by Leah Brooke
Not about to let thoughts of leaving creep in and depress her, she set the papers aside and got up, going out to the garage to see what they were doing. A giggle escaped at the string of curses that poured out of Ryder. Curious, she moved closer, her brows going up at some of the more inventive cursing.
“Look at this thing. It’s a wonder she made it here at all.”
Alison paused, enjoying the view. Both men appeared to be preoccupied with tearing her truck into as many pieces as humanly possible, so many that she worried that it might not be ready in time for her to leave next week.
This looked as though it could get very expensive.
Ryder had the hood open and leaned inside, his jeans stretched over his tight ass and showing it off to perfection. His every movement sent a wave of longing through her and brought back the image of how his naked ass had looked this morning.
Dillon’s deep voice, as calm as always, came from under the truck, where he lay on one of those boards with wheels.
“She made it here. That’s all that matters.”
Working her way around another car sitting in the garage, she rubbed her arms, chilled now from the cool breeze blowing through the garage. They’d left one of the large doors open, but she didn’t bother looking outside, drawn to the sight of Dillon’s body, from the waist down, sticking out from under the truck.
Remembering the feel and taste of the thick cock, now hidden behind washed out denim, along with the rock hard thighs that had trembled beneath her hands made her shiver again as she took another step closer.
Apparently, Ryder didn’t feel the cold. He’d stripped out of his jacket, wearing only a black T-shirt that left the tattoos on his arms exposed and didn’t quite cover the large one that ran from his back over his shoulder to end part of the way down his arm. Even though she already knew what the bold lines of it looked like, she wanted to rip away his shirt to see the rest of it.
Wondering what he would do if she walked up to him and slid her hands over his ass, she stepped off to the side to watch the show. Listening as they talked about car parts, some she’d never even heard of before, she let her gaze slide from Ryder’s ass to Dillon’s belly and thighs, becoming more aroused by the minute.
Amused at herself, she continued to watch, smiling when their curses continued.
Ryder stilled. “Fuck me.” Tossing a wrench aside, he hung his head. “Someone tried to fix the damned engine with duct tape.”
“Here, too.” Dillon slid out from under the truck, pausing when he saw her. With a smile, he stood and used the rag from his pocket to wipe his hands. “Finished already?”
His once-pristine shirt now had streaks of grease and dirt all over it, somehow only emphasizing his masculine good looks.
Her breath caught when Ryder lifted his head and turned toward her, wiping a spot on his cheek and inadvertently smearing the spot of grease that was there. He’d tied his hair back, reminding her of the way he looked when he’d combed it back fresh out of the shower.
Remembering how gorgeous he’d looked wearing nothing but a towel made her nipples tighten, becoming drawn and needy for attention.
She couldn’t wait until tonight.
The knowledge that she would leave again soon—that she would be leaving such warm and welcoming people to face cruel and malicious ones—increased the cloud of anxiety hanging over her, and the ever-present knot in her stomach tightened again.
“Are you kidding? I cleaned what you call an office, and now I can start filing everything away. I wanted to know if you could tell me where I can buy a new cell phone around here. I wanted to take my lunch hour and—”
Dillon approached slowly, his smile growing when her stomach growled again. “Don’t overdo it. I don’t want you hurting your back or hip again. And since Ryder’s the one who broke your phone, he can go out tonight to get you a new one. In the meantime, we’re going to get some lunch.”
In the end, she finally talked them into letting her go to the diner to get lunch, insisting that she wanted to get outside a little after being inside all morning and that she really wanted to see a little more of the town.
After sharing a look, they’d both nodded and given her their lunch orders.
After retrieving her jacket, she enjoyed the brisk walk to the diner, taking in several of the stores she hadn’t noticed when she’d walked before. She’d been too upset from Danny’s phone call to pay much attention.
Delicious smells drew her the closer she got to the diner, and with her stomach rumbling, she hurried inside. The number of people in the diner didn’t surprise her. She’d grown up in a small town, after all.
