Broke Down: My Over the Top Possessive Alpha Harem

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Broke Down: My Over the Top Possessive Alpha Harem Page 26

by Sharan Daire


  Evidently the shopping fairy really had come through for me. I glanced at a few of the tags and almost shit myself. Hundreds, no thousands of dollars of clothes. Un fucking real. This wasn’t even Chris’ collection that he’d been working on. Just “casual” clothes that cost more than I could even comprehend.

  The drawers held lace panties and bras of all colors. No tags. Which made me think Chris had probably made them himself. But when had he even had the time?

  Shaking my head, I pulled on my now clean jeans over a red thong that fit me like a glove. A red bra, which wow. I couldn’t even remember owning a nice set of matching lingerie before. Then I did allow myself to pick out one of the super soft sweaters that cost about a month’s rent.

  Though now I’d probably have to skip coffee or eating all day for fearing of dribbling anything down my front.

  The only thing missing in the closet were shoes, other than my worn sneakers. Which wasn’t a complaint in the slightest. No way did I want to wear any of those stilettos around on a daily basis. Though I did need to get some boots if I was going to hike that trail back to the lodge on a regular basis.

  I wandered downstairs, wondering where everyone was. I heard a noise in the kitchen so went that way, only to see an older woman I didn’t recognize at the stove.

  “Ah, good morning, ma’am.” Wiping her hands on a towel, she smiled and moved to the coffee pot. “How do you like your coffee?”

  “Oh, no thanks,” I replied quickly, remembering the sweater. “I’m sorry, who are you? I don’t think we’ve met.”

  “I’m Rachel. Mr. Harris reassigned me from the lodge to help here at Canyon Rock. I’m the lead housekeeper. If there’s anything you want or need, please don’t hesitate to ask. It’s my pleasure to relay anything to the rest of the staff or Mr. Harris himself.”

  A fucking housekeeper. Wow. Though with a house this large, it definitely made sense. Knocked a little off balance, I stood there a moment, hoping I didn’t look as stunned as I felt.

  I had no job here. Other than being a model. Take a few pictures. Then I could come home to my kids in this gorgeous mansion while someone else cleaned and cooked.

  I really had ended up somewhere over the rainbow.

  “Ma’am? Can I get you anything? A glass of water?”

  I startled, forcing a smile. “No, thank you. Oh, wait. Yeah. Have you seen an older phone lying around anywhere?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” She went to the end of the counter and pulled my crappy dinosaur off a charging cable. “Here you go. Are you sure you’re not hungry? I can make anything you’d like, or there’s croissants, pastries, and fruit.”

  “No thanks. I’m not really hungry yet.”

  I scanned my phone, flipping through messages. Derek had texted me at five thirty this morning that he was headed to work. Everett told me he was up at the lodge but to call him and he’d send a driver to get me. Even Chris had texted me, “Good morning, sleepy head.” But nothing from Kaleb.

  Smiling, I shook my head. He might still be asleep too. We were evidently the late risers of the group. His cabin was supposed to be close. Rather than distracting Everett from whatever he was doing, maybe I could hitch a ride with Kaleb to the lodge and check on my car while I was at it.

  “Do you know where Anderson Towing is? Can I walk there?”

  “Oh, definitely. Just head out the front door and up the road. We’re at a dead end. Mr. Anderson’s place is on the left just a few minutes’ walk. You’ll need a jacket, ma’am. The closet at the door should have a few coats to choose from.”

  “Thank you.” Sure enough, my new wool coat and Derek’s leather jacket hung in the closet. I liked my coat. It felt dumb not to wear it and choose his coat instead. But I leaned in to smell the deep luscious leather and couldn’t resist. I tugged it on as I stepped outside.

  I hadn’t actually seen the house from the front yet. Mansions were built to make a good first impression, right? But evidently Chris had other ideas. No giant columns or imposing architecture declared its owners’ wealth, though it was impossible to hide exactly how big the house was. A wraparound porch of wrought iron railings and black shiny wood tempted me to walk around to the back, if for no other reason than to see the view out over the cliff to the rest of the property.

