The Strong Family Romance Collection

by Cami Checketts

  Her dad’s eyes narrowed in consideration. He pulled out a gun and ground out, “Fine, but don’t get any ideas. Let’s move.” He gestured with the gun.

  Kate’s eyes were glued to that gun. Was that how he’d killed the other men? No, Dimitri had been stabbed. Who knew about the other guy? Austin, she wanted to scream. Maybe her dad would instinctively protect her like he used to. She’d die trying to protect Austin if that was what it took.

  Gerald led the way, followed by her mom, Kate, Austin, and then her dad. They followed Gerald’s flashlight. Kate scrambled mentally for some kind of plan but came up blank. Would her tracking device pick up again once they were above ground? How quickly could Trent and his buddies get there if they’d traveled very far through the tunnels? She’d lost track of time and distance down here, but they could’ve walked at least a half mile.

  They walked for a while before reaching a staircase. Gerald ascended and pushed a button; then the trap door sprang open. They all clambered up through a closet and into a dimly lit room. It didn’t look much different than the room they’d started in, except the walls were a dirty, pale blue, not an off-white, and there was thin carpet on the floor instead of battered wood.

  Her dad cleared the entrance and left it open. He pocketed the gun, which made her feel a little better, and pulled out a little device. “Cell phone,” he instructed Austin.

  Austin took it out, held it up to his face so it opened, and then handed it over.

  Her dad plugged the device into the cell phone charging port. “Click on your bank app,” he said, shoving it back into Austin’s hands. “Gerald,” he commanded, “make sure the money transfers.”

  Gerald pulled out his own device. Austin clicked on the app and held the phone to his face again. Her dad grabbed the phone from him, and his eyes widened; then he grinned and looked at Gerald. “Two hundred forty thousand, and change.” He did a bunch of actions on the touch screen, still smiling widely.

  Gerald hooted a few seconds later. “It’s confirmed.”

  “See how easy that was?” her dad asked. He handed the phone back to Austin, who slid it in his pocket.

  Her dad pulled out his gun again and said to Gerald, “Hand Marla your gun.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Just do it.”

  Kate’s stomach churned. Had her mom been in on this all along?

  Gerald handed his gun over to her mom, who was looking at them like they were nuts.

  Kate’s nerves were ramping up again. “You said you’d leave when you had the money.”

  “I know, I did say that.” He shrugged and focused on his wife. “Now, Marla, I need you to shoot Strong in the heart, or I’ll kill Kate.”

  “No!” Kate cried out. Her mom wouldn’t hurt Austin. She couldn’t.

  Her mom’s eyes were wide and horror-struck. “No.”

  Her dad aimed straight at Kate’s head. “Come on, doll. I don’t want to hurt our daughter, but I’ve never left a man alive after I take his money.” He shook his head. “It’s just not good business. Eventually a man will want his money back, and I like to leave things clean and all buttoned up. Plus the money won’t clear for a while, and we don’t want him living and messing things up with the bank. You see, if you kill him, your and Gerald’s prints on the gun. Nobody will even believe that I came back to life or come searching for me.”

  Austin said nothing next to Kate. His body was rigid and straight, his eyes narrowed, and the muscles in his forearms popped as he clenched his fists.

  “Come on, Marla, I’ve got little time. Stop whimpering and shoot him so I don’t have to kill Kate, you, and him. It’s him or all of you. Choose now.”

  Her mom’s eyes filled with a deep hatred and determination that Kate had never seen. Even though her mother had spent nine years in prison, Kate hadn’t seen how much it had hardened her … until now.

  “No, Mom,” she breathed.

  Her mom raised the pistol. Time seemed to slow down. There was no way she could miss in this small space.

  “Austin!” Kate screamed and lunged at her mom.

  Her mom aimed at her dad. The gun fired. Kate knocked into her mom. Austin dove at her dad. Her dad screamed out in agony, blood spurting from his shoulder. Austin drove him to the floor, slamming her dad’s head against the thin carpet and ripping the gun from his fist, then tossing it across the room.

