Now that she thought about that meeting, it sounded odd. What type of part would he need that he couldn’t get from a nearby town or city? Elise looked over at Chad, who was standing behind the bar talking with Brent. The bartender was listening closely, his bald head shining underneath the lights. Elise immediately shook her head as a random thought popped into her mind. There was no way they had messed with her car, because she had been with them the entire time before she left the bar yesterday. Which meant there was something really wrong with her vehicle. A part of her felt guilty for even thinking they would resort to such measures.
“I don’t think I’ll need your website service, but thanks,” Tracy said, bringing Elise’s attention back to the waitress. “I’m already involved in a relationship.”
“Oh, well, if you have any friends you think would be interested, please let me know. Or at least give them one of my flyers.”
Elise had used Chad’s phone again to call Shea, gathering the information she needed for the flyers. Shea had somehow heard something in her voice that led her to believe something had happened. Now how had she known that? With Chad and Dakota by her side the entire day, Elise hadn’t wanted to spill the beans to her best friend and had cut the call short. Because she and Dakota weren’t really speaking, a knife could cut the tension in the truck. Chad had taken pity on her, though. While Dakota opened the bar, Chad had walked with her to the library so she could obtain the research she needed for her current book. All in all, the day was a huge success. The only problem was, she couldn’t leave town.
Now, here she sat at the bar, because those two overbearing males wouldn’t let her sit in the back in one of those comfortable leather booths. They claimed they couldn’t see her all the time if she were back there. Like someone was going to attack me in the middle of all these people, she thought. Elise shook her head at their precautions.
“I’ve got to run these beers over to the guys playing pool. But sure, I’ll hand them out. Chad and Dakota would have a fit if I joined that site,” Tracy laughed, picking up her tray.
“What do you mean?” Elise didn’t like the feeling she was getting in the pit of her stomach.
“Oh, well, we’re trying to keep our relationship on the down low, if you know what I mean,” Tracy said, giving her a wink. “As an employee, we have to be careful about who knows.”
Elise watched as Tracy made her way over to the pool tables, the guys surrounding her to get their drinks. And more, considering the burly-looking one had placed his hand on her ass. Elise felt like she was going to throw up. How could Chad and Dakota make love to her this afternoon while having a relationship with another woman? They didn’t seem like the type, but then again, Elise would be the first to admit she didn’t have experience in this area. And from the ache in her heart, she didn’t want to gain any more than she had this afternoon.
Elise knew that she was probably being unreasonable, considering she had told Dakota this afternoon that she didn’t want anything serious. But that had been based on her decision, not because they were two-timing scumbags. She knew it shouldn’t matter as much as it did, but Elise felt as if someone had taken out a piece of her heart. Reaching up, she rubbed her chest, willing herself to stop being emotional.
Elise couldn’t help but look down at the end of the bar, where Chad was still speaking with Brent. He was looking her way, a questioning look on his face. She quickly glanced away, looking in the mirror and seeing Dakota making his way up to the bar. Even though they still technically weren’t speaking, she didn’t want to take that chance that he would come up to her right then. She needed some space. Looking to her right and seeing the restroom sign, Elise slid off the stool and made a beeline for the safe haven it would provide.
Pushing open the heavy wooden door, Elise was happy to see that no one else was in the restroom. Walking directly to one of the stalls, Elise shut the door behind her and leaned against the side. She figured she didn’t have much time before one of the guys came looking for her, but Elise needed time to compose herself. She needed to convince herself that this shouldn’t hurt as much as it did, them being involved with Tracy. She angrily wiped at a tear that tried to fall.
Hadn’t she been the one to tell them that she didn’t believe in relationships? She was the one who had originally tried to set the ground rules, so this shouldn’t be such a big shock. It wasn’t like she had any claim to them. Although, why did they feel the need to lie about falling in love with her? Elise thought of herself as a realist and had no problem with other people’s choices. But the one thing she always demanded was honesty, so to find out they had lied by omission didn’t make her feel any better.
