by Diane Saxon
“Coffee?” His attention shot back to Kate, and he gave a sharp nod. Her eyebrow flickered up and down, and he felt obliged to verbalize his acceptance.
“Yes ma’am, please.”
He caught Liberty’s gaze and realized her lips were twitching while she tried to hide a smile from him. Goddammit, he was shit with women.
“Jack, coffee for Flynn. If you don’t mind.”
“No trouble.” Jack didn’t bother to hide his own grin before he turned his back on the room, and as Flynn watched the big guy’s shoulders shake with laughter, he wondered if Kate would kill him before he could get to Jack. He wouldn’t like to risk it. The woman’s tongue was sharp enough…her scalpel was probably lethal.
Jack handed him a coffee and pulled up his own chair, kicking it back on two legs so he leaned against the wall while he addressed the room in general.
“This is not the first time Buddy has done something like this. It’s not so long ago he cornered Lydia in the stables. Lucky for her, Sam arrived in time. Lucky for Buddy he was too drunk to notice Sam’s fist and didn’t get up from the straw till the bucketful of water hit him. Perhaps we should have got rid of him then, but we put it down to him being a mean drunk. On the whole, he’s normally a good worker.”
Flynn’s blood still ran fast and hot through his system, but he tried to keep a tight lid on it while he watched Liberty twist her fingers together as Jack continued.
“He’s grabbed Liberty three times in all now.”
“Three?” He could barely restrain his fury, but as his gaze met Kate’s, he forced himself to remain seated.
Liberty fidgeted before speaking up. “The first time he’d been drinking, too, but I wouldn’t say he was drunk.” She untangled her fingers and fluttered her neat little hands. “And I wouldn’t necessarily blame him.” A lump formed in Flynn’s chest as Liberty refused to meet his eyes. She shrugged. “I let him walk me to my car. It seemed harmless enough and then ummm…” She glanced around the room, possibly to locate where the sound of grinding teeth was coming from. Flynn sat back, crossed his arms over his chest, and pinned her with a glower as her gaze flitted past his and then back again, her huge eyes wide, her pupil’s pinpricks of shocked reaction. “I invited him to kiss me.”
Flynn leaped out of his chair, tipping it over so it crashed to the floor. The baby let out a terrified wail, and Kate flew across the room to pick her up and comfort her.
“I’m sorry.”
It had been a long time since he’d been made to feel like a naughty schoolboy, but remorse filled his pounding head as he leaned over, uprighted the chair, and sat back down while the baby howled.
Gemma calmed as Kate shushed her, rocking her small body to and fro until the little one’s eyelids fluttered and she slipped off to sleep while the adults sat around in complete silence, holding their breath.
Kate straightened from laying the baby in her stroller and walked directly over to Flynn to poke him with a hard finger in his solar plexus. He didn’t know whether to laugh, cry, or explode with relief.
“Wake my baby again, and I will personally…” She gave him another fast jab and almost had her finger under his ribs. “…carve out your liver and pâté it. Understood?”
The woman would have made a great assassin.
He held his belly and spluttered out a pained laugh.
“Yes, fuck, Kate. Yes.”
She leaned forward, bunched his T-shirt around his neck and gave him one hard knock against the back of the chair. “And don’t swear in front of me again. It really pisses me off. Clear?”
He glanced at Jack’s calm face and knew without a doubt Jack would have to kill him if he upset his wife again. He couldn’t help the wild grin that stretched wide over his face as he gave the other man a manic stare, before returning his attention to his wife.
“Kate, I’m not sure why the British government enlisted your brother into covert operations. If they’d recruited you, they’d rule the world by now.”
Relief swept over him as Kate reached out and scrubbed his hair like he was a little boy, and then gave the end of his nose a sharp flick before she wandered over to the coffeemaker.
But as his gaze swept over Liberty, her tense white face made him stop in his tracks. He brushed his T-shirt off and gave the normally bubbly woman a second glance.
