Freedom to Surrender [Freedom, Colorado 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Melody Snow Monroe

  “That right?”

  He would have thought the man would have denied the possibility of his son doing something illegal. “Yes. I’m afraid it’s a class 4 felony. Is your son home?”

  The dad stepped back into the trailer and twisted around. “Andy. Come here.”

  Feet shuffled, and both Andy and Savon appeared. When the kid spotted him, he lifted his chin as if to show he wasn’t afraid.

  “Andy and Savon. Where are the iPads?” Tatum asked.

  “What’s it to you?” The kid’s tone held fear and defiance, something he probably learned from his dad.

  As if it all happened in slow motion, the dad lifted his hand to haul off and smack Andy, forcing Tatum to move up one step and grab the man’s wrist inches from the child’s face.

  “Mr. Parks. Please. If you want to hit someone, pick on a person your own size.” He wanted to drag the SOB down the steps and smash his face against the rocky drive. If hadn’t been in uniform he might have.

  The dad sneered and jerked his arm out of Tatum’s grasp. “Andy. Tell the man what he wants to know.”

  The fact Andy wasn’t cowering told him his father’s abuse was a common occurrence. “They’re in my room.” He swiveled his gaze from his father to Tatum.

  “Will you get them for me?” Tatum asked in as nonthreatening a way as he could.

  Andy nodded. Savon stood there frozen, tears streaming down his cheeks. Tatum wanted to gather him in his arms and give him all the love he never received, but he could do nothing with Mr. Parks standing there.

  Andy returned with four unopened boxes. Tatum would have thought he would have wanted to play with one right away.

  “Boys, come on.”

  With more enthusiasm that he’d anticipated, they rushed down the steps. Tatum expected the father to complain or at least ask about what was going to happen to his son. The fact he didn’t told him a lot.

  Because it was his duty to do so, he faced the father. “I’ll let you know when they’re settled into JDC.”

  “Don’t care. He’s more goddamn trouble than he’s worth.”

  Tatum’s heart cracked. He placed the boys in the back and stored the boxes in front. As soon as he shut the door, the locks clicked closed so neither boy could escape.

  Once he buckled in, he left the trailer behind and only stopped when he was out of sight. He put the car in park and twisted around to face them. The boys had been quiet, which surprised him. He’d expected Andy at least to demand his rights.

  “You know this will mean you’ll have to spend some time at the juvenile detention center?”

  The boys looked at each other and smiled. Holy shit. They wanted to get caught.

  “How long can we stay there?”

  Tatum closed his eyes and realized his life had been a breeze compared to theirs. It broke his heart.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Ashley and Drex showered after their amazing three-way sex, and then ordered a pizza. They both expected Tatum to be back by now, but after another half hour went by, she decided to text him. Sure, he was the law and carried a gun, but there were bad people everywhere. Thankfully, Tatum returned her text right away.

  “Is he good?” Drex asked. Even she could tell he was a little worried.

  “He said he’d be back within the hour and that something sad had happened.”

  She and Drex had been sharing stories about growing up, but now she wasn’t in the mood to talk anymore. The doorbell rang less than ten minutes later and the delivery boy handed them two different pizzas. Even the wonderful aroma of tomatoes and cheese couldn’t cut through the pall.

  “We should put these in the oven and wait for Tatum.”

  Drex nodded and did as she suggested. Wanting some time to analyze her feelings, she suggested they watch some mindless television until Tatum returned home. Drex handed her the remote, but as pleased as she was to be given the option of what to watch, when she channel surfed, nothing seemed interesting.

  Exactly an hour later, Tatum eased his way through the front door. His shoulders were slightly stooped and the quick smile on his face looked forced.

  She jumped up from the sofa and gave him a hug, but he didn’t return it with much enthusiasm. “Can you tell us what happened?” She hoped by talking about the details, he might be able to put things in perspective.

  “Let me grab a beer.”

