Fighting for Hazel [The Men of Treasure Cove 8] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Rebecca Joyce

  Everyone had a past. He knew that. So the love of his life witnessed something horrible. She was here and safe. That was all that mattered. Whatever she went through she did it alone, but not this time. This time, she would have him standing beside her. Why her past was bothering Steven, Neil didn’t know. He needed to defuse the situation before Steven’s big mouth started running away with itself.

  “What’s happened?” she asked.

  Before Neil could utter a word, Steven said, “Baby brother just got off the phone with Braxton. Apparently, there are two U.S. Marshals looking for you. Why?”

  Neil sighed.

  Fuck! This isn’t going to be good.

  “Steven, calm down. She doesn’t owe us any explanations. Her past is her own.”

  “The hell it is. When I get shot protecting her, I think I deserve an explanation.” And just like that, the happy honeymoon was over. Neil slumped and leaned against the wall of the cabin as Hazel and Steven were once again doing what they did best.

  Fighting.

  Neil had never met two people more fueled by their desires to yell and scream at each other than those two. Just watching them was sometimes exhausting. However, after eating the tastiest pussy on the planet and having his cock sucked dry by the hottest mouth, he wasn’t going to allow his brother to fuck this up again. He knew they were going to have their rounds in the ring. He would make sure the boxing gloves were on first, because right now, he didn’t need this shit. They had bigger fish to fry. First, they needed to get off this fucking mountain.

  After he whistled loudly, the fighting duo stopped. “Now that I have your attention, both of you shut the fuck up. We have a problem, and I, for one, would like to know whom I’m dealing with. Hazel, explain,” he firmly ordered.

  * * * *

  Hazel knew this day was coming. She had been running for years now.

  All because she refused leave well enough alone.

  Chapter Five

  Four years ago, Miami, Florida…

  She was married. Looking up at her beautiful husband, she thought she was the luckiest woman in the world. Everyone came to watch the nuptials. She had never seen so many people before in her entire life. They were all here for him, though. Her momma, her only living relative, stood beside her and gave her away. She didn’t care, though. Her momma was everything to her. Her mother was her best friend and companion.

  Sean had told her that once they were married, he was going to move her mother into the guesthouse. That way she could still look after her. Her momma was sick. She didn’t have much time left with her, and she didn’t want to waste a single minute.

  “Are you ready to go, dearest?” her husband asked. She loved that term.

  Husband.

  “I’m ready.” She smiled up at him.

  “Oh, Jessie, you made such a beautiful bride. I am so happy for you, darling,” her mother said, and kissed her cheek.

  “Thank you, Momma. Now, Sean said everything is ready for you. If you need me for anything, you just call. Mr. Gorgas will be taking you to all of your appointments. Mrs. Santiago will help you with your meds and anything else.”

  “Jessica, I am a grown woman. I can handle my life for two weeks without my daughter. Besides, you and Sean need time alone.”

  “I couldn’t agree more, Mrs. Green,” said the tall, handsome man hugging her closer. She looked up at him and smiled. He was hers. All hers.

  “Sean, I’m just worried. I’ve never been away from her. Maybe we should postpone the honeymoon, until Momma is better,” she said, unsure leaving her now was the right thing to do.

  “Dearest, everything is already set up. Your mother will be wonderfully taken care of. We will only be gone for two weeks. After that, I get to share you with her. Please let me have these two weeks. I want you all to myself.”

  “Sean is right, Jessie. He deserves your attention, too. I will be fine. Go, have a good time. Make me a grandmother. Yes, that would make me very happy. Many babies, Sean, you promised me lots of grandbabies,” her mother said.

  Jessica blushed.

  “Yes, ma’am. Once I give my word, you can take it to the bank and cash the check. You will be a grandmother in nine months’ time if it’s the last thing I do.”

  * * * *

  Nine months later…

  She was scared. She had to tell him. He wasn’t going to be happy. He would blame her again. She hated the way he leered at her when she told him. This was her fault. She knew the quicker she told him, the sooner she could forget.

