“Oh no, I can’t do that.”
“I didn’t think so. But you’d be in for a battle once Liberty got a look at her. So, let’s get busy so I can call him.” They brought her bags and boxes in and sat them in the least masculine of the suites. “While I make a couple of calls you can find yourself something to eat, there’s leftovers in the fridge or stuff for sandwiches. Just make yourself at home.” He made his calls and came back into the kitchen where she was sitting on a barstool eating chicken and pasta. He grabbed a beer out of the fridge and sat down across from her. “Alright, best get to it. Tell me what happened in Odessa.”
She pushed a plate she’d made for him over in front of him, “As I said, Jerald decided I belonged to him and refused to take no for an answer. He followed me, and showed up everywhere I went, and I do mean everywhere. I had gone out with friends and he showed up, he put his hands on me and I put him down, and not gently. Of course, he ran to his Daddy and said I led him on and all that bullshit. Things got worse from there. One night when I went home he was waiting for me, along with a couple of his friends. I managed to fight them off, until one of them hit me and I went down. Jerald took that as his opening and tried to rape me. When he pulled his knife, I knew he was going to kill me so I screamed and both Quigley and Bronson came charging out. They all got in the truck and left. I called a friend and she came and we took Bronson to my Vet, then me to the ER. My first day back at work I saw your name on a message to Monty, he’d left it on my desk and when I read it I knew he was telling me I needed to leave so I sent you my portfolio that afternoon. Monty had written an open recommendation and letter of reference. I went home that day, gave notice to my landlord – made arrangements with my friend to sell all my furniture, and left that afternoon to stay with my friend and her boyfriend.”
“What happened to the wolf?”
“He didn’t make it.”
“Son of a mother fucking bitch.” He gave her a napkin, and she wiped her tears. “Go on and finish, I know there’s more.”
Samantha was surprised at how comfortable she was with Tucker and how easy it was to talk to him. “The night before I left Jerald broke in to my friend’s house and tried to rape me, he almost succeeded but her boyfriend was there, heard the noise and came and beat the shit out of Jerald. Then, he kicked his ass out. I left two hours later, praying you would hire me.”
“You have no ties to Odessa?”
“No, my friends moved to Seattle.”
They finished eating and Tucker told her, “Let’s put these dishes in the dishwasher and you go on in and start unpacking. I’m going to check on Maggie and call Kai again. I tried earlier but it went to voicemail.” Tucker said leaning down rubbing the side of her belly. “Is Quigley here the Dad?”
“No, he’s her brother. Miss Maggie mated with the Wolf, they had an immediate attraction.” Tucker noticed the sadness come back in her eyes.
“I’ll let you get yourself settled. I’ll be down the hall in my office, if you need me.” He went down the hall and once inside he closed the door. He called Malakai, “Hey Tuck, how’s it going? Hear you hired a good looking new Chief.”
“Callie already called you?”
“I’m pretty sure she had us all on a conference call. She couldn’t wait to fill us in, she said Monty finally got over on you.”
“Yeah, he did.” Then Tucker told him everything.
“Damn.” Malakai said when Tucker finished. “I never liked either one of them. I remember when I was younger Monty would come visit Pop, and the way he’d look at Claire would freak me out. And that son of his is twisted.”
“You don’t know the half of it. By the way, Reaper is out of town. He left Rye and Gin-boy here but I’m going to give Crow a call for back-up. If you talk to Reaper before I do, go on and tell him I need him to send someone out to Odessa. Just tell him to make sure Jerald Montgomery and his two friends are put out to pasture. Jerald should have been in a body bag long before now, but because of Monty I didn’t follow up, now I regret it and you know how fucking much I hate regrets.”
“Consider it done. What else?”
“She’s going to be staying here until she finds a place of her own. Is the old Turner Place still up for sale?”
“Sure is. But that’s got fifty acres with it. Does she want that much land?”
“She’s an animal lover, she has her dogs and a huge cat. She does rescues and will most likely end up with a barn full. Her female dog is due any time now, I’d like for you to come over and take a look at her. I was going to bring them out there to meet everyone but when I saw Maggie, well, it’ll be better if you come here.”
