by Stormy Glenn
“No.” Billy shook his head.
“Then I don’t see a problem.”
“Billy, you can’t do this!” Rourke snapped. “Think. You know what will happen if you go home.”
Billy nodded. He did know what would happen, but he couldn’t let anything happen to Rourke. He’d spent too many years trying to protect the man, and he couldn’t stop now. It was kind of ingrained in him.
Billy bit his lip then turned to look up at the people standing on the porch. “Would you hold him? He’s going to get upset, and I don’t want to see him get hurt.”
Da, Ma, and all of the Blaecleah brothers nodded. Billy turned back to see Rourke glaring at him. He fidgeted, tugging on the hem of the shirt he’d borrowed from Rourke and watched as Lachlan, Quaid, and Seamus all stepped down from the porch and walked over to surround Rourke. Billy waited until they had a good hold of Rourke’s arms before walking over to stand in front of him.
“I’m sorry,” Billy whispered.
“Baby, don’t do this.”
“I have to.” Billy smiled through the tears he could feel beginning to glisten in his eyes. He reached up and cradled the side of Rourke’s face in his hand. “You were always my special someone.”
Chapter 10
Rourke watched with dumbfounded disbelief as Billy walked away with his father and climbed into the back of the man’s truck. He could see the fear on Billy’s face as he sat in the bed of the truck as it drove away. He knew where Billy was headed just as much as Billy did, and he didn’t know why no one had stopped the man.
The moment he felt the hands holding him loosen, Rourke yanked away from his brothers. He pressed his lips together to keep from shouting at his family and held his hands out to the sheriff, waiting for the man to take the handcuffs off.
Once they were off and the sheriff had stepped back, Rourke turned to glare at each member of his family. He didn’t leave the sheriff out of his intense, angry stare either. He blamed each and every one of them for putting Billy in danger.
“What is wrong with all of you?” he asked, his tone low and menacing. “You know what will happen to Billy when Clem gets a hold of him. How could you let Billy leave?”
“Billy made his choice, Rourke,” Da said. “You have to respect it.”
“That wasn’t a choice,” Rourke shouted as he waved his hand toward the driveway. “That was sheer and utter terror.”
“Rourke—”
“You know what Clem did to him the last time.” Rourke clenched his fists as more anger filled him, along with a healthy dose of fear for Billy. “Billy will be lucky to walk away with his life this time.”
“Rourke, what are you talking about?” the sheriff asked.
Rourke swung around to glare at the man. He held him just as responsible as his family. “I didn’t beat Billy. Clem did. He’s been doing it for years.”
“Then why didn’t he say something to me?”
“Because he’s scared,” Rourke said. “The one time he tried to report things to Sheriff Miller, the man laughed at Billy and sent him home, where he received another beating for telling what Clem had done to him. He has no reason to trust you.”
Sheriff Riley grimaced. “Yes, that does kind of make sense. I’ve only been in office for a few months, but already I’ve had a lot of reports of Sheriff Miller’s activities. He seems to have his own brand of justice.”
“He should have protected Billy.”
“That’s assuming he knew exactly what was going on with Billy. I’m still not sure.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Rourke snapped. “He should have at least investigated it when Billy reported what Clem was doing.”
“You have to admit that Billy has somewhat of a reputation, Rourke. Sheriff Miller might not have believed him.”
“And that’s supposed to make a difference?” Rourke rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. His muscles were so tense they ached. He couldn’t stop thinking about what Billy might be going through. “Billy needed help, and no one listened to him.”
“That still doesn’t explain the handcuffs, Rourke.”
Rourke rolled his eyes. “So, I’m kinky and like to play around with handcuffs. Sue me.”
“You’re saying that Billy willingly let you handcuff him?”
“Yes, and Billy would tell you the same thing if he were standing here. He tried to tell you when he was here, and you wouldn’t listen to him.”
“And the marks on his back?” the sheriff asked. “Was that part of your play, too?”
