by C. P. Smith
“Mia’s at her cabin.”
Chester’s eyes darted to Shane then both men jumped up and headed for the door as Chester instructed, “Send all available men to my mother’s house, the guest quarters in the back, and call Martha and tell her to stay inside.”
My scream fell on deaf ears as Max took Stetson to the floor. I jerked at my bound wrist to free myself, but the plastic cuff was too tight. As fucking scared as I was at that moment, I could have wept for joy when I saw Max rise from the floor like some avenging angel.
Naked for some reason and covered in blood, Max tangled arms with Stetson as each man threw blows at the other. Though Max outweighed Stetson, his obvious weakened state made it an even fight. Max landed a blow to Stetson’s jaw that no doubt loosened some teeth, and sent him flying into a rocking chair tripping over it. Max wobbled, then shook his head as if the clear it as Stetson righted himself from the floor.
I kept tugging at the cuff, trying to wiggle my hand out, cutting the flesh. Blood pooled on my wrist and I smeared it under the cuff hoping it would give me enough slickness I could free my hand.
Stetson stumbled to his feet, his face red with rage as he looked between Max and me. Max was calm in comparison, brows pinched in anger, saying nothing, just cold hard eyes that stayed on Stetson, calculating his next move. Stetson must have known the only way to me was through Max, so he lowered his shoulder and bellowed in anger as he ran at Max, trying to take him down. When they collided, both men went to the floor with Stetson on top. He raised his fist, threw a punch at Max’s temple, but it glanced off his blood soaked face. When he raised his fist again, Max’s hand shot up, caught the punch, and then he pitched his hips and rolled, disengaging Stetson from his body. When Stetson hit the ground, he kept rolling to keep from being pinned. Then he stood and rushed Max again while he was rising to his feet. As if he was expecting it, Max remained crouched and then dipped his shoulder and stood right as Stetson reached him. He picked Stetson up, and rammed him into the rock fireplace with the full force of his massive body. Stetson’s head cracked against the rock wall and his body went limp. Max let him go and watched as he slumped to the floor with a thud.
I gasped, my breath coming in rapid pants as I watched Max stumble, lean down and then grab hold of his hair as if to punch him. And he did, twice more, until his own strength depleted had Max dropping Stetson’s head. On his knees, his angry eyes on the man who had tried to kill us both, when he didn’t move I reached out to him.
“Max?”
He raised his head, looked at me and then I lost it.
I hated that I cried easily, it made me feel weak. However, when those green eyes bore into mine, the floodgates opened. Unfortunately, the more I tried to stop the worse they fell until I couldn’t breathe from holding back. My traitorous lips trembled and the hiccups began when Max pulled himself from the floor and made his way across the room. I reached out with my free hand as he collapsed on the bed, covering me with his body, his face pressed deep into my neck as his arms wound around my waist squeezing tight.
“I, I thought you were dead,” I hiccupped.
“Shh, I got you,” he mumbled.
“You, you were dead and I wanted to die too,” I choked out.
“I’m not goin’ anywhere, least not for another fifty years.”
“Is he dead?”
“No,” he growled as if he was disappointed. Then he leaned back, pulled his arms from my waist, and cupped my face while trying to dry my tears with his thumbs. I wanted to throw my arms around him, but the stupid cuff literally tied my hand.
“Can you get my hand free?”
He nodded, but didn’t move, he was too busy assessing the damage to my face. He ran a finger across the bruise forming at my temple and I winced slightly. His eyes closed and his nose flared, anger returning to his face at my wince. Taking a deep breath, no doubt to steady his temper, once in control, he looked at my wrist and then mumbled “I’ll get a knife,” as he unsteadily rose to his feet.
I watched him as he made his way to the kitchen, his eyes on Stetson as he moved. Then he leaned down, grabbed his phone, and put it to his ear speaking into it. He grabbed a towel from the floor, wiping the blood from his face as he spoke, and still keeping his attention on Stetson. When Max seemed sure he wouldn’t move, he turned his back on the man and opened one of the utensil draws. I knew the only sharp knives I had were large, I’d already made a note to buy steak knives. I was thinking scissors were a better choice, and was about to tell Max which drawer when I caught movement out of the corner of my eye.
