Desire Had A Name: The Bad Baker Boys: Matt's Story

by Tonya Brooks

  Matt ran through the woods toward the general direction of the lake, his heart hammering in his chest from fear instead of exertion. He hadn't been able to shake the feeling that something was wrong and now he knew why. Harley had gone back to the cove to face her fears, which was a good thing, but she should have taken him with her. She was so damn brave and stubborn that she'd gone alone to the one place that she had reason to fear. God, he couldn't bear it if going back to the scene traumatized her even more.

  ~~~~

  Harley stared out at the lake as she relived the nightmare over in her mind and fought the demons from her past head on. The cove really was a beautiful, peaceful place and not just the scene of the horrible nightmare that she remembered it as. She sat there staring out at the lake until the serenity of it washed the last of her anxiety away. Pleased with herself for conquering her fear, she glanced at her watch and realized she'd have plenty of time to tell her mother about the rape before Matthew arrived. He'd be so proud of her, she thought with a smile as she stood.

  A faint scent of wintergreen assaulted her nostrils and whirling around, she saw a man in a ski mask standing several feet away watching her. Her mind and body froze as she came face to face with a living nightmare. Not comprehending whether this was real or a figment of the imagination that her fears had conjured up, she stared at him incredulously as he moved toward her.

  When he reached out and grasped her shoulder, a rush of pure adrenaline surged through her veins, galvanizing her into action. She slammed the heel of her palm up into his nose with a satisfying crack and heard him bellow in pain. Harley wrenched herself free of his hold, ripping the shoulder strap of her tank top in the process. She ran screaming through the woods, too terrified to look back as the past and the present merged into one and the only thing she understood was sheer terror.

  It sounded as if there were a half a dozen men behind her, and she was vaguely aware of voices shouting incoherently. She never looked back as she ran headlong through the woods, her screams and sobs nearly choking her. Harley ran wildly, shoving her way past tree limbs and forcing herself through bushes and briar's that pulled her hair and tore at her bare skin, her only thought escape. Blinded by tears, she ran headlong into a solid wall of muscle. Strong hands caught and held her, refusing to let go while she fought savagely, as mindless as a hunted animal seeking only to escape capture.

  “Harley, stop it.” Matt said hoarsely as he tried to hold her without hurting her. Seeing her like this was ripping his heart to shreds and the feral look in her eyes assured him that she was too panicked to recognize him. “Harley, it's me. I'm here. You're safe. Baby, please stop fighting me.”

  The sound of his voice finally penetrated and Harley stared up at Matthew with glazed eyes as recognition dawned. Knowing instinctively that he would protect her, she practically melded her body into his. Wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, she held on to him just as fiercely as she had tried to escape from him. “It was him, Matthew,” she gasped and cast a fearful glance over her shoulder. “He grabbed me!”

  There was no doubt that she was hysterical, but he had no idea if it was because she was traumatized by returning to the cove or if someone had really spooked her. In any event, her shirt was torn, she was covered in scratches and briar's, there were leaves tangled in her hair, and Matt wasn't taking any chances.

  “It's okay, baby. I'll never let anybody hurt you again.” He promised and held her trembling body protectively, his eyes scanning the area for evidence of another person and saw nothing. “You're safe now.”

  “He's chasing me!” She cried brokenly, in a frantic effort to make him understand the danger, her nails digging into his back. The sound of someone running toward them sent another surge of terror through her. Harley screamed and locked her body around Matthew in a death grip.

