And I’d never get tired of saying it.
* * *
“He’s a sweet dog, really,” the volunteer at the shelter said as I crouched down low to pet the dog in front of me. “It’s a shame he hasn’t been adopted yet, but people get nervous. His breed is known for being aggressive, and he can look a bit intimidating. He’s half Pit Bull, half Boxer, only about six months old, so he’s gonna get even bigger.”
“He good with other animals?” Cannon asked the volunteer.
“Oh, yeah. He’s a playful little guy. Loves all the other animals here, so even if you already have a pet, that’s not gonna be a problem.”
For the life of me, I couldn’t imagine why no one had fallen in love with the beautiful pup, because I was positively smitten.
“Their loss is my gain, huh boy?” I cooed, giving him a rub behind his ears. “What do you say, fella? You want to come home with me?”
He licked along my jaw, giving me a slobbery kiss I took as a definitive yes.
With a laugh, I turned to look up at Cannon. “So, what do you think?” I asked as I hugged the pup close. “Isn’t he just the most gorgeous thing you’ve ever seen?”
He lowered down on his haunches beside me and rubbed the dog’s head. “Yeah, baby, he’s a beauty, that’s for sure. You sure this is the one you want?”
“Positive,” I answered with determinedly.
“Then he’s the one we’ll get.” The dog turned his big, square head and gave Cannon a lick of appreciation.
“So what are you gonna name him?”
He studied the dog closely for several seconds before answering. “What do you think of Triumph?”
The grin that stretched across my face was so big it made my cheeks ache. “Triumph,” I said quietly, trying the name on for size. “I think it’s absolutely perfect.”
Triumph let out a playful woof and started wagging his tail, and that was all the confirmation I needed to know he agreed wholeheartedly.
* * *
Shane came skipping up to the bar, slapping her tray down and giving me a big smile. “So, I’ve been meaning to ask, is there anything you want me to bring for Thanksgiving dinner?”
A lot had changed over the past month, and while it hadn’t all been smooth sailing, it was still the happiest I’d ever been.
With Bev’s help, I found a therapist I liked, and she’d gone a long way in helping me. The nightmares were still there, but they weren’t nearly as frequent and a whole hell of a lot less powerful, and I was looking forward to the day when they were gone for good.
One of the biggest bright spots over the past month was the fact that, just a few days earlier, Cannon had moved into the Victorian with me. Turned out, he’d been renting the townhouse, and after sharing those three big words, we both felt like it was time. My gut was telling me it was the right call, and if I’d learned anything over these past months, it was to trust my gut. What some people might consider rushed felt like the next logical step for us.
When I’d told Jase and Bennett, neither of them batted an eye. If I were being honest, I was pretty sure both of them were relieved I was going to have a man they both trusted in the house.
Another blessing was that I felt I was really close to wearing Jase down. He hadn’t come right out and said he was moving to Redemption, but my instincts were telling me it was only a matter of time.
I’d spent twenty-six years wishing I had a different life, but I’d never imagined it could be this damn good.
And the thick, swirly buttercream icing on the amazing cake that was my life was the fact that Cannon and I were hosting a huge, traditional Thanksgiving dinner in just a couple weeks. Jase was flying down, and Bennett—who was staying in my renovated carriage house for the time being—would also be in attendance with his new girlfriend, Myra, although they’d both told me numerous times that people their age didn’t use the term girlfriend or boyfriend. I didn’t care. I was just happy for them. Turned out, before Bennett had moved away, the two of them had love affair that rivaled even the one that went with the history of my new house, and now that they’d finally found each other again after all these years, they weren’t going to waste another second.
Poppy was also going to be in attendance. Shane would be there with Brantley. Banks and Bev, Darla and Buck, Scooter and his wife, Caroline, Danno, Fletch, Clay, and a few of Cannon’s friends who lived in a place called Hope Valley—a name almost as cool as Redemption—were all going to be there.
It was going to be a full house, and I couldn’t freaking wait.