  Maybe later. I had plenty of time to explore.

  I followed the blacktop road through the trees down a gently sloping hill and around a curve. That quickly, I saw Anderson Towing on the right, just as she’d told me. The garage bay was open so I walked inside, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the darkness.

  “Kaleb?”

  He didn’t answer. I looked around, searching for him or my car. There was a car in the bay, but… It couldn’t be. Surely not. That wasn’t my twenty-year-old car.

  But the lines of the big four-door car were the same as Bessie’s. The crease in the front bumper was gone. So was the rust on the driver’s side fender. A slight miscalculation on Rob’s part one night when he’d come home drunk from the bar. He’d rubbed the dumpster in the parking lot of our apartment complex.

  The faded forest green paint had been replaced with a luxe pearly silver. My old car literally glowed, even in the murk. Shaking, I opened the driver’s door. She’d been meticulously cleaned of all the McDonald’s stale fries and crumbled Cheerios and mashed up Goldfish that had accumulated over the years. The dash gleamed. Every inch polished.

  A brand-new radio system with a panel that lit up as soon as I’d opened the door. GPS, maybe? I really had no idea. I peeked over the backseat and the old torn seat was gone.

  “Shelby.”

  At Kaleb’s voice, I jerked my head out of the car and whirled around. “What the hell is going on? What did you do to my car?”

  He gave me an aw-shucks shrug and smiled sheepishly. “I fixed her up a little. No big deal.”

  “No big deal,” I repeated slowly, pinching the bridge of my nose. “How much did all of this cost?”

  He shrugged again. “I don’t know. I don’t care. It was fun to work on her.”

  “You painted her, fixed the bumper, replaced the seats. Oh my god, and new tires!”

  He only looked back at me, giving me that disarming smile again. But the sight of his dimples only pissed me off more. I knew exactly what he was up to. Trying to look cute as hell to get out of trouble. My son liked to do the same thing. Not that it ever worked.

  “What was actually wrong with her mechanically? Why did she die in the middle of the road that night?”

  He spread his hands and shrugged again. “Several things. I fixed them all. No worries.”

  No worries. I strode closer and poked him in the chest. “What was actually wrong with her?”

  “A serpentine belt cracked and broke.”

  “A belt,” I said slowly. “Anything else?”

  “All the belts were worn,” he said hurriedly. “The oil was super dark, and the air filter was clogged. The battery cables were all rusted and gunked up too. That might have been a factor.”

  I nodded slowly. “So belts, a battery, and an oil change. But the only thing that actually broke that night was one belt.”

  His shoulders drooped under the weight of my stare. “Yeah.”

  “But you told me the costs outweighed her value. You made me think that the bill was going to be astronomical.”

  “She needed the work, Shelby. I wouldn’t want you and the kids to ever be stranded again. So I did everything I could think of to make sure she was safe and reliable.”

  “But I didn’t need a fucking paint job to drive her! You never even told me she was ready. The last I heard, you were waiting on a part to come in. Was that a lie, just to keep me here?”

  “No, no, I wouldn’t ever lie to you. I was waiting on a part. I just did a little body work while we waited. Derek was supposed to tell you that night he came over. He was supposed to explain.”

  “Explain what?” I whispered.

  His eyes pleaded with me, t
he biggest puppy-dog look ever. “That the work was basically done. He promised to tell you so you wouldn’t worry, but he forgot.”

  “He forgot. When I’d been worried sick about how much all this work was going to cost.”

  “I told you not to worry about it. I wanted to do the work. I loved helping you the only way I knew how.”

  Such a lie. Not in words, but in omissions. I hadn’t pushed back on the costs, because I’d been so grateful for their help. I didn’t want to feel even worse at all the nice things they were doing for me. But to find out the whole thing had basically been a sham…

  One belt.

  I couldn’t have paid for it, either, but that wasn’t the fucking point. They could have told me the truth. He could have told me it was ready the next day. How hard could it have been to get one belt from an auto parts store?

  “You didn’t want me to leave,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “So you didn’t tell me the truth.”

