“Sometimes their hands and other times a belt or whatever they felt could get their point across and was in reach. Belts were easily accessible,” Lauren said, and Thylane gasped and covered her mouth.
“Bastards,” Avana whispered.
Lauren walked across the room to the kitchen table. “I can remember getting home late. I couldn’t call because my battery died on my cell phone. It was old, and I just hadn’t had time to go get a new one, and I thought I had more time. I got home, and Logan raged. He shook me so hard my head spun. I cried and begged him to stop, but he didn’t. He ripped off my skirt all the while screaming at the top of his lungs into my ear, accusing me of cheating on him and Connor. Telling me how terrible of a girlfriend I was and how I was stupid. So stupid.” She cried.
“No, no, Lauren don’t think that. Don’t let their words mean anything anymore,” Avana said.
She looked at her with tears rolling down her cheeks.
“He shoved me down on the table and slammed his hands on my backside so hard and fast I cried out. I begged for him to stop, and then Connor came in, and Logan told him he needed to punish me next and to make it good and make it sink in so that I would never be late again. That I would beg for forgiveness. So, as Logan held me down, gripped my hair and kept my cheek pressed hard to the table, Connor pulled off his belt and struck me over and over again. I still look at men’s belts and cringe.” She cried and wiped her eyes. Thylane, Avana, and Tiana were crying, too.
“Bastards,” Tiana said.
Lauren ran her hand along the kitchen table and then turned to face them and had her hand against her neck.
“I was in the shop in town looking for sneakers, but I saw a rack of belts. A bunch of them, similar to what I remember Logan and Connor having. I was shaking so hard. So damn hard, but I was determined to touch them. To just touch the damn things and prove that I don’t know, that it wasn’t the belts I needed to be afraid of. That Connor and Logan are gone and can never hurt me. I wanted to touch just one, and maybe, just maybe, I wouldn’t have nightmares about that still.”
“Aw, sweetie, did you touch them? Did it work?” Avana asked.
Lauren looked at Thylane.
“Just as I was about to touch one, Steve appeared. He asked if I was okay, as I knocked over some wallets that were next to the belts, and he made an excuse to the lady up front, and we cleaned up the wallets and then just talked. He waited while I paid for my sneakers, and we talked some more, and then Mink arrived, and I quickly made an excuse to leave.”
“Wow, right at that moment he appeared as you were going to touch the belts. That’s crazy,” Avana said.
“Crazier thing was, with him right there, I think I could have touched the belt. I could have faced the memories and fears I have.”
“Holy shit,” Tiana said, and Thylane smiled softly.
“Then you met him again and talked some more, and he showed up yesterday just to see you and talk.”
“I think he knows at least part of what happened. About being held hostage.” She wiped her eyes.
“It doesn’t matter. It’s all in the past, and all we can do now is move forward, Lauren. We can’t live in the past.”
“I suppose not, Thylane, but I can’t move faster than I am. One day at a time. One conversation at a time and friends first.”
“That’s a great way to start,” Tiana said.
“Like tonight, all of us talking like this. We should do this more often,” Avana said.
“We should have made plans to do this at our place. Your men are probably wondering what is going on in here,” Tiana said.
“They know we needed this. That I need you three in my life and to spend time together. In fact, we should go out to dinner and maybe get drinks or something like we used to do,” Thylane said.
“I don’t know,” Lauren stated.
“Yes, we should. How about the Filling Station on Friday? I’ve been dying to go there,” Tiana suggested.
“Let’s do it. You ladies will love it, and you’ll love the eye candy, too,” Thylane said, and they chuckled.
“Didn’t I just say I need slow?”
“Lauren, you can go as slow as you need or as fast. Sometimes, when the right man or men come along, there’s no control over what happens. Fate steps in, and then all you can do is let go and ride it,” Thylane said.
The ladies started laughing and cheering.
“Did I hear that right?” Pisces asked, walking into the kitchen and coming up behind Thylane. She gasped as the strong arm wrapped around her waist and his mouth landed on her neck.
