by Becca Van
Chapter Two
Rick turned when the waitress brought their food to the table. From the corner of his eye he saw a blonde woman sitting at the bar and staring their way. He shifted his seat back until he could see around the waitress and swallowed down a groan as his eyes landed on her face. She was absolutely stunning. He perused her body and although she was sitting, he guessed that she was of average height but a little on the slim side. When he saw the dark smudges beneath her eyes as she turned back toward the bar, he thought that maybe she had recently lost weight. She was still side on to him and could see that her face was pale, and she looked as if she might have recently been sick.
His concern ramped up when he saw her bend slightly as she clutched at the edge of the bar, and that she was panting. He glanced at Rachel when she stopped in front of the woman and was about to go over to see if he could help, but Rachel met his gaze and shook her head.
Rick and his brothers had moved to Slick Rock six months ago. They’d met a lot of wonderful people and heard the terrifying stories of how the guys had met their women as they’d run for their lives. He had a gut-wrenching feeling that the woman at the bar was in trouble, and it set off his protective instincts, but he knew if that was the case, if she was running from a man, from danger, she would no doubt baulk if he approached her.
“Rick, what are you staring at? Your food is getting cold.” Frank nudged his ankle with the tip of his boot.
Rick scooted his chair closer to the table and picked up his silverware. After cutting off a piece of steak, chewing, and swallowing, he glanced back toward the bar and sighed with disappointment. Rachel and the blonde were gone.
Cat cleared her throat and took a sip of her wine. “He was checking out the blonde Rachel was talking to. She was gorgeous.”
“Do you know her?” Rick asked.
Cat shook her head. “I’ve never seen her before.”
“I haven’t either,” Hank, one of Cat’s husbands said. “She had a bag with her and she looked exhausted. My guess is she came in on the bus.”
“Should we inform Luke and Damon?” Barry, another of Cat’s husbands, asked after he placed his bottle of beer back on the table.
David shook his head. “Not much gets by Luke and Damon. They will have already been told.”
When Rick saw that Rachel was back behind the bar, he wanted to get up and ask her where the other woman was, but he didn’t. He and his brothers wanted a ménage relationship like their friends had, but he wasn’t going to chase after someone who’d just arrived in town. For all he knew, she could be passing through. He didn’t want to start something only to have it end. He and his brothers had had short relationships with women singularly, and although they had a couple of one-night stands where they’d shared a woman between them, he wanted more.
He and his brothers had watched the loving interaction between their friends and their new wife and wanted what they had. Having sex for the sake of physical release was getting old. He wanted to be able to love and hold the same woman night after night. He wanted to have the emotional bond that he could see the Heritage men and Cat had.
He wanted to get married and have kids, but none of the women he’d dated had ever really touched his heart. Maybe that was because he was cynical after serving in the military, but he wasn’t sure.
Hank had been one of the coldest men he’d ever met. He’d never thought the SEAL had a heart under the cold demeanor he’d portrayed, but since he’d met Cat, his team leader had become downright mushy.
“I saw her,” Will murmured. “She was sexy as hell.”
“Damn.” Frank threaded his fingers through his hair. “I lucked out.”
“That you did, bro.” Rick chuckled.
“So how’s business?” David asked.
“Busy. I never thought there would be so much security work to be had in a small town.”
Barry nodded. “Bet most of the work you do is investigative.”
“You’d be right,” Will replied. “We actually have alerts set up in cyberspace to look for key words terrorists would use. You’d be amazed at the number of people we have a watch on.”
“Nothing would surprise me anymore.” Hank sighed. “It would be a fucking miracle if everyone just got along.”
“Yeah.” Rick nodded. “But not all our work is online.”
“How are Remy, Giles, Brandon, and Kayli?” Cat asked.
“They’re great. Kayli is expecting.”
“That’s wonderful.” Cat smiled. “Have her guys gone into protective mode?”