  Gerald started toward Austin and her dad. Kate’s mom shoved her off and yelled, “Don’t do it, Gerald. I can’t miss from this range.” She stood with the gun in her hand, aiming at Gerald, who was only a foot away.

  Gerald put his hands up and backed against the wall.

  “Kate! Call 911,” her mom commanded.

  Kate didn’t have her phone, and Austin’s was in his pocket. He was busy pummeling her dad, who put up very little resistance other than screams and pleas for help. Kate didn’t feel one ounce of pity for her own father.

  Footsteps pounded down the stairs above them, and then something slammed into the exterior apartment door a couple of times. She heard it burst open and prayed this wasn’t one of her dad or Gerald’s friends.

  A man appeared in the bedroom doorframe a second later. Austin’s dad. Kate sighed in relief.

  He took in the situation quickly, then walked up to Kate and Marla. “You’re okay?”

  “Yes,” Kate managed to say.

  “Do you want me to take that?” he asked her mom, pointing to the gun.

  “No, I’ve got him,” her mom said coolly. “Can you get the police coming?”

  He nodded, pulled out a phone, and dialed 911. As the call connected, he spoke quickly, but he also walked over to Austin and clapped him on the shoulder. Moving the phone away from his mouth, he said, “Son … that’s enough. I’m here now.”

  Austin stopped slamming his fists into her dad and stared up at his own father. He let out a shuddering breath and took the hand his dad offered. His dad went back to talking to the police, but he put an arm around Austin as well. Austin was a little taller than his dad and they were both extremely muscular. Kate looked between the two of them, well-dressed, tough, amazing men. Then her gaze fell to her dad lying on the floor, blood running from his shoulder and his nose, whimpering and whining. She looked to her mom, who steadily held the gun on Gerald.

  Kate’s shoulders slumped. She could picture Austin’s gorgeous mother. She’d never been to his home, and she hadn’t had the chance to spend that much time with him, but she could imagine it was as picture perfect as he and his parents were. A happy family. A happy childhood. A future with promise. Kate came from nothing, and she was nothing. She’d pulled Austin and his family into this nightmare. She couldn’t outrun her miserable parentage. It was right here in front of her.

  “Police!” someone yelled from outside, and then she heard the thundering of many footsteps.

  Kate backed into a corner as the police infiltrated the small room, took the gun from her mom, and started dealing with her dad and Gerald. Trent was suddenly there, wrapping her up in his arms. Kate was too exhausted to tell him to let her go. She wanted to be hugging her mom and Austin, both at the same time.

  Her mom approached her, but Austin was across the small room, close to his dad, talking with some other police officers. He looked at her, and his eyes filled with frustration and suspicion. All too quickly, he looked away, not giving her any chance to run to him.

  Kate’s heart shattered. He blamed her for this mess. Of course he did. She leaned against Trent and then felt her mom’s soft arms around her, pulling her close. Tears streamed down her face. Her mom was safe. The nightmare was over. So was her life.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Austin paced the small room of the police station. It was over. Everyone was safe. Well, except for Kate’s dad. He’d been shot by Marla and Austin had beaten him up pretty thoroughly. He didn’t feel guilty about it. The guy had been aiming a gun at Kate and trying to make his wife kill Austin. Maybe he would feel guilty ab
out getting so out of control and pummeling the guy, if he could get the image of Kate in the blond police officer’s arms out of his mind. They were together. It was just like he’d feared. His stomach churned again.

  “What time is it?” he asked his dad.

  “One thirteen.”

  “In the morning?”

  His dad cracked a smile. “Yeah, bud.”

  Austin heaved out a breath and collapsed into a chair.

  His mom reached over and gently massaged the back of his neck. “You okay, love?”

  “Just tired,” he muttered. He hated lying to his mom. Even through teenage years, he’d always been honest to a fault. His buddies used to freak out when they heard all the stuff he told his parents, mostly because they didn’t want to get in trouble with their own, or have Gavin or Kari look at them differently. Yet his parents never freaked out; they simply listened, sometimes counseled, which was why he told them everything. Yet if he told his mom how his heart was breaking right now, she’d try to fix it. She’d claim it was the “black moment” of the love story and he just had to talk to Kate and work it out.

