the cops. These assholes have been harassing my girls for weeks now.”
She shook her head.
“I’m going home,” she stated then got on her bike.
“Lena, wait. I’ll drive you. Lena!” he called after her, but Lena just wanted to go home and get the hell out of there. She was so upset and sick of being treated this way. She hoped that she could still take the job caring for Bryant. She also didn’t want the Joneses paying for anything else that needed fixing at the cottage. They helped give her a new start, but it was her responsibility to grow from that start. She really didn’t want to come back to work at Rocky’s but she promised him another night or two next week. She had no choice. She would have to go back there next week. The money was just too good to pass up, and Rocky had been very supportive as well. She’d deal with making decisions tomorrow.
* * * *
The rain was pounding down and Kenny could hardly see out of the windshield. He pulled along the side road that led to the main road to the ranch, and suddenly there was someone in front of him. He pulled toward the middle of the road and rolled down the side window. It was Lena, dressed in a hooded sweatshirt, drenched and riding her bike in the rain.
“Lena! Lena do you want a ride?” he asked her, and she shook her head.
“Damn stubborn woman!” he yelled but followed her until she was safely at her cottage. He got out of the truck and ran toward her front porch.
They stood under the overhang, and she began to take off her shoes.
“You rode all the way here from Rocky’s on a bike?” he questioned her, and she ignored him as she pulled off her sweats and then her sweatshirt. She was shivering and only wearing that stupid tank top and short miniskirt.
“Get inside before you get sick,” he reprimanded.
She unlocked the door and was about to close it on him.
“Let me in, Lena. I want to talk to you.”
She looked a bit scared, so Kenny softened his expression, and that seemed to make her realize that he wouldn’t hurt her.
“I’ve had a long night Kenny. I just want to shower and go to bed.”
“You look upset. I can’t believe you rode your bike home in this weather. I would have given you a ride. I want to make sure that you’re okay.”
She shrugged her shoulders, appearing defeated and let him in. He didn’t like the feeling in his gut. Something seemed wrong.
* * * *
Lena was shaking. How come he wasn’t yelling at her and telling her that she was never going back to Rocky’s? Did he not get the call from the bar? With her luck, Derrick and his creepy friends would probably press charges against her. She wasn’t as upset and angry as she was when she first left the bar. The ride on the bike in the pouring rain had cleared her head. It was crazy how a ride on her bike in the rain washed away the anger she initially felt from being attacked. She pushed her wet strands of hair behind her back.
“Go get something warm and dry on. I’ll wait here.”
She hesitated, worryi
ng that he might not be who he seemed.
“I promise to not come in after you. I’ll go sit in the living room.”
It was as if he read her mind. Lena walked to her room, closed the door, and locked it. She quickly got undressed then changed into a pair of shorts, a tank top then grabbed another short sweatshirt that landed shy of her waist. It was old and had shrunk over the years. When she opened the door, there was Kenny sitting on her couch waiting for her.
As she hesitated to walk closer, he stood up and met her in the middle of the room.
He took her hand, and she thought of pulling away, but she didn’t. Truth was, she liked the way she felt when Kenny, Quinn, or Blake touched her. There was something about this town, this ranch, and the people.
“You look tired, Lena,” he whispered then reached up to touch her cheek. His eyes narrowed as he gently lifted her chin to look at the side of her neck.
“You have a scratch there. It looks new, how did you get it?”
She cringed a moment. Of course the deputy had to be the one to visit her after being attacked outside of the club. Obviously, he wasn’t called.
“I was working in the yard today. Maybe I scratched it then. I really don’t remember, Kenny, but it doesn’t matter. I’m exhausted. Can you please just let me go to bed?” she whispered, not even wanting to fight with him. She felt bad for lying, but she wasn’t in the mood for another one of his speeches about how unsafe Rocky’s was and how she needed to quit. She’d worked at lots of unsafe places. She didn’t come from money or have a family to support her. It was only her.
He caressed her cheek and moved closer. She felt his arm go around her waist, and then his hand caressed the back of her head. A moment later her cheek was plastered to his massive chest, and he was hugging her to him.
He didn’t try to touch her or take advantage of her. He merely held her against his chest and caressed her back.
“You feel so good in my arms, Lena. I worry about you. I can’t help it. It’s just out of my control.” His warm breath caressed the top of her head from way above her. She was even shorter standing in front of him with no shoes on, and he was dressed in full uniform.
She hugged him back then pushed away, putting some distance between them.
She couldn’t look at him. His facial expression showed disappointment and concern. It made her have funny feelings inside that she just wasn’t used to. Trust was not something she ever gave away easily.
She had trusted Ariel and look what could have happened. Flashes of Ariel lying naked with the men around her, touching her, having sex with her, entered Lena’s mind. She closed her eyes and swallowed hard. Triumph was going to rape her then offer her to his gang. She shook a moment. Then Kenny reached for her, and she stepped back.
“What’s wrong? What were you just thinking about?”
“You need to go, Kenny. I need sleep. I’m overtired, and I just don’t have the strength right now for this.”
He took a deep breath and crossed his arms in front of his chest.
He held her gaze, looking authoritative and in charge, making her belly quiver and other parts come alive. He was gorgeous just like his brothers. Then he smiled softly.
“Go get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She followed him, closing then locking the door behind him as he left.
She turned off the lights and felt the loss of his presence. As she snuggled under the covers, she wondered how it would feel to be kissed by someone who truly cared for her or maybe even loved her instead of by someone who used force. The moment she closed her eyes she saw the men from Rocky’s and then images of Triumph.
