“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she replied and tried to move again but Lance blocked her path.
“Are you hurt?” he asked as he reached for her blouse and moved his hands under her top and against her skin. She closed her eyes, instantly feeling the ache but also the comfort of being touched by Lance. He started to push up her blouse.
She grabbed his hands. “Don’t. You don’t need to see. I don’t belong to you. I belong to him.” She knew her words stung, but she had to protect them.
The sound of someone banging on the door was a godsend.
“We’re busy in here!” Lance yelled out.
“Open up, Lance,” Jake called and Tasha swallowed hard. Lance unlocked the door and pulled it open.
“I know Tasha is in here.” He walked into the room. “Are you okay?” he asked her. When she first arrived, he hadn’t been there yet. She walked closer and he pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight.
“What the fuck is going on?” Eddie asked.
“What are those? Are they bruises?” Tyler asked as he touched her blouse, She swatted his hands away.
Jake kept his arm around her. “No questions, just let her leave.”
“Fuck that, Jake, no questions. What’s going on? You and your brother have Michaela,” Eddie said and stepped forward.
“It’s not what you think. You three need to give her space. She’s involved with someone. You can’t push yourselves on her. It wouldn’t be right,” Jake said.
Tasha looked up at him with pleading eyes. “I need to head back downstairs.”
“Tasha, wait,” Tyler called out her name but she exited the bedroom wishing things could have gone differently. But this was how they had to be. Keeping the men safe was top priority despite her broken heart and the strong connection she had with them. She loved them as friends already. She had hoped that friendship turned to something deeper like a romantic relationship. The chemistry between them was outrageous. They would be so good together, and that fact that they were friends first was a great foundation for a more intimate relationship. But due to the current situation she more than likely would never get the chance to tell them that she loved them more than just as friends, never mind show them.
* * * *
“What the fuck is going on?” Lance demanded as Jake closed the door.
“You three need to keep away from her.”
“What? Why, Jake, when she obviously has feelings for us,” Eddie asked.
“She’s hurt, and I want to know if this guy she’s dating gave her those bruises,” Tyler said.
Jake ran his hand through his hair. He was so pissed off and angry but Tasha didn’t want Eddie, Lance, or Tyler to get hurt. This guy Dash killed people, and he could kill them, too.
“She’s seeing someone else. You need to leave her alone. I want the three of you to stay away from her,” Jake told them firmly.
“How the hell can you stand there and tell us to stay away from her when she’s hurt, and this guy she’s seeing could be the one to blame?” Eddie asked, raising his voice.
“If she was Michaela, you’d leave her alone?” Tyler challenged in question.
Jake clenched his teeth. “She’s not your woman. Leave her alone. That’s my final warning.” Jake headed out of the room, and as he reached the stairs, he saw his brothers, Michaela, and Serefina standing there.
“Jake, what’s going on?” Serefina asked. Jake licked his lower lip and felt his chest tighten. “Your brothers need to know they should stay away from Tasha. She’s involved with someone else, and now is not the time to push their feelings for her. It’s not right, and Tasha doesn’t want it.” He walked by her but not before seeing the anger and upset on Serefina’s face. This was going to be hell to get through, but Tasha’s life depended upon it.
* * * *
“How is the burn doing, Bull? When can you return to active duty?” Tasha asked him.
He smiled. “It’s looking better every day, but the chief has to follow protocol, never mind my brothers. They won’t let me return until it’s fully healed.”
“That stinks, but it’s for the best.” She felt so badly about what happened upstairs with Tyler, Eddie, and Lance that she just wanted to go home. She was ruining everything. She tried to make small talk, but truth was, she should leave now, before matters got worse.
“But, I have this pretty lady right here I can hang out with. My personal nurse,” Bull said as Serefina approached. Tasha could tell that she wasn’t happy, as she grabbed Tasha’s arm and pulled her away from Bull.
“Excuse us, Bull, we need to talk.” Serefina led Tasha over toward the side patio and a bench.
