“I’m so sorry you came all the way in, Linc.” She glared up at Ed. “I had no idea that the sheriff called you.”
Ed whistled. “Back to sheriff. Ouch.”
Linc stared down at her with an unreadable look on his face. What was he thinking? That he couldn’t believe how troublesome she was? That he wished he’d never met her?
He strode over to where she was still sitting, then he drew her up and straight into his arms.
“I’ll give you two a minute,” Ed said.
She didn’t even notice the sheriff leaving. She was too engrossed in the feel of Linc holding her tight. He rocked her gently.
“Jesus, teeny. You scared the shit out of me.”
Her eyebrows rose. It was unlike Linc to swear in front of her. But she could hear the fear in his voice. Now she felt even worse.
“You okay? Please tell me you’re okay?”
She was glad for her high-necked sweater. She hadn’t had time to check if there was any evidence of Tiger choking her.
“I’m fine. I promise.”
You should tell him the truth.
“Mostly.”
He growled, tightening his arms around her. “Damn it. Damn it.” He gently let go of her then he arranged the chairs so they faced each other.
“Sit. Please.”
He sat as well, his thighs on either side of hers, trapping her. But she didn’t feel scared. A bit worried maybe. Definitely guilty.
“I’m so sorry, Linc. You shouldn’t have come in. Really. I’m all right.”
“I shouldn’t have?” He raised both eyebrows.
“You look tired. I know you’re busy. I’m so sorry you had to drive all the way in here.”
“That so?” he drawled, giving none of his thoughts away.
“Yes.” She licked her lips. Was he going to say anything more? “Are you okay?”
“Not sure. That’s a loaded question. Tell me, did you have any intention of calling me?”
“Calling you?”
“Yes. Ed said he found you walking along the side of the road, in the dark, no jacket and a backpack on. He said that you were trembling, upset, that clearly something had happened.”
Drat Ed anyway.
“He’s a big old tattletale.”
“Did you just call Ed a tattletale? Marisol, this isn’t a joke. This is serious.”
Oh, she didn’t like him calling her by her full name.
He gave her a stern look. “What were you planning on doing if Ed wasn’t there? Would you have called me then? Or were you planning on walking all the way into town, in the dark and cold? Would you have called me when you got to town? The next morning? At all?”
His voice was cold. Hard. She’d never heard him sound like that. Or look this way. He could be firm. Even stern. But nothing like this.
“You’re angry with me,” she whispered, wringing her hands together. She didn’t like that he was so upset with her. Unlike Rosalind, his anger ran icy cold rather than fiery hot.
She guessed at least he wasn’t yelling at her. She wasn’t sure what she would do if he did that.
“I’m upset with you. Do you know why?”
“Because I didn’t call you? But I was going to call you. I tried to when I was walking towards the road, but my phone was dead.”
He let out a sigh, leaning back in his chair. “Okay, that’s something. I want you to know that you can always call me if you’re in trouble. No matter what the time is or what I’m doing. I’ll drop everything for you, Mari-girl.”
Okay. Wow. That was unexpected.
“The entire drive here all I could think of was the ways you could have been hurt or harmed. It was torture.”
“I’m sorry,” she told him.
“What happened? What made you leave your aunt’s house on foot at night?”
“I’d like to know that as well,” Ed said, walking back into the room.
“She hasn’t told you?” Linc asked him.
“Not exactly. She just keeps telling me that she’s fine. Figured she’d tell you, though.”
Linc leaned forward, staring at her sternly. “You’re going to tell me, aren’t you, Mari-girl?”
Linc studied Marisol. She looked nervous, unsure, frightened. There were some dirt stains on the high-necked sweater she wore. Flyaway bits of hair had escaped from her ponytail. He wanted nothing more than to pull her onto his lap and reassure her that everything would be all right.
However, he needed her to tell him what the hell was going on. Why she’d been wandering along the road at night. Once he got some answers, he could comfort her.