  His head thudded on the table. It wasn’t going to work out. She loved some cop guy. The guy seemed decent, for a punk. Who was he kidding? Austin hated the dude. He wondered how long the cop and Kate had been together. He wondered why Kate had ever come to his game, pretended she wanted to be with him when she’d obviously moved on. Maybe she’d been using him for his money to free her mom. It was highly possible he might be too exhausted to think this through clearly, especially with a head injury.

  The door opened and the officer who’d been helping them said, “Thanks, folks, for being so patient. Here’s the completed paperwork. We have all your information for any follow-up questions, and I have to warn you, you’ll probably be subpoenaed to the court case.” He handed a business card to Austin’s dad. “There are numbers to call on the paperwork, but here’s my direct number if you need anything.”

  They all thanked him, shook his hand, and walked silently out into the cool night air. Austin needed sleep, not Kate. His heart was arguing with him, saying he always needed Kate. He wondered where she was, and if she was still hugging the stupid blond guy. Or kissing him. Or—

  He shook his head hard and winced. It hurt.

  “You need some sleep,” his mom said, wrapping her arm around his waist.

  His dad has his phone out. “I’ll get an Uber to take us to the car; then we’ll get you to bed, son.”

  “Thanks.” Austin slung his arm around his mom’s shoulder and squeezed. “Thanks for being here. I love you both.”

  “Love you too,” his mom said brightly, squeezing him.

  His dad nodded. “Love you, son. Glad you’re okay.”

  His dad didn’t say it, but Austin got the impression he wasn’t thrilled about his association with Kate and her messed-up family. Austin couldn’t care less about that. He only cared if she was really dating that Trent guy.

  The Uber came and they piled in, his mom chatting with the male driver and finding out his entire life story on the short drive to Kate’s apartment complex. The driver flipped out when he put together who Austin was. Of course he was a huge fan. Austin tried to engage with him and be personable. His mom got the guy’s home address so Austin could send him club-level seats for him and his two boys for the next game.

  The man put the car into park. Austin shook the guy’s hand over the seat and reached for the door handle, but he faltered when he saw the blond guy escorting Kate and her mom out of a cop car just down the curb from them.

  “Wait,” Austin begged his dad, who was popping open his door.

  “What’s wrong?” his mom asked, trying to lean around him.

  Austin gently pushed her back, not wanting her to see. Heck, he didn’t even want himself to see. He looked back and Trent was holding the door for Kate and her mom as they filed into the apartment building. Kate looked up at the man with gratitude and … was there more? Could she possibly love that guy? His uncle Jed was a detective and one of the best men Austin knew, so it wasn’t that Austin had any issues with police officers. He simply knew this Trent guy was not the one for his Kate.

  “Sorry,” Austin muttered. “Thanks,” he told the driver.

  “Sure, man. Thanks for sending me tickets to your game.”

  “No sweat.” Austin forced a smile and stepped out of the car. The night air was crisp and he was exhausted, his head pounding. That had to be why he wanted to have his parents hold him close while he cried himself to sleep.

  Kate and her mom got home late that night, or early the next morning. She couldn’t sleep, worrying about Austin and if he hated her for getting him and his parents into such a terrifying situation. She hadn’t seen him after the police released them and Trent drove her and her mom back to her apartment building.

  Her mom was still asleep when she went to work the next morning. Kate hoped she was okay emotionally. She knew her mom used to be an alcoholic and druggie, but she’d been clean since she went to prison. What a hard life her mom had lived. Did Austin and his parents judge Kate and her mom for what her dad had done to them?

  When she came home, she just wanted to collapse on the couch for a while. Her mom had dinner started and greeted her with a soft hug. “You want to talk about … anything?”

  Kate took over sautéing the veggies and said, “I’m not quite sure where to start.”