  Matt was surprised to hear someone coming through the woods and the realization that Harley was really being chased made his blood begin to boil. Whoever it was wouldn't live to regret terrifying her. However, the very last person he would have expected to see emerged from the bushes. “Pop?” He demanded furiously. “Have you lost your damn mind? How could you terrify Harley like this?”

  “It wasn't me.” Jedidiah denied as he approached them and silently cursed that damn gout for slowing him down. “You alright, Harley gal?” His daughter-in-law was as pale as a sheet and trembling all over. She was also hanging on to his son for dear life and staring back at him through huge frightened eyes that didn't really see him.

  “She's hysterical.” Matt bit out. “What the hell is going on?”

  “When you mentioned the man smelled like mint, I thought about Cass Hobbs. He uses that wintergreen stuff in the barber shop and always reeks of it.” Jedidiah explained.

  “Why the hell didn't you tell me?” Matt demanded.

  “Because you're so damn hotheaded you'd have just killed him,” his father informed him bluntly. “I was gonna give him the chance to confess his sins before he met his maker.”

  Refusing to get sidetracked, he snapped, “Then why were you chasing Harley through the woods?”

  “Me and the boys were on our way to pay Cass a visit when we saw him on his back porch staring at something across the lake with binoculars.” Jedidiah explained. “He grabbed what looked like a ski mask and took off around the lake to the cove. We followed him and watched until he grabbed Harley.”

  “Why the hell didn't you stop him?” His eldest son demanded and was absolutely livid that they had allowed her to be subjected to the nightmare again.

  “Luke said he had to at least make a grab for her before he could be charged with anything.” Jedidiah said in disgust and hadn't liked the idea either. “I'm sorry you had to go through that, Harley gal, but me and the boys would have never let him hurt you again.”

  “Did you catch him?” Harley asked tremulously as some of the terror began to subside and she lowered her feet to the ground.

  “The boys got him and I came after you to make sure you were alright,” he admitted. “You took off like a bat out of hell and I had the damnedest time trying to follow you through that briar patch.”

  “Where is he?” Matt demanded in a tone that would brook no argument.

  “Your brothers were gonna haul his sorry ass back to his place and wait for the police.”

  “Take Harley home and stay with her.” Matt commanded as he turned her into his father’s arms and ran into the woods. He knew the older man would make damn sure that Harley was safe, no matter what he had to do to accomplish it.

  “Matthew!” Harley called after him to no avail and turned fearful eyes on her father-in-law. She knew Matthew had a terrible temper and he had always been overly protective of her. He'd beat the hell out of Charlie and staked him out buck naked for just telling lies about her. She was terrified of what he might do to the man who had raped her. “What's he gonna do to him?” She asked warily.

  Jedidiah didn't have a doubt in his mind about that. He knew exactly what his son was planning to do and he didn't blame him one damn bit. “Matt's gonna kill him,” he said flatly.

  “No!” Harley cried rawly and tried to pull away from him as concern for Matthew overrode every other emotion coursing through her. Dear God. If he killed the man he'd wind up in prison. He'd lose everything that he'd worked so hard to accomplish. Not to mention it would devastate their son and completely destroy her. Harley knew she wouldn't be able to live with the knowledge that Matthew had ruined his life because of her. “We have to stop him!”

  “The boys might be able to do it.” Jedidiah replied, even though he seriously doubted they could do more than slow him down. Especially in the mood that Matt was in. His eldest was out for blood and there wasn't a whole hell of a lot that could stop him now.

  “Dammit, Pop, please! You can't let him do this.” Harley implored brokenly. If anyone could stop Matthew, it was his father. No one else stood a chance against him.

 
; Like his son, he could refuse her nothing. “Come on,” he said in resignation and led her back toward the lake.

