by Alison Bliss
“Tell me who.”
I swiped the tears off my cheeks and released a hard breath. “I…I went by to see…Jeremy.”
“That sonofabitch.” Seth’s brutal gaze took in my torn clothing, and his lethal eyes went wild. “Did he force you to…” He paused, took a deep breath, and steeled himself to start again. “Did he force himself on you?”
I believe he was trying to soften his tone, but the hostile strength in his voice still sent a shiver up my spine. “No,” I told him, wincing. “B-but he…tried.”
His body erupted off the floor like an active volcano, and he shot into a standing position. “That bastard. I’m going to saw his goddamn head off.”
“No, don’t. I’m going to take care of this myself. I’m going to file a police report and get a restraining order on him.”
“Don’t bother. That motherfucker isn’t going to live long enough for you to fill out the paperwork.” He turned to leave.
I swallowed the growing lump in my throat and struggled to my feet. “Seth, stop. You can’t go over there flexing your muscles and acting like some tough guy. That’s exactly what he wants. Just leave it alone.”
He turned back to me. “If you think for one second that’s what I’m about to do, then you obviously don’t know me very well.” Seth stormed out of the room.
I waited a moment, resting against the door. But the overwhelming silence disturbed me. There was no telling what he would do. So I finally went after him and caught up with him just as he was coming out of his room with a knife in his hand. He had changed his clothes and stopped long enough to thrust it into his boot.
Oh shit. “Seth, what are you going to do?”
“Don’t worry about it,” he snarled, taking giant strides toward the door. I tried to get in his way, but he moved me aside with ease. “That’s not going to work. He’s not getting away with putting his hands on you. Not this time.”
“Please stop. You can’t go over there.”
But he was way past the point of listening to reason. “Stay here and lock the door behind me. I’ll be back soon.” With fierce determination shining in his eyes, he darted out the door and headed straight for Junior’s truck.
I just stood there. Seth didn’t know where Jeremy lived. Then again, Liberty was a pretty small town, and he was determined and resourceful. He was bound to find the place sooner or later. Probably sooner, if Junior told him where he could find him. And chances were good that he would the moment Seth told him that Jeremy had attacked me.
I broke the promise I’d made to myself by running to my phone and punching in Jake’s number. I hadn’t asked a single person for help—well, not counting tonight with Austin—since I’d bought this old house, and I hated doing it now, but I didn’t have a choice.
Seth wasn’t someone to be reckoned with. He meant business and was out for blood. Jeremy’s blood, specifically. The only chance I had of stopping Seth from killing the idiot was to call in reinforcements.
…
I must’ve pulled into the driveway only moments after the rest of them because I got there in time to see Jake, Cowboy, Judd, and Ox forming a line in front of Seth under the security light in the front yard. They were blocking the furious path Seth was blazing up to Jeremy’s house. Thankfully, I didn’t see Jeremy anywhere, but I threw open my car door and hurried to get out, anyway.
Jake held up a hand up to Seth to halt his forward progression. “Whoa, stop right there. What’s going on, Seth?”
“I’m going to kill the sonofabitch, that’s what going on.” Seth tried to maneuver around Jake, which had him and the rest of my boys shifting their positions to keep Seth from getting through their barricade. “Get out of my way,” he growled, a hint of violence coloring his tone.
“Not until you tell us what happened.”
Jeremy must’ve heard all of the commotion of the vehicles pulling up outside because he stepped out of the house and onto the dirt path leading up to his front porch. The demented bastard knew exactly why Seth was there, and Jeremy stood there smirking as if he found all of this comical. As usual, he was getting off on the drama he’d caused.
Seth caught sight of Jeremy and immediately reacted. He bum-rushed the boys to get through their blockade, and damn it, he almost made it. But they somehow managed to hold him off and keep him from getting through. “Get the fuck out of my way,” he said through gritted teeth as the fury all but cascaded off his trembling body.
Jake shook his head. “What the hell is this about, Landry?”
