Risky Vengeance

by Rhonda Brewer

  “Look here, buddy, I may be a nurse here, but I don’t have any trouble grabbing you by the neck and dragging you out.” Justin’s voice was low and lethal.

  It reminded her of Trunk when he was in protective mode. Justin was shorter than Trunk but didn’t lack muscle, and she could picture him tossing Chad out. Considering what an ass Chad was, it was something she’d love to see.

  “You’re going to let him talk to me like this, Abbie?” Chad narrowed his eyes at her.

  “I’d help him if I could,” Abbie snapped.

  “How can you not remember me?” Chad tossed his hands in the air.

  Abbie didn’t know what to say to the man. Of all the things she didn’t remember, he was the last thing she was concerned about forgetting. He must be a nice guy if she agreed to marry him, but Abbie didn’t know how she could be so involved with him when her heart belonged to Trunk.

  “Why does he get to stay?” Chad complained as he pointed at Trunk.

  “He’s here to keep her safe,” her father shouted as he pushed Chad through the door.

  “We’re going home to get something to eat. We’ll be back after supper, and I promise I’ll get your father to calm down.” Her mother kissed the top of Abbie’s head and stepped back.

  “I love you, Monkey. I’m sorry I upset you.” Her father pressed his lips against her forehead then stepped back. “Keep that piece of trash out of here.”

  “He won’t get inside the door,” Justin answered before Trunk could.

  Abbie stared at the door as it closed, leaving her alone with Trunk. She couldn’t comprehend what happened. He touched her hand, and she turned to gaze up at him.

  “What happened between us?” Abbie whispered as she stared at their joined hands.

  “It’s complicated, Abs.” Trunk released her hand and walked to the window.

  “Complicated? Complicated? Are you fucking kidding me?” Abbie tried to shout, but her voice cracked.

  Trunk didn’t turn around, but he dropped his head, and the muscles in his back and shoulders tensed. She needed to know what happened because nothing could be bad enough to make her run into the arms of an arrogant jerk.

  “Ben, please.” Abbie swallowed the lump forming in her throat.

  Trunk turned around and leaned against the window ledge. His dark eyes glistened with tears, and she suddenly wondered if she really wanted to know why they weren’t together. He seemed agonized by whatever broke them apart.

  “Abs, it just didn’t work out,” Trunk whispered.

  “Bullshit. Tell me the truth,” Abbie demanded.

  “This isn’t the time to talk about this. You need to rest.” Trunk smiled.

  Trunk had a smile that made her weak in the knees, and with his new look, he was sexier. If that was even possible. She didn’t return his smile because she knew he wasn’t telling her the truth. She needed to know what happened.

  “Stop trying to handle me. Was I just a one-night fuck?” Abbie retorted.

  “No, you weren’t.” Trunk practically jumped from the window to the side of her bed.

  He cupped her face, and his touch made her forget her irritation, not to mention it helped ease the nagging pain in her head. The heat from his hands was soothing and relaxing, but she still wanted to know everything.

  “Tell me what happened during my missing years to break us apart,” Abbie begged.

  Trunk gazed into her eyes, and it was obvious he had some sort of internal struggle going on. Did he cheat on her? Did she screw around on him? No. There was no way she would ever do that, and he wouldn’t either.

  “Ben, I need to know,” she whispered.

  “I can’t say no to you.” He pulled a chair close to the side of the bed and pulled out his phone.

  “You’re not supposed to use that in here,” she told him.

  “Before we talk, I need to make sure someone is here to take over for me,” Trunk replied.

  Abbie didn’t respond. It had to be awful if he believed she would kick him out once she knew the truth. It was tough to think of anything that would turn her against him. She’d fallen for him harder than any man she’d ever met.

  “Rusty, I need you to send someone over here to take over for me.” Trunk always called Keith by his nickname.

  All the men who worked with Trunk and Keith never used their given names. She didn’t know why, but it usually had something to do with something they did or how they looked. Keith was Rusty because of his auburn hair.

  “She doesn’t remember anything since the night we were together. I need to tell her what happened and why I left that night.” Trunk met her eyes as he explained things to Keith.