  ~~~~

  When Matt exploded out of the tree line in a dead run, Mark closed his eyes in despair. “Oh, hell.” He knew exactly what would happen when his brother got his hands on Cass. He also knew there wasn't a damn thing they could do to stop him. If they tried. After what he had done, Cass deserved whatever Matt did to him. And then some.

  “Holy shit,” John breathed when he saw him. This was gonna get real ugly, real quick. Cass was as good as dead.

  Luke saw him coming as well and ran to intercept his older brother. As much as he understood Matt's desire to kill the other man, as an officer of the court, he couldn't just stand by and let it happen. At least not with the police already on the way. He had better sense than to try and stop him physically, so he tried the verbal approach and hoped reason would work.

  “Brett's on the way,” he called out as Matt neared him. “If you kill him, its murder,” he said as Matt passed by him without slowing down. “Think what it would do to your son if you went to prison.” he shouted after him as he kept on going.

  Matt was in no mood to listen to reason or even think about the consequences of his actions. The primal need to maim and kill was nearly overwhelming in its intensity. The fact that he had run as far and fast as he had and wasn't even breathing hard attested to his physical conditioning and the absolute rage on his face was a sure indication of his intent.

  He stopped in front of the older man to glare sheer malice at him and saw with vicious satisfaction that his nose was already broken and bleeding. Cass met his stare with a belligerent look that did nothing to help his own defense. “Who broke his nose?” He demanded in a guttural snarl that sounded more animal than human.

  “Harley did.” Mark said proudly. She'd always known how to fight, but he had shown her how to defend herself more effectively when they were teenagers, and he was glad that she hadn't forgotten how.

  More than pleased that she had managed to get a piece of her attacker this time, Matt growled furiously, “Cut him loose.” His brothers had tied the bastard’s hands behind his back with one of John's shoe laces and as much as he wanted to beat him senseless on sight, Matt didn't have in him to attack a man who couldn't even defend himself. Not that it would do the barber any good if he tried, but at least his conscience would be clear. “I said, cut him loose!” He snarled when no one moved.

  John stepped forward, pulled the knife from his pocket and sliced through the string with one quick stroke. “Think about what you're doing, bro.” He urged as calmly as he could manage under the circumstances, because he'd love nothing better than to kill the bastard himself.

  “You raped my wife!” Matt accused as he grasped the man by his shirt and slammed him back against the tree. Luke's warnings had assured him of the need for a confession and he was going to get one no matter what it took to do it. He unbuckled the belt at the barber’s waist and snatched it free of the loops, determined to give the bastard a taste of his own medicine.

  “I never touched her.” Cass denied as he grabbed hold of the tree behind him to steady himself. “She attacked me...” the denial turned into a hiss of pain as Matt slammed the folded belt across his gut with barely restrained force.

  “You beat and raped her thirteen years ago and tried to do it again today,” he said furiously.

  “I don't know... what you're talking about,” the older man wheezed and held on to the tree for support.

  Matt struck several more lashes in rapid succession and had to hold the barber up by his shirt when his knees buckled. “You'll tell me,” he said in a menacing voice that raised the hair on the back of all four men’s necks. “You'll beg to die first, but you will tell me,” he vowed in grim determination that left none of them in any doubt as to his intentions.

  “Jesus.” Mark breathed and almost pitied the other man. Almost, but not quite.

  “I didn't do anything.” Cass choked out in agony and hit the ground after Matt struck another round of lashes and didn't use any restraint this time. The barber fought for air and knew he was no match against the younger mans fury.

  Dammit, he should have known it was too good to be true when he'd seen her just sitting there again. The bitch had put up more of a fight than anyone else ever had the first time around, and the violence in her had excited him beyond belief. He would have loved nothing better than to have a second chance with her, but the whole damn thing had turned out to be a setup.

  Now, he had to contend with the most lethal son of a bitch he'd ever met. Cass knew the younger man had a vicious temper and had seen him fight like a demon often enough to know he didn't have a chance in hell. He had been trying to stall for time until the police arrived, but at this rate, he'd be dead by then. Deciding it was better to confess than be beaten to death with his own belt, he said hoarsely, “Alright. I'll tell you.”

  Luke knew the barber could claim duress since the confession had been beaten out of him, so they would need to know undisputable facts if the case against him was going to stand a chance. “Did you rape Harley Abbot thirteen years ago?” He questioned bluntly in the same cold, hard tone he used with a hostile witness on the stand.

  “Yes,” the older man acknowledged without remorse.

