Fighting For Carly

by Deanndra Hall

  “Goodnight, deputy. See you tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Yes, sir.” Her knees felt a little wobbly as she stood. He’d definitely knocked her off balance mentally. What the hell had happened in there? So he’d gone over and met Ross? Or had he gone over and harassed Ross? And what had Ross said to him? Oh, she couldn’t wait to hear about that.

  She pulled up in her drive to find his rental pickup already there, and one step from the cruiser told her he was cooking. Something smelled amazing. As soon as her key turned in the lock, the door swung open and he stood there, smiling. “Hey! Glad you’re home!”

  “I’m glad to be home.” Closing the door behind her, she turned and reached for him. He didn’t disappoint, and in a split second, she was in his arms, his lips on hers. God, what a great way to come home after a long day! As soon as her lips were free, she announced, “The food smells awesome! What did you cook?”

  “Well, let’s see … Chicken parm, and I have a salad to go with it. Oh, and I baked a cake.” He pointed to it on the counter. Carly fought laughter. It was a little lopsided and the frosting was swirled around kind of in a weird way, but it was a cake, and he’d made it for her. Nobody had ever done anything like that for her before. “Whaddya think?”

  “I think it’s wonderful, babe! My god, this is …” She didn’t get another word out before a sob tore from her throat and tears poured down her face.

  “Oh! I didn’t mean to make you cry! I swear, it doesn’t look like much, but it’ll taste good! Don’t cry. If it’s bad, I’ll start over.” He hugged her tight, and the warmth of his arms soothed her. She was home. Somebody loved her. Everything was going to be okay.

  “I’m sorry.” When he turned loose and looked down at her, she managed to smile up at him. “I’m just not used to anybody doing anything for me, that’s all.”

  “Promise me you won’t start crying again?” She nodded. “Your laundry is done and the floors are vacuumed.” That brought on a fresh bout of crying. “You promised me you wouldn’t cry!” he said, laughing.

  “I’m sorry! I just … I love you, Ross.”

  He bent ever so slightly and gave her a sweet, light kiss. “I love you too, little girl. Come on. Let’s eat before it gets cold. I’ve already set the table. What do you want to drink?”

  “Diet soda. And I have to ask you something.”

  “And I know what it is. Let’s get our food and sit down, and you can ask me anything you like.”

  Once they were seated, salads in front of them, she said, “Something happened and―”

  “You want to know what I said to the sheriff.”

  So he had said something! “Uh, yeah.”

  “Why? What happened?”

  “He, um, called me in at the end of my shift and apologized to me for everything that’s happened. Said I was right, what I did on my own time was my business, and that I’m a good deputy and he was sorry for giving me shit.”

  Ross dropped back into his chair, laughing. “Guess I got through to him!”

  “You really did! I don’t know what you said, but―”

  “Oh, I can show you what I said to him! Eat your dinner and you can watch the videos in a bit.”

  “Videos?” He nodded. “Oh my god, Ross, did you video him talking to you?”

  “I sure did. And I videoed that douchebag ex-husband of yours too.”

  “Eric was here?”

  “Yep.”

  Carly started to laugh hysterically. “What did you say to him?”

  “Just wait. You’ll get a kick out of it. Now eat your dinner. And then we’ll have a piece of cake and enjoy the show.”

  Chapter 9

  “Ah, ah, oh, ah, ahhhhh.” Jesus, she was killing him! He wasn’t sure which was better, making her scream and shake as she came for him, or burying his cock in her softness and wetness until he exploded inside her. Wait—yeah, he knew which was better, but it was a close call. Very, very close.

  Pulling out of her, he dropped beside her on the mattress and pulled her into him. “Get what you needed?”

  “Three times. Holy hell, babe, you’re going to kill me,” she whispered into his chest.

  “Nah. They say what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. A few more weeks of this and you’ll be able to crack pecans with that thing,” he said and slapped her slit with the flat of his hand. She let out a little eeeep! and he grinned.

