“Really? Dumbasses.”
“You think?”
“There’s the sheriff now.”
“He won’t help.”
“Oh goody. I’m in the mood to fuck someone up.”
“What the hell is going on here? I’ve got reports that someone’s shooting cell phones.”
“You’re just going to ignore the woman strung up behind me?”
“What’s that they say, ‘karma’s a bitch’ I think?”
“You’re the only bitch here.”
“So tough with that gun in your hand.”
“I’ll be happy to fight you without my gun once someone competent comes by here to collect evidence.”
“I’m the law here.”
“Not anymore, you’re not,” a man in a state police uniform says as he starts reading him his rights.
Another man in uniform moves to the front of the crowd as well. “We’re taking over law enforcement in this town until a suitable and ethical replacement can be put in place. I suggest you all get on home and leave this woman alone. I’m not sure if the jail has room for all of you, but I won’t hesitate to take everyone in.”
“That guy shot our phones.”
He turns to Aiden and holds out his hand. “Good job, son.”
“I aim to please. Or am pleased to aim. Whichever version you like better.”
* * *
Caleb
“Where is she?” I ask.
“Tied to the gazebo in the town square. Thank God we installed those cameras all over town.”
“We need to get to her,” I say.
Ainsley and Scott are both looking at his tablet now. “Holy shit, Aiden just arrived, and he’s shooting phones. And now he’s standing in front of her, blocking her from everyone’s view.”
“Who’s Aiden?”
“One of my best friends. He used to work with us, but then he had to…umm…leave,” Nate says.
“After telling me he loved me,” Ellie says, looking like she might cry.
“He’ll come around. Just give him time,” Nate tells her.
“Like you’re coming around?” Jade asks.
How did I miss this? Now that I know what to look for, I can see that Nate and Jade want each other. Apparently she’s the only one who wants to act on the feelings, though.
“Hey man, take it from me. Don’t let the woman you want get away from you. She may not wait forever.”
He nods, and then Ainsley curses. “I just rewound the footage and I know who did this to Tegan. Coincidentally, they just walked in.”
I look over and see the current football team walking in like they own the place. Like they own the town. I’m not sure they realize that whoever’s still here is not on their side. Those people ran as fast as they could to humiliate Tegan.
“How are we handling this?” Audrey asks Reina.
“Go get ‘em, girls,” she says with another one of her scary smiles.
All eight other women pull out their guns and jump off the stage. Within seconds, they’ve each shot one of the players. Nowhere life threatening, but the injuries to legs and arms will be career ending. One of them, who I think is the quarterback, tries to hit Stella with his uninjured arm.
“You bitch. I have scholarships,” he yells as she ducks.
“Had. The word you’re looking for is had. You’d still have them if you hadn’t messed with my best friend.”
“You’re a slut then, too, huh? I bet I could close your smart mouth the way I closed Tegan’s. With my fist.”
She cocks her gun again, and aims it downwards, towards his crotch. “Say another word, and I’ll pull the trigger. So please say a word. Any fucking word.”
He’s finally developed at least half a brain, so he stays quiet. His friends are squirming around on the ground, begging for help while everyone ignores them. Until Jake has finally had enough.
“Man up you little assholes. You’d never survive the military if one bullet that isn’t even life-threatening is making you cry for your mommy.”
“You were in the military?”
“Yes, and I’ve been shot. More than once.”
“You didn’t cry for your mama?”
“My mother is the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. She would’ve kicked my ass for crying over a little bullet wound.”
“I’ve gotta get to Tegan,” I tell Reina.
“They’re transporting her to the local hospital,” Scott tells me.
I nod and start to go. Owen Griffin falls into step next to me and gives me a list of things I should pick up at the store before going to the hospital. I hate missing any time with Tegan, but I know he’s right about me needing to get them first. Those extra few minutes will also give me time to finish formulating my plan. I knew what I had to do once I saw those pictures. It might just kill me, but it has to be done.
Chapter 16
Tegan
Once the crowd disperses, the police officer comes over to where Aiden and I are. “I have to take a few pictures, Tegan. I’ll be as quick as possible, and then we’ll get you down.”
“I understand.”
And I do, but the thought of more pictures of me, with these words on my body, makes me want to vomit. He rushes through as fast as he can and then helps Aiden cut me down. I sway a little, but Aiden picks me up into his arms.
“Can we catch a ride with you to the hospital? There’s been some kind of mass shooting at the high school, and my colleague forgot to give me the keys to the sheriff’s cruiser before he took off.”
“Sure,” Aiden tells him. “And the guys who got shot are the ones who did this to Tegan.”
“Well, as long as you don’t shoot me, you do whatever you have to in order to keep this young woman safe.”
I wonder why he cares so much, but I don’t dwell on it. I’m glad my friends got the football players, but now that it’s over, I just feel really numb. I just want to curl up somewhere in the dark, but I know that although I’m safe, they’ll still be questions to answer and pitying looks to endure. I can keep toughing it out. I have to.
