Her Independence Day

by Victoria Belle

  “Nick Myles is already in St. Simmons. And you never gave me a heads up. That’s not what I’m paying you for.”

  If Rodney was annoyed with my criticism, he didn’t show it. “The bloke hasn’t been all that active the last few days.”

  I sighed and ran my fingers through my wet hair to slick it back. “So, what have you found?”

  Rodney coughed, and I heard him sip some water. “Well, you’re right. He is back on St. Simmons. And this morning, he made some alarming purchases.”

  I waited for the PI to tell me what these alarming purchases were, but he didn’t. Like always, he waited for me to ask. “What were the purchases?”

  “Some zip ties of various sizes. A case of water bottles. Granola bars. Duct tape.”

  I leaned one shoulder against the office wall. “I don’t like the sound of that.’

  “Didn’t think you would.”

  “How can I get a closer look at what he’s doing? Is there any way for you to track this asshole?”

  “There is, but it will take me some time.”

  “How much time?”

  “No way to say for sure. This tech shit isn’t my forte, so I’ll have to reach out to a contact of mine to connect the dots for us. I’ll call you when I have an ETA.”

  “All right,” I said, knowing this was the best I was going to get at this time. “Did you find anything else you think I should know about?”

  Rodney was quiet for a minute. “The guy is erratic. Unstable. While he was still in New York, I tailed him for the better part of his day, and he blew up twice on customer service workers and once on a guy who bumped into him on the sidewalk. And it wasn’t just your average ‘having a bad day’ kind of blow up. He scared people.”

  “Great.” I sighed, rubbing my forehead. “Just great.”

  “I’ll call you when I have his location pinned down.”

  “Thanks, Sanderson. I appreciate the help.”

  “I appreciate the extra cash.” He chuckled and then hung up.

  I called Jesse and asked where he and Ethan were. They were both at the office working on new accounts. Jesse confirmed that Ashley was safe and sound at work. I told them both to stay at the office until I got there. I needed to tell them what the PI had told me. It was best to keep everyone informed with these kinds of things. That was how I ran my business, and there was a reason we were so good at what we did. Ashley was the most precious cargo we had, and I wasn’t going to drop the ball now. No fucking way.

  ***

  I got to the office late in the afternoon. Jesse and Ethan were both on the phone with clients, and I waited patiently until they finished up. Then I invited them into my office, and they sat down opposite me at my desk. I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the edge of the desk, and they sat quietly, waiting for me to begin.

  “So, I talked to Sanderson, the private investigator. He told me some shit that I don’t like, so I have him working on putting a tracker on Nick.”

  “What was some of the shit?” Ethan asked, his eyebrows pulling together with concern.

  Jesse remained quiet, but his stare was intense.

  “He’s made some more than suspicious purchases and was behaving erratically back when he was still in New York City. Sounds to me like he’s pretty unstable and dealing with some serious anger issues.”

  “Define mysterious purchases,” Jesse said.

  “A case of water bottles, granola bars, zip ties, and duct tape.”

  “What the fuck?” Jesse snarled.

  Ethan leaned back in his chair and gripped the armrests. “What’s this mother fucker playing at? Do we know where he is now? Let’s go find him and beat the shit out of him.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know his current location, no. But Sanderson will call as soon as he has him pinned down, and that’s our cue to go get him.”

  “That’s the best thing I’ve heard all day,” Jesse said.

  “Likewise,” Ethan agreed. “You have a plan as to how you want to go about that?”

  I shrugged. “We work well on the fly. We’ll have to rough him up enough so that he knows we mean business and Ashley is off limits for him. Then I’d like her to get a restraining order.”

  “Good call.” Jesse nodded.

  “If we happen to see him walking around town?” Ethan asked.

  I shrugged one shoulder. “Get him alone and wait for all of us to be there. One of us alone won’t scare him enough. I want him to be pissing his pants by the time we’re through with him. He’s picked the wrong girl to fuck with. Let’s remind him who we are.”