“We could board her till the pups are born.”
“I tried that, it’s not happening.”
“She and Liberty are gonna get along just fine.”
“That’s what I told Cahill.”
“I’ll be there in half an hour. Chris is down for his nap, and Sophie is nursing, so it’ll be just me. Tuck, you think there’s a chance Jerald has followed her?”
“Fuck I didn’t even think of that. It’s definitely a possibility. I’ll just get Crow to stay here until we know for sure what’s going on.”
“Crow’s cousins, Smoke and Arrow from the Rage Ryders MC showed up last night with a woman named Cassidy. You remember the trouble they had here a while back, with Wasp’s old lady showing up and him being Reilly and Sadie’s Dad. Well seems Wasp hooked up with Cassidy while he was living out in California, but when he found out Ashton was still alive he broke it off with her and came home and reclaimed his family. His brother is dead now, but there’s shit still going down. Cassidy saved several ol’ ladies by stepping in and letting a rat take her hostage. Long story short Smoke and Arrow took Cassidy out of there for everyone’s mutual protection. They called Crow, so they’re here for a while now.”
“I need to call Jake and give him a heads up. I’ll see you in a few.”
***
Malakai went up and told Liberty where he was going and why, kissed her and his kids and grabbed his bags on the way out the door. He ran into Tripp and Pattie as they pulled in, “Grab a couple of bags of these groceries.” Tripp said.
“Sorry, no can do. Get someone else to help you. I’m headed over to Tuckers. Seems he has a new roommate and her dog is very pregnant.”
“Damn, that’s fast even for Tucker. Didn’t Melody just leave?”
“I think her flight is leaving out of DFW tomorrow. This woman is his new Chief Deputy, she’s staying there ‘till she finds a place of her own. In fact, I need you to check on the old Turner place for me, will ya?”
“Sure thing. She got a name?”
“Sam Cahill, she’s from Odessa.”
“She must be damn qualified for Tuck to hire her as his Chief.”
“I’m sure she is.” Once he was on the road he decided not to wait for Reaper to call so he called him, “Sup dude?”
“You busy?”
“Not too. Whatcha need?” Reaper listened as Malakai filled him in. “Not a problem. I’ll put the word out I need some data on the man and his friends. But Stoneman knew I would be out of town for a few days. Are you saying I need to come home?”
“I’ll send you stats when I get to Tucker’s. No need for you to cut your trip short. Crow and his two cousins are going to be keeping an eye on her at Tuck’s house. We can only hope the man’s fool enough to follow her here.” Malakai said. “With those three, it’ll be over in a heartbeat.”
“Take a ten-way kind-a fool to be that stupid. Count me in on whatever you need. We should be back that way day after tomorrow. I’m meeting with Chief in an hour. Kai, you know if Tucker needs me or the club we’re there.”
“Yeah, I know. He knows it, too. How’s your little brother doing?” Malakai asked.
“Like all other prospects. But he’s a good man. He’ll be patched in next month. Breed took him on a run.”
Malakai pulled into his brother’s drive and
parked behind a Jeep. He went in the back door and was met by a handsome red heeler who followed him into the house where Tucker was walking toward him. “Let me get Cahill and she can take you to Maggie. I’ve got to go by my office. I won’t be gone long.” They both went into the kitchen as Sam walked in. “Cahill, this is my brother Malakai. Kai, this is Samantha Cahill, the new Chief Deputy of Montana County.” They shook hands and Tucker picked up the bag she’d made for Callie. “I’m going to go to the office and pick up your phone. Finish up some paperwork. You go on and take Kai in to Maggie and I’ll be back quick as I can. You can go ahead and make a salad, and I’ll grill the steaks when I get back.”
“Is he always that bossy?” Samantha asked as she watched Tucker walk out the door.
“Yep.”
