Monroe, Marla - Long, Lonely Nights [The Protectors 1] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Marla Monroe

  Don’t go there, Tina. It’s in the past.

  She drove up in her garage and parked the car. Her motion detector came on, so she had plenty of light to see to get her key in the lock. She hurried inside and disarmed the alarm, and then re-armed it, once she was inside and had the door closed and all the locks engaged. She hated living this way. Scared and paranoid. Shaking her head, she took toed off her shoes and picked them up. She climbed the stairs to her bedroom and looked at the French doors.

  No, she wasn’t going to even open them tonight. She refused to become addicted to watching him. She wasn’t a voyeur or a snoop. But she had been the other night. What else would you call it when she’d sat and not only watched him jack off, but masturbated while she watched. She was a peeping Tomasina.

  Disgusted with herself, she shucked her clothes and stepped under a hot shower and bathed, making sure to only give her genitals a good cleaning, but no stimulation. Well, not much.

  She dried off and slipped into bed. Five minutes later she jumped up and checked the locks on the French doors and double checked the security system. Everything was set. She climbed back into bed and drifted off.

  She woke sometime later to a hand over her mouth and a knife to her throat. She struggled not to move. Everything inside of her screamed for her to fight, but the knife at her throat reminded her not to. How had he gotten in? She had locks everywhere and the alarm system. It should have gone off.

  He leaned down next to her ear and whispered to her, “I’m back to finish what I started, bitch.”

  He climbed up on the bed and straddled her legs. Then he directed her to put both wrists up to the headboard. She didn’t move and he slapped her. The knife bit into her neck. She felt a thin line of blood flow down the side of her neck. She whimpered and put both hands up. He fastened a handcuff on her wrist and then around the bar on the headboard to her other wrist.

  He laughed and laid the knife aside. Then he pulled up her T-shirt and reached down to twist her nipples until she cried out.

  “Shut up. Don’t make a sound, or I’ll start cutting you sooner rather than later.”

  When he shoved a hand down her panties, she screamed.

  And woke up.

  Tina panted. She had broken out in a cold sweat. It was the first time she’d had the nightmare in several weeks. She had hoped they wouldn’t come back any time soon, but no such luck. She got out of bed and ran a hand over her face. She would never get back to sleep now. It was nearly four o’clock. She paced until her heart stopped racing, and then sat in the chair next to her bed. She tried reading for awhile but finally gave up and just stared. It was too bad her neighbor was such an asshole. It would be nice to think she could call on him if she heard anything and got scared.

  The first few months after her attack, every little noise had her calling the police. After awhile, they sat her down and had a talk with her. They couldn’t keep coming over for odd noises. She had the best security system she could possibly afford. After awhile, she began to relax and finally made it through the night without waking up to some odd noise that was probably all in her imagination anyway. She wouldn’t be that way again. She refused.

  * * * *

  He hadn’t seen her on her balcony the last couple of nights. Maybe he had scared her off. He smiled at the memory of that soft cry. He knew she had masturbated while watching him get off. It had been such a turn on to come while she watched. Who knew he was an exhibitionist?

  Logan wondered about her. She never seemed to go out once she got home from work. Occasionally, she didn’t come home until nine or ten at night. He figured she ate out those nights, probably with a co-worker. Would they be male or female? For some reason thinking of her out with a man bothered him. He cursed and stood looking out his sliding glass doors.

  He couldn’t sleep tonight. Something had woken him up. Probably another dream he couldn’t remember. He had them fairly regularly lately. He didn’t know what had brought them on. He thought they were gone for good when he hadn’t had one in several months. Lately it had been two or three times a week.

  Something caught his eye out the window. He looked up and realized his neighbor was awake as well. She seemed to be pacing. Then she disappeared. Had she had a nightmare as well? Or maybe she had insomnia. He shook his head and closed the curtains on the door and then walked into the kitchen to grind beans for coffee. It was four now anyway. He might as well stay up.