“Pisces, I hope you weren’t eavesdropping.”
“Honey, I didn’t hear much but the words ride it, and my mind went in a thousand directions.” He lifted her up, turned her around, and kissed her.
“I think that’s our cue to haul ass outta here,” Tiana said, and she, Lauren, and Avana chuckled as they prepared to leave.
Pisces released Lauren’s lips. “Don’t go. He’s just being silly,” she said to him.
“We need to get going. It’s late,” Avana said, and then Pisces set Thylane’s feet on the floor as his team joined them. They each hugged the ladies good-bye, and Thylane hugged Lauren tight.
“Take your time and follow your gut. Even though it’s been out of use, you’d be surprised at exactly how accurate it is,” Thylane said, and Lauren smiled then hugged her before she, Avana, and Tiana headed out of the house.
Chapter Four
“I have eyes on them. They all showed up,” Mario said into his cell phone.
“Excellent. Are the men in position?” Pachessa asked.
“Yes, and you’ll never guess who else is here.”
“Don’t play games with me, Mario. I’m paying you top dollar for this. To monitor all of them and find out how we can hurt them the most.”
“That’s exactly what I am going to do. I need some time, but I think there’s someone on the inside who can be a total asset to our cause. Someone who owes you a favor.”
“Take care of it. I have to get the ball rolling on something else. Keep me posted and make sure those men don’t get caught. I want everything on all our targets. That way, when the time comes, we strike hard.”
“Got it.” Mario ended the call. He watched through binoculars as the funeral procession continued into the gravesite. So many uniforms, so many branches of military, government, and law enforcement. He wished he could kill them all, just blow everyone up right here and massacre every single American.
He couldn’t though. Instead he made sure his men had their eyes on their targets and prepared to follow them. In a week he would get a full update. In fact, these men were so good he could find out when each target took a piss. He smirked. He was going to love seeing Panther suffer before he died, and his team, as well, and their friends and associates and anyone else who pissed him off. He chuckled and then exhaled. It was going to work out perfectly.
* * * *
They were all somber and in pissed-off moods. Even their friends were, who now joined Panther and the team at the Filling Station after the funeral. Panther looked at Steve and Eddie as they stood next to one another drinking beers with J.T., Cole, Farrow, and Luke. Stack, Pisces, Rusty, and Finlin were just past them at the end of the bar and closer to the dining area. That was when Panther saw Thylane and five other women coming from the back room.
He was watching them, all very attractive women, and saw Rusty head toward Thylane and kiss her then wrap an arm around her waist and walk all of them toward the bar a few feet from where he and Mink were. Immediately Panther’s eyes locked onto one of the women who wore a blue off-the-shoulder blouse, had on a pair of tight black jeans that accentuated her ass, and high-heeled boots. Her long brown hair fell to nearly mid back, and when she shyly looked up at Finlin as he said something to her, Panther saw her aqua-blue eyes, and then she looked right at him.
It was like a sucker-punch to his stomach, and apparently it sh
ocked him so much that he had a scowl on his face. She turned away, and Mink gave his shoulder a push.
“That’s Lauren, Thylane’s cousin, and the one Steve and I met.”
Panther was shocked and speechless.
“I know, she’s hot and sweet at the same time,” Mink said to him.
She and two other women started to walk by when Mink and Panther looked at her. She looked away and pushed her hair behind her ear just as Steve said her name and got up off the stool. Eddie did the same.
“Hey, how are you?” Steve asked Lauren, and she looked way up at Steve and smiled.
“Good, how are you?” she asked, but Panther noticed that she looked at Eddie sort of squinting, and then Eddie had a smirk on his face.
“I’ve been better.”
“Are you okay? Was it terribly upsetting?” she asked, obviously knowing about the funeral. Steve looked at him and Mink.
“Who are your friends?” Mink asked her, but his eyes were on Lauren, who didn’t seem to know who to look at, Steve or Eddie.
“Oh, sorry, these are my sisters. This is Avana and Tiana.” She introduced them, and Eddie and Steve said hello, and then so did Mink then Panther.
