Protector

by Kate Stone

  Gentle hands took hold of my forearms, “You have to believe me, Lilly… Please.”

  For a fraction of a second, I wanted to. I wanted to throw caution to the wind, curl up in his arms, and forget the nightmare that had become my day. It had started out so perfect and I had never been more secure in my feelings for a man. I didn’t know what to believe anymore. He was asking me to trust him, a guy I had known for a weekend, over an officer of the law—someone I would work in tandem with for years to come. I couldn’t sour a relationship with Tyler over Wade’s accusations. I needed actual proof before I would do something like that. There was also the looming threat that Tyler would see Wade still around the neighborhood and turn me in for what he found in the yard.

  “I need time to think,” I responded. “I just… I don’t know.”

  When I found it within myself to raise my face to meet his, a lump grew in my throat. The hurt written all over his immaculate features made my heart lurch. Stepping away from me, he cleared his throat. “You have my number… Don’t be a stranger.”

  With that, he disappeared through the front of the house. I covered my mouth as emotions swelled in my chest. The sound of tires squealed into the distance and I sank back against the counter.

  Chapter Six – Wade

  The sheet of metal shingling that had sat outside of the utility shed for months was quickly covered in dents as it met my boot again and again. Chugging the last of my beer, I hurled the glass bottle at it and let out a holler. Typically, I wasn’t an angry man; even on house-calls where I had to rough someone up, I wasn’t this level of enraged. My nostrils flared as I sprang my leg back and gave the metal one last kick.

  “Get it out yet?” a familiar voice inquired from behind, an air of amusement to his tone.

  “Not now, James,” I growled, fishing a pack of cigarettes out of my vest pocket and placing one between my lips.

  He came into view and leaned against the shed. “Well, you gotta talk about it. I can’t remember the last time I saw you throwing beer bottles.”

  My lip snarled and I wished I had another one to shatter. Taking a deep drag on my cigarette, I let the nicotine provide a headrush before I started speaking, “Tyler Kent buried drugs in Lilly’s yard to frame me, and now she doesn’t trust me.”

  “Christ,” James breathed. “Don’t let it eat at you like this, though. She’s still new and all. Once she gets familiar with the town and how things work here, she’ll get the picture. Just give it some time.”

  “She’s a social worker, James. Do you think the police station isn’t going to brainwash her into thinking we are the bad guys?”

  “She’s an individual, Wade, not a drone. She can and will draw her own opinions.”

  “I don’t wanna talk about it anymore,” I snarled. There was a long, awkward pause. “What are we going to do about Reid and Wilson?” They were the two that got arrested the night before, and the reason I had to miss lunch with Lilly. I wondered if I had been able to make our lunch date and explain it to her all then, would she have believed me? She had sat with those horrible accusations all day and was then surrounded by government officials and law enforcement. It was no wonder she shut down.

  James sighed, “The best we can do is try and get a lawyer who will argue it was an unjustified search of vehicle. The only reason the cops stopped them was because they knew it was one of our cars. They lucked out with it being in-town business. Had it been going to the city…”

  “I know,” I sighed. The boys would have served ten years or more had they been caught with a shipment to the city. “God, my nerves are torn up.”

  “Whose isn’t?” James chuckled dryly, stepping forward and requesting a cigarette from me. “Honestly, it’s good you have to stay away from there for a while. We need to lie low until we get Reid and Wilson out from under the fire.”

  “Yeah,” I muttered. “I’m going to head home. I need to sleep this off.”

  “How much have you had to drink?”

  “Just a beer. I’m not an idiot, James.”

  “All right. Be safe.”

  With that, I headed over to my motorcycle. As soon as the engine revved to life, I peeled off. Driving like a bat out of hell, I sped down the backroads, needing to let off some steam. The sky was soon pitch black and the only sources of light were the moon and my headlight. Wind whipped stray hairs around my face, each impact to my skin stung but I didn’t mind. The engine echoed through the woods I passed, and I absent-mindedly wondered if someone would make a noise complaint. I doubted it. Alliances wouldn’t rat on a club member, and enemies feared our wrath—even though we would never actually retaliate. At times it bothered me that so many people were afraid of me, but I knew intimidation worked in my favor more often than it worked against me.