“No.” Rourke chuckled sadly. “I told you, that was all Clem.”
“Clem?”
“A few nights ago, Billy showed up here all beat up. Clem had whipped Billy until he was nothing but a bloody mess. Billy’s been here ever since.”
“Didn’t he leave a note on your windshield, Rourke?” Seamus asked.
“Yeah.” Rourke took off running, leaping up the steps and into the house. He ran into his bedroom and started searching for the note. By the time he found it sitting on the floor just under the edge of his bed, the room looked like a tornado had ripped through it. Rourke didn’t care. He grabbed the note and ran back outside.
Jumping down the steps, Rourke held the note out to the sheriff. “The night Billy got here he was putting this under my windshield wiper.”
“Beware of Clem. He means you harm,” the sheriff read out loud then looked up at Rourke. “He left this on your windshield?”
Rourke nodded.
“Did he say why?”
“From what I understand, Billy has been protecting me for years.”
“Protecting you?”
“Clem hates me and my entire family. He’s hated us for years. Billy tried to keep Clem from hurting us.”
“How?”
Rourke frowned. “Billy has been giving Clem someone else to train his anger on, himself.”
“Damn it, Rourke.” The sheriff clenched his hand around the note and glanced around. “Do you know what you’re saying?”
“Yes, I’m saying that all of you let Billy walk out of here and sent him into hell.”
“I didn’t have any other choice, Rourke. Billy is an adult. If he wanted to leave, I had to let him.”
Rourke felt like stomping his foot in frustration. No one seemed to be getting the danger Billy was in. “What part of this aren’t you getting? Billy didn’t want to leave. He thought he was protecting me, and Billy would do anything to protect me.”
“From who?” the sheriff asked. “Clem wasn’t even here. Hell, none of my deputies can even find the man. Who was Billy protecting you from?”
“You might not be able to find him, but Clem is around somewhere. He’s obsessed with Billy. He won’t go far.”
“Obsessed?”
Rourke sighed. “The night Clem whipped Billy, he did it because he saw us kiss. Later, Clem attacked us in the woods and tried to strangle Billy. He kept going on about Billy belonging to him.”
“He tried to kill Billy?” the sheriff asked. “Why didn’t you call me and report it?”
“It’s only been a couple of days, sheriff,” Da said as he walked down the steps and over to stand next to Rourke. “We were going to call you, but it seemed more important to give Billy time to heal. He was in pretty bad shape.”
“You should have called me.” The sheriff folded the note up and slid it into his pocket. “I can’t very well protect the citizens of this town if I don’t know they are in danger.”
“Well, now you know Billy is in danger,” Rourke snapped as he started toward the sheriff’s vehicle. “Let’s go protect him.”
“Uh, Rourke,” Lachlan said. Rourke looked over to see his brother stiffen and point. “I think it’s too late for that.”
Rourke whipped around to see what Lachlan was talking about and nearly collapsed on the ground as fear filled every cell in his body. Billy was running through the field between the ranch and the woods like his life depended on it.
And it might. Clem was chasing after Billy as fast as he could. Rourke took off running. He could hear people shouting behind him, but all he cared about was reaching Billy. His heart stuttered in his chest when he saw Clem raise a gun in his hand and a loud bang filled the air.
Billy went down, his body hidden by the tall grass. Rourke tried to run faster, to reach Billy before Clem did. Loud shouts and the sound of feet pounding on the ground were drowned out by the pounding in Rourke’s head as Billy suddenly jumped up and started running again.
“Billy!” Rourke yelled as loud as he could as he ran.
Billy’s head came up and looked in his direction. Even with the distance between them, Rourke could see the relief on Billy’s face as the man altered his path and started running toward him.
Rourke didn’t stop running until Billy barreled into him. He wrapped his arm around Billy and, in one move, turned them both and started running back the way he came. He kept his arm around Billy’s waist, helping him along and trying to put himself between Billy and Clem.
