by Ally Prince
“Walk away, son,” he said as I approached, and fuck if it wasn’t the hardest thing I’d ever had to do.
Logan dragged me to take a seat next to Lucy, her small hand found mine, and I let her hold it. Logan glared, so I flipped him off.
“She’s a fighter, Mason, she’ll be fine.” Luce was trying to cheer me up, but it sat heavy in my stomach.
“She shouldn’t have to be a fighter.” Hadn’t she been through enough? The girl needed a break. No, what she needed was to move in with me where I could watch over her twenty-four-seven and she wouldn’t do anything to put herself at risk again. Jesus, it was stressful. My knee bounced, and I chewed on the inside of my cheek as people watched. That jackass was shooting me some glares but he could get fucked.
“Anderson.”
I stood as fast as possible, reefing poor Luce from her chair. I looked down at where I was still squeezing the hell out of her and let her go. “Shit. Sorry.” I felt horrible when I noticed how red her hand was but she smiled as she pushed me toward the doctor.
“That’s us,” Logan offered as we moved to the side of the room with absolutely no privacy.
“Family?” Logan, Lucy and I all nodded. “Blood relative?”
Before they could answer, I pointed it all out for him. “Brother,” I pointed at Logan. “Sister in law,” I nudged Lucy. “Husband,” I pointed to myself. I didn’t turn to see the look on Logan’s face. We’d sort that out later. Whether or not he liked it, I would be Penny’s husband.
“Right, okay, follow me.”
Lucy chuckled as Logan mumbled and shot me side eyes the whole way down to sterile white hall. We followed him through a door and stopped a few beds in.
“She needs surgery but the swelling has to go down before that’s possible. The breaks are clean, no fragments we can see but it’s extensive. It appears Penny has broken this arm before?” He looked at me and I frowned. I couldn’t remember her getting a cast on as a kid. I shot a look at Logan but he was shaking his head. “It’s reasonably new. Maybe a year or two old.” My stomach sank, and I shoved my hands in my pockets to prevent myself from punching something.
“Yeah, possibly last Christmas.”
Logan cleared his throat, but right now I needed to hear she would be okay.
“Right. The new injury may impact more significantly on her. With the damage to the surrounding tissue, ligaments and muscles, I think recovery will be very different this time around. She’s on some reasonable strength painkillers but you can see her for a short time. I will check on her again tomorrow and set a time for surgery. The sooner the better.” He didn’t stick around to see if we understood, he simply nodded and left us there staring at the curtain.
“When did she break her arm?” There was a low quality to Logan’s voice.
“Now isn’t the time.”
“When is? Because between her and you no one tells me shit. I know something happened to her, Mason. I’m her brother, I need to know.” I looked to the ceiling to gather up patience.
“You will, just not now. I don’t know about you, but I want to see her.” I could tell I hit a nerve but I couldn’t have cared less. Moving the thin curtain aside, I had to take a deep breath. It must have been the fluorescents because Penny looked ghastly white. Her eyes shadowed a slight graze on her cheek, a drip in her arm. And her other arm was out of sight under some tent-like contraption.
I moved to her head, wiping her hair away. Leaning forward, I pressed a kiss to her forehead, and just let my lips rest there. I made a vow to never let anyone or anything hurt her again. I would track down the guy who was threatening her and I would do something about it.
This ended now, I was not losing Penny.
Chapter 10
Penny
I smiled at Mrs. Duffield. She now held my position at Wimberly, she taught my kids. Ugh, this sucked more than I thought possible. My contract expired in January, I wouldn’t be able to work for eight weeks. How would I pay my bills? I’d have to suck up to Logan. That’s if he ever decided to talk to me again.
“Take your time getting what you need,” the older lady said as she passed Mason at the door to what was my classroom.
