“Ronnie!” Mom cried.
With more strength than I thought I had, I shoved Dad away. He stumbled back a step, stare jerking back and forth between Lucas and me, and then he lunged at Lucas again.
“Stop it, Dad!” I screamed. I mean, I really screamed.
Lucas sidestepped him. Just that. A single step to the side. Dad half fell, half charged past him.
“William!” Mom snapped.
He lurched to a wobbly stop and turned to face us. Me, Fluffy, Lucas.
“First of all,” I said, calmer than I felt, “welcome back. I don’t know how you found us here, but welcome to our home.”
“Your home?” He sneered, shaking his head. “No daughter of mine is going to shack up with Lucas fucking Pratt. If you think we stopped our vacation halfway through to see you playing house with Pratt, you’re wrong. Look at this place! Paid for with drug money, I bet. Jesus.”
“Dad.” Cold anger licked through me. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Lucas. He watched Dad, calm and still, like a poised snake ready to strike. “Secondly, I love Lucas more than I could even begin to explain to you, so don’t ever call him ‘Lucas fucking Pratt’ again, unless you want me to deal with you.”
He blinked. Mom moaned. Where was she? Somewhere in the living room, but out of my line of sight. Near her, Fluffy also moaned, although his sounded more like a chuckle.
“Thirdly,” I went on, “fuck you for thinking the only reason I would marry someone is because I’m pregnant!”
His eyes flicked to my stomach.
More cold anger. And pain. Not physically, but deep in my heart. My soul. I loved my father, I really did. But he was being a prick at the moment. To me and to Lucas.
“Ronnie.” He took a step toward me, his voice frustrated. “Cupcake. It’s my job to protect you. From the people like Lucas f—from Lucas. I mean, look at what is going on here? We come in to find an unconscious woman on the floor, a shot man, and you talking about being engaged? Engaged? Less than a month ago you were gay! And now you’re…you’re…”
“Sleeping with Lucas?” I couldn’t help but smile. “Yes. Often. And nothing you can say will change that, Dad. You have no idea what Lucas has done, has gone through, in his life to keep mine amazing. You have no idea how much he’s protected me. Kept me safe. Nor for how long—so you don’t get to say anything bad about him. Ever again.”
Dad opened his mouth, but I shook my head and pointed my finger at him. “And lastly, that punch he just gave you? If he wanted you to be, you’d be knocked out. Cold. Not even close to conscious. Probably with a broken jaw. So thank him for not putting you on the ground.”
“Thank him?” Dad’s eyebrows shot up. “For not rendering me unconscious when he physically assaulted me? My God, Veronica! Look around you. Please? You’re surrounded by bodies and blood. Who is that woman? Why is there a dead dog on the floor? Who’s the muscle glaring at me, looking like he’s going to attempt to rip me apart? Who shot him? Just what the hell is going on?”
“It’s a long story, Dad. But first, we need to get Fluffy some help.”
“I’m fine.” Fluffy waved a blood-dripping hand even as he swayed into a shaky slump.
“Bullshit.” I seemed to have repeated that word a lot in the last twenty-four hours. I flicked him a look, my heart tearing. I could see he kept trying not to look at Francis on the floor. “Plus, we need to deal with the judge.”
“The judge?” Dad sputtered. Behind me, Mom moaned again.
“Lucas?” I fixed him with a steady stare before calming Groot with a quick pat.
Lucas drew in a slow breath, and then nodded. “She’s still out cold.”
Good. The last thing I needed was Maureen Ford regaining consciousness. Not until she was out of my home and away from Lucas. And Dad and Mom.
“Yay,” I said with a wry smile. I was glad the judge was out cold. I’d rather she not be here at all, but beggars can’t be choosers sometimes, right? “Nine-one-one will be here soon.”
“Good.” Lucas’s gaze met mine before flicking a glance at Fluffy. Worry swam in his eyes. “In the meantime, we need to stop Fluffy’s blood loss. We need a hand towel or something?”
I nodded and threw Mom a look. “Mom? Can you help, please?”
“I’m o…okay…” Fluffy waved a hand again. Shit, it was shaking. “I need to check…Fr…Francis…” He tried to push himself up from the seat, and staggered sideways.