The outer door to the restroom opened and then she heard the other stall door close. She grabbed a few sheets of toilet paper and wiped her nose. There was no way she was going to let them see her cry. Making sure her ponytail holder secured her hair, Elise finally opened the door and walked to the sink. Looking down, she turned on the faucet and was just about to place her hands underneath the water when someone came at her from behind and slammed her head into the mirror.
The shock of the pain delayed her reaction, and before she could defend herself, the man behind her grabbed her ponytail and yanked her head back. She tried to scream when he covered her mouth with his other hand. With her back up against him and his strong grasp of her hair, she couldn’t move. His hand was so big that it was covering up her nose, blocking her airway.
“Didn’t I tell you to leave town, bitch?”
His hot breath drifted across her cheek. His menacing tone would have had more of an effect on her had she not started to panic about not breathing. She brought her hands up, scratching at his arm. She raked her fingernails over his skin, knowing it was deep enough to cause blood. She heard him curse, but her actions had made him loosen his hold. She sucked in air, drawing as much oxygen as she could.
“Elise, are you okay in there?”
Chad’s voice was a lifeline. She tried to yell for him, but before she could shout out, the man pushed her back. Her body slammed into the sink, her hip taking the brunt of the impact. She saw her attacker rush for the door and then crash into Chad. They both ended up hitting the outer wall. The bathroom door closed, blocking her view of what was happening.
Hearing shouts and wondering if Chad was okay, Elise went to walk toward the door when it burst open, causing her to jump back. Dakota came barreling through, his blue eyes wild with some emotion she couldn’t name. Before she could ask about Chad, Dakota had her in his arms. His warm embrace enveloped her, and all her previous worries disappeared. She didn’t think about Tracy, she didn’t think about their relationship, she didn’t think about the man who had attacked her—she just soaked in his protectiveness, taking everything he offered.
Chapter Ten
Dakota had never been so consumed with fury in his life. He held his life in his arms, wanting nothing more than to take away any pain she suffered or fear she felt. It was his job to protect her, and he had failed.
“Please tell me that you are all right,” Dakota murmured against her hair, which had come half undone from the band she usually wore.
“I’m fine,” Elise said, her answer muffled against his shirt. “Is Chad okay?”
“The man ran out the back and Chad chased after him.” Dakota was finally able to pull her away long enough to get a good look at her. What he saw made him see red. “You’re bleeding, Elise.”
“What?” Elise scrunched up her nose and then winced in pain. She reached up to touch her cheek with her hand when he stopped her. “I must have cut it when he slammed me into the mirror.”
“Come with me,” Dakota ordered, trying to soften his tone so he didn’t scare her. She’d had enough for one day and didn’t need to know how deeply this affected him. They would discuss it at another time. “Doc is here tonight, and he can take a look at it to see if it needs stitches.”
“I’m not getting stitches, Dakota.” El
ise tried to tug her wrist away, but Dakota wouldn’t let go. One, he wanted her to follow him into the bar so that Doc Jones could look at her. Second, he couldn’t bring himself to release her. He needed to touch her, to reassure himself that she was okay.
He led her out of the bathroom and immediately noticed that Luke Thornton, one of the deputies, was taking statements from the patrons. He saw Doc Jones over by the jukebox, so Dakota veered over that way. Situating Elise in the chair, he walked behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders.
“Doc, would you please look at Elise’s cheek? That bastard shoved her up against the mirror and she cut it.” Leaning down, Dakota whispered in her ear, “And if he says you need stitches, you’ll get them, even if I have to hold your body down. Are we clear?”
He felt a tremor go through her, and he couldn’t help but be pleased at how her body responded to his. Even after such a terrifying attack, she felt their connection. He brushed his lips across her good cheek, wanting to impress upon her that he was only concerned for her welfare.
