Her mother clearly had other ideas.
“Fine, I’ll stay and help clean up,” he heard her resigned to her fate.
“Do you want us to take the smaller car so you can drop the guys home or back to their hotel?” her father asked. Even though she was facing away from him, Darby saw her stiffen either at the additional responsibility or because she remembered the almost altercation with Mack.
“Mr Whitehead, sir,” he couldn’t help himself. “If you would leave the people mover, I’ll make sure everyone gets home safely.”
“Fine, son,” a firm handshake of thanks, “Maddie here knows where most of the locals live even if they can’t remember.”
“No problems, sir.” He saw off the older guests, opening car doors for the ladies, and helping Elisha package up and send home leftovers.
By the time he returned to the back yard, Maddie was curled up her chair that had been moved slightly closer to his, with two fresh drinks waiting. He lightly touched his soda to Maddie’s, “Thanks, hope you didn’t mind me offering to do the driving later.”
For a single moment, time stood still as she smiled her gratitude. Her eyes brightened, and he saw the beautiful softness of the young woman beneath the shadows. This beautiful, stunning woman, well, words failed to describe how the essence of her warmed his heart in places he didn’t know existed.
“I’d like that as long as you think you can extract them from the party and bundle them into the car.”
“I’ve been known to clear a room or two in my time,” now he enjoyed the easy banter.
“How would you go about clearing a pool? Coloured dye?”
“What if I screamed ‘shark’ or at least ‘goldfish’?”
“That could work, although you might only encourage them to all jump in and go fishing!”
That smile he couldn’t get enough of shone in the fading light as they watched the party gradually slow down, sitting back with their chairs and legs almost touching. If he had the nerve, he could reach out and hold her hand. Then again, she’d been so skittish during the day, it wasn’t worth the risk of overstepping her very clear boundaries in case she completely pushed him away. Sitting here in either comfortable silence or easy banter with a beautiful woman, it was certainly not the worse way to spend an evening.
To his surprise, Maddie tossed him a smile before briefly leaving their private party only to return from the kitchen with a plate of left-over finger food for them to share. Trained to notice everything, Maddie didn’t touch the deli meats he loved, he didn’t touch the carrot and capsicum sticks and together they shared the cheeses and breads. She had selected the plate with him in mind. Considerate and thoughtful even when she didn’t have to, qualities he could think about later instead of dreaming about her legs and eyes.
Together in a comfortable silence, they sat alone but not alone. All the anxiety leading into the day had disappeared with her mere presence calm to his fire. For the first time, he genuinely wanted to thank Doug for dragging him here for the break.
This Maddie, it hadn’t taken much for her to get under his skin, he could get used to her wit and maybe one day she’d even let him see that body so carefully hidden under the baggy clothes. He even wanted to do whatever it would take for her trust him enough to share her pain.
MADDIE
All her life she had looked up to and adored her big brother. She’d heard stories of some skirmish that he was lucky to have survived. No one knew any of the details, but from all accounts, he was the luckiest son of a bitch to come home.
Maddie wanted to go to the BBQ, hug him and let him make her nightmares go away. Tell him all about Brian and watch Doug track down the bastard and make him pay. Years ago, he had protected her from her mother’s wrath all the times she had snuck out to meet up with friends for a party or six. Then there was the time he stood between her and an ex-boyfriend who couldn’t accept he was an ex. If justice wouldn’t come legally, she knew that her brother would willingly do it for her.
The temptation to tell him was as strong as her knowledge of what his reaction would do to his career. She loved and respected her brother far too much to let him into her damning secret.
So, while she was forced to go to the BBQ to celebrate her brother and all his friends, Maddie arrived late and held back, afraid of what she might confess if she got too comfortable or relaxed.
“I’m so glad you could make it,” Elisha’s greeting was genuine and Maddie wished she’d been able to confide in her sister-in-law. Avoiding her these last weeks was a necessary part of keeping her secret.
“Wouldn’t miss it,” she lied.
Letting her go from an enormous hug, Elisha tried to take her hand, “Let me introduce you around.”
“How about I go inside and freshen up the dips,” Maddie offered in the most gentle way she could think of escaping Elisha’s efforts to introduce her to every eligible male.
“Fine, but I want you to meet Doug’s friend who’s staying with us. He’s the one who saved your brother’s life.”
“Can’t wait, but let me get the food first,” Maddie faked her best smile. Elisha had been like an older sister from the first time she bounced into Maddie’s room and proclaimed her love for Doug. She hadn’t told her parents or Elisha, wanting to wait until Brian was safely arrested and beyond the reach of her father. Now, well, without the arrest it would be her word against Brian and she couldn’t bear to become his public victim.