  The giggle that drifted out into the room thrilled him. She was having fun, she was being satisfied, and she was happy. That was all that mattered to Ross. Nothing else was as important, not even his own satisfaction. He just wanted to know she was safe and happy, and he had to believe she was. “I just keep thinking about those videos,” she said and snickered. “I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard in all my life. But I must’ve missed something.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, there was a moment there when Chuck wavered and then reversed course, but I didn’t catch it.”

  “No. You probably didn’t.”

  “What was it?”

  “I can’t say. Just keep watching it. You’ll eventually figure it out. But know that it’ll work. I promise.”

  “Well, okay then. If you say so, but I’d still like to―” The ringing of her phone interrupted her, and she groaned. “Oh, shit. What the hell is this about?” Picking up the phone, she looked at the screen. “Tank? At this time of night? What the … Hello?”

  Ross couldn’t make out what he was saying, but he was yelling, and it was some rapid-fire yelling at that. “What’s going on?”

  Her eyes were wide and getting wider. “When? Did you see … Well, yeah, but … No. I have no idea what you’re talking about, but … I’ll be there in a minute. No, don’t call them. I’ll be right there. Stay in the back of the house and I’ll be right there.” She ended the call and jumped up from the bed. “I’ve got to get to Tank’s. Right now.”

  Ross was already snatching up his clothes and dragging them on. “What’s going on?”

  “Thank god the living room was empty. Somebody shot through his front window.”

  “Oh my god! I’m just thankful you’re okay!” Carly was blubbering into Tank’s neck as soon as they were in the house with the door closed. Ross watched the big guy squeeze his little sister and lift her right off the floor.

  “I’m fine. It’s a good thing nobody was in here though. It could’ve been very bad.”

  “Yeah, it sure could’ve. Any idea who―”

  Tank shook his head. “Well, yeah, but no way to be sure.”

  “I’m pretty sure I know who it was,” Ross announced, and they both turned to stare at him.

  Tank’s eyes went wide. “And how would that be?”

  “Because I had a couple of visitors earlier.”

  Carly nodded. “Yeah. Eric and Anderson both showed up over at my house. Ross was there alone. They gave him a hard time.”

  “And what did you do?” Tank asked, side-eyeing Ross.

  “Gave them a hard time right back.”

  The side-eye turned to a dead-eye. “In what way?”

  “Well, I pretty much chased Eric off. He said he’d come back with an army, and I let him know I had one of my own.”

  “Yeah, but what about Anderson?”

  “Told him I’d call the state police. And told him I had a secret weapon.”

  Tank shook his head and rolled his eyes. “And that’s how I got a bullet through my front glass.”

  Carly had been looking around, and she turned to the two men. “This wasn’t intended to hurt anybody. It was a warning. They shot almost straight up through the glass. The projectile entered the ceiling plaster right … here.” She pointed to a small hole. “If they’d wanted to hurt somebody, they would’ve shot straight through the glass.”

  “What do you mean, that’s how you got a bullet through your front window?” Ross asked, not understanding.

  “He knows you were talking about me. So I’ve got a call I
’ve got to make.” Tank pulled out his phone and hit some kind of contact while Carly and Ross waited. “Yeah. Shut the fuck up. I know it’s late, but this can’t wait. I don’t know if it was you or your little buddy, but that secret? I get another bullet through my window and something happens to me, and it’ll be all over town. I guarantee it. I’ve told four other people, people you’d never guess I’d even talk to. They’ll never say a word unless something happens to me, and then they won’t be able to get the word out fast enough. So if you want to stay in office and stay married, you’ll either keep your weapon holstered or tell your little ass-wipe buddy to back off.” Somebody on the other end—Ross had to believe it was Anderson—was cussing up a storm. Tank interrupted him. “Just shut up. I don’t believe a word you say anyway. And if you retaliate against me by taking it out on Carly, I’ll … Well, it’s nice to know you’re being a little more human these days. You just remember everything I’ve said, Chuck. Everything. Or your reputation in Bandera County will be nothing but mud.” With that, Tank ended the call and threw the phone onto the sofa. “Holy fuck. I didn’t want to have to do that, but now he knows.”