The number of people who called out her name in greeting, however, did.
Gracie, the older woman who owned the place with her three husbands, wiped her hands on the apron tied around her plump waist, smiling broadly. “Alison, it’s good to see you again. Three lunch specials?”
The mouthwatering smells coming from the kitchen had Alison’s stomach growling with renewed vigor. Looking around at the other diners’ plates, she could see that most of them had ordered the lunch special.
Meatloaf.
The plates also held fluffy mashed potatoes drowned in brown gravy and a huge helping of buttery corn.
Thinking of the large breakfast she’d eaten that morning, Alison looked away from the enticing food and met Gracie’s eyes again, shaking her head with regret. “Dillon and Ryder each want the lunch special, but I’ll just have a salad.”
One of Gracie’s husbands, Garrett, stuck his head out from the kitchen, his eyes narrowed in displeasure. “Just a salad? Dillon won’t like that.”
Defensive now, Alison snapped back. “I don’t care if Dillon likes it or not.”
She would have laughed at the look of shock on Garrett’s face if she hadn’t been so embarrassed at her rudeness.
Gracie did laugh, turning to wag her finger at her husband. “Dillon and Ryder are going to learn they’re not in charge, just like every other man in this town.”
Garrett grumbled something under his breath about women being spanked more often and went back into the kitchen, leaving Gracie grinning at Alison.
“They all like to think they’re in charge and hate to be reminded when they’re not.” Leaning on the counter, Gracie nodded and waved a hand to acknowledge an order for pie, never taking her eyes from Alison.
“You don’t like my husbands’ cooking?”
Scared of offending the sweet, older woman, Alison grinned. “I love your husbands’ cooking, but if I keep eating it, I’m going to be even heavier than I am. I just lost some weight, and I don’t want it back.”
Straightening, Gracie put her hands on her hips, her eyes hardening. “Did either one of them say you should go on a diet?”
Gracie’s anger on her behalf gave her a warm fuzzy, making her smile.
“No, if anything, it’s the opposite. They’re always trying to get me to eat more.”
Lowering her voice to a whisper, she leaned over the counter closer to the older woman. “I’m tired of being told what to eat and what not to eat. I want a salad, and that’s what I’m having. If they give me a hard time about it, I just won’t eat with them anymore.”
Shrugging, she straightened, the blanket of depression weighing her down again. “I won’t be around long enough for it to matter one way or another.”
Gracie refilled iced-tea glasses and cut pie before retrieving the coffeepot. Starting at one end, she made her way down the counter refilling coffee.
“You don’t like our town?”
The scrape of forks on plates and noises coming from the kitchen suddenly seemed much louder as all conversation in the diner stopped.
Shrugging, Alison pulled a napkin from one of the dispensers on the counter for something to do with her hands.
“I have to leave again next week. I have some things to take care of before I can start a new life somewhere.”
Used to small town liv
ing, Alison wasn’t surprised at all when one of the other diners chimed in from the end of the counter.
Clay Erickson, one of Jesse’s husbands, set his coffee down and turned on his stool, leaning back against the wall.
“Do Dillon and Ryder know about this?”
Lifting her chin, she met his dark eyes. “Yes.”
“They know you’re leaving?”
“Of course.”
“Didn’t you just start working at the garage?”
Alison sighed, wishing she could tell him to mind his own business, but didn’t want to offend Dillon and Ryder’s friend after snapping at Gracie’s husband. “Yes, but they know it’s only temporary.”
“Do they know why you have to leave town?”
Looking down, Alison grimaced when she saw she’d ripped the napkin to shreds. Gathering the pieces, she straightened, backing away from the counter, hoping he would take the hint.
“It’s none of anyone’s business.”
His brother, and Jesse’s other husband, Rio, grinned and looked over at Clay. “When Jesse came to town, she was only staying for a week, too.”
