“I doubt that,” I sneered.
He swung at me, which I easily dodged. Liam could barely stand, let alone throw a solid punch.
“I’m going to find her,” he said, wheezing as he spoke.
I shrugged. “Even if you did, you aren’t going to do a damn thing. She’s out of your life for good, Liam. Let her go. I won’t let you hurt her.”
“She’s going to pay for what you’ve done here,” he sneered.
“She’s paid enough. I’m telling you now, Liam, you go near her and you’ll be the one paying. This isn’t something I’m going to forget. Don’t make me hurt you. Know the only reason you’re still breathing is because Michelle asked me not to kill you. You don’t deserve to breathe the same air she does. Stay away from her and my son.”
Liam grinned, his teeth bloody. “He’s not your kid.”
I smiled. “He is, and you know it.”
“You’re not Joey’s father,” Nick howled from where he was on the floor, struggling to get up.
“Yes, I am his father, and you fucked with the wrong woman, you piece of shit. Stay down before I put you down for good. Michelle didn’t seem to care if you lived or died” I growled, feeling so much hatred for Nick it actually scared me. I wanted to kill him, and I didn’t like feeling that way.
“Let’s go,” Trevor said.
I nodded, wiping the blood from the back of my hand. I nudged Nick’s body on the floor with the toe of my boot.
“She’s never going to be yours and you will never touch her. You so much as look at her and I will make you pay,” I said in my most threatening voice.
Nick spat on my boot in response. “We’ll see.”
“No, we won’t see. I’ve warned you. That’s it. Next time I won’t be so generous.”
Trevor and I turned and walked out of the house, making our way to the Jeep without looking back. We had made our point. We had done what we’d come to do. It had taken every ounce of self-restraint to keep from seriously injuring Nick. The guy was a filthy piece of shit who wasn’t worthy of saying Michelle’s name, let alone trying to marry her and possess her body.
“You’re going to pay for this, Harrison!” Liam yelled from the doorway.
I turned around to look back at him. I laughed at the man leaning heavily against the doorframe.
“Let it go, Liam. She’s gone.”
I shut the door, watching as Liam’s men came out of the house, suddenly brave now that Trevor and I were on our way. Neither of us expected it to end as it was. Liam and Nick would seek retaliation and we would be ready. Trevor took a long way back to the motel in case anyone tailed us. When we got back to the room, we both sat on our respective beds, taking a few minutes to collect ourselves.
“That went well,” Trevor joked after a few minutes.
I chuckled. “I guess it did.”
“You better call her.”
“They’re not going to stop. I had hoped we’d scare them off. He’s not going to give up,” I said.
Trevor nodded his head. “I think you’re right. So, now what?”
I shook my head. “I have no idea. She can’t go back.”
“No.”
“Did I make it worse?” I asked, afraid of the answer.
“I don’t think you made it better. It had to be done though.”
“Shit,” I muttered. “I need to get her out of here, out of California.”
“Relax. Don’t go running off just yet. He doesn’t know where she is. We need to talk to her. Maybe she’ll want to press charges against him. Getting both of them locked away might be the best option.”
“I’m going to clean up,” I muttered, heading into the bathroom.
I pulled off my shirt, checking for injuries. My face had a faint bruise but I had come out of a sparring session in worse shape. Liam had barely put up a fight. Nick had been an absolute joke. Now I could understand why they beat on Michelle. They weren’t man enough to fight another man.
When I walked out of the bathroom, Trevor was on the phone.
“I’ll be home soon, sweetie,” Trevor cooed into the phone.
He saw me and quickly wrapped up his conversation.
“I’m sorry,” I said when he got off the phone. “I never meant to keep you from your little girl this long.”
He shrugged. “It’s my choice to be here. I’ll make it up to her when I get home.”
I sat down on the bed and reached for my phone, which was sitting on the bedside table. I had no idea what I was supposed to say.
“Call her,” he said, standing and pulling off his shirt. “I’m going to shower. One of those dudes puked and I think some of it got on me.”