Frank chuckled. “You have no idea.”
“The moment she gets to her feet, one of her husbands rushes out to her.”
Cat nodded. “All the men in this town are the same way, with few exceptions. How far along is she?”
“I have no clue.” Rick shrugged. “She’s just starting to show.”
“That would probably put her at around four months.” Cat took a sip of wine and leaned back in her chair.
“How long have they been married?” Will asked.
“A few years,” Barry answered. “They wanted to wait a while before they started a family.”
“Makes sense,” David said. “She was a mass of nerves after what happened to her.”
“What?” Rick asked, his body tensing as he waited to hear the story.
“Kayli witnessed a bank hold-up and murder. The assholes came after her. They kidnapped her and would have killed her if Remy, Giles, and Brandon hadn’t found the fuckers and taken them down.”
Cat inhaled deeply before releasing the breath slowly. Hank scooted his chair closer to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “You okay, sweetheart?”
“Yes.” Cat cleared her throat. “Thanks to all of you. I love you all.”
Hank tipped Cat’s chin up with his finger and kissed her lightly on the lips. “I love you, too, Catalina.”
“Me, too, baby,” Barry said as he threaded his fingers with Cat’s and then kissed the back of her hand.
“I love you, Cat.” David blew her a kiss and winked at her.
Rick felt like he was impinging on their private moment and glanced over toward the bar. He sucked in a breath when he saw the blonde was back. “Six o’clock.”
Frank turned and looked over his shoulder and let out a low whistle when he saw the blonde woman. “Fucking hell.”
“Yeah.” Rick nodded.
“Sweet and sexy,” Will murmured so that only his brothers heard. “I think we need another round of drinks.”
Rick cursed under his breath as Will pushed his chair back. He wished he been faster on the uptake and although he wanted to follow his older brother over to the bar and to that beautiful woman, he didn’t want to scare her off by crowding her. He trusted Will to get whatever information he could, but he had a feeling that any man who approached that little gal would be shot down.
Her body was so tense it was a wonder her spine hadn’t snapped, and while she appeared aware of anyone close to her, she made sure to refrain from making eye contact. As he gazed over her slim back and rounded hips, he saw her shoulders lift up as if she was aware of his approval, or maybe his brother’s approach. Once Rachel took her food order and placed a glass of Coke on the bar, the woman wrapped her hands around the glass and kept her head lowered. There was something going on with her and the knot in his gut told him whatever it was, wasn’t good.
If Will got her name, maybe they could run a check on her when they got back to the office on Monday morning. No, he didn’t like doing that. He’d rather get the story from the source and hopefully, while he was at it, get to know her.
Will placed their order and said something to the blond woman but she didn’t answer. She shook her head but kept her gaze lowered, and she was so tense her shoulders were nearly level with her ears. His brother was smart enough to turn away and the woman’s shoulders lowered slightly. Will came back to the table and passed the drinks around.
�
��What did you say?” Rick asked.
“I just asked her if I could buy her a drink.” Will took his seat and then glanced toward the bar. “She’s so scared she was shaking.”
“Fuck, that can’t be good.” Hank frowned.
“I think we should call Luke,” Cat suggested. “If she’s in trouble, he and Damon need to know.”
“I agree, baby.” Barry squeezed Cat’s hand as he used his free one to pull his cell phone from his pocket.
“You don’t need to,” David said. “Luke and Damon just walked in the door.”
* * * *
Sallyanne glanced at the plate of vegetables Rachel set on the bar in front of her and smiled in thanks, but the smile slid from her face when she felt the atmosphere in the room change. She glanced in the mirror over the bar and her breath hitched in her throat when she saw the two sheriffs walking toward her. Her body tensed and every instinct was on alert, screaming at her to run.
Did they know who she was? Did they know what had happened to her? Were they in Angelo’s pocket?
