“Ms. O’Connor, it’s nice to meet you. Why don’t you explain what has happened, and then we can go from there. We have been given a brief from the main office from Cash here, but we need what you know and what has happened in full detail,” Agent Aston said. He was a good-looking man. He looked like he had some Italian in him with his dark features. His sharply cut hair matched his dark eyes and accentuated his strong jaw. His tailored suit fit him perfectly, and his smile was warming. His partner, Agent Parrish, was the opposite of him. His bleach-blond hair had a shaggy look to it, and he had soft eyes and pouty lips. He looked more feminine sitting next to Agent Aston. However, he was not as warm, seemingly annoyed at being dragged into something as trivial as this.
Riley went on to explain what happened that day and since then. They both listened intently and took several notes along with her recording. “Ms. O’Connor, if you had the numbers with the money the whole time, how do we know you haven’t taken the money already?” This question came from Agent Parrish. He apparently did not believe her story, or at least some of it.
“Please call me Riley, and to answer your question, I haven’t taken any of the money because it’s not mine. I just want to give the information to someone and not have to worry about looking over my shoulder every time I step outside. I just want to be able to live a normal life, well, as normal as I can be, that is,” she said, smiling. After a couple more questions about her past, the interview and statement part was over. Riley felt drained and just wanted to go home.
It was decided that Riley was safer if she continued to stay in Lucky and be looked after by Cooper and Cash. The agents were going to take the information back with them to headquarters and be in touch in a couple of weeks. They were going to check on a couple of leads, and then determine if she could testify once the money was verified and a case established. It could take a while. Until then, Riley was to remain low-key and stay put.
Riley decided that since tomorrow was Thursday and she didn’t have to work until Sunday, she would have to do some shopping in the morning as long as one of the men went with her. After she finished the filing and faxes, they headed home, and the men determined she needed a day to just relax and heated up a casserole their mother made for them. As the men worked on dinner, Riley walked into the bathroom and smiled when she found that the men had drawn a bubble bath with lit candles around it. She felt like the luckiest person in the world that that point. Sinking into the deliciously hot tub, Riley let out a sigh of contentment and enjoyed her moment of peace since the whole thing started. Finally, she would be free, free to be herself and free to be with her men to love them forever. For once in Riley’s life she felt like she was home and loved. She wasn’t letting it go without a fight.
* * * *
Cash and Cooper were downstairs working on dinner while Riley was upstairs relaxing. Cooper had to fight the urge to run with her when the agents questioned her and she went into more detail about everything that had happened. He felt sick that she had to endure that type of life on the run and fear of what could happen if she was found. She was hunted by dogs like she was some sort of cunning fox. That thought actually made him laugh. She was a cute little fox. Cooper stored his thoughts and worked on dinner, as tonight was all about her, making her feel cherished and especially loved. The day went as well as he and Cash had planned, and they both decided that it was actually best to keep Riley at home with them. They would have to make sure she was looked after, but it should be okay as long as she listened and never went anywhere without them.
Riley came down the stairs, breathtaking even in just her pink fluffy robe. Something about the fact that she was not wearing anything sexy or revealing was very appealing to him. She looked comfortable and, for once, happy. She walked into the kitchen and wrapped her arms around Cooper’s back and smiled. “Thank you for my bath. I was just what I needed.”
Cooper turned her and kissed her soundly on the lips and smiled. “You’re welcome, darlin’. You need a night of just being pampered. Tomorrow’s going to be somewhat busy for all of us. We will take you to the store, and then we have to come back and finish something at the ranch.” She turned her toward the table where Cash was sitting, smiling at her. He held out his arms for her, and she walked into them openly. She loved the feel of them wrapped around her. Dinner was served shortly after, and then the men cleaned the kitchen while she lay out on the couch. She must have fallen asleep as someone had moved her and she was lying in bed curled up next to Cooper while Cash held her tight around her waist. The warmth and sense of belonging sent her into a peaceful sleep.
Riley woke up when the sun was peeking through the curtains in the massive room. She loved this room. There was such a warmth and homey feel to it. However, it did need a woman’s touch here and there to lighten it up some. Not wanting to waste the day away in bed, she got up and headed into the shower. She was finished quickly and dressed in her simple jeans and cute tank top. Hurrying down stairs to find the men, she stopped short when she saw the sheriff in the kitchen with her men.
“Morning, everything okay?” she asked tentatively. “What’s wrong? What happened?” Riley started to panic as Cash walked over and sat her down.
“Everything is fine, kitten. Don’t worry. We just think some kids messed around with the back fencing and some cows got lose. They caused a bit of a stir with the neighbors. It’s just precautionary because of cattle raiding,” Cash said in a soothing voice. Riley took a calming breath and felt better. The fence had been cut on purpose, but they were not sure why it was cut or who did it. Both Cooper and his brother didn’t want to take anything lightly, as she was already in danger, and wanted to make sure she was going to be safe no matter what. She was the most important thing in their life, and losing her was not an option.
