“I wish I could believe that but I know. He all but told me the truth the night he came home covered in blood. That was two weeks ago. I had until the end of the month to join him in the family business or move out. He was tired of taking care of me.”
“What were you going to do?” There was a hesitation in his voice, as if he was worried he wouldn’t like the answer.
“I didn’t know.” She sat up, leaning out of his embrace, letting the blanket pool at her waist. “I mean, I wasn’t going to join Jay but I couldn’t afford to live on my own, either. I’m not…I mean I wasn’t getting enough hours at the shop to afford my own apartment. I thought about finding a roommate but even that would have been tough. I tried finding another job but everyone knows what my family brings with it and no one was willing to take a chance on me. I only got the job at the candy shop because it’s Vicky’s grandfather’s place. He’s getting old and can’t work the long hours, and Vicky started college so she’s unavailable during the day. In the end, I only get a handful of hours and it would be cheaper for them to cut back on the shop hours than have me working for them. So who knows how long until I’m out of a job? Anyway, that’s a moot point now…”
It dawned on her that when she wouldn’t show up for work in a few hours, she’d lose her job. It wouldn’t matter that Vicky had helped get her the job. Mr. Reilly didn’t care for her and he would see this as a way to finally get rid of her. He’d see it as proof that she was just like the rest of her family—good for nothing trash. If she made it back to Pittsburgh, she’d have nothing to go back to. Her childhood home was unsafe and now, she’d be unemployed.
“I guess it doesn’t matter. I’m sure I can’t talk you into taking me home now so I can make it to work on time. Therefore, I’m out of work.” She hated the defeat that lingered in her words. She wanted to be strong, to hold it together, and have faith that Jay would get out of the charges and come home again. Even trying to muster everything within her, she couldn’t. Every member of her family was behind bars and if she wanted to stay alive, she’d have to trust Coal. When this was over, she’d find a way to pay him back for everything he was risking to help her. She turned back to him, not really expecting an answer but wishing he’d say something.
“Out of the question. You’re coming home to Minnesota with me and we’ll figure out what to do next. Cal’s monitoring the situation and will let us know if official murder charges have been filed. He’s also looking into whatever debt Jay might have that has put a bounty on your head. Until then, you’re just going to have to put up with me.”
“That’s such a hardship,” she joked. She’d put up with him every day of her life if she could. When he moved, he’d left her with an ache in her chest that never went away. Their sporadic phone calls and rare visits weren’t enough, the only thing that helped ease the loneliness were the emails they exchanged. He had been her best friend, her first crush, and the man who’d stolen her heart, all rolled into one. Now he was her knight in shining armor.
“Girl, you have no idea what you’re getting into.” He pulled her back against his chest and snuggled tight against her. “We need to get some rest.”
“I should go back to my own bed,” she whispered even as she enjoyed the feeling of his warmth along her skin and the way his breath teased along the curve of her shoulder.
“I’d rather you stay right here.” He squeezed her tighter with the arm he’d draped over her waist, letting her know she wasn’t going anywhere.
With anyone else that would have scared her and she’d have fought to get away from them, but with Coal, things were different. She was safe with him and in his arms was where she’d wanted to be for a long time. Rather than fight, she relaxed into his embrace and let her eyes drift shut. Sleep neared, lowering her guard, and she voiced the one question she was terrified to hear the answer to. “What if I’m just like them? Could my temper one day turn into a murderous rage?”
“No, Syd, you don’t have that inside of you. You’re like your mom. Sweet, innocent, and one of a kind. There’s not a drop of that evil in you.” He pressed his lips to her temple. “Trust me.”
Wanting to believe him, she clung to him. If he stayed next to her when she fell asleep, she’d wake up with him. Maybe she couldn’t wish it all away but she could hope to wake up safe in his embrace. Nothing could touch her as long as Coal was there. My savior…
Chapter Four
The night had been rough for Coal before Sydney woke up but after, things got worse. How did he convince her she could never do the things her brothers and father had done? She was pure and full of light; the darkness tainting the rest of her family couldn’t tarnish her. The plan had been for him to keep his distance from her. That was why, even though they were sharing a room, they had separate beds. She was beautiful and had she been anyone else, he wouldn’t deny he wanted her—but she was Syd. As a stand-in big brother, it was his job to protect her. She was off limits, but the rod in his jeans hadn’t gotten the message.
He woke up to a message from Cay letting him know that the car had been swapped and Tank was outside waiting for them. They should get on the road, but the joy of having her in his arms, looking so peaceful in her sleep, stopped him from waking her. He wanted to lean down and press his lips to hers, to kiss her gently until she woke, and then take things further. She brought to life a part of him he’d never thought he had. Women had come and gone in his life over the years, but never once had he been affected by any of them as he was with her.
“Fucking beautiful,” he whispered more to himself than anyone else as he teased his fingers gently along the curve of her hip bone. “And so fucking young.”
“Age is only a number.” Her voice was thick with sleep as her eyes flutter open.
“Only old people say that when they want to feel younger.” He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ears and forced himself to pull away from her before he did something they’d both regret.
