Sullivan (Laurel Springs Emergency Response Team Book 5)

by Laramie Briscoe

  “Sullivan?” I try to keep the laughter out of my voice.

  “Yeah,” she chuckles. “He’s my best friend.”

  “Which tells me more than anything about what a good guy he is.”

  “He is, he’s a great guy. Which is why I’ve always wanted him to have the best there is. I have to tell you.” She stops, looking at me. “I’ve never seen him as happy as he is with you.”

  “The same could be said for me.”

  “Are you going to tell him about what happened with Frank? You can’t convince me something didn’t happen with him.”

  I’m quiet as I wonder what I want to do.

  I want to be a strong woman. One that Sullivan deserves.

  “I haven't decided yet, but I’ll do what I think is best.”

  Chapter 29

  Shelby

  “Frank was notified yesterday by certified mail.”

  Montana gapes, her mouth wide open. “She gave all this money to me?”

  “She did.” I nod, watching as she looks at the will I wrote for Mrs. Haley. “She knew what kind of a situation you were in. It was her last wish for to have this and to get away from him.”

  Tears trail down her cheeks. “She knew. This whole time?”

  “From what I understand she did.”

  “He’s going to be pissed.” Her hands shake as she wipes at the tears. “Not only at me, but at you too.”

  “I can handle him.” I shuffle around in my bag. “Here’s your first check from the estate. I know you get out of the hospital in a couple of days. If you would like me to deposit this for you into an account we set up for you, I can do that. Then you can start trying to find a new place to live.”

  “How will I move there? I can’t lift anything.” She’s still in shock, looking at me with amazement in her eyes.

  “You let me take care of that. There are plenty of people around here willing to help you.”

  “I don’t know how to thank you,” she cries.

  “Live a life you love, Montana. It’s all I want.”

  “I can do it because of you.” She reaches out, grabbing my hand.

  As I drive away from the hospital, I pick my phone up and call someone I don’t call nearly enough. It rings about eight times and I’m about to give up when they answer.

  “Shelby! It’s been too long.”

  “Hey, Mom.” I smile as I hear her voice. “I know, I’ve been busy trying to get everything set up here.”

  “I wish you had let me and your dad come help you.”

  It’s what she always says. “I had to do this myself.”

  “No you didn’t, but I know you’re stubborn. How are things going?”

  “I’ve met somebody.” I grin as I whisper the secret I’ve been keeping too myself.

  “You like him too, I can tell by the way your voice lowered, and there’s a smile.”

  “I do, I love him,” I admit for the first time to anyone, including myself.

  “Then we can’t wait to meet him. How is your practice doing?”

  “Good, the case I just had was crazy...”

  “You’re quiet tonight,” Sully says as we sit on my couch, eating the sushi he picked up on his way home.

  “I had an interesting day.”

  He takes a bite, before sitting his plate down on the coffee table. “Does it have anything to do with the bruise on your arm?”

  I put my plate down beside his. “I was hoping you didn’t see that.”

  He turns to face me, hooking his thumb under my chin. “At this point, you should know I notice everything about you. I been waiting for you to come to me, but now I’m coming to you. Tell me what happened today.”

  “Frank came to see me.”

  His face turns red almost immediately. “That son of a bitch did this to you?”

  “He was upset about losing the money to Montana.”

  “So he thinks it’s okay to put his hands on you? I’m not okay with that. Why didn’t you call me?”

  Sighing, I run a hand through my hair. “Because I wanted to take care of this myself.”

  “This shit I take care of for you, Counselor. You don’t deal with this yourself. You come to me.” He’s barely holding it together.

  My heart swells as I hear the words coming out of his mouth. “Don’t hurt him, please. I don’t want you to get in trouble because of what he did to me.”

  “Oh I will hurt him within the limits of the law. No one touches someone I care about. You can’t expect me to make exceptions for that. There are no exceptions when it comes to you.”

  Instead of saying anything, I smile, throwing my arms around his waist, snuggling in close. “I know I’m safe with you, Sully.”

  “Always,” he whispers. “You’re always safe with me.”

  Sullivan

  Two Days Later

  “Thank you for doing this.” Shelby puts a cup of coffee in my hand. “I know you were on-shift late last night, and thank you for bringing your friends. I promise I’ll grab some breakfast on our way over there.”

  “They’re your friends too, babe,” I remind her.

  “But none of you have to do this.”

  “She needs help, and we help the members of the community.”

  “Don’t lie.” She stands on her tiptoes to kiss me on the cheek. “You kinda hope Frank shows up so you can arrest him.”

  “Can you fucking blame me? I’m still pissed he showed up at your office the way he did. I’d like to kick his ass, and I don’t care how I do it. Whether it be him harassing you or his wife.”

  “Where do you want this?” I ask Montana as I carry in a bag she’d put into a storage unit a few months ago.

  She’s sitting on a couch in a safe apartment building, thanks to the money Mrs. Haley left her. And because of Shelby too. It’s nice to see her basically holding court while the three of us carry boxes into this place. It’s got a built-in security system, along with a doorman.

  First building like this in Laurel Springs.