She took a bite of broccoli and nearly choked when she tried to swallow it. The sheriffs had come up behind her. The bronze-skinned guy sat on the stool beside hers, but the other one stood behind her. Almost instantly her heart rate increased and her breathing sped up. Perspiration broke out over her skin and all the blood in her brain felt as if it headed south. Tightness enveloped her chest and though she knew she needed to get her breathing under control so she didn’t hyperventilate and pass out, she couldn’t think coherently enough to use the breathing exercises she’d read about and taught herself.
Darkness seeped in from the sides of her vision and she gripped the fork so hard it hurt her hand, but she couldn’t make herself let go. Buzzing sounded in her ears and a low male voice sounded so far away she couldn’t work out what was being said. Not that she cared. All she cared about was remaining conscious so she didn’t draw even more attention to herself or make a complete fool of herself.
However, it seemed as if she was fighting a losing battle and the blackness encroached until she couldn’t see or hear anything except for the loud roaring in her ears. The tension in her muscles dissipated and her body began to go lax. When she ordered her brain to move her arm to hold onto the bar, it didn’t obey, and then she was sinking into oblivion.
* * * *
“Fuck!” Will shoved his chair back and then hurried across the crowded room.
Frank stood at the same time as Rick and followed their oldest brother toward the bar. Frank’s heart stuttered when he saw Sheriff Luke Sun-Walker catch the blonde woman as she fainted and toppled from her stool.
“What the hell happened?” Will asked, a frown of concern marring his face.
Frank moved in closer to the two sheriffs and the woman so he could hear the answer. Rick bumped his shoulder as he crowded him.
“I don’t know.” Luke adjusted his hold on the woman and then nodded to Tyson as the man pointed toward the hallway and his office.
“Do you want me to call Doc?” Rachel asked as Luke carried her toward corridor.
“Yes,” Luke called over his shoulder before disappearing into the office.
Frank followed Damon and Will. Rick was behind him and he knew by his brother’s deep inhalation that he was just as worried as the rest of them.
When he entered the office, he saw that Luke had placed her on the small sofa and was in the process of covering her with the throw he pulled from the back of it.
“Is she sick?” Frank asked as he leaned against the wall just inside the door. When Rick nudged him, he took a couple of steps to the side so his brother could enter.
“I don’t think so,” Luke answered without looking up. The sheriff was gazing at his watch and had his fingers on the lady’s pulse on her wrist. “I think she had a panic attack.”
“What concerns me is that she was fine until she noticed us moving toward her,” Damon said. “Do you think she’s running from the law?”
“I don’t know,” Luke replied. “I’m going to search her pockets to see if she has any ID on her. Can you get Rachel to come in?”
“I’m already here,” Rachel said as she nudged Rick aside and hurried over to the sofa. “If she had a panic attack when she spotted you two…” She paused to meet first Luke’s and then Damon’s gazes. “I think you should leave. The doctor is on the way. You don’t want to scare her further, do you?”
“You know the answer to that, Rachel.” Luke frowned at her.
“If she’s in trouble, seeing all of you staring at her when she wakes up will send her running. I know what I’m talking about, since I’ve been there.” Rachel met Tyson’s gaze. “You all need to leave.”
“What if she’s bad news?” Tyson asked. “You could end up getting hurt.”
“What’s your gut telling you, baby?” Rachel asked Tyson.
“That she’s on the run and in danger.”
“Seems to be the norm for all the women who find their way to my town,” Luke muttered as he lowered the woman’s arm to her side. “But you’re right, Rach. We all need to leave.”
“I’d feel better if you had someone with you just in case.” Tyson squeezed Rachel’s hand before her placed it on her slightly rounded abdomen. “I worry about you and the little guy.”
Rachel met Will’s gaze. “Can you send Cat in?”
“Sure thing, honey,” Will gazed at the woman one more time before leaving the room. Frank wanted to stay to make sure she was okay, but he knew that Rachel was right. If she was in trouble, they didn’t want her running. He, his brothers, and the men in this town would do anything and everything they could to protect her. He just hoped that he got the chance to get to know her better, because he had a feeling she was the one woman they’d been waiting for.