  “That night?” Abbie narrowed her eyes.

  “I will. Thanks, Rusty.” Trunk tucked his phone back into his back pocket and dropped his head.

  “You left after we spent practically two days in bed together?” Abbie tried not to sound crushed, but her heart hurt.

  “Yes.” Trunk wouldn’t look at her.

  “Ben,” Abbie shouted as much as she could.

  “I left because I didn’t want you hating me.” Trunk lifted his head and met her eyes.

  “You thought fucking me and then leaving would make me happy? Are you kidding?” Abbie’s head was pounding, but she fought it.

  “Abs, this is worse.” Trunk linked his fingers and rested them on the top of his head.

  “Is this the reason you started shaving your head?” Abbie asked.

  “No, that started because my hair was thinning.” Trunk chuckled.

  “Ben, tell me,” Abbie begged.

  “Do you remember telling me about your sister?” Trunk asked.

  “Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?” Abbie pressed her fingers against her temples.

  “Abs, you’re in pain. Why don’t we talk about this later?” Trunk stood up and headed to the door.

  “For Christ’s sake, will you just tell me? All this running around the subject is making my head want to explode,” Abbie snapped.

  “Why do you have to be so fucking stubborn?” Trunk sighed.

  Trunk stopped, and for several seconds, he stood with his back to her. Why was this so hard for him? He didn’t even know her sister. What could her sister’s death have to do with her and Trunk?

  Chapter 9

  Trunk’s gut felt as if it was flipping inside. How could he tell the woman who owned his heart her sister was dead because of his stepfather? It made him sick to think about how she would look at him when she found out. The problem was Abbie wasn’t going to let it go.

  “Up until I was eleven, I lived on Atlantic Avenue here in St. John’s,” Trunk began.

  Since the street was two blocks from where Abbie grew up, he figured she would know the address. Most of the people in that area of town shopped in the same stores and went to the same schools.

  “That’s not far from where I grew up.” Abbie tilted her head. “But you knew that, didn’t you?”

  “I did,” Trunk admitted.

  “But you moved to Corner Brook when you were a kid. I remember you telling me that.” Abbie winced when she changed position in the bed.

  “Abs, please just get some rest, we’ll talk about this when you're up to it.” Trunk hated to see her in pain.

  “You’re pissing me off,” Abbie grumbled.

  “You’re so fucking stubborn.” Trunk sighed.

  Abbie glared at him as he stepped next to the bed and sat in the chair. Before he said another word, his phone vibrated. He pulled it out and saw a message from Hulk.

  Hulk was a close friend and going through his own romantic hell. Hulk was in love with a woman who was living in his house, but she thought she was renting from Trunk. Hulk asked him to go along with the ruse because Caroline wouldn’t like the fact Hulk moved into a bunkhouse so she, her mother, and two children would have a safe place to live.

  Hulk: I was in the city. I’m just outside the ICU. Let me know if you need backup.
>
  Trunk: I will.

  “Damn it, Ben. Put the phone away.” Abbie huffed.

  He did as she asked and lifted his eyes to meet hers. Trunk could tell by the strained expression she was in a lot of pain, but he also knew she wouldn’t give in until he told her what she wanted to know.

  “At least let Justin give you some pain medication,” Trunk suggested.

  “You’re going to need pain medication if you don’t tell me,” Abbie replied through gritted teeth.

  “Jesus, woman. Why do you have to be so fucking pig-headed?” Trunk shot to his feet.

  “Because I want to know why I was tossed away like a piece of trash,” Abbie retorted.

  “I didn’t toss you away. It killed me to walk away from you. I can’t tell you how agonizing it was to stay away from you and watch that preppy asshole paw you.” Trunk gripped the foot of her bed.

  “Then why did you leave?” Abbie demanded.

  “My stepfather was the one who killed your sister.” Trunk almost choked on the words as they flew out.

  Abbie’s mouth dropped open, and her eyes grew bigger than he’d ever seen them. For what seemed like an eternity, she stared without a word. It was time to go.