“Serefina, it’s best that we just leave things alone.”
“No!” Serefina yelled. Tasha looked around them, seeing Bull watching and now Ace, Ice, Eddie, Lance, and Tyler were there, too. At least they were at a distance from where Serefina and Tasha stood.
Tasha swallowed hard as Serefina took a deep breath and then released it. Thank God she was talking low.
“I know what this guy did to you and how scared you were of him. What the hell is going on? Are you using him for his money because your mom’s medical bills are so high?”
“What? No, my God, Serefina, what the hell kind of woman do you think I am?”
“I don’t know.” Serefina looked away from Tasha. This situation was destroying all her friendships. She shouldn’t have come here.
“I was wrong about Dash. I read into his behavior because of my fear after what my ex Gino did to me.”
“Gino was a jerk. This guy is aggressive,” she said it so loudly that now Eddy, Lance and Tyler were walking closer.
Tasha stood up. “I need to go. I can’t stay here.”
“You’ll leave your friends and my brothers for this guy, a man who has hurt you, caused bruises on your body? What the hell is wrong with you? Where is that fighter, the one who never gives up? You’ve been working your butt off, saving money, paying for your mom’s medical bills, and hardly even hanging out, never mind dating anyone. This guy comes along, orders you around, and threatens you, and you give up without a fight and don’t tell this guy to fuck off? I don’t get you, Tasha.”
“This guy hits you? He’s threatened you?” Eddie asked with his fists by his side.
“Stop it. He has not. You don’t understand!” Tasha yelled, and then saw Jake coming over, ready to intervene. Tasha needed to end this and save them from any harm by hurting them even more.
“If you need me to choose between you guys and him, then the choice is clear. I choose Dash. I’m sorry, but I don’t have the same feelings for your brothers, and if you can’t accept that, then our friendship is over, too. Good-bye.” Tasha turned to leave, feeling the tears fill her eyes but she had to be strong. Perhaps breaking ties like this would truly keep them all safe so she could concentrate on staying alive.
She heard the men calling her name and then Jake calming them down and saying that it was over. It was over. Her life, her friendships, the chance for love were definitely over.
Chapter 9
“Are you sure about this?” Dash asked James.
“Melanie overheard her father talking about some information to police and mentioned Tasha being approached by an investigator.”
“Are you certain that Melanie is telling the truth?” Dash questioned.
“I’m not certain, Dash. When I was at their house, and spoke to Melanie’s dad Paul, he said he never said any such thing and that his daughter was making it up. The guys were on Tasha’s tail everywhere she went. There’s no way she was involved with this. But Melanie, well, I’ve given her more freedom, Dash. I know I shouldn’t have, but she asked and I allowed it. She begged me after the beating she took a couple of weeks ago when she didn’t bring Tasha like she was supposed to.”
“James, we can’t have this type of thing. You know what you need to do.”
“I’ll talk to her and see what I
can find out. I’ll make her give up any information she’s hiding, even if I wind up killing her.”
* * * *
Tasha was sitting in the waiting room all alone as her mom went through surgery. When the doors to the waiting room opened, she hadn’t looked up until she sensed the large presence. One glance and the tears filled her eyes. Jake, Hollywood, Bear, and Michaela arrived for moral support. Jake pulled her up into his arms and hugged her tight. She heard someone clear their throat, and when she looked up, there stood Eddie, Lance, and Tyler as well as Serefina.
“Thank you for coming,” Tasha whispered, and Serefina took the seat next to her. They all settled in, talking about the surgery, wondering how long it would take when Catalina stopped in to check on Tasha and give their support. Tasha was overwhelmed with emotions. She loved every single person in this room, and in order to save them she had to be mean and distant. She had an overwhelming urge to tell them the truth but knew she couldn’t. Then the doors to the room opened again, and Tasha thought she would have a stroke. Dash was there, dressed in one of his designer dark dress pants, a dark green shirt, and diamond cuff links, his muscles showing against the material.