“You met Mink, and this is Eddie, and this is Panther.” Steve introduced him and reached his hand out for her to shake.
“So you’re Lauren. This just got real interesting,” Eddie said and licked his lower lip.
“What?” Steve asked.
“The woman with the yellow flowers who dropped her keys last night,” Eddie said, smiling and checking her out. Panther squinted as Steve narrowed his eyes and Lauren blushed and shook her head.
“That could have been a worse situation. They could have gone completely down the drain.”
“I had it handled, didn’t I?” Eddie asked.
“What are you talking about?” Mink asked before Steve could.
Panther watched not only Lauren’s reaction to all of them but he also saw his team’s reaction to her. His heart began to race.
“I met Lauren the other night coming out of the florist. She dropped her keys as she was carrying a bouquet of beautiful yellow flowers that matched the sweater she was wearing,” Eddie told them
She held Eddie’s gaze. “It was the stupidest thing really, but you helped me. Are you friends with Steve?” she asked Eddie. He looked at Steve and then back at her.
“The four of us are a team,” Eddie said to her, eyeing her body over.
“Oh,” she whispered and then looked away a moment. She seemed hesitant but did so just as her sisters were grabbed by Brazille and another woman.
“We’ll be back. We need the ladies’ room desperately,” one of the other women said and they headed off.
Panther couldn’t believe what he felt. She said something to her sister and Brazille about meeting them in the ladies’ room just as a crowd of guys moved near her, walking by to get to the bar. Panther stepped forward, and then as a group of guys walked by him, Eddie and Steve pulled her closer, each taking a hand and between them to get her out of the way. She looked over her shoulder as some guy looked at her ass and then went to place his hand on her hip as if pretending to stop from bumping into her on his way to the bar and near them, but Mink stepped in the way and blocked the guy. Panther placed his hand on her lower back. The scent of her shampoo attacked his nostrils and something happened. The way all four of them touched her, protected her at once, shocked the shit out of him. He didn’t know what to think or to do as he stepped back, the sensations foreign, yet effective. She was gorgeous, young, so fucking young, and holy shit, did she have a great body, too.
“What are you doing here?” Steve asked her, and Panther took the time to regroup and get his dick to settle down and think with the right head, but one exchange of looks around him at his brothers-in-arms and he saw they shared his same expression, but they were staring at Lauren, still keeping hands on her. She was now between the four of them, and holy shit, he couldn’t believe what was going through his head.
“I came here for dinner with my cousin, my sisters, and friends. We haven’t come here to eat since moving here and heard the food was great.”
Her voice sounded shaky. She seemed scared. Rightfully so, they each had a good ten years on her, and they were a force. Individually they were intimidating, but as a team, they were a hell of a force of capabilities and testosterone. Seeing such a lovely, feminine woman as Lauren between them was a damn first.
“You’ve never hung out here before?” Panther asked, finding it hard to believe. She was young looking, definitely under twenty-five. He felt old.
“No,” she whispered and then pushed her hair behind her ear as she looked at him, her eyes gazing over his body, and it made his dick harden even more. It was instant. She was that attractive and sexy. She then looked at Steve, who she definitely felt more comfortable speaking to, and he stared at her.
“You sure that you’re okay? I know how those things can be, and military ones are especially difficult to handle,” she asked him, as if really caring about him.
He nodded, and reached up and stroked her jaw. “You look beautiful tonight. Did you enjoy dinner?” he asked her.
It was crazy. He was flirting, touching, caring about her in front of them, and it felt like they were all doing it as one person. Plus, Mink and Eddie still had hands on her hips. One on each side. Panther stepped closer, and then she looked away from them, seeming nervous, maybe intimidated. Well, they were fierce-looking men and taller, over six feet three all of them, and they had looks about them, he knew and had been told.
“I need to meet up with my sisters and friends and to use the ladies’ room. I’ll see you later maybe.” She then looked to Panther and Mink and smiled softly. “Nice meeting you.”
