by Chelle Bliss
She leaned back against the car door and crossed her arms over her chest. “Then whatever my dad has cookin’, I want you to ignore.”
My head recoiled and my mouth dropped open. I stared at her for a beat before finally closing my mouth. “I don’t know what you think he wants to do, but—”
“Don’t lie,” she said.
“I’m not lying.” I took a step closer and invaded her space. Reaching out, I ran my finger along her cheek, relishing the feel of her skin against mine. “Listen, your father and I have very different ideas about how things should be handled, but I’ll take care of it.”
She glanced up and stared off into space. “That’s what I’m afraid of,” she grumbled, and her lip began to quiver.
“Hey.” I cradled her face in my hands, bringing my lips against hers. “No one is going to die, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Her eyes darted to mine and narrowed into tiny slits. “But that doesn’t mean you aren’t going after the guy.”
I nodded, knowing I had been busted a long time ago. “I won’t say that I won’t get a few licks in, but he’ll survive the beating that’s coming his way and be arrested before the night’s out.”
“Why do you have to hit him?” she murmured against my lips, staring at me with tear-filled eyes.
“Because he hurt you.” I tightened the hold I had on her face.
“It was an accident, Frisco,” she muttered, my name sounding like a curse coming from her lips.
“He’s not a good guy, Georgia.”
She backed away, and my lips instantly missed her touch. “Take me home.”
I nodded, unlatched the door behind her, and helped her inside. It wouldn’t be an easy sell. I knew where her fear came from. She worried that things would get out of hand and that something would happen to me. It was the same fear that had gripped me last night.
As I drove, Georgia stared out the window and didn’t speak a word. The silence was deafening. Georgia never seemed the type to hold her tongue, but I didn’t dare push her.
When we arrived at her place, she exited the car and headed toward her front door. I watched through the window, shocked by her stubbornness and hating that she was pissed at me.
Before she could open the door, I jogged to her side and took the keys from her hand. “Let me.”
“I don’t think you should come in,” she said, yanking the keys out of my grip.
My body recoiled, feeling the blow of her words as if she’d hit me. “You can’t mean that.”
She bowed her head as her hand with the keys dropped to her side. “I just don’t know. I guess I don’t know you as well as I thought I did.”
I put my arm around her waist, holding her body flush against mine. “I’m still me.”
“But-t-t,” she said, her body shaking in my arms, “you’re going to hurt someone because of me.”
“Because of him,” I corrected her, brushing my lips against her face. “He did this.”
“Why not let the police handle this?”
“He has a rap sheet longer than your arm, Georgia.” I peppered kisses down her jawline, finding the spot I loved most on her neck. “Would City do the same if someone had run Sunshine off the road?”
She tipped her head back as her breathing quickened. “Maybe.”
“Men want to protect what’s theirs,” I told her and sank my teeth gently into her skin. “You are mine.”
Her body shivered in my arms. “Yes,” she moaned, angling her head to the side and giving me more access.
I licked her flesh, feeling her pulse beat under my tongue. “I’ll protect you until my last breath, Georgia.”
“Lie down and hold me for a little while.” Her voice was airy and filled with want.
I nodded because, hell, there wasn’t anything I wanted more in the world than to hold her in my arms.
After taking the key from her hand and unlocking the door, I scooped her into my arms and carried her inside. Letting the crutches drop to the floor, she kissed me as I kicked the door closed.
Chapter 17
Old-School Beatdown
When I pulled into the office at ten thirty, I could still hear her voice in my head.
“Frisco, don’t leave me. Please,” she said, gripping me like her very life depended on it.
“I have to go, Georgia. But I’ll be back,” I told her before giving her a kiss and walking out the door.
Guilt clawed at my insides. The way she looked at me, the sadness in her eyes when I told her I had to leave, would haunt me for a lifetime.
Thomas, James, Morgan, and City stood in a circle outside James’ black SUV and were deep in conversation. Even though I’d told them I wanted to do this alone, I’d lied. It wasn’t that I couldn’t, but I needed someone there to pull me off the fucker and stop me from killing him.
I’d learned in the military that sometimes, when coming face-to-face with the enemy, emotions often got the better of me. I couldn’t easily remove myself from a situation once it started, but the guys would make sure I didn’t get carried away.
“Hey.” I climbed out of the car and approached them, feeling jittery as I walked.
James gave me a chin lift. “We’re waiting for a few more?”
“More? I thought I said no one else.”
“I know what you said,” Thomas told me as he walked in my direction. “But we don’t know what we’re in for. More men equals safety.”
“Well, I—” I shook my head, but I knew he was right. “Okay.”
“Here he is,” Morgan said when Sam pulled into the lot.
“Tank’s with Bear and will be meeting us there.” James pulled out his gun and checked the chamber.
“Where?”
“Neon Cowboy.” City came to stand next to me. “That’s where the fucker knew Tank from. He’s been coming into the Cowboy on and off for years.”
“Fuck,” I said and ran my fingers through my hair. Of all the places in the world the guy could hang out, why did it have to be my spot…our spot?
“I have a plan.” City rested his hand on my shoulder. “Want to hear?”
