by Marla Monroe
“Relax, ladies. Murdock and his compatriot will see that everything is as it should be.” Joe smiled as they waited.
Jessie felt as if time stood still before the two men reappeared with Rhodes and Vernon following closely behind them. She jumped to her feet and flung herself into Rhodes’s arms. His surprised chuckle only angered her. She’d been worried sick about them and what was going on. He had no reason to laugh at her.
“Easy, baby. Everything is going to be okay. Let’s sit down, and we’ll talk.” Rhodes moved forward and held out his hand to Joe who had stood up when they walked in the room. “Hi Joe. It’s been a while.”
“Too long.” He looked over at Vernon and nodded at the other man. “Vernon. It pleases me to see you two again. So much time has gone by.”
Jessie held tight to Rhodes’s waist as the men all shook hands and then took their seats in the living room. She couldn’t wait any longer. She had to know.
“What happened?”
Chapter Ten
Rhodes met Jessie’s eyes without blinking. He really hated to tell her what all he had found out, but she had to know. He glanced over Jessie’s head at Vernon. The other man wasn’t too thrilled with the prospect of telling her just what a bastard her brother really was. He squeezed her. They had a little time though. First they would need to find another place that was safe and figure out how they had been found in the first place. Keeping the women safe was of the utmost importance.
“We’ll talk about it later.” Looking over toward Murdock, he lifted a brow. “Any idea how they found you?”
Murdock let out a rude grunt. “Not a freaking clue. They weren’t expecting us though because they ran like little girls when they realized we were there.”
“So their intel wasn’t complete,” Vernon said.
“Fuck! We’ve got to get out of here.” Rhodes jumped up.” They’ll be here next. There has to be a tracker on Jessie somewhere.”
Jessie jumped up as well, a panicked expression crossed her face. Rhodes cursed that he’d blurted it out like that.
“Don’t worry about us, son. You know we can take care of ourselves. Let’s find that bug and destroy it so you can keep your woman safe.” Joe stood up and walked out of the room for a few seconds.
When he returned, he had a small handheld device that looked like a cross between a radio and a stud finder. He handed it to Rhodes, who waved it up and down Jessie’s body.
“Nothing on her. What about your bag, Jessie?” He was relieved to see that she had calmed down once again.
“It’s in the car.” She started toward the door, but Vernon grabbed her arm and held her back.
“Let Rhodes go check. You stay inside.”
“I’ll go with him.” Ajax followed Rhodes as he headed toward the door.
They quickly pulled out all of the luggage, and Rhodes ran the device back and forth over it until he located a small tracker that had been worked into the lining of Jessie’s backpack. He removed it, and Ajax destroyed it. They double-checked the rest of the suitcases and then went over the car before returning inside.
“Found it. It was inside your backpack, Jessie. Don’t know if your brother put it there or if your uncle did.” Rhodes winced at the expression of betrayal that flashed across her face before it morphed into fury.
“I’m sure it was Tussler. He’s a controlling bastard. He’s always liked to keep a close rein on me. I’m going to kill that asshole.”
Rhodes watched Vernon run his hands up and down her arms in an attempt to calm her. He was glad to see her angry at her brother. She would need that anger to get through what all they had to tell her later. Sometimes family could be your worst enemy. He just hated that Jessie had to face hers soon. The fact that her brother had allowed Ray to touch her in the first place kept his anger on a slow boil. Instead of taking down the man who had hurt his sister, he had used it to pin rape charges on him.
“Let’s concentrate on getting you to safety first and then figure out what to do about him.” Rhodes handed the device he’d used to locate the tracker back to Joe. “Thanks.”
“No problem. Why don’t you take her to the cabin until you make plans. No one knows anything about the place except us. It’s stocked. We were out there a couple of weeks ago for the weekend.” Joe grinned over at his wife.
“That’s a good idea.” Rhodes looked over at Vernon. “What do you think?”