  Logan enjoyed his first cup of coffee and then took a shower. He planned to spend the entire day on the training manual, hoping to finish it and send it off as soon as possible. Still, he didn’t immediately return to his office to start on the book. The way his mind kept jumping around, he would never be able to concentrate. It might be time for a road trip. Maybe he would see if Riley was up for the trip.

  The cell phone rang. Logan checked the number and laughed. Riley had to be psychic. What was the son-of-a-bitch doing up this early anyway?

  “Did you ever think you might have been waking me, calling this early?” Logan asked.

  “Naw, didn’t much care. Figured if I’m up you should be, too.” Riley laughed.

  “What’s up?” Logan asked.

  “Morgan is in Tylerville. Thought you might want to ride over to see him today.”

  “What’s he doing there?” Logan carried his empty coffee cup to the kitchen for a refill.

  “Don’t know. We can ask when we get there,” Riley said.

  “When you want to leave?”

  “How about nine? That will put us getting there around eleven.”

  “Truck or bike?” Logan asked.

  “Might rain, so how about going in your truck?” Riley said.

  “And there is the real reason you wanted me to come along. You didn’t want to get wet.”

  “Bingo.” Riley laughed. “I’ll ride over there and leave the bike.”

  “See you at nine.” Logan hung up.

  Morgan Jennings had lost his wife and child in a car accident while he had been overseas. By the time they could get him home, they were already buried. Morgan hadn’t gotten over losing them yet and drifted around.

  He and Riley had a lot in common. Riley had been in and out of foster homes from the time he was six years old. His mother had been a crack addict and didn’t take care of him, so the state had taken him away from her. He continued to move from place to place. Logan shook his head. They were all lost causes, he guessed.

  He took his coffee back into his bedroom and dressed for the trip. He wondered what kind of mood Morgan would be in. It would be a surprise if he were sober for a change. The last time he had seen his old friend he was holed up in a dump of a hotel on a drinking binge. He hated seeing his buddy like that. He shook off the depressing thoughts.

  Breakfast consisted of four eggs, two pieces of toast, and four strips of bacon. Logan washed the dishes and put them away. Then he walked outside on his front porch and sat in the chair to watch the street come awake for the day. Tina’s door opened, and Logan watched her walk out after securing both locks.

  She looked nice in her navy blue suit. More than likely it would bring out the deep blue of her eyes. For the first time, he wondered if she wore make up to work. She hadn’t had any on last Saturday when she had brought the coffee over.

  He glanced at his watch. She was leaving pretty early. It was only six thirty. She probably hadn’t been able to go back to sleep either. She would probably be dragging by the end of the day he bet. Again, he wondered if she had a bad dream. Someone as pretty as she was shouldn’t have bad dreams to interrupt their sleep. He snorted at that thought.

  What was going on with him that he even cared?

  Nine on the dot, Logan heard Riley’s bike down the street. Logan had his door locked and was standing next to his truck when Riley parked the bike under the carport. The big man got off and removed his helmet followed by the leather jacket. He looked the same as he had the other day. He doubted if the guy had anything o
ther than black. Logan shook his head and climbed into the truck. Riley swung up inside the cab and dropped his helmet in the back seat.

  “Let’s rock and roll,” he said.

  “How did you find out where he was?” Logan asked as he backed out of the drive.

  “Talked to him the other day. Called to be sure he was still alive.”

  “He know we’re coming?” Logan asked

  “Yep. Told him we would be there sometime today. Figure we can wake his ass up and get something decent in him besides booze.” Riley ran a hand over his face. “The guy is gonna kill himself if he doesn’t straighten up. It’s been nearly two years since he lost his family. Time to suck it up and go on.”

  “You going to tell him that?”

  “If he needs it, yeah. I’ll tell him,” Riley said looking out the window.

