“No, I did not,” Sasha replied without inflection, then turned to Zac. “Sheriff, if you could be so kind. I’d like a moment alone with Mr. Summerfield.”
“Nothing would give me more pleasure, but I can’t leave the fugitive alone. He might escape,” Zac replied, grinning at Tristan.
“I am not a fugitive!”
“Well, be that as it may, you are the one behind bars, not me.”
“Because you and that other sheriff put me here. Without stating any charges.”
“Oh, those little things.” Zac smiled. “You don’t worry none about those. I’m sure the town can come up with something that will stick.”
“This is false imprisonment!”
“Nope, it’s making sure you don’t skip town again,” Zac replied, placing his hat back on his head. “You can have five minutes with him. I’ll just be out front.”
“Thank you,” Sasha replied, never taking his eyes off Tristan. The second Zac left the room, Sasha moved closer. “We need to talk before I let your attorneys in here.”
“They’re here?”
“Yes. They’ve been here for over three hours. Gabriel was nice enough to occupy their time so you and I could talk with any interruptions.”
“What’s going on?” Tristan asked, not liking the tone of Sasha’s voice or the way he was looking at him. Sasha Merrick was generally an easygoing guy unless he was pissed off. And the man before him looked madder than hell. When Sasha took a file out of his briefcase and handed it to him, Tristan said nothing and thumbed through the files. “What is…” Tristan muttered, then fell down onto the small bed in the cell, his eyes glued to the papers in front of him. Quickly scanning them all, he prayed what he was reading was wrong, because none of it was possible. “Oh dear God. She’ll hate me. She’ll never want anything to do with me again.”
“Did you know?” Sasha asked angrily, staring at him as if he were the guilty party. Tristan didn’t like it, nor did he like thinking his best friend thought so little of him.
“You think I’d let him live if I did! I hated that son of a bitch. I was glad when he died.”
“He is the one you made the promise to, wasn’t he?”
Tristan couldn’t say the words, so he just nodded.
“What exactly did you promise him?”
“It was nothing.”
“What did you promise him, Tristan?”
“That I’d make the person who put him in jail pay!” Tristan shouted. “That I would avenge him. I swear I didn’t know. He never said. If I’d known, I never would have made him that promise.”
“So let me get this straight,” Sasha said. “You promised a known felon that you would avenge him for all of his wrongdoings?”
“He wasn’t always bad, Sasha. He was good once.”
“He was the man who raped, beat, and blinded my sister. The same man who tortured and brutalized Violet for years. The man who put him in jail was Violet’s brother, Tristan. It was Gabriel. Gabriel is the man you’re trying to ruin and you asked me for help. Damn you!”
“No!” Tristan shouted, getting to his feet. “He told me who it was. It wasn’t Gabriel. I just thought since Gabriel was here, you’d like payback for what he did to Lisset.”
“Gabriel didn’t hurt Lisset!” Sasha yelled. “Your brother did!”
The facts were all right in front of him. James Masterson Summerfield was a bad seed from the start. Older by fifteen years, Tristan at one point had looked up to his brother, worshiping him and all that he did. Their parents loved and adored James and so did Tristan. Then one day, James disappeared. The family was heartbroken until word started to spread about James and the vile things he’d done. At first the family refused to believe that their golden boy would be so heartless, so foul, so evil. Yet, when more and more information came to light, Tristan’s parents were forced to wash their hands of him and disown him. Tristan hated his parents for being so heartless, and for a while kept a soft spot in his heart for his misunderstood older brother. Now, all that changed. Now, he felt like the heartless, foul, evil bastard.
“I’m sorry,” Tristan said, trying to calm the raging fear running through his bones. His world was crumbling down around him. He’d never seen Sasha so angry before. Well, technically he had, but it wasn’t centered on him. Tristan knew Sasha had every right to be furious with him. He had withheld pertinent information from his best friend. Tristan knew that Sasha would have never helped him if he found out the promise was to his brother. “I can fix this. James is dead. He can’t hurt anyone anymore. I’ll pay restitution to the town and to the families and walk away. I will take the loss this time. I promise.”
“Oh, you’ll do that and more, but we have bigger problems. Your brother is alive.”
“No, he isn’t. He’s dead,” Tristan slowly said, getting to his feet. He saw the damn body. He was there when the coroner signed the damn death certificate. He buried the motherfucker!
“He escaped custody in Pennsylvania, Tristan. I don’t know who you buried, but it wasn’t your brother. I called in Jasper McCullough and Hoyt Matthews.”
“Are you crazy!” Tristan shouted. “Those men are mercenaries.”
“Exactly. They are going to find your brother and kill him because if they don’t, I will.”
“You think he’s coming here?”
“Why else would he want you here in Treasure Cove? The man who put him in jail is here. The woman who got away is here, and the brother who promised him retribution is here. Everything he wants is right here in this small-ass town.”
“You need to get Violet out of here.”