Rourke could hear Clem firing his gun. One bullet whizzed so close to his head that he felt the disturbance in the air as it passed. Rourke was terrified that Billy would be hit, but he just kept running, pushing Billy ahead of him.
“Get down!” the sheriff shouted.
Rourke dropped to the ground immediately, taking Billy with him. He heard Billy grunt as they hit the ground but didn’t have time to stop and ask if he was okay. Instead, he moved up and covered Billy’s body with his own.
Shots fired over his head, making Rourke’s ears ring. He closed his eyes and held on to Billy, burying his face in the man’s hair as he prayed the sheriff’s aim was better than Clem’s.
“Love you, baby,” he whispered into Billy’s ear. If they were going to die, he wanted his words to be the last Billy ever heard.
Billy turned his head and looked back over his shoulder. Rourke could see the fear in Billy’s deep blue eyes. They both knew the danger they were in. Still, a small smile moved over Billy’s lips.
“Love you, Rourke,” he murmured, “always have, always will.”
Billy’s body jerked when a sudden loud shot rang out overhead. Rourke tightened his arms around the man and hunched over him a little more, trying to make sure that his body covered all of Billy’s.
Rourke cringed when he heard a soft sob come from the man beneath him. Billy was terrified. If Rourke didn’t feel the need to protect Billy he would jump up and confront Clem, tear the man limb from limb for what he was doing to the man he loved.
“Rourke, you can get up now.”
Rourke glanced over his shoulder to see his Da standing over the top of him. Lachlan and Seamus stood right behind him. “Clem?”
Da gestured behind Rourke. “The sheriff shot him. I don’t think he’s dead, but he is wounded.”
Rourke pushed himself up a little and looked behind him. Sure enough, the sheriff was handcuffing Clem’s hands behind his back. Clem was on his feet, but a stain of red was blooming across his shoulder.
Rourke slowly climbed to his feet then reached back down for Billy. “It’s safe to get up now, baby. The sheriff has your brother in custody.”
Billy’s hand trembled as he laid it in Rourke’s and stood to his feet. His face was pale and smeared with dirt, and Rourke didn’t think he ever looked better. He was alive, and that was all that mattered to Rourke.
Billy immediately moved into the curve of Rourke’s body. Rourke wrapped both arms around Billy and pulled him as close as two people could get without being in the same skin. He planted kiss after kiss on the top of Billy’s head.
“Damn, baby,” Rourke whispered. “I thought I’d lost you.”
“I thought you had, too,” Billy replied. “Clem was waiting for us at the end of the driveway.”
“He was waiting for you?”
Billy nodded. “My father stopped the truck at the end of the driveway and Clem got in. The truck started moving again before I could escape, so I had to wait until my father slowed down to turn into the driveway. I jumped out of the back, but Clem saw me and started after me.”
“So, you came here?”
Billy was smiling by the time he tilted his head back. “I knew you’d be waiting for me.”
“Actually.” Rourke chuckled. “I was chewing everyone out for letting you leave.”
“Well, that was stupid. I had to leave.”
“No.” Rourke shook his head. “You didn’t.”
“The sheriff was going to arrest you. I couldn’t let that happen.”
“Baby, he just wanted to question me. We could have worked this all out by simply talking with him down at the sheriff’s office.”
“Yeah, I don’t think so. Once you’re in handcuffs, it’s hard to get out of them.”
“You don’t seem to mind.”
Rourke laughed and hugged Billy as the man’s face flushed red. The sheriff was leading the handcuffed and injured Clem to his police car. Billy was safe, his family was safe, and the danger was being locked away. Rourke felt almost giddy with relief.
“Rourke,” the sheriff called out, “I’m going to need a statement from you and Billy.”
Billy groaned and buried his face in Rourke’s shirt.
“Come on, baby, let’s go talk with the sheriff, and then we can talk about reasons why you shouldn’t leave.”
“I didn’t want to leave, Rourke. I had to.” Billy’s head came up, and his hands started rubbing against Rourke’s chest. “I had to keep you safe.”
