by Kristy Marie
Please tell me he didn’t just rob the place.
I break into a run, attempting to intercept him. I’m not sure what’s going on but he’s not escaping without an explanation.
“Lieutenant!” I shout, running behind him. My body screams in pain from the hours of manual labor I’ve put in, but I catch up easily, fighting through the discomfort. Snagging Lawson’s arm, he pulls to a halt. His eyes are wide with… excitement? It’s hard to tell as he tries to pull free of my grasp.
“Hurry, Major. He’s coming.”
I stand firm, not allowing Lawson to move me from the scene. If he robbed the place, then he’s about to give all that shit back. I am not going to be an accomplice to a crime.
“What did you do?”
He looks at me then at a man charging from the doorway, a small redhead hot on his heels.
“It’s not what it looks like.” He’s pleading for me to run but I can’t.
I can’t allow him to rob these people.
Lawson tries to shake free once more. “Please, sir. Please, run.”
I eye the man charging at us with unbridled rage. I can be calm. I can handle this situation.
The older gentleman approaches. I push Lawson behind me and hold my hands up in surrender. “Sir. What’s the problem?”
He grits his tooth, and I say tooth loosely since several are missing in the front. “Get out of my way. I have no beef with you. Yet.”
I nod, trying to buy us some time. “I realize that, sir. I’m sure we can handle this civilly.”
The redhead finally catches up. She’s out of breath and barefoot.
Ah, shit. Did Lawson fuck this dude’s girl?
I look back and cut Lawson a look, a guilty expression on his face saying all it needs.
“Get out of my way, boy!” The man yells at me and charges.
Wild-eyed, the redhead screams, “No! Run, Lawson!”
The man turns, grabbing the girl. He shakes her, hard. “Get your whoring ass back to the house!”
Lawson pushes against me trying to get to her. The man has absolutely no self-preservation. “I got this, Laws,” I mumble. Then I speak louder to the angry gentleman, “Look, we don’t have to call any names. I’m sure there is a reasonable explanation for all of this.”
He points a meaty finger at Lawson. “He fucked my wife!”
The redhead cries and Lawson attempts to step around me, but I block him with my body. I need to handle this situation before it spirals out of control.
“I’m really sorry. I can’t change what happened but I can assure you that it won’t happen again.” I smile to diffuse the situation but it only serves to anger him more. Lawson scoffs behind me and the guy loses it.
He charges and takes both me and Lawson to the ground. “I’m going to fucking kill you!”
I’m dodging blow after blow, trying to stay in between Lawson and this crazy man. He lands a punch to my ribs. It stings but luckily it doesn’t break anything. I try to flip over and take control but this fucker is strong.
“We can talk about this.” I try to deflect, but a punch to my mouth stops any further talk. Lawson is caught under me, trying to push me off so he can get at this prick. Before he can, the guy screams, clutching his side. He rolls off me, moaning in pain. I look up and see that it’s the angel of shit himself. Theo.
He’s standing over us with a bat and a scowl. I can’t decide if I’m happy to see him or pissed off that he had to save me. He catches me looking and flashes an arrogant smile. I’m definitely pissed he had to intervene.
“Okay, now. Fun’s over. Only I get to punch Cade.”
I roll my eyes, pulling myself into a seated position. Lawson springs up and tries to reach for the woman who still hasn’t stopped crying.
Theo points the bat at Lawson’s chest. “Sit down, playboy.” He looks to the redhead next. “Sweetheart, why don’t you grab Grandpa and hustle it back to the house.”
The girl stops crying long enough to glare at Theo. “You, bast—”
Theo holds the bat up, cutting her off. “Now, now, that’s no way to say thank you.” He takes a step closer, crowding her. “Don’t be a bitch. Take Gramps back to the house; maybe give him a little head for having to chase your ass down the block.”
Lawson is at Theo’s back before I can grab him. “Don’t fucking talk to her like that!”
Theo turns slowly, a sneer on his face. Without warning, he swings the bat, knocking Lawson to the ground. Then Theo’s on the ground, fisting Lawson’s shirt, coming nose to nose. “If you ever pull some shit like this again, I will let the fucker kill you. Got it?”