“Elise, I’m Doc Jones. I’m sorry we have to meet under these circumstances but am glad to see that you came away from your attack relatively unscathed.” Doc Jones scooted up a chair, until he was touching knees with Elise. Dakota briefly gave thanks that Doc Jones was in his sixties, knowing he wouldn’t have felt comfortable with any other man touching her that way. “Nancy, would you go fetch my bag out of the car?”
Dakota looked over his shoulder to see Nancy Wayward, the town’s nurse, nodding her head in agreement and heading for the door. Right when she reached for the handle, Chad came barreling through with Sheriff Whittington on his heels.
Chad came rushing over and knelt in front of Elise, essentially pushing Doc Jones out of the way. Doc gave a wry smile and shook his head, not a strand of gray hair moving on his head. His white, bushy eyebrows rose up in amusement. Dakota knew they probably looked like bumbling idiots, surrounding Elise and having to touch her all the time, but he didn’t care. Obviously Chad didn’t care either, for he was running his hands down her arms.
“Honey, you’re bleeding! Doc, did you see this? Do something!”
“Boy, I know what I’m doing. She cut it, she’s not dying. Nancy is getting my bag. I’ll clean it out and put a bandage on it.”
“Are you hurt anywhere else?” Chad started to run his hands down her legs, but Elise stopped him.
“I’m just shaken up.” She placed her hands over Chad’s. “Are you okay? I saw him go running out the door and crashing into you.”
“That son of a bitch got away,” Chad said. Dakota could see him gritting his teeth before continuing on. “He went running out the back door. I tried to catch him, but he obviously knows the town. I lost him halfway down Main Street, toward Elliot’s garage.”
“Chad, I need to get your statement,” Sheriff Whittington said, motioning for Chad to come over to the bar. “I’ll speak with Elise afterwards.”
Dakota could see that Chad wasn’t happy about being pulled away from Elise, and he didn’t blame him. When Chad looked up at him, Dakota nodded his head. He would take care of her while Chad spoke with the sheriff.
Getting up off of his knees, Chad leaned in and gave Elise a kiss on top of her head. “I’ll be right over at the bar, honey. Dakota will stay with you.”
“Chad, I’m all right,” Elise said. “Give your statement, so that I can give mine.”
“Here you go, Doc,” Nancy said, waiting for Chad to step out of the way.
Once Chad made his way toward the bar, Nancy handed Doc Jones his medical bag. Doc spoke with Elise the entire time he cleaned out her cut, telling her all about the town. Dakota knew it was to make her feel more relaxed, but it wasn’t working. He noticed that by the time Doc had a small bandage in place, Elise’s shoulders were tighter than a drum. He glanced down and saw she was looking toward the bar where Chad was. He was sitting on a barstool, speaking with the sheriff. Tracy had sidled up to him the way she’d been doing, her hand resting on his arm.
Elise suddenly stood up. “Doc Jones, thank you very much. I think I’ll just go and speak with the sheriff before I head back to the B&B.”
“What are you talking about?” Dakota asked, grabbing her upper arm as she went to make her way over to the sheriff. “I thought we settled this yesterday? You are not staying at the B&B.”
“Things change,” Elise snapped, shrugging her arm out of his hand.
What had happened in the last five minutes? Dakota knew that their earlier argument out at the creek was something they still needed to talk about, but she had to know how much he cared for her. Hell, it was all that he could do right now not to place her over his shoulder and carry her directly upstairs.
“Sheriff, may I give my statement now?”
“Sure, Elise. I got all the information I need from Chad.”
“Tracy, would you please get Elise a glass of water?” Chad asked, standing up and holding out a hand to Elise. “Are you doing okay?”
“No, thank you. And I’m fine.”
She ignored his hand and walked on the other side of the sheriff to take a seat on another barstool. Chad shot Dakota a look, and all he could do was shrug. Whatever had her so angry, it also included Chad, which meant it wasn’t about their earlier argument. Once she gave her statement, they would take her upstairs and find out what was upsetting her.