Seth scowled. “It’s personal. This is between me and him,” he said, nodding to Jeremy. “That’s all you need to know right now.”
Cowboy shook his head. “Well, there has to be some good reason as to why you’re here ready to kick the shit out of—” The moment I walked up, he took one look at me and stopped talking.
All four of my boys stared at my battered face and torn clothing in stunned silence as the pieces of the puzzle finally clicked into place. Jake gently grasped my chin, turning my damaged face from side to side to see how badly I was injured. “Bobbie?” he said, as if he was asking some unknown question.
Tears welled in my eyes, and my voice cracked. “I’m f-fine.”
Jake dropped his hand and cast a furious glance over his shoulder at Jeremy, then back to me. “He did this to you?”
I sniffled a little, and then bit my lip and nodded. A lone tear escaped and ran down my bruised cheek, but I quickly swiped it away and lifted my chin. “I’m fine,” I repeated.
Jake continued to stare at me for a moment, and then he twisted his head toward Seth. “Kill the sonofabitch for all I care.” Without hesitation, Jake stepped aside, moving out of Seth’s path.
My heart pounded against my rib cage as the other guys followed Jake’s lead and all of them took a neutral step back to allow Seth to pass through. And he didn’t pass up the opportunity. Almost immediately, Seth headed in the direction of his target.
Hot panic flashed through me. “Seth, no! I’m begging you not to do this. Please!”
But it was too late. Seth was already stalking toward Jeremy like a predator zeroing in on his prey. Nothing short of a tranquilizer gun was going to stop him now.
“Jesus. You guys can’t stand there and let him do this.”
“The hell we can’t. That asshole put his hands on you,” Ox said, glaring across the yard at Jeremy as Seth closed in on him. “If you ask me, he deserves whatever the hell Seth does to him.”
“God, you don’t get it. He’s going to kill him.”
That didn’t seem to bother them much, if at all. Maybe they thought he wouldn’t really do it, but I knew Seth too well to think for one second that Jeremy would walk away from this encounter alive. And that scared the hell out of me.
Either Jeremy didn’t know that he was in grave danger, or he didn’t give a shit. “I’ve been waiting for you to show up. I figured you would stop by to defend the little cocktease.” He didn’t even wait for Seth to throw the first punch. Instead, Jeremy aimed a blow directly at Seth’s head.
With surprising speed, Seth deflected it and landed a solid punch across Jeremy’s jaw that knocked him backward onto the ground. He tried to sweep Seth’s feet out from under him, but Seth managed to maintain his foothold and grasped Jeremy by his shirt before delivering several quick, sharp jabs repeatedly into his face with perfect precision.
My eyes pleaded with Jake to end it all. “You have to stop this.”
Unfortunately, it was like talking to a brick wall. Jake shook his head, making it clear that he wouldn’t budge from his position. To all of them, this was Jeremy getting what he deserved. But what none of them understood was that I wasn’t trying to protect Jeremy. I was trying to protect Seth.
The last thing I wanted was for him wind up in prison for killing someone all because he was defending me. My stomach tied into knots.
Jeremy got a hit in, but Seth didn’t even flinch. The man was like a runaway freight train that could
n’t be stopped. But when Seth planted his boot into Jeremy’s ribs and the cracking sound vibrated through me, I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to do something. Anything.
So I did the only thing I could think of. Panicking, I blurted out, “Leprechaun.”
Jake, Cowboy, and Ox looked at me as if I had lost my mind, while Judd glanced to the ground, as if he’d expected to see a little bearded man dressed in green with a pot of gold running by. Of course, none of them knew the meaning behind the word, and I didn’t really give a damn to explain it. The word was meant for Seth, and thank God, it had done the trick and given him pause to contemplate what I’d just said.
Frozen in place, Seth’s hostile eyes turned onto me. “What did you say?”
I tried to slow my erratic breathing as I raised my voice. “You heard me. I said Leprechaun.”
His mouth pursed as his furious eyes narrowed in my direction. He shook his head. “No. You don’t get to use that here.”