Lawson nods solemnly.
“Now, get up!” He slams Lawson back onto the ground before turning to look at me.
I’m frozen. I’ve never seen Theo like this.
“Get him and let’s go. I’m in no mood to lie to Anniston about why your face is messed up. You’re on your own with explaining it to her.”
I nod, helping Lawson to his feet. The chick sniffles as we leave but helps her husband up, leading him to their house.
Theo has tucked the bat and without another word, heads to his car.
“Hey, Theo.”
He turns with an annoyed look.
“Thanks.” He really saved my ass today.
“I didn’t do it for you.”
Of course not. He did it for her. At the moment, I’m grateful for whatever reason. Lawson steps up beside me watching as Theo and Hayes drive away, rubbing at his ribs.
“I hope you have a really good explanation for this,” I bite, glancing down at the blooming welt on my arm.
Clearing his throat, his lips pulled down in a frown, Lawson nods. “You’re right, we need to talk.”
I’ve got a sinking feeling shit’s about to get real.
“Poison ivy? Seriously?” Cade flops down beside me, his expression horrified, but also relieved that Hayes didn’t have some mutant STD. “How the hell did he get poison ivy down there?” He reclines his legs over the armrest, forcing a scowling Theo over in the process. Beer in hand, he takes a long pull from his Corona, sighing into the neck of the bottle.
That’s odd, Cade only drinks on rare occasions. Long day, I guess. He’s been holed up with Lawson for the past three hours after they got back from work.
Theo snorts out a laugh at Cade’s ridiculous question before I have the opportunity to answer.
“Cade, stop me if I lose you.”
Oh, hell, here we go.
“Hayes,” Theo motions out the window, “had some chick grinding down on his dick in the middle of the woods. Those of us who aren’t prudes call it fucking.” Theo’s smile clearly reflects that he disapproves of Cade’s abstinent lifestyle.
I elbow him, needing him to rein it in before an all-out brawl ensues, but Cade beats me to it and stands, taking an intimidating step forward. Theo doesn’t budge from his place on the sofa. Instead, he stays cool, his leg bouncing across his knee with a smug-ass smile that turns to a glare in seconds.
Locked in a stare-off, ripping each other to shreds with their scathing expressions, I intervene, pushing at Theo’s chest, encouraging him to relax and knock it off as Cade settles down, retaking his vacated spot. These two have a hair-trigger of a temper today. “By the way, how was your community service?”
“Fine,” they both say in unison, eyes still locked on each other.
I know good and darn well something went down. The purple discolorations on Cade’s arm and face are not from a fall he took off a ladder today, no matter what he tells me. Neither are the bruises on his ribs. I know what fist marks look like.
What confuses me is Lawson has a couple bruises, too. He wouldn’t allow me to look as he stormed up the stairs and slammed the door, Cade hot on his heels. Lawson hasn’t come out of his room since.
I look back and forth at the men glaring death rays at each other from their opposite ends of the sofa.
“What’s going on with you two? W
hat happened today?”
Cade breaks first, taking another swig of his beer before answering. “Lawson lied.”
My mouth falls open. “What do you mean, he lied? About what, exactly?”
Cade swallows thickly as Theo scoffs behind my back.
“Well,” he sighs, scrubbing his hand along his five o’clock shadow. “Lawson is different from the rest of us.”
Cade’s cryptic sentences are wearing down my nerves and pissing me off by the syllable. “Just spit it out, Cade.”
Cade nods solemnly as Theo chuckles at his scolding. “Lawson isn’t a druggie like we thought.”
My head cocks to the side as I encourage him to continue.
“He was fucked up when we found him, yes—” He takes another long pull from his beer. “—but, not under the circumstances we thought. He was undercover, trying to find a kidnapped girl. Nicole is her name.”
“He’s a cop?”
Shaking his head, Cade looks to Theo for help.
Theo laughs incredulously, “Don’t look at me. I told y’all to stop adopting these strays.”
