Cherry Hill 1-A Place to Call Home

by Dixie Lynn Dwyer Dixie Lynn Dwyer Dixie Lynn Dwyer

  She packed the additional clothing in her bag and a towel. She got dressed in one of her workout outfits, and her best running sneakers, because she was literally going to be running for her life in about thirty minutes or less from now.

  She gripped the bag and exited the bedroom to see Ferno was there. He was a mean bastard, who looked at her like he would love nothing more than to rape her and beat her like Matias. They were all bad, every one of his guards, and they were capable of anything. She saw things, witnessed conversations, and even saw people get beaten and killed. She knew what they were capable of and that she could die today, but the thought of Matias taking from her body again motivated her to go for it or die trying. She walked slowly, playing up her aches and pains as her heart hammered inside of her chest.

  “You sure you can handle the workout this morning?” he asked, eying her over, and she knew he’d heard Matias’s threats, his commands and demands from her as he assaulted her every day and every night.

  She swallowed hard. “To stay in shape for Matias, I need to,” she said, and he smirked and nodded.

  “I’ll be sure to tell him you said that.” He escorted her to the elevator and then down to the next one before arriving by the hallway to the gym. As she went to enter the room, he grabbed her bag. She gasped.

  He stared at her and then unzipped the bag. Her heart hammered inside of her chest. Please, please, please don’t see the stitching. Don’t feel the inside. Oh God please let this work.

  She took a deep breath and exhaled. “Is there a problem, Ferno?” she asked him, and thank God he zipped it back up, but not before his fingers landed on her black lace bra. He stroked the large, deep cup before eying over her breasts in the tank top and sports bra she wore. She was well endowed and the way he looked at her gave her the chills.

  He zipped her bag back up.

  “I’ll be right here. I’m taking calls from Matias, so make sure you remain within my view or we’re going back upstairs.”

  “I’ll only need to go into the ladies’ room, Ferno, and no place else. I know the rules,” she said in her most defeated voice.

  Again, he roamed over her body with his eyes. “You should by now. Go,” he ordered. Actually ordered her like she was also under his command. Under all their commands. These men, every one of them had no respect for women. They were fucking monsters. She turned and walked into the gym. She didn’t talk to anyone. It wasn’t allowed. It was a pretty decent size, but Ferno could see her go into the bathroom from where he stood. She would only have a couple of minutes to get through that window.

  She pretended to work out for about fifteen minutes, and he turned away as he spoke on his cell phone. She grabbed her bag and hurried to the hallway and the bathroom. This was it. It was do or die. She got into the bathroom and dropped her bag on the floor. She ran to the window, took an unsteady breath, her heart racing, fear gripping her a moment, warning her that Matias was going to beat the hell out of her and break her arms, her ribs, and cause worse damage than ever before. She hesitated as tears filled her eyes, but freedom was right out that window. There was a whole world out there. Places to hide, to go and live and breathe freely. She didn’t want to get raped over and over again. She wanted a life. She wanted to never feel pain again.

  She reached for the lock, undid it, and shoved it open. An alarm sounded. “Fuck!” She threw her bag through the window and then climbed up, slid down, and landed on the ground. She picked up the bag and went running. She could hardly breathe and it felt like her throat constricted, but she ran, then pulled open the back door to the restaurant and quickly closed it. She ran through the kitchen, ignoring the yells, the threats, and then went toward the dining area and through the other side door.

  She shoved by people and ran, just ran, her focus on the subway and not looking behind her. She ran so damn fast, she nearly tumbled down the stairs. She jumped the turn table where you deposited tickets, not wasting the time to purchase one as the subway train she needed was there and about to leave. She heard yelling but ignored it, and practically dove into the subway car, the doors closing, her hand gripping the bag and people looking at her strangely, but then ignoring her. That was New York. No one gave a shit about anything.