  Ethan grinned and cracked his knuckles. “Hell yeah.”

  Jesse slumped back in his chair and blew out a breath. He was staring at the edge of the desk, and I could see the wheels turning behind his dark eyes. He was lost in thought about something.

  “What are you thinking about, Jesse?” I asked.

  He glanced up at me. “I don’t like the idea of Ash being at Lulu’s.”

  I nodded. “You have a solution for that, I assume?”

  “Have her come stay with Ethan and me. With two of us there, Nick wouldn’t pull anything even if he did find her. And we’d be closer for you to get to us if he did.”

  “She can have my room,” Ethan said.

  Jesse shot him a sideways look. “Like last night?”

  Ethan smirked. “Yeah.”

  I didn’t ask. Instead, I nodded. “I agree. Call her and see if you can pick her up tonight. Have her pack her bags for at least a week. I don’t want this to take any longer than that, but you never know. And I’d rather not go back and forth from Lulu’s in case he’s watching. We don’t want to put Lulu at risk, either.”

  “Should we give her a heads up then?” Ethan asked.

  “Yes, probably a good idea. I’ll call Lulu. Jesse, you call Ash, and tell her to pack as soon as she’s home from work. I’ll meet you guys at your place later once she’s settled, and we’ll fill her in on everything. It’s not going to be easy for her to hear.”

  Jesse nodded. “No, it won’t.”

  “I’ll keep her distracted,” Ethan said. Both Jesse and I stared at him flatly. Ethan held his hands up. “That’s not what I meant. I mean, I’ll do what I do best and keep her laughing. We’ll keep the mood light. Play some games. Watch some movies. You know, do whatever it takes to keep her thoughts away from the psycho who just went out and bought fucking zip ties and duct tape.”

  “Should we tip off the cops?” Jesse asked.

  “Yes, I’m going to go down to the station after this,” I said.

  Jesse nodded. “Good. But we still want to be the first ones to get our hands on him, right?”

  “Right.” I nodded.

  That was non-optional. I needed to do something about the anger that had been burning in my chest for the last week since finding out how Nick had treated Ashley. He and I already had a bad history from our time in high school together. We’d been rivals, even though we played for the same football team, and the tension between us never went away. I knew that he was a master manipulator, and he’d been cruel to girls when we were younger.

  Now he had taken things to a whole other level.

  I was kicking myself for not doing something about it sooner. I should have pushed harder when I first told Ashley how I felt about her and Nick being together. She’d been furious with me for shit talking her boyfriend and soon to be fiancé, and I’d let her anger silence me. I’d been a coward and hadn’t spoken my truth because the girl I loved simply didn’t want to hear it.

  Now we were here. Ashley was in danger. I knew we could protect her, but it didn’t make it any easier to swallow the fact that there was a guy out there putting her at risk that I could have squashed ages ago. Like a bug.

  Splat.

  I rocked back in my chair and clasped my hands across my stomach. Jesse and Ethan seemed to be having similar thoughts as me because the three of us were quiet while we sat together.


  Jesse was the one to get to his feet first. He fished his phone out of his pocket. “Well, I’m going to call Ash and tell her she’s coming to stay with us. You gonna head down to the station now then, Dean?”

  I nodded. “Yeah.”

  “All right, see you at home, Ethan.” Jesse waved as he slipped out of the office door.

  My youngest brother and I looked at each other. Ethan was tense. Almost nervous. He ran his finger along his lips. “Something feels wrong about all this, Dean. Like we’re missing something. Or we’re a step behind. I can’t put a finger on it.”

  I understood. I felt the exact same way. “I know.”

  “I don’t like it. I don’t like it one fucking bit.”

  “Me neither. But we’re taking the steps we need to. Ash will be safe with us. And we’ll handle Nick like we should have ages ago.”

  Ethan nodded and got slowly to his feet. “Yeah. You’re right. I think I’m just too in my head about it.”

  “Shake it off. Ashley’s going to need you.”

