“I think I want something in red,” I said, placing all the tests in a bag and then in one of my dresser drawers.
“Spicy. I like it. It’ll go nicely with your blonde hair too.”
Smiling, I added, “And a garter belt. I want a garter belt.”
A wicked smile moved over Bree’s face. “We’re going to have to make a trip into Boston.”
I knew Bree was expecting me to say no, so I did the opposite. “I think you’re right.”
Her mouth fell open again, then she slammed it shut as she dug in her purse for her phone.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m calling my hairdresser. If I’m getting you to go to Boston for a spa day, we’re doing something about that hair of yours too!”
My smile slipped away, and I put my hands on my hips. “Hey.”
“Jo! Oh, thank God, you answered,” Bree said as she walked out of my bedroom. “Tell me you have something open today for a friend of mine. Yes, it’s an emergency!” She popped her head back in and motioned for me to follow. “Come on, we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
As I grabbed my purse, I mumbled, “What have I gotten myself into?”
Hunter
We parked three houses down from Colby’s house. The monster who raped Bella lived in a two-story brick home.
I stared at the perfectly manicured lawn with rose bushes and the American flag flying from one of the porch columns.
A BMW was parked in the driveway, and next to it was an Audi R8.
“Christ Almighty,” Bishop said. “What in the hell does this guy do for a living?”
“On paper he’s an engineer, but I’d say he’s doing some shady shit on the side,” Kyle replied.
“You still have time to back out of this, Hunter,” Bishop said.
I stared at the house, my anger toward the asshole growing stronger than ever. “I’m not backing out.”
Kyle cleared his throat. “Dude, I hate to ask you this, but do you have your piece?”
“What? He brought a gun?” Bishop shrieked like a girl. “I thought we were just going to kick his ass, not shoot him!”
I rolled my eyes and looked at Bishop in the backseat. “Do you think I want to go to jail? I just want to…scare him.”
Jack chose that moment to bark.
“With the dog or your gun?” Aiden asked.
Smiling, I replied, “Both. I’m not going to risk my future with Bella for this asshole, so don’t worry.” I opened the middle console and pulled out my gun. I strapped on my holster and put my piece into it. Kyle did the same. Then we both put on our Boggy Creek Valley Sheriff badges.
“Did anyone stop to think that maybe this asshole has a gun? I’m pretty sure Arabella will be just as pissed if you get shot,” Bishop said.
“I’m not going to get shot,” I replied, getting out of the truck.
“We probably should have come up with a damn plan on the drive here, but since none of us did, how are we going to do this?” Kyle asked.
“We’re going to act like we’re looking into a case, and he might be a potential witness,” I said. “The bank he uses was robbed right before he left for Europe. It’s a believable story.”
Aiden sighed. “If we’re going to do this, let’s do it.”
I got Jack out and leashed him.
“Is everything okay, officers?”
We all turned to see an older woman, maybe in her sixties, standing in a yard across the street.
“Everything’s fine, ma’am,” I responded. “Just working on a case.”
She nodded, worrying her lip.
Kyle hit my arm. “Come on, let’s go.” The four of us, along with Jack, headed toward Colby’s house.
As we walked up the sidewalk to the asshole’s home, Jack nearly bolted out of my grasp.
“The fuck, Jack?” I said, pulling him back.
“Stop—listen,” Aiden said, and we all came to a halt. Even though Jack was whining, I could still hear a woman yelling from inside Colby’s house for help.
“Call 9-1-1,” I said, quickly making my way up the steps. Aiden and Kyle were next to me while Bishop stayed back and called the police. I put my ear to the door, then nearly dropped to my knees when I heard a woman pleading on the other side.
“Please stop! Don’t do this! Someone help me!”
Aiden whispered, “Holy fucking shit, is he…”
I turned back and looked at Bishop. He held up one finger, alerting me that the cops were one minute out.
Another piercing scream.
“He’s got a woman in there now!” Kyle stated as he drew his gun.