Stetson had been playing possum, looking for an opening to attack again. I opened my mouth and screamed “Max,” but inside of lunging at Max while his back was turned, Stetson darted towards the door as if to leave. Three feet from the door, he stopped suddenly and bent over as Max turned around, with a huge knife in hand. Like slow motion on the silver screen, Stetson raised his gun and aimed it at Max. Then, just like I’d seen Maxine do on Founders Day, Max’s arm came up, back, then he whipped it out, and let the knife fly.
Stetson never got a chance to pull the trigger; he was too shocked at having been out gunned, so to speak, by a knife welding Max. When the blade buried deep in his throat, he dropped the gun and both his hands came up as Max stalked towards him with fire in his eyes.
Stetson’s mouth opened, but he was unable to speak as he dropped to his knees. I turned my head, unable to watch, but heard the telltale thud of a body hitting the ground. Turning back to check on Max, I watched his face grow hard when he leaned over and put his finger to Stetson’s neck.
Then the cabin door burst open.
I know I should have been distressed about watching a man die in front of me, but when Chester and Shane burst through the door, guns drawn, staring at Naked Max as he stood over Stetson body, I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing at the expressions on their face.
“Fuck me, Max. Did you kill him with that monster dick?” Shane asked suddenly.
“Jesus, Shane, a man is dead,” Chester scolded.
“A killer is dead, one who looked ready to kill two more. Explain why I need to shed tears?”
Chester holstered his gun turning towards Shane.
“Suspected killer, we don’t know that.”
“Look around, Chester. Does he look innocent?”
“Shane,” Max bit out suddenly as he wobbled and then went to his knees.
“Fuck,” both men said as they lunged forward and helped Max back to his feet and to the bed to lie down.
Shane examined Max’s head as Chester radioed dispatch they needed a mobile crime scene to the cabin. And I just sat there with my arm still pinned to the bed. I ran my free hand through Max’s hair as Shane covered him with a blanket.
“You need stitches, the bullet grazed your temple,” Shane announced. “Unfortunately, for me and my future happiness with Mia, you’ll live.”
“Sorry to disappoint you,” Max chuckled and then tried to pull me closer. Of course, I didn’t budge, because I will remind you I’m still attached to the bed.
“Um, guys, I’m still attached to the bed.”
Max looked up, studied my hand for a moment, then looked back at Shane and announced, “I’m thinkin’ that’s a good look for her. She can’t get into trouble if I keep her cuffed to the bed.”
“I have some cuffs with velvet on the inside, you wanna borrow them?” Shane replied as he threaded a needle.
“My mother?” Max asked.
“They were a welcome home gift.”
“Guys?” I broke in.
“You got the key?” Max asked.
“Max?”
“Still in the box, was waiting for the right woman to pull them out.”
“This isn’t funny,” I bit out.
They, of course, ignored me.
“I’d order you a new pair, but no way in hell am I ordering anything from my mother.”
“We’ll call it even for shooting you i
n the ass.”
“Chester?” I shouted.
He raised a finger since he was still on the phone, but I was saved from a lifetime of handcuffs when Martha came bounding up the stairs and into the cabin. She looked at the mess, looked down at Stetson and mumbled, “Hope it was painful,” before she made her way over to my side of the bed.
“Town was quiet till you came along,” Maratha smiled.
“Says the old woman who sells sex toys door-to-door. Can you please cut me loose?”
Nodding, she grabbed a pair of scissors from a drawer in the kitchen and then cut away at the plastic cuff until it gave and released my hand.
“That looks painful,” Martha mumbled as she examined my wrist. “Toss me some ointment, Doc.”
Shane worked on Max while Martha cleaned my wrist and bandaged it. Since Chester needed my clothes for evidence, he let me change in the bathroom as Max put his clothes back on. Then we all went to Martha’s house to wait for the mobile crime lab and give our statements.