My arm hurt like a bitch. I ended up with two proximal humerus breaks that sat badly and needed to be pinned so my arm would heal. When I previously broke my forearm... no, when Brian had broken my forearm, the pain seemed bearable. Mason had hovered over my every move. He didn’t let me out of his sight and if he left me, his mom hovered. She gave me space, though. She let me cry, think, and scream.
Anger welled inside me, not sure if it was because of the shitty situation I’d found myself in or if it was just because I had no idea what to do now. I hoped my position at the school would lead to more, but that looked doubtful. Sitting at home and doing nothing did not appeal to me.
I spun in a slow circle taking in the space that had already changed and sagged a little.
“What do I need to grab?” Mason approached from behind and slipped his arms around my waist. His chin resting on my good shoulder.
“A few books. Some art supplies and stationery.” I really hadn’t had much of a chance to put all my touches on this place yet. We worked as a team, I pointed and Mason packed. I wondered if I’d ever use them again.
“This is not the end, Pen. Let yourself heal and apply for next year. You never know what will pop up.” Damn him for being the voice of reason. Maybe I could blame the painkillers for being dramatic and overreacting. “Let me take this box to the truck. I will be back in five. Don’t lift a thing.” Mason shot me that look he perfected over the last week. I wanted to mess with him but I didn’t have the energy. When I was feeling better, he would pay for being a bossy jerk. Who knew being in pain took so much freaking energy?
I mock saluted him and he shot me a glare but I smiled in return. Walking over to the window I looked out over the front of the school. I’d been lucky to snag this position and the likelihood of anything else popping up was slim. I knew that.
My cell rang from my pocket and I slipped it out. Logan’s name was on the screen. I was so tempted to ignore him but we needed to talk, eventually.
“Hey,” I answered, and he sighed down the line. We were both silent for a few moments. I could hear him breathing and knew he was stewing. “Just ask?”
“How could you not tell me?” His tone accusatory. “How am I supposed to look after you when you don’t tell me you’re in trouble?” Again with the same tone. It was my turn to sigh.
When I left, I wanted a fresh start. I was moving away from everything I thought held me back. I knew next to no one on campus. That meant no one looked at me with sad eyes or pointed and whispered at me because I had lost my parents. No one knew me, and I wanted to make the most of that and a fresh start. I guess that Anderson strength had a weak spot.
Brian obviously saw a target and he moved in. At first, I liked the attention. Only Mason had ever given me that sort of attention. He came across as sweet and nice and even loving. Ugh, I hoped the fucking asshole rotted in hell.
“Can we not do this on the phone?” I pleaded. Even though I would love to avoid his hard stare and the look he would no doubt give me that made me feel like a complete idiot, this didn’t feel right. “I’m okay now. I have Mason.”
Who would have thought?
“We need to take about that, too.”
“Shut it, Logan,” I snapped. “Mason makes me happy, deal with it. Move on, but if I find out you hit him, I will convince Lucy not to put out for a week. A whole fucking week of blue balls, Logan.” I chuckled because I could so get her to do it too. Logan would beg for mercy. Jerk.
“Why the fuck do women stick together. Evil I tell you. Come over for dinner, bring fuckwit if you have to.” With that Logan hung up but his tone held laughter, and I felt a little more at ease even if our brief conversation didn’t cover anything meaningful.
“You have everything?” I turned coming face to face with Mr. M
arino, the principal.
“Yeah. I’m just waiting for Mason to come grab the rest.” I nodded to the box on the desk.
“I’ll carry it out.” He stepped forward and then stopped. “Not that I want to get rid of you, Penny. You’re a great teacher but the kids, especially young ones, they need routine and at the moment that isn’t possible. But don’t think we will forget about you. Are you staying in the area?” I smiled as he moved to grab the box of books.
“Yeah, I am.” That wasn’t a decision I’d made, Mason may have withheld an orgasm to get that unwillingly out of me, but once again it felt right.
“Good, good. I will keep you on file then and be in touch when something pops up.” He held open the main door for me, and we stepped out into the sunshine only to jerk our heads to the parking lot and the sound of a scream.
