Fighting for Phoebe

by Jennifer Ann

  “Making plans with the guys already?” I tease.

  “Nolan wants me to stay with them tonight. He says I’ll have my own room, so you can stop giving me that look.”

  I grunt, surprised how fucking happy it makes me to hear they’ll be sleeping close by my girl. At least I won’t be up all night, worried about her safety.

  There’s a faraway look in her eyes as her fingertips brush over my stubbled jaw. “Babe, we really need to have that talk I keep putting off, even though I don’t have the slightest idea where to start. You might change your mind about wanting to be with me once you know the truth. I didn't mean to keep things from you, it’s just—”

  “Nothing you can possibly say will make me change my mind about you,” I promise as I slip my unbroken hand behind her head, burying my fingers in her silky hair. “I know you’ve been through hell. Ellen clearly raised you to be jaded, testing your limits between right and wrong. But none of that shit matters to me. I’m invested in you for the long run. Once this shit has cleared up, I’m going to take you to that shack on the beach like we talked about and fuck you senseless.”

  “There’s a lot of shit piled up between us and that beach,” she says in a breathy voice.

  Holding her gaze, a tight band stretches across my chest and I grin. “I’m in love with you, gorgeous.”

  When she gasps, I pull her closer for a hard kiss, forcing her lips open so I can sweep my tongue through her sweet mouth. She pants with the intensity, arching into me and carefully resting her hands on my shoulders. The need to get her naked claws its way through my chest, causing every unbroken part of me to ache in a good way.

  Then my dick starts to get rock hard and I abruptly stop, remembering they stuck a fucking tube in it after my surgery. This is going to be a long-ass recovery.

  And with whatever secrets Phoebe’s keeping that I’m not ready to hear, I have a really bad feeling things are about to get worse.

  16

  Phoebe

  The first twenty-four hours Jace spent recovering post-surgery were brutally tortuous, with the exception of meeting his buddies, and left me drowning in frustration. Although I don’t know that it would’ve fixed anything if I had confessed everything to him right away, each time I looked at his broken face I wanted to hunt Decker down myself and make him pay.

  Jace doesn’t think it’s safe for me to go to work, so I gave my notice to the grocery store. Even though I really could use the extra money to get by for the time being, the attorney Nolan hired made it sound like once Jace is healthy, they’ll most likely be taking him back to California, and I have every intention of staying as close to him as possible. I owe it to him after everything he’s done.

  Since I spent the previous night in Jace’s room, not wanting to put Kory’s family in danger and not really having anywhere else to go, Nolan insisted I stay at the suite he booked in Katowood for him and Theo. It’s a bit awkward, knowing I’ll be staying alone with two gorgeous men who were once Marines, but at least I don’t have to worry about Decker starting something as long as they’re around. And it’s not like I’d actually betray Jace with an experimental ménage anyway, no matter how tempting the fantasy may be, even if both of the guys weren’t already committed to someone.

  As I’m leaving Jace’s room the second night to meet the guys in the waiting area, I spot one of the Warren County deputies talking with Sheriff Mortensen.

  Nononono.

  He’s the last person on earth I want to see right now. Well, obviously in addition to Decker and his dickhead friends. With my heart leaping into my throat, I scan the hallway for something to hide behind. Short of playing dead on a deserted gurney, I’m SOL.

  “Well there she is now!”

  Ducking my head, I groan and look their way. The deputy darts away in the other direction as Sheriff Mortensen’s lips curl in displeasure. He starts for me with a quicker gait than normal, clearly on a mission the way his big belly flaps beneath his uniform. No matter how badly I want to confront him for having a bastard of a son, I recognize that it wouldn’t accomplish anything, no matter how entertaining.

  “What’d you do to my boy?” he snarls.

  My mouth pops open for a second. It never amazes how ridiculous this family is capable of being at every turn. Were they born delusional, or do they come from a family that naturally loses their brain cells over time?