“Fuck it,” I said. I stepped back and kicked at the front door, causing the jam to break and the door to fly open. Kyle went in first, calling out “Police!” He was followed by Aiden, who also had a gun, though I had no idea where he’d gotten it. Jack and I brought up the rear.
As soon as we were inside, Jack pulled me through the house, with Kyle right next to us.
“Get him,” I said to Jack. “Find the bad guy, bubba. Get him! Get him! Get him!”
We rounded a corner and saw a man holding a woman down on the kitchen table, his hand over her mouth. Her shirt was torn open and her pants and panties were pulled off and on the floor.
“Get away from her now, motherfucker!” I yelled out. “Get away, or I’ll let the dog loose on you.”
Colby looked at us like he couldn’t believe we were interrupting him. “What the fuck are you doing in my house? Get out!”
The woman took advantage of Colby’s distraction and kicked him. Jack lunged and started to bark at Colby, who had fallen to the ground after the woman pushed him away.
The woman scrambled off the table and ran to Kyle, throwing herself into his arms and nearly knocking him over. “Please help me! He’s trying to rape me! Please!”
I heard a commotion at the front door, and then suddenly the kitchen was filled with more cops.
Kyle said something about us being with the Boggy Creek Sheriff’s Department in New Hampshire, but all I could do was stare at the motherfucker on the floor. Jack was only inches away from biting the fuck out of him, barking and snarling. It was like he knew that this was the man who’d hurt Bella. He was desperate to get at him.
“Sir? Sir, you can call off the dog now. Sir!” someone yelled from next to me.
I jerked my head to the side to see a police officer standing there. “What?” I asked.
“We’ve got him, sir. You can call off the K9.”
Nodding, I gave Jack the command for “off.” He whined but let me pull him away from Colby. I turned to see Aiden putting a blanket around the woman who was still crying in Kyle’s arms.
Looking behind me, I saw Bishop talking to another cop. The whole damn thing happened so fucking fast, it felt like the room was spinning. When I looked back at Colby, he was on his feet, his pants up and cuffs being put on his wrists.
“Do you have any idea who I am? You can’t just barge into my house without a warrant! I’ll see you all fired!” Colby shouted.
Our eyes met—and I took in a deep breath, then turned to talk to one of the cops. “I need a moment alone with him,” I said in a low voice.
The cop looked at me with a confused expression. “Why?”
Turning so that Colby couldn’t see us, I stared at the officer. It took less than a moment for him to see the violence in my eyes.
“There’s no way I’m leaving you alone with him,” the officer said, “and I don’t give a shit that you’re a cop.”
“Then you can stay in the room with me.” I glanced at his nametag. “Sergeant Peterson, I need this. Please.”
He rubbed at the back of his neck, then finally nodded. “Two minutes.”
“Thank you,” I said, slapping the side of his arm. He called for another officer to come over and clear out the kitchen while I walked over to Kyle.
“Hang on to Jack for me, will you?”
Kyle had an un
easy expression on his face. “Dude, don’t fuck this up in any way. He’s been caught red-handed. The last thing they need is a charge against a cop so they’re forced to drop the case.”
“I know. Trust me, Kyle.”
Sighing, he nodded, and then took Jack and motioned for Aiden to follow him. Once everyone was out of the kitchen except for me, Colby, and Sergeant Peterson, I turned and looked at the asshole. I reached into my pocket, found the small recorder I had brought, and hit the on button.
“Does the name Arabella Adams ring a bell?”
The color drained from his face.
Peterson already had Colby sitting down in one of the kitchen chairs, so I grabbed another one, spun it around, and sat as well.
Suddenly, a smirk moved over Colby’s face. “Hunter?”
I gave one nod, and Peterson moved to stand next to me.
“What are you going to do?” Colby snarled. “Hit me? Have your dog attack me by mistake? I dare you to lay a finger on me. Then my lawyers will have me out in a matter of hours.”