The sheriff left after he finished the breakfast Riley had made everyone, and Cash headed out to do a cattle count. It left Riley and Cooper standing in the kitchen finishing their coffee. Riley could feel the heat coming up over her skin and Cooper was staring at her. God, he was hot. His eyes turned a smoky brown, and his pupils dilated. Riley inhaled at the feeling, and then he was on her. His mouth slammed into hers with such hot passion and need, and he fucked her mouth with his tongue. “God, I want you,” Cooper said as he released her mouth. All Riley could do was nod, and he lowered his hand and unbuttoned her jeans. Pulling them off, he reached down and cupped her sex, slowly running his finger along her slit until one finger plunged into her. A moan escaped her as suddenly Cooper flipped her around so she was lying on top of the table. “I’m so glad you’re wet, baby, because I need you right now.” And then he slammed into her. Riley gasped as her body adjusted to his size. Even though she had been with them several times, her pussy was always tight. “God, baby, you feel like a hot velvet glove around my cock.” And with that, he slowly pulled out and slammed back into her. He did it again and again. Riley could feel the pressure building in her belly, running downward to her spine as Cooper slammed into her while grasping her hips hard enough it could leave bruises. But she loved it. She loved feeling him lose control and snap when inside her. His breathing picked up along with hers, and he reached around and pinched her clit as he continued to slam into her. Riley screamed his name, and he thrust three more times into her before finding his release.
Riley tried to catch her breath with Cooper lying half on top of her, her heart slowing as Cooper pulled out of her. She heard him zip up his pants, and he helped her up. “That was wonderful, thank you baby,” Cooper whispered and kissed her with such tenderness that it left Riley speechless.
All she could do was laugh. “You’re welcome. I’m going to use the bathroom real quick,” Riley said with a giggle and then left.
“Okay, darlin’, we can head into town to shop when you’re ready.”
The drive, like normal, was quiet, but she could tell that Cooper was mulling over something. They pulled into the parking lot and grabbed a cart. Riley took out her
list for the week and started heading up and down the aisle, filling the cart as she went. Cooper stayed close, making comments about items she was getting and even adding a couple of things. She laughed so hard when he threw a box of Twinkies in the cart. All he did was smile and shrug. Men, can’t take the boys out of them.
They paid and went to the truck to load up. “Crap, I forgot the beer for Cash. Should we get it here or down at the liquor store?” Riley asked as she pushed the cart.
“It’s only at the liquor store. We can get some in a minute, darlin’.”
“Why don’t I finish and wait in the truck while you get it? It will kill two birds with one stone,” Riley suggested. Cooper looked around and reluctantly agreed, kissed her on top of her head, and ran over to the store across the street. Riley finally finished loading up the food, relieved to have that done. She spotted Cooper through the window of the liquor store and waved, getting ready to step in the truck when something hit the back of her head, making her fall back and hit the ground. She didn’t know what just happened and reached for her head when someone grabbed her arms and started dragging her across the parking lot. Shit, she had to think of something. She tried to pull away but felt dizzy and nauseous. Suddenly she was released from the attacker’s hold, leaving her lying on the ground. Riley saw figures moving to her side, as the world around her fuzzy and went black.
Cooper watched from the store in horror as a man suddenly came up behind Riley and then she fell. All he could think of was getting to her. He yelled at Tom, who was the owner of the store, to call the sheriff and ran across the street as he watched the stranger dragging Riley across the parking lot. He jumped on the guy, and he released his hold on Riley. Cooper got several punches in, but the guy didn’t seem to put up much of a fight. Tom ran over as well, and soon the sirens were blaring and people running out of the store. Cooper released the man and ran to Riley. She was bleeding from her head and was unconscious. He picked her up and put her in the truck and drove down to the clinic. He rushed Riley through the doors, and the receptionist jumped out her seat at his approached and ran to get the doctor as a nurse appeared and rushed them back into an opened an exam room. Dr. Patterson rushed in seconds later. The doctor started issuing orders to set up a suture kit and to call the hospital for a possible transport for a head trauma.
Cooper felt like his world was crashing in around him. He could not believe that had been so careless with Riley. She needed him to protect her, and he let her down. He felt himself age as the attacker hit her in the head and she went down. He promised himself from here on out not to take Riley for granted. He loved her, and in a split second she could have been gone. It took all his control to stay calm as the doctor was trying to get Riley to respond. The nurse came back in and started to apply pressure to the head wound as the doctor started to look for other injuries. He was able to take a deep breath as Riley started to wake up.
“Okay, Riley, I want you to look right at my nose,” said the doctor as he flashed a light over her eyes. Riley followed the light but squinted in the process. “Well, it looks like she has a mild concussion and about a three-inch laceration on the back of her head. She does not need to be taken to the hospital for observation, as long as you keep an eye on her. I’m also going to have to put stitches in. I’m going to give her a local anesthetic to numb the pain. She is going to be sore and have one hell of a headache, but you need to wake her up every two hours and come back if anything changes.”