“Crap,” Mr. Marino mumbled jogging down the stairs as he headed in the direction of the parking lot. I stepped carefully, not wanting to trip, and followed on behind.
I rounded the corner and wanted to scream in frustration.
Mason needed to calm the hell down.
Liam was harmless, wasn’t he?
Mason
The reality of giving up her job devastated Penny, my heart hurt for her. I’d found a massive positive, though. She could be mine twenty-four-seven. This last week even though she had her injury I had Penny in my house. She shared my space, my shower, my kitchen. After the accident calming down took longer than I thought, but when I did, I understood Penny would be fine, eventually. Seeing Penny splayed out on the floor for the briefest moment, I thought that might have been the last time I’d see her. I wanted to find Rove and his rich father, who shipped him out of state, and I wanted to do them harm so I had to reign myself in.
I understood something now, though. Penny said she left me in the hospital because it hurt to be around me. While it sounds like a shitty thing to do, it was a necessity because Penny wasn’t ready to face what we had. This all-consuming feeling of helplessness landed on me from the moment I called her and seemed so overpowering and maddening that I now understood.
I would do anything to protect Penny, and the fact was that now I had failed her—twice. That sat like a bale of hay on my heart.
When Penny faced losing someone she loved, someone being ripped from her hands once again, she thought maybe she was better off without me, so she would never feel that pain again.
I now know for certain, not that I had questioned it, that Penny was it for me. I would never let her down again, and I would make sure she felt safe with me always.
Seeing her look around her classroom with glassy eyes as she struggled to hold back her emotions was difficult to watch. She wanted this job, I knew she’d be a brilliant teacher, her journey didn’t end there, we were just taking a detour.
The box of books in my hand made me smile as I pictured Penny reading them to our kids. Jesus, I stopped walking and just stared down at the one with the brown bear on the front. I wanted that so much, but I also understood that Penny might want her career more. Shit. Being eleven years older than her, we might not even be on the same page.
Shaking off my thoughts I continued out to the parking lot. We brought Penny’s piece of shit because she struggled to get in my truck. I offered to be helpful as fuck with lifting her, buckling her up, but I think she felt like an inconvenience so I found myself driving a car I was sure was one bump away from falling apart. It would go to the wreckers soon, Sam would give me a good deal. Penny would not have a say in that decision. I slipped between two cars and looked up and instantly knew something felt off.
That guy, the teacher and yoga guy stood by her car, my pace picked up.
I couldn’t tell what he was doing, but as soon as he stepped back and looked up to see me, I could see the color drain from his face even at this distance.
“What the hell are you doing?” The guy appeared guilty. I would figure out the details later. He shoved something in his pocket and took a step back. The prick would try to run. Sending a silent apology to the book gods, I dropped the box and sprinted toward the asshole, Lenny, Ian, or whatever his name was.
My boots pounded on the asphalt as I slipped between two cars to head him off. His stupid fucking hair kept getting in his eyes and I may have laughed when he got clipped by the side mirror on a truck—serves the jackass right. I rounded the other side of the truck and got in front of him.
He stopped with his hands up in front of himself, cheeks red, out of breath.
“What are you hiding?” I asked not expecting an answer.
“None of your fucking business.” He tried his hardest to sound fierce and strong but his voice betrayed him. I stepped forward, and it only took me a few seconds to grab the jerk by his collar. His eyes widened with disbelief.
“When you’re hanging around my wife’s car, I say it is my business,” I growled forcing him back with my steps. We were heading back to Penny’s car, I wanted to see what he was guilty of.
“Wife?” Confusion clear on his features, but I had no urge to explain myself to this guy. He deserved fuck all.
“What’s in your pocket?” I gave him a harsh jerk, his hands coming up to my forearm and trying to pull me off of him. Good luck, punk, the guy wouldn’t be able to carry a twelve pack through Walmart.