  “Prove you're not lying just to save your ass.” He quickly demanded and snatched the belt away with both hands when Matt would have hit the barber again. “Give me a detail only the rapist would know.”

  “She was a virgin.” The barber recalled with a sadistic smile at the memory, and managed to seriously shock three of the men present with the admission.

  All eyes turned to Mark and he nodded his confirmation. “She was,” he acknowledged grimly.

  Matt was beyond incredulous at the revelation that his brother had never made love to Harley, but that was not his primary concern right then.

  Cass pushed his luck too far when he laughed and added in a sick, perverse tone, “Until I saw the little bastard I thought he might be mine.”

  That was when all hell broke loose.

  Matt went completely ballistic and began to torture the other man with all of the pent up rage inside of him. Each blow was designed to inflict as much pain as possible without being lethal, as the barber screamed in excruciating agony. Death was too good for Cass. He deserved to suffer the tortures of the dammed and Matt was going to make damn sure that he did.

  It quickly became more than obvious that Matt had no intention of stopping until the barber was dead. Knowing the kind of violence that he was capable of, his brothers tackled him en mass and fought valiantly to pull Matt off, but restraining him was impossible as he fought them indiscriminately in a blind fury.

  “Throw him in the lake!” Jedidiah yelled when he was within shouting distance, and he saw that it took everything his three younger boys had to get Matt to the edge of the lake and shove him into it. He had hoped the shock from being submerged in the water would bring his son back to his senses. Unfortunately, he came up just as furious and more determined than ever to annihilate his adversary, and anyone else who got in his way.

  Jedidiah knew that he could physically restrain his son, but he'd have to seriously hurt him to do it. He hated to have to put one of his own in that kind of pain, except as a last resort. Stepping in front of him with steely determination, he grasped a nerve in Matt's neck to immobilize him and wasn't surprised when the pain he was inflicting didn't even register in his sons eyes. He was too far gone to notice. There was only one nonviolent option left and he prayed it worked.

  “Look what this is doing to Harley.” Jedidiah insisted and pointed to where she had collapsed on the bank several yards away. “Go to your wife, Son. She needs you.”

  Matt heard her call his name brokenly and the red haze began to subside as he focused on Harley. She was doubled over on the ground, much as she had been the night before, her face a mask of raw emotion as she stared back at him i
n hopeless agony. Realizing that she was crying again, Matt let go of his need for vengeance as concern for her superseded everything else.

  He made his way across the lawn dripping wet and dropped to his knees in front of her. Framing her face with his hands, his thumbs lightly brushing the tears away, he pleaded hoarsely, “Don't cry, baby.” Harley was such a strong woman; it ripped his heart to shreds to see her cry. “Please, don't cry.”

  Harley was too overwrought to even think coherently at this point, but it was almost impossible to believe that this was the same man that she had spent the night making love with. She knew exactly how gentle and tender Matthew could be and she was stunned at the level of violence that he was also capable of. But she had just witnessed his ruthlessness with her own eyes, could still hear the sound of her attackers screams ringing in her ears. The same hands that had beaten the barber with such brutal savagery, were now wiping her tears away just as gently as they had touched her the night before.

  “You fool! You could have killed him,” she accused brokenly and grasped his hands in hers.

  Harley simply could not understand why Matthew would have beaten the other man to such a degree. My God, he had to know he'd wind up in prison if he killed him. Yes, she knew he had a vicious temper and he was more than physically capable of committing such an act, but she just couldn't comprehend what would have made him behave in such a manner. “Why? Why would you do something so insane?”

  “He hurt you.” Matt said simply, as if that explained everything. “I'd do anything for you, Harley. I love you.”

  Of all the things that had happened today, hearing those three little words from him was the most shocking of all. Matthew loved her? Harley stared into his tormented obsidian gaze incredulously and opened her mouth to speak, but no sound would emerge. She had no idea what she would have said in response to his declaration, but she tried again and her head began to spin. Overcome with too many emotions at once, the world faded to black as she fainted into his arms.