Any kind of violence seemed to worry her. He could see the fear in her eyes. He’d seen it the first day when she’d thought Michael and him were going to come to blows. She’d stepped right into their path, but she’d been terrified.
Buddy must have scared her witless. But Flynn still needed to know why she had been kissing Buddy, because the thought of Liberty kissing another man was enough to make his blood boil.
“So.” He kept his voice soft as he pinned her with his gaze. “When did the kissing of Buddy take place?”
•●•
Flynn’s penetrating stare didn’t worry her. The man could drill holes in lead with his laser blue eyes, and he could pin her to the chair with a simple look. But he didn’t frighten her.
What frightened her was emotions running hot and wild and tempers soaring. Because that was when the fists started to fly and Liberty hated violence. She’d seen too much as a little girl. Foster parents weren’t always perfect, and living in a home with transient personnel and children was never ideal. Liberty’s escape had been her books, her studying, which in turn had earned her more than her fair share of bullying, because what people didn’t understand quite often frightened them, and fear sometimes led to violence.
She’d allowed herself a small smile at Kate, though. There wasn’t a man alive who would dare to cross the woman. Especially when she picked up a scalpel. Most guys in university had given her a wide birth. Even Jack, strong as he was, had the wisdom to realize when his wife was on the warpath.
She glanced at Flynn, who had made himself more comfortable, legs stretched out in front of him, leaning back with his arms folded over his chest, staring at his feet. His jaw flexed as he ground his teeth, and her heart hammered when she realized he thought she’d kissed Buddy since she’d met him, and for a brief moment, she had hurt him. Not as much as he hurt her in his insistence of not kissing her. But the irony of the situation suddenly sank in. That he believed she had kissed someone else after his rejection of her hurt him, angered him, and it also meant he did have feelings for her, even if he was unable to express them.
“I’m sorry, Flynn.” Her voice came out a husky whisper, the sound barely able to move past her throat.
His head shot up and anything further she may have said stuck in her throat as his icy glower filled her with remorse for the pain she was inflicting. Only one way to deal with it—explain and darned quickly.
She cleared her throat and spoke directly to Jack.
“It was a few nights after I arrived here. I went to Toe Tappers and I met Buddy. He bought me a drink and we chatted. He seemed okay, so when he offered to walk me to my car, I accepted. I thought he might be nice to date. He went to give me a kiss good night and I turned my cheek so he didn’t kiss me directly on the lips.” She drew in a deep breath and glanced back at Flynn, understanding the impact it must have on him. He’d closed his eyes and tipped his head back against the wall.
“He grabbed me and was ummm…really rough. He kissed me and squeezed my…” Flynn’s eyes popped open. “…breasts.”
With a fast, silent movement, Flynn came to his feet and paced across the room to stare out the kitchen window. His voice when it came was mild enough, but she could hear the vibration of underlying anger.
“Why didn’t you tell someone?”
“I did. Kate and I discussed it and decided Buddy was probably drunk and I should avoid him. Jack spoke to Ethan, who kept a watch the next time I went out.” She stared at his back, felt the prick of tears behind her eyes, but continued. “It was the night I saw you for the first time. Ethan was there because of me.”
Flynn turned
, leaned against the counter and gave a slow nod as he acknowledged her meaning, and relief flooded her being, making her grateful she was already seated.
“What about the second time?” Jack pulled her attention back to him.
“It was at the stables. Carl was there, so I thought I was safe, but Buddy offered to help me up on the horse, and he slid his hand all the way up the inside of my thigh and pressed his fingers…” She felt the rush of heated mortification hit her cheeks and three pairs of eyes stared at her. “…into my groin.”
“Jesus, when was this?”
“The day you came after me.”
Flynn’s irritated huff made the baby stir and gained him a hard glare from Kate.