Chapter Three
Angelo sat sprawled on the sagging sofa as he watched his followers snort some coke. He loved that he had control of them, doling out their daily fix to keep them in line. He’d made a shitload of money dealing drugs but was smart enough not to use himself. From the age of ten he’d been working to get out of the slums of the Bronx and it had been worth it. Now he was the leader of the Red Blades, and all his followers bowed down to him.
It had been months since he’d sent his third in charge out again to search for that bitch. Anger coursed through him when he thought about her. She needed to pay for making him serve those three months in the slammer. Luckily for him the judge had been lenient, which had surprised him because the bastard hadn’t been on his payroll. Maybe he figured that she’d been asking for it.
He couldn’t help but think back to the night he’d had her.
She’d been so innocent, so pure, and he’d taken her virginity. His cock hardened just thinking about it. She’d fought him with everything she had, but he’d won in the end. If it hadn’t been for the stupid fucker of a stepbrother who was supposed to be taking care of her, she would have spent every day of the last four years by Angelo’s side, his to use whenever he wanted.
She’d been so fucking sweet and though he kept his minions searching for her, they’d found nothing.
That fucker Simon had stabbed him and then called the police. He’d been in and out of consciousness for a few minutes and then had succumbed and passed out from the excruciating pain.
He was lucky to have so many loyal acquaintances. They’d kept him abreast of what was going on while he’d been locked up awaiting sentencing.
When he’d found out that her brother had abandoned her, he’d laughed. The asshole had taken off after giving a statement to the police. Maybe that was another reason the judge hadn’t thrown the book at him. It had ended up being her word against his. The fucking doctor’s medical report on the slut’s injuries had been instrumental in putting him behind bars. She had paid the price for giving evidence against him.
However, having cops on his payroll had made it easy for him to remain the leader of the Red Blades as well as his men
visiting regularly. He’d given orders to them even while he’d been behind bars for three months.
He hadn’t meant to stab her but she’d made his blood pump with fury when she’d scored his arm with her nails and hit him in the side of the head. After that, the anger had taken over. One of his men had seen the slut doctor and the bitch talking after the trial and then she’d disappeared. The doctor had to have helped her escape. He wasn’t stupid. The cunt of a doctor had to have given Sallyanne the means to run.
He grinned as he thought of that bitch. She’d met with an untimely car accident and had died. Such a shame. He laughed but his humor didn’t last for long.
The brother had disappeared and though he had his men searching the streets and the known crack houses, the asshole had managed to elude them so far. He couldn’t hide forever and when he did Angelo would make that fucker pay for stabbing him and helping to have him arrested.
He had cops scouring databases as well as a few of his followers looking for her and the stepbrother.
Angelo had taken her innocence and as far as he was concerned, she belonged to him. It didn’t matter how long it took, he would find her. She had to pay for what she’d done, and then she would be back by his side until he tired of her.
* * * *
Sally knew as soon as she regained consciousness that she wasn’t alone. Her first instinct was to run. When she caught a whiff of perfume she the urge to flee lessened a little, but she wouldn’t lower her guard. She’d learned that there was always a hidden agenda where others were concerned and she wasn’t about to let others get close to her. The last time she’d let her heart lead, she’d ended up in the hospital and that was because of a relative, not some person with whom she’d formed an emotional bond.
She opened her eyes, deciding to meet whoever was in the room with her head on. She wasn’t a beat-around-the-bush kind of girl. If she wanted something she’d ask for it, no matter how churned up she was inside. Yes, she was dealing with PTSD and she didn’t let people get close to her, but she wasn’t stupid and if she needed help she’d ask, if it was her only option. Otherwise she kept to herself, her heart locked up tight, so she would never be brought to her knees again.