His feet shuffled backward, eyes scanning the parking lot. As soon as Penny’s car came into sight, so did the piece of paper under her wiper blade. My heart kicked into overdrive and my fist tightened on his shirt. If it had been on his neck I would have questioned his survival rate. When we rounded the front, I let him go with a hard shove that had him falling against her car.
“Jesus,” he grunted from the force. I stared at him then at the paper.
“What does it say?”
“I don’t ...”
My fist slammed into his stomach so fast, he buckled over. The scream that fell from his lips gave me a satisfying smile. “Don’t fucking lie, asshole. I saw you.” I hovered over him waiting for him to straighten up, then I would hit him again.
“Can I help you?” A voice I didn’t know reached us across the lot. Dickhead cursed under his breath. I took a brief moment to see who joined us, not recognizing the guy. The words fuck off nearly left my lips when Penny rushed around the corner as fast as she could. Pain etched on her features as she held her arm. The girl needed to learn to listen.
“Mason?” The question clear, but I just shrugged.
“Liam, care to explain?” the new guy asked.
Liam? What a shitty name. Suited him.
“Well, I was just heading to my car.” He stood to his full height, sucking in a deep breath. He seemed to take a moment and then he shut his eyes and cursed.
“I’m pretty sure he put a note on your window.” I pointed to said note.
“What?” Penny stepped between the two cars and approached. Liam looked her over and I shoved him hard again into her car. “Mason,” she squawked, frowning.
She reached for the note, but I batted her hand away. “I don’t want anyone to touch it until the cops arrive.”
Liam paled and stepped back, but he stepped into the chest of the other guy.
“Have something to say, Liam?” The man might have been dressed in a suit but he meant business and I liked him.
Tugging on Pen’s good arm, I curled her into my side.
“What does it say?” I asked once again.
“I meant no harm.”
Penny placed a hand on my stomach to restrain me. Otherwise, I would have launched forward and pummeled the ass in the face.
“I just thought if you got nervous you’d see me. You seemed to disregard me every time without a second thought.” His face reddened and contorted a little.
The suit guy looked down on him.
“You did the notes and the flowers?” Her voice shook and I hated how he made her weak.
“All you had to do was give me a chance,” he yelled.
Su
it guy held him back and Penny stepped away from me. I frowned at her for the briefest of seconds before I stepped forward.
I approached Liam. Making him sweat as he tried to get away from suit guy.
“You harassed my girl? You put her safety at risk?” My thoughts were too jumbled to say what I wanted to and they wouldn’t have been appropriate.
Penny’s voice on the cell made all of us stop and listen. She had called the cops.
Fuck, that’s my girl.
Chapter 11
Penny
Why did people insist on hitting you while you were down? Seriously, Liam?
I sweated and cursed and wished for Brian’s untimely death so many times over the past few weeks, the past year, but for once it appeared uncalled for.
Did I attract nut cases?
What the hell was wrong with me?
When Sheriff Rayner arrived, a small wave of relief washed through me.
When he emptied out Liam’s pockets, a few notes spilled out and drifted to my feet, black spots filled my vision and I held onto Mason to stop myself from falling. He came prepared. What an asshole.
“It’s a small town, people were already talking. I thought if I could get you to have coffee a few times, maybe dinner, people wouldn’t talk about me.” It made no sense whatsoever. Liam should not be working with children. We watched as the Sheriff placed him in his cruiser and hauled him off and then the three of us stood there and stared for a few minutes.
“Fuck, I need a beer,” Tony, Mr. Marino stated, running his hand over his short hair. I snorted before slapping a hand over my mouth. I introduced Mason to him once the Sheriff had arrived.
“Want to head over to Walkers?” Mason slipped an arm around my waist and pressed a kiss to my hair.
I loved this guy.
Ugh, now I needed to tell him this.
We walked into Walkers, inhaling the comforting scent of a well-known place. Even though something shitty happened in the parking lot, I didn’t hold that against Harry, and I wanted a beer.