Nobody was a hundred percent on board about bringing an outsider to the farm—especially a woman who was the possible target of a psychopath—but Deacon couldn’t figure out a better way to keep her safe without isolating her completely.
Keeping her at The Grove Inn was brought up as a suggestion, but Ozzy was the only Fury member who stayed on that property and he wasn’t always there.
Plus, he liked to get his drink, his high and his fuck on. He wouldn’t be thrilled having to watch a female who none of those three things applied to. Oz wasn’t a babysitter.
In the end, they decided, since Deacon’s apartment was empty with him being in Mansfield, Reilly could stay there until Warren was caught. At least she’d be where someone would least expect, and they could set up some brothers to keep an eye on her on a rotating basis.
It was the best Deacon could come up with and no one had a better idea other than just walking away from this job.
And he wasn’t ready to simply walk away yet, for reasons he didn’t want to admit to them. Or one reason in particular.
When Justice and Jury pushed past Judge, Deacon immediately dropped to one knee, ruffling the dogs’ ears and letting them lick his face. “It’s only been a couple days, you beasts. Know I’m irresistible, but—”
A female voice came from the direction of the great room. “Are they staying?”
He rose to his feet and turned toward Reilly, who sat on the couch with two bags at her feet. “Just one. The other’s goin’ back with you two.”
“I’m pretty sure my sister won’t be happy about having a dog in her house.”
Deacon wasn’t pretty sure, he was damn sure. But he was doing this job his way, whether she liked it or not.
With a wagging tail, Jury ran over to Reese’s younger sister and nudged Reilly’s crotch in greeting.
“Justice is here for two reasons. To keep me company and he’s got great hearin’.”
Reilly petted Jury while doing the obligated baby talk when speaking to an animal with four legs and did the same with Justice when he rushed over to check out the new-to-him person, who might have treats. Though, he wasn’t too disappointed because scratches were almost as good as a snack.
“Reilly, this is my cousin Judge. He’s gonna take you back to Manning Grove and set you up in my apartment.”
He and Judge moved to where she was sitting. Both dogs wore smiles as she lavished them with hugs and scratches.
Reilly pulled her attention from the dogs and let her gaze rake down Judge. “Damn, you’re big.”
“That’s what she s—” Judge whacked his arm, forcing him to cut off the last word.
Reilly laughed and stood, facing them.
She was a beautiful woman just like Reese. She wasn’t quite as curvy as her older sister, but she probably would be when she put on a few more years. Her face and body still showed her youth. The same with her attitude. She was much looser and more casual than her older sister. Deacon was happy to see she hadn’t allowed her recent beat-down to take away her spark.
Earlier, Deacon’s fury had been off the charts when she’d come downstairs for breakfast after Reese left. The first thing he noticed as they greeted each other was her long blonde hair was a touch darker than Reese’s, but they had the same green eyes.
The biggest difference between the two sisters, besides their age—which was almost eleven years, he discovered last night—was the slice from her temple and down along her right eye to her cheek. The cut was freshly healed but a scar might remain. With the way Reilly kept pulling her hair forward to cover it, it was obvious she was very self-conscious about it.
Broken arm, broken nose, bruises, and a cut from an unknown object. Reilly told him she hadn’t been conscious enough at that point to be able to identify what he hit her with. Which was probably somewhat of a good thing.
Later the pigs on the scene had found a glass knickknack which Warren broke against her head.
She also barely remembered her neighbors kicking in her apartment door and jumping on Warren to subdue him.
Thank fuck they did.
Thank fuck someone had enough balls to get involved.
“Got your shit packed?” Judge asked her.
Reilly sighed and glanced at the two small bags at their feet. “Everything I have with me. The rest is in storage down in Philly.”
“Just need enough clothes to get you through the next week or so. The sooner this is over, the better for all of us.” Judge shot him a look. “Nice digs.”
“Not shabby,” Deacon agreed.
“Got some scratch.”