I scrunched up my nose. “Gross.”
“No shit,” he muttered, shutting the door behind him.
I hit the button for Michelle and waited for her to pick up. She answered on the first ring.
“Hi,” I said for lack of anything better to say.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Did you see him? Talk to him?”
I thought back to the conversation I’d had with Liam and Nick. I wasn’t sure it qualified as a conversation.
“I did.”
“And?”
“And we’ll be back tomorrow morning. Everything’s fine,” I promised her.
“Liam?” she asked.
“He’s alive.”
She let out a sigh. “Okay. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Good night.”
I hung up the phone, fluffed the pillows, and leaned back against them. The night had gone off as I had expected, but I didn’t feel satisfied. It felt unfinished and I didn’t like that feeling. Deep down, I knew Liam was going to keep coming for her.
When Trevor came out of the bathroom, I looked at his bare chest, noticing a faint bruise on his ribs.
“Ouch. You took a hit?” I asked.
He nodded. “Just a bruise. At least mine is on my ribs. You’re going to have a black eye.”
I shrugged. “Faint. A woman Michelle’s size could have hit me harder. Liam’s gotten soft.”
“Are you sure it wasn’t because you are stronger now?”
I shook my head. “No. He was definitely stronger back then. Tonight, I don’t know what that was. Maybe he was high.”
Trevor nodded his head. “Possible.”
“I can’t wait to get out of here. I’ve had enough of this place.”
“We’ll get up early and go. Can’t say I want to wait around and see if they track us down. There was only a handful of them there tonight. We know there are a lot more waiting in the wings. They’re not going to be unprepared next time,” Trevor said.
“I know. Thanks again. This goes above and beyond, man. I appreciate you having my back. I don’t think I could have gotten this done on my own. I’m not sure what I was thinking when I concocted this stupid idea that I needed revenge.”
He chuckled. “I’m glad you can admit it. Get some sleep. I’m too old for this shit.”
I laughed and crawled under the covers, hitting the light and doing my best to sleep. I couldn’t wait to get home and see Michelle again. We had a lot to talk about. I dreaded the conversation. I knew she expected to be able to go home but that wasn’t going to happen. Liam was always going to be a threat. He wasn’t going to ever let her go. Nick wasn’t a problem. He’d find another woman. But Liam was warped. The only way this ended was with Michelle going completely off the grid or Liam being put away for a long time or dead.
None of those options was going to make her happy.
33
Michelle
Elijah’s phone call last night had given me a small bit of comfort. There was no way I could have gotten through the night without hearing from him. I would have driven myself crazy with worry. I had been tempted to jump on his bike and ride it back to the city and search for him. I’d been desperate to know he was okay. He sounded in good shape, but I wanted to see it wi
th my own eyes. I wanted to touch him and check for damage.
Even hearing he was okay did little to soothe my soul. I couldn’t help but feel somewhat responsible for what he was doing. He was doing it to protect me. He was my white knight. Instead of a white horse, he had a rather shiny chrome bike. I liked the bike. I wanted to go for a ride on the bike with him squeezed between my thighs and my head resting against his broad back.
That morning I had woken up early. I’d been too excited to sleep. I had come outside, wrapped in a blanket, and sat in the fresh cool mountain air to watch the sun rise. It was gorgeous up here. I thought about that night with Elijah when he had talked about his dream home. He wanted the mountains and trees. The place was perfect for him. I wondered if there was any chance we could have that together someday.
“Did they say what time they’d be back?” Rayne asked, holding a cup of coffee as she stepped out on the porch.
She shivered, staring at me like I was crazy.
I let out a long sigh. “No. He said in the morning. He didn’t give me a specific time.”
Rayne looked at her tiny watch. “It’s seven. I think that’s pretty early. I doubt they got up with the sun to drive back here. Come on, let’s go inside and wait. It is really chilly out here.”