  I cross my arms over my body only so I won’t reach out and strangle the life from him. “Apparently you’re a little late to the party, so let me break it down for you. Your ‘boy’ and his buddies put a man in the hospital. Nearly killed him. Pretty sure nothing was ‘done’ to him.”

  His tongue rolls over his teeth where a patch of chew is wedged. “All I know is there’s a warrant out for that lowlife you’ve been harboring, and Warren County is up my ass trying to find Decker—all because of your smart mouth makin’ accusations.”

  “Huh. I’m surprised they didn’t literally find your son hiding up your ass. Seems like a logical place to look the way you’re always wrongly defending him.”

  “You think you’re so goddamn witty, don’t you?” He leans in closer with a dangerous glint in his dark eyes. “Guessing you wouldn’t act so smart if you knew your momma asked me to stop by your place this morning, said she had some interesting information on you.”

  I swallow hard, hoping he doesn’t see me flinch. “Did it have anything to do with the fact that she evaded the law by turning her head when someone took a baseball bat to the back of my head? Because let’s face it, she’s extremely unstable. Anything that comes out of her mouth can’t be taken seriously.”

  “Lucky for you, I was called up here before we had a chance to discuss what was on her mind. Gonna meet with her tomorrow.” Tobacco mixed with sardines or whatever makes him smell so repulsive rolls off of him in waves when he grabs my arm, squeezing tightly. “Better plan to stick around, girly. I have a feeling you’ll be locked up along with that criminal friend of yours real soon.”

  As my sphincter muscles start to let loose, someone calls my name. Behind the sheriff, Theo and Nolan stride down the hallway toward us, twinned looks of concern pinching their handsome features. Anyone with half a brain would cower at the sight, but apparently Sheriff Mortensen’s intelligence has long since gone bye-bye because he doesn’t let go of me.

  “You boys have some kind of a problem?” he asks, adjusting the hunk of chew in his bottom lip.

  Theo snatches me away from the sheriff’s grip in a move that would make Jace proud…or extremely jealous. “There’s no plausible fucking reason you could possibly come up with that would excuse manhandling the victim of a recent crime.”

  The sheriff glances my way, his eyes lit with amusement. “More criminal friends of yours?”

  Nolan steps in between me and the sheriff with his jaw set. The way his lips twitch, I half expect him to punch the slimy jerk. “If there’s anything you’d like to speak to Phoebe about, Sheriff, let me know and I’ll get you in touch with her attorney.”

  The sheriff blanches for a moment. Seeing him surrounded by two menacing men who appear even better looking beside his ugly ass would be laughable if I weren’t freaking out about Ellen’s intentions and the real threat of jail. “Seems to me no one needs an attorney unless they’ve done something wrong,” he finally retorts with a suspicious glare.

  “From what we just witnessed?” Theo asks, quirking an eyebrow. “I’d say she has a strong case for harassment by law enforcement.”

  With a grunt, the sheriff grabs the sides of his pants and shimmies them back into place. “You boys have no idea what you’re getting in the middle of. This one’s nothing but trouble.” With a final dirty look cast my way, he spins around.

  “Love you too, sheriff!” I call out to his back.

  Theo watches him walk away with the look of someone who ate something sour. “I don’t trust that guy.”

  I shrug one shoulder. “Neither does the county that
elected him.”

  “You all right?” Nolan asks, grabbing me by the shoulder and studying me like he’s looking for a gaping wound. “Want to tell us what that was about?”

  “It’s a long story,” I grumble. “One that would go down easier if we grabbed a case of beer on the way to the hotel.”

  “Oh, I like you,” Theo teases, grinning. “Glad Ace finally found one of the good ones.”

  With a shake of my head, I hook my arm through his. “Hold that thought, big guy. You might change your mind about me after you hear what I have to say.”

  Over an hour later, I stretch back against the suite’s posh hotel couch and stare at the ceiling, not only inebriated but exhausted from spilling a big chunk of my life story. To be honest, I didn’t know Katowood had anything this swanky, and I’m admittedly a bit embarrassed that Nolan is paying the bill, even if he is loaded like Jace said. The modern, upscale white furniture, tapered ceilings, and crystal chandeliers are the kind of thing Ellen would get off on. It makes me feel like I shouldn’t be here, especially after admitting I’m a low-life criminal.