  Drex jumped up and took the pizza out of the oven. While the food was probably lukewarm at best, she didn’t mind since she was no longer hungry. Drex brought the food to the living room and spread it on the coffee table.

  Tatum returned with his drink and dropped down onto the chair across from them. “Remember, I told you about that kid Andy and his buddy, Savon?”

  “The ones from the school?” He nodded. She remembered that Andy reminded him of one of his childhood friends.

  “Yes.” He inhaled and drank from the bottle. “He and his little buddy, Savon, broke into Emerson’s computer store and stole four iPads.”

  The pain on Tatum’s face cut her to the core. “I’m sorry.” They were only kids and that was what troubled kids did. “They didn’t have a weapon did they?”

  Tatum shook his head. “I swear to God, I thought I’d reached the kid, but I guess I failed.”

  “It’s not your fault.”

  He leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes for a moment. “Maybe not, but I should have seen the signs that Andy and Savon were really in distress. After I removed the boys from Mr. Parks’s place, Andy’s father said the kid was more trouble than he was worth.” He drank more from the bottle. “I should have called someone to council the boys sooner. I wish Freedom had a bigger social worker staff.”

  She couldn’t imagine growing up without anyone caring for her. “You think they could have helped?” Tatum really cared for these boys. If he couldn’t reach him, she wasn’t so sure a social worker or a child psychologist could have.

  Tatum leaned forward, his arms resting on his thighs, the beer swinging between them. “You know what sucks the most? Those kids wanted to get caught and wanted to be sent to juvie.”

  Tatum must have misunderstood them. “No. You sure?”

  “Positive.”

  “Did they say why?”

  “Not exactly, but I believe the father abuses Andy. When he raised his hand to smack the kid, I wanted to kill the son of a bitch right there. I’m just happy I was able to stop the guy.”

  “I’m glad you refrained. Murder has bad consequences.”

  That got a small smile out of him. “I didn’t need that rap. Then I had to drive those precious little boys to Boulder and drop them off in that prison.” He stabbed a hand over his head. “It’s not fair. The system failed them.” He looked up and tapped his chest. “I failed them.”

  She tried to find something positive to focus on. “They’ll be safe there, right? If the father hurt Andy, they might be better at juvie.”

  He cocked a brow. “That’s what the kids think, but both of them are small and might end up getting hurt worse.”

  “What about Savon’s parents?” Drex asked.

  “You mean his mom? She works hard on her back, if you know what I mean.” He lowered his head. “She, too, was too busy to bother. I wish there was something I could do.”

  Ashley’s heart ached watching Tatum take this so personally. “Can you visit them to show them that you care?”

  He looked up and nodded. “That I can do.”

  * * * *

  For the next few days, every time Ashley looked out the office’s glass window and spotted Drex, a smile flitted across her lips. Happiness would soar through her veins until the vision of Tatum intruded. She could still picture his head in his hands and his back slumped over. Then a wave of depression would hit her all over again.

  His pain became hers. She’d tried talking with him a few times during the week, but he cut the conversation short each time. He’d gone over to the Juvenile Detention Ce
nter every day to see the boys, but she wasn’t sure if he came back more depressed or more frustrated. Drex even said he’d never seen Tatum so down before.

  She wanted to figure something to help him, but so far nothing came to mind. If she stopped over and offered her body, she feared he’d turn her down. He was not in a good place right now and she had to respect that.

  For now, she’d spend her evenings baking pies. Ever since the fair, her phone hadn’t stopped ringing. One of the more prominent families in town was having a big party this weekend and had ordered six pies. Baking that many was near to impossible in her small kitchen, but then she’d agreed to bake five more for three other families. In the end, she had to call her mom and ask if she could use her double ovens.

  “Of course, darling. You know I’d love to help.”

  While Ashley liked going solo, this time she’d welcome the extra hands. After work on Wednesday, she headed over to the ranch, laden with all the ingredients. She had to buy more pie plates as well, and nearly bought out the store’s supply of apples.