  They rode in silence for awhile then rehashed one of their last stints together. They pulled up beside a dirty Harley outside the run down hotel. Didn’t look good for Morgan, he thought. Riley knocked with the side of his fist.

  They heard a muffled curse, a crash, and a feminine squeal. Riley looked over at Logan and grinned.

  “He finally found himself some pussy. Good for him.”

  Logan just shook his head. The door opened as far as the safety bar would let it. One bloodshot eye peered out at him.

  “Well, hell.” Their friend closed the door then opened it wide for them to come in.

  “Didn’t expect to see you two till afternoon.” Morgan scratched his chest.

  The man stood before them in nothing but his briefs, looking as if he were a hermit living in some cabin in the wilderness. Tangled brown hair fell past his shoulders and a thick, unruly beard hugged his face. He sported a pair of red eyes but no smell of booze. The bed was tousled, and the room smelled of sweat and sex. The bathroom door opened and a thin bleached blond with brown roots walked out in a pair of tight jeans and a sleeveless tube top. She had more than her share of boobs poured into the top and spilling over.

  “You gonna take me home?” she asked.

  “I’ll call you a cab.” He walked over to the phone.

  “Give me your keys. I’ll take her,” Riley said.

  Morgan hesitated for a few seconds, then shrugged and tossed his keys towards Riley, who caught them and turned to the door.

  “Come on, sweet thing. I’ll get you back in one piece, I promise.”

  She yawned and followed Riley towards the door. She squeezed Morgan on the ass as she walked by.

  “You know where I am when you get lonely.” She closed the door behind them.

  “How the hell have you been, Logan?” Morgan asked

  “Great. What about you?”

  “Can’t complain. Rather, I won’t complain.” He laughed and shook his head.

  “You like the settled life?” Morgan asked.

  “Yeah. Don’t have to worry where I’m sleeping or what I’m eating. I can walk around naked if I want to, and best of all, I have my coffee just like I want it.”

  “You and that damn coffee. I hadn’t ever heard anyone whine more than you did about coffee. Sounded like a damn woman,” Morgan said.

  “Fuck you, man.” Logan laughed.

  “What about all those pesky things like yard work, housework, and cooking. Sounds like a lot of work to me.”

  “Why don’t you come stay for a couple of weeks, and see if you like it.”

  Morgan hesitated then shrugged. “Might do it. Gonna stick around here for a while. I like the scenery.” With this, he grinned.

  There were two quick raps on the door then Riley walked in. He threw the keys back to Morgan who caught them without a problem. Logan figured he must have been sober for over a week since there were no tremors, and he had good hand eye coordination. That was good.

  “Okay, man. I’m hungry. Let’s go find something decent to eat,” Riley said.

  “Hell, decent means I need a shower and something clean to wear.”

  “Go clean up. We’re waiting on you, but not for long,” Logan added.

  “Yeah, yeah.” He flipped them the bird and after grabbing some clothes, disappeared into the bathroom.

  Once the shower started up, Logan turned to Riley. “What do you think? He seems sobered up to me.”

  “Yep. I think he’s on his way to recovery. Now if he will just shave off that God awful beard and cut his hair. He looks like some kind of woolly-bugger.”

  “Where in the world did you get that?” Logan asked grinning.

  “Read it somewhere.”

  “You still reading? I’m impressed.”

  “If you can write army manuals, I can read, so shut up about it,” Riley groused.

  “I invited him to stay at my place for few weeks. Said he would think about it. He’s going to stick around here for awhile.”

  “Found him a woman, so he’s going to stick around. Good,” Riley said with a grin.

  The shower shut off in the other room. Logan looked around for somewhere to sit and chose the arm of the love seat. Riley settled for propping against the desk. Neither of them wanted to sit anywhere. The place was only one step up from the last place they had found Morgan in.

  The bathroom door opened, and Morgan stepped out in jeans. He had washed his hair, though it was still wet. At least it was straight and fairly neat. He’d also combed out his beard so it didn’t look nearly as rough as it had earlier. All in all, it was a big improvement. He chose a T-shirt and slipped it on over his head. Then he added socks and his boots to the pile.