  When I sit up to take another swig from my beer bottle, the sound of my lips breaking the seal seems deafening. The two Marines sitting across from me appear to be stunned into silence.

  “You have every right to judge me,” I say, shrugging before dangling the brown bottle between my knees. “I could’ve stopped helping Ellen at any time. Just because I’ve been doing this for as long as I can remember doesn’t excuse my choices as an adult.”

  “This is some seriously twisted shit,” Theo finally comments, scratching the back of his neck. “I mean your mom…hell. I don’t even know what to say.” Then he glances sideways at Nolan. “Suppose your woman would have any advice for her?”

  Nolan’s head shakes before he takes a swig of his beer. “Not likely…Sofia’s a corporate lawyer licensed in New York. She wouldn’t be familiar with the Iowa criminal statutes either way. And I’m not even sure speaking with an attorney is her best option at this point.” He regards me for a moment with a distanct gaze. “Do you still have the computer you used to contact these men?”

  My shoulders drop. Why didn’t I think of grabbing the damn thing the first time I left? Then I remember finding Ellen in my apartment and every last drop of blood drains from my face. It’s imperative that I retrieve my things before the sheriff’s visit. “It’s back at my place.”

  “We’ll have to go get it,” Theo decides, sitting tall as a dark look clouds over his handsome features. “It’s the only physical evidence she’d have against you.”

  “We could go now while it’s dark,” Nolan agrees. “Think your friend Kory would agree to keep an eye on you while we’re gone?”

  As I clutch the bottle of beer, my scalp prickles with ice-cold fear. “Hold on. You guys heard me say Ellen is psychotic, right? This could be a setup, enticing me to return. And my ex…he’s still out there somewhere. You saw what him and those scum maggots did to Jace. I can’t deal with anyone else getting hurt because of my shit. I’ll go.”

  “No need to worry about us, gorgeous,” Theo teases, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “They caught Ace off guard. We’ll sweep through there with a detailed plan, and no one will know we stopped by. Don’t forget we were once trained for this kind of shit.”

  “You could call Ellen,” Nolan suggests, “say you’ve changed your mind about helping her and pretend you want to meet somewhere. It’d get her away from your place, giving us time to slip in and out.”

  A quick, high-pitched laugh slips out of me as I rise to my unsteady feet. “You know this is crazy, right? There are so many things that could go wrong with your little plan.”

  Theo cocks an eyebrow. “Would you rather face the likelihood of being arrested tomorrow by that crooked sheriff?”

  I swallow down a ball of bile. These guys really aren’t going to take no for an answer. They’re going back to my apartment.

  Think, Phoebe.

  Plopping back down on the couch, I blow out a long, helpless breath as I consider my options. This may work in my favor. By myself, I don’t stand much of a chance if Decker’s waiting for me. It’d be easier if these two can do it without getting caught. The only problem I can’t work out is how to tell them there’s something I need more than the laptop without generating suspicion. What if they tell Jace?

  Then I remember Jace confessing that he’s in love with me and that he doesn’t plan on changing his mind anytime soon, no matter my jaded secrets, and my heart swells at least three sizes bigger.

  It’s time I stop acting like a selfish brat and do what’s right. The plan I’ve spent the better part of a year executing is starting to unravel anyway, and I owe the sweet, noble man my life.

  There’s only one thing I can do to try to right all my fucked up wrongs.

  Staring down at Jace’s burner phone clutched in my sweaty grasp, I pad back and forth across the hotel’s plush carpet as Kory mindlessly clicks through TV stations. Guilt for letting Nolan and Theo stick their necks out for someone they hardly know has twisted my stomach into knots so complex that I swear I’ll never digest food the same again. They seem like good guys and each have a woman who loves them. Ellen didn’t bat an eye when telling Decker where he could find us. What’s stopping her from doing the same to Theo and Nolan?