  She looked through the windows as the subway car went by and she didn’t see Ferno, or anyone else. She sat down and held the tears inside. She wasn’t out of the clear. She never would be. She had to remember that always. She was alone in this world, had to change her way of thinking, and could be whomever she wanted to be. She pulled her sweatshirt out of the bag as well as her sunglasses. She tucked in her hair, pulled up the hood, and threw on the sunglasses. God help me. Please, help me.

  Chapter 1

  1 Year Later

  “Good afternoon, Sheriff McCabe,” Mrs. Scanton said to him as he stood outside of the cafe in town.

  “Afternoon, ma’am,” he replied, tipping back his hat. The older widow blushed as she shyly kept walking, and he chuckled to himself. He didn’t think he was a good-looking guy. He was hard, distant, didn’t trust easily at all, more some from his military background, but he was fair, and his family settled in Cherry Hill upon its existence more than ninety years ago. He was used to being flirted with and ignored the passes. No one interested him, or his brothers for that matter.

  As he thought about Culter, Chase, and Fox, he wondered when Chase and Fox would be coming back from their latest job. Culter was running the dojo with some of his military friends, but he needed Chase and Fox for the more intense military training a lot of the military and law enforcement guys in town enjoyed doing. He hoped they were okay, but knew he couldn’t say a word about their professions now as mercenaries. They just weren’t ready to settle down. Hell, the house they all shared was technically in Central Valley on the border to Cherry Hill. He heard the small bus coming toward the main street and kept a hand on the butt of his gun and one on his hip. Like clockwork, the quiet, secretive brunette exited the bus, sunglasses on, and ready to walk the mile to the place she rented from Cynthia and Clay Gaynor.

  “Afternoon, Hannah,” he said to her, and she gave a soft smile.

  “Afternoon, Sheriff McCabe,” she replied, and was going to pass right by him.

  “How was work at Spark’s today?” he asked, pushing for a little further conversation.

  In the past few weeks since she’d arrived in town, she didn’t engage in many conversations, and minded her own business, only coming into town for some food shopping once a week, and never on the same day. He knew she took some martial arts classes in Central Valley at one of the Dojo’s there, only because Deputy Lotus McCuen, his cousin, had friends who owned the place and worked out there.

  “It was busy, kind of unusual for a Wednesday,” she said, and then nibbled her bottom lip. He wanted to see her with those sunglasses off, knowing how gorgeous her deep green eyes were. She was a very attractive woman, but didn’t socialize. She still seemed to have a sexy figure that filled out the modest uniform she wore, a mid length black skirt, white blouse, and sneakers.

  He squinted his eyes at her. “There are a few activities coming up in town that all the residents of Cherry Hill like to enjoy.”

  “That’s good to know. Thanks. Well, I need to get moving. I have a bit of a walk home.”

  “I can give you a ride,” he said to her.

  She stepped back and shook her head. “No thank you, Sheriff. Have a good evening,” she said, and then walked by him.

  His gut clenched, warning him about this woman. Something was up with her, but there was also an interest, an attraction he felt, and that bothered him. He wasn’t the kind of man to settle down. Not now. Now after his years in the military, the shit he saw and did, and then being a sheriff like his father and grandfathers before him were. He watched her walking, saw a few men tip their hats toward her, say howdy, and look to stop and talk, but she just kept walking. She didn’t engage in conversations with anyone really, but when she did, she made it
short and it ended with smiles. What was her story?

  “Blew you off again?”

  He heard the deep voice and turned around to see his cousin, Deputy Lotus McCuen. Kane didn’t even acknowledge his statement, just looked at the direction Hannah walked in. He saw her lift her small backpack over her shoulder and head home.

  “She’s a mystery, and a gorgeous one at that. What do you think, she’s like twenty-one or so?”

  “A little older maybe, but still low twenties probably, why?”

  Lotus, who was about six three with light brown hair and a very distinguished jaw gave a wink. “Bets around town about her.”

  Kane squinted with concern.

  “Nothing too bad, just her age, if she’s single, and who she might accept a date with. That kind of thing.”

  “Who’s been looking and asking?” he asked.