I pinch the side of his leg, in no mood for his bullshit I told you so’s.
“He’s not a cop. He’s a marine. His term was up four months ago. Apparently, he intercepted a call six months ago while trying to call out to his family. He got Nicole, the woman he found today in the subdivision we were working in. She told him she needed help—”
“Why didn’t you help her?” I cut him off, up and ready to grab my keys to go help this poor girl, except Theo holds me close in hug, restraining me.
“I didn’t know at the time she needed help. Besides, I need to investigate this more. I can’t just go running off, snatching random women from their home just because Lawson said so. So far, he hasn’t been very honest with us. Anyway, Lawson has been tracking this man for four months, finally gathering enough intel to track his drug supplier. That’s why he was high when we found him. But he doesn’t have a problem like we suspected.”
My mind spins with this new information. Lawson let us believe he was an addict in need of refuge. I can’t decide if I’m pissed or impressed that he would go to any lengths to get this guy.
“Why hasn’t he gone to the police with this information?”
Cade lips purse a moment. “He says Lou’s—the guy who kidnapped Nicole—brother is the sheriff. Lawson thinks he may be dirty, too, helping Lou smuggle women out of the state.”
Did I hear him right? Did he say smuggle? What the ever-loving fuck. “Come again?”
Cade sighs. “You heard me; Lawson thinks he and his brother are part of a sex trafficking ring.”
“No fucking way! In Madison? I don’t believe it.”
Cade shrugs, chugging the last of his Corona. “I don’t know but we need to look into it before Lawson does something crazy, like go after this guy on his own.”
I agree, my finger slipping in between my teeth. Theo swats it down, a knowing smile on his face. He arches a brow. “Are you biting your nails?”
I wave him away. “I was not.”
Giving him a little shove to the chest, he pulls away and flashes me a playful grin. “Enough of this Debbie Downer shit. I’m horny talking about all this sex slave stuff.”
Theo springs from the sofa and drops to his knees in front of me. Yanking my lower body off the sofa, he throws my legs over his shoulders, biting and nipping at my inner thigh. I squeal, fighting to get upright again, but he’s too powerful.
“What’d ya say, Ans. Wanna pretend to be my sex slave? Beg me to let you come on my face?”
His grip tightens, and I’m at his mercy in seconds. He tugs at my leggings, inching them past my thighs. Is he seriously about to eat me out right here in front of Cade?
“Theo,” I giggle, fighting his death grip on my hips. “Cade is here!”
“Oh, I think your pet needs to learn how to please a woman. How to make her scream when she rides your face to oblivion.”
Cade rises from the sofa, his cheeks crimson. “You’re a real piece of work,” he says as he passes behind Theo.
Theo winks at me above my leggings, which are now at my knees. He pulls them lower slowly, all the while tracking Cade out the door. When Cade disappears, he yanks them back up.
“I thought he would never leave.” He plops down on the sofa, burrowing down in the cushions. “Want to watch that movie I recorded the other day?”
“What about Lawson? We need to deal with the situation.”
“Lawson, Shmawson. Who cares? He’s been tracking this girl for months. He now knows where she is. What’s one more day? Besides, Cade has no life. I bet he runs to his office and starts researching right now. Problem solved.” He shrugs, proud of himself. “Now, do you want to watch that movie or not?”
I chuckle, catching onto his tactic to get Cade out. “That sounds very domestic of you, Von Bremen.”
He smiles, shrugging those million-dollar shoulders. “I kinda like being domestic with you, McCallister. The buffet of sex opportunities is worth putting up with your terrible taste in roommates.”
Scoffing, I try and fail to look offended at his comment. He laughs it off, drawing me down to his chest and hits play on the remote. For once in a very long time, I put everyone else’s issues aside and enjoy the simplicity of just being with Theo.
The farmers market is filled with chaos tonight. People are everywhere stocking up on fresh fruits and vegetables along with custom jewelry and homemade home decor. I love the farmers market. The quaint little section just off West Main Street is gorgeous with its country beauty. Tall, old oaks that have grown along the sidewalks for years stand imposed and strong, providing shade for the market’s customers.