  Carrying four canvas tote bags full of groceries, she traipsed up the steps of her parents’ porch and had to knock, as she didn’t have any free hands to open the door.

  Her mom let her in. “Oh, my. Let me take some of those.”

  She followed her mom into the kitchen and they both set the bags on the large center island. “Thanks.”

  Her dad rumbled in. “Did I hear my daughter come in?” He grinned and gave her a bear hug. He nodded to the food. “So what’s all this?”

  “I won the best of show at the fair.”

  “Mmm.”

  She didn’t know why she expected a hint of praise. Her dad never was good at expressing himself—at least when it came to saying he was proud of her. “Yes, and now I’ve received orders for thirteen more pies.”

  “Thirteen, huh. How much are you charging for each one?”

  “Sixteen dollars a pie.”

  His gaze glanced to the side as if he was doing the math in his head. “How much does it cost you to make each one?”

  Her mom wagged a finger at him. “Richard. Stop it. Leave your daughter alone.”

  At least some things hadn’t changed around here, but Ashley didn’t need her mom to fight her battles. “I should clear about four dollars a pie.” She raised her chin. While that wasn’t a huge amount, she wanted people to think of her when they needed a quality dessert.

  He shook his head. “Should have finished school.” He spun on his heels and left.

  The hurt ran deep, but she didn’t think that even if she had taken and passed her Series 7 license, her father would have approved of what she did. It would have nice though for him to pretend as if she was capable of being successful. Someday, when she had her bakery, he’d waltz in, order a piece of pie, and announce that his daughter, Ashley Milosino, owned the shop.

  “Ashley?”

  She jerked her attention back to her mom. “Yeah. I’m good. How about you peel and cut the apples while I make the crust?”

  “I can do that.”

  For the next fifteen minutes, they both set about the given task. It was actually fun working together again. She wanted to talk to her mom about Drex being related to Henry Ford, but she’d promised she wouldn’t tell anyone. More than anyone else, Ashley understood that her mom couldn’t keep any kind of secret.

  “I heard you and the new deputy have hooked up.” Her mother shot her a sideways glance.

  “We have.” She waited to see if the gossip mill had paired her with Drex, too.

  “I heard something else.” Her voice took on that singsong tone that implied she knew a secret.

  “What’s that?”

  “That you’re sweet on the new garage mechanic.”

  There was no use denying it. “I am.”

  “Well, Dad and I think it’s wonderful. Have you three set the date?”

  Was she kidding? “Mom, we just started seeing each other.”

  “Your father and I knew it was right by the second date.”

  “I know.” She’d heard the story a hundred times.

  Her mom might have known Dad was the one for her because his family was quite wealthy. To be honest, she felt it in her bones that Drex and Tatum were the ones for her, too, but she didn’t want to get her hopes up in case Drex decided to move back to Portland.

  Ashley balanced two pies, one in each hand. “Can you open the ovens for me?”

  “Sure.”

  Ashley carefully placed her pies on the top wire rack of the first oven, and her mom picked up another two and placed them on the bottom rack. They repeated, by placing four more pies in the second oven. They then sat at the island to wait.

  “You know,” her mom said, “we’d be very happy if you settled down with those two men.”

  “Really? I thought Dad wanted me to find a rich man. Wasn’t that why Dad wanted me to work at Bresson Investments?”

  “Your daddy can be full of crap sometimes.”

  “Mom!” Her mother never said anything that wasn’t flattering about her father.

  “We just want you settled.”

  Ashley wished she could decipher what she was implying. Did they think she couldn’t do better? If they knew who Drex really was, she wondered what their opinion would be.

  * * * *

  The pies hadn’t cooled until close to eleven, and by the time Ashley made it home, took a shower, and dropped into bed, her alarm sounded. “Ugh.”