Chapter Three
Tucker walked in and gave his sister her lunch, “I’ll be in my office for a few minutes, and then I’m headed out for the weekend. You go on and shut it down soon. Just make sure you forward the calls to Bullard – he’s on call.” He started in to his office then stopped, “Hey Sweet Pea – I’m sorry I’ve had a piss poor attitude. Now that I’ve got a full staff, except for the office clerk and dispatcher, I’ll try real hard to do better.” Then he turned and went in and sat down at his desk. Callie sat there dumbfounded, because of all her brothers Tucker apologized the least, like never.
Fuck, just fuck, he just got his house back and now he had another woman there, but this one wouldn’t be sharing his bed or his play room. He needed to stop reacting without thinking things through. Last year Melody Cameron had come in to his life, like a bowling ball headed down an aisle hell-bent to knock down all ten pins. The heat had been scalding hot between them and she liked sex, she liked good, hard, and fast sex. A lot and frequently. He’d taken her to the Masquerade Ball at the club, and somehow she’d quickly moved herself in to his home. The problem was when the flame burned out, there was nothing between them. He’d finally told her she had to move her things out. Instead of getting better, things got worse. He’d come in from work and find her sitting on the back porch waiting for him. The first few times they’d ended up in his play room. Then they started arguing, which led to her screaming at him. In the end, he had to threaten her with a protective order to keep her from coming over.
He called Jake and said before he could even say hello, “I hired that deputy today. Sam Cahill.”
“I’m not surprised, you said you really liked his references, and Monty said you wouldn’t go wrong with that choice. So what’s your take on him?”
“Well, for starters, I would never trust JD for anything. But, that being said, Sam Cahill is a woman.”
“Well damn, didn’t expect that.”
“Neither did I. Monty told her he was getting even with me for that time he woke up with Harold.”
“I’ve still got some pictures of that somewhere. So, you must have been impressed to make her an offer for the job. Where’s she staying?”
“At my place, for now.” Tucker told him about what happened in Odessa and after he cussed a blue streak he said, “You gonna have it taken care of?”
“Done. But Kai brought up the fact he could have followed her here.”
“I’ll have some officers drive by your place and make sure things are okay.”
“Tell them not to shoot Crow and his cousins. They’ll be hanging around until this gets settled. And I might as well tell you, I’ve called Reaper in on this.”
“Son of a bitch, Tuck. What part of you being the fucking Sheriff aren’t you getting?”
“None. That’s why I called Reaper. Better he takes care of it than me.”
“Oh, well then, that just makes it all better, doesn’t it?” Jake let the sarcasm roll off his tongue. When Wyatt, aka Reaper, Jake and Tucker had become prospects for No Mercy and then joined the Marines, Jake chose not to patch in when they came home. Jake always planned to go into law enforcement but Tucker never even considered it. Fucking bitch. Fate sure had a sense of humor.
“About tonight. I’m meeting someone in the Common Area at nine thirty.”
“Is that a fact? When did this come about?”
“At lunch. The new waitress.”
“Bella?”
“Fuck you. She’s off limits and you know it. You best be keeping your dick away from her. She’s Crow’s little cousin and he’d scalp you and eat your heart for good measure. Her name is Kate.”
“The one in the hot pink shorts and pink streak in her hair?”
“That’s the one. So, I’ll meet you there at nine like we planned. Oh, and you’ll never guess who her friend is. Lori Blythe.”
“Fuck you say.”
“I do. I think we’ve both fucked her, until she decided she’d be in control.”
“What about Melody? What does she think about your new houseguest?”
“The last of her things were shipped out yesterday. She’s gone.”
“And you’re okay with this?”
“More than okay. She lasted longer than any of the others since Tess.” They both got quiet when he mentioned Tess.
“The two of you went at it hot and heavy there for a bit. What happened?”
“She’s not a true submissive. Well, at least she could never be mine, even if she were.”
“Seemed to me, she was. But looks are deceiving, I know I wanted to scene with her the night you had her do one with Eric.”