He was pissed, but I didn’t care. “Bullshit. You said I could use it anytime I wanted. You swore to me that you would stop whatever you were doing if I said it, no matter what.”
“I know, but—”
“No matter what, Seth. You promised. Are you going back on your word?”
He glared at me in silence, then his eyes shifted back to Jeremy. He fisted his hand tightly, and for a moment, I thought he was going to punch him again. But instead, he lowered his head. “No.”
Thank God.
But before he walked away, Seth pulled Jeremy up roughly by the collar of his shirt. “She saved you this time, shit-for-brains, but if you ever lay another hand on her, there won’t be enough fucking people in this town to save you. You hear me? Nothing will save your sorry ass.”
Jeremy spat blood onto the ground. “You want her? You can have her. I’m done…with all of you.” He twisted his head toward me. “You want me to sign away my parental rights? Fine. Consider it done. I never wanted that fucking kid anyway.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Though Seth had called a cease-fire to the fight between him and Jeremy, his body was still vibrating with anger when we arrived home. And that was after we’d been to the police station to file a report and a restraining order.
Seth had insisted I go to the hospital, but I adamantly refused. The last thing I wanted was to spend a few more hours in that place. Besides, the police had taken pictures of all the marks on me as evidence. I just wanted to take a shower and get out of the torn clothes. So that’s exactly what I did.
When I got out of the shower, I went looking for Seth and found him in his bedroom, packing his things. “What are you doing?”
“While you were in the shower, my old commander from The Resistance called. They have a lead on Bishop. No one knows why, but he flew back to Brazil on a small charter plane. They said he was easy to find because he was back at the outpost where he killed the politician’s son. I’m flying out there tonight.”
My heart stopped. “That sounds like a trap.”
He nodded. “It is.”
I blinked at him. “But if you know that, then why would you go?”
“Because I want to end all of this once and for all. I want to keep you and Austin safe from him.”
I shook my head. “But how do you know that we’ll be safe here? What if he’s hoping you leave us unprotected so that he can get to us?”
He turned toward me and placed his strong hands on my shoulders. “You won’t be unprotected. I called Jake and Junior and filled them in on everything. They’re going to keep an eye on you until I return.”
I bit my lip and lowered my head. “Don’t go. Please.”
“I have to. There’s no one else who can do this.”
Fear surged through me, and I shook my head again. “No. You’re going to get yourself killed. There are other ways. Jake could help.”
His brows furrowed. “No. This is my responsibility. I’m the reason Bishop’s coming after you and Austin. He needs to be eliminated, which isn’t something Jake can do. But I have the means. The Resistance has offered to help. They want me to take out Bishop for good.” He pulled me close and kissed my forehead. “The only way we’ll ever be free of my past is for me to accept this one last mission.”
But I pulled away from him. “No, you’re wrong about that, Seth. I know your type. Hell, I’ve dated your type before. For someone like you, there’s always going to be one last mission. You’ll never be finished.”
He reached for me again and stilled me from moving away once more. “No, that’s not true. After this, I’m done. I mean it.”
My eyes met his. “Please. Don’t do this.”
“I’m sorry. I have to.” He resumed packing.
I knew I was reaching, but I had to try something. “And what’s going to stop Jeremy from coming after me again while you’re gone?”
He shook his head adamantly. “He’s not going to get anywhere near you or Austin. Especially after tonight. The boys are all going to make sure of that.”
Tears filled my eyes. Nothing I said was going to make him stay. Although I knew it, I couldn’t stop trying. “Damn it, Seth. I don’t want them to watch over us. I want you here. I…I can’t lose you.”
He pulled me into his arms once again, bent his head, and kissed me, his lips roving over mine with a tenderness that sent pain spiraling through me. “I’m coming back, Bobbie. I promise.”
I shook my head, swiping away the tears trailing down my cheeks as anger took over. “No, Seth. If you leave now, then don’t bother coming back. I can’t be with someone who would put their own life in danger without thinking twice about it. I told you before, I’m done with men who don’t put my son and I first.”