  He rambled off a few names and Kane felt a bit of a jealous feeling hit his insides.

  “She declines any offers if the guys could even get her to converse long enough. I saw Harper talking to her outside of the bar yesterday.”

  “Really? You think she was seeing if Hannah was looking for work?”

  “Maybe, they talked for a bit actually. Maybe Hannah might take a job there too since she only works two days at Spark’s in Central Valley?” Lotus said.

  “Maybe. I guess we’ll know soon enough. Is everyone still planning on meeting at Harper’s Saturday night for the UFC matches on TV?”

  “That’s the plan. You’re coming, right?”

  “If Culter is going, then I’m going, too.”

  “Great, well I’d better get back to work before the boss catches me slacking off.”

  Kane chuckled. “Yeah, don’t want the other deputies thinking there’s any favoritism, cos,” he teased back, and Lotus chuckled then headed down the street.

  He still couldn’t stop thinking about Hannah and who she was, where she came from, and why she was so resistant to making any friends. Her behavior was suspicious, and as the sheriff of Cherry Hill, he’d make a point of finding out more.

  Chapter 2

  “We aren’t coming up with anything. I’m sorry, Voight, Louis, but it’s like she disappeared and must have found a safe place to hide. We know that Garcia has men searching for her. I also found out that he’s been smuggling in some potent drugs, as well, and directly to a guy with terrorist ties,” Ferion told them over the phone. Ferion was on speaker and Voight and Louis were at their home in Pearl, Texas.

  “Jesus, this asshole keeps getting away with more and more. I want to take him out. Take his entire operation out,” Voight said to him.

  “I think it’s smart if we can find your sister and get her under your protection and mine before we do anything complicated. Obviously, he’ll need to be eliminated in order for her to live freely. She must be incredibly smart and determined to evade being found. It may help if I bring in some of my other men. Men who have abilities people pay big bucks for, and men you know and can trust.”

  “Like who?”

  “Fox and his brother Chase. They just finished up a pretty intense assignment overseas. They take a week off tops, and then are ready for the next thing. It will take them time, but they could help.”

  “I don’t know if I want to reach out to too many people with this, Ferion. It risks her life, her being detected.”

  “They’ll be fully informed. You think about it and let me know. It’s been a year. That twelve months and counting since she’s escaped from Garcia’s penthouse.”

  “We know, Ferion. We know. Let my brother and I discuss things a bit and get back to you.”

  “Watch your backs, too. I wouldn’t put it past that asshole to put men on you despite you living locally in that town. He’s got to be desperate to find her and get her back. The information we got showed the intensity of his obsession with her.”

  “He’ll never get his hands on her again, Ferion. We’ll protect her with all we have.”

  “Understand, Louis, Voight, and you got us, too. The entire team. Talk to you soon.”

  Voight ended the call and leaned back in the chair.

  “Where could she be, Louis? Where?”

  “I don’t know, but wherever it is, she must be safe there and that’s what matters.”

  “What do you think about Ferion’s offer? Fox and Chase are fucking good. Really good. They do crazy shit.”

  “I know, but like you said, we need to be careful about how much attention we’re giving this and to whom. Ferion is right, Garcia could have men on us right now.”

  “I think we would have noticed, especially in such a small town like Pearl.”

  “We don’t really go into town much, just for supplies and to the dojo. We’ll keep better watch.”

  “And if someone is watching us?”

  “We’ll take them the fuck out. I’m done playing fucking games with Garcia and his minions. He doesn’t have Athena in his possession. We never got far enough to make a move in New York when Ferion got word that she’d escaped. He would have put someone on us and on our father immediately, thinking she would go to us.”

  “But maybe she thought we were dead just like we thought she was.”

  “Then he wouldn’t bother and we have nothing to worry about, Louis. Let’s take the precautions, and if we are being followed or watched, we do what needs to be done and discreetly.”

  “I’m game. Would like nothing more than to come out of retirement for a spell and eliminate these dicks, one by one if necessary.”