“She actually wanted her own membership and was considering going through the training program. She wanted to choose the Master each time, she kept pressuring me to get my brothers to be with her. She’s needy as fuck. Big difference in needy and submission. I had no problem with the sex, but you can’t fuck 24/7. Hell man, the deal breaker wasn’t the sex. It was her, or me – hell we weren’t good together. She didn’t want me to take this job. She didn’t want me to be a Ranger. And she sure as hell didn’t like my friends. Said they were dangerous. Woman knew who I was when we hooked up. I never at any time pretended to be anything other than me. Why women fall for a guy then want to change him is beyond my comprehension.”
“So’d your dick come to attention for Deputy Cahill?” Jake said changing the subject.
“Woman’s got a body, that’s for sure. But no, well hell, yeah the old pecker stood up. Man’d have to be dead not to think about fucking her nine ways to Sunday. But ain’t no way in hell that’s gonna happen. I learned years ago never to get involved with someone you work with. And she’s not my type.”
“Said the man whose stiff dick ain’t got no conscience. And speaking of Sunday, what fucking happened to Bonnie? I can’t believe we left her naked and cuffed to that fucking bunk.”
“Reaper had one of the prospects bring her in – she got her things from the cell and went on home, I suppose.”
“Any thoughts on sharing Kate?”
“It’s a possibility. You meeting me out at the club tonight?”
“I ‘m having dinner there, so yeah I’ll be there. I’ve got a hankering now that we talked about all this fucking.”
***
Tucker went home and found Cahill sitting on the floor with Maggie’s head in her lap, and Malakai was checking out a puppy. He squatted down and rubbed the dogs head, “How many so far?” He asked.
“This is the fourth, we have three boys and one girl, so far. I’m hoping this is her last one.” Malakai said.
“She’s had a rough time with delivery.” Cahill told him.
“Cahill, I’ll lay your phone on the table here. The one I handed you at the office wasn’t a sat one, and I had Callie program all the numbers you’ll need. I’d prefer you don’t give out this number until some things are cleared up. Do you have a problem with that?”
“No sir, I don’t.” Malakai’s head came up at the tone of his brother’s voice and her ‘sir’ and he looked straight at Tucker, who made eye contact with him and shook his head no. “But will you tell me why?” Each of the Stones were natural dominates
, and in most cases didn’t even realize when that certain tone came out in conversation with women.
“I spoke with Monty. I don’t trust him, and I sure as hell don’t trust his son.”
“You think Jerald will come after me, don’t you?”
“I know he will.”
“How?”
Malakai spoke up, “We have a close friend that ran a check. Jerald and two of his friends are in Waco, now. We’re pretty sure they’re headed this way. Hopefully, our friends can convince him to turn around and go back where he belongs.”
“And how will your friends do that?”
“With the right kind of persuasion.” Tucker said looking at his brother. “And you’ll be better off leaving it at that.”
“Why won’t he leave me alone?” She said so loud and with such force it caused Maggie to jump and whine. “Shh, it’s okay sweetheart. I’m sorry, baby girl.” When Maggie calmed down she looked at Tucker. “I don’t understand, he’s not a bad looking man, he could date any of the women in Odessa. Why me?”
“He’s obviously obsessed with you, and you’ve turned him down, and you made him look bad.” Tucker said. “That type of man doesn’t know when to quit.”
“Men like Jerald need to look big and good to their friends. His inability to have you has caused him to lose face in his eyes. Now it’s a game for him, one that he’s determined to win at all costs.” Malakai told her.
“I won’t be his victim. He won’t get the upper hand with me again.” She said to both men.
“Cahill, if he gets anywhere near you, just shoot him. That’s an order. Now I’m gonna take a quick shower, then I’m going to grill us a couple of T-bones. Kai, you’re welcome to stay.”
“Thanks, but no. I’ve got to get home to my wife and kids.” A smile hit his face, “Damn, it feels good to say that. Bring Sam with you Sunday when you come over. Liberty has already made it mandatory.”
“Did you ask her?” Tucker replied nodding at Sam.
“He did, and I said yes, if it’s okay with you.”
Taken by Sadistic (Rage Ryders MC #3) Page 12
