Claiming the Enemy: Dustin: Porter Brothers Trilogy, #3

by Jamie Begley

  Pastor Dean waited until everyone was seated before raising his hand to end the hymnal. When the field went silent, he dropped his hand to his side as he raised his eyes heavenward.

  “Father, we’re here to praise You in the church of Your own making for returning one of Your children back into the fold where she belongs. Philippians 4:13: I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.”

  Pastor Dean lowered his eyes to her. “Jessie, not only can you count on God to give you strength, but you can count on every person in this field to be here every Sunday until you’re ready to come back to church. Don’t think I’m forgetting about our regular service at ten. Everyone here knows I’m longwinded enough to give two sermons.”

  Those listening laughed. Her pastor regularly went past the allotted time that services were scheduled.

  “You will not walk this path alone. We will be with you. There will be no shadow of evil that we cannot overcome together, because what holds us together cannot be broken by evil. While evil intentions can hide their appearance from us, God sees the marked soul underneath, not letting it escape His notice ….”

  As the pastor spoke, Jessie saw Holt and Asher walk through the fence separating the two properties and families.

  Seeing who she was staring at, Dustin took her hand and placed their joined hands on his thigh, linking their fingers together.

  Her brothers took an empty blanket on the other side of them, listening to the sermon. A few minutes later, Jessie saw a group of men coming from different parts of the woods on the Hayes’ side to file through the gate. Her burly, back country cousins took off their hats as they sat down on the blanket with Asher and Holt. Those who didn’t have enough room just found a patch of grass nearby.

  She had been the only one in her family to attend church. Their love for her was now overcoming their recalcitrance. Her family had varying degrees of belief in God, but the one thing they did believe in was that they could count on each other.

  Evil had touched her, and through her, it touched both her church family and her biological one. It was only going to leave a stain on her soul if she let it, and she couldn’t let that happen. She couldn’t do any less for her family than they were willing to do for her.

  Her thoughts went back to her pastor’s sermon, realizing he was leading them in prayer as she heard the last word he spoke. Bowing her head, she repeated it.

  “Amen.”

  19

  Dustin walked behind Willa and Lucky as the congregation started to leave, silently waiting for them to say goodbye to Beth. When she finally left, he shook Lucky’s hand.

  “I appreciate you organizing this service.”

  “No, thank you for bringing to Willa’s attention why she hadn’t been coming to church. I was one of the few she would accept calls from, but when I mentioned her attending service, she said she wasn’t ready. Now I know why. We’ll be here for her until she’s ready to come back.” Lucky waved at two women as they passed. “After the next deacon meeting, it might be the only service I’ll be giving.”

  Dustin didn’t understand, and he could see that Willa looked unhappy at his last statement.

  “Dixon Wells has taken over as head deacon, and he’s trying to convince the elders and the congregation to revert back to the denomination our church was before,” Lucky explained. “Angus had always been able to keep Dixon in check, but when he moved to Bangladesh, he slowly convinced several of the congregation to agree that we should.”

  While Dustin didn’t attend Lucky’s church, he knew Dixon. He wasn’t one of his clients. He was considered well-off, owning a restaurant in Treepoint and another in Lexington that his son Charles ran for him.

  “If there is anything I can do, let me know. I don’t go to church often enough that any of the elders would listen to me, but I don’t mind putting in my two cents.”

  Lucky narrowed his eyes. “Actually, there is, but it doesn’t involve the church. You and your brothers could quit giving Drake a hard time about belonging to The Last Riders.”

  “Pastor”—Dustin nodded to a woman as she passed, recognizing her as one of Jessie’s neighbors at her apartment complex—“that’s asking too much.”

  “From me or God?” Lucky asked wryly.

  “Both,” Dustin said, putting an arm around Jessie’s shoulders as she joined the small group.

  “Excuse me, Pastor.” Jessie shrugged away from his possessive hold. “I have a quick question. I can’t place that woman who just passed. I know I’ve met her, but I can’t remember where.”