Uncomfortable with where this conversation was going, Alison smiled gratefully when Garrett placed the bag of food on the counter.
“Tell Dillon I put it on his tab.”
A man she didn’t recognize smiled faintly into his coffee. “If anyone’s got problems with their vehicles, I suggest you get ’em fixed now. Looks like Dillon and Ryder are gonna be busy for awhile.”
Gracie flashed a mischievous grin, but her eyes remained laced with understanding and concern. “Just you wait, Hunter. One day some woman is gonna turn your world upside down, just like the rest of them.”
Thanking Gracie, Alison turned away, crossing the restaurant and opening the door before she heard him reply.
“Never.”
The bitterness in his tone made her pause. She almost turned around, but realized that she had no business meddling in other people’s affairs, especially since she didn’t want to answer any questions about herself.
Closing the door behind her, she started back to the garage, wondering, not for the first time, if she would have stayed in this town if she’d had the chance to do so.
Mentally shrugging, she continued on her way, glancing across the street in time to see Erin coming out of Preston Furniture.
Happy to see someone she knew, she waved, smiling when Erin enthusiastically waved back.
When Erin dropped her arm, her smile falling, Alison realized Erin must have thought she was somebody else.
Feeling stupid, Alison dropped her arm and turned away, intent on getting back to the garage. Staring straight ahead, she tried not to be hurt, but memories of the way she’d been treated in her own hometown haunted her and made it impossible.
She blinked back tears, determined not to let either Dillon or Ryder see them.
Without any warning, someone grabbed her arm on the other side, pulling her so hard that the bag of food fell to the ground. She cried out, struggling to remain on her feet as she was pulled around to the side of the building.
“You fucking bitch.”
Danny.
Gathering her wits, she pulled back, wincing when it pulled the muscles in her back. She thought she heard a scream but couldn’t be sure, too intent on fighting Danny off.
“Danny? What the hell are you doing here? Let. Go. Of. Me!”
She kicked at him, trying to break free, crying out again when he backhanded her. If not for the hold he had on her arm, she would have gone flying.
Instead, he held her, grabbing her other arm and lifting her to her toes. He started shaking her, and she grabbed onto him, automatically trying to lessen the pull to her back.
What she once thought of as handsome features contorted in rage as he shook her. “You even think about showing up and testifying against me, I’m going to kill you, you hear me? I’m not going to jail because of you.”
His strength surprised her, his rage making him stronger than she’d remembered. His dark eyes that she’d used to love so much shone nearly black with anger.
She still found it hard to believe that a man who claimed to love her, who’d held her in his arms, could ever do something like this to her. Her shock cost her several precious seconds, seconds he used to get a better hold.
With his hand in her hair, he pulled her head back painfully, the sharp tug and backbreaking position bringing tears to her eyes.
“This is all your fault, remember? Why don’t you stay here fucking the two men who’ve taken pity on you and stay the fuck out of my life? I’ve got a paper with me that says that everything you said is a lie. You’re gonna sign it right now, you understand me?”
He shook her again, sending a searing across her lower back.
“You understand me, you bitch?”
He shoved a paper in her face. “You sign this right now, bitch, or I swear I’ll break your fucking neck.”
In a move so fast she didn’t see it, an arm shot out, a large hand circling Danny’s neck and using it to pin him against the brick wall behind him.
Alison slid her gaze sideways, recognizing Erin’s husband, Jared, from outside the club after the fire.
Jared kept his attention on Danny, his eyes glittering like ice.
“I don’t think so, hotshot. Let go of her right now or I’ll break your neck.”
Seeing the fury on Danny’s face, she choked back sobs as the hand in her hair tightened, pulling her head back even further. The pain in her scalp was nothing compared to the pain in her back, both bringing tears to her eyes.
Feeling a hard body press against her back, she whimpered again, crying out when Danny’s hold went slack and she folded, her legs unable to support her.