Riley just sat still and said nothing as Cooper listened to the directions and the doctor finished stitching her up. Her mind was racing despite the headache she had. The cartel had found her. She knew it had to be them. She needed to leave now, and her heart was breaking. She had always said she was going to leave to keep them save if it came down to it. However, now that the cartel was on to her, she had to leave. She started to believe that everything was going to be fine and she would be able to stay with the men. Now she knew otherwise.
Cooper picked her up and carried her into the truck and drove them home. That was what it was to her, home. She loved waking up in their arms, and now it looked like she was leaving. Surely they would not want to keep her around after everything that had happened. The trucked rolled to a stop, and Cash came running out of the house and opened her door. He looked pale and disheveled.
“Oh, kitten, I’m so sorry. How are you feeling?” Such concern was evident on his face as he lifted her out the truck and up to their room. She wanted to run a shower as she felt sticky and dirty.
“I’m okay really. Just a little out of it from the medication they gave me. I just need to lie down a minute, and I’ll be fine. I need to get the food put away and start on dinner,” Riley said halfheartedly.
Cash didn’t know what the hell was going through her mind, but there was no way in hell she was cooking, let alone putting the damn groceries away. “Baby, don’t worry about it. Coop and I have everything under control. You just rest. Do you want a bath first? You can’t wet your head because of the stiches, but we can wash the rest of you.” Cash just wanted to take the pain away. She looked so small and scared, not the strong women he had grown to love. When he got the call from the sheriff about Riley’s attack, it took all his control not to drive out there and be with her and Cooper. However, he need to make sure everything was safe for her when she got home.
Riley nodded in agreement to the bath, but just wanted to curl up in his lap and feel safe again. Cash always knew how to hold her and take the fear away. She hated this feeling. She had been getting stronger, and now she was weak again. When the hell would she be able to be free? She just wanted to stay in Lucky and live her life with her men. She was going to have to think about what was best. They told her time and time again that they would keep her safe. Now that trouble had actually come for her, she was concerned about their safety. Trust, that was what she was going to do. She did not trust anyone, but for the first time in her life, she trusted them.
Cash had given her a bath and put her in bed and promised to check on her in a bit. She was soon fast asleep. Cash headed downstairs to figure out what the hell had happened this afternoon. “Okay, so what the fuck happened today, Coop? We talked about not letting her be alone for any period of time. Why the hell did he attack her, and in fuckin’ daylight in a fuckin’ parking lot?” Cash was pissed now. He knew it was not really Cooper’s fault, but Riley was closing up again, and just when she had been opening herself more and more to them. It was like one step forward and two giant leaps back.
“I didn’t see any harm in it. She was alone for two fuckin’ minutes, Cash. I could see her the whole time. I don’t know what the hell happened. Do you think I wanted something to happen to her? Shit, we just found her and could have lost her that quickly.” Cooper ran his hand through his hair before reaching out to chug his beer. He was pissed at himself as well. He should have never gone along with her plan. “While you were cleaning up our girl, Agent Aston called me to fill me in with the details. The sheriff is questioning him now, well, when he can talk well enough. Agent Aston was going to look more into it for us so we know what we are dealing with. They are going to be flying into town within the next couple of days. However, the fucker is being transferred to the city until they can question him. Cheddar Bob is driving him there after the doc looks at him. I could have killed that son of bitch for touching her. Damn it, Cash, we can’t lose her. I fuckin’ love her, man. She is everything to me.” Cash nodded in agreement with Cooper. As he was sure that Cash felt the same way, too. They would have to tell her soon, but didn’t want to scare her off more. Both sat in silence for about another half an hour until Cooper went up to shower and check on Riley.
Evening came, and Agent Aston called and informed Cash that the sheriff had gotten some information out of the guy. He was a hired hand, not from the cartel in general, but from someone in town who works for the cartel. This pissed Cash off even more. These were people they had grown up with and someone was w
orking behind their backs this whole time. Fuck that. He would do his own fucking investigation. He was tired of relying on other people to keep her safe. Obviously, it was not working, so it was up to him and Cooper to do it. He had not really done any digging in a while, just the normal programming shit. Now he could do something about keeping her safe. He wasn’t going to tell anyone, because, honestly, he would be in deep shit if they found out what he was going to do.
Cooper and Cash took turns with waking her up during the night, making sure she was okay and feeding her dinner in bed as well. However, when morning came rolling around, Riley found she was more tired than she thought, as she couldn’t sleep all night. Dr. Patterson was coming by this morning to check her head. She was hoping he would give her the all clear to sleep more than two hours. Even the sheriff and Cheddar Bob came by to ask how she was feeling. She was grateful when Sam stopped by and talked a bit about what was really happening in town. She found a good friend with her, and was thankful to finally have one. She was never a person to have friends or family and Riley had found both here in Lucky.
Riley knew the men were up to something, but every time she went to ask, they just said the same thing. “Everything is fine. We’ve got everything covered. You just worry about getting better.” She wanted to get better, but that meant mentally as well as physically.
The doctor gave her the all clear to sleep and move about. He removed the stiches and just glued the laceration in place. She was supposed to return in two weeks for a checkup. She agreed, thanked him, and he left while she went downstairs to see what the men were up to.
Just Her Luck [Lucky, Montana] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 8