  “Goodbye, Abs.” Trunk practically ran out of the room.

  He made his way to where Hulk was casually propped against the wall, scrolling through something on his phone. As if he sensed something wrong, Hulk looked up and met Trunk’s eyes.

  “What’s up?” Hulk asked.

  “You’re on duty,” Trunk told his friend.

  “Okay,” Hulk said with a hint of uncertainty.

  “Keep her safe and nobody goes in that room unless she wants them there. You got it?” Trunk forced out the words as his throat began to close over from the huge lump forming there.

  “I’ll protect her the same way you would.” Hulk dropped his hand on Trunk’s shoulder.

  “Thanks, buddy.” Trunk couldn’t say another word as he stalked out of the hospital to his vehicle.

  He blinked back tears as he drove out of the parking lot and made his way back to Hopedale. Trunk needed to be alone, and he wanted to punch something. Thankfully at his house, he could do both.

  His mother messaged him as soon as he walked into his house, asking how Abbie was doing. He was glad she didn’t call because he couldn’t put any words together. Abbie’s expression gutted him, and he never wanted to see that look on her beautiful face again.

  The one thing that worried him the most was how Abbie would deal with her amnesia. The best thing for him to do was to stay away and let her recover. Once the swelling went down, she would regain her memories and get back to her fiancé again. He’d deal with the pain of watching her marry another man as long as she was alive.

  Trunk slammed his fist over and over into the heavy bag. Every bit of pain and anger going into each punch. Sweat poured down his face as he tried to pulverize the black bag hanging from the beam. All he could hear was Guns and Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle” on repeat, blaring through the earbuds.

  He’d hoped the music and the intense workout would dull the grief of losing Abbie for good, although it hadn’t worked for the last seven years. Trunk also didn’t want to think about what Darren and Claire would say once they found out. Abbie would have to tell them why Trunk wasn’t her security anymore. It shouldn’t bother him. because he didn’t know them well, but they were her parents, and for some reason, he felt drawn to them.

  After almost an hour, Trunk dropped down on the floormat, panting hard. He ripped the earbuds from his ears and flopped back on the floor with his arm draped over his eyes.

  “Glad I’m not that punching bag.” A male voice said.

  Trunk jumped to his feet at the sudden realization he wasn’t alone. His brother chuckled and tossed the towel laying on the chair at Trunk. After he wiped the dripping sweat from his face, he began to remove the wrapping from his hands.

  “How did you get in here?” Trunk asked.

  “It’s nice to see you too, big brother.” Chris chuckled.

  “Sorry, I thought I locked the door when I came home.” Trunk wrapped his brother up in a hug.

  “I love you, Ben, but can you shower before you hug me. You’re sweaty as fuck.” Chris pushed Trunk away.

  “That’s what happens when you work out. You should try it sometime.” Trunk punched his brother in the shoulder as they headed out of the workout room.

  “I work out.” Chris flexed his massive arms.

  His brother was no longer the skinny kid Trunk protected. He was a little shorter than Trunk, but he obviously kept himself in shape. Still, Trunk felt the urge to keep him safe.

  “You keep working at it, and one day you might actually have a muscle on that arm.” Trunk chuckled as he made his way to his bedroom.

  “Fuck you,” Chris shouted.

  By the time Trunk showered and changed, he found Chris on the couch with a beer in his hand. It wasn’t that Trunk didn’t drink, but it was rare, and to see Chris with a beer in his hand brought back bad memories of Jerry.

  “There’s another cold one in your fridge.” Chris held up the bottle.

  “Nah, I’ll stick to water.” Trunk grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and plopped down next to Chris.

  “Still staying away from the bottle?” Chris asked.

  “Don’t see the point of drinking,” Trunk told him.

  “I don’t drink a lot if that’s what you think.” Chris nudged Trunk.

  “I hope not.” Trunk propped his bare feet up on the table.

  They sat watching a hockey game in silence. Trunk didn’t care who was playing or what was on television. It was something to distract him from thoughts of Abbie.

  “So, are you here to stay, or are you going back to Mom’s place?” Trunk asked.