  After an hour of riding around, the image of confusion and anguish on Lilly’s face that evening was still engraved in my every thought. There had to be a way to convince her not to fear me or the Watchdogs. I had seen acceptance in her eyes the day before, after I told her the history; a fondness had even sparkled in her amazing eyes after she visited the clubhouse. The only thing that made sense to me was that she was scared there would be repercussions for her if she didn’t side with Tyler Kent. That was one thing I could promise her would never happen, as I would put a bounty on his head if he threatened her in any way.

  I didn’t remember how I wound up there, but I was on the opposite end of town, parked at a stoplight. With a sliver of hope, I checked my phone to see if she had messaged me. She hadn’t. Something possessed me in that moment. I wasn’t sure what the reason was, but I knew Lilly was becoming important to my life rapidly and I couldn’t lose her over an old enemy pulling a stunt like the one Tyler had. When the light turned green, I headed in the direction of Lilly’s. There had to be a way for me to make things right with her.

  Chapter Seven – Lilly

  After a long cry and an even longer bath to unwind, I forced myself to go grocery shopping before the stores closed. Once I stocked up on the essentials and ate the small amount of pasta I made for myself, I retreated to bed. I laid there in silence, watching the light pouring in from the window slowly dim until it was completely dark. Sleep evaded me and I tossed and turned for what felt like hours but I had no real way of telling since I refused to look at the clock, fearing it would tell me it was already in the morning hours.

  As I lay there, waiting for sleep to claim me, wishing I could unplug my brain if only for the night, there was a faint knocking sound. Sitting up, I listened and realized it was the door. I swallowed hard, worrying it was Tyler. Had he seen Wade here earlier and had waited until the dead of night to come confront me? The knocking sounded again and I jumped from bed. Soothing my hair and pulling on my robe, I paced down the hallway. Taking a deep breath and doing my best to prepare myself to confront accusations and more warnings, I opened the door.

  Much to my dismay, it was Tyler. “Hey, Tyler. Can I help you?”

  He stumbled and then rested an arm on the door frame as if to play it cool that he had nearly face planted. “I just wanted to come and check on you. Make sure you’re okay after the fiasco this morning.” Tyler’s speech was slurred and perfumed with liquor. “You okay? Do you need someone to hang out and keep watch for you?”

  “I’m okay, thank you. Are you feeling okay?”

  I knew he was plastered, but I was going to attempt to be neighborly. Maybe he was upset and that’s why he was drunk. Tyler sniffled and did his best to stand straight. “I’m fine! I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m fine. I’m just… worried about you, Lilypad.”

  “It’s just Lilly,” I corrected. “There’s no reason to worry. I’m just going to bed.”

  His glassy eyes zeroed in on me, his gaze much steadier than his stance. “What if someone breaks in, Lilly? Those Dogs… they really are wild animals. They could easily pry open one of these windows and creep on in. Maybe they would just rifle through y
our belongings, but maybe more.”

  My stomach flipped. Not because I was concerned the Watchdogs would break in and harm me, but because there was a hint to Tyler’s tone that made it sound as though it’s what he planned to do if I didn’t allow him to come in. Maybe I was just tired and overthinking, and not to mention he was drunk off his ass. “I think you need to go sleep this off, Tyler. I’ll be fine but I know where to go if there is—”

  Tyler lurched forward and grabbed my hip. As I pried his fingers from my side, I noticed he had on a wedding ring. “Just let me come inside just for a bit. You’ll let that smelly trailer park trash in but not me? I’m an officer of the law, Lilypad.”

  “Go home to your wife.” My voice was firm that time, no longer trying to be friendly or understanding. His face screwed up and he tried to come inside but tripped over the threshold. I shut the door in his face and lock it. There was groaning and cursing on the other side of the door. I heard him spit on my porch.