Caught from behind, she closed her eyes, having no choice but to let whoever stood behind her take her weight.
Picking her up, he carried her out from between the two buildings and lowered her to a set of nearby stairs. “You’re okay, honey. Just be still for a minute. He can’t hurt you anymore.”
Alison opened her eyes to find a man she’d never seen before crouched in front of her and Erin sitting next to her on the step. She winced at the sound of fists pounding flesh and tried to turn to look, but her back protested.
Erin touched her arm. “Are you okay? Who is that man? Do you know him? Where are you hurt? Reese, do something.”
The man in front of her shook his head, smiling indulgently. “Honey, give her a chance to talk, and don’t you even think about getting up. Jared’s got him. Call Ace, then call Dillon and Ryder.”
As Erin spoke into the phone beside her, Alison looked up into Reese’s face. “Thank you. I don’t know what he’s doing here. He surprised me. I dropped the food. He wanted me to sign a paper.”
Reese nodded, smiling tenderly. “I know, honey. Erin saw the whole thing and yelled for us. Jared and I had just run out of the store when we saw him backhand you.”
He pushed her hair back, wincing. “Looks like you’re going to have a shiner. Mom, can you get me a cold towel, please?”
A voice filled with feminine outrage came from behind her. “Of course. I hope Jared beats the hell out of him. He really hit her? Son of a bitch. Oh, hell, your fathers are going over there. Erin, you’d better get Ace in a hurry. I’ll be right back with that cloth.”
Erin disconnected from the call. “Linc will be here in a few minutes. What’s the number of the garage?”
As Reese rattled it off, Erin punched in numbers again, standing and moving away from them.
Alison shook her head. “I wish you didn’t have to call Dillon and Ryder, but I’m afraid I’m going to need their help.” Now that the adrenaline had started to ease, the pain in her back made itself known with a vengeance. Holding on to the smooth wooden spindle on the railing she leaned against, Alison held herself as still as possible.
“I’m in front of the market. Your family owns this?”
Reese fr
owned, running his hands over her arms and turning her face from side to side, staring intently into her eyes. “Yes. Alison, do you know who that man is?”
“Danny Peller, my ex-boyfriend.” Frowning, she glanced up as Erin returned. “I don’t know how he found me.”
She jolted as a police car screeched to a halt on the street in front of her, gasping at the pain that shot through her back.
A tall man with short, blond hair and dressed in the same kind of khaki uniform the sheriff wore strode straight toward her. “Is she okay?”
Reese nodded, glancing toward where Danny stood cursing at Jared. “I think she’s just shaken and sore. I’ve got her while you deal with him.”
The deputy nodded and moved away, just as the sound of running feet came closer and closer.
Reese stood and reached for her, wrapping his hands around her upper arms and attempting to lift her. “Come on, honey. I’ll help you—”
“No!” Alison closed her eyes against the pain, gripping the railing tighter. “Please don’t touch me. Don’t move me. Don’t move me. I need Dillon. Please, I need Dillon. Don’t move me. Please, don’t move me.”
“I’m here, baby.”
She opened her eyes to find Dillon crouching down in front of her, his eyes filled with anguish. “I’m here. Thanks, Isabel.”
Dillon’s eyes flared with rage, but his touch was gentle as he placed the cold cloth on her cheek. “Thanks, Reese. Thanks, Erin, for calling. Christ, I never should have let her come alone. Just stay still, baby. I know where it hurts. Just relax, lean against me and let me help you.”
A sob broke free at the enormous sense of relief she experienced now that Dillon was here. Carefully lowering her upper body against his, she slumped, holding on to his shoulders and trapping the wet cloth between them as his fingers began to knead the exact spot that had knotted up and kept her in such pain.
“Oh, Dillon. I’m sorry to be so much trouble. I don’t know how he found me.”
* * * *
In his entire life, Ryder had never experienced the white-hot fury he did in that moment.