  He reached for me, but I stumbled back out of reach. I didn’t want his hugs. He didn’t get an easy pass on this. None of them did. They had to all be in on the lie.

  “Shelby, please. Of course, I didn’t want you to leave. We want you to stay here with us. Forever.”

  I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting back the tears. Yeah, me too. But it all felt like such a betrayal. Like they’d conned me. I hated feeling so stupid. So naïve. It brought back all my insecurities and undid all the wonderful things they’d said and done the last few days.

  You couldn’t build a relationship on a lie and think everything would be forgiven and forgotten with a snap of a finger.

  “Tell your sister I want my kids brought to me.”

  His hands shook as he pulled out his phone. “Of course. Right away. But Shelby—”

  “Give me my keys. I need to get out of here.”

  “They’re under the floor mat.” He swallowed hard, his throat working as if he might actually cry too. “What are you going to do? Let me call D—”

  “No,” I retorted as I slid behind the wheel. “I don’t want to talk to him either. Get out of my way.”

  He came to the door as I grabbed the handle. For a moment, he stared down at me, his hand on the door as if he’d make me break his fingers to escape. “Where are you going?”

  “I’m continuing on my trip, as I should have done days ago. I want my kids. Now.”

  Nodding, he lifted his hand and stepped away. “I’ll call her right now. Please, don’t go, though. Let us explain.”

  I slammed the door shut. Rummaged under the mat, blinded by my tears. Finally found the key and started Bessie. Of course, she turned over instantly. She even smelled brand new. Her motor practically purred.

  Furious, I put her in drive and pulled out of the garage fast enough that he had to scramble to get out of my way. I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw him on the phone. He’d better be calling his sister and not his brother.

  So help me, I was furious enough that I might actually floor it and run from Derek, even if he showed up in his patrol car. He’d have to pull me over and arrest me before I’d ever fucking talk to him again.

  32

  Chris

  My phone rang. Seeing it was Kaleb, I put him on speaker and set the phone between me and Ev. “Yeah, shoot.”

  “We fucked up. She’s leaving.”

  “Excuse me?” Ev leaped to his feet, face paling. I held my hand up, silently telling him to freeze. “What happened?”

  “She came to the garage.” Kaleb’s voice trembled with misery. “She saw her car.”

  “And? Was she not fucking happy with it?”

  “D didn’t tell you?”

  “Tell me what?” Anyone who knew me feared that silky tone of voice. If I was cursing, roaring, and blustering, everybody was fine. But quiet, stealthy Chris was a sniper who’d nail his target from miles away before anyone saw a thing.

  “I could have had her car fixed up Monday, even doing all the extra mechanical work. But D told me to work slowly. Make sure she stayed as long as possible.”

  I nodded, not sure what the problem was.

  “I did a lot of extras, too. I really was waiting on a new electronics panel for a top-of-the-line GPS system, but she could have driven away without it.”

  “What else did you do?”

  “Full paint job. Fixed some minor body issues. New tires. New struts. Replaced the back seat. Detailed it. Old Bessie looks brand new.”

  “So let me get this straight. You and your brother decided not to tell her about the car being ready days ago? And then you did a bunch of shit she didn’t want or ask for rather than tell her it was ready?”

  “D was supposed to tell her the night he went over after work.”

  “Let me guess,” I replied dryly. “He was too busy getting his dick wet to remember that little tidbit.”

  “It just got away from us. I didn’t know how to tell her. I wanted to surprise her, but she hated it.”

  “She didn’t hate it, you moron,” Everett bellowed. “She was worried about the cost. When I gave her the money, she actually wanted to give you a thousand of it and then was afraid it wouldn’t be enough. So to find out that you spent literally thousands on extra shit she didn’t even need is like salt rubbed in a wound!”

  “You’ve got to get over to the house.” Kaleb groaned. “Stop her from leaving. She won’t listen to me. She practically ran me over to get away.”

  “No.”

  “But Chris—”

  “No! You let her go, do you hear me? Don’t harass her. Don’t call D and get him all fired up. The last thing we need is him trying to pull her over while he’s on duty. You get her kids to her and you let her leave. Then get your sorry ass to my office.”