“Don’t, Coal.” She sat up and grabbed hold of his hand before he could slip off the bed. Her long blonde hair tumbled down around her shoulders, wild and free, and her dark brown eyes stared at him with pain filling them. “Don’t push me away. Don’t shut me out because you think I’m too young.”
“We need to hit the road.” He rose off the bed and her hand dropped away from his. “Shower if you want. We’ll get breakfast on the road.” Moving toward the door, he grabbed his leather jacket and slipped it on.
“Where are you going?”
“I’ll be just outside the door talking to Tank. When you’re ready, just open the door.” He forced himself to look away from her, when all he wanted to do was go back over to the bed and pull her into his arms. The urge to kiss her was almost overpowering. Aware she didn’t know Tank but unable to take the time to explain, he opened the door and strolled out. It was an asshole move but better than going back over to the bed and kissing her senseless.
If he managed to keep his dick in his pants long enough to see her out of danger, it would be a miracle. The thought of fucking her made his stomach tight. His youngest brothers were near her age; they should be the ones pursuing her, not him—but the idea of either Cain or Cyrus being interested in her made him want to knock their teeth in.
At least he hoped he wouldn’t have to worry about Cain taking interest in her, because if things went well, he wouldn’t even know she was there. Cain had a small cabin farther in on their property; unable to handle being around others, he kept to himself. He had his problems but the brothers stuck together and they’d protect Cain with their lives if they had to.
Cyrus, on the other hand, was another story. He’d turned eighteen six months earlier, so he was eager to prove himself and wanted to take more responsibilities around the shop. Hopefully, that would be enough motivation for him to stay away from Syd; otherwise, Coal would have to take things a bit further. He wouldn’t stand around and watch his brother flirt with his girl.
Fuck, I did no
t just think of Syd as my girl. His head was so screwed up, he wasn’t even sure a shrink would make sense of it. Syd wasn’t his but damn if he didn’t want her.
“Hey, you ready to roll out?” Tank leaned against the front of the SUV that Coal had requested be the replacement vehicle.
“Almost. She’s getting ready now.” He dragged his hand through his hair and looked over the black SUV. They still had hours left on their journey. There was no reason why they couldn’t ride in something nicer than that piece of shit he’d picked her up in. This still wasn’t his normal ride but it would work for the time being. Tank’s bike was parked next to it, reminding Coal he’d be alone with Syd for the rest of the trip. It was unlikely that she’d sleep, but he hoped they could keep the conversation on safe topics. Anything to keep his mind off the fantasy of pushing her down on the bed and fucking her until she screamed his name. “Thanks for coming, Tank.”
“Anytime, man.” Tank straightened up so he was no longer leaning against the SUV. “There’s a sandwich shop around the corner. They have great breakfast sandwiches. I’m going to grab one. Want one?”
“Sure, and grab one for her.” He went to pull his wallet out of his pocket but Tank shook his head, stopping him.
Tank had just kind of shown up in the Tanner brothers’ lives and stuck around. He wasn’t just considered a good friend—he was family. In order to fund his love for traveling, he’d put time in at the shop with the brothers, doing a little bit of this and that, but his strength was in security. As a former Army Ranger, he still came in handy occasionally.
“Who’s he?” Syd stood in the doorway, drawing Coal’s thoughts back to the present.
“A good friend. You ready?” His gaze traveled over her body, disappointed that her long, sexy legs were now encased in jeans. He wanted nothing more than to coax her back into that hotel room and pull those jeans off with his teeth. His dick hardened enough that he was left with no choice but to readjust his clothing.
“I could help you with that if you’d let me.” She wiggled her eyebrows at him. “Come on, handsome. We’ve got some time before he gets back.”
“No.” He stepped toward her, but when she didn’t move out of the doorway, he fought the urge to press her up against the doorframe and show her she was playing with fire. “Syd—”
“What’s wrong with me?” She glanced down at his crotch before her gaze travel back up to meet his. “It’s obvious that you’re turned on, so why won’t you touch me? Are you repulsed by me? Or is it because you know what my family has done and you don’t want to get involved with someone who could possibly be as unstable as they are?”
He grabbed hold of her hand and forced it against his chest before sliding it down toward his aching dick. “Does this look like I’m repulsed by you?” He guided her hand over the length of him, only the fabric of his jeans and boxers between them, the simple caresses making him harder by the second. “Baby, you have no idea what you do to me.”
“Then why reject me when all I want to do is ease your suffering?” She cupped his dick in her hand, rubbing down the length of it. “Why not let me take care of this?”
“No.” He forced himself to take a step back. Having a rock hard cock was better than using her in that way. She deserved better than that from any man, but she most certainly deserved better than that from him.
“So then it comes back to my family history.” This time it wasn’t a question; she was simply stating a fact as she saw it.
“You know that’s not it. You’re not unstable. This…this is on me. Not you.” It was her fucking age. She was too young for him. A baby, just starting out, and he had no right to her. Jay trusted him with her—fuck, her own mother had asked him to watch out for her. This would be going against everything her mother had wanted for her.
“Bullshit.” Shaking her head, she reached down and grabbed her duffle bag that he hadn’t noticed by her feet. “I should respect the fact that you don’t want to get involved with someone like me.”