  Not gonna lie, I’m thinking about trying to convince Shelby we need to live here. When I’m not with her, I worry constantly for her safety.

  “If you can just put it over there.” Montana points to a clear spot on the ground. “I’ll go through it all when I feel like it.”

  Dropping the box where she asked me to, I make another trip outside.

  “This is the last one,” Cutter says as he walks by me.

  “That’s it?”

  “She didn’t have much.” Shelby keeps her voice low. “Most of what she’s going to have will be new.”

  “Understandable. You wanna hang around and make sure she’s okay before we leave?”

  Her arms clasp tightly around my waist. Encompassing her, I pull her to my chest, slipping her head under my chin.

  “You’re the best man I’ve ever known, Sully, and I would love to stick around until she says it’s okay.”

  Dipping down, I put drop a kiss to the top of her head. “You make me better.”

  She releases me, smiling widely. “Let me go in and check on her.”

  “I’ll go with you.”

  Holding her hand we walk inside Montana’s new apartment. Cutter and Rowan are unpacking boxes while she tells them where everything needs to go.

  “Do you want us to do these?” Shelby asks as she points to a group of boxes we’ve put in the corner.

  “No, those are personal things.” She shakes her head. “Y’all have done enough.”

  “If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to call us.” I hand her a card with my cell number on it. “This building has one of the best security systems I’ve ever seen. You’re going to be safe here, but if you need anything, we’re only a phone call away.”

  “Thank you.” She grasps my hand. “You don’t know how much I appreciate this.”

  “Anything Shelby asks me for, I’m willing to do.” I laugh as I put my arm around Shelby’s neck.

  “She’s a l
ucky lady.”

  Glancing over at her, I feel the soft smile sliding across my face. “Nah, I’m a very lucky man.”

  Chapter 30

  Sullivan

  “Domestic dispute at The Café,” dispatch advises, causing me to do a double-take when I hear the location.

  “The Café?” I verify.

  “Yes. Caller states two patrons are having a disagreement.”

  I can hear Leigh screaming on the call. “It’s Montana and Frank Gentry. He’s cornered her here.”

  Son of a bitch. “I’ll be right there.”

  I’m driving a Charger today instead of my customary SUV. As it responds to the way my foot presses the gas, I kind of hope they let me have it for the long haul. Even though I started out halfway across the county, I’m in front of The Café within minutes.

  There’s a crowd, and I can see Frank standing very close to his wife.

  “Frank, back away, or I’m going to have to take you in. You’re aware there’s an order of protection against you.”

  I don’t mention how it’d be my pleasure. I’m still fucking pissed at the way he treated the woman in my life.

  “Go ahead and take me in,” he screams at me.

  “Ya know what? Turn around, put your hands behind your back.”

  “For what?”

  “Do I really need to count the goddamn reasons?” I push him so that he’s facing the wall. “You’re violating a protective order, first of all.” I press him further into the solid structure, shoving my knee in between his thighs, leaning my weight against him. “Second of all,” - I lower my voice, getting closer, speaking low in his ear - “you think you’re gonna touch my woman and her not tell me?”

  “She’s lying,” he grunts as I press harder.

  “Don’t even think about it,” I growl. “You say one more word about her, I’ll clock out and beat your ass. Not as an officer of the law, but as a man pissed because of what you did to his woman.”

  “Should you really be bringing your personal feelings into your job, officer?”

  “Shut up.”

  I reach over to my radio, calling for backup. When I’m done, I look over at Montana. “Are you okay? Do you need anyone to come and check you out.”

  “She’s breathing hard, Sully,” Leigh says from where she has her arm wrapped around the younger woman. She’s handing her a glass of water.

  “Probably just scared, but it won’t hurt to have someone come and check.” I reach back over, keying my radio. “Dispatch go ahead and send an ambulance over to The Café too.”

  “You okay, deputy?”

  “Fine, it’s for one of the people involved in the domestic. I’m good and I see back-up pulling in right now.”

  Ransom comes in, holding Rambo on the leash. His eyes take in the situation. “You straight?”

  “Yeah, can you check on her?” I motion over to where Montana sits. “I called for an ambulance. They should be here ASAP.”

  “Pulling up right now.” His gaze watches the street outside The Café. “You taking him in?” He dips his chin at Frank.

  “That’s the plan.”

  “He hopes it’s the plan,” Frank sneers.

  “It is, turn around and shut up.”

  “I see you take her side over mine.” He looks at Montana.

  “No, you don’t look at her,” I jerk him around. “You can wait out in the car until we’re ready to go.”

  “I’ll be speaking with your supervisor about this.”

  “Go right ahead.” I walk him out, putting him in the back of the car. People gawk as I close the door, thankful I don’t have to listen to him any longer. Looking over at the ambulance, I see my sister hop out of the back with her go bag.

  “Hey, sis!”

  “Hey.” She comes over, hugging me around the waist. “How’s it going?”

  “Pretty quiet day until this piece of shit.”

  She laughs. “If I had a nickel for every piece of shit both of us have dealt with, we’d be millionaires.”

