“I’ll make sure to transfer some funds into your account tomorrow. But as soon as you get it, you head out of here, and don’t cause any trouble for Amy before you go, either. Forget about her, and let her live her life. You put her through enough already.”
Jasper smiled this sickeningly sweet smile. “Oh, Daddy, I have to show my appreciation to my woman for my little stint in jail. Once that’s done, I’ll be out of your hair for good.”
“Don’t even think about it Jasper,” Doug yelled at him. “Do you want to go back to prison, son?”
Jumping out of his chair, Jasper screamed back at his father, “I’m not your son, anymore. My daddy wouldn’t throw me to the side just because some little bitch said I smacked her around a little.”
“You almost killed her, Jasper. You stabbed her in the parking lot of her job. That is not a love tap, boy. Now get your ass over to the house, and don’t leave until I come home tonight. I’m going to make a few calls and see if we can get you into a private hospital for a while.” Doug Collier picked up the phone, but his son stopped him.
“I’m not going to any fucking hospital, so don’t bother.”
Heading to the door, Jasper grabbed hold of the handle and, without even turning around, said, “I’ll see you at home tonight, Father,” and left the office, slamming the door behind him.
Doug Collier knew Jasper wasn’t going to go home. He knew in the pit of his stomach that his son was beyond help and was hell bent on destruction.
Picking up the phone, he dialed a number that he hadn’t thought he’d ever call, but he needed to do something to stop his son or else he was either going to end up dead or in prison for murder.
* * * *
Ryder Kinsey had never expected to get a call from the mayor. Especially with the mayor’s son out of jail, he’d thought that Doug Collier would be more worried about keeping Jasper out of trouble than causing trouble himself. He’d said he wanted to have a meeting at the club and to make sure that the sheriff and a couple of state troopers were there as well as his cousins and Amy.
Amy and his cousins were on their way there, so he knew that they would be available for a meeting. The sheriff said that, because the mayor had told him to be there, he’d make the time. Asshole.
He just had to call his friends, Raph and Torrin, in the state troopers’ office and get them to head on over that night. Sam and Daniel would arrive at the club beforehand with Tia, so he’d be able to fill them in then, at least with what little knowledge he had about what the hell the mayor wanted.
Doug Collier had never been Ryder’s favorite person. But after Amy’s trial, he seemed to put his foot down on the local Crown Counsel Roderick Felton and made sure that he wasn’t sweeping any more domestic abuse cases under the rug. At the trial, he seemed like he had been blindsided by some of the testimony. Thinking back now, he remembered how pale he’d gone when Amy had taken the stand and told her story. Maybe he was tired of protecting his son.
Dan and Sam arrived just as their cousins were pulling up in the parking lot. Ryder had waited outside for them so he could give them a head’s up before they went into the club.
“Hey, y’all, how was your trip down?” He shook his hand and pulled him in for a big hug. Their family had never been shy to show affection to each other no matter what other people thought or did. They loved their cousins like brothers and would make sure that they and their woman were all safe.
“Well, I thought I would have a nice, relaxing ride on my bike, until some little brat decided to give me the hard-on from hell.” Ethan tried to adjust his leathers a little. “Have you ever tried to ride a Harley with a fucking boner? It hurts like hell.” He groaned.
Slapping him on the shoulder, Ryder laughed along with him. “Yeah, I remember riding mine a few times with a certain little girl on the back. She was so scared she was smooshed up against my back and holding on with her arms around me so tight I thought I was gonna explode right then and there.”
Amy came and gave Ryder a big hug. “I missed you, boss.”
“Aw, we missed you, too, sugar,” he said, just as a little squeal came from behind him and his wife came running toward them to give her friend a hug as well.
“Hey, girlie, I hear you’re gonna be staying here for a few days. I’ll give you the extra key to my special room, so when the three jackasses start getting on your nerves too much, you can go and hide out in there for a while.”
Everyone knew that Tia had her own private room at the club. Since they had designed it specifically for her, no man was allowed to enter it without permission, and she rarely gave any permission.
“Actually, Tia,” Dan said, “that would probably be an excellent idea. That way, should she need to get to safety, she could run in there and lock the door. The way we had that room fortified, there is no way anyone could break in there.”
Both Dan and Sam stepped forward and gave Amy a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “It’s good to see you so happy, Amy,” Sam said.
“It feels good to be so happy, Sam. I haven’t ever felt so free and protected at the same time. It’s a wonderful feeling.” Amy’s smile and heartfelt words only served to ensure Ryder that he and his brothers had done the right thing by sending her to stay with their cousins.
“Well, let’s all go inside. There’s been a little bit of a development where Jasper is concerned, and I want to fill you in with what I know so far.” Ryder opened the door for Tia and Amy and then quickly followed so that he could open the door to the main room for them as well.
He’d been raised a gentleman, so opening doors for a lady was almost ingrained into his genetics.
Tia and Amy headed for the big booth at the back of the club. Once everyone was seated, Ryder told them about Mayor Collier’s phone call.
* * * *
Ethan felt Amy tense at the mention of the mayor. Doug Collier must have some pretty interesting information if he wanted to meet with all of them at the club. He’d been one of the few outspoken detractors when they had purchased it a few years ago. He had once been a friend of the previous owner, Jack Peters, but even then, he didn’t like the idea of a BDSM club operating in town.
Amy physically jumped when the front door to the club opened and Doug Collier and the sheriff walked in.
Whispering in her ear, Ethan put his arm around her and pulled her close so she could feel his solidness.
The two men that entered were followed closely by Raph and Torrin, the two state troopers that Ryder had called.