“Liberty. It could have been Buddy came after you and found you on your own out in the middle of nowhere the other day, what the f…” he shot a quick look at Kate “…hell did you think you were doing?”
She shook her head in vigorous denial and pulled a lock of hair back, which had stuck to her lips.
“No, he couldn’t have. Carl sent him into town to get some supplies.”
“And he arrived back a few hours later. Plenty of time to come and find you.”
The penny dropped and she suddenly realized why Carl had sent Flynn after her. She smiled as she thought what a lovely wise old gentleman he was and how much faith he’d had in Flynn to have sent him in search of her.
“It’s no smiling matter, Liberty. You could have been damned well…” he stopped himself before he could voice the worst of it.
“No. Ironically, when you believed Carl sent you to save me, you were right. Only he didn’t mean for you to save me from nature and the elements, but from Buddy.”
Amusement rippled through her, and she smiled even more while Flynn stared at her as though she had lost the plot.
“Then you were all grisly and…” she gave what she considered a fair impression of his deep southern voice “…‘what the fuck?’ because you thought you’d been duped. But you hadn’t. You were sent to save me.”
She smiled as bright as she could and tried her very best to make light of the situation as her eyes misted over and the sharp twinge of tears struck her.
“My hero.”
Her voice cracked on the last word and a sob broke loose, despite slapping her hand over her mouth to stop it.
Kate and Flynn both leaped up while Jack darted a petrified look around the room as though he was searching for some place to hide from feminine tears.
Air rushed from her lungs in a loud ooofff as she was snatched from the chair and hugged tight against Flynn’s solid chest. His hand gave a firm push on the back of her head so her face tucked snug into his neck, allowing the rush of tears to trickle into the top edge of his T-shirt. His hand under her backside supported her, and she lifted her legs to wrap them around his hips as he sat, making them both more comfortable, his rocking motion designed to soothe.
She closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of him, nuzzled the hard warm security of him, and burrowed closer, resting her hand on his chest and tucking her nose just beneath his ear. The solid thump from his heart warmed her, and as her tears dried, she smoothed her hand over his pecs, rubbing the soft material of his T-shirt as much to comfort him as herself. She relaxed along with the rhythm of his slow, deep breathing in the otherwise silence of the room, allowing her fingers to stroke upward and cup the opposite side of his neck while her thumb made soothing circular motions.
The tip of her thumb skimmed the underside of his chin and connected with the thick ridge of scar tissue at the same time as Flynn’s body stiffened almost unperceptively. But she felt it and dropped her hand back to his chest to compose herself and push upright.
“Thank you, I’m fine.” She swiped the back of her hands across her cheeks to make sure the tears were all dry and then wriggled off his lap and turned her back to him to hitch her clothes into place with an embarrassed laugh, flicking a furtive glance at Kate and Jack.
“And so…” The flush of embarrassment still heated her skin, but she composed herself enough to continue. “You all know about today’s event. Unfortunately Buddy seems to be getting more physical, and he did manage to frighten me today. If Jacob hadn’t been there, I’m not sure what would have happened. He was very forceful.”
Flynn’s quiet voice came from directly behind her.
“I’ll sort it.”
“You won’t,” Jack’s voice whiplashed back. “You’ll stay out of this Flynn. It’s police business now. I don’t want to have to arrest you when we find the body.”
Flynn’s sinful chuckle sounded just above her head as he moved closer. “There won’t be a body to find, Jack.”
Ice cold fear crystallized in her veins as she whipped around to face him.
“No.”
He closed his eyes and heaved a long-suffering sigh.
“What do you mean no? You can’t do nothing.”
“I don’t mean to do nothing, but you can’t be there twenty-four hours a day, and before you say anything, I agree the man has been a complete arse, but it doesn’t mean he should be buried, Flynn. It’s a little over-dramatic.”
He rocked back on his heels and glowered down at her.
“Well, what do you want to do, Li-bur-teh?”
She stuck her chin out and gave him her best haughty glare.