Then he planned on taking her home and never letting her leave.
Mine.
Deep breath, man. You can’t go scaring her with your possessiveness.
Marisol would learn to lean on him. Rely on him. He would be the first person she would call when she was hurt. He didn’t care if it was something serious or a goddamned stubbed toe.
He. Would. Know.
He wasn’t letting her get away from him. And she was going to be grounded for the next year anyway so . . .
Okay, man, ease up. She doesn’t even know what you are yet. Or about any of this. And she didn’t agree to any of your punishments or rules.
But still . . . the thought of keeping her ass inside his house for the next year was all that was stopping him from losing it. He was usually much more even-tempered. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d skated the edge of control like this.
Then again, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d cared about someone as much as he did her.
She was precious. And she needed to know that.
Marisol took a small breath. Her eyes were wide. Filled with fear. What the fuck?
“Marisol? You okay, sweetheart?” Ed asked as he sat across from them.
Linc shot him a look. He’d seen the way Ed watched her. Knew the other man was interested in her, even though Linc had made it clear to Ed that she was his.
No way would he lose Marisol to someone else. That wouldn’t happen again.
He liked Ed. But he’d take that fucker down if he tried to move in on what belonged to Linc.
“Teeny, look at me. Teeny,” he repeated firmly when she lowered her gaze to her lap.
She raised her eyes to his.
“Good girl,” he praised her, watching as some of the tension in her shoulders drifted away. “Hold my hands.” She reached out with trembling hands. He took them in his. “That’s it. Now take a nice, slow deep breath for me. That’s it. Slowly in. Squeeze my hands if you need to. Good girl. Calm, deep breaths. Nothing is going to hurt you. I’m here. Nothing is getting past me to you. I promise.”
He kept his voice firm but calm. She needed calm right now. He knew that deep down she was strong. She might not see it, but he did. In the way she coped with her diabetes, with her aunt, the constant moves and upheaval. She was obviously shy, found it hard to be around a lot of people yet she got up every morning and did her job.
He hated that he had no idea of what had happened tonight. Even though things were busy with Clint away, he should have made more time for her. Phone calls and text messages were obviously not enough.
“You can’t promise that. You don’t know what they’re like,” she told them both. She slid her hands from Linc’s and he immediately felt the loss of her skin pressed against his. Warming him from the inside out.
“The Devil’s Sinners?” Ed asked. “Did one of them threaten you? Hurt you?”
“The Devil’s Sinners?” Linc said sharply. “They were just on the news, right? All that shit with some of their leaders going missing and their headquarters set on fire?”
“Yeah, that’s right.” Ed rubbed his chin. “I was headed to Marisol’s aunt’s house because of a noise complaint. There’s a gathering of Devil’s Sinners members at her aunt’s house.”
“Fuck! Did one of them hurt you?”
She shook her head, looking pale and s
cared. He fucking hated it.
“When I got home from work tonight, the driveway was filled with cars and motorcycles. My aunt usually warns me when they’re coming around so I can make myself scarce. Or hide in my room. Generally I try to leave though. Sticking around isn’t safe.”
Linc ground his teeth together. Jesus. Fucking. Christ. What was her aunt thinking?
“Why isn’t it safe, Marisol?” Ed asked in a calm voice.
Do not lose it. Calm. Be calm. She needs you calm now. You can’t lose it on her.
“They’re not good people.”
He hated that. So much. Hated that she’d been exposed to them.
“You said she normally warns you. This happens often?” Ed asked.
“The parties? No, not that often, thank God. But her boyfriend comes around a lot. She’s been with him for years. Even through her last two marriages. They’re getting married now. His son told me that he’d now be my brother. That he was going to be . . . to be in charge of me.” Her voice broke on a sob.
“What the fuck?” Linc spat out, hating how pale she’d grown. In charge of her? Who was this prick? Linc fought the urge to drive out to her aunt’s place and hunt this fucker down.