  Ethan nodded and left without saying another word. I watched his back and tried to ignore that same nervous feeling in my gut that he’d spoken of.

  What he’d said about feeling like we were a step behind resonated with me a little too much.

  22

  Ashley

  I had forgotten Lulu picked up a closing shift at the bookstore. Her Beetle wasn’t in the driveway when I got home, and the house was quiet. I let myself in and locked the front door behind me. I’d been diligent about that ever since I found out Nick was back in St. Simmons. It was like a compulsion now. A sick, worrying, wish-I-didn’t-have-to-do-this compulsion.

  Ever since I saw him when I was on my lunch break at work the other day, I’d had a sense of always having to be on high alert. The look in his eyes and the sweat on his forehead put me on edge. I’d never seen him in such a state before, and it was scarier than the way he’d looked when he first found out I was leaving him.

  I was glad that the incessant text messages he’d been sending me had stopped. Glad, but not relieved. For some reason, I felt like that just meant he had moved on to another tactic. A tactic that involved him being back in St. Simmons, a place he’d told me hundreds of times he hated.

  He’d come back for me, and it was impossible to think of anything else.

  I kicked off my heels and padded down the hall to my room where I stripped out of my tight skirt and restricting blouse. Then I pulled on a pair of cotton shorts and a fleece-lined pullover. As I pulled my hair out of its clip, my phone started ringing. I jumped. Along with the paranoia came the easily startled reflexes.

  Jesse’s name flashed across the screen, and I was smiling as I lifted it to my ear, my fear of being alone gone. “You just can’t stay away from me, can you?” I asked. And I just couldn’t stop flirting with him.

  “Hey, Ash. I know. It’s a problem. Are you at Lulu’s right now?”

  “Yep. Just got home. I was about to raid the fridge and see what she had for dinner. I’m starving.”

  “Don’t bother.”

  “What? Why?” I moved to the bed and sat down. He sounded tense, annoyed. “Is something wrong, Jesse?”

  “No, not yet. But I’m coming over to pick you up. The three of us would feel better if you came and stayed with me and Ethan for a little while. Until this whole thing with Nick blows over. How does that sound to you?”

  I licked my lips. In all honesty, it sounded better than sleeping alone at Lulu’s. I was paranoid about Nick showing up. I also would rather be sleeping in one of the Thomas brothers’ beds, feeling their warmth beside me and knowing nothing could hurt me. “It sounds better than good.”

  “All right. I’m leaving the office in about fifteen minutes, so I’ll probably be at Lulu’s in forty-five. Is that enough time for you to pack your stuff?”

  “Yeah. How long do you think I’ll be staying?”

  “Pack for at least a week. Dean doesn’t want you to have to go back to Lulu’s, just in case Nick does happen to keep tabs on the place. We’d rather him have no idea where you are.”

  “Does Lulu know this?”

  “Ethan called her at work. She knows. And she thinks it’s the right move. She’s going to have another friend of hers come and stay with her until this is all sorted out, just to be safe.”

  That same guilt that I had felt when Lulu first told me Nick showed up at her place raced through me. “Okay.”

  “Hey, Ash?”

  “Yes?”

  “Don’t worry about it. It’s all going to be fine. You’ll be with us until he’s out of the picture for good. We’re not going to let him anywhere near you.”

  I nodded. “Okay. I’ll see you soon then?”

  “Very soon. Don’t forget to pack some cute pajamas. If you have anything see through, even better.”

  “Jesse!” I scolded, and he hung up the phone mid laugh.

  I was still grinning like an idiot as I started packing. I pulled my suitcase back out from its temporary home in Lulu’s entranceway closet and wheeled it back into my bedroom. Then I went out to the kitchen and found a cold, half-opened bottle of white wine in the fridge door. I poured myself a glass and synced my phone to the blue tooth speaker in Lulu’s living room. I played an upbeat summer playlist, sipped my wine, and hoisted my suitcase onto my bed. Flipping it open, I began packing and dancing.