  “I told her I’d spend the night with her, but then I was moving in here. I wanted to drop off my shit instead of leaving it in the car.” Chris pointed to the pile of boxes next to the door.

  “I thought you weren’t coming until next week?” Trunk asked.

  “I needed to get out of there.” Chris shrugged.

  “How are you doing, by the way?” Trunk asked.

  “I’m dealing. I don’t want them dead anymore, so there’s that.” Chris scoffed.

  “That’s progress.” Trunk returned.

  “Mom said your girl is in the hospital.” Chris sipped his beer.

  “She’s not my girl. She’s a friend of my boss’ sister-in-law, and Keith assigned me to her until they find out who attacked her.” Trunk’s shoulders tensed.

  “Mom said some woman told her you and this girl were a couple, or you should be, something like that.” Chris shrugged.

  “Cora,” Trunk grumbled.

  “Yeah, this woman is gifted or some sort of shit.” Chris chuckled.

  “That’s a long story and something you don’t want to know.” Trunk snorted.

  After unloading Chris’ SUV, Trunk grilled two steaks and steamed some vegetables for supper. Shortly before ten, Chris said he’d be heading to his mother’s apartment.

  “You’ve had at least four beers. You aren’t driving.” Trunk snatched the keys out of Chris’ hand.

  “I’m fine. I ate, and I’m not drunk.” Chris tried to take back the keys.

  “You’re not driving. Now either get in my truck, and I’ll bring you back to Mom’s place, or go crawl in the bed in the guest room.” Trunk shoved Chris’ keys in his pocket.

  For a few seconds, Chris stared at Trunk. If his younger brother thought he would give in, then he’d be sadly mistaken. There was no possible way he’d let his brother drive after drinking.

  “Fine, take me back to Mom’s, but you’ll have to get me again tomorrow.” Chris huffed.

  “I don’t have any clients as of today.” Trunk pulled on his jacket.

  Chris must have sensed Trunk’s tension because he simply followed him and hopped in the vehicle. The drive back to
St. John’s was nice, although the late April wind had an icy chill. Trunk still enjoyed the breeze blowing through the open window.

  “It’s fucking freezing.” Chris zipped up his coat.

  “Your blood needs to thicken up a bit,” Trunk teased.

  “It’s April. Shouldn’t the snow be gone by now?” Chris motioned to the small snowbanks on the side of the roads.

  “It’s Newfoundland, not Disneyland. You lived in Nova Scotia. The weather isn’t much different,” Trunk returned.

  By the time they got back to his mother’s, Trunk knew a lot more about what happened between Chris and his ex. It turned out she’d cheated on Chris before, but he’d forgiven her and tried to work it out. This time he couldn’t. She betrayed him with one of his co-workers.

  “I’ve got some shit to do in the morning, but I’ll drop by after lunch to pick you up,” Trunk said.

  “Sounds good. If plans change, then I’ll give you a call.” Chris waved as he made his way into the apartment building.

  Over the next few days, Trunk tried to keep himself busy, so he wouldn’t think about Abbie. It wasn’t easy, and at night he was plagued with dreams of her being hurt or telling him how much she hated him.

  To top it off, the police had no clue who attacked her. The CCTV cameras on the restaurant didn’t get anything because a tree blocked it. They did manage to get a view of Abbie’s car speeding out of the lot but not the person driving. Since Abbie was a close friend of the O’Connors, Trunk knew they weren’t going to let it go.

  Chris moved into the guest room, and Trunk was glad to see his brother was truthful about the amount of drinking he did. Trunk wasn’t against people having a few, but after what they’d seen as kids, it was better if they both stayed away from alcohol.

  Hulk was assigned security duties for Abbie and seemed to think he had to update Trunk on her condition. He called every evening after Abbie went to sleep for the night and her parents left.

  “She’s been quiet tonight. She said she’s fine, but something is bothering her, I can tell. Maybe you should drop by and talk to her. She’s still calling out to you in her sleep,” Hulk told him a week later.

  “Don’t start, Hulk. Any word on when they’re releasing her?” Trunk had to know.