“I’ve got dinner covered, but I’m telling everyone if they want to bring a dessert, it’s more than welcome.”
“Sounds good. Brantley’s really excited. It’s usually just us and Uncle Scoot and Aunt Caroline. He’s looking forward to celebrating with a whole bunch of people.”
I let out a giggle. “Well, it’s a toss-up who’s more excited, him or me.”
She shot me a wink over her shoulder as she started toward her section, calling out, “Guess we’ll see how you’re feeling after cooking dinner for all those people.”
It didn’t matter. Dinner could be a disaster, and I’d still feel like a kid on Christmas morning.
I checked on my section before heading to the pool tables where my man was camped out with his dad and their whole crew. “Hey guys. Everything good over here?”
Like he did every time I was within reach, Cannon grabbed me and pulled me into his lap, planting a kiss on my lips.
“We’re good,” Scoot answered. “But we’d be better if your man here’d agree to playin’ you in another game of pool. I could use another hundred bucks.
I threw my head back on a laugh while Cannon gave me a squeeze with his own chuckle. “How about I make you guys a deal,” I managed to say once my laughter tapered off. “Take it easy on my man and find me another player, and I’ll be happy to help pad your pockets.”
Scooter quickly agreed, and I just started to pull from Cannon’s lap when the mood in the entire bar suddenly shifted.
“You gotta be fuckin’ shitting me,” Scooter growled, his cheerful demeanor long gone, pure rage taking its place.
I looked across the bar to where he was staring just as the doors closed behind a man I’d never seen before.
“Holy fuck,” Cannon clipped, his voice just as angry as Scooters.
“This isn’t happenin’,” Banks bit out.
I looked around the tables and saw that every guy had their attention on the newcomer, and not a single one of them looked happy to see him. Turning my focus on Cannon, I asked, “Who is that?”
“Jensen Rose,” he answered through gritted teeth. “Bad fuckin’ news, Hummingbird.”
My skin began to prickle as I looked back to the man in question. “Why’s he bad news?”
“That’s Shane’s ex, baby. Brantley’s dad.”
My head whipped back around. The guy was still standing in the doorway, gazing toward the bar with a look of stark longing on his face, and when I followed his line of sight, I saw he was staring right at a pale, stricken Shane. “Oh shit.”
I watched with my heart in my throat as Shane spun around on her heels and flat-out ran for the hall.
“Dad, you and Scoot get him the fuck outta here,” Cannon ordered. “I’ll put in a call to Stone.”
“Who’s Stone?” I asked, shooting panicked eyes to Cannon.
“Shane’s brother. Lives in San Francisco. He needs to know Jensen’s back.”
There were so many questions floating around in my head, but I couldn’t focus on anything but what Shane’s face looked like before she disappeared down the hall.
“We’ll get this shit sorted, baby,” Cannon told me while pushing to his feet. “You go take care of your girl, yeah?”
I nodded and jumped into action, hightailing it down the hall to the office. The door was closed, so I knocked pressing my ear against the wooden surface. “Shane?” I called out, knocking again. “
It’s Farah, sweetie. I’m coming in.”
I hesitated for two beats before twisting the nob and pushing the door open. I peeked my head through the small opening, wondering if it wasn’t best to give her some space, but the moment I saw Shane sitting at the desk with her head in her hands, her back shaking as she cried silently, I knew space was out of the question.
“Oh, honey.” I shot across the office and crouched down at her side, pulling her into a hug.
“I-I can’t b-believe he’s here.”
“What can I do?” I asked, stroking her hair as her tears left damp spots on my shoulder. “What do you need? Just tell me and I’ll make it happen.”
She pulled back and sniffled, batting at her cheeks. “I don’t want to see him, Farah. I can’t . . . I—”
“You don’t have to, Shane. Cannon and the guys are already on it. They’re getting him out now. It’ll just be a few more minutes.”
“I just can’t believe this!” she cried, flopping back in the chair. “All these years, and he’s suddenly back? What the hell is that?”
I stood and rested back against the edge of the desk. “I don’t know, honey.”