  I hung up on him.

  Everett paced back and forth, jerking at his tie like he couldn’t breathe. “Fucking hell, what are we going to do? She can’t just walk out. Not now.”

  “Yes, she can, and she will.”

  Whirling to face me, eyes narrowed, he leaned down over the desk, as belligerent and aggressive as I’d ever seen him in all the years I’d called him friend. “How the fuck can you say that after last night?”

  “It’s because of last night that I can say it.”

  He pounded a fist on the desk. “That doesn’t even make any sense, and don’t give me any bullshit about if you love it, let it fucking go, because I’ll kill you on the spot.”

  “She needs to feel like she can leave if she wants to, or she’ll never choose to stay. Us tricking her into staying, or trying to talk her out of leaving, will only prove that she was right to leap to the conclusion that we were trying to hide the truth from her.”

  “How can you sit there and let her leave when we don’t even know exactly where she’s going?”

  “We do know. Or rather, we will.” Spluttering and turning red in the face, he looked like he was having an aneurysm, so I reminded him. “Kaleb said he’d installed GPS in her car. She got lost once already, and she doesn’t know this area at all. Once she uses it, he’ll be able to pull up her destination.”

  Ev slung himself back down in his seat and picked up his phone. “I’ll make sure the jet is ready to go on a moment’s notice.”

  “Not the jet. See if we can hire a helicopter. I don’t plan to fly back.”

  He looked up at me, concern flickering in his eyes. Maybe he thought I’d finally off myself if we lost her.

  Yeah, I would. But we weren’t going to lose her. This Marine never missed his shot, no matter how fucking far away his target might be.

  33

  Shelby

  Tears dripped down my cheeks, but I didn’t make a sound. I didn’t want to scare my kids.

  I’d driven back up the road. Marched into the mansion—I’d known from the moment I stepped inside that I didn’t belong here—and grabbed our stuff. It took five minutes. I left all the extras that I hadn’t bought with my own money. Rachel silently grabbed a bag and help
ed me carry everything to the car. She didn’t ask any questions. Hopefully Everett wouldn’t fire her for not trying to stop me.

  I fully expected Kaleb to come roaring up the road in the wrecker to block my exit. Or worse, for Chris and Everett to show up demanding that I stay. Or for Derek to come screaming up, sirens blasting. But nobody came to the house except for a cute baby-blue Volkswagen Bug. Taylen dropped my kids off, smiling and babbling about the new baby calf that Allie had named Daisy.

  I played it cool, getting them into the car and telling them we were going for a ride to test out the fixes Kaleb had done. Then I just as casually told them we were going to see Granny after all.

  “But what about Kaleb?” Allie asked. “Won’t he worry?”

  “And Derek?” Liam added, frowning with concern. “And Everett?

  “And Chris,” Allie chimed in.

  “We’re just going for a visit,” I lied, keeping my voice light. “I told Kaleb so they won’t worry.”

  “Okay.”

  They played a while and then both quickly fell asleep. Evidently, they’d stayed up most of the night watching movies with their new friend. Leaving me alone with my thoughts as I drove.

  The over-the-top GPS panel had the way mapped out to Liberty so clearly that even I couldn’t get lost. It said it even synced to my phone app, though I had no idea how. I managed to find the freeway with only a few turns. Too bad it didn’t drive the car too. I’d slept in this morning, but I drooped with exhaustion.

  I didn’t like being angry. I hated feeling stupid. I especially hated the dull ache in my chest that made it hard to breathe.

  I hated lying to my kids, but right now, I couldn’t see how I could ever go back. A small sob escaped.

  I have to go back. I love them.

  In a matter of days, I’d fallen head over heels with those four fantastic men. Did the reality of my car’s minor mechanical issues change that? Of course not. But I still couldn’t believe they’d hidden the truth from me. They must have thought it a grand joke, pulling the wool over my eyes like that. Money meant so little to them. Thousands of dollars in unnecessary repairs were a drop in the bucket compared to the lodge, the cabins, and the Canyon Rock mansion on the cliff.

 

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