What if her family didn’t believe her? What if, even worse, they looked at her with pity or her mother made some scathing comment about how her party life was bound to catch up with her sometime. Years of warning what would happen to her if she kept all hours and all sorts of company – no! Her mother grew up in the dark ages and didn’t have a clue about life these days. Intellectually, Maddie knew that the blame was all his, but at three am she could guarantee to imagine her mother’s voice until there were no more tears, again.
No, she needed to keep away from any temptation to tell Dougie. She was a big girl and this time she needed to protect herself.
A dripping hulk of a guy started to run towards her, his intention to pick her up and throw her in the pool only too clear. Maddie froze, memories of the night all decisions were taken out of her control came flashing back and her legs wouldn’t run, damn it they couldn’t even move, nor could the panicked, “No” reach her lips.
If it wasn’t for the guy, Darby, stepping in, Maddie didn’t know what she would have done. Nobody noticed the pool of sweat across her body or her relief as she followed Darby to the side of the house. Near enough to be part of the group but far enough away to keep to themselves.
She sculled the offered beer, needing it to calm her nerves. Darby matched her pace, setting down his empty bottle next to hers. Maddie grabbed him a replacement and switched to lemonade for herself. Today was not the day to wallow in the numbness of alcohol. She could do that alone in her bedroom tonight, from her stash of vodka hidden in her lingerie drawers.
To her surprise, Darby always had a beer bottle in his hand when the guys came around, but the second bottle lasted until midafternoon. Instead, he washed his BBQ down with water, never leaving her side but his eyes always watching. The toddler son of one of her cousin’s had wandered close to the pool’s edge, eyes intent on joining the fun. Darby rolled the ball towards the boy, getting his attention and playing soccer until her cousin noticed, picked up her son and took him back inside.
A man who sees everything, who had protected her from the guy built like a mack truck and now intervened before a child fell into the pool.
He seemed nice enough, and if only she’d met him before … he was exactly her type. Solid, strong arms, short and thick regulation hair, piercing dark eyes that could quite possibly read her soul. Back in the day, she could have flirted a treat and found out if he kissed as good as he looked.
Luckily, he didn’t seem interested in either her or conversation and even if Maddie admitted to herself how much s
he noticed him, how could she explain what happened.
What she allowed to happen.
She should have died trying to stop him, then the police would have all the evidence they needed.
After her mother insisted she stay to help Elisha clean up and her father made her agree to drop off those too drunk to drive, Maddie swallowed her darkness as she road shotgun with Darby as they made sure everyone got home safely.
She sat on her hands to stop them wanting to rest on his leg as she directed him to all the drop offs. After ignoring him all day, she couldn’t just start touching him, no matter how muscular his legs or firm his arms. All too soon he pulled into her driveway.
“Here you go, I’ll jog home,” he handed her the keys.
“Are you sure, I can give you a lift back?” she didn’t want to, but it would be the right thing to do.
“Nah, I need to clear my head. Nice meeting you and I think Doug is planning on us all catching up again.”
Maddie couldn’t help but return Darby’s smile.
Only when she reached the safety of her bedroom did the stress of being “normal” for the day overwhelm her fake calm. She had been surrounded by family, people who supposedly knew and cared for her but the only person who even pretended to see her pain was a stranger. A gorgeous stranger who would run a mile if he knew.
Alone in the bathroom, Maddie deliberately and methodically shaved her head. Long dark strands of hair fell on the tiles and filled the sink.
The first long sweeps of the razor were about destroying her beauty. Beauty made her the victim, maybe if she was as ugly on the outside as she felt on the inside, she’d never be a victim again.
As she tidied up the uneven shaves, Maddie couldn’t hide from her eyes. She had hidden behind her long hair for years, used it to proclaim her moods and her vanity. Now, she was truly naked with nowhere to hide.
Maddie guessed people would be shocked at the sight of her head, but wouldn’t ask too many questions about why. She decided that the first two times a person asked, it would be “You know me, I felt like a change.” If they asked a third time, she’d tell them.
No one would ask.
No one would care enough to keep asking.
No one would ever know her shame.
THE END OF AVENGE HER EXTRACT
Thank you for reading the first couple of chapters of Avenge Her. I loved Darby from the scared foster kid in The Question Is, to the army captain supporting his adopted father in Never Second Best – when he strode into the court room I had shivers while writing! He deserved his own happily ever after. Maddie, well, this is for every woman who has lived her experience. We cannot let the actions of another define us, but it will take time to heal. Want to know what Darby does? Get Avenge Her today.
Table of Contents
A lonely soldier
A kiss by any other name
Anastacia
Bodyguard
It’s Complicated
Decisions
Battleground
No defence
A single kiss
Wait, there’s more
Sneak peek – The Perfect Wife
Sneak peek – Avenge Her
Defend Her: A military suspense romance (Aussie Military Romance Book 4) Page 22