“Likewise,” he replied and then watched her walk away, checked out her ass, and then Mink whistled low as they saw other men looking at her, as well.
“Holy shit, she is gorgeous and smells so good,” Mink said to them.
“I noticed that, too. I wonder what it is. Her perfume or shampoo maybe. I can’t believe I met her the other night and didn’t know it was Lauren. How weird is that?” Eddie added.
“It’s crazy that you did. I think it’s her shampoo that we all seem to be inhaling and liking.” Steve watched her walk away and glance back at him, looking scared. He took a slug of beer.
“No wonder you’ve been keeping eyes on her, walking her to her car and visiting her at the café,” Panther said to him and then took another slug of beer.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Steve asked. Panther held his gaze. Steve was really down and angry tonight.
“I mean she’s very attractive and young, too. You aren’t the only one checking her out.”
“You don’t think I see that?” Steve asked.
“I think you do, and we see it, as well,” Panther said.
“I hope she comes back over here. She’s shy, but we can make her feel safe and comfortable,” Eddie said.
“Don’t do that. Don’t flirt with her and play games,” Steve said and then turned looking for her. Just as he did three guys stopped her and her sisters. Her sisters smiled softly but then shook their heads and grabbed onto Lauren to start walking when one of the guys grabbed Lauren’s hand and was begging her to stay and have a drink.
That was when three other guys joined them. It was fast how quickly Steve, Eddie, Mink, and even Panther went into action.
* * * *
Steve saw Lauren’s fearful expression, and he moved quickly, as did his brothers, to get to her and her sisters. Her one sister shoved the guy’s hand away from her hip, but that asshole from the café pulled Lauren into his arms and had his hand on her ass. Lauren was pushing him off. He could see her blouse had shifted, exposing more of her cleavage, but it was the fear in her eyes that had him making his next move. Steve grabbed him by his shirt, and he released Lauren, went to swing at Steve, and Steve punched him, knocking him out. A sec
ond guy came at him, and he almost got sucker-punched because his eyes were on Lauren’s flushed face and stunned expression, but he caught the guy with a right hook and sent him onto his ass. Her sisters were safe, as Eddie and Mink pulled them from harm’s way and closer to Rusty and Stack.
Another guy went to go after Steve, and Steve had his fists by his sides, breathing through his nostrils, ready to fight anyone who wanted to fight. It felt so good to knock those assholes on their asses. It actually made him feel better, but his concern was for Lauren. That fearful expression in her eyes as she stared at him and her arms wrapped around herself as she shook.
“I’ll kick your ass right now,” the big guy yelled at him, and Steve stepped forward.
“Right now, asshole. Come on. Come on and take a shot,” he yelled back, but then Eddie pulled the guy back, telling him he was going to wind up like his buddies. Then Steve felt Lauren’s hands against his chest, and Steve had to stop himself from pushing past her to and just focus on knocking the other guy on his ass, too.
“No, Steve, please stop. It’s okay.”
He glanced down at her but then back toward the guy, anticipating a cheap shot if Steve took his eyes off of him. He was on the defensive, ready for whatever was coming his way.
“No, it’s over. I’m fine,” she said, those delicate, feminine hands pressed up and down his chest and then one went to his waist and started pressing him back and away from the situation.
“They touched you, were going to hurt you,” he said to her, noticing Eddie pulling the guy back, and now one of the off-duty deputies as well as two bouncers had joined in.
He looked back at her as she continued walking him backward. He was breathing through his nostrils and felt so fired up and filled with rage. Those men thought they could just grab any woman they wanted. Could touch them and they’d gone after Lauren.
“You got to me. I’m okay, Steve. Please calm down. You’re scaring me.” She gripped his shirt on his sides. He was affected by her. By the tears in her aqua-blue eyes, her body shaking, and her hands pressed against his shirt penetrating his skin. He felt the hand on his shoulder and looked to the left, tightened his hold on Lauren, ready to pull her out of harm’s way, but he noticed it was Panther.
Sons of Justice 7: Letting Go of the Pain (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) Page 9