Cade has been busy researching with Lawson, both only coming out of Cade’s office to eat and workout. I’m trying not to worry about poor Nicole. I know Cade wouldn’t let anything happen to her. But I can’t help the betrayal I feel by my sheriff, by my town, that has supported such a heinous act. Sex trafficking? I’ve only ever heard of that shit in the movies. Who would have thought we would have participants here.
Distracted, I shuffle through the stands, admiring a burlap bracelet with a handcrafted wooden bead.
“Can I help you with something?” A petite woman with an English accent steps out from behind her booth with a genuine smile.
“This is gorgeous. Do you have more charms? Say maybe a baseball?”
She chuckles, wiping her hands on the white apron around her waist. “My husband can make anything. We can custom create something for you.”
Excited for a new piece of jewelry, I tell her what I have in mind. She writes it all down and instructs me to come back in a few weeks to pick it up.
I stop at a few more booths before calling it a day, heading down the narrow alley to where I parked my car. Buzzing vibrates my purse. I fish out my phone, balancing it in one hand, my bag in the other.
“Hello.”
“If Washington were a dick it would be a short, uncircumcised one.”
I laugh.
Theo flew out early this morning to be with his team. He’s on the roster as the starting pitcher tonight against the Mavericks. Even with our relaxing evening, he was still ill as a damn hornet when he left this morning. His attitude about working for the ball club is getting worse by the game. I need to talk to Thad and see if he knows more. I hate to see Theo so unhappy.
“It can’t be that bad,” I say, turning the corner.
“Oh, it’s bad. Bellamy was in my face as soon as I got to the stadium, bitching me out about missing batting practice again.”
“Why did you miss batting practice? Your plane left early enough to make it on time.”
Theo pauses for a moment before sighing. “I might have passed out when I got home and forgot to set my alarm—”
“Theo!”
“And then, since I was late anyway, I stopped for breakfast and a coffee.” His tone is amused, as he loves to ruffle fea
thers wherever he goes.
“You know better than that. Bellamy just wants to find a reason to kick you off the team.”
“Bellamy wants to fuck me on all fours but he won’t, Tom won’t hear of it.”
Tom is the owner of the Washington Saints. He personally offered Theo the job on the Saints’ pitching staff when he was merely twenty years old. Even with the forty-year age difference, they are good friends. Thank goodness. Otherwise, I think Theo would have been fired years ago.
Exhaling into the evening air, I scold, “Theo—”
“I know, I know. I’ll do better. I promise.”
Bellamy yells in the background and screams at Theo to get his spoiled, playboy ass out on the field, pronto.
“I gotta go—” he moans, “—and be Bellamy’s bitch for the next four hours. I hope he’s gentle.”
He laughs at the last comment and so do I.
“I’m sure he’ll be sweet.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he mutters, becoming serious. “Hey, Ans?”
“Yeah?”
“Stay with the guys until Cade and Lawson can figure out what’s going on, okay?”
My voice is a whisper when he reminds me of the situation with Nicole. “I promise.”
“Good. Daddy loves you. Be a good girl and keep that pussy wet for me until tomorrow.”
I holler in laughter, his ridiculous comment lightening the mood. “Will do, champ. I love you, too. Knock ‘em dead.”
Theo hangs up and I toss my phone back in my bag. Where the fuck did I park? It feels like I’ve been walking for miles. Thankfully, my white Audi SUV, parked along the curb, comes into view shortly.
“Finally. What the hell was I thinking parking out here in Bumfuck?”
I throw open the driver’s side door, slinging my purchases into the passenger seat, when an eerie sensation tickles the hair on the back of my neck. I turn to take a quick look around, but before I can manage even a glimpse, someone grabs me from behind, his hand covering my mouth.
I kick out, instinct taking over as my fingers immediately scratch and pull at my captor’s hand, attempting to leverage some distance between us. If I can get free, I can run. He’ll never catch me. My running ability can only be outmatched by one other person. And right now, the thought of never seeing that one person again sends enough fright through my veins that I scream for help through the barrier of this crazy man’s hand.