That comment was all it took for him to push her back against the door, his mouth on hers in a frenzied, desire filled moment. The sweet, fruity taste of her lip gloss should have been enough to remind him why he needed to stop; instead, it only encouraged him more. Using his tongue, he urged her mouth to open, to let him in. Their tongues danced together as she dropped the duffle bag and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. He rubbed against her, making sure she felt how hard she had made him. She did this to him—no one else. There was no doubt about it; she would be his undoing.
A throat cleared from behind them and he didn’t have to look to know it was Tank. With one final kiss, he forced himself to stop. He didn’t step back from her; instead, he lowered his head to the curve of her shoulder. “Don’t doubt for one second I want you.”
“I hate to interrupt but we should be going. There’s a lot of ground to cover.”
He stepped back, grabbed the bag at their feet, and turned to the other man. “Tank, this is Syd. Syd, meet Tank.”
“I brought breakfast.” Tank held up a bag and two coffees as if offering them in peace. “I wasn’t sure if you like coffee or prefer something else. The clerk tossed some flavored creamers into the bag for you just in case.”
“Thank you.” She stepped past Coal to take one of the coffees and the bag. “I’m starving.”
“Get in the SUV and eat. I’ll grab the bags. And Tank, I should have told you to get the whole box of creamers. She takes a little coffee with her cream.” Knowing she was in safe hands, he turned to shoot Cay a text message, letting him know they were on the road.
“I can ride over and get some more before we hit the road,” Tank offered as Syd opened the brown bag in search of the creamers.
“Coal’s joking. Not everyone likes their coffee black as sin, like he does. There are plenty. Even if there weren’t enough I wouldn’t turn this down. Coffee is coffee and I need the caffeine today.”
Coal shook his head. He’d seen her drink creamer straight out of the container and he wouldn’t be one bit surprised if the only reason she drank coffee was for an excuse to have creamer. He grabbed his bag off the dresser and shoved his phone back into his pocket before strolling out of the room. Tonight they’d be back at his place. The sleeping situation was something that would need to be worked out, but there wasn’t a chance in hell he’d let her out of his sight until things were taken care of with the thugs that were after her. Temptation at its finest would be in his bed by the day’s end. The question was, would he be able to keep his hands off her?
During the uneventful drive, Sydney saw sparks of the young man who’d left her years ago, carefree and full of life—until that tragic day when everything had changed. Less than a month later, she’d lost him and everything they had together. That was when she’d realized how quickly her world was falling apart. Tim was facing charges that would put him behind bars for life, if not on death row. Now they were pretty much the same since the governor had put a halt on all executions but during his trial, execution had still been a real possibility. Jay and her father had been wrapped up in their own grief, leaving her on her own.
Thirteen years old and no one cared if she even came home at night. She’d taken over her mother’s role in the house, cooking and cleaning. Even if there were no longer family dinners, she always made sure there was food in the refrigerator for when Jay and Dad decided to eat. She’d set her alarm for four in the morning to make sure her father was up for work and to make him breakfast. Jay used to call her ‘little wifey’ and while that bothered her, she knew that if she didn’t do all the things she did, nothing would get done. It wasn’t long after her mother’s death that her father had lost his job. By the time she was sixteen, he was looking at a prison term that compared to Tim’s, leaving her alone with only Jay.
“Now who’s lost in thought?”
She blinked and realized Coal wasn’t sitting next to her any longer, but standing next to her wi
th her car door open and their bags in his hand. “We’re here?” She looked past him to what appeared to be an older warehouse. Might have been three stories, but the old brick building could have extra high ceiling, giving that illusion. There was nothing surrounding it but open space and trees—not what she expected at all.
“Yeah.” He tipped his head toward the line of trees where the taillights of Tank’s motorcycle were beginning to fade. “Cay, Cal, and Cyrus share the house on the other side of the landing strip. Tank will spend the night there.”
She tried to take in the house that he pointed at but it was too dark. All she could make out was that it had two stories, and only because the lights on both floors were on. “What about Cain? He’s not here?”
“His place is farther back in the trees. But Syd, I want you to stay away from him. Do you understand me?”
“Yes.” Cain had always been a little different from his brothers, but something had happened to him. There were rumors that circulated but she’d never believed any of them. Maybe because she didn’t want to think that her brother was to blame for yet another thing. Being young should have meant she was sheltered from all the horrors that had happened, but this wasn’t the case. Her father had sat her down and told her what had transpired. What he’d left out, the children at school made sure she knew.
Not wanting to focus on the past, she looked up at Coal’s dark brown eyes, willing herself to get lost in them and forget about everything else. “What about me? Where are you going to put me since you won’t let me go home?”
“You are coming home with me.” He took her hand and gently tugged her away from the SUV. “I live above the shop.”
“Why would I think any different? You’re a workaholic and being close allows you to put in extra hours without having to go anywhere but upstairs when you’re ready to crash.” She pushed the passenger door shut with her other hand so she didn’t have to let go of his.
Until Sydney: A Tanner Cycle Novel Page 4