Would she ever truly feel safe? In Kenny’s embrace she did, and that was what she focused on as she drifted off into a deep sleep.
* * * *
It had seemed as though she had only just fallen asleep when she heard someone yelling outside. She debated about going to see, her body struggling to get out of the warm bed when she was achy and also comfortable. The yelling continued along with strikes of lightning that illuminated her room followed by rolls of fierce thunder. Maybe she was just dreaming that she heard yelling as she listened closer between Mother Nature’s violent sounds.
She couldn’t make out the words, and she worried that perhaps the men from Rocky’s had found out where she lived. She got out of bed and walked slowly toward the front window, deciding it was better to leave the lights off.
She peeked through the curtains and saw the flashes of lightning then the image of a half-naked man in the darkness.
“Fuck you! Take me now, will you? Just take me fucking now!”
It was Bryant, Doc’s son. He had a bottle of something in his hand and stumbled around in the rain. She saw him limping. She saw his naked upper body, filled with dips of muscle upon muscle. He had tattoos on his arm and shoulder that led to his back. His hair looked dark from where she stood, and as the lightning struck again, illuminating the yard, she saw his face.
She placed her hand over her heart. She felt the ache to her chest and the tears hit her eyes.
That poor man was suffering something terrible. He yelled some more then threw the bottle into the air causing it to crash and break against a boulder near the front yard.
He punched the column that stood on either side of the steps to the front porch then kicked the door before he pulled it open and slammed the door shut.
She stood there a few more seconds, wondering what had caused such anger and pain? She remembered the conversation with Doc, his brothers, and Abigail. They were desperate. They had every right to feel concerned, and Lena wondered what she should do.
She walked back to bed, feeling tired but also as if something changed within her. She was used to verbal abuse and neglect. She had learned how to tune it out to some extent. She wouldn’t back down from the soldier’s drunkenness. She would do the job Doc was paying her for and clean his son’s house, make him meals and all while conveniently living next door.
Climbing into bed, she could no longer think of anything else as fatigue sent her into a deep sleep.
* * * *
Kenny was furious with Lena. How dare she lie to him and not even tell him what happened at Rocky’s last night. She could have been raped by those dirtbag, drunken womanizers. Jesus!
He dialed the doctor’s office and asked to speak with her.
“She’s not here, Deputy Jones,” Lucy, the secretary, told him.
“Why not?” he demanded to know, and he heard her intake of breath and then her shaky voice, but he didn’t give a shit. He was pissed off.
“Doc gave her the day off.”
Before she could say more, Kenny disconnected the call.
It was nine thirty when he pulled up in front of her cottage. He tried to calm his breathing, but he was so concerned for her safety. He called Blake and told him what happened. He and Quinn were just as upset.
He climbed the stairs two at a time and banged on the door.
“Lena, it’s Kenny!” he yelled, and she didn’t answer. He banged again, and he wondered if she left for somewhere or if she was still in bed. No wonder she was so tired last night. She broke Derrick’s nose and gave Charlie a black eye. If Rocky and his friends hadn’t heard the commotion outside, those men would have taken her somewhere and… Fuck!
He couldn’t think about it. It made him crazy with anger. Lena was in trouble big-time.
* * * *
Lena could hear banging on the front door and her name being called. She tried to open her eyes, but she was so damn tired.
“Go away!” she yelled then covered her head with the pillow. The banging continued, and then it stopped. She was grateful for the silence and glad that they heard her and obliged her request to go away.
The sound of the window opening made her jump up.
She saw Kenny. He had pulled off the screen and opened her window. She had left it unlocked, and he looked furious.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing
?” she asked.
“Didn’t you hear me knocking on the front door?” he yelled at her. Her jaw dropped at his attitude.
“Leave me alone. Don’t you have a job to do?” she stated then placed the pillow over her head.
She was shocked a moment later when her bed dipped and Kenny was leaning over her before pulling the pillow from her eyes.
“Breaking and entering is illegal,” she stated as he loomed over her.
His green eyes looked possessed as he held her shoulders and tried taking slow, deep breaths as if he was the one who was so pissed off he couldn’t breathe right.
“You fucking lied to me,” he stated through clenched teeth.
Oh shit. He found out about Rocky’s last night.
She should have panicked, having him practically on top of her in her bedroom while she had hardly anything on. She tensed immediately as she glanced down knowing she wore no bra and her breasts were flowing from the loose camisole tank she wore. The short shorts were riding up against her groin, accentuating her mound that for some reason was throbbing with arousal. She swallowed hard.
“I think you need to leave my room.”
“No!”
He scooted closer, his hip and holster hit her hip and ribs. His deep green eyes bore into her. Why was he so angry?
“Kenny, it’s no big deal.”
“Stop talking, Lena, and start listening to me.” He loosened his hold on her arms and stared at her. His eyes roamed over her breasts as she inhaled then exhaled slowly. She was totally aware of this aggressive, macho, Alpha male in front of her and on her bed. He looked sexy, and as she parted her lips, he cupped her cheek with his hand. She closed her eyes, absorbing his touch. The sensation that brought her peace last night and allowed her a decent night’s sleep was back again. It felt right. He caressed her lower lip with his thumb.
“I am so pissed off at you, Lena. I could toss you over my knee and paddle that ass of yours for what you did.”
Her eyes widened in shock. He would do that to her?
Lena's Happily Ever After [The Town of Pearl 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 6