  “So, let’s go. I’m hungry now, too,” Morgan said. He walked towards the door not waiting on them to follow.

  Chapter Three

  “So tell me about your neighbor? Have you seen him lately?” Jenna asked.

  Tina nearly choked over her pasta salad. They were having lunch together at a bistro a block from work.

  “Um, he was sitting on his front porch this morning when I left for work. That’s it since the last time I talked to you.” Tina took a drink of her water to clear her throat.

  “Durn. I was hoping to hear something good like he was walking around in his underwear or something.”

  “Not lately.” She tried to make it sound like a joke. Inside, she was mortified. She could feel the heat travel up her face.

  “Todd came back last night and apologized. Said it would never happen again.”

  “Jenna, don’t you dare take him back. You know he will only get worse.” Tina couldn’t believe she would do that.

  “Don’t worry. I’m not about to. When I told him so, he got angry, proving he couldn’t hold it together even for an apology,” she said.

  “Maybe you should get a restraining order against him.” Tina took a bite of her salad.

  “I already have one on my ex. I don’t think anyone will take me seriously if I have one on two different men. Plus, when they serve Todd with the papers, he will probably go crazy and come looking for me,” Jenna said. She fiddled with her salad without eating any.

  Tina decided her friend was probably right. It was a lot like her calling the police at every sound after her attack. They soon didn’t believe her anymore and told her to get a dog or a roommate. It worried her though. Todd didn’t sound like he was giving up.

  “Why don’t you come stay with me for a few days?” she asked.

  “Naw, I’m fine. I know better than to open the door to him again. He’s not stable.”

  “Call me if he comes to the door. I’ll come over.”

  “And do what? I don’t want you out there where he is. I’ll call the police if he won’t go away,” Jenna said.

  “Promise?” Tina asked.

  “I promise.”

  They finished their lunch talking about work and who was seeing whom on the side. Nothing like office politics to stir things up, Tina thought.

  The rest of the day went by fast. She arrived home to find a yellow rose from her neighbor’s yard lying on her back doorstep. She pi
cked it up once she had unlocked the door. It looked fairly fresh. She locked the door and re-set the alarm. Finding a vase proved tough. She hadn’t had flowers in over a year. Finally, she found one in the back of the cabinet under the sink. She added water and stuck the flower in the vase. Where to put it? She decided on the dining room table.

  What was the flower for? Maybe it was an apology for being so rude when she delivered his package. She would go over and tell him thank you. His truck wasn’t in his carport when she drove up, so she would check later. There was a motorcycle there, though. Surely, he hadn’t traded his truck in for a bike. No, she couldn’t see him doing that. He must have someone visiting. It would be the first time since he moved in as far as she knew.

  Shrugging, Tina fixed a sandwich and settled down to watch the news. She would check again later if she didn’t hear his truck. She was determined to tell him thank you and maybe start over with him. It would be nice to be on good terms with each other. Well, civil terms might be as far as it went.

  The sound of Logan’s truck several hours later made her glance at her watch. Was it too late to go see him? It was nearly nine o’clock. Well, he was awake, and it was Friday night. She decided to risk it.

  Tina stepped back into her shoes and turned off the alarm. She unlocked the doors and then locked them behind her. It didn’t matter to her she was only going next door. She wasn’t taking any chances. The street light and their outside lights gave up plenty of illumination for her to pick her way across their yards. She could hear men’s voices as she approached.

  When she stepped up on the drive, both men turned around. She almost turned back at the sight of the man with Logan. He looked like a biker gang leader. He was bald, tall, and muscular. He had dark eyes that looked a lot like Logan’s. Were they brothers? They didn’t look that much alike other than the eyes.

  “Logan, aren’t you going to introduce me?” the stranger asked.