“Whoa there.” Mom ran to his side, sliding her arm around his back. “You need to sit back down.”
“He does.” Lucas gave Mom a gentle smile. “Don’t let him move, Mrs. U. I’m going to go get something to staunch the blood.”
Mom nodded, and then turned to Fluffy, helping him sit back down.
“Pleased…to meet you, ma’am.” Fluffy gave my mom a wobbly smile, and then winced as he tested his wound.
“Nice to meet you too, Fluffy.” Mom shook her head, dazed confusion on her face as she looked at me. “I have no idea what’s going on, Ronnie.”
“Neither do I.” Dad stormed up to me and grabbed my elbow. “But I want answers. Now.”
I shook my arm free and glared at him. “You can wait, Dad. After what you said about Lucas, about me? You can wait.”
Dad threw up his hands. “Sure. I’m only your father, after all.”
“Francis…” Fluffy groaned again, trying to peer around Mom to where his dog lay.
“Let’s focus on you for the moment, okay, big guy?” I murmured, squatting down in front of him. Oh man, there was so much blood oozing from the hole in his shoulder. So much. How much was too much?
Taking Mom’s hand, I pressed it to the wound. “I’ll tell you everything ASAP, Mom. Promise. Just…push hard here. We need to stem the blood flow.”
Fluffy winced, his normally intimidating face an ashen mask of pain. “You’re not catching…me at my best…Mrs. Underwood.”
Mom stared at him.
“I’m going to Francis,” I said gently.
Fluffy nodded, eyes closing.
I straightened and hurried over to Francis. As much as I wanted to go to wherever Lucas was in our home at that moment, to hug him and hold him close, I also wanted to check on Fluffy’s dog. Fluffy needed me to do that.
My heart broke as I crouched down beside the Doberman. The bullet—the bullet the judge had fired at him—had gone straight through Francis’s head.
At least it had been instant.
It didn’t lessen my pain—and wouldn’t lessen Fluffy’s, I knew—but it was something.
Cold anger laced through me, and I straightened, turning back to the unconscious Supreme Court judge. I wanted to hurt her. A lot. I wanted—
“Ronnie?”
I blinked at Lucas’s calm but firm voice. At his equally firm hand on my arm. When had he returned? When had I stormed over here? I glared down at Maureen, now directly at my feet.
“I want to hurt her, Lucas. For what she’s done to us.”
“I know,” Lucas murmured. “But it won’t help. Trust me. That path only leads to more pain.”
Grinding my teeth, I nodded. “’Kay.”
“I need answers.” Dad appeared at our side, glaring at us both. Wisely, he didn’t grab at my arm. I don’t know what Lucas would have done if he had. Or what I would have done, for that matter. “And now.”
“Me too,” I shot back, snatching the towel from Lucas’s hand and storming across to Mom and Fluffy. Screw him. He could just follow me. I had things to do. Saving my friend from bleeding out before the paramedics arrived, to start with. “Like how did you know to come here?”
“We saw you on the news.” Oh good, he was following me. “The ship was two hours away from docking at an assigned port for a day trip, so the cruise line arranged a helicopter to be waiting for us on mainland. The helicopter flew us to the closest airport, and then we flew here. None of this would have been necessary if you were at home where you were supposed to be. Or answ
ered your cell. We had to go to the police station you were at and tell them who we are. I demanded your address. They almost didn’t give it to me. Then we rented a car and drove here. You’ve cost us a fortune, young lady!”
“William,” Mom protested, still pressing her hand to Fluffy’s shoulder.
I shot Dad a look over my shoulder. I don’t know what I was more shocked by: what they’d done to get here, or that he was angry about how much it cost. “Are you kidding?”
He glowered, hurrying to catch up with me. “No, I’m not. We were worried. Are worried. What’s going on? Why are you here with Lucas Pratt? Engaged to him? My God, cupcake, he’s no good. He’s—”
“Please don’t say a bad boy, Dad.”