“Sweet baby, I came straight here as soon as I got back into town.” She stood up, knowing that she had to put on the show of her life to prove to her friends that she was indeed in a great relationship with a wonderful man. Anything to keep them all safe. Dash pulled her against him, kissed her deeply as he let his hand slide over her ass then back up against her lower back. He was putting on a show, too, and letting all these men know that she belonged to him.
* * * *
Eddie grabbed Tyler’s arm before his brother did what they all felt like doing. Knocking this new guy Dash onto his ass. Jake placed himself between them, and now even he looked pissed off. Eddie stared at Tasha absorbing the pretty cream-colored dress she wore, and how it accentuated her breasts, her hips and ass. When Dash had his hands on her ass and was kissing her so deeply, it not only pissed Eddie off but also broke his heart. There was something about this guy he didn’t like, aside from the fact that he had his hands all over their woman.
“So how long have you been dating Tasha?” Tyler asked Dash. Eddie moved closer. Dash leaned back into the chair he sat on and placed one arm over Tasha’s shoulder and then put his hand on her knee. Tasha slid a little away from him only for Dash to pull her back and adjust his own position closer to her on the seat. Even she was trying to put some distance between them. Interesting.
“About a month or so, right, Tasha?” Dash asked her as he gave Tasha a wink. Tasha nodded her head.
“Kind of serious and fast, don’t you think?” Tyler pushed.
Dash looked at Tasha and then back at Tyler as he moved his hand back and forth over her knee, up her thigh slightly under the material of her dress. Tasha placed her hands on her lap so Dash couldn’t move further up her thigh, which would be pretty inappropriate.
“All it took was just one kiss. She has powerful kisses,” Dash said, holding Tyler’s gaze.
“I know exactly what you mean,” Tyler replied firmly, without missing a beat.
“Tyler,” Tasha said his name and sat forward, but Dash squeezed her knee and moved his hand higher under her dress. Back and forth he rubbed her as he held Tyler’s gaze. Eddie watched the whole scene unfold and knew something wasn’t right about this guy, and about Tasha’s interest in him.
“That’s okay, Tasha, it’s good your friend knows he can’t kiss you ever again because you’re mine.”
Eddie was about to say something, but Tyler beat him to it, and Lance took up position on Tasha’s other side in case things got out of hand.
“I don’t know, Dash, like you said, her kisses are pretty powerful.” Tyler looked from Dash to Tasha, and Tasha’s eyes lit up but then she shyly looked away.
“That’s enough, Tyler,” Jake intervened and Tyler just stared at Dash.
Eddie grabbed his brother’s shoulder. “Let it be. She made her decision,” Eddie said as he stared at Tasha.
The sound of a cell phone ringing drew the attention back to Dash.
“I need to take this, baby. You’ll be okay here without me for a few minutes?” Dash asked her.
“Of course, Dash. These are my friends.”
Dash gave her a firm expression that didn’t sit well with Eddie. They all watched him leave the room.
“Pompous asshole. What the hell do you see in that guy?” Tyler asked.
“Yeah, what does he have on you, Tash?” Lance added, and Eddie felt his gut clench. Could Tasha be in some kind of trouble? Was that why Jake intervened at the house yesterday, and even now?
“I appreciate that you’ve come here to be supportive of my mom, but my personal life is off-limits. If you don’t like my boyfriend and can’t accept it, then leave,” Tasha said, surprising all of them.
The silence in the room was deafening. Tasha was shaking and just stared at her clasped hands.
They all heard the door open. The doctor walked in along with Dash, and Dash smiled at Tasha as she stood up. “Go ahead, Doc, and give her the good news,” Dash said, and even that pissed him off. That this guy knew the results of the surgery before all of them. He and his brothers should be beside Tasha right now, handling things and being supportive. This man was a control freak.
“The surgery went extremely well. She did wonderfully.”
Dash stepped forward and pulled Tasha into his arms and hugged her. “You see, baby, I told you that everything would be okay. And no worries. I took care of everything here at the hospital.”