“She works hard for it,” Reilly cut in. “Her ex tried to drain her dry, even tried to take this house, though he didn’t pay a damn dime for it out of his own pocket.”
Deacon’s brow shot up. During his online search last night for everything he could find on Reese, he hadn’t come across anything about her being previously married or currently divorced.
“He take the kids?” Judge asked, looking around. Probably checking for some sign of snot monkeys.
“You mean the one he had with another woman while they were still married? Yep, he sure got stuck with that one.”
“Damn,” Deacon whispered.
“Havin’ a kid with someone other than your ol’ lady is a good way to fuck up a marriage, I suppose,” Judge said with a grimace.
“How he created that kid is another,” Reilly said. She frowned and shook her head. “The Porter sisters apparently aren’t the best at picking men.”
“All right,” Judge boomed, clearly wanting to avoid that topic of conversation. “Time to hit the fuckin’ road.” He turned to Deacon. “Like we talked about in the meetin’, gonna keep someone in that apartment with her at all times. We ain’t havin’ another Autumn situation, that’s for damn fuckin’ sure.”
“Yeah, think that’s for the best,” Deacon agreed.
Judge turned to Reilly. “Can’t tell your sister shit about where I’m takin’ you or who you’re with. You got me?”
“Why?”
“Just trust us,” Judge answered. “It’s better for both of you if she don’t know. Once that motherfucker’s caught, we’ll let her know where you’re at, so she can come get you. But ‘til then, silence is fuckin’ golden.”
“She’s not going to like that. She has a thing about being in control of every situation.”
Deacon snorted.
“Deke will handle it,” Judge said, whacking him on the back. “He’s got balls of steel, so he says, so it shouldn’t hurt too bad when she kicks him in them.”
Reilly grinned. “I know you’re making a joke, but you don’t know my sister.”
Deacon rubbed at his singed nipple. Maybe he needed to wear a cup around the house. Just in case.
“He’s dealt with difficult women before. Right, cuz?” Judge asked, a grin splitting his long bushy beard and mustache.
“My sister is the queen of difficult,” Reilly warned.
“Deke’s always loved a challenge.” Judge snorted and shook his head. He quickly sobered. “Got all the shit you need to apprehend that fucker?”
“Yeah. With what I already had with me and what you brought, I should be good.”
Judge nodded. “Try to get this problem settled quickly, yeah?”
“Yeah. Once you get her settled in, buzz me. Got an idea.”
“Can’t talk about it now?” his cousin asked.
“Wanna think it through a little more first.”
“Gotcha.” Judge picked up Reilly’s bags. “Want me to leave Jury with you, too?”
“Nah. Daisy will miss her too much.”
“She ain’t the only one,” he muttered. He gave Deacon a nod, then turned to Reilly. “Let’s go. Gonna give you the low-down on what you’re walkin’ into before we get there. So there ain’t any surprises.”
He hadn’t told Reilly she was going to be protected by an MC.
But then, Reese had no clue, either.
<
br /> Hopefully, Warren would be in custody before she found out.
Chapter Six
Reese entered the code to reset the alarm, set her tote bag on the floor and, with a relieved sigh, kicked off her high heels. Her feet were killing her. She was exhausted from working both a long day and night at the office, attempting to make a dent in the mountain of work she had. She hoped tonight wouldn’t be like last night and she’d actually get some solid sleep.
This worry about her sister had been eating at her, not only causing her heartburn, but sleepless nights.
The recessed lighting in her kitchen was on, but dimmed low. It gave her enough light to navigate the open concept kitchen without stubbing a toe or bruising a shin. She didn’t bother to make it brighter since she was fighting a lingering headache.
Beyond the kitchen, the great room was dark, except for the glow from the gas fireplace. Someone must have switched it on and forgot to turn it back off.
Had he left? Had he gone up to the spare bedroom she’d designated as temporarily his?
And was Reilly even gone yet?
