by Leah Brooke
“Were you angry?”
“No.”
“You suspected your boyfriend was in his bedroom with another woman, and you weren’t angry?”
Crossing her arms over her chest, she stared at Danny, surprised to find that the fury on his face no longer had the power to intimidate her.
“He wasn’t my boyfriend anymore. I’d broken up with him earlier in the week. He didn’t like it and told me that I was still his, I had no business telling him who he could screw in his own bed, and he’d give me a few days to come to my senses.”
Mark Reynolds’s brows went up. “So when you heard his voice, what did you do?”
“I listened for a minute or two and laughed. Then I went upstairs because that’s the last place I’d seen my sunglasses. Danny turned as soon as I got to the top of the stairs. He’d left the bedroom door open.”
The knot in her stomach grew as memories of that day came back with a vengeance. The remembered pain sent cold chills down her spine.
Mark Reynolds came closer, turning his back on the others and smiling at her encouragingly.
“What happened next?”
Although she appreciated the support from those on that side of the courtroom, she hated that they would be witnesses while she was forced to rehash the entire incident.
Without thinking about it, she lifted her gaze to Dillon’s.
“He stopped what he was doing and pushed the woman he was with aside. He was still naked when he started toward me and…aroused.”
“Did he say anything?”
“Yes. He asked me if I was there because I wanted him.”
“What were his exact words?”
Remembering the look on Danny’s face, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Opening them again, she blew it out slowly.
“Miss it, bitch? Is that why you came back? You want me to fuck you again?”
Assuming Mark Reynolds blocked her view of Dillon and Ryder on purpose, she blinked back tears and smiled her thanks.
He nodded once, keeping his expression and voice cool.
“What did you say, or do?”
Keeping her voice steady had to be the hardest thing she ever did. “I laughed and told him I wouldn’t have him on a silver platter and told him to go back to his new girlfriend. He got mad, called me a bitch again, and came at me. He pushed me down the stairs before I could even react.”
Her voice broke on a sob, despite her best efforts, the shock and pain she’d felt that day slamming into her with a force that made it difficult to breathe.
“I hadn’t expected it. He’d never even hit me before. It happened so fast.”
Mark seemed pleased with her reaction even though his eyes filled with regret.
“What did he do then? Did he run to help you?”
Alison accepted the handkerchief he offered, grateful when he took a step sideways, allowing her to see Dillon and Ryder again, the looks of anguish on their faces reminding her that she was no longer alone.
She loved them. They loved her.
All that stood in her way of having a life with them were Danny and his lies.
Turning her head, she stared straight at Danny. She’d be damned if she’d let what he did to her ruin the best thing she’d ever had in her life. Keeping her eyes on his, she shook her head, straightening in her seat.
“No. He didn’t run to help me. At the time, I didn’t know it, but he’d broken my hip. All I knew was that I was in pain and couldn’t move. I heard him laugh. He went back into the bedroom, and from the noises I heard, it sounded like he was finishing what I’d interrupted. I screamed for help, but no one came. After what seemed like a long time, he came down the stairs with his girlfriend. Both were dressed. He kicked me in the back as he passed me and told me to stop crying and to get the hell out before he came home.”
She turned to Mark Reynolds. “Then he laughed and walked out the door.”
She’d ignored the gasps of the jury members and turned now to face them, surprised that their images blurred. It surprised her again when tears started running down her face, tears that seemed to come out of nowhere.
Once they started, she couldn’t stop them.
Lowering her head, she let them fall, wiping them away with the backs of her hands.
The disbelief of having Danny walk over her as though she were no more than a pile of garbage hit her all over again, as did the anguish of hearing the door close behind him and the fading laughter as he walked away.
She remembered the light in the living room changing as the afternoon wore on and her throat sore and raw from crying and screaming for help.
She heard Mark Reynolds’s deep voice mingling with the angry tones of Danny’s attorney and the calm tones of the judge, but it was as though it came from a distance.
She needed Dillon and Ryder.
Raising her head, she looked directly into Ryder’s eyes.
He looked mad enough to spit nails, and Lucas had moved to sit beside him, holding a hand on Ryder’s shoulder, apparently the only thing keeping Ryder in his seat. Her throat clogged at his anger.
Her warrior eager to defend her.
She slid her gaze to Dillon, unsurprised to find him staring at her, his jaw clenched. Even from this distance she could feel his strength, strength she readily latched on to.
The look of confidence and love in his eyes calmed her, the message in them clear even at this distance.
You’re not alone.
Her eyes went to the residents of Desire who’d come to support her, pausing on each one of them.
They all looked at her, silently offering her support, the compassion and anger on her behalf warming her.
As she met the eyes of each person, one by one, her confidence grew. By the time she’d met the eyes of the last person, the sheriff, she felt part of Desire and more convinced than ever that she should make a new life for herself there.
“Miss Bennett, how long did you lie there, in pain, in agony, waiting for someone to come to your rescue?”
Meeting Dillon and Ryder’s gazes again, she smiled her thanks before turning back to Mark Reynolds.
“Almost three hours.”