“But he is. He’s a reprobate. An emotional manipulator.” Anger twisted his face, his lips. I’d seen him like this before, on one of his rants, although those were usually directed at whatever Congressman was not doing, in his opinion, “his civic duty”. This time however, the person at the receiving end of his anger was the man I was in love with. If he didn’t stop, and right now, I was going to stop him.
“William,” Mom said again.
Fluffy tried to stand. “Sir…I suggest…you stop.”
Dad didn’t. Eyes wide, he waved his arms around. “Look where you are, Cupcake! Look what he’s dragged you into. Look what he’s dragged us into. Who is that woman on the floor? Who did that to her? Who?”
“I did.”
Both Dad and I jumped at Lucas’s low answer.
Dad’s eyebrows shot up his head. It was as if he’d forgotten Lucas was still in the room. “Of course you did. I always suspected you’d be the kind of man who didn’t have a problem with hitting women.”
I hit him.
I hit my father. Slapped his face. “Enough.”
He gaped at me, mouth wide, the left side of his face red.
And then he made the biggest mistake he could; he grabbed my arm. “That’s it,” he snarled, jerking my face closer to his. “I’m taking you home. Now.”
“No, you’re not,” I snarled back. “I’m already home.”
“William,” Mom cried. “Stop this!”
“Let her go.” Lucas grabbed Dad’s other arm and swung him around. “Or I will make—”
Dad punched him in the jaw. Again
All hell broke loose. Again.
And while Dad was trying to beat up Lucas; while Lucas was doing everything he could to not beat him up in return; while Mom was wailing at them both to stop, even as she continued to press her hands to Fluffy’s bullet wound; while Fluffy—still bleeding and ghastly gray—was struggling to get to his feet to protect Lucas; and while I was trying to grab at either Dad or my fiancé…
That’s when the paramedics came running into the house.
Along with the cops.
With their weapons drawn.
Fuck.
Chapter 5
They arrested both of them. Put both of them in cuffs. Dad ranted and raved and yelled at them to let him go. That he wasn’t doing anything wrong. That it was Lucas, all Lucas. That Lucas had abducted me and brainwashed me, and gotten me pregnant against my will. He even pulled the old “I’m a taxpayer. I’m your boss” card. It was sad. Embarrassing. If I hadn’t been so angry with him, I would have been heartbroken.
But I was angry with him. Furious. I couldn’t even look at him while the two cops cuffed him.
Instead, I stared at Lucas.
Unlike Dad, Lucas didn’t put up a fight. Not at all.
I freaking did though. I’d had a gutful of it all. Two other cops had to control me, arms behind my back, as I cursed at Dad.
“It’s okay, babe,” Lucas repeated over and over. “It’s okay.”
I still don’t know what definition of okay he was using. Sure as hell wasn’t mine.
Held still by the two cops, I watched them walk Lucas out of our home.
My chest ached. I could hardly breathe.
Dad, finally calming down, stood—wrists cuffed—beside one of the police officers. “Veronica, I won’t let you see Pratt any more. It’s for your own—”
“If you say good,” I said, not looking at him, “I will hurt you.”
“You see what Pratt’s done to you? To us?” He shook his arms, the jingle of the cuffs loud in the room. “You never would have said something like that to me before.”
“No.” I turned my head to look at him. The cops tightened their grips on my arms. Did they think I was going to attack him? “But I would have thought it. I did. Often. When you were telling me I couldn’t do things just because I could get hurt, or because I was a girl. Or when you were bossing Mom around and demanding dinner, when you yourself wouldn’t get off your ass to make it.”
“Oh, Ronnie.” Mom’s moaned rebuke came from where she still sat with Fluffy. I wanted to hug the hell out of her for not leaving him. “Now’s not the time.”
I narrowed my eyes at Dad—studying me now as if an extra head had suddenly sprouted from my shoulder. “You’re right, Mom. We’ll do it later.”
Giving myself a shake, I flicked the cops a look. “Let me go.”
“Let her go,” Mom repeated.
“I’d suggest you let her go, guys,” Fluffy grumbled. Jesus, he didn’t look good. The paramedics were fussing over him, trying to look at his wound. He kept waving them away. Clearly, like me, Fluffy wanted to get the situation with Lucas and my father sorted.
“I’m not going to go ballistic,” I promised.