“Suits me. There isn’t enough room for all of us though.”
“We’ll take Ginger into Reo with us. Dominic and Reece are expecting us anyway. She’ll be safe enough there.”
“I don’t want her to get hurt. She’s in trouble because of me. If I’m not safe there then why would she be?” Jessie asked.
“Because she isn’t you, baby. Your brother needs you under his control. He isn’t going to risk an all-out war to kidnap her to use against you, but he would risk everything to get you back under his thumb. Trust us on this.” Rhodes searched her eyes for some sign that she trusted him, trusted them.
“Jessie, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.” Ginger smiled across the room.
“I’m so sorry I got you involved in this. I never dreamed it would come to this.”
“It’s not your fault. I was getting bored with my life as it was anyway. This is like a fun vacation for me.” She winked at Jessie.
Rhodes liked her friend even more for that. He glanced toward where Ajax stood near the door. The other man watched Ginger like a hawk. He hoped he could trust them with Jessie’s friend. Both men seemed to be a little too interested in the woman for his peace of mind. Unfortunately, they had to trust them for now.
“We’ll keep her safe.” Murdock smiled then winked at Jessie.
Rhodes didn’t think that wink made Jessie feel any better. Ginger on the other hand appeared pleased by it. Maybe he shouldn’t be worried about her friend after all.
“I’ll see you when you get to Reo. We’ll talk then,” Ginger said.
“Okay, let’s get you all loaded up and on the road. It will be dark soon. You’ve both got several hours of drive time ahead of you.” Joe led the way toward the door.
Once Ginger and Jessie had finished hugging and saying good-bye, they loaded Jessie with her backpack on Vernon’s bike and drove off toward the cabin that belonged to Joe. It would take them a good two hours to get there, and it was in the opposite direction of Reo, but Rhodes felt like it would be the safest place to be until they figured out what to do.
The fact that Ray hadn’t been at Tussler’s place when they had broken in was of major worry to them. They hadn’t been able to find out from Jessie’s brother where the other man had been either. He claimed he didn’t know. Rhodes had a bad feeling that Tussler had no control over Ray and the other man was up to something that would put everyone in danger.
* * * *
Jessie waited while Vernon checked the cabin before she followed him inside. Rhodes entered the room right behind her. The cabin was small but clean. The main room held a couch and two chairs with a small end table and TV, while the other side of the room consisted of a small round table with four chairs and a kitchenette. The appliances were small but looked new.
She followed Vernon into the next room to find it was a small bedroom with a king-sized bed and chest of drawers. She opened the only other door in the room to find a small bathroom with a large walk-in shower. There wasn’t a tub nor was there a closet. Well, she wouldn’t be here long, and it wasn’t as if she had a bunch of clothes that needed hanging up.
“What do you think?” Vernon asked.
“It’s fine. As long as it’s clean, I’m happy.”
Rhodes walked in, and the room suddenly felt much smaller with both men standing so close to her. She could feel the tension seeping from their pores. There was no way she could tell if it was sexual or from the danger they were in, but Jessie hoped they were as on edge around her as she was around them. It just wasn’t fair that they could be unaf
fected when she felt as if her skin was going to crawl off her body with need for them.
“I’m going to see about fixing something to eat. Why don’t you take a shower and relax, Jessie.” Rhodes squeezed her shoulder before walking through the door.
Vernon pulled her back pack off her shoulders. When she thought he was going to turn and leave as well, she nearly screeched when instead he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to his chest.
“Let me hold you for just a minute, Jessie. I need to feel you in my arms.”
His whispered words soothed her like nothing else could. There was an air of vulnerability in his words, his actions as he lightly stroked her back. She breathed in his scent and let it fill her with his presence. She knew that he and Rhodes would keep her safe or die trying. She prayed it didn’t come down to that. She didn’t think she could stand losing them. Not when she’d finally realized that she belonged with them.
“Better get that shower while you can. We’ve got a lot to talk about before time for bed.”