  They worked in silence for a while as her mom turned the meat and it sizzled in the pan. Then Kate blurted, “How could you ever marry scum like him?”

  Her mom turned to her. Kate put the lid on the veggies and turned the heat down, folding her arms across her chest.

  “I was a different person before I had you,” her mom said. “I was really into the party scene. Your dad was charming, funny, and handsome. When I got pregnant with you and he asked me to marry him, I didn’t hesitate. Then, when I cleaned up and he didn’t, it got harder and harder to keep making it work. I didn’t get completely dry until prison, but I gave up the drugs when I found out I was pregnant with you.” She smiled. “You’ve always been the best part of my life.”

  Kate pressed her lips together. “I’m never going to get married and be in a mess like that.”

  Her mom’s eyebrows lifted. “Never say never, love. I saw how you looked at that young man.”

  “And he probably thinks I’m a nightmare. Look what I brought him into.” She shut off the veggies and gestured around angrily at their small apartment.

  “What you brought him into?” Her mom glowered at her. “None of this mess is your fault, and if he thinks that, he’s not worthy of you anyway.”

  “Oh, Mom.” Kate blew out a breath. She couldn’t blame her mom for this, since she was definitely a victim here too. Yet how could either of them understand the world Austin came from?

  The doorbell rang, and Kate’s heart leapt. A triumphant grin crossed her mom’s face. “What did I tell you?” she asked, practically skipping to the door and swinging it wide. “Hello,” she called cheerily. “Oh, um, hi.” Her voice changed to cautious.

  Kate’s heart was thumping hard as she wiped her hands on a dish towel, threw her hair over her shoulder, and followed after her mom. Had he come for her? Were all her dreams about to come true? She saw a bundle of flowers and a tall body, but it was too thin, and the face was all wrong.

  “Trent?” Her hopes and her heart sank, but she forced a smile and walked to him. “Thank you. That was so thoughtful of you.”

  He reached out and hugged her tight. “I was worried about you.”

  She heard the ding of the elevator doors opening and tried to look over, but Trent held her head against his chest. “I want to be here for you,” he said loudly.

  Kate tried to pull back, but he had her in too firm of a grip, the flowers pressing uncomfortably into her back and his cologne and the flowers making her nose twitch. She sneezed, and he laughed.

  “I’m not sure, but I
hope that means yes,” Trent said.

  “Won’t you come in?” her mom was saying from behind her, but Kate could hear the disappointment in her voice.

  Trent finally released her, and they walked back into the apartment. Kate realized then that she’d never seen who came out of the elevator. All she knew was that Austin hadn’t come. Not that she’d expected him to, but she’d still hoped.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Austin focused on the game. He’d been cleared to play a week after the concussion and the crazy night with Kate. The police had recovered his money. The men were in prison. There was no reason to let himself get distracted tonight. His family wasn’t here. His girl wasn’t here. He snorted at himself. Not his girl. The blond policeman’s girl.

  Even after getting another confirmation when he saw that Trent had taken her home that night, he’d worked up the nerve to go to Kate’s apartment the day after the crazy experience with her parents, planning to just ask her straight up if she was dating the cop. Maybe what he’d seen that night was all just … circumstantial. He needed real proof before he gave up on the love of his life.

  When he’d come out of the elevator, all he could see was the guy cradling Kate in his arms. He could see the top of her hair and hear the guy say he wanted to be there for her. She didn’t pull away or tell the guy where to go.

  He’d stormed back into the elevator and left.

  His mom and dad kept calling to check on him, recruiting some of the aunts and uncles and his cousin Will to check in as well. Austin appreciated that they were all concerned about him, but he was fine. He was a superstar hockey player. Who cared if he’d been wrong about the woman he thought was his soul mate? Who cared if he’d waited almost five years for her and then finally recognized that she’d never really felt the same about him? There were many other women out there. Beautiful women. Fun women. Accomplished women. Right? His shoulders sagged. There could be a hundred and twenty-six amazing women. None of them were the right one for him. None of them captured him like Kate had done with one look.