  She failed again.

  Walking into his spacious office, she waited until he summoned her closer. She loved the carpet in this room. It was so lively and expressive.

  Red.

  She really loved the red tint to the Persian rug. He had purchased it on their honeymoon. She thought it was extremely expensive. He didn’t think twice when he handed over his black Amex card.

  “Come!” he bellowed. Never looking up, she knew exactly how many steps it would take before she reached his desk. Thirteen. It took thirteen steps. “Well?”

  “I’m not pregnant, Sean. I started my period this morning,” she whispered.

  “And why am I just hearing about this now?” he asked.

  “I was with mother. She had another appointment.”

  “I see,” he said, walking around his desk and leaning against it. “What shall I ever do with you, Jessica?”

  She knew not to answer. It was a rhetorical question. She made the mistake earlier in their marriage and paid a hefty price. Her husband, Sean Forbes, was not the gentleman he led everyone to believe he was. He was ruthless, cunning, and he liked to hit. He hit everything, but mainly he liked to hit her, especially when she didn’t do as she was told.

  “Come here, dearest,” he said, extending his hand toward her. She knew not to disobey him. Giving him her hand, she winced when his gripped tightened. She bit her tongue as he pulled her into his arms. “I want a son, Jessica. You have only one job, and you are failing. If you cannot provide what I request, I will find a woman who will. Do you really want to raise another woman’s child?”

  “No, Sean,” she murmured.

  His hands gripped her arms painfully as he shook her. “Then give me what I want!”

  * * * *

  Four months later…

  Her mother was dead. She was all alone. At least her mother died peacefully. She wanted so much to tell her mother the news. She was finally pregnant. She had told Sean two nights ago, and for once, she had made him happy. He was so happy he had her belongings moved into another room, saying that a woman in her condition needed her space. What he really meant was that he didn’t want to have a single part of her pregnancy and refused to help. Bastard.

  However, none of that mattered now. She was left in this big-ass house, with servants and men who guarded her husband as if he were the fucking King of Siam. She saw once that her husband’s main bodyguard, Jorge, wore a gun under his jacket. She thought about asking Sean if it was relevant for a man to have a gun in the house, but she thought better of it. But now that she was pregnant, she didn’t want guns around her baby.

  His baby. She needed to remember that. It was his baby. Not hers, his. She was just the host. He made damn sure of that.

  The rain was cold as it hit her face. She couldn’t stand any more of this. She wanted to leave but knew Sean would never allow it. Too much was a stake now. She had learned that her husband was not the clean-cut businessman she married. Oh, he was a businessman all right. He just dealt with semiautomatics and human trafficking.

  She couldn’t think about him right now. She was burying her mother. She was still surprised that Sean had agreed to take her back to Simple, Tennessee. Her mother was from Simple. She remembered warm summers and fun, but then it all ended when, at the age of seven, her mother moved her to Miami.

  She hated Miami. Mainly she hated her husband. Yet he never let her go. Even now, his hand was at her elbow as he sole
mnly stood next to her, lending her his support for the cameras.

  Fucking bastard.

  It was all a promo op for him, the grieving wife and the devoted husband who lent her his strength and devotion. She wanted to gag. The wind blew, and a shiver went through her body. She should have worn a shawl. Her legs were wet. She could feel the rain dripping down between her legs. She didn’t care. Her insignificant bastard must have felt her tremble, because before she knew it, he took off his coat and wrapped it around her.

  Too bad she couldn’t feel its warmth. She was already dead inside. She had nothing to live for anymore. Her mother was gone, soon, Sean would take her child, and she would be utterly alone. She just wanted this over.

  “Jessica?” She heard him mutter her name, but she didn’t care. She wasn’t going to listen to him. Not today. Today, she was going to do as she wanted, and fuck the consequences. But before she could tell him to leave her alone, he scooped her up in his arms and was shouting for the car. She couldn’t believe it. He was even taking away her chance to say good-bye to her mother.