The fear on her face gutted him.
“Marisol? Did he hurt you? Is that what happened tonight?” Ed leaned forward again.
Linc held himself very still. He wasn’t sure what he would do if she said that somebody had harmed her.
Kill them all.
Jesus. He’d never felt like this at all in his life. Not even when he learned of Jessica and Jon’s betrayal. Sure, he’d been fucking furious. But he hadn’t wanted to tear Jon to pieces and then roast his limbs on a firepit.
“Linc? Are you okay?” she asked.
He stared down at her in amazement. She was worried about him right now?
You’re not taking care of her the way she needs.
Leaning in, he cupped the side of her face. “Hey, you don’t need to be worrying about me right now.”
She bit her lower lip and he reached down and freed it from her teeth then rubbed his thumb along her full bottom lip. Shit. If Ed wasn’t in the room, if she wasn’t so upset, he’d likely feed her his thumb and order her to suck. Then he’d take her mouth with his.
But Ed is here. So he drew his thumb away from her mouth.
“You seem really upset.”
“I am. But that’s not your concern. It’s not your worry. Your job right now is to tell me what happened so I know best how to protect you.”
And protect her he would.
Ed cleared his throat. “Tell us what happened so we can protect you.”
Linc shot him another look. He should know that Linc was riding the edge of his temper. He didn’t want to push him over. “She’s mine to protect.”
Ed held up his hands. “Not arguing that point. Just saying, I do wear the badge in this room. My job is literally to protect. You wanna let me do that?”
If he had to.
Linc gave a nod. He turned to Marisol who was watching them with wide eyes. “Don’t worry about me, teeny. Just answer our questions honestly, okay? Give it all to me . . . to us, we’ll take care of you.”
She swallowed heavily. “Okay.”
“Marisol, what happened to make you run?” Ed asked.
14
Marisol took in a deep breath. She didn’t want to talk about this. Her head was pounding. She just wanted to curl up with her snuggly and Princess Nana and sleep.
Although the likelihood of her sleeping tonight wasn’t good.
“Um, I guess I have to start further back than tonight. Back to that same night as when I went out to the ranch for Charlie’s bridal shower. And you caught me speeding.” She blushed as she looked at Ed.
Linc let out a low growl. “That won’t be happening again.”
She had to admit, she kind of liked this dominant, bossy side of him. She wouldn’t want it all the time. Sometimes she needed softness. But she liked knowing that someone cared whether she was hurt or not.
“When I got home, I noticed his truck in the garage, my aunt’s boyfriend.” She rubbed at her temples.
“Do you need a drink? Some pain medication?” Ed asked with concern.
“Um, no.”
“Get her some water,” Linc demanded.
Ed just stared at him. They got into some alpha male stare down and she held her breath.
“Please,” Linc bit out but didn’t let his gaze drop. Ed nodded and rose, leaving the room.
Linc took her hand in his, placing his fingers over her pulse. “Are you okay? Have you eaten recently? Do you need to take your blood sugar levels?”
She looked at the clock.
“I checked my blood sugar before I left work. I usually have a snack before bed.”
He nodded. “I’ll make sure you have something before bed tonight.”
She could take care of herself. She’d been doing it for years. Pretty much from the day that Harry told Rosalind to get out.
But she didn’t argue with him. She was tired. Exhausted. It was so hard to constantly be on guard. To never know when the person who was meant to love her might turn on her. Rosalind’s emotions were up and down on a good day. On a bad day. . . well, it was hard to live with someone when you never knew how they might react. Unpredictable was her norm. And then there were the other dangers lurking. Saber and Tiger. The Devil’s Sinners.
Ed returned with a bottle of water for each of them. Her hands shook as she tried to open hers. Without a word, Linc reached out and took it, unscrewing the top for her.
“Thank you,” she said quietly as she sipped from it.