I took one last look down the dirt road before heading inside the cabin. The cabin was eerily quiet with Joey still asleep upstairs. I knew he was getting antsy. I couldn’t keep him up at the cabin much longer. We’d been in a holding pattern for too long. I was feeling a little antsy myself and knew Rayne was worried about missing work.
I took a seat at the table, drinking the coffee Rayne had poured for me. I took a sip, thinking about the next move. I had no idea what the next move was. I felt as if I were floating at sea on an inflatable raft without oars. I had no direction, nowhere to go.
We sat at the table finishing our cups of coffee, waiting and waiting for their return. I heard tires rolling up the dirt road and jumped up from my chair, racing for the front door and throwing it open. My car was bouncing up the road and it was the sweetest thing I had ever seen.
“They’re back!” I shouted into the house, running out onto the porch in my bare feet.
Elijah stopped the car and climbed out. I ran down the front steps, launching myself at him.
“You’re back. I’m so glad you’re back.”
He lifted me up, and I wrapped my legs around his waist as I held him close to my chest, never wanting to let him go. I kissed him, relishing in the feel of his warm body against mine. The sound of another vehicle coming up the road interrupted our happy reunion.
Trevor’s Jeep rolled to a stop and Elijah set me down before realizing I didn’t have any shoes on.
“Where are your shoes?”
I smiled. “I got a little excited when I saw you.”
He was grinning as he carried me to the porch, depositing me on the bottom step. The step put us at even heights. I kissed him again before turning to see what kind of shape Trevor was in.
I watched him climb out of his Jeep and noticed he was moving with mild stiffness but was otherwise in one piece. I turned my attention to Elijah, running my hand over his face, noticing a faint bruise on his cheek. That was the only sign of a fight I saw. I couldn’t believe he was standing in front of me in one piece. No broken bones, no black eyes, nothing. It was amazing.
“You’re really okay?” I asked.
He nodded. “We’re fine. Both of us.”
“Okay,” I said, nodding my head, assuring myself he truly was fine.
Trevor stopped at the bottom of the stairs and nodded at me before walking past us and into the cabin.
“What happened?” I asked Elijah. “Did you find them?”
“Yes,” he said, giving me no details.
I groaned, swatting his chest. “Elijah, tell me what happened.”
He shrugged. “We went to the house. Liam and Nick were there with a few other guys. We knocked on the door, Liam said some stuff and I said some stuff, typical insults and whatnot,” he muttered, downplaying what I assumed were some pretty horrible words exchanged.
“And?” I asked softly.
“And I beat the hell out of Nick. I roughed Liam up, but he was still standing when I left. Your big brother’s gotten soft.”
I nodded my head. “Okay. Liam’s okay?”
“Yes.”
“Am I going to have to worry about him looking for me?” I asked, knowing the answer, but I wanted to hear his take on it.
“I don’t know. He wasn’t too happy about you being gone or you being with me. We knew that, though. It isn’t a surprise.”
I nodded. “Does that mean I can go home?”
He cringed. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Because Liam is going to want revenge, right?”
He shrugged a shoulder. “Michelle, your brother—I don’t know. He’s not right in the head. He has this idea he owns you. It’s weird.”
I smirked. “I know. I wish he would get some help.”
“Look, it isn’t safe, not yet. Liam is pretty pissed. He tossed around some threats. He isn’t going to drop this,” he said, his voice low. “I know this is dragging out, but it isn’t safe for you to go back there. He’s not ready to let you go yet.”
“I can’t stay in this limbo forever. I have to get Joey back in school. I’m going to be in a world of shit with that already. I called in sick for him the first couple days but then quit. They’re going to call him truant and then I’m going to be answering to officials. I have to go back, Elijah.”
“I know. We’ll work it out. It’s the weekend. Let’s take the day and come up with another plan.”
Elijah made a move to walk up the stairs onto the porch. I stopped him.
“Wait.”
He stopped and looked back. “What?”
“Our son needs some stability in his life.”