Aiden takes off his t-shirt and puts it over me before we get out of the car. It doesn’t cover much of my arms, or legs, but I appreciate the gesture. So do the nurses, who practically fall over when they see his chest and abs on display. He has to ask them three times for help before they register what he’s saying. As soon as they get it, they jump into action. Even though this is a small town, we have state of the art medical facilities thanks in big part to the Halls.
They get me back to a room pretty quickly, and the guys wait outside while I change into a hospital gown and pull the blanket up to my neck. Once I’m settled, they both come back in, along with a doctor.
“Tegan, I’m going to be blunt with you because I don’t think you need anyone to beat around the bush with you right now.”
“Blunt is good.”
“Is a rape kit necessary?”
“No.”
“Thank God,” Aiden says.
I cut my eyes to his, and then have to look away. Even though he knows I wasn’t raped, there’s still too much emotion showing on his face. Not pity, because Aiden Ford doesn’t do pity, but emotion nonetheless.
“I see the bruises on your face. Were you hit anywhere else?”
“Not hit, but they did use several cattle prods on me when they took me.”
“Did you black out at all?”
“Yes. And then when I woke up I was heavily drugged. I couldn’t even open my eyes, and I was kind of hallucinating.”
“What kind of hallucinations?”
“I could hear pieces of what they were saying to each other, but they were interspersed with things from my past.”
“Good or bad things?”
I take a deep breath. “Very bad that time.”
“This happened more than once?”
“Yeah. When people started taking pictures and yelling at me today, I started remembering good things my frie
nds and family said to me.”
“You don’t seem drugged at the moment.”
“No, when I woke up this time, I was alert. I think they wanted me that way.”
“I don’t think you were experiencing hallucinations, Tegan. I think that you were in shock the first time you were having memories. Something bad was happening to you, and it triggered those old things. Today, your brain used good memories as a coping mechanism to help you get through what was happening.”
“I’m fine now.”
“We both know that’s not true, but for now, I just want you to rest. We can talk about this more tomorrow.”
“I have to stay here?”
“Yes, your room upstairs should be ready.”
“I’m not crazy.”
“And you’re not going to the psych ward, just a regular hospital room. You’ve had a traumatic experience. I just want you to accept that, and let us help you get through it.”
“No offense, but you can’t help me. I need to help myself. That’s what I’ve always done.”
“You’ve never taken help from anyone?”
“Of course I have, but this isn’t something I need help with.”
“Regardless, you’re staying here tonight. I won’t force you to talk to me, or my colleagues, but I want you to think about it. If you still don’t want our help, I’ll discharge you in the morning.”
“Thank you.”
The nurse comes in and gets an I.V. going for me. This is becoming a habit, and not one I really want to keep repeating. I still just want to curl up in the dark, only now it’ll be in this hospital, and I probably won’t be alone. I see the concerned look in Aiden’s eyes. I should have kicked him out while the doctor was here, but he makes me feel safe, and I need that right now. I’m not even going to try and analyze why I feel this way.
When I’m settled in my room, the officer finally speaks. “My daughter is Lexi Jones.”
Wow. I helped her get away from an abusive boyfriend last year. “Oh my God. How is she?”
“She’d doing great since you saved her from that…animal.”
“It was my pleasure.”
“Which is why I took this assignment when I heard about it, and I’ll do anything I can to help you and your friends. Or look the other way when I need to.”
“Thank you. And please tell Lexi hi for me.”
“I will,” he says, walking out.
Now I just I need to work on getting Aiden to give me alone time. When he drops into the recliner in the room, I know he’s not going to go without a fight.
“I don’t need a babysitter, Aiden.”
“At least a third of this town was out there saying shit to you, and taking pictures. Just because the little pussies that kidnapped you are neutralized, doesn’t mean someone else wouldn’t come after you.”
“Between you and that state officer, I think they’re too scared to come within a hundred feet of me.”
“I’m not willing to take any chances.”
I really need him to leave, so I decide to play hardball. “Fine. Let’s talk about Ellie.”
“Yeah, no.”
“You want to stay, don’t you?”
“The nurses here won’t throw me out,” he says with a smirk.
Damn him and his abs. “I could call security directly.”
“Okay fine, you win. We can talk about Ellie.”
“I thought you would leave before ever doing that.”
“I know, but right now you’re more important. So ask or say whatever’s on your mind.”
“You’re an asshole.”
“That’s not news.”
“How could you tell her you love her and then leave?”
“I didn’t plan on telling her how I felt. Ever. But when I saw her that day, I had to tell her. I needed her to know how much she means to me. How important she is. I think any woman would need to hear that from a guy they like,” he says, giving me a pointed look.
“She doesn’t ‘like’ you, she loves you right back, and you know it.”
He looks to the ceiling, like it contains all the answers to life. “Yeah, I know. And if I was really the asshole all you girls think I am, I would’ve stayed and taken advantage of that. I would’ve slept in her bed every night and taken everything she could give me. Then, when she was truly happy, I would’ve shown her who I really am, and destroyed her.”
“Bullshit. You are an honorable man, Aiden Ford.”