Vernon released her and slipped out of the room before Jessie could say anything. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to say, but she felt as if she should have said something. Instead she let him go and turned to the bathroom. She needed that shower.
By the time she’d gotten dressed again, Rhodes had soup and sandwiches made. They ate in silence and then quickly cleaned up the mess before settling on the couch. Vernon pulled her so that she lay back against his chest with her feet in Rhodes’s lap. She could tell she wasn’t going to like the upcoming conversation one bit. They were acting too careful around her.
“Tell me what is going on, Rhodes. What happened with my brother? Did you get the gun or not?”
“Jessie. There never was a gun for you to worry about. You didn’t kill anyone. You shot him, yes, but it had been a setup from the beginning. There were blanks in the gun.”
She stilled against him. That couldn’t be right. She’d seen the blood, felt the kick of the gun. She’d killed a man.
“Your brother set you up, Jessie, so he would have a hold over you for the rest of your life. Eddie isn’t dead. He lives in Dallas. They made you believe you had killed him.” Vernon’s angry voice jerked her back to them.
“I don’t understand. Why would he want control of me? What possible good am I to him?”
Rhodes’s hands gently squeezed her upper arms before he turned her in his arms so that she could see both his and Vernon’s faces. The anger and disgust she saw in his eyes frightened her just a little.
“You inherited nearly everything from your family on both sides. They knew what a loser your brother was, even as a teenager, and made sure that he wouldn’t get his hands on any of it. Or at least they thought they had,” Rhodes said.
“They didn’t quite give him enough credit though. He figured out what they had done and made his own plans to ensure that he would have some control over your inheritance one way or another.” Vernon shifted on the couch so that he was closer to her.
“But there isn’t anything. I mean, sure, there’s a little money, but I’ve always just given him what he wanted. It wasn’t worth the fight.”
“Jessie, you own a large amount of land that has mineral rights with it. Those mineral rights are worth a lot of money, and Tussler knew it. He’s been working on a deal to sell some of it and rent out the rights on other parts. That’s why The Skulls are here. They caught wind of what all he had planned and wanted it for themselves. It’s prime land for a number of reasons.” Rhodes seemed to be watching her as if he expected her to argue with him.
Jessie didn’t doubt him one bit. She knew her brother was a worthless human being. She never had any doubt that he would as soon trade her for a good bottle of whiskey as look at her. None of this came as any surprise to her, other than the fact that she had more of an inheritance then she had been aware of.
“None of this is really any big surprise to me. I always knew my brother hated me and only tolerated me because of what I represented to him.”
Rhodes sighed. “Jessie, he isn’t the leader of Satan’s Sons anymore.”
“What do you mean?” She jerked away from him. “You didn’t kill him did you?”
“No! Not that I didn’t want to for what he’s done to you and allowed done to you.” Rhodes let out a soft curse.
Vernon stood up and walked over to the window, staring out for a few seconds before he turned to look at her. “He turned over the gang to Ray almost as soon as Ray joined. He knew he wasn’t strong enough to keep it and didn’t want Ray to kill him to take it. He used you as a bargaining chip.”
“What do you mean?”
“He agreed to let Ray call the shots with him appearing to remain as the leader in exchange for you and control of your inheritance.”
“I knew that Ray wanted me. Tussler promised to keep him away from me, but that didn’t happen, did it?” Jessie shivered as the memory of Ray’s assault slipped back into her thoughts.
“Don’t think about it!” Rhodes pulled her back into his arms. “He isn’t touching you ever again.”
“He never should have touched you in the first place. We should have gotten you away from him when we realized he was a problem.” Vernon clenched his hands by his side.
“You couldn’t have forced me, and I honestly didn’t realize he was a danger to me until it was too late. I guess I was living under the illusion that my brother would protect me if for no other reason than to ensure he had access to the money he needed.”