  “Carlos, the nearest hospital, now!” Sean screamed at the driver. Flashbulbs were going off everywhere. She couldn’t see her mother’s grave anymore. Why was he taking her from her mother?

  * * * *

  Later the next day…

  She looked up at the tall building. It was huge. She didn’t know how she got here, but she did it. She had left her husband. She had always been sneaky. Her momma told her one time that being sneaky had its advantages, but she should always be careful, because sometimes, she might be surprised with what she saw.

  While she lay in the hospital bed, recovering from the loss of her baby, she snuck out of bed, looking for a nurse. She was so thirsty. All she wanted was a glass of water. When she exited her room, the guards who had normally followed her were absent. She looked down the hall to find it empty. Making her way down the long, white hallway, she heard her husband in the room next to hers. Slowly opening the door, she spied her husband fucking his secretary. The man she grew to loathe stuck his fucking dick in the other woman’s pussy, claiming she was going to give him the son he deserved.

  Her momma was right. She was surprised. The only difference was she didn’t care. Slowly closing the door, she continued down the hall, and before she knew it, she was standing in front of the Tennessee Federal Building in downtown Nashville.

  Holding her head high, she made sure her hospital gown was closed in the back and walked right up to the reception desk. A pretty woman with dark hair looked up and worriedly asked, “Are you all right, ma’am?”

  “My name is Jessica Forbes. I would like to speak with a federal agent please.”

  She waited for what felt like an hour but was more than likely minutes. A tall man in a dark suit walked over to her and asked, “Mrs. Forbes, what can the FBI do for you?”

  “Oh, I think I am going to help you more than you’ll help me,” she said.

  That day, her life changed forever.

  * * * *

  “Hazel?” Neil said, calling her name softly, rubbing her legs. She was sitting in the recliner. Neil kneeled before her while Steven leaned against the front door of the cabin. She didn’t know what to say to them. They had already done so much for her. It was strange sitting there, not expecting the worst. Could she trust them with her past? Would they truly understand what hell she’d gone through?

  She knew that Neil would get it, but Steven, she wasn’t so sure about. Yes, he had shown a softer side of himself, but he reminded her of her ex-husband. He, too, could be kind when the mood suited him, and then he would turn evil. She didn’t like be cornered. Neil had her blocked in. She couldn’t move without pushing him out of the way. He was stronger than she was. Theoretically, she knew Neil would never harm her, but the sheer size of him played tricks with her mind. Steven just stared at her from across the room, as if judging her. Her palms started to sweat. That nervous feeling right before something bad happened started to spread through her body. She hadn’t felt like this in years.

  “Leave her alone, Neil. You’re scaring her,” Steven said coolly.

  Hazel looked up at Steven and tried to understand the massive man looking at her. One minute he was seething with rage, the next concern, and then pity. She hated pity. She didn’t want his pity. He could go from hot to cold in seconds. He was worse than a fucking yo-yo when it came to his emotions. “I’m all right, Steven,” she whispered.

  “Baby, tell us what happened. Let us help you?” she heard Neil ask, but she couldn’t take her eyes of Steven. The way he was looking at her made her feel things, unwanted things. She wished he would look at her as he did in the shower earlier. She needed that man, not the hardened man before her.

  “Hazel, come here,” Steven ordered. Her eyes widened. Her heart picked up.

  Oh god no, please, no.

  Her eyes never left the man standing by the door. He waited for her to do as she was told. Instantly she was back in that office. The smell of cigars permeated the room. She hated that smell. She felt the soft rug beneath her feet as she slowly walked toward the angry man. She didn’t want to obey him. She wanted to run, but she knew if she did, he would catch her.

  He was so much stronger than she was.