They let me go. Smart cops.
Rubbing at my arms, I ignored Dad and hurried over to Fluffy and Mom.
“I’m okay,” Fluffy muttered. “Your mom’s got me. Go to Lucas. They’ll have him in the back of a squad car.”
“Mom?”
Mom nodded. “Go.”
Letting out a sigh, I crossed to where one of the cops who’d been holding me was now crouching down beside Maureen, checking her pulse. “She’s alive.”
He looked up at me, confusion on his face. “Is this… This is Supreme Court Justice Ford.”
“It is. But she’s also known as Queen B in the Trinity gang.”
“She what?”
Sirens outside announced the arrival of more cops. Without answering the officer at my feet, I ran for the door. I needed to see Lucas.
“Veronica!” Dad called behind me.
I ignored him.
Dusk was covering outside with stretching shadows, making the red and blue flashing lights of the cop cars brighter than my eyes were ready for. I squinted. Where was he? Which car…
One of the parked squad cars pulled away, past where I stood.
Shit. No. No.
There. In the backseat of the car. Lucas. Looking at me through the window.
I sprinted for the car.
No. No, I couldn’t…
A cop—one of the two who’d cuffed Dad—damn near threw himself between me and the car. “Ma’am. Stop.”
I did, heart wild.
Lucas mouthed something to me through the window. By the awkward way he was sitting, he was still cuffed.
I nodded. “Winchester,” I confirmed on a whisper.
The cop frowned. “If you’re referring to a gun, you could be in serious… Why are you laughing?”
Ignoring him, I watched the car Lucas was in as it drove through the gates, and then let out another chuckle, nodding my head. So, it seemed I was calling Lila again.
I’m not sure, but I think I saw Lucas looked back at me through the rear window and smile.
I smiled back. We were going to be okay. We were. But damn, did we owe Dr. Winchester. How the hell were we going to make it up to her?
“Ronnie?” My dad’s shout cut across the darkening night.
Giving the cop still standing in front of me a smile, I let out a shaky breath. “Tell Lucas to play nice.”
“Play nice?”
With a quick glance at the shrinking taillights of the squad car taking Lucas
away, I turned to find Dad being escorted to the other police car.
A part of me felt like I should try to explain what was going on to the cops, to Dad.
The rest of me remembered every horrible word Dad had said about Lucas.
“Ronnie!” Dad beseeched me with his eyes. “When are you going to talk to me?”
“Later, Dad.” I shook my head. “When I’ve calmed down. And after I know my family is going to be okay.”
“I’m your family. And you’re what? Just going to wave goodbye as I’m arrested? For trying to protect my only child?”
Chest tight, I let out a shaky sigh. “You know what, Dad? Yes. That’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
And with that, I ran back into the house. Back to Fluffy and my dog.
* * * *
Lila wasn’t amused.
“Queen B came to your home?”
I nodded, watching the paramedics work on Fluffy.
“Did you just nod, Veronica?”
Heat filled my cheeks and I hiccupped out a little laugh. “Sorry.”
Mom, I noticed, hadn’t left Fluffy’s side. Groot was now at her feet, watching everything going o. I think asking her to help with Fluffy had given her mind a way of coping with the surreal insanity she’d walked in on. Mom was one of those people who set themselves on a path and stayed on it, no matter what. Unconscious Supreme Court judges, bullet holes, cops and ranting husbands would not stop her.
“Okay, so the authorities have taken Lucas and your father back to the station house. Which one?” Lila asked.
“I don’t know.”
“And Queen B is still unconscious on your living room floor?”
“Yes.”
“And Fluffy is still alive?”
“Yes.”
“May I speak with him, please?”
Apologizing to the paramedics battling with Fluffy’s bullet wound, I handed him my phone.
I don’t know what Lila said to him. I didn’t understand his mumbled responses. What I did understand was the worried looks the paramedics gave each other over him.
“Sir?” the paramedic taping a fat white bandage to his shoulder said, her voice soft but firm. “We need to get you to—”
Fluffy held up a finger.
Mom murmured something that sounded like I hope William is okay.
The Bad Boy In Cuffs Page 7