  Nick was the last thing on my mind as I went through my wardrobe and packed all the things I figured I would need: jeans, work clothes, cute pajamas as per Jesse’s request, sweatpants, tank tops, and my best panties, not the ones that had seen too many cycles of the inside of a washing machine. Those ones all had faded prints and weren’t all that cute anymore. The chances of ending up in either Jesse or Ethan’s bed were high, and I wanted to make sure I was prepared for any occasion.

  Girl, what is the matter with you? The little voice of reason popped up in my head again. I tried to shut her up, but she was persistent. These guys used to be family to you. You grew up with them. Dean taught you how to throw a football. Jesse used to buy you booze when you were underage. Ethan used to—well, Ethan used to do all the same shit he does now. Goof off and make you laugh.

  I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter. It’s different now.”

  Everyone will think it’s strange. Gross, even.

  “I don’t care what people think,” I said, trying desperately to convince myself that my words were true. But I did care what people thought. I didn’t want to be the girl who was known for sleeping with all three of her ex-stepbrothers.

  I sighed as I sipped more wine and packed my makeup bag. I knew what I wanted, and that was the Thomas brothers. All of them. And I knew how some people might see that as promiscuous and unconventional, which I supposed it was. But to me, it felt right. I’d grown up looking up to them and adoring them. And when I hit womanhood, that relationship blossomed into something else entirely. I’d loved them all my life, and now, it was impossible to deny the chemistry between us.

  Not only that, but they each offered me everything I wanted in a relationship. Stability, honesty, trust, passion, support. Where Nick was always putting me down, the brothers were always building me up and making me feel like I was capable of anything and everything.

  With Nick, I’d been a hollow shell of a person. With the Thomas brothers, I was completely myself and not ashamed of it. I loved myself. And I loved them.

  “Damn it,” I said, hanging my head as the thought struck me. I was in love with them. All three of them. How was that possible?

  A part of me wished I wasn’t leaving tonight so that I could stay here and talk this through with Lulu. She would know what to say. She would be able to offer me a fresh and objective perspective.

  Maybe when all of this settled down and life got back to normal, I could talk it over with her. I could tell her how I felt about Ethan, Jesse, and Dean. She would understand. I knew she would.

  I finished packing my suitc
ase and zipped it closed. There was still plenty of space for more items, but I wasn’t an over packer. I pulled it off the bed and rolled it down the hall to the front door where I left it tucked against the wall along with the shoes I planned on wearing over to Jesse and Ethan’s. Then I checked the time.

  It was only quarter to six. Jesse probably wouldn’t show for another twenty minutes or so. Just enough time to treat myself to another glass of wine.

  I went back to the kitchen and topped off my glass, all the while shaking my hips and tapping my feet to the music playing in the living room. I started singing along and did some of the dishes in the sink for Lulu so that when she got home, she could just relax. She was one of those people who couldn’t go to bed if there were dishes in the sink, even if it was just a spoon and a bowl.

  Just as I finished my wine, there was a knock on the front door. The timing was perfect. I filled the glass with soap and hot water and left it in the sink.

  “Be right there!” I called as I dried my hands on the towel hanging off the stove.

  Then I hurried down the hall, cursing as I stubbed my toe on the baseboards, and rolled my suitcase out of the way. I unlocked the deadbolt and tucked my hair behind my ears as I pulled it open. “You made good time. I didn’t think you’d be here for—” I broke off when I realized the man standing on the threshold was not my dark-haired, dark-eyed Jesse.

  It was Nick.

  He was pale. Sweating. He was dressed in green cargo pants and a white T-shirt. His teeth flashed as he gave me a wicked smile. “Hey, Ashley. Let’s go for a drive.” He nodded back at his car, which was running in the driveway. The doors were open.

  Then I noticed the zip ties clenched in his right hand.

  Nausea rolled in my stomach, and I instantly tried to slam the door closed. He stepped forward and wedged his booted foot in the doorframe, preventing me from getting it closed. Then he shouldered the door open with enough force to slam it into the wall.