  Dustin’s eyes went to the woman he had just nodded to, frowning as Willa answered her question.

  “That’s Victoria Carsen. She’s new in town and doesn’t attend the church. She’s the new school librarian. Drake introduced her to me when I went to King’s to drop off some cakes. Drake must have told her that I was organizing the women coming today, so she asked if she could attend today’s service. She acted like she knew you.”

  “I almost spoke to her, but I didn’t want to be embarrassed that I didn’t know her name. I don’t know where I’ve met her before.”

  Dustin didn’t want to upset Jessie by bringing up the night she had been kidnapped, but his heart raced at her mentioning how Victoria seemed familiar to her. Could brief memories be coming back?

  “She was the last one to see you in the laundry room.”

  As Jessie went pale, Dustin bit off a curse, already regretting telling her, but he didn’t want her finding out that he had been the one to first talk to her.

  “I saw her that night? Did she see anything? I need to ask her—”

  “She’s been interviewed by Knox and the state police. She didn’t see anyone other than you.”

  “I still want to talk to her.”

  “Then go ahead. Kaley saw you going to the laundry room, too. She’s not here today, but if you want, I can call and ask her to stop by to talk to you.”

  “You know Kaley’s number?”

  The jealous sparkle that entered her eyes had his lips twitching.

  “Only because I saw her when Knox asked for help canvassing your neighbors. She offered me her number in case she remembered something.”

  His explanation didn’t make the sparkle disappear.

  “I’m sure Asher has her number. I’ll call her myself.”

  Dustin took out his phone, wagging it in front of her face. “I’m standing right here. I’ll send it to you.”

  Giving a disdainful sniff, she gave him a cold shoulder. “Excuse me. I want to catch Ms. Carsen before she leaves.”

  Dustin watched her walk away under Willa’s and Lucky’s amused gaze.

  “I don’t think she liked you having Kaley’s phone number,” Willa teased.

  His smile widened. “I don’t think she did either.”

  He continued to talk to Willa and Lucky as Jessie talked to the librarian. Dustin knew her well enough that her friendly expression masked the growing turmoil she felt at not remembering the encounter. As she walked back toward him, he knew he was right as he saw her rub her temple.

  “You okay?”

  “Yes, it’s just so frustrating how I can’t remember something so important.”

  “You will.” Willa gave her an encouraging smile. “It’s a start, at least.”

  “Hopefully, I’ll start remembering more—” She suddenly broke off. “I need to go say goodbye to Drake, Bliss, and Darcy.” She left them staring after her.

  Dustin tried to talk to her afterward, to ask what was wrong, but she kept avoiding him.

  When Logan ran up to tell him that he was ready to go home, Dustin unashamedly used him to grab her attention.

  “Jessie, I need to get Logan home. He has school tomorrow,” he rudely interrupted her as she talked to a young woman who worked with her at the daycare.

  Jessie gave Logan a hug and told him, “I was so proud of how you started the hymn.”

  Logan blushed a fiery red. “Thank you.”


  Her response to his own goodbye was different. Her cool tone signaled that something about him was bothering her, and for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out what it was.

  When he and Logan got home, Dustin went to check on the plants while his son did his homework. Greer had offered to go, but he was playing with Rosie. Grabbing his hat off the wall, he told him that he would.

  At the sectioned-off clearing they planted their weed, he moved from row to row, reaching down to random weeds. They needed to get the plants pulled before a frost came. He should have already done it, but work and Jessie had divided his attention.

  He built up a sweat despite the cool autumn air. The beating sun had him taking his shirt off and hanging it around his neck as he worked. Occasionally, he would use it to wipe the sweat away.

  Gathering the weeds he pulled, he placed them in a bag he had hidden in the bushes. Satisfied the plants were thriving, he decided to call Logan’s grandmother and see if she was up for a visit from Logan.

