by KJ Dahlen
“Good for you.” Judge nodded his pride at her resistance.
She shrugged and continued with her story, “After the fire, I went into hiding for a while. I didn’t know what happened that night or why but I knew it wasn’t safe for me to be out and about. I found an abandoned cabin out in the boonies and I stayed there for a few days. Then I knew I had to find a job. I knew not everyone would hire me but that didn’t mean I didn’t try. I washed dishes and cleaned tables in a diner for a while, then Luke saw me working and harassed me so much I lost that job. I moved on to become a stock person in the supermarket and I had that job for a few months before Luke found me again. He spoke to the manager and I lost that job as well. After that, no one in town would hire me. That’s when I met Danny.”
“Who’s Danny?’ he asked in a low voice.
Sage smiled as she remembered the older man who had taught her so much. “Danny Westin. He had the food cart off Benton street. He’d been watching me for a while and told me he’d heard the threats Luke had been spreading to the businesses about how bad a risk I was to hire.” She chuckled a bit. “Danny had a hatred for Luke and his father.”
“His father?” Judge frowned.
Sage nodded. “Luke is the son of Nelson Nichols, our illustrious Mayor. This town’s biggest liar and cheat in history.”
Judge just raised an eyebrow at her statement. Nelson Nichols ran this town. Nothing happened here that he didn’t have his fingers into. When Raine had suggested they go into construction business, the boys had gotten to know the true facts of the behind the scenes boy’s club Nelson ran. They had to run the gambit of overpaying taxes and set up costs, costs that they considered bribes to Nelson’s friends and the city council. With a wink, wink and nod, nod... they had gotten their permits and licenses to do their jobs but this situation could put all that into jeopardy.
“Anyway, Danny took me under his wing, he taught me how to cook and how to avoid the trouble spots in town. He made sure I was safe on the streets. Working under him, I was able to save enough money to get my own food cart. He made sure I got the permits and licenses I needed and that I passed inspection. When I began working on my own, Danny retired. He told me he was tired but he didn’t feel he could retire until he had someone to take over for him.” Sage shook her head. “He was so full of shit sometimes you didn’t know if you could take his word for truth or not.” She chuckled. “After he retired, he bought a small hobby farm just outside of Troy and began raising miniature goats. That was three years ago. I took over his business and have been doing ok since then.”
“What happened this time?” he asked.
Sage shrugged. “From time to time, Luke and his friends come looking for me, I don’t know why. Maybe they get bored? I try to stay out of their way but he just can’t leave well enough alone. He thinks he has reason to hate me and just when I think things are getting better, then he comes looking for me and usually finds me.”
“Why does he have a reason to hate you?”
Sage turned her head slowly to stare at him.
He saw her eyes turn cold.
“You’ll have to ask him that question,” she muttered.
Judge didn’t say anything for a long time. He just sat there, holding her, digesting the information she told him. Glancing at the back of her head, he noted the haircut his mom had given her. It was better than the ragged edges she’d had before but it wasn’t how he remembered her to be.
He’d loved her long hair. It was always pulled back revealing the clean angles of her face and neck. This shorter version didn’t look too bad but it wasn’t her. It was then he noticed the wound on her neck. The edges of the cut were jagged and red but at least the wound was clean now. That cut must have been what caused the bleeding he’d seen before.
The cut was scabbing over and the bleeding had stopped but the cut still marred her pale skin.
“You’ve told me this isn’t the first time this has happened, but I can guarantee it will be the last time,” Judge vowed. Leaning closer to her ear he whispered, “You belong to me now and nobody messes with what’s mine.”
Sage shivered as she felt his hot breath on her neck. Belong to him? She paused. Confused at the certainty in his voice. Why did he say this? She’d never had someone that cared for her. Old Danny did but he was like a father. A father she never had. This, though...This was different.
Chapter Four
A tear rolled down Sage’s cheek but she wouldn’t brush it away. For a moment, she felt frozen when she heard him lay claim to her. All her life, no one had wanted her and now it was too late to even have something like that. Closing her eyes, she hated to burst his bubble but the reality of her situation was she couldn’t belong to anyone, least of all this man. Trouble could come to his whole family. It had been bad enough for her, let alone have other people hurt. That was why she had been relieved when Danny retired and moved. But that didn’t do him any good either.
“Please don’t lay claim to me,” she whispered. “I’m simply not worth the effort.”
Judge tightened his hold on her. “The fuck you say,” he whispered in her ear. Then he twisted her around and before she could do more than straddle his hips, his mouth was on hers. This kiss wasn’t gentle or kind, instead it was hard and wild.
His tongue pushed its way inside her mouth and the heat from the kiss melted her heart. She groaned as the blood rushed through her veins. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she brought her body closer to his, almost as if she wanted to melt right into him.
Judge groaned and deepened the kiss, his tongue thrusting deeper into her mouth as his hands roamed her back all the way down to her ass. Then they slipped under the lace of her panties and they both groaned as he felt the smooth roundness of her globes, his fingers seeking out the heat of her core.