  She flinched when his arms came around her. Her body stiffened when he pulled her closer. He smelled different, muskier, like the pines early in the morning. His strong arms engulfed her. She could still breathe. He wasn’t hurting her. When his big hands rubbed her back, she softened, melting into him. The room faded, and she was back in the cabin. She felt something wet fall on her shoulder, and when she looked up, her heart broke.

  Steven was crying. “What happened to you, Red?”

  Hazel opened her mouth and told them everything she could.

  * * * *

  Steven wanted to kill the fucking bastard. He wanted to wrap his hands around his neck, rip his head from his body, and piss down the fucker’s windpipe. Then he would let Neil run him through the industrial wood chipper and make mulch out of his ass. He couldn’t believe that bastard took a vibrant, young, trusting woman and turned her into a shell of a woman. He now knew why Hazel never trusted him. Fuck, and he tried so many times to dominate her, to tell her what to do. He was fucking lucky she didn’t shoot his balls off.

  Holding her tighter, he tried so hard to gather his emotions. His mind whirled with so many unanswered questions, but right now, he just needed her to answer the only one that mattered. “Baby, please, have Neil or I ever made you feel the way you felt with him? If we have, you need to let us know. We never want to control you, ever.”

  She reached up and caressed his face. “We may fight, Steven, but no, you have never tried to control me. I wouldn’t let you even if you tried. I’m sorry I kept this from you. I just wanted a fresh start. I never expected him to make bail.”

  Steven wanted to wrap Hazel up in a cocoon and make damn sure nobody ever touched her again. Hazel may be a bitch when she wanted, but she was a fighter. She fought for herself when nobody would. She survived the horrors of an unimaginable marriage and managed to find the courage to walk away while she still could.

  He was in awe of her. He had spent so many hours, days even, cursing the woman to perdition when he should have been more understanding. He should have taken the time to get to know her, the real her. Not the person she portrayed, but the woman beneath the mask. She was soft, warm, and kind. She was better than he would ever be, and he treated her like crap.

  He didn’t deserve her. He knew that. She belonged with someone who would appreciate her, love her, and give her everything. What could he give her? He was just a simple rancher. He was in debt, and other than his name, he had nothing. He didn’t know how to curb his anger. It was always getting him into trouble. Matthias had tried many times with him, showing him different methods and actions. However, when push came to shove, his temper always won out. He could be quiet, hell, he could even bite his tongue wh
en he needed to, but when it came to her, all bets were off.

  Steven had never felt so strongly for one woman before. He didn’t know how to control the urges within him. When he was around Hazel, every thought flew out the window. When he tried to speak, he stumbled and spewed words that even had him wondering about his sanity. His momma had always told him, “If you can’t say anything nice, then don’t say anything at all.”

  Too bad he never listened.

  Even as a school kid, he spoke his mind, which generally got his ass a first-class trip to detention. Then there were the times when he and his friends concocted some stupid plan that would always go horribly wrong. Considering it was generally his idea in the first place, he still chastised them, blaming them, when it should have been them yelling at him.

  That was the crux of the matter. Steven didn’t like being wrong. He hated being the butt of any joke. He hated being put on display. He hated showing his feelings, and he really hated when things didn’t go his way. He was selfish, inconsiderate, but mostly he was just a bastard.

  “Steven. You’re nothing like him.” Her voice penetrated his mind like a battering ram.

  Her eyes wide, she looked up at him and whispered, “You are nothing like him.”

  She kissed him hard on the lips, molding her tight body into his. Her exquisite taste seeped into his soul, branding itself forever to him. He knew he would never change, but for her, he would try.

  For her, he wanted to be a better man.

  Neil slipped away to give them a private moment, and Steven was grateful. It was bad enough breaking down in front of Hazel. He didn’t want his brother to see it, too. He knew it was stupid. If there was anyone he could actually be himself with it should be with Neil, but Steven just couldn’t handle it. Neil was always the sentimental one, the soft one. It was his job to protect his baby brother. Steven couldn’t do his job if he broke down and cried like a baby.