I placed my hand on my thigh to keep myself from punching the shit out of him. “I have no intention of touching you. It’s crazy, though. What are the odds I’d show up at your house to confront you for raping Arabella, only to find you in the middle of raping another woman? How many other women have you done this to?”
He laughed. “Please. They say no, but we all know they mean yes. Like your precious little Arabella. She wanted me. I could tell.”
I drew in a deep breath, and Peterson put his hand on my shoulder, most likely afraid I was going to do something. But the piece of shit in front of me wasn’t worth it. I knew he was baiting me on purpose. He was banking on me reacting, and I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.
“Is that what you tell yourself to make it all okay? They want you? So when a woman tells you no, you only hear yes?”
Colby looked away.
“She never wanted you. She didn’t want you to rape her, and she most certainly never asked to live in a world of hell for nearly ten years because of what you did. You almost took her from me—but I’m here to tell you that you didn’t. Arabella and I are going to live out the rest of our lives happy, in love, and raising a family while you rot in jail.”
He looked back at me. “I’ll never go to jail. You want to know why? My father won’t let it happen. So why don’t you go back to your little town and go fuck yourself, asshole.”
I shrugged. “I don’t think your father will be able to make this evidence go away, Colby.”
A deep frown appeared between his brows. “What are you talking about?”
“Guys like you bank on someone believing you over your victim. I’ve seen it time and time again. I’ve also seen what a bunch of fucking sickos you are. But what happens when it’s on video? You raping a woman. Her begging you to stop while you just keep going, because in your sick head all you hear is yes. Daddy can’t make that go away, can he?”
Colby swallowed hard and quickly looked past my shoulder, then back at me.
“You like to record your rapes, don’t you, Colby?” I asked.
Colby looked up again and then focused back on me.
“You didn’t even try to hide the camera, you sick motherfucker,” I said.
Sargent Peterson turned to see what Colby had looked at. “Holy shit, he was recording it,” the officer whispered.
Smiling, I stood and put the chair back at the table, walked over to Colby, and leaned in close to him. “First thing I saw you do when we came in was glance over there with a panicked look. It doesn’t surprise me that a sick bastard like you would record it all. Congratulations, you just put yourself in jail, motherfucker.”
I took a step away. “Take a deep breath, because this is the last free air you’re going to be breathing for a while.”
Turning on my heels, I walked out of the kitchen, balling my fists up tight. It had taken an act of God not to punch the fucker, but I had somehow managed to keep my hands to myself.
I stood in the front yard with Kyle, Bishop, and Aiden, and watched as they eventually brought Colby out. He wasn’t shouting to be released, or threatening to get everyone fired. Nah, his ass was crying big old crocodile tears as Peterson put him in the back of a squad car, and then spoke to the officer who would be transporting Colby to the station. They parted ways, and I watched as the patrol car pulled away.
The moment the car turned the corner, I dropped to my knees and buried my face in my hands. Jack was instantly by my side.
“Jesus Christ,” Kyle said as he leaned over and rested his hands on his knees. “What are the odds of us walking in on him raping someone?”
Bishop ran his hand through his hair. “Pretty fucking slim.”
“I still can’t believe it,” Aiden said. “I’m fucking shocked.”
I shook my head, trying to get a handle on the anger that was still festering inside me. Every part of my being wanted to tear Colby apart limb from limb, and it had only been by the grace of God that I was able to keep my hands to myself.
I quickly wiped away the tears and took a few deeps breaths before dropping down onto my ass and resting my hands on my knees.
“You okay, Hunter?” Aiden asked, bending down to look me in the eyes.
I nodded. My heart pounded in my chest, and I tried to take a few more deep breaths.
“Dude, how did you know about the camera?” Kyle asked as he looked at me.
“When I first called out to him, he looked over his shoulder really quickly, and I simply got lucky and noticed the gesture. I followed where he was looking and saw the camera set-up. Then when he was being cuffed, he looked at it again.”