The questioning continued as Mark Reynolds drew a clear picture of what had happened to her, going over it again and forcing her to recall details she hadn’t remembered.
After that, she answered Danny’s attorney’s questions, firmly resisting his efforts to try to get her to change her story.
By the time she could finally leave the witness stand, she was exhausted and her back hurt, the muscles tight and painful.
To her surprise, a grim-faced Mark Reynolds came forward to help her from the stand. Bending close, his expression solicitous and full of concern, he allowed a hint of victory to creep into his low tone.
“You did beautifully. No one will believe a word he says now. Don’t smile. Nod your head and wipe your tears. Dillon and Ryder are waiting.”
Dillon and Ryder stood waiting at the end of the aisle, both looking at her in concern.
Mark led her to them, bending low again. “You were magnificent.”
Standing with his back toward Danny’s side of the courtroom, Dillon gathered her against him, turning toward the exit.
“She certainly is. She’s had enough. We’ll be outside.”
“No.”
Shaking her head, she laid a hand on his chest. When she realized that Dillon had positioned himself to block her view of Danny, she smiled, and for the first time since she’d walked into the courtroom, she felt warm.
Ryder stood next to Dillon and slightly in front of her, blocking her view of the rest of the other side of the courtroom.
The only people she could see lived in Desire, each and every one of them eyeing her in concern.
Even without standing within Desire’s city limits, she felt at home.
Smiling her appreciation, she blinked back tears of joy and gratitude and straightened, her eyes lingering on the two m
“I’m good now. I need to finish this.”
Ryder didn’t look completely convinced, but nodded anyway and bent to kiss her hair, taking her arm to lead her back to her seat between them. Once she was seated, he leaned close.
“Mark’s right. You are magnificent. But Dillon and I knew that all along.”
Nestled between the two men she loved, Alison smiled, took a deep breath, and settled back to watch the rest of the trial.
Erin remained cool and composed on the witness stand, much to the frustration of Danny’s attorney, who kept trying to get her to change her story.
Linc’s testimony and the video of Danny’s arrest in Desire had those sitting on Danny’s side looking decidedly uncomfortable, some squirming in their seats.
Danny came off cocky and arrogant, and it quickly became obvious that the jury didn’t believe a word of his claims that he’d only pushed her away in self-defense.
Things got even worse for him after that.
With the help of Mark and his files, the prosecutor went though each of Danny’s witnesses with a thoroughness that astounded her. Those who said they were with Danny immediately after he’d left the house that day and said that he’d been shaken and upset had their stories torn to shreds.
The prosecutor had proven several of them to be liars, security footage from different places in town showing they couldn’t possibly have been with Danny at all.
Sitting between Dillon and Ryder, Alison felt remarkably detached as she listened to it all.
This wasn’t her life anymore.
She just wanted to get out of here and get back to her new life in her new home.
Ryder squeezed her hand. “Darlin’, are you okay?”
Nodding, she smiled and dropped her head against his shoulder. “I am now.”
It took very little time for the jury to find Danny guilty.
The shock on his face made it clear he hadn’t expected it at all.
Mark Reynolds leaned close.
“Since there was no premeditation, he’ll get off easy, but he’ll have to take part in an anger management class.”
Dillon stood, pulling Alison up beside him. “I don’t give a damn what happens to him as long as he stays away from Desire, and Alison.”
Ace came to his feet behind him.
“I doubt he comes to Desire again, but if he does, we’ll be ready.”
Unable to hide her curiosity any longer, she touched Ace’s sleeve as they all started out of the courtroom.
“Sheriff, why did Danny’s attorney look like he saw a ghost when he saw you?”
Ace gave her what she assumed to be a rare smile.
“A ghost from his past, anyway. Let’s just say I know more about him than he’d like me to know and leave it at that.”
Dillon lifted a hand when she would have pressed for more.
“Consider yourself lucky Ace told you that much. He’s probably feeling a little soft toward you after hearing what you went through. Our sheriff is known for being tight lipped.”
Feeling as though a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders, she walked outside with the others, shading her eyes against the afternoon sun.
Surrounded by her new friends and absently listening to the conversations going on all around her, she hugged Ryder’s arm and leaned against him.
“Thank God that’s—”
“You bitch!”
Straightening, she looked toward where the angry voice had come from, unsurprised to see Danny’s younger brother, Paul, running toward her.
Lucas moved fast for such a big man, placing himself between her and Paul before he could get anywhere near her.
Ryder leapt forward. “No!”
Blocking Paul from getting closer, Lucas held out a hand for the other men who’d started forward, his voice like a whip, telling them to keep their distance.
Stepping aside, he glanced at Ryder.
“Let Ryder have him.”
Alison grabbed Dillon’s arm, horrified at the scene unfolding in front of her. “Dillon, stop him. Do something.”
Instead of being worried, Dillon leaned against the railing, wrapping his arms around her from behind.
“Are you kidding? Ryder hasn’t been in a fight in a long time, and he’s been building up steam ever since Danny assaulted you in Desire. Let him get it out.”