  Carly glared at Tank “Knows what?”

  “I lied about the four people, but I’d better come up with four people pretty damn fast. Sit down. I’ll tell you the story.”

  Ross had the feeling he’d screwed up, and he didn’t want Carly’s brother angry with him. “Look, Tank, I’m sorry that I―”

  “It’s okay, Ross. Perfectly okay. They backed you into a corner and you came out swinging. Sometimes we don’t have time to analyze the fallout before we strike back. Happens in the military. Happens in firefighting. Not your fault. You were protecting yourself and my sister which, for the record, is more important to me than you protecting yourself or me. Come on, both of you. Coffee or beer?”

  In unison, Ross and Carly answered, “Beer.”

  “Yeah. Me too.” Once they were sitting around the kitchen table, Tank sighed before he continued. “So, a few years back, I got called to a house over in Lakehills because they didn’t have any EMTs at the time. This woman had gone into labor and her husband was out of town. At the time, there was an old timer in the VFD who’d been a career EMT, and I was training, so he took me with him. We got there, she was in full-blown labor, two other kids running around and screaming. So Winter—we called him that because his hair was snow white checked her out and said she only had a few minutes. Then he said the kids were screaming so loud he couldn’t think, so he took them to their bedrooms to get them settled down. I was sitting there, holding the woman’s hand while she was lying there in the floor, and she said, ‘I sure wish this one’s daddy was here to see him be born.’ So I asked her what he did for a living, and she said he was the sheriff.”

  Carly screwed up her face, her brow wrinkled. “Chuck’s wife? Adelaide?”

  “No. This was another woman. Name’s Bannister—Carleen Bannister. Anyway, I said, ‘The sheriff?’ And she said, ‘Yeah, this one is his. The one who’s four now too. They’re both his.’ I was stunned.”

  Ross couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “I wasn’t even there and I’m stunned. So two of her kids were Chuck’s?”

  “Yep. And then she had a fourth one that was her husband’s, so I’m pretty damn sure he has no idea two of those kids aren’t his. Wanna hear the real kicker?”

  Carly nodded. “There’s more?”

  “Oh, yeah. When we got the baby delivered, called the ambulance service and told them to get their asses in gear, and got her loaded up and gone, with a neighbor to watch the other two kids, I turned to Winter and said, ‘Whoa. That’s some crazy info.’ Know what he said?”

  Ross couldn’t believe his ears. “What?”

  “He said, ‘Aww, Tank, that ain’t nothin’. He’s got two more with a woman over in Vanderpool and one over in Medina.’ I couldn’t believe my ears.”

  Carly’s voice was little more than a whisper. “Holy shit. Do you know what that could do to him?”

  “It could ruin him with one whisper. He could go down like a stone—lose his job, lose his wife, lose his kids, lose his home. Everything. And now he knows that I know. I was hoping to hold onto that information, but I guess that’s not possible now.” Just as he stopped speaking, Carly’s phone started to ring again.

  “Oh, shit. I’m putting this on speaker. No way will I be the only one to hear this.”

  “And I’m recording it,” Ross said, whipping out his own phone and opening the voice recorder app. “Okay. Answer it.”

  “Hello?”

  Chuck Anderson’s voice came through loud and clear. “Cross? Listen, I just want you to know, it wasn’t me who shot into your brother’s house. No matter what he tells you, it wasn’t me. I swear to god, it wasn’t. I wouldn’t do that. Yeah, I know what he knows about me, and yeah, it could ruin me, but I’m not going to hurt anybody.”

  “You’ve already hurt somebody, Chuck. You’ve hurt your wife and kids.”

  “You know too?”

  “Yeah, but only because he felt he had to tell me, given what’s happened. But the other people who know? I have no idea who they are, but if Tank tells you they know, then they know. You and I both know who this was, and you’d better stop him before somebody gets hurt.”