“And take her where? What about the people who live here, Tristan? You honestly expect me to run away, knowing that fucker is probably already here, waiting to make his move? There are innocent women and children in this town, Tristan. The very people who your brother would kill to get his hands on. No, we’re staying. We’re going to warn everyone and we are going to help in every way we can. We brought this bastard here and we are going to stay until he’s dead.”
“What about Violet?”
“She’s safe for now. You, on the other hand, are in a world of shit. So get ready, Tristan, it’s time to lay your sins bare.”
“What do you mean?”
“You need to tell Violet.”
* * * *
Tristan was a nervous wreck. He’d have thought he was getting ready to go into the biggest merger of his life, with billions sitting on the table if all didn’t go well. Technically he was, only this was his future’s happiness at stake. It all boiled down to Violet’s understanding and empathy, but mainly he needed her forgiveness, because without it, he was never going to be able to forgive himself.
“Where are we going?”
“The Masterson Ranch. Mrs. Prescott’s family lives there. Her nephews, their wife, and her sons have all been keeping Violet company. They’ve all assured me that she was safe.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“The Masterson brothers are private detectives with a military background. Cathy’s sons are, well, let’s just say Violet is safe with them. They may not have the best backgrounds in the world, but they are proficient at what they do,” Sasha explained.
“What do you mean?” Tristan asked, looking at his friend.
“The Prescott brothers are guns for hire. Greyson is the oldest. He is former special ops, with a penchant for getting into trouble. The last time he got in trouble, it cost him three years in federal prison. Bram Prescott is the local preacher. He’s former military, but that was all I was able to find out about him. His records are classified, along with Zander, Dew, and Ember’s. All I was able to find out is that Cathy’s sons all served in the military. There is no discharge date, nothing.”
“What are you saying, they’re, like, spooks or something?”
“Something like that.”
“And you trust Violet with these men?”
“Mrs. Prescott does and that w
as good enough for me.”
“Me too, I guess,” Tristan whispered, looking out the window. “She’d never hurt Violet or put her in harm’s way.”
“No, she wouldn’t.”
“Is she going to forgive me, Sasha?”
“I don’t know and neither will you unless you tell her the truth and give her the chance.”
“Do Gabriel and Alex know?”
“Yes. Gabriel has sent the Hightower brothers along with Matthias to see if they can locate him. They are supposed to meet up with McCullough and Matthews. We’ll know more when they get a lead.”
Tristan was silent for the rest of the ride, thinking of many ways he was going to explain all this to Violet. But no matter how he said it, the results were disastrous. In the short time he’d known Violet, he knew he wanted her. Oh, he wasn’t proud of how they met or what he said to her on the plane, but she forgave him once. Now, he prayed she was gracious enough to do it again. Regardless, he had once again stepped into the frying pan. Nothing was going right in Celestial, Treasure Cove was demolished, and everyone was looking at him as if he were the bad guy. Well, if he wanted to be honest, he did set certain events into motion that could have possibly created all this drama, but how was he supposed to know? He was just a businessman trying to make money. Now, that drive and determination was going to bankrupt him and possibly cost him the love of his life.
Bracing himself as the car turned down a long dirt road, Tristan marveled at the beauty of the surrounding area. Treasure Cove was stunning, with the massive Rocky Mountains as the beautiful backdrop. Cattle roamed carelessly as if all was right in their world. Wild horses ran freely over the vast range. From this far out, it looked as if nothing ever happened to Treasure Cove. Yet, something did, and the town was still trying to pick up the pieces.
The car pulled to a stop in front of a large log cabin with a wide front porch. Tristan counted six rocking chairs lined up, slowly moving in the afternoon breeze. Getting out of the car, he looked around and saw a large barn and five pickup trucks parked side by side, lined up neatly. Turning around, he spotted her. Out of the blue, he stood mesmerized as she and five other men galloped toward him, all riding horses at a leisurely pace. She looked happy as she smiled and laughed with the men with her. This was how he wanted her to be.
Free.
He stood rooted in place as she brought her horse to a stop not far from him. Jumping down, she ran over to him, laughing as she threw her arms around his neck. “Tristan!”
Hugging her tightly, Tristan couldn’t let her go, because he knew the moment he did, he was going to have to tell her. He didn’t want to ruin her good mood, and wished he could take away the pain he was about to cause her.
“We’re staying in the guest house,” Sasha informed him, pointing to the small but adequate home situated on the other side of the barn.
Nodding, Tristan didn’t dare say anything. Instead, he released Violet and took her hand.
“Tristan, what’s wrong?” she asked, concerned.
“We need to talk, Violet.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Only you can tell me that,” he replied cryptically as he pulled her toward the guest house, with Sasha following silently behind.
Violet could feel the hairs standing up on the back of her neck. Whatever was bothering Tristan wasn’t good, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to know what it was. Something in her gut told her that she wasn’t going to like what he said, but she went with him anyway as he took her hand in his and led her toward the guest house.