  Locked in place, I held my breath to try and hear over my rapid heart rate, praying he would stumble away quickly. Eventually, there was a loud thump that made me jump and clamp a hand over my mouth to keep from squealing. Soon, the bumbling noises of Tyler faded into the distance and I finally let my breath go. “Christ…” I muttered to myself, heading into the kitchen to pour a glass of wine to calm my nerves. I didn’t realize how shaky I was until I tried to steady the corkscrew and couldn’t even align it with the top of the bottle. Throwing it down in frustration, I took several more deep breaths. “It’s fine, it’s fine… he was drunk out of his mind. No need to let someone like that get to you…”

  I stood there and ritualistically breathed in through my nose and out through my mouth. Just as my heartbeat began to fade from my ears, I heard a scream. It was small, meek, and fearful. My posture stiffened and once again held my breath to make out the distant noises.

  Only, it wasn’t so distant. The cries sounded again followed by a series of heavy thuds— and it was from Tyler’s house. Was that his wife? It sounded so small… Did they have a child? That seemed like something Wade would have told me. When the scream sounded again, my body reacted before my mind could. Slipping from my robe, I headed out my kitchen door and across the small yard and through the hedges. Twigs and rocks dig at the bottoms of my feet and legs that I wouldn’t notice until later.

  Rushing up Tyler’s porch, I pounded on the door. There was a commotion inside before footsteps approached. Tyler swung open the door; in the few minutes since he had left my house, he was covered in sweat and his eyes glassier and now wild. “What are you doing here?” he spat.

  “I heard a commotion—”

  “Didn’t being in the city teach you to mind your business?” Tyler snorted.

  “I never told you I came from the city…” I then remembered he mentioned me coming from the city that morning as well. Why hadn’t I picked up on that?

  “I work in the police department. What more do you expect? You’re a new neighbor. I had to check you out.” There was a quiet bout sobbing from behind him. Tyler didn’t flinch but rather held eye contact with me. “Television.”

  I swallowed hard, knowing good and well that it wasn’t the television. I didn’t want to leave whoever it was alone, I needed to act instead of think. Giving a nod, I told him what he wanted to hear, “Sorry to bother you. Have a good night.”

  His eyes slid up and down my body before he stepped back to shut the door. Taking a deep breath, I stepped down from the porch and started to make my way around the house, peering into the windows as I passed each one. What in the world did I think I was doing? All I could think of was that someone was in danger and who knew what could happen if I just backed down. What else could I do? If I called the police, they would know the address and think I was only causing trouble. Or they would come and try to brush it under the rug— that person inside needed saving.

  When I passed by the bedroom window, I saw Tyler standing in the doorway. He was screaming at someone on the bed. My adrenaline spiked but I still said a silent prayer, hoping he would calm down and nothing else would happen. His words were so high-pitch and slurred that I couldn’t make out anything he was shouting. There was crying from the other voice, what I could then identify as a woman’s. Desperate pleas and apologies. My heart sank. What in the hell had I gotten myself into? Moving to a small town was supposed to be my escape. Yet there I was, stalking outside my cop neighbor’s house on the suspicion he was beating his wife.

  I blinked and Tyler was rushing at the bed, managing to make quick work of his belt in his drunken state. The only thing I could think to do was knock on the window frantically to drive his attention away from the poor woman. Stupid. His beady eyes flew up to meet mine before his brow furrowed. Not wasting another moment, I ran back toward my house. Even though I didn’t want to contact him, Wade was Mrs. Kent’s only hope at that point. Rushing back through the kitchen door, I stumbled my way through the living area and toward my bedroom. As I reached the room, I heard bounding footsteps behind me. Instinct betrayed me and I looked over my shoulder and Tyler tackled me to the ground.