  “I’ll talk to him, Carly, but that’s going to be dangerous for me. No telling what’ll happen when I―”

  “You know what, Chuck? I don’t care. I don’t care that it’s dangerous to you. My brother’s been shot at. My friend’s been threatened. And you’ve put me in dozens—dozens—of dangerous situations because of your friendship with that asshole. It stops here, now. Do you understand?”

  “Yes. I didn’t before, but I do now. I’ll take my lumps, but you won’t have any more trouble from me, I promise.”

  “I’d better not. You have no idea how close I am to calling the FBI field office in San Antonio and asking them to start an investigation. Trust me, they will. I have no doubt when they got a look at the info I could give them, they’d jump on this.”

  “Don’t do that! I’ll take care of it, I promise. Just give me a day or two, okay?”

  “You have twenty-four hours. After that, if anything else happens, somebody will get in touch with the FBI. I promise you that. Goodnight, Chuck. Try to get some sleep, because we sure won’t.” Before he had a chance to answer, she ended the call. “Get all that?”

  Ross held up his phone. “Yep. Every word.”

  “Good.”

  “Got a board? I’ll help you put it over the window,” Ross offered.

  Carly’s big brother shrugged. “Probably. Let’s look.”

  An hour later, the front window was boarded up and Ross and Carly were on their way back to her house. “You okay, babe?” he asked as he drove.

  “No, but I will be. I’m not sure why, but I really believe Chuck. I don’t think this was him. I think it was Eric.”

  “Considering the talk he’d just had with you, I kinda don’t think it was Chuck either,” Ross offered. “But Tank’s okay, and we’re okay for now. Let’s just try to get some sleep and hope things look better in the morning.” The truck rolled to a stop in her driveway. “Come on. Let’s go in.”

  But Carly’s hand on his forearm stopped him, and he turned to find her staring at him intently. “Promise me something.”

  “I’ll try.”

  “If it comes down to saving me or saving yourself, you’ll save yourself.”

  “Carly, it’s not going to―”

  “Promise me.”

  “I can’t.”

  “Ross, please! If you don’t promise me, I can’t see you anymore. I will not be responsible for something happening to you. I love you too much.”

  His free hand grabbed hers as it squeezed his forearm and he stared right back into her eyes. “I will not promise you that. I told you, it’s my job to protect you, and I’ll die trying. And there’s nothing you can do to change that.”

&nb
sp; “But Ross, I―”

  “Nothing, Carly. Tell me you don’t want to see me anymore and I’ll still be watching out for you and making sure you’re safe. That won’t change. I love you too much.”

  “Then we’re at an impasse,” Carly whispered in a voice filled with frustration.

  Ross just smiled. “Baby, if you want to call loving each other an impasse, then I’m glad we’re there.”

  The next few days were heaven. Everything seemed to calm down. The sheriff was decent to Carly. Nobody else bothered Tank. And Ross was enjoying the touch of domesticity he was adding to Carly’s life. Just seeing her smile was enough to keep him going. The fact that he’d have to go back to Kentucky loomed on the horizon of their lives, but he tried not to think about it.

  At a little after eight on Saturday night, his phone rang, and he was surprised to see the name on the screen. “Hey! What’s up?”

  “Got a call from your mom.”

  Ross sat up straight on the sofa. “Yeah?”

  “Yeah,” his friend and fellow firefighter, Devil Dog, answered. “Seems somebody’s been poking around here in Corbin, asking questions about you.”

  “Oh? And what kind of questions?”

  “Seems they’ve been talking to people around town, asking if they know you and how well they know you. Debra said somebody had been out there. Identified himself as a freelance investigator, said you were in some trouble in Texas and he was working for you to get you out of it.”

  “I’m not in any trouble, period. You can call Michael and ask him. Everything’s fine here.” There was the detail about Eric, but he didn’t want to reveal that. He just wanted to hear more.

  “Okay. Well, according to Neva Lou, this guy went to the courthouse and started asking for records. Apparently he was looking to see if you had any outstanding warrants, if you’d been in court, any kind of charges brought against you.” Neva Lou was Devil Dog’s cousin and a county court clerk. “Was checking to see if you were married too.”