Alison winced when Paul shouted his rage and came forward, swinging at Ryder.
Ryder ducked his swing with plenty of room to spare and shot a fist out, landing a punch into Paul’s belly.
Two more of Paul and Danny’s cousins came forward and jumped into the fray.
Fighting Dillon’s hold, Alison struggled to get free.
“Ryder!”
Ryder turned at her scream, allowing one of the other men to get past his guard and hit him in the face.
Dillon held firm. “Don’t distract him, baby. Look, Devlin and Lucas are keeping the others back. Ryder loves fighting. Just watch. Damn, he’s pretty quick, isn’t he?”
Ace leaned against the railing beside them.
“I’m glad this isn’t my jurisdiction. It’s kind of fun to watch Ryder fight, especially when I don’t have to worry about breaking it up.”
Caleb came to stand at her other side, pointing to where Erin stood, Jared and Reese each holding on to her as she jumped and shouted, urging Ryder on.
“Erin’s bloodthirsty. If Jared and Reese didn’t have a good hold on her, I think she’d be in the middle of it. It’s kind of nice to be able to watch Ryder beat on someone, huh?”
Dillon chuckled. “One down, two to go.”
Alison couldn’t believe Ryder had already knocked Paul out. Fascinated, she watched Devlin release the man he was holding and started to shout again to Ryder.
Remembering what had happened last time, she snapped her mouth closed, putting a hand over her eyes.
“I can’t watch. Dillon, he’s gonna get hurt.”
Watching the action, Ace glanced at her. “Are you kidding? I’ve never seen Ryder lose a fight.” He shrugged, allowing a small smile. “Of course, he’s never fought with me.”
It took even less time for Ryder to finish with the next man, and then the next.
Relieved that, other than what would probably be a black eye, he didn’t seem hurt at all, Alison broke free of Dillon’s hold and ran toward him.
Accepting slaps on the back, smart remarks, and congratulations from the other men, Ryder turned toward her and grinned, catching her when she flung herself at him.
“Hey, darlin’. I finally got to hit somebody.”
Now that her fear for him had subsided, her temper flared. Leaning back, she slapped his shoulder.
“Are you out of your mind?”
Ryder’s grin fell. “Hey!”
Ignoring several “uh-ohs” as they all started toward the parking lot, Alison hugged Ryder, loving his solid warmth and relieved that he hadn’t been hurt, before rearing back and slapping his shoulder again.
“You scared me, damn it! Don’t you ever do anything like that again.”
He ran a hand over her bottom before he set her on her feet. Sliding his hands into her hair, he bent to kiss her, wincing.
“Did you get scared for me, darlin’?”
He grinned, wincing again and touching his lip that had already started to swell.
Dillon wrapped an arm around her shoulder and drew her along with him as they all made their way to the parking lot.
“Serves you right. Tonight you won’t be able to kiss Alison.”
Ryder scowled and ran a hand over her hair. “I’ll find a way.”
The others had gone ahead of them and gathered in the parking lot.
Jesse leaned back against Rio, who towered over her and held her protectively from behind.
“Alison, are you okay?”
Standing there, surrounded by people who cared about her, Alison experienced a sense of camaraderie she never thought she would. Thinking back to the day she’d first arrived in Desire, she found it hard to believe that she now fit in with people, just a few weeks earlier, she hadn’t understood at all.
Looking over to see Rio holding Jesse, Jared and Reese with Erin, and Beau staring lovingly at Charity when he thought she wasn’t looking, Alison smiled and looked up at Ryder and then Dillon.
“I’m fine now. I’m just glad it’s all over. I can’t thank all of you enough for being here today. It means so much to me.”
Jesse smiled and touched Rio’s arm. “You’re one of us now. If there’s one thing I learned about Desire, it’s that everyone sticks together.”
Nodding, Alison leaned into Dillon. “I like that.”
Looking up, she met Dillon’s searching look and smiled. “It’s been a long day. Can we go home?”
Dillon’s eyes lit up, the love in them impossible to miss.
“Absolutely, baby. Let’s go home.”
Chapter Twenty
Singing along with the radio, Alison grinned at how well her truck took the last corner and patted the dashboard in admiration.
“Good girl. You’re something now, aren’t you?”
She looked over to what had used to be an empty lot, shocked to see how much work had been done with the framing of their new house since she’d left early that morning.
Boone shook his head in resignation as she passed, while Chase smiled and waved, giving her a thumbs-up.
With an enthusiastic wave, she turned into the garage parking lot and hit the brakes, stopping just inches from the closed garage door.
Damp tendrils of hair that escaped from her ponytail clung to her neck, and the tank top and shorts she’d slipped on earlier felt damp and hot. She couldn’t wait to get inside the apartment and take a cool shower.
But first she had something to do.
Ryder came out from the garage through the open bay door to her left, wiping his hands on the rag he always kept in his pocket. His brows went up when he looked behind her truck, to the police car pulling in behind her.
Scrambling from the seat, she shut the door, which closed without protest, and turned, hands on her hips, just as Linc got out of the SUV.
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