“I’m all ears.” In actuality, I knew I was going to hear his plan either way.
“Tank is going to lure him into the parking lot, and we’re going to take care of him outside.”
I scowled and didn’t try to hide my annoyance. “That’s your plan?”
He nodded.
“We’re going to jump him like a bunch of punks?” I asked, shocked that City had come up with the idea.
“No.” He shook his head. “You’re going to do what you want while we have your back.”
“So I’m going to jump the asshole?”
“What were you going to do before?” City laughed and backed away. “Were you going to knock on his door and have a chat first? Like, ‘Hey, I wanted to talk to you about the car you drove off the road. Do you have a moment?’”
I punched him in the shoulder. “No, you prick.”
“Then shut the fuck up and get in the truck. We have ass to kick.”
“Fuck yeah!” Morgan yelled before climbing in the back.
Sam settled in the middle. “I’m all in.”
“Let’s go. We have women to get home to,” James said, pointing at the backseat.
“I hope I still do.”
James and Thomas climbed in the front seat. “Everyone have a firearm, just in case?” James turned the key in the ignition and paused.
“Check,” everyone but me answered in unison.
“Frisco?” Thomas turned to look at me.
I shook my head and made tight fists. “I’m not killing the guy. I just want to beat the fuck out of him.”
“Always bring a weapon. You never know what’s going to happen. Got it?”
I nodded but paid his little advice no heed. The last thing I needed to do was have a firearm with me. Because, knowing my anger, I’d shoot the motherfucker in the head if he said something shi
tty. I’d rather use my fists to beat the living shit out of him and leave him reeling in pain.
I sat quietly in the backseat and stared out the window as the guys chatted on the way to the Neon Cowboy. Even though I had enough anger inside me to fuel a thousand fires, I couldn’t help but smile. This amazing group of guys had my back. I knew if something went wrong, they’d make sure that Georgia would be taken care of and would do what was necessary to protect her.
Just after eleven thirty, we pulled into the Neon Cowboy.
“I’ll text Bear,” Thomas said and hit a few buttons on his phone.
Moments later, while we sat in silence, Thomas’ phone beeped. “He said to go out back. They’ll meet us there.”
This was it. Twenty-four hours after I thought Georgia had been ripped from my life, I’d get a little revenge before this guy received justice.
As we walked around the back of the bar, we took positions around the perimeter. Everyone evaded the single light that lit the back parking lot, hiding in the shadows, waiting for Tank and Bear to bring him outside. My heart pounded so frantically in my chest that I thought it would burst as the seconds ticked by.
“Thanks for getting the estimate done so quickly,” the man said as he wobbled into the light.
“Anytime, man. Are you sure you hit a deer? It’s a lot of damage for such a small animal.”
“I hit something. I didn’t stick around to see what the hell it was.” He laughed. “I was fucked up and probably shouldn’t have been driving.”
Bear looked around, trying to find us in the dark. “That shit isn’t cool, dude.”
“Eh, fuck it. I lived,” the scumbag said.
I couldn’t take it anymore. The rage inside me had boiled over. My body hummed with fury. The coldhearted bastard didn’t care if he killed someone as long as he survived.
I stepped from the shadows with my hands already clenched into tight fists, coming to a stop in front of him.
He stepped back and snarled. “Watch it, fucker.”
I took a step forward and invaded his space. “I think you need to learn some manners, asshole.”
“Fuck you, man,” he said, waving his hand in my face.
I swatted his hand away. The guys stepped out of the darkness, standing behind me. The man looked around, and his eyes filled with terror. The same fear I felt when I saw his car coming straight for Georgia.
“What the fuck is this about?” he asked with wide eyes, stumbling back another step.
Reaching out, I grabbed his shirt, fisting it in my hands before pulling him closer. “You fuckin’ ran my woman off the road last night.”
He shook his head and swallowed hard. “It was a deer. I swear.” His hands clawed at my fist. “You have the wrong guy,” he pleaded, his entire body shaking in my grip.
I didn’t wait. I couldn’t listen to his lies. My right hand connected with his jaw, snapping his head back sharply as his bone cracked with the impact. When he grabbed his jaw, I dropped him to the ground.
“Get up!” I roared. My anger had grown since I’d stepped out of the SUV. It had morphed into something more…something bigger than I thought possible.
He rubbed his jaw and tried to push himself up but failed. “That was a cheap shot,” he complained, sounding like a little bitch.
“Get up and fight.” I kicked his feet, trying to get him off the ground quicker. “You want to hurt someone…try to hurt me, motherfucker.”
He pushed himself up and put his hands in front of his face, making fists. “You’re going to kick my ass over some bitch?”
I cracked my neck and soaked up the adrenaline that coursed through my system. It had been far too long since I’d felt the thrill of beating someone’s ass, and I would enjoy every fucking minute of it. “She isn’t some bitch. She’s mine. You fucked with the wrong people.”
His eyes were glued to mine as he spat, and a stream of blood landed next to my shoes. “Let’s see if you can do it when I’m waiting for you. You don’t look that tough. You even had to bring a gang.”