  Crawling out, he walked back to the house, where the smell of fried chicken had his stomach growling.

  He was going up the steps as Jessie was coming out.

  “You visiting Holly?”

  “No, I wanted to talk to you. Do you have a minute?”

  “You want to stay for dinner? We can talk when we get done eating?”

  “No, I’ve got dinner ready at home. I won’t hold you up. I don’t want your dinner getting cold.”

  “You had all afternoon to talk to me, and you ignored me.” Dustin backed down the steps, so Jessie could come down. “What’s so important that you came here instead of texting me?”

  “Because I need for you to understand that I need you to stay away from me. I don’t want you pretending in public that we’re a couple when we’re not.”

  His face hardened. “So, it’s okay for you to touch me when you need my emotional support, but anything that could make us look like a couple is a no-go?”

  “Can we have this conversation without anyone listening?” she hissed through clenched teeth, grabbing his hand and leading him around the side of the house.

  “What’s wrong with us looking like we’re a couple? We are.”

  “No, we aren’t. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. You saved my life, Dustin. The last few nights together allowed me to get to a clearer mind. I haven’t been sleeping that much, just cat naps.

  “If your nightmares are as bad as mine, then I don’t know how you could stand it for all these years. I admire you for being able to handle that. It could be that I’ve been so tired that my brain hasn’t been functioning properly, and it’s starting to heal in bits and pieces. All those years we spent as playmates made me feel safe and cared for enough to sleep. But it’s an illusion, just like us pretending to be a couple when we aren’t.”

  Her eyes dropped to his chest, avoiding eye contact, then quickly skittered away. Dustin had been with enough women to recognize when one was attracted to him. He had an idea what was going on and had no intention of making it easy for her.

  Hooking each of his thumbs into a belt loop, he gave her the illusion that he was patiently waiting to agree with whatever bullshit she was spouting out to him.

  “We both know that emotionally I’ve been a wreck since the kidnapping. But today, I think I’m starting to get straightened out, and I don’t need you being my support system anymore, even though I really appreciate everything you’ve done,” she clarified hastily, then droned on with more bullshit. “In the long run, it’s not healthy for me to become dependent on your support. It will only lead to confusion and hurt feelings.”

  It was like watching a cute, little bunny scurrying through the woods, unaware a predator was right behind her. The more she kept trying to explain her feelings, the more he was determined not to let her get away.

  “I’m not confused. What am I confused about?”

  “I’m confused now. I was saying that if we keep spending so much time together at night—”

  “You mean when I sleep with you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, so how does that make you confused? I throw a rock, you open the window, we go to bed. Seems simple to me.”

  Jessie darted a quick look at his chest before blushing and lifting her eyes once again to his. “I don’t want to become confused about why we’re sleeping together and become hurt when you can’t meet my expectations.”

  Dustin scratched the side of his temple. “What expectations do you think I can’t meet?”

  Jessie waved her hand airily, blushing. “I don’t expect you to meet any expectations yet. That’s what I’m trying to tell you I don’t want to become confused about.”

  “Let’s put it this way, then,” Dustin drawled out. “Which expectations are you worried that I can’t meet that would lead you to becoming hurt and confused?”

  “Are you trying to twist my words?” she asked him suspiciously.

  “No.”

  “Oh … That was all I had to say. I don’t want your food getting cold.”

  “Jess, answer my question.”

  She lowered her head, staring down at her feet. “I can’t be friends with you, Dustin. The more time we spend together, the harder it will be for me. The women in town like to gossip about your booty calls and date nights. You’ll get tired of keeping me company and want to get back to your normal hound dog fun, and I don’t want you having to worry about blowing me off when you want to go out to scratch an itch. And as much I wouldn’t want to be, I could become hurt and confused when you do. So, it’ll just be easier if we quit seeing each other, so that I won’t become—”

  “Hurt and confused?”

  “Exactly.” She nodded as if he understood that clusterfuck of an explanation.