Before he could reach it, he had to break the kiss and laying his forehead on hers he whispered, “You do belong to me and I’m claiming you. Never doubt that for a moment.”
Sage tried to slow her breathing and her heartbeat as she studied his eyes. When she saw he was serious, she gulped hard. “Ok,” she whispered back, not knowing what else to say.
He wrapped her in a hug and when she grunted in pain, he let her go. Looking into her eyes, he noted the pain registered there. He closed his eyes briefly then opened them to find her staring back at him. “I’m sorry baby, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
She smiled shyly. “That’s ok.” She licked her bottom lip. “Can we kiss again?” She had loved the kiss. She never thought a kiss could be like that.
Judge smiled. “Oh, yeah.” He leaned closer and ravished her mouth again. Before he could get carried away, he broke the kiss and sighed. “Woman, you’re too tempting. Before this gets out of hand, we have to talk to my family about protecting you.”
It was Sage’s turn to groan. “I don’t want to talk to anyone else. They can’t stop this and if they butt in, they will only get hurt.” She swallowed hard. “I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”
Frowning, Judge leaned forward and whispered in her ear, “Who else has gotten hurt?”
Sage opened her eyes and tears rolled down her cheeks. She felt sick at having to voice her fears and tell someone the truth. “I have a feeling it was Luke who gave my mom enough drugs to kill her and one day, I went out to check on Danny and found his barn burned to the ground. The fire department found a body inside. What they couldn’t tell me is if it was Danny or not. That was six months ago.” Hanging her head she blurted out, “The coroner told me he thought whoever this guy was had been beaten to death and that the fire covered a lot of sins. But with no witnesses to either the beating or the fire, no one can say what really happened.” She grasped his arms and shook them. “That’s why I don’t want you to get involved in my problems! You or your family. Your company runs a business and if Luke finds a connection between you and me, he’ll ruin you.”
Judge shook his head. “He can’t touch us.”
> Sage stared into his eyes. “You don’t know how low he will go. His father is the mayor and he isn’t above corruption either. In fact, I don’t doubt that Nelson Nichols is ruining this city, him and his network of good old boys. Not much happens around this town without someone getting kickbacks or under the table payments. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree in that family.” She bit her lip again. “I just don’t want to cause any trouble.”
Judge got to his feet and set her down on her own feet. “Baby, my daddy taught me and my brothers three rules, he taught me to be true to my word because that was the measure of a man. He also taught us to always protect your woman and your family. Put them in front of everyone else and lastly, to stand your ground and if you believe in something never back down or people will run all over you.”
Sage pursed her own lips. “Yeah well, my daddy never taught me anything. But to be fair, neither did my mother.”
“Speaking of mothers, mine is waiting for you.” Judge ushered her toward the door. Before they reached it, he paused then looked at her. “My family needs to hear your story, all of your story. You can’t keep secrets from us, secrets have a way of coming back at you but know one thing... None of us will judge you, not even a little. No one is perfect and we all have problems from time to time. No one deserves the life you’ve had and know no one will ever hurt you again.”
“I’ll try, I really will try but there are some things that I have no clue about.” She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “I hate gossip and I hate liars even more. Whatever Luke believes is no concern of mine. I’ve gotten by all my life without knowing who fathered me but he was never in my life and I don’t want him in it now.”
Judge studied her demeaner but didn’t ask the question burning in his mind. He wanted her to trust him enough to tell him on her own. She might not know it yet but that kiss they shared sealed her fate and his. He knew when their lips met that this was the woman for him. It was crazy, yes. But he just knew this. He would protect her and keep her with him.
When they went out into the living room it was filled with more than just the Moore family. Judge stiffened when he saw Deke and Sam sitting at his table. Looking around, he also saw Mountain, Bowie and Iceman sitting on his sofa. All the big men were here. The men who could rage a war and win it.
Deke got slowly to his feet and studied Sage for a moment, noting the bruises and her limping then he nodded at the others before he turned to Judge and asked, “What happened to her?”
Judge raised an eyebrow at his question. “Ask her yourself. She can speak for herself you know.”
Deke nodded. “I know that but as your dad said you’ve claimed her, so I didn’t want to show you disrespect.”
“I appreciate that man, but she can speak for herself.” Judge stood close beside her.
Deke swung his eyes to Sage. Taking a moment to look her over carefully he asked, “I’m Deke and this is Sam. Who did this to you and why?”
“Who did this and why is my business isn’t it?” Sage met his gaze head on.
“Darlin,” Sam drawled. He didn’t give Judge’s glare a thought as he looked at the girl in front of him. “We aren’t looking for trouble, but trouble always seems to find you doesn’t it?” Holding up his hand, he quieted down the growls coming from the group as a whole. “Now that’s not a bad thing but it is a thing. The whole town knows your story or their version of the story around you. We need to know the truth if we’re going to protect you.”
~*~
Shaking inside, Sage never looked down. She’d been bullied her whole life and she was sick of backing down. These men could tear her apart if she gave into them and she’d be damned if she would.