  I watch as Rowan goes over, kneeling in front of Montana. Following her, I stand behind, observing. “She was in the hospital until a few days ago because of him.” I let her know.

  “What happened?” Rowan asks as she takes Montana’s blood pressure.

  “He beat me,” she whispers.

  “There’s an order of protection against him, and he shouldn’t have been here,” I answer.

  “Your blood pressure is high, which is understandable. Is your chest hurting?”

  “Slightly, but I’m starting to calm down some,” Montana sighs, taking slow breaths in and out. She leans back against the chair.

  “I think you’re having an anxiety attack. Let us go put you on the EKG machine for a little while.” Ro helps her get up.

  “Is he going to jail?”

  “Yeah,” I tell her.

  “Even if I was the one who came here after he did?”

  “It doesn’t matter where you are or when you walk in. He knows he’s supposed to keep his distance from you. If you walk in, he walks out. That’s the way it works. None of this is your fault. You need to remember that.”

  She looks at me, her eyes meeting mine. “I know.”

  And for the first time I feel like she does. “I’ll see y’all later. I’m taking his ass to jail.”

  Chapter 31

  Shelby

  “I hadn’t quite thought how I would feel to be up for auction when this idea was presented.” I pull at the hem of the dress I’m wearing.

  In front of me Sullivan wears a suit, along with a smirk. A fucking smirk. He looks way too good in the white dress shirt, and dark blue blazer. It sets off the color of his eyes, and the perpetual tan he seems to have.

  “You look damn good.” His gaze eats me up.

  “So do you.” I grab hold of the lapels of his jacket, tugging him into me. “Wish I had enough money to spend on you. I’m sure you’re gonna go for a ton.”

  I giggle, tilting my head toward him, as he reminds me. “That would be beside the point. Instead of raising money, we’ll be spending it.”

  He slides his hand down my back, cupping my ass with his palm. I grin up at him, loving when a smirk spreads across his face. White teeth flash against his skin. “I’d give everything I had for you.”

  “Sullivan Baker, you’re too sweet.”

  He dips down, putting his lips to my neck. “Only for you.”

  Glancing at the clock, I see it’s time for us to leave. “We gotta go.”

  “After you.” He ushers me out of the apartment, holding my hand as we head down the stairs to his Mustang.

  He opens the passenger side door, grinning like a wolf ready to eat his prey.

  I grin back at him, flashing leg as I bend down getting in.

  “You do that on purpose,” he growls.

  “Maybe, maybe not.”

  “Yeah, you know.” He closes the door, a grin on his face.

  Crossing my legs, I smile to myself, loving to tease him. He gets in, adjusting his suit pants, before starting the car and putting it in gear.

  “Hopefully no crazy MILF bids on you and decides to use you as her hall pass.”

  He throws his head back, laughing loudly. “You and I’ve never talked about hall passes. So, I mean, what is your thought about that?”

  “I can’t believe you’re sitting here asking me what I think about hall passes.”

  He reaches over to grab my hand. “You know I don’t want a hall pass.”

  “But what if she does,” I argue.

  “I mean we’re supposed to give them what they want.”

  “Well they better not want you.”

  “When you got it, you got it.” He winks.

  “You’re such a shit, but you’re my shit.”

  “How much do you think Sully will go for?” I ask Stella as we stand to the side of the stage. Stella’s not part of the auction, but she’s helping with the festivities.

 
“Sullivan. At least a couple hundred, maybe a thousand.”

  I gawk at her. “You really think a thousand dollars?”

  “You may not realize how hot he is because you see him all the time, but Sully’s hot.”

  “Oh my God, Stelle. This is what I was worried about, some MILF using him for her hall pass.”

  Stella laughs so hard she wipes tears from her eyes. “You’re so salty.”

  “Well you would be too.”

  “Oh girl, I already am. You should see the way women look at Ransom when he’s out with our kid.”

  “How do you deal with it?” I ask her, really needing to know how I’m going to ignore the women who stare at our men.

  “Every night he comes home to me. I never have to wonder where his affection lies. If we’re not together in the morning, he texts to let me know he’s thinking about me. When we have time for our lunches together, he surprises me by bringing me food. He, Rambo, and I, we sit on the hood of the SUV and eat as a family. You’ll realize it’s the little things that count. So many women look at that badge, that gun, and they see the uniform, not the man behind it.” She shrugs. “They don’t get to see the man who comes home after working a twenty-hour shift. The one who breaks down because there are bad apples in every profession, and it hurts him when things happen on a national level.”

  I reach out, grabbing Stella’s hand because I understand what she’s saying. Even though I’ve only dealt with it to a smaller degree.

  “Or when they come home beat up because a perp or a mentally ill individual put their hands on him. The call, though.” She looks down at the ground. “The call is the worst. Where they tell you your boyfriend or husband has been injured in the line of duty. They can’t let you know his condition; all you know is you have to get there. Your heart is broken because you’re in the dark. No one can prepare you for this, but you have to be strong, Shelby. We love these guys like no one else, and everything that comes with them. You deal with it because you love them. You’re their strength and their anchor in a hell of a storm. You ignore the shit thrown at you and you think about how your man makes you feel.”