Rourke wanted to growl in frustration and shout with joy all at the same time. Billy was so protective of him, and Rourke loved that about the man, but he was protective at his own expense. And Rourke couldn’t allow that.
“Baby,” Rourke began as he stroked his hand down the side of Billy’s face, “there are other ways to keep me safe, to keep us both safe. You don’t always have to put yourself in danger.”
“I don’t know…” Billy shrugged. “I don’t know any other way to do it.”
The corner of Rourke’s mouth curved up. “Then we’ll just have to teach you. We can start by going to talk to the sheriff. He’s not like Sheriff Miller, baby. Riley will listen to you. He believes that you’re a good guy, and so do I.”
“Really?”
“I do.” Rourke wrapped his arm around Billy’s waist and began leading him toward the sheriff. He could see his family standing around at the bottom of the porch steps, talking. After being shot at, it felt good to see them all standing there safe.
“Billy, son, would you like some tea?” Ma asked the moment they stepped up to the small group of people. “I think this occasion calls for some tea.”
“That would be wonderful, Mrs. Blaecleah.”
Rourke saw a lot of food in their future.
“Ma.” Ma shook her finger at Billy. “If you plan on sticking around here, you’d better start calling me Ma.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Rourke chuckled at the near panicked look on Billy’s face. Billy learned quickly though. “Billy and I will come inside for that tea in just a few minutes, Ma. We need to talk to the sheriff first.”
“That’s fine. You just see that that young man of yours doesn’t stay out here too long. He’s still healing from his injuries. He needs his rest.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Rourke smiled as he watched his ma walk up the steps and into the house. He knew Billy still needed rest, and he had every intention of getting the man back into bed as soon as he could. The rest would come after that, long after that.
“Billy, I need to ask you some questions, and you may find them hard to answer, but it’s important that you’re truthful with me.”
Rourke tensed at his Da’s words. He pulled Billy back into the curve of his body, protecting him as best as he could.
“As much as it pains me to say so, we know your brother is a danger to you.”
“Yes, sir,” Billy murmured.
“I can’t allow him here anymore, Billy. I can’t let him hurt you or my sons anymore. Do you understand that?”
Billy’s body stiffened for a moment then sort of slumped against Rourke. “Do you want me to leave?”
“Oh, no, son, that’s not what I mean at all,” Da said quickly. “We told you that you were always welcome here, and that still holds true. I just want you to understand that I can’t allow Clem to continue to hurt you or my sons anymore. It has to stop, Billy. And I believe you’re the only one that can do it.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“You need to press charges against Clem for what he did to you, Billy. It should never have happened in the first place, but it did, and now it’s time to stop it. Clem doesn’t have the right to hurt you.”
“I know. I just…”
“Billy,” Rourke said, “Da is right. It’s time that this stopped. I’m sorry you’re being put in a position where you have to go against your brother but—”
“I could care less about that,” Billy said. “Clem hasn’t been a brother to me in years. I just don’t want anything I do coming back on any of you. Clem can hold a grudge for a very long time.”
“What about your father, Billy?” Da asked. “Does he hold a grudge as well?”
“I don’t know. If you had asked me that this morning before he arrived with the sheriff, I would have said no. My father has never really cared what I did as long as I stayed out of his hair. But now, I just don’t know.”
“Fair enough,” Da said.
“I think you need to mention that to the sheriff as well, baby.”
“I heard, Rourke.”
Rourke turned to see the sheriff standing behind him. He nodded at the man. “What do we need to do to keep Billy safe from his family?”
“I’m not sure there is much I can do about Ira. Besides making false accusations, he hasn’t done anything wrong.”
“He’s allowed Clem to beat on Billy,” Rourke growled.
“Not something that can really be proven in a court of law, Rourke, no matter how much we may wish otherwise. We can take out a restraining order barring Ira from your property, but unless we have actual proof that he even knew what was happening to Billy, my hands are tied.”