“So start from the beginning, young lady.”
“I was in the stall in the restroom when I heard someone come in. I assumed it was another woman. When I finished, I came out and went to the sink. I had just started the water when I was pushed from behind.”
“Is that what happened to your cheek?”
“Yes, my face hit the mirror. Before I could yell for help, he pulled my head back by my hair and asked, “Didn’t I tell you to leave town, bitch?” He had his hand over my mouth, but it was also covering my nose. I couldn’t breathe and started to panic. I scratched at his arm, until he moved it enough so that I could get some oxygen.”
“Let me see your hands,” Sheriff Whittington ordered. Dakota watched as Elise showed him her fingernails, not missing the fact that the entire time she was relaying her story, she hadn’t once looked at him or Chad. “You got him good. I see blood underneath your nails. I need to collect samples, and then I will send them off to the lab that the State Police use.”
“Do you think we’ll figure out who it is?”
“If his DNA is in the system, we’ll get a match right away.” Sheriff Whittington motioned for Luke to get a forensics kit to obtain the evidence they needed from Elise. “Continue, though. What happened next?”
“I heard Chad asking if I was all right. I think the man might have been afraid Chad would come in, because he threw me against the sink and then flew out the door. I saw him barrel into Chad and both of them hit the outer wall. And that was when it shut, and I didn’t see anything after that.”
“Okay. That’s good enough for now. I think your attacker is local, which is really going to upset a lot of the citizens in Triple. We pride ourselves on our lack of crime around these parts.” Sheriff Whittington put away his small square notebook and pen inside his shirt pocket. “Sit tight, and as soon as Luke brings over the kit I need, we’ll take samples from your nails.”
“Thank you, Sheriff.”
The minute he stepped away, Dakota and Chad moved in around her. He could tell Elise was about to stand, so he placed his hand on the stool, right between her thighs. He knew she was about to protest, but he could care less who saw where his hand was.
“I know that you’ve had a rough day, but do you want to tell us what has you so angry?”
“You know, as a matter of fact, I do.” Elise pushed her glasses up her nose with the base of her palm, obviously remembering the blood. Her blue eyes were shooting sparks, but there was an underlying emotion of pain, as if they had hurt her. “I have made no secret of the fact that I don’t do relationships. I clearly stated
my position, even after losing my virginity. The least you two could have been was honest with me.”
“Honest with you?” Chad placed a hand on the bar and leaned in close to her. “Honey, we have been nothing but honest with you. Hell, even Dakota told you today that we were falling for you. We meant it when we said that we wanted to see where all this leads us, because we would love nothing more than to have a future with you.”
“And what about Tracy? Did you tell her the same thing before someone new came along?”
Again, Elise tried to scoot herself off of the stool, but Dakota refused to move his hand. When her pussy pressed against his wrist, he could see her draw in a breath and immediately scoot back.
“Tracy? What does Tracy have to do with anything? Is it because she was touching Chad earlier? Let us assure you, Tracy means nothing to us.”
“And what happens if I agree to this relationship with you, huh? What happens if you get tired of me, like you got tired of Tracy?”
“Why are you carrying on about Tracy? We just told you she means nothing to us. We have never been involved with Tracy and have no desire to be involved with her. The only woman we want to be with is you, you hardheaded woman!”
“So you’re saying she lied to me? That you never had a relationship with her?”
“That’s what we’re telling you, honey,” Chad said, taking over the conversation from Dakota. His brother must have known that he was on the verge of lifting her off of the seat and taking her upstairs. Chad always did have more patience of the two of them. “We were never involved with her and have never even physically touched her.”
“But—”
“When did she tell you this?” Dakota looked around the bar, but couldn’t locate Tracy. Had she noticed that Elise was informing them of the lies she’d told and bolted? “Chad, Tracy was standing by you before Elise gave her statement. Did you give her the rest of the night off?”
Perfect Match [Ménage.com 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 8