Eddie was shocked. Serefina was right, Dash was covering the medical bills.
“I told you that wasn’t necessary, Dash. I’ve been saving and working, I can take care of it.”
“You’re my girl, remember?”
“I’m glad everything worked out and the surgery went well, Tasha,” Jake told her. She stepped from Dash’s embrace and hugged Jake. Eddie watched Dash’s expression grow angry at Tasha’s move, and he didn’t like it. This man could not be trusted. When would Tasha figure that out?
* * * *
Tasha was grabbing a drink from the vending machine when Eddie approached her.
“How are you feeling?” he asked her. She looked up into his eyes and so badly she wanted to come clean and tell him to not hate her. But she couldn’t. She needed to go through with attending this meeting tonight and hopefully gather information the agents could use to put Dash and his men in prison for a very long time.
“Hanging in there. I’m relieved that the surgery went well. I’m just really tired.”
He reached out and caressed her cheek. She froze in place and looked around them hoping that Dash’s men weren’t watching. Eddie let his hand fall and looked around them, too.
“Your boyfriend left. He can’t see how you really feel about me and my brothers.”
She started to walk past him but he said her name.
“Tasha.”
She stopped and looked at him.
“No matter what the hell is really going on, I want you safe. If he hurts you, if he breaks your heart, you come and tell me. My brothers and I will take care of it.” She felt like crying and didn’t think before she reacted.
“I love you. Thanks.” She hugged him quickly and then hurried back to the waiting room.
* * * *
Uncle Paul and aunt Lucy walked into the waiting area, just as the doctor walked out. Tasha was shocked. Not that her aunt and uncle didn’t care about Tasha’s mother. She was Uncle Paul’s sister-in-law, but he had to know that Dash would be there.
“Uncle Paul, Aunt Lucy, thank you for coming,” Tasha said.
“How is Mom?” Lucy asked.
“She’s doing well. The doctor just left. The surgery went excellently.”
“Oh thank goodness,” Aunt Lucy said and then looked at Dash. Tasha realized that she needed to introduce them. She wasn’t supposed to know that Dash and Uncle Paul k
new one another.
“I’d like you both to meet Dash McGuire. Dash, this is my aunt Lucy and my uncle Paul,” Tasha said. Dash and Paul shook hands, her uncle’s face a shade redder.
“So nice to meet you, Dash. I didn’t realize that Tasha was seeing anyone. As a matter of fact, Tasha, have you seen or heard from Melanie? I left numerous messages and also called her cell phone.”
“No, I’m sorry. She’s probably out with her boyfriend somewhere. James works with Dash,” Tasha added.
“Oh, I had no idea.”
Jake and the others greeted them next and Dash took Tasha’s arms and gently pulled her to the side.
“I need to get going. That call I took was important, and I may be leaving again early tomorrow morning.”
“Again? Where?” she asked, and he squeezed her upper arm harder.
“I’ll see you at your apartment.”
“But, Dash, I wanted to spend the rest of the time with my mom. I’ll need to get here early tomorrow, too.”
“You’ll be at your apartment by eight. Visiting hours are over by then.” He raised one eyebrow in challenge and she nodded her head. He clutched her chin and kissed her lips. “I’ll see you soon. Stay clear of those firefighters, you hear me?”
“Of course.”
She watched him go, and the moment he did, her uncle approached. He looked around them and then went to speak with her.
“Don’t talk to me here. I’m in enough trouble as is.”
“Tasha, I’m worried about Melanie. This isn’t like her not to call. I’m afraid she heard me on the phone speaking with an investigator. Melanie was approached by an undercover guy working around Dash. He may have mentioned you to Melanie. I told her to keep her mouth shut and that James couldn’t be trusted either. A while later James showed up. They left the house and I haven’t heard or seen her since.”
Tasha looked around them, and she noticed Jake staring at her as well as Tyler, Lance, and Eddie. She clutched her uncle’s shoulder. “No more calls. Sit tight and let them handle everything.”
Hearts on Fire 3: Tasha (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 11