“God,” she snapped, rising to her feet and raking a hand through her hair. “He looked really good, didn’t he? The fucking bastard. I hate that he still looks so good.”
I was just about the tell her he didn’t look that good—a lie, considering that, with only a brief glance, it was impossible not to notice how attractive he was—when the door to the office slammed shut.
Shane and I both jumped, and I spun around to find Lance standing just inside the office. His eyes were manic, his clothes and hair were a mess. The skin on his face was sallow and sunken. It looked like he hadn’t eaten or slept for weeks, but what was most disturbing about his sudden appearance was the energy rolling off him and filling the tiny room to a suffocating level. He looked positively wired. My gut and my brain were screaming at me to get the hell away from him, but he was blocking the only means of escape.
“Lance? What the hell? You can’t be he—”
Before I could finish my sentence, he moved, bringing his arm from behind his back and revealing the gun in his hand. His whole body shook as he raised the gun to eye level and pointed it right at me. “This is all your fault,” he hissed, his tone so full of hatred it made my skin crawl. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this, but you ruined everything.”
Shane sucked in a gasp, and fear coated my skin as I moved to put her behind me. I tried to keep my voice level and hide the tremble in my words as I spoke. “Lance, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Please, just put the gun down before you hurt someone, okay?”
“Shut up,” he snarled, gnashing his teeth. “I’m in this fucking mess because of you!”
“Look,” I started in a placating tone. “Why don’t you just let Shane out of here? Then you and I can talk. We’ll get all of this figured out, okay? Just let Shane leave.” I reached back to grab my friend’s hand. Her fingers wrapped around mine in a painful grip, but as I started to shift from behind the desk, Lance shot closer.
“Don’t you fucking move!” he yelled.
I instantly froze, lifting my free hand. “Okay, no one’s moving. Please, just calm down.”
He began pacing, his agitation growing with each passing second, and all that I could think was that I needed to get Shane out of there. She had a son, for God’s sake. I couldn’t let anything happen to her. If she was hurt I’d never forgive myself.
“This whole thing would’ve been taken care of months ago if that asshole I paid hadn’t fucked everything up.”
The blood in my veins turned to ice. “What are you talking about?” I whispered.
“He was only supposed to take you!” he barked, rounding the desk so fast Shane and I both jerked back. “That’s all he had to do! Your parents would’ve paid the ransom. Fuck knows they could afford it, and they wouldn’t have risked it getting out that their only daughter had been kidnapped, and they didn’t do everything to get her back. They would have paid. We would have split the money, and everything would go back to normal, but that son of a bitch played me!”
My whole body broke out in goosebumps. Bile crawled up my throat, scorching a path on its way up. “Th-that was . . .” My vision blurred with tears, and I felt like I was going to be sick. “That was because of you? You did that to me?”
“It wasn’t supposed to go down like that!” he shouted, waving the gun around dangerously. “All he was supposed to do was take you. I didn’t know he was going to . . .” He was such a coward, he couldn’t even bring himself to say the words.
“You didn’t know what?” I spit, venom coating each of my words. I no longer gave a shit about that gun. In fact, the rage boiling inside of me was so strong, I’d forgotten about it all together. “That he was going to rape me?” I snapped, stepping away from Shane and moving closer to him. I could only pray that she got the hint and started toward the door while I kept him focused on me. “Beat me? Stab me in the chest over and over and leave me for dead?”
“Stop it!” Lance shouted, covering his ears like he could keep the words from penetrating his brain.
But I wasn’t going to let him off that easy. The worst moments of my life had been orchestrated by him. I’d nearly died because of him, and he was going to damn well absorb every word I had to say. “You paid a man to kidnap me! That piece of shit took cash from you to commit a felony, and you’re surprised he changed the rules of the game? What is wrong with you?”