It didn’t hit me until we were sitting in Martha’s living room, and when it did, it hit hard. As I played back the events of the evening and remembered Max lying on the floor in a pool of blood, I started shaking. One moment I was curled on the couch next to him, the next I was in his lap, my head buried in his neck.
“I got you,” he whispered.
“Don’t let go.”
“Not till the day I die.”
“I was so scared.”
“Let it go, baby, he’s gone.”
“You saved me.”
“Mia, stop.”
Then it hit me what he’d done to protect me and my tears turned to concern.
“You killed someone,” I whispered, “Are you ok?”
With his arms tight around me, I felt Max jerk. So, I pulled back and looked at his face. He ran his hands through my hair, watching as he smoothed it back, then touched his forehead to mine, held it there, and then told me “The only reason I would kill someone is to protect those I love. I’d have no problem killin’ him again and sleep easy knowin’ you were safe.”
Upon hearing that he loved me, I turned into a sniveling idiot again. When I burst into tears, Chester stood and left the room, giving us privacy. Max kept holding me until my tears were under control, giving me his strength like always. My life the past seventeen days flashed before my eyes and all I saw was Max. When I first laid eyes on him, my heart beat a little faster and now I knew why. I thought I was awkward with men because I had no experience that they intimidated me. Now know that wasn’t true. I was awkward with men because they weren’t Max. When you meet your other half, your heartbeat quickens, your palms sweat, and you’re irrational in the face of the obvious. You can fight it all you want, but when you find your other half it’s as if the planets align and you're finally home.
“Max?”
“Yeah, baby?” he whispered in my ear.
“You love me?” I whispered back, turning my head to look at him. With a gentle hand, Max brushed a tear from my cheek and spoke words of love from Lord Byron as goose bumps rose on my arm.
“She walks in beauty like the night, of cloudless climes and starry skies, and all that’s best of dark and bright meet in her aspect and her eyes.”
“Baby—”
“Loved that poem since I was in college and I swear he wrote that just for you. You asked if I loved you, but I think the better question is how can I not. Now, do you love me?”
More than anything, so I told him.
“Since I was old enough to know you existed, I’ve wanted nothing more than to find you, and here you are. But, Max, the reality of you, of how I feel now that I’ve found you . . . Honey, it far outweighs any dream,” I answered quietly repeating his words from the week before.
The words had barely left my mouth before Max captured it, sealing my fate once again. When he was done, he ripped his mouth from mine and then ordered.
“We’re gettin’ married.”
“Okay,” I answered breathlessly.
“Okay? Just like that. You don’t need a million fuckin’ years to think it over?”
“Nope.”
“Is this submissive Mia I’m dealing with?”
“I don’t have a submissive bone in my body,” I argued.
“You will,” Max grinned.
“Not in this lifetime.”
“Wanna bet?” he purred as he nuzzled my neck.
“Thor, God of Thunder you may be,” I breathed out, enjoying his lips, “but I’m, I’m Wonder Woman, Queen of Self-control. No way I’ll ever submit to you.”
“We’ll see….”
As the Northern Lights danced brilliantly across the sky, like an emerald stream flowing to an unknown destination, Max gazed upon Mia’s sleeping form. Her soft curves silhouetted by the lights glow made his heart beat faster. She was his to protect and to love for the rest of their lives.
His eyes scanned her body, one that he’d taken an hour before, and decided no time like the present. He figured one day that his need to be close to her, feel her sweetness wrapped around him as he glided into her wet depths would ease. However, tonight wasn’t that time, nor did he think in fifty years, it would it be either.
One soul split into two halves. Now they were joined and complete.
Epilogue
Eight months later
“You ready for tomorrow?” Jack asked Max.
“Been fuckin’ ready for eight months.”
Jack chuckled as he kept his eye on Jenn, who was currently standing with Mia in Max’s yard petting a fucking bear. Seeing that, he was glad he’d left his boys at home in the care of his daughter.
“How the hell did you manage to tame a grizzly?”