Aiden shook his head. “The stupid fucker is going to send himself to jail.”
“No better type of revenge than that,” Bishop added. He reached his hand down for mine. I took it, and he pulled me up.
Kyle straightened and placed a hand on my shoulder. “I’m proud of you, man. I don’t know how you kept your shit together, but you did. Hopefully this fucker will pay for what he did to Arabella.”
“And all the other women he’s hurt,” Aiden said.
Peterson walked up to us and held out his hand. “I just wanted to say good work. I’m going to guess you weren’t here to simply talk to him?”
I shook my head. “No, sir, I wasn’t. But when we walked up to the house, we heard a woman screaming. I couldn’t wait for you guys to show up.”
He nodded. “I wouldn’t have waited either. Good job catching the camera. I’d like to hope we would have found it eventually, but that was great police work.”
“It was pure luck that I happened to see him look at it.” I replied.
Sergeant Peterson nodded. “Well, I’m just glad you caught it.”
“Will you keep me up to date on the case?” I asked.
He placed his hand on my shoulder and gave me a smile. “I most certainly will. I just need your statement, and then you’re all free to head on back to New Hampshire.”
I pulled up to the gate and put my truck in park, then dropped my head against the steering wheel. Jack whined from the backseat, and I closed my eyes. “I know, boy, I feel the same damn way.”
Jack barked, and I sat back in my seat. I picked up my phone and pulled up Bella’s last text.
Bella: I can’t wait to see you! I love you.
The entire drive down from Maine, I’d gone back and forth over telling Bella the truth. Aiden had brought up the point that if Bella knew Colby had raped other women, she might feel guilty for not reporting her own rape. After talking to Aiden, Kyle, and Bishop about it all, we decided it was best if Bella didn’t know…at least not right now. The last thing I wanted was for her to have to think about that fucker, or to know I had lied to her.
It was the one and only lie I would ever tell Bella, and one I would never regret.
Looking over my shoulder, I smiled at Jack. “Let’s go see our girl.”
Jack bar
ked and pawed at me, which made me laugh. I hit the gate opener and started my way down the long drive to the house. The moment I opened the door, I smelled something delicious. Jack raced past me and headed to the kitchen.
“Bella?” I called out.
“I’m in the kitchen!”
I tossed my wallet and keys on the small side table in the foyer and headed toward the kitchen. Taking in a deep breath, I let out a small moan.
Bella was at the island sprinkling something on a salad.
“What is all of this?” I asked, walking up behind her and wrapping her in my arms. She tilted her head back and looked at me, allowing me to kiss her on the mouth.
“I missed you and wanted to make you a special dinner.”
Laughing, I said, “I was barely gone two days.”
She gave a small pout. “I’m sorry you guys weren’t able to catch any fish.”
I shrugged. We’d decided to stay at Kyle’s family cabin last night and come home this afternoon. It had been nice to hang out with Kyle, Bishop, and Aiden like old times. And we actually did try to get some fishing in, though none of us caught a single thing. “Doesn’t matter. I enjoyed hanging out with the guys.”
“Just a heads up, Hudson wasn’t pleased he didn’t get invited on the bro trip.”
Laughing, I turned her around and cupped her beautiful face in my hands. “I’ll make it up to him. In the meantime, I want you to know how much I missed you. I missed feeling your body next to mine.”
Her cheeks had a beautiful light pink glow, and I couldn’t resist the urge to kiss them both and then her nose. I took her mouth once more, this time deepening the kiss.
Bella wrapped her arms around me and moaned into my mouth as I pulled her body against mine. When our lips parted, I leaned my forehead on hers.
She sighed contently. “We’re also celebrating something.”
“Oh yeah?” I asked, taking one of her curls and spinning it around my finger. It was so soft, and it smelled like she’d used a different shampoo than usual. “What are we celebrating?”
Surrender to Me (Boggy Creek Valley Book 4) Page 22