Sage turned her head and studied Sam sitting at the table who’d just called her darlin’. He was older than the rest of them but he looked much more dangerous. The man had a certain look in his eyes that seemed to show he took no shit. His arms looked strong enough and he certainly had the ink on his arms but there was a look that was so much more. He was not a man she’d want to cross, but then none of them were.
Inhaling deeply, her ribs screaming in protest she faced him. “If you know my story then you know you can’t protect me. This...” She motioned up and down her own bruised and battered body. “This is my cross to bear and if you try to stop it, the powers that be in Troy will run you out of town or make you wish you’d never gotten involved with me.”
“Why is that?” Sam asked.
“Because Luke Nichols thinks he’s got a reason to hate everything I am.”
“Did you do something to the prick?” Deke asked.
Sage rolled her yes. “I exist and for him that’s enough of a reason.”
“Why is that?” one of the men, a very large man grumbled.
Sage turned slowly and studied the man in question. He was bigger than most and older than everyone in the room. At least his white hair claimed age but his eyes were twinkling and he looked ready to accept the challenge of her.
He nodded his head at her. “Name’s Mountain.”
Yes, she could see why he went by that name. “You’ll have to ask him that yourself, Mountain,” she replied.
“I’m asking you.” He growled.
She shrugged but didn’t say anything.
“Does this sort of thing happen often?” Deke wanted to know and break the tension that was growing in the room.
“It’s happened before,” Sage admitted nervously. “Luke never liked me in school and now he’s taking it to the next level.”
“When did it escalate into something like this?” Deke asked.
“Luke thinks he’s entitled to do whatever he wants in this town because his father is the mayor. He skated by in school, pushing people around, knowing no one would report him or make him behave and he hasn’t changed now that he’s an adult. He’s a bully.” She shrugged. “I don’t go looking for him, in fact I try to go out of my way to avoid him and his friends but every once in a while he finds me.”
“Not what I asked, little girl.” Deke glared at her.
Sage swung her gaze to him. Staring into his eyes, she informed him and everyone else in the room, “When did he start beating on me, is that what you want to know? Well, the first time it happened was just after I buried my mother. He would have been seventeen back then. I was sixteen. He broke into the trailer and I knew he was gonna be trouble. He was drunk and loud and I had no clue what was going on. He and his friends began ransacking the place. They broke what could break and one of them held me down while the rest did it. I never had very much but after that visit what I did have, was gone.” She glared at Deke for a moment then a tear ran down her face. “My neighbors all knew what was going on, they could hear his yelling and screaming and you know what? Not one of those bastards came to my door to help me or even to find out what was going on. My landlord came over the next day and doubled my rent then handed me a bill for the damage Luke and his buddies did the night before. He told me I could offset the damages with the same deal he had with my mom. Instead, I packed what little I had left and I left.”
“What happened after that?” Mountain asked.
“They came back the next night and burned the trailer down to the ground. I was sleeping in the nearby park when the sirens woke me up. I saw the smoke and heard the commotion, so I went to see what was going on. Luke and his friends were standing in the shadows and I knew what they’d done. They came back looking for more trouble and I wasn’t there, so they burned me out.”
“Did the police ever do anything to them?” Deke asked.
Sage let out a cold laugh. “Really? You have to ask me that question? How long have you guys lived here anyway?”
Judge wrapped his arm around her shoulder and whispered in her ear, “Don’t get rude baby. Deke and Sam can’t stand rude.”
She turned her head and stared at Deke. “You’re that MC President, right? So you’ve been here a while now, you know how this town works. Nelso
n Nichols has been mayor for the last fifteen years. He’s got his good ole boys network all set up and he works the angles doesn’t he? He’s got everyone and I mean everyone under his thumb. I don’t know how you guys haven’t been run out of town yet but I hear the rumors. I know he’s tried to push you out and you just won’t go. People on the street look to you to balance the books so Nichols won’t own everything, but his network is in place and the police protect Luke and his friends.”
“Did you at least finish school?” Sam asked.
“No, I didn’t even try,” Sage admitted. “I had to find a place to live and get a job that would support me. Mom left nothing but bills behind and I couldn’t pay them. Somewhere out there is a dealer still looking for his pay. I lived under the radar for about a year then Luke found me again.” Brushing back a strand of her hair she went on, “I’d found Danny by then and he was teaching me how to survive on my own.”
“Who’s Danny?” Deke frowned.
“Danny Westin,” Judge answered. “He ran a food cart around town. She took over when he retired.”
Deke glanced over at his dad and Sam nodded. “We know Danny’s story. I was sorry when he died. The cops never did find out what happened that night. They said he must have been overcome by smoke trying to get his goats out of the barn as it burned.”
Sage shook her head. “If you think that, then you don’t know a lot.”
Deke stared at her. “What’s that supposed to mean? Do you know something different?”
Sage nodded. “I asked the coroner and he told me Danny had been beaten to death and the fire was set to cover his death. It wasn’t that much of a stretch to figure out what happened.”
“Why didn’t you go to the police?” Sam demanded.