Since arriving at the Masterson Ranch, she’d been assured many times that she was safe, and though she didn’t fully feel that way, she was happy to be back home. She had made such a fuss about returning that when she looked back at it now, she realized that she honestly didn’t have anything to fret about. Yes, she was still concerned about returning to the Pleasure Cave, but she was relieved when Gabriel informed her that she wouldn’t be going there. Instead, Mrs. Prescott, her sons, and Gabriel introduced her to Camellia Masterson and her husbands. They had welcomed her into their home, no questions asked, along with Cathy and four of her boys. She knew something was amiss, but no one was telling her anything. She wondered where Sasha had run off to, but was assured that he was going after Tristan and would be back soon. In the interim, she was pampered and spoiled by Cathy and her family.
As they entered the small home, Violet went and sat on one of the comfortable sofas provided. She said nothing as Tristan paced silently while Sasha closed the door, giving them the privacy Tristan needed. The longer he kept quiet, the more tense she became, and when Tristan stopped pacing and looked out the window, her fears took over. His back was to her and Violet could see the hard set of his shoulders, the tense way he braced his feet apart, and the slow, calculated way he breathed.
From the moment Tristan started talking, Violet’s worst fears came true. Only she didn’t know just how bad her fears were until Tristan started explaining them in great detail. Everything, from growing up with Sasha, Gabriel, and Alexander to starting his business. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. The man Tristan was talking about was nothing like the man she saw before her. Especially the man’s motives. Because if Tristan was anything like that, Violet knew she’d never be able to have anything to do with a man like that. The man Tristan described was ruthless and vindictive, everything that Tristan was not. Yet, Tristan kept talking. She couldn’t believe what he was saying.
It was all too outrageous, too maniacal, too despicable. But the second he started talking about his brother, Violet knew this was the real reason for this talk. The way Tristan’s voice lowered ominously at the mention of his brother, like he had a bad taste in his mouth, gave her pause. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, as he spewed the truth of his family heritage like a poison he was trying to extract.
Violet didn’t understand Tristan’s hatred for the brother he once looked up to. She would have given anything to have a brother growing up, even if that brother was much older than she was. She was still coming to grips with being the only child to being the youngest sibling of four. Violet knew there would be some adjustments and, more than likely, times when she and her siblings butted heads, but the fact that she wasn’t alone in the world any more comforted her. When times got rough for her, she would have two brothers and an older sister to lean on.
“Tristan.” Violet smiled up at him, holding her hand out to him. When he took it, she scooted over, motioning him to sit next to her. When he did, she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug. “People make mistakes. It’s what you learn from them that matters. I don’t hate you for your past.” When Tristan sat back and stared at her, Violet wished she knew what he was thinking. “As for your brother, I’m sorry he’s gone.”
Sasha gasped, then angrily said, “Tell her, Tristan. Tell her now.”
“Tell me what?” Violet asked, looking at both men.
“My brother, his name was, is James Masterson Summerfield.”
“Okay,” Violet whispered, not understanding. “Should that name mean something?”
When Tristan’s gaze shot to Sasha, she worried. She didn’t get why Tristan’s brother’s name would mean something. When neither man said anything, Violet thought back to everything Tristan said about his brother. He mentioned an older man. One in trouble with the law from a very young age. Tristan said that his brother spent the last five years in jail for atrocities toward women. Tristan thought he was dead, but the man escaped.
Tristan’s brother was James Masterson Summerfield.
James Masterson.
Master.
No!
Shaking her head, Violet slowly stood, her eyes never leaving Tristan’s. Moving away from him, every nerve in her body on high alert. She couldn’t believe it. Refused to believe it. Life couldn’t be that cruel to her. She’d been through so much already. She couldn’t go through it all again. The last time almost killed her. It took her y
ears to recover and she still wasn’t fully healed. She didn’t know if she ever would be.
“Violet?” Tristan whispered, reaching out his hand to her. She knew he wasn’t responsible for his brother’s past, but they were still brothers. She couldn’t, she refused to believe it. Shaking her head, she softly said, “No.”
“Violet, I didn’t know. I swear it.”
“No,” she said again, moving closer to the front door. She couldn’t breathe. There was no air. She felt like she was suffocating.
“Violet, I’m so sorry,” Tristan said as tears welled up in his eyes. “I just found out today. When Sasha found me in jail, he told me. I swear on my mother’s grave I didn’t know. You have to believe me.”
At the mere mention of Sasha’s name, Violet turned to him, questioning. Sasha sighed and simply admitted, “I found out this morning in New York. That’s why I needed to come back here. I needed to hear the truth from Tristan.”
“You said Tristan was in trouble,” she whispered.
“He is.”
“You said he needed my help. That’s why I agreed to come back here. You knew how I felt. You let me believe it was something else.”
“I know, and I’m sorry for that, but you needed to know the truth.”
“You lied to me.”
“No, I just didn’t tell you everything.”
“It’s the same thing!” Violet shouted. She never yelled, yet the moment she did, it felt liberating and once she started, she couldn’t stop herself. “You bastards! You both let me fall in love with you. I gave you both my trust and you destroyed it. I was honest with you both from the start. You both knew about my past. You knew what I went through. You knew how I felt about this place. You knew I didn’t want to come back, but I did, for you!”
The Reluctant Submissive: Courage to Change [The Men of Treasure Cove 14] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 23