  “Agreed.”

  * * * *

  Athena loved it here in Cherry Hill. She loved the name, the way the town looked, the storybook setting, and the personalities of the people living there. They were kind, caring, and she felt badly for blowing them off more often than not, and especially that sheriff. He was a force and then some. Tall, like six feet four, with wide shoulders, big muscles and an intensity that came along with being a man of authority, and perhaps military experience. She had heard he was Special Forces at one time or another from one of the women she worked with at Spark’s. Essie had forced conversation onto Athena, who was now Hannah, and there was no stopping the woman. Essie was bubbly, knew a lot about both towns and their residents, and also about the women’s shelter in Central Valley.

  She got a lot of information on the shelter, but Athena was doing fine on her own. Had been for a year now, but she still needed to take precautions. Police couldn’t be trusted either. Six months ago when she was in Pennsylvania, some cop tried to touch her one night after work, and despite there being witnesses, he threatened to lock her up. She got the hell out of there fast. She just kept going, running and running until she started to hit these different towns, offering the same types of things. Country settings, kind-hearted people, but ménage relationships galore. She worried about the whole guardianship rules many towns enforced, and then wound up here in Cherry Hill where the sheriff didn’t enforce guardianship, but supposedly had to approve of it along with another town official. The point was, she was in control, and despite being lonely, being scared every night, and having episodes of shaking and fear coming out of nowhere, she still was doing okay and making it.

  She probably shouldn’t be working in the cafe in Central Valley, but they paid off the books because she only worked two days. It was to keep her sanity. She could socialize but under her control and she determined how much. She was used to turning down offers of coffee, dinner, dates in general. She was lying her way through this stage of her life, and the last thing she needed was a boyfriend, or a fling. She didn’t even think she could ever be intimate with a man again, but maybe someday. Maybe if she found out that Matias Garcia was dead.

  She exhaled as she finished showering, and then started to cook some dinner for herself. She enjoyed doing that, and tended to make a little too much but it was okay, leftovers were fine with her. Her days of not eating because she was so scared, sick to her stomach with worry, were past, a
side from the few days here and there when out of nowhere fear hits her insides. Migraines, nausea, all part of her life now as she continued to live with the fear of being found by Matias. Keeping busy helped. Joining the dojo in Central Valley made sense to her because if she joined the one in Cherry Hill, then she might be forced to converse with more locals, gain their attention, and gain the men’s attention, and others who would want her to hang out like normal men and women in their twenties did. She wasn’t normal. She was a victim, a survivor, a woman who had been held prisoner against her will for so damn long, she nearly lost a grip of her own identity. She was getting that back now. She could be anyone, and here in Cherry Hill, she was Hannah Murphy.

  With thoughts of the lie about her name came thoughts of that darn sheriff. Between him and the guy who ran the dojo in town, Culter, she thought Essie said his name was, they made her very nervous. They were always watching her, and she wanted to say something to the sheriff and tell him to back off, but then her experience in Pennsylvania with that drunk cop made her hold back. Maybe she was making an assumption about the sheriff, but she couldn’t be too cautious. Not in this life. She had to remain off the radar and she was doing that. She just prayed to continue on this path.

  As she sat down and prepared to eat dinner, she closed her eyes and prayed. As silence loomed around her, and night began to fall, and that uneasy feeling started to simmer in her gut. Matias was still out there looking for her, trying to get her back. She knew that with all her being. She wished that her brothers hadn’t died in combat, but she was proud of them for serving their country and for being heroes. She could use a hero of her own, but knew there was no such thing. There was no one to trust. No one to feel safe around. No one to confide in, to lean on, to just get a hug from. The tears fell. She laughed at herself and wiped her eyes. “A hug, Athena? Seriously?” she reprimanded herself aloud, and then gave up on prayers that never worked. Actions worked. Remaining in control worked. Being strong, doing for herself worked. This was her life and being alone was a permanent consequence for actions out of her control, and with the power still remaining in Matias’s hands. That was the truth.