Jessie pulled away from Rhodes and stood up. She paced to the other side of the room then stopped, trying to regain some of her composure. She hated knowing that she was nothing more than a commodity to her brother, but more than that, she despised the fact that she had allowed him to use her without questioning him. She’d let him manipulate her, never once arguing against what he did. Shame heated her skin even as it froze her blood. She was no better than he was.
“Jessie. Don’t let this tear you up inside. You’re better than this.” Heat from Vernon’s skin warmed her back even though he didn’t touch her. “Be strong, baby, and let’s figure out what to do.”
Jessie drew herself up and nodded before turning around. Both Vernon and Rhodes were standing mere feet away from her. Neither man moved to touch her, but she could see the longing in their eyes. They’d never hidden their desire for her. Nor had they pressured her into anything. There was no doubt in her mind that they deeply cared for her. Just like there was no doubt in her heart now that she loved them. They had been her strength and comfort when she felt as if she were all alone.
Nodding at them, she walked over to the little fridge and pulled out a beer for each of them before taking a seat at the table.
“We need to make plans.”
Rhodes and Vernon smiled at her and joined her at the table. Each man kissed her on the cheek before grabbing a beer and taking a chair.
“You are old enough to handle all of your business on your own now. I think you should take control of it and cut your brother out of everything possible. We can hit the bank first thing Monday morning.” Rhodes popped the top on the can and took a drink.
“I need a lawyer to make sure everything is done legally, so Tussler can’t protest anything.” Jessie looked over at Vernon. “Would Dominic or Reece know of one I could trust?”
“We’ll talk to them next.” Vernon nodded.
“The land will be trickier to deal with. Tussler owns the part their headquarters is located on. The rest of it actually butts up against what The Ghost Riders own. The house in town is yours. He can’t do anything about it or the other land, but we still have The Skulls to worry about.” Rhodes ran a hand through his hair.
“What do they want with it? I mean other than the fact that they might be able to make a lot of money off of it with the mineral rights?” Jessie just couldn’t figure out that angle.
“It’s a good bit of land with a well-established water source. I
’m not exactly sure why they want it since they aren’t in the cattle business. It’s too far from the border to really be of use for smuggling unless they want to use it for storage. Lots of land to hide things in.” Vernon shook his head. “Doesn’t really work for me though. I think it’s something we haven’t thought of. For now, let’s concentrate on dealing with the devils we know—your brother and Ray.”
“I agree.” Rhodes nodded. “We need to take care of the business part with your inheritance and get Tussler’s hold off of you. Once he no longer has control of the money and land, he loses control over you as well.”
“So I really don’t have to worry about the gun showing up with my fingerprints on it?” Jessie still wasn’t convinced that it was true.
“Even if your fingerprints were on the gun, there is no body. The guy you shot is alive. Everything was a setup. Tussler was more than happy to share that with us when we pressed. Without Ray around, he did a lot of talking.” Vernon didn’t look the least bit uneasy about getting her brother to tell them what they wanted to know.
Jessie didn’t feel all that worried about her so-called brother at all. He’d used her and let another man abuse her. Ray, on the other hand, she was worried about. Where was he and what would he do next?
“What about Ray?”
“We don’t know where he is. Evidently, when you went missing, he disappeared, too. Tussler seems to think he went looking for you,” Rhodes said.
“So he was probably who found me at the hotel with Ginger and the others.”
“Those were Skulls. Doesn’t mean he didn’t put them up to it, though. We don’t know what sort of deal he might have made with them,” Vernon added.
“If he promised them some of the land, they will expect to have access to it. That means they will come after me.”
Chapter Eleven
Rhodes and Vernon both stood up and tossed their empty beer cans in the trash. Jessie didn’t move. She couldn’t stop thinking about what her life was worth if The Skulls wanted something she had. The guys couldn’t possibly go up against them on their own, and she didn’t see The Ghost Riders wanting to deal with a gang as bloodthirsty as they were. They were basically a peaceful club.