  Fisting my hair with one hand, I bite down on a frustrated scream. What is taking so long?

  I should’ve insisted on going along.

  “Sit down and have another beer before you drive me insane,” Kory grumbles.

  “They’ve been gone for twenty minutes,” I say as I cast an annoyed glance his way. “They should be there by now.”

  “Maybe not, but they were both snipers, Phoebs. They should know a thing or two about going in stealth mode. Have a drink. You can grab me one while you’re at it. Consider it payment for my babysitting fees.”

  “They still aren’t used to dealing with twisted fucks like Decker.”

  Finally the phone dings with the code word letting me know they’re safely camped outside her house.

  Go.

  Breathing much easier, I call Ellen to tell her everything she wants to hear— Jace dumped me as soon as he realized I was too much trouble, I have no one else, I have nowhere to go, blah fucking blah. The hardest part is resisting the blinding urge to chew her ass for giving us up to Decker the other night and being directly responsible for what happened to Jace. But she seems eager to take the bait, and is more than willing to meet me at the bar in downtown Katowood.

  Since I’m not literally supposed to be meeting her, I’m forced to come up with an excuse to leave. If there’s some greater power keeping tabs on how many lies versus truths I’ve told in my lifetime, I can count on first-class reservations in Hell.

  “I’m going to get some ice,” I say, swiping the room’s key card off the countertop. Lame, I know, but whatever works. “There must be something wrong with the fridge because the beer is getting warm.”

  Kory cuts a sharp look my way. “Stay on this floor.”

  “Obviously,” I reply.

  Flinching when he turns his back, I cast one last look at my best friend and promise myself that one day I’ll find a way to make this one up to him…eventually.

  “Dirty Bird’s,” as the locals so fondly coined the nickname for the dive bar, can always be counted on for possessing a lively vibe, and this night is no exception. Among ancient beer signs too tacky to be considered antiques, the local biker gang appears to be in full attendance, effortlessly mingling with the local hipsters and a sprinkling of die-hard drunks. Along with heavy metal blasting from the speakers and a lack of proper lighting, it’s the perfect combination I could’ve hoped for that would deter Ellen from any devious plans she may have cooked up for our meeting.

  After grabbing a beer from the bartender, I sashay my way through the noisy crowd in search of my twisted doppelgänger. Before long I hear the familiar tinkling of her most a
rtificial laugh, and my raging pulse finally resumes at a normal pace. At least if she’s here, Nolan and Theo are still in the clear.

  The scene I walk into isn’t anything new. Ellen sandwiched between a pack of younger guys, not even close to appropriately dressed for public viewing, has been the norm for as long as I can remember. Her eyes first widen then narrow when she discovers I’m headed her way.

  “My baby sister has arrived!” she announces, wrapping an arm around my neck. When she squeezes too tightly for it to be considered playful, I have to swallow down the urge to slug her in the face. She doesn’t smell like booze, but she’s definitely hamming it up for her gaggle of admirers. “Boys, this is my Phoebe. Phoebs, these are…the boys.”

  “Hotness definitely runs in your family,” one of the little pukes comments, openly leering like I’m unquestionably fair game. Like I couldn’t possibly have a boyfriend laid up in the hospital after nearly being beat to death. Or a brain, for that matter.

  Visions of pulling Kill Bill-like moves on Ellen and wiping out everyone nearby with my non-existent martial arts skills are enough to momentarily placate me into flashing a playful smile.

  “You think we’re hot, you should see our daddy,” I tell him, wiggling my eyebrows.

  The guy’s expression becomes etched with confusion as Ellen gives me another less than friendly squeeze.

  I slip my arm around Ellen’s neck, blinking past the temptation to choke her. “You’ll have to excuse us, boys. My big sis and I have some family business to attend to.”

  “Don’t be long, darlin’,” the one closest to her drawls, licking his lips. “I’m ready for you to pay me back for those drinks like you promised.”