He sighed. “Damn it, Bobbie. This is me putting you two first. I’m doing this for both of you.”
Heat flared inside of me. Furious, I shoved at his shoulders. “Don’t you dare say that to me. You don’t have to kill Bishop. There are other ways.”
“Not for me, there isn’t.”
Pain filled my chest as I took a deep breath. “If you do this…if you choose this path, then you’ll only end up being the killer that you didn’t want to be.”
He hesitated briefly, but in the end, nothing I said deterred him. He lifted his bag from the bed and threw it over his shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he said, kissing my temple as he passed by me.
My heart squeezed in my chest, but I crossed my arms, firm in my stance. “Me, too,” I told him, my words whispered so low that they were barely audible to me, much less him.
And then I watched as the man I loved walked out the door and left me to pick up the shattered pieces of my heart once more.
…
Two weeks later…
I was sitting near the kitchen window at Emily’s house talking to her while Austin and Lily played with their toys. A vehicle rumbled in the drive, and I glanced out the window to see Junior’s truck pulling in with two people inside the cab. Junior would obviously be driving, but I couldn’t see the face of the passenger due to the shadows and the glare.
But the hair on the back of my neck stood on end and my nerve endings fired off warning shots. There was only one person in the world who could overwhelm my senses and alert my instincts in such a manner. But what would he be doing at Emily’s house?
I stood and walked out to the front porch just as Seth climbed out of Junior’s truck and walked toward the house, his brawny arms swinging loosely at his sides.
The bastard.
I resented how he seemed in complete control of his body’s motion while every step he took toward me left me feeling less in control of my own. My heart pounded relentlessly in my chest and emotions whirled through me at a fast rate.
Before I could speak, Austin darted out of the house and ran straight to Seth. He caught my son in his arms, swung him around, and then knelt down onto his haunches, placing him onto his knee. “Hey, big guy.”
“You came back!”
/> “Of course I did,” Seth said with an easy laugh. “Never leave a buddy behind, right?”
“Right,” Austin said, grinning from ear to ear.
Their adoring exchange shot needles of pain through my heart, so I cleared my throat and walked closer with my arms folded to get their attention.
Seth glanced up at me, and his face grew somber. “Austin, I really want to catch up with you, but I need to talk to your momma for a minute.”
Austin’s smile widened. “She’s mad at you.”
Seth sighed. “I know, kiddo. Go hang out inside with Lily for a few minutes while I work on that, okay? I’m going to let your mom yell at me and she’s probably going to say a few curse words you shouldn’t hear.”
“Okay,” Austin said, crawling out of his lap. But before he turned to leave, he stopped and glanced back at Seth. “You’re not going to leave again without saying goodbye, are you?”
My aching heart shattered into a million pieces, but my banked temper started a slow burn.
Seth shook his head. “Nope. I promise I’m not going anywhere this time.”
Austin smiled and skipped back to the house to go inside.
But I couldn’t stand there and let Seth give my son false hope about him sticking around. “It won’t work, Seth.”
He rose to his feet. “I’m back, Bobbie. For good.”
My heart sped up, as if it were being dragged around by a team of runaway horses, but I couldn’t allow myself to wish for something that could never be. “I don’t care. You can’t just walk out on me and expect me to be waiting here for you when you decide to return. I…I’ve moved on.”
His eyes crinkled, clearly not liking what he’d heard. “In two weeks?”
I crossed my arms. “It doesn’t matter how long it’s been.”
He shook his head. “I can’t stay away from you. Not now. Not ever again.”
Though his words had my stomach twisting into knots, I kept my composure. “Well, you don’t have a say in the matter any longer. You lost that right when you left us.”
“Look, I know I made mistakes—”
“Made mistakes? No, Seth. You put me and my son in danger. I’ve dumped guys over a lot less than that. I was willing to forgive you because I knew you never meant to cause us any harm. But when you left? You hurt me. You hurt my son. And you left on your own accord. That was intentional.”