I heard a noise and looked around to see Joey standing there. My eyes bulged. I hoped he hadn’t heard the word. If he had, maybe he would dismiss it. But judging by the look on his face, he had heard me, and he knew exactly what I had said.
Crap.
“Is Elijah my dad?” Joey asked, coming to stand next to his father.
“Yes I am,” Elijah said before I had a chance to answer.
Joey looked confused and hurt. “Okay.”
He spun around and walked back into the cabin. Elijah turned back to look at me, smiling. I glared at him.
“Why would you do that?” I hissed.
He looked at me. “Do what?”
“I told you I didn’t want to tell him yet!”
I pushed him out of the way and stomped up the steps and into the cabin. Our happy reunion was officially over.
“Joey,” I called out, walking into the cabin.
“He ran upstairs,” Trevor said. “He looked upset.”
“Dammit,” I muttered, shooting another glare at Elijah, who had come in behind me.
I walked upstairs and found Joey sitting on the floor, moving a little car around with no real enthusiasm.
“Hey, kid,” I said, sitting down next to him on the floor.
“You didn’t tell me he was my dad,” Joey said, disappointment written all over his face.
“I’m sorry, buddy. I wanted to tell you, but I was waiting for the right time. You’ve been dealing with a lot lately and I didn’t want to make it harder on you.”
“He’s really my dad?” he asked, looking at me with those intense blue eyes that were so much like his father’s.
“Yes.”
Joey went back to pushing his car around. “Uncle Liam said Nick was going to be my dad. Am I going to have two dads?”
I almost choked. “No. Definitely no. Nick is never going to be your dad.”
“I miss Uncle Liam,” he said with the honesty of a child.
I sighed. “I know, buddy. I know. Uncle Liam is mad, and I want him to cool off before we see him again
.”
“Are we ever going to go home?”
“Joey, I know this is hard for you to understand, but that wasn’t a good place for us. Uncle Liam wasn’t always nice to me,” I said. “I want you to be safe and happy, and that wasn’t going to happen in Uncle Liam’s house.”
“Because Nick wasn’t nice to you?” he asked
I took a deep breath. “Nick was definitely not nice. Joey, this is all adult stuff, stuff you shouldn’t need to worry about. I’m taking care of you and now Elijah is going to take care of you. I don’t want you to worry about me. Things are going to be much better.”
“Elijah is going to take care of me because he’s my real dad?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“I thought you said my real dad was dead.”
I took a deep breath. I was glad he was as smart as he was but also hated that he was so damn smart. It was hard to protect the innocence he deserved to keep when he was this bright.
“I’m sorry. This is all really confusing and complicated. Your dad and I—well, it’s really hard to explain.”
Joey stopped playing with his car and looked up at me. “Does that mean he’s going to be my dad again?”
“Oh, sweetie, he’s always been your dad and he always will be.”
The look on his face was breaking my heart. I was so pissed at Elijah. He had no idea what this did to Joey. He was confused, and I knew he had a deep loyalty toward Liam. I had to make Elijah see Joey needed time to process everything.
“How come you didn’t tell me he was my dad?” Joey asked, nearly breaking my heart in two.
“I wanted to tell you. I did. I wanted to wait until it was the right time. Things have been really crazy. I wanted you to have some time to adjust. Me and you, well, we haven’t had it so easy the past few months.”
Joey, my little baby, looked too grown up. I couldn’t lay it all on him. I couldn’t tell him his Uncle Liam was a monster. That was my burden to carry. Joey didn’t need the details. He knew Elijah was his father. That was all he needed to know. When he was older, he would undoubtedly have questions and I would deal with all of that then. For now, I wanted Joey to have fun, enjoy life, and leave all the adult drama to the grown-ups. I knew what it was like to grow up too early. I had seen the damage it had done to Liam and even Elijah in many ways. I wouldn’t let Joey get sucked into that trap.
Men in Charge: A Contemporary Romance Box Set Page 41