The house was way too quiet. Something she was normally used to, but right now, was unexpected since two other adults had been sharing the same roof when she’d left for work this morning.
She had texted Reilly’s cell phone a few times throughout the day without a single response. One of the last things Deacon had said, before she drove away in his blacked-out Ford, was she should trust him to keep her sister safe.
Reese wasn’t sure if she could do that. She didn’t like leaving Reilly’s safety in the hands of a stranger.
Billy Warren had done his best to break Reilly, but luckily, failed. However, Reese didn’t want to risk him getting another shot at her sister and being successful. So, she really didn’t have a choice in trusting the tattooed, bearded and pierced stranger. He was used to dealing with fugitives. Reese was not.
She spotted Deacon’s business card sitting on the counter where she’d left it last night, plucked her cell phone from the side pocket of her large bag, plugged in his number and hit Send.
Before she could even put it to her ear, she heard the faint ringtone of Bad Boys, the theme song from the cancelled COPS reality show.
Which one was it? Was he the bad boy or was he the one chasing them?
Reese tilted her head and listened carefully to locate where the sound was coming from.
Her deck.
She ended the call before he could answer and headed in that direction. She had spotlights along the wrap-around deck, but none were on.
The glowing tip of a lit cigarette pinpointed exactly where he was.
She debated going into her room to change into something more comfortable before going outside, but she was afraid if she did that, she might just fall face-first onto the bed and never move until morning. And she really needed an update on Reilly.
She opened one of the French doors and stepped out onto the deck but immediately jumped and squeaked as a whitish creature rushed toward her.
“Hope you like dogs,” came the low rumble.
It took a second for her heart to restart and her eyes to adjust to realize that, yes, it was a dog. Said dog nudged her hand, then gave it a lick.
Why the hell was there a dog in her house?
“I assume it’s yours and not a stray that came wandering through the woods?”
“Yeah, he’s mine.”
“Is it housetrained?”
“Better than me.”
Reese didn’t doubt it. “Does it shed?”
“Only foo foo dogs don’t shed. Real dogs shed.” Deacon tucked the cigarette between his lips, dropped his booted feet from the railing and sat up. “And stop insulting him. Justice is a he, not an it.”
“Justice,” she murmured. That name was kind of cool. And fitting for a dog owned by a bail bondsman and bounty hunter.
“Yep. His sister is Jury.”
Reese glanced around looking for another uninvited four-legged guest. “She here somewhere?”
“No. She’s my cousin’s dog. He took her back with him along with your sister.”
He took a long drag on the cigarette, held the smoke deep in his lungs, then leaned his head back and blew it straight up into the air.
Her nose twitched. “When I said make yourself at home, I didn’t mean bring your dog and tobacco.”
He chuckled. It was low and it shot a whirlwind of warmth through her, from her tight chest to her aching toes. But it did little to loosen up the stress balled inside her.
“First off, Jussie’s a good guard dog and it’ll help havin’ him here. Got good ears and better nose, even sharper teeth. Better for protection than your damn alarm system.”
“Well, he didn’t even bark at me. In fact, he licked my hand instead of protecting his master.”
“His master,” Deacon repeated softly. “Kinda like that. But yeah, told him to chill when I saw my truck comin’ up the driveway.”
That made sense. “I also don’t allow smoking in my home.”
“Wasn’t done. Second, ain’t in your house. Sittin’ outside. Third, this ain’t a cigarette. Well, it is, but it ain’t. I don’t smoke tobacco.”
He took another hit on the cigarette that apparently wasn’t one. This time, when he let the smoke roll out of his open mouth and up into his nose before again blowing it out of his mouth up and away, she leaned in and took a deep inhale herself...
And coughed. “Is it smart to be stoned while trying to catch a fugitive?”
“Not stoned. Just takin’ off the edge.”
She wondered what edge he was on. The way he was sprawled out in the chair, he appeared pretty damned relaxed.
“Take a load off.” He tilted his head to the seat next to him. Justice settled on the deck between Deacon’s spread feet and hiked up a back leg to lick his balls.