“May I make a suggestion?”
Liberty whipped her head around at the same time as Flynn, surprised to see Kate and Jack still in the room with them.
She blew out a breath and waved her hand at Kate. “Please do, this is getting us no-where.”
Flynn’s affirmative grumble in her ear almost made her whirl around to face him again, but she hauled in a deep breath and smiled in invitation for Kate to continue.
Kate’s lips twitched before she nodded to her husband.
“The sheriff will deal with the problem.”
Jack raised his eyebrows as if surprised by his wife’s suggestion, and then gave a slow nod. “I will.”
“And in the meantime, Flynn, with your background, you surely must be able to show Liberty a few moves she can use if she gets caught alone with this sleazebag again.”
“I don’t think Liberty will want me to show her any moves.”
This time she did whirl on him, temper causing her to poke him in the chest before she realized what she was doing and withdraw her finger pretty quick. Enjoying the impact, she studied the tip of her finger for a moment before she turned her attention back on him.
“I most certainly do. You offered to help. I need help defending myself—mate. So you just show me how.” She interspersed her words with another poke. “Right.” Gaining confidence, she gave him another, sharper poke. “Now!”
In a lightening move, he grabbed her finger and held the tip of it against his chest where she had most likely put an indentation and stared deep into her eyes.
“Okay. You want it. You got it.”
“I have to get changed for work.” Jack’s voice broke through the momentary lapse of good sense, and Liberty took advantage to move away and pick up her cool cup of coffee.
“Jack, would you take Gemma up to her room, please? So Flynn doesn’t disturb her when he shows us his moves.” Kate’s smile in Flynn’s direction was saccharine sweet.
“You want me to show you too?”
“Oh I’m just observing.” Kate sidled her bottom into the kitchen chair, cupping a fresh mug of coffee between her hands with a glint of amusement in her eye.
“Okay.” Flynn squirmed, a little uncomfortable as he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand and stared down at his feet. But when he lifted his head, his laser blue eyes seared her soul.
“First things first. Know your enemy.”
“He’s not my…”
“Oh yes, he is.”
“Okay.” She sighed, wondering whether he was actually going to get around to showing her anything.
“Tell me what he does.”
/> “When?”
“When he grabs you. How does he grab you?”
Heat stole up her neck into her face. Reluctant to divulge every intimate detail, she prevaricated.
“Umm, does it matter?”
“Yes.”
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath.
“Apart from the incident on the horse when I was sitting down, he tends to grab my breasts.”
“What?”
“My…”
“I heard. I realize what he’s after, but what part of you does he grab first?”
“My. Breasts.”
“That’s it?”
“Well, yes, but it’s very important to me.”
“I don’t mean it that way.” He rasped his fingers across the stubble on his cheek and almost made her beg to have a go. “Right, well it’s easy. Break his finger.”
“Pardon?”
“Break his finger.”
“I can’t do that.”
“I thought you wanted to sort him out yourself so he didn’t come back.”
“I do, but I can’t actually break something.”
“Knee him in the balls.” Kate’s dry tone interrupted their conversation. “Personally,” she shrugged, “I’d simply slice his balls off with a rusty scalpel.”
Flynn sucked air in through his teeth and blew it out slowly. He pointed at Kate. “You are a dangerous woman. And I believe perfectly capable of being a psychotic killer.” Kate snorted in appreciation. He stabbed the same finger at Liberty “But she is not. For a start, she’s too short to knee him in the balls.”
“She is?”
“I am?”
“You are. Here.” He took hold of her shoulders and positioned her so she faced him dead center. “Right, he’s about the same size as me, do you agree?” She twisted her head to look at Kate.
“He’s fatter.” His irritated sigh breezed through him as he squeezed his fingers on her shoulders to get her attention back.
“Height, Liberty. He’s about the same height.”
“Yes. Probably.”
“Okay. Try and knee me.”