Both men waited for her to finish but she knew they had to be getting impatient. She had to get this out. Now.
“Like I said, my aunt has been with her boyfriend for the past few years. He’s a creep. But a smart creep. Cold. Calculating.”
She shivered as though cold. Linc pulled off his jacket immediately and put it around her.
“We need to get you a jacket, teeny,” he told her.
“I’ve been meaning to go to Goodwill to get one.”
Linc muttered something she couldn’t hear.
Ed cleared his throat. “What happened, sweetheart?”
Linc glared at him, and she was unsure why. But it didn’t matter. There was a lot she didn’t understand. Especially when it came to men.
“That night, I came home and found my aunt and him in the house, and they were, um . . .” She could feel herself blushing at the memory. “Anyway, I wasn’t paying enough attention. I walked into my bedroom and there he was, sitting on my bed, holding my eReader.” She swallowed hard, her heartbeat speeding up. “He seems to take delight in terrifying me. I’ve had run-ins with him a few times. But never in my room. He . . . he was saying how my aunt marrying his dad would mean that I was under his control. That when that happened, he wasn’t going to let me out of his bedroom for a good long time.”
“Fucking hell. That fucking asshole.” Linc stood suddenly, making her shy back. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. His hands, which had been clenched into fists at his sides, gradually loosened and he stared down at her with regret. “Sorry, teeny. I didn’t mean to scare you. I hope you know that I would never hurt you.”
He reached out to touch her face then pulled back before touching her. She hated that. That she’d made him hesitate. Quickly, she grabbed hold of his hand, holding on tight.
“I know you wouldn’t. Sorry, I didn’t mean to flinch. It’s just that talking about this has brought it all up. It’s close to the surface and I just reacted without thinking.”
“I get it. Christ. Please tell me he didn’t touch you,” he begged.
She ran a shaky hand over her hair, tugging at her ponytail. “Not like that. He grabbed my wrist. Hard.”
“The bandage, that’s what it was covering?” He glanced down at her wrist. The bruises had finally healed. “Why didn’t you tell me
the truth?”
“I didn’t know you that well, and then once I did know you better and I realized how protective you are . . . he’s dangerous, Linc.”
“You didn’t think I could protect you?” He almost sounded hurt and she flinched.
“I don’t know what he’s capable of. And I didn’t want you to feel like you had to protect me.”
“Damn it, Marisol.”
“I’ve never had a friend before,” she whispered. “I didn’t want to scare you off.”
“What sort of friend would I be if I ran at the first sign of trouble?” he countered.
Ed cleared his throat. “Can you keep going, Marisol?”
“Yes. I’m not sure what would have happened if we weren’t interrupted by his dad banging on my bedroom door.” She took in a shuddering breath. “They had to go because there was some trouble with some of their guys. He threw my eReader that’s how it broke. Then he said he would be back.”
Linc started pacing up and down the office. She stared at him for a moment then over at Ed.
“You didn’t think to report this?” Ed asked.
“All he did was bruise my wrist and make some vague threats. It wasn’t anything his lawyer couldn’t argue against,” she told him dully. Her head was really thumping now. And she was worried about Linc’s reaction. “Besides, you know how I feel about cops.”
“So I take it they were at the party?”
“Yeah, they were. That was my mistake . . . I should have left before now.”
“Left?” Linc strode over and sat back in his chair. “What do you mean? That you should have left your aunt’s? You certainly should have. Christ, I can’t believe you stayed there when they could turn back up at any time.”
“I stayed because of you,” she cried.
“Me? What do you mean?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. It wasn’t just you. It’s this town. I like it here. It’s so peaceful. Most of the people are nice. Then there’s you. I’ve never had a friend or a boyfriend.” She blushed slightly. “Your texts and calls are the highlight of my day. I didn’t want to leave you.”
“So you were planning on leaving town?” Ed asked.
Daddy in Cowboy Boots (Montana Daddies Book 9) Page 12