Nice. He probably learned that from his owner.
“I need to change.”
“Then go change, then come take a load off. Bet your feet are screamin’ from bein’ in those shoes all day.” He shook his head. “What women suffer through to look hot.”
“You don’t like when women make an effort to look hot?”
“Love it. Appreciate all that you women suffer through to look good. Ain’t necessary, though. If you got it, you got it. No man’s gonna bang you just ‘cause you’re wearin’ some spiked heels.”
She fought the upward curl of her lips. “Thank you for that life lesson. I’ll keep that in mind.” She sat on the edge of the lounge chair next to him, shrugged out of her suit jacket and tossed it over the back of the chair.
“That’s you relaxin’?” he asked, then took a short puff on the joint.
“If I go into my room to change, I’ll end up out for the night. I want an update from you first.” She stretched out on the lounger and tucked an arm behind her head, staring up into the night sky. The cloud cover wasn’t too thick, so she could see a few stars past the tree tops.
A deep grunt had her turning her head toward him. He was holding out the joint to her.
She stared at it for a second, then lifted her gaze to his face. “Really?” In truth, she was tempted to take a hit just to get rid of her damn headache.
“Yep. Think you need it. You’re wound a little tight.”
She wasn’t going to argue that. Ever since Reilly was born, Reese had been responsible for her. At ten going on eleven, she took care of Reilly as if she was her own. Because neither of their parents did.
She made sure her sister was fed and clothed her whole life. Reese put herself through college, then Reilly. She did her best to set her sister up for success. But Reilly was never as driven as Reese. She always looked at life through a different set of lenses than Reese did.
Reese shook her head at the offer. He shrugged and pinched out the end.
“I assume you took her somewhere safe.”
“Yeah.”
“I tried getting a hold of her sever
al times today and she didn’t respond.”
“Judge probably took her phone.”
“What? Why?” And who the hell was Judge?
“Warren might not be smart enough to track her phone, but you never know. And anyway, at her age, tough not to post every minute of her life online. We need to control that right now.”
“Who is Judge?”
“My cousin. We run the business together. Also, a licensed bounty hunter. He picked her up since you had my wheels.”
She had a local body shop tow her BMW this morning. She hoped she wouldn’t be without her own vehicle for too long since she wasn’t used to driving a full-size truck. Though, she appreciated the gesture. “Where did he take her?”
“Here’s the thing...” he started.
Oh shit. Reese didn’t like the sound of that already. “The thing is to tell me where she is. I need to know what’s going on with my sister. And if you took her phone away, I need to have another way to communicate with her to make sure she’s all right.”
“You can go through me.” It wasn’t a suggestion, it was a directive.
One that Reese didn’t particularly like. “I can what?”
“You heard me. Know you’re not gonna like it bein’ done like that, but it’s the best way. The only way.”
“That’s not your decision.”
“The fuck it ain’t. It’ll protect the both of you.”
“How’s that?”
“’Cause the less you know, the better for her. This is one time it’s smart to be dumb. Trust me on that.”
“I’ve had self-defense training. I’m ready for that asshole.” The satisfaction she would get while putting that abusing bastard in his place... She could almost taste it. That was what kept her up at night. And when she did finally sleep, that was all she dreamed about.
Revenge.
She’d never been a blood-thirsty person until she saw her sister lying in that hospital bed broken.
“That’s cute.”
“I kicked your ass,” she reminded him.
He snorted softly. “You didn’t kick my ass. You took me unawares. I was comin’ to help you, not hurt you, and you used a fuckin’ stun gun. Not even close to bein’ the same as kickin’ my ass. And, for fuck’s sake, I didn’t fight back. You’re a woman. I don’t hurt women. If you were a man and pulled that shit, I woulda been doin’ more than just rubbin’ my fried tit and cursin’ you the fuck out.”
Blood & Bones: Deacon (Blood Fury MC Book 4) Page 8