  “Let me help you with your confusion.” Dustin had to shut down his baser instincts that had his cock hardening behind his zipper every time she stared at his chest, knowing she wasn’t ready for the sexual contact that his dick was wanting.

  As he took a step forward, Jessie found herself backed against the house. Then he lifted a hand to the wall, blocking her from running away. Standing close enough that his chest brushed against her breasts every time she breathed out, Dustin lifted her chin, pinning her with his eyes.

  “When I’m in your bed, I’m not thinking about booty calls with other women. Nor will I be regretting missing a date night at a restaurant before going to their apartment or to the hotel to get laid.

  “I’m so … glad you’re starting to get your head on straight so that I can stop playing Mr. Nice Guy and tell you that friendship is the fucking last thing I want from you. Friends fuck you over. I make a lousy friend; you know that.

  “What I do want from you, when you’re ready, is a relationship where you won’t have to wonder about why I’m in bed with you—you’ll fucking know.

  “I’m not a kid anymore, and neither are you. I won’t have another woman in my life who isn’t willing to let everyone know we have committed ourselves both physically and emotionally to each other. I’m not talking about marriage. I want to be clear on that point. I don’t see marriage in my foreseeable future. And despite what you say about you having your head screwed back on again, you’re still under this misconception that I’m the same kid you can talk into doing anything and do whatever you want. You’re kinda bossy, in case you didn’t know that. And in a committed relationship with me, there is only one pair of britches that calls the shots, and it ain’t gonna be yours.”

  Dustin arrogantly continued, despite her eyes spitting fire at him. “As far as expectations go, expect me to treat you pretty much the same way I’ve been treating you … until you’re ready for more. When you are, expect my dick to be buried in you at least a couple of times a day …” He paused, deciding to be more honest on that point. “Probably more if I’m in a frisky mood, or you’re wearing dresses.

  “And lastly and more importantly, expect me to be outside your windo
w tonight, because the only one who’s an emotional wreck right now is me. Holly only cooks fried chicken once every two months, and I can guarantee that Greer’s eaten all the breasts and left me the legs.”

  Dropping his hand from her chin to show her that she could move her mouth away from him, he brushed a featherlight kiss along her open mouth before taking a small backward step.

  Seeing the smudge of his handprint on her chin, he used his shirt to gently wipe it away before looking around. Seeing what he was looking for, he raised his hand, waving at the Hayeses who anyone who wasn’t as blind as a bat could see trying to hide behind the tree that was too small to disguise him.

  “Bud,” Dustin yelled out. “Make sure she hurries home. It’s getting ready to rain.”

  Dustin chuckled at the foul-mouth expletive her cousin yelled back at him.

  Giving Jessie a wink, he sauntered around the house, in a much better mood than when he had left her earlier.

  He was jumping up on the side of the porch when he heard the crack of a gunshot behind him. Diving onto the porch, he turned to see Jessie holding Bud’s rifle.

  Greer came running out. Seeing it was Jessie, he lowered his rifle with a smirk, realizing the same thing Dustin had—the foul-tempered woman had shot at him.

  Sauntering toward the porch, she stared arrogantly down at him as she asked Greer, “Where are Rosie and Logan?”

  “Holly has them out back.”

  “Good,” she said, her voice so sickly sweet before turning her attention back to him with a mean look that had his balls curling inward in fear.

  “If you’re expectin’ sex three times a day before I have a wedding ring on my finger, you’re out of your frickin’ mind.”

  That Bud was enjoying her comeuppance just added insult to injury.

  “You stupid enough to be outside my bedroom window tonight …”

  Dustin swallowed hard when Jessie lowered the rifle to his chest.

  “… I’ll blow a hole through you so big that God Himself couldn’t fix it. And I won’t be giving you a damn warning shot.”

  Satisfied that he had gotten her message, she gave the gun back to Bud. “Night, Greer.”