He shook his head and opened his eyes, turning the gun back on me. “It doesn’t matter now. It happened, and there’s nothing I can do to change it. All I can do is move forward.” He took another step toward me. “This is what’s going to happen. You’re gonna keep your goddamn mouth shut and come with me. We’re going to walk quietly out the back door, get in my car, then I’m going to drive until I think the coast is clear. Then you’ll call your parents and get me my fucking money.”
My lips parted in shock as I shook my head. “You’re out of your fucking mind, Lance. I’m not going anywhere with you.”
He waved the gun in my face, giving me a smile that made my skin crawl. “Yes, you will. Because I’m the one with the goddamn gun!”
“Look around you, asshole! You’re in the middle of a crowded bar. How the hell do you think this is gonna play out, huh?”
He moved so fast it made me jump. One second he was a foot away, and the next, he was inches from my face. “I think it’s going to play out exactly how I said it would. You’re going to follow my instructions, because if you don’t . . .” he turned the gun back on Shane. “I’ll shoot your little friend here in the head.”
Everything that happened after that felt like it moved at warp speed and slow motion all at the same time.
Grabbing his arm, I shoved it up just as the sound of it going off ricocheted through the office. “Shane, run!” I shouted, struggling to keep the gun pointed toward the ceiling. “Go! Now!”
I vaguely heard the sound of the door being thrown open, but I was too busy fighting with Lance to look. The gun went off again, and the sound was so loud it made my ears ring.
There was no way I could overpower him, so I did the only thing I could think to do. Baring my teeth, I sank them into his wrist.
He let out a shout and dropped the gun onto the floor. When I released his arm and bent to go for it, he grabbed me by the hair, yanking so hard I cried out in pain.
“You fucking bitch!” he yelled as I fought against his hold on my hair. My scalp felt like it was on fire, but I didn’t stop. He cocked his arm, his hand balled into a fist, but before he could attempt to land the punch, I dropped to the ground. The move threw him off balance, and he came down with me, releasing my hair. My heart was threatening to beat out of my chest as I scrambled across the floor for the gun, but before I could get to it, Lance’s hand wrapped around my ankle, grappling at my kicking feet, he attempted to pull me back
as I tried to claw my way across the floor.
I screamed at the top of my lungs as Lance crawled over me, and when his hand came down over my mouth, I bit as hard as I could, tasting blood while he howled in pain.
I kicked and clawed with everything I had. I fought tooth and nail. I wasn’t going to let this happen. I’d been through too much, I’d survived too goddamn much. This wasn’t going to be the end of my story. Especially not now, when I’d finally gotten to the good part I deserved.
Digging my nails into his forehead, I raked them down his face, carving four thick, blood-red scratches from his hairline to his chin. I barely had a chance to pull my arm back, prepared to throw a punch when Lance’s body was suddenly hauled off me.
In the blink of an eye, he was pinned to the wall in front of me. Cannon stood in front of him, his forearm to Lance’s throat, pushing in so hard his face turned an unnatural shade of red.
“You motherfucker,” he hissed, nose to nose with Lance as he put all his weight into that arm at his throat.
Shane and Buck were suddenly at my side, helping me to my feet, and it was then that I noticed several people crowding into the office. “It’s okay,” Shane said in my ear, holding on to me. “You’re okay. The cops are on their way. You’re all right.”
Her soothing words barely penetrated as I watched an enraged Cannon pull Lance away from the wall, only to slam him back against it with a sickening thud. He did it again and again, until the plaster cracked beneath his skull.
Pulling from Shane’s hold, I moved to his side, pushing through Banks and Scooter, who were at his back. “Cannon, stop.”
But it was as if he couldn’t hear me. Holding Lance by the throat with one hand, he landed a bone-crunching blow to his ribs with the other. “I’m gonna enjoy beating the fuckin’ life right out of you.”
I grabbed his arm as he reared back for another punch and shouted, “Cannon, stop!”
That seemed to snap him out of his murderous haze, and he turned his head to look at me for the first time.
“I’m okay,” I whispered, reaching up to trail my fingers across his jaw. “I’m right here, and I’m okay.”
Bad Alibi: a Redemption novel Page 23