  I let out a scream and clawed at the floorboards, trying to get away from him. Fear soared through me, not knowing what he was planning to do. With great force, Tyler flipped me onto my back and grabbed the sides of my head. Using every bit of energy I had, I writhed and tried to free my legs out from under his weight to kick him. He kept me pinned firmly in place. “You’re just like those damn mutts,” he snarled, referring to the Watchdogs I assumed. “You want to stick your nose where it doesn’t belong to get some sort of righteous kick out of it.”

  “At least I’m not an officer of the law who thinks I’m above it.”

  Shut your mouth, Lilly.

  Tyler began laughing maniacally, a deep and genuine one that rose from the pit of his stomach. “The police are the law out here, sweetheart. Don’t let that pretty boy fill your head with anything else. Now, I don’t want any trouble here. Here’s what is going to happen, since we both know you can’t go to the cops with anything. I mean, they would take my side and what proof would you have? Hm? No forced entry, you left your door wide open. Any fingerprints can be explained by me coming by to welcome you into the neighborhood. You’ll keep to your business for the duration that we are neighbors and I promise you, we won’t have any problems. You have my word… as long as you keep the Watchdogs off this street. They are trouble for me, and they are trouble for you. Don’t forget what you found this morning.” There was no doubt in my mind at that point that Tyler had been the one to plant the drugs in my yard. His grip tightened on my head, as if he could read my thoughts. “Do we have an understanding?”

  My instinct was to nod, but I obviously couldn’t. A diffident “yes” sounded from the back of my throat.

  “If I catch word of any sort of report with my name on it, or if I see a motorcycle on this street—we’re going to have problems. Get it?”

  The same “yes” escaped me. I didn’t want to know what he meant by problems. Images flashed through my mind so terrible that I repressed them immediately.

  “Good girl,” he practically purred, his eyes raking over me in an agonizingly slow manner. He then made a clicking noise with his tongue, as if to say what a shame before getting off me. I remained in my spot until the back door slammed behind him. Getting to my feet proved to be a task, my legs losing all coordination and muscle strength from the shock. Using the door frame to help pull myself up, I leaned against it and did my best not to fall right back down. Tears stung my eyes, and I knew I was on the verge of a breakdown. What was I suppose to do? I didn’t want to be there alone, but I was in no state to drive, and Wade coming over would surely be signing my death warrant, that was for sure. Putting a hand to my forehead and using the other to keep a death grip on the frame, I let the tears come since crying was the only thing I could do.

  Chapter Eight – Wade

  Since Li
lly was worried about Tyler seeing me, I decided to park down at the market and walk the rest of the way to her house. It was less than a mile and gave me time to think—I only wished the thinking had led me to clarity. In all honesty, I had no idea what I was doing. While I knew there was a possibility she would slam the door in my face without saying a word, I had to at least try. What could I even say that could make it right or help her understand where I was coming from? She would think I was pinning her against the cops to belong to us, whereas she just wanted to live a simple and quiet life.

  Instead of flirting with her that day at the market, I should have stared her dead in the eye and told her not to bother unpacking and to get the hell out of town. There was never going to be a way for her to not get dragged into the middle of things, not with Tyler Kent as a neighbor. The only ones who didn’t have a man in the fight were the people who lived further away from town square and chose to turn a blind eye to anything going on in town. Maybe I should pitch to her that she should move out of the town’s limits, but then that would just make it seem like I was trying to get rid of her.

  By the time her house came into view, my mind was going in vicious circles without giving me one solid idea to start with. Sucking it up, I decided that maybe it was best I spoke from the heart. Standing on the porch, I took a minute to compose myself before reaching to knock on the door.

  Before my knuckles could graze the wood, the door flung upon and a teary-eyed, fire poker wielding Lilly began to lunge out. I flinched and she recognized who I was and immediately dropped the iron rod. My mouth opened to ask what in the hell was going on, but she collapsed into my arms. Hugging her tightly, I guided her inside without letting her go. Taking her into the living room, I sat down with her, holding her close. She was crying with such ferocity, I couldn’t tell if she was breathing. Keeping silent, I rubbed her back and waited for her to calm down, not caring how long it took.