  The only plus to it being Thursday was that she could celebrate the upcoming weekend with her girlfriends. It seemed a lifetime ago since she’d seen them.

  Not wanting to arrive late to work, she quickly ate, and then dressed. To her surprise, she was the second one in. Too bad she had no pep left in any part of her body, and she hoped the customers wouldn’t notice.

  As soon as she booted up her computer, Drex leaned against the doorframe, his arms over his chest. “Miss me?”

  She needed the laugh. “Terribly. It’s been over fifteen hours since I’ve seen you.”

  He stepped into the office and looked behind him as if to check if anyone else had snuck in. Without a word, she pulled her to her feet and kissed her hard. Propriety told her to stop, but her body loved the feel of his hands on her back as well as the pressure of his hips against her body. He explored her mouth with a combination of desperation and tender passion. This new Drexel Ford was a complicated but wonderful man.

  The sound of the front door opening had them stepping apart. She giggled as she tucked in her shirt. It was Hammer, but he didn’t even look in the office as he went about his job. Darn. They’d broken the kiss for nothing.

  As excited as she was to see Drex, he was a constant reminder of Tatum. She hadn’t stopped worrying about him. “How’s Tatum’s mood? Any better?” She’d texted him when she was at her mom’s, but his short response told her he was still in pain.

  “Not much.” Drex leaned a hip on the desk and she took her seat. “I was thinking maybe the three of us could do something special this weekend. Something to cheer up the old boy.”

  She loved the idea. “Any thought as to what?” He knew Tatum better than she did.

  “I was thinking of whitewater rafting.”

  “Seriously?”

  He grinned. “You up for it?”

  She’d been rafting down the Colorado River one time and loved it. “Yes, but do you think Tatum would like it?”

  “Are you kidding? He loves adrenaline rushes. I’m thinking this might just be the thing to get him out of his funk.”

  “Then I say let’s do it!”

  Chapter Sixteen

  The more Ashley thought about going whitewater rafting with the men, the more excited she became. When Tatum had been on the horse, he kept saying how much he loved the outdoors. That was one reason why he’d become a deputy. He could ride around in his car and not be confined to an office.

  In a way, she was surprised that Drex had sugges
ted such an activity. He didn’t ride horses and he didn’t shoot guns. Sad to say, she didn’t even know if he was much of an athlete, though he certainly looked like one. Guess she’d find out on Saturday.

  They’d discussed where they wanted to put in, and driving the three hours to Royal Gorge Park, an hour southwest of Colorado Springs, seemed to be the best option. Drex said he’d take care of signing them up for the half-day tour. She’d wanted to ask how much it would cost, but from the way Drex was taking control, he wanted to pay for everything, too. Did it bother him that he was using funds earned when he worked for his dad? She doubted that if her father had given her a trust fund, she could dip her fingers in it.

  About an hour into the workday, a slew of cars arrived at the garage, and the whole shop seemed to be on high-energy work status. As soon as the men repaired the cars, she’d enter the data into the computer and call the owner to come pick up their vehicle. Most of the time the customers waited at Starbucks. If the repair occurred during lunchtime, they’d hit Crispy’s Pizza or Rocky Mountain Café. Having eating establishments nearby helped take the sting out of the wait.

  Before she knew it, six o’clock rolled around. She packed up, waved good-bye to Carl and Drex, and headed out for happy hour. Both she and Drex agreed that it was in their best interest if they didn’t act like they were a couple at work. It was hard to resist him, but she needed this job and she refused to do anything to put it in jeopardy.

  When she finally rushed into High View Bar and Grill, the girls were already there. Ashley waved to the waitress, mouthed she wanted a glass of wine, and plopped down across from Dani and Holly and in between Nikki and Summer. The girls seemed to be in a good mood, which was a nice change from being around Tatum.

  Nikki and Dani caught her up on the most recent cases, and she was glad to be working in an office. If she had to confront criminals, she wouldn’t sleep at night.