He bounced from foot to foot. “Come on. You hit like a pussy,” he said with a cackle.
The guys took a step forward, closing the circle around us. “I got him,” I told them and waved them off.
“Kick his ass,” James barked.
The anger inside me was raging and my fists flew, landing one punch after another until he swayed and finally fell to the ground.
“Let’s get the fuck out of here,” Sam called out and moved toward the SUV.
Standing there, I looked down at the guy and felt nothing. I wasn’t sorry for what I’d done. He deserved every blow, and tomorrow he’d wake up in jail.
“Come on, man. He won’t forget that ass-beating for a long time,” Bear said, placing his hand on my shoulder.
I glanced at him, my breathing heavy and labored. “What if he does?” My chest heaved with the anger moving throughout my body more than from the exertion of knocking the guy’s lights out.
“He won’t, and when he wakes up tomorrow in jail, he’ll wish you would’ve killed him.”
Tank stood next to me with plastic zip ties in his hands. “Get out of here. Bear and I will load him in his car and deliver him to the police station.”
“Fuck, I wish I had a bow,” Bear joked.
Tank kneeled down next to the dirtbag. “Hit it. We got it from here.”
Slowly I walked toward the SUV, not caring who saw what had happened. The knot that had settled in my belly last night had vanished, and I knew I’d done the right thing when I saw Tank and Bear loading him into the back of his smashed-up car.
When I settled in my seat and closed the door, Morgan nudged me. “How are you going to explain your bloody knuckles to Georgia?”
She knew I’d left her tonight to take care of something. Since she was a smart one, I knew that she’d put two and two together. I just prayed that she’d understand why I did what I did and forgive me. Hopefully, knowing that I left the prick alive would be enough when combined with her feelings for me. We needed to ride out this storm and emerge stronger on the other side.
Take it or leave it, this was who I had always been. I classified myself as a nice guy, but I had a bunch of asshole hidden beneath the surface. When someone threatened or hurt someone I loved, I happily took him out.
Love.
I gasped.
“What?” James asked, looking at me in the rearview mirror.
“Nothing,” I said, feeling my pulse quicken to the same frantic pace it had kept when I had been fighting.
“Sure? You look a bit white.”
I clenched my hands in my lap. “I’m good.”
Did I love Georgia?
It had taken me months to say those words to Jeanine. They’d been wasted words, because her treachery showed that she didn’t feel the same.
But Georgia wasn’t Jeanine. They couldn’t be any more opposite. Even though they were yin and yang, could I honestly say I loved her?
The answer was simple.
I did.
Chapter 18
Make Amends
Thankfully, by the time I returned to her place, she’d passed out and was sleeping too deeply to wake up when I crawled into bed. I lay there, listening to her breathing and thinking about everything that had transpired since the day I’d met her.
Everything blurred together except for the moments I spent with her. I could play them over and over again in my head, reliving every second.
She was unlike any other woman I’d ever met.
Her kindness.
Her smartass mouth.
Her intelligence.
Her integrity.
Her beauty.
Our shared heartbreak.
The funniest part about it was that I couldn’t muster any reason why I’d loved Jeanine, but with Georgia in my arms, I couldn’t think of a reason why I didn’t love her. I just had to laugh.
“You’re home.” Georgia’s groggy voice mad
e me still.
I pulled her closer, running my fingers through her dark hair. “I’m sorry I woke you, babe. Go back to sleep.”
She snuggled into my side, mumbling something that I couldn’t make out. Within moments, her breathing deepened.
“I love you, Georgia,” I whispered. “I’d do anything to protect you.” I drifted off to sleep reliving the moments I’d spent with her.
Every smile, kiss, and touch we’d exchanged in our short relationship. I couldn’t imagine a day without them now.
***
When the sunlight hit my face, I cracked open an eye and saw her form looming over me. She sat on the bed, the leg with her cast out straight and off to the side, with her other leg tucked in front of her. This wasn’t going to be good. Before I closed my eyes, I took notice of her posture. Her back was straight, her arms were crossed in front of her chest, and she wasn’t moving.
“Your knuckles are bruised.”
Without opening my eyes, I replied, “I got in a few punches.” There was some truth to it, but maybe “a few” wasn’t entirely accurate.
“You did it, didn’t you?”
I reached out and rested my hand on her cast. “He’s in custody now.”
She swatted my hand away and let out a loud breath. “Is this what you’ve been cookin’ up with my dad?” she asked.
“No,” I lied. In all actuality, it wasn’t. He’d wanted to kill the guy.
She poked me in my ribs. “Don’t lie to me, Frisco.”
“I was with the guys last night, and he’s in custody and completely alive.”
“Damn it.”
I sat up quickly, turning my body to face her. “Listen—” I started, but she shook her head and frowned.
“I don’t need you to fight my battles.”
“I know.” I placed my hand on her cheek and caressed her skin. “I had to do it.”
She stared at the ceiling. “I can’t believe you did that.”
Pulling myself closer to her, I wrapped my legs around her body, trapping her. “I want to explain.”
“That you beat a man?” She narrowed her eyes at me.
“Georgia.”