“The hell I am.”
“You came here for me.”
“I’d help any of you, any time. That doesn’t make me honorable.”
“Um, yeah it does. And we both know if it had been Ellie up there, no one in that square would be alive right now.”
“See, you’re finally getting it. You’re seeing my true nature. I like to kill, Teeg. It wasn’t just a job for me in the military. I liked what I was doing.”
“I haven’t heard of you killing anyone since you’ve been working with us. You’ve hurt people, sure. But not killing.”
“I’ve been able to control myself for the last few years, but I was going to kill the man bidding on Ellie in the auction last month. I was already planning the different ways I could do it in my head, just in case.”
“Again, that was to protect her. Thinking of it, and doing it, are two different things.”
“I can’t take that chance. I wouldn’t survive it if Ellie looked at me like the monster that I am.”
“She never would.”
“My urges are getting stronger, Tegan. I’m going to kill soon.”
“I know you, Aiden. You wouldn’t kill an innocent person just because you feel like it.”
At least I hope he wouldn’t. This conversation is scaring me a little, but being the master that I am at faking it, I don’t show even an ounce of that fear.
“I never killed anyone who was innocent. I was a vigilante when I was younger. I went after people and organizations that were hurting and exploiting other people.”
“Which is pretty much what we do in the Society.”
“You have rules and only kill when necessary. I killed first.”
It’s time for me to tell him the truth. “Look at me.” I wait while he does. “Nothing you can say to me now, or do in the future, will ever make me think less of you. And you’re just like a brother to me. Ellie loves you at least a thousand times more than I do. She will do whatever she can to help you, but in the end, she’ll accept you for who you are. She already has. Give her a chance to prove it to her.”
“She’ll accept that I’m a stone cold killer? Yeah, right.”
“Faith killed for justice. And between you and me, I’m pretty sure she enjoyed it on occasion.”
“You’re not going to change my mind, but thank you for trying. I hope you’ll keep this conversation between us because we both know Ellie will come after me if she knows why I left.”
“For now, I will. I’m giving you time to come to your senses.”
“Don’t hold your breath.”
“Am I interrupting something,” Caleb asks as he walks into the room.
“Nope. We were just finished. You must be Caleb,” Aiden says holding out his hand.
Caleb takes it with a smile. “And you’re Aiden. Thank you for protecting Tegan and staying with her until I could get here.”
“You don’t need to thank me.” He walks over to kiss me on the forehead. “It looks like your interrogation is over, Boots. I’ll be back to check on you tomorrow.”
“Go to her.”
“Good luck with this one, man. She’s in rare form tonight,” he says with a chuckle as he walks out of my room.
Then it’s just me and Caleb. I want to pull him to me, and let him hold me, but I don’t think I can even show my weakness to him. I opt for humor instead.
“What did you bring me, Cowboy? Booze, burgers, condoms?”
* * *
Caleb
Tegan’s joking with me to keep
her mask, her shield, in place. What she doesn’t realize is that I’m here to shatter that mask. I have to, because she’s hurting so much, and I need her to let it out, and let me finally be there to pick her up when she falls.
“None of the above, I’m afraid. I brought some things to clean you up with.”
“I’m fine.”
“Ha. That’s the first thing a woman says when she’s really not.”
“Seriously, Cal. Why don’t you just come over here and kiss me for a few hours.”
“After we’re done with the shower, I’d be happy to take you up on that offer.”
“Soap and water won’t get rid of Sharpie.”
“Which is why Owen told me exactly what to get. Well, actually he gave me three choices.” I start pulling bottles out of my bag, and placing them on her tray table. “Baby oil, which he tells me can be fun for getting paint off, too. So we’ll call this one ‘sexy.’ Then we have rubbing alcohol, which is, well ‘not sexy.’ Door number three holds hand sanitizer. It’s not sexy, but it’s not not sexy so let’s just call it ‘neutral.’”
“I-I don’t want to feel sexy right now.”
She’s opening up already. This is a good sign. “Bye bye, ‘sexy’ then,” I tell her as I throw the oil back in the bag.
“Rubbing alcohol smells too strong to be used for an extended period of time.”
I toss the alcohol in the bag, and point to the hand sanitizer. “Neutral for the win.”
“I guess so,” she tells me.
I pull my wallet and phone out of my jeans and put them on the table. Next, I sit down to remove my shoes and socks. “I would take off my shirt and jeans, but I don’t want to give the nurses a heart attack if they walk in on us and see what a fine specimen of man I am. I know it’s a hospital, and they could probably be saved, but still.”
“They’ve seen Aiden shirtless already, so I think you’re safe.”
“Are you suggesting he looks better with his shirt off than I do?” I ask, with one eyebrow quirked.
“No. I would never suggest that.”
“You are such a brat.”
“Really? Because no one wrote that word on me,” she says, sliding further under the blanket on her bed.
“You’re not those words,” I tell her as I walk over and sit on the bed next to her. “I know you know that because you told me that yourself when I was being an ass. Let’s go get them off of you.”
Uncovering His SECRET Page 14