“Strawberries,” Max replied as he kept an eye on Mia.
Both men were on Max’s deck with a beer in hand while they kicked back yet with sharp eyes on the yard below. Mia may have tamed Booboo, but he was still a wild animal and no way was he taking his eyes off his woman while she fed strawberries to their newest pet.
Jack, who was of the same mind, watched Jenn cuddle the bear's head while making cooing noises with a look of pure rapture on her face. When she looked up at him with those doe-brown eyes, glassy in appearance as if she was in heaven on earth, he shook his head.
“No,” Jack shouted. No fuckin’ way was she using those eyes on him to convince him they needed a grizzly of their own.
“Stop being bossy,” she shouted back.
“Smart-ass,” Jack mouthed back at his wife and then winked at her as her face softened.
“You ever hear back from your friend in the FBI?” Max asked around a grin, he was glad to know he wasn’t the only one who got lip from their other half.
“Yeah, seems Stetson’s father was a piece of work as well. Abused his mother, and when he wasn’t abusing her, he was taking a firm hand to Stetson,” Jack bit out on a growl.
“Created a monster,” Max mumbled, thinking back to that night eight months before.
After the initial shock had worn off, Stetson’s father had come after Max. No charges had been filed since it was an open and shut case of self-defense, but that didn’t stop the elder Stetson from making waves. There’d been an IA investigation due to the fact one of their own had been killed. However, with Stetson gone, there was no need for a cover up so lips loosened and IA was able to get a full picture and sided with Chester and the TEPD. Max had been cleared of any possible wrongdoing, so he and Mia had put it behind them and moved on with their lives.
First up had been moving what was left of the colony of bears, then Mia went home to pack up her belongings and move permanently, to her parent’s amazement, to live with Max in Trails End. And tomorrow, on the shore of the river where Max had rescued her, they would officially become man and wife.
“Heard about the poker party,” Jack chuckled, his eyes still on his wife.
“Christ, pain in my ass,” Max sighed as his head fell back and his eyes closed.
Two months earlier, Max had brought Mia into town for a night at Last Call. What he didn’t know, was his conversation with Shane on the night Stetson died had Mia thinking a pair of velvet-lined handcuffs didn’t sound half-bad, so she’d ordered a pair from his mother.
Wanting to surprise Max, on the way out of town Mia had said she needed to stop by Maxine’s to pick something up. They’d pulled into the drive, saw cars in the street, and he’d figured she was having another one of her “parties.”
“You coming in?” Mia had asked as she opened her door.
“Considerin’ what happened the last time?”
“Chicken,” Mia chuckled.
Max looked at his mother’s house, then looked at his future wife and peeled out of the truck. When he took her hand, he mumbled, “In and out quickly, but if there’s rubber cocks lying around, all bets are off.”
When they’d entered his mother’s home, there was no one in the front room where she normally hosted her parties. So, they’d headed down the hall towards the great room. That’s when Max lost it, in what shall be known as “The day his mother lost her ever-lovin’ mind.”
“I’ll raise you one edible panty and throw in some massage oil,” he heard old man Carter say as he entered the room.
Four card tables occupied the space of his mother’s great room, all full with half-dressed men and women.
Including his mother.
For this month’s party Maxine and Martha had decided to spice things up and instead of inviting only the ladies of Trails End, they’d invited the men as well. In addition, they were playing poker . . . strip poker.
“What the fuck,” Max bellowed.
Mia, however, burst out laughing, much to his displeasure, and Max felt his blood pressure spike to new heights as he stalked across the room to his mother.
“Up, now, get your fuckin’ clothes on,” he bit out.
“I will not. I’m winnin’ this hand,” Maxine grumbled ignoring him.
“Swear to God mother, I . . . are you lookin’ at my mother’s chest?” Max growled at Randy King, a retired lumberjack who’d worked for his father. The man’s eyes had shot to the side, avoiding his wrath, and then Mia ran up, grabbed Max’s arm, pulling him out of the room as he scowled over his shoulder at the old man.