“Hello, Amy, I’m glad you could make it to this meeting. I know what Jasper did to you was horrendous and that you have no reason to trust me, but I called this meeting and invited all these people so that you would feel safe so that I could tell you how deeply sorry I am for any part I played in helping my son skirt prison. I don’t ever expect you to forgive me, but maybe I can start to make it up to you by helping all of you put my son back in prison.”
Amy looked at the older man that stood beside the table. The only thing that he could really ever be blamed for was having blinders on when it came to his son. Not that that was an excuse for him to do what he did, but Jasper was his son, and parents tend to do outrageous things sometimes to protect their children. Even when they know they’ve done wrong.
“I’m not upset with you, Mayor.” Ethan was surprised to this from Amy. “I’m more bewildered than anything since you have tried to keep Jasper out of jail for so long,” she said calmly.
“Let’s just say I’ve had the rose-colored glasses ripped off my head, and I’m now, and have been since his trial, seeing my son in a whole different light. He’s sick, and I’m definitely not using that to excuse his behavior because he’s not sick enough to not know the difference between right and wrong. I’m just seeing things way more clearly now.”
The sheriff, who had been amazingly quiet this whole time, said, “I don’t think any of us realized just how bad it was until Amy’s trial.” He smiled.
&nb
sp; “You have got to be fucking kidding me, sheriff,” Amy said in a voice that wasn’t too far from a yell.
“I came to see you so many times to get your help, and every time, you just patted me on the head and then called Jasper to come and pick me up. And do you know what he did to me each and every time, sheriff? He would lock me in a cage that he kept in the basement and then bring his friends down to laugh at me and poke at me through the wire. So don’t try and tell me you didn’t fucking realize what Jasper was like because you saw the bruises and the broken bones, you saw the damage he did to my body, but you chose to ignore it completely and blame me for it.”
* * * *
Amy in a tirade is a sight to behold. Jordon watched his little woman rip a strip off the big sheriff. He was long overdue for that, and she needed to get everything off her chest, and if that meant she was going to yell and scream at the local law officer then he was right there to cheer her on.
“Now, Amy, it wasn’t as bad as all that.” The sheriff shuffled and looked around at everyone. “I needed to have proof before I could arrest him. It was only your word against his, and he is, after all, the son of the mayor.” He looked to the mayor as if for support but was sadly mistaken.
“Don’t use the fact that he is my son to hide your blatant dereliction of duty, sheriff. I was blind to the extent of my son’s brutality until his trial. That’s not an excuse, mind you, it’s the only reason I can give as to why I didn’t see what my son was earlier. But as the law in this town, it was your responsibility to protect the citizens even against my son. And where the hell did you ever get the idea that I would do anything other than follow the law when it came to Jasper? You told me there was no proof of what any of the women were saying about my son. You told me that they were all just after a quick buck.”
Mayor Collier shook his head.
“I’ll expect your resignation on my desk by no later than tomorrow afternoon, sheriff,” the mayor said, as he stared at the man whom he had appointed as sheriff just after he took office.
“What…? You can’t fire me without a good reason. I’ll sue your pants off, do you hear me? I have a contract until the end of next year, and you’ll have to pay me my full wages.”
“If you read your contract, then you know that one of the reasons for firing is dereliction of duty, and trust me, sheriff, any judge in his right mind would come down real hard on your ass for what you’ve allowed to go on around here, so pack up your things at the office, and get out. Oh, and just so we can make sure that the evidence locker is secured, these two gentlemen will accompany you to the station.”
“Who the hell are these two? I don’t need an escort, Collier. I can pack my things up myself,” the sheriff eyed the two very large, quiet men standing off to the side.
“Oh, I’m sure you can, but these two are state troopers, and until such time as I find a new sheriff, they will be taking over for you.”
Both men started at the mayor’s statement.
“Mayor Collier, we only came over as a favor to Ryder, our superiors—” Raph was cut off before he could finish.
“I’ve already spoken to your superiors and have asked for their help in this, and they have graciously agreed to loan me the two of you until further notice.”
Raph and Torrin just smiled and led the sheriff out of the club.
“Well, now, that’s one problem solved. Now the big one…my son, I was hoping that I could talk him into leaving town and going to spend some time with relatives back east, I even tried to get him to let me admit him into a hospital for a while to get him the help he needs, but to no avail, and because of that, there is only one place where we can send him that ensures Amy’s safety, and that’s prison.”
Chapter 7
Tia Kinsey had been sitting quietly listening to everybody, and it finally dawned on her who she needed as her right hand at Daphne’s House.
Daphne’s House was a secured house. Actually, it had become a group of secured houses which were specifically run for, and by, survivors of domestic abuse. Simone, her husbands’ sister, had hired her to run it after her abysmal marriage and divorce. Because it had become so successful, they were able to help people from all over the country rebuild and recover from the violence that had been inflicted on them.
They didn’t just take in woman and children, either. More and more men were coming forward with horror stories of abuse at the hands of their wives or live-in partner. Domestic violence wasn’t just prevalent in the heterosexual community but also the gay community. Family violence was just that, family violence. It made no distinction between gay and straight, black or white, or whether it was a husband, wife, lover, or child that was doing the abusing. She had had older men and woman who had come through the house that had been severely abused by their own children because they had intruded on their lives by becoming unable to care for themselves. It was truly a sad thing to see sometimes, but at Daphne’s House, they got all the help they needed, in whatever capacity they needed it. Some only needed to find a new place to live while others needed therapy and financial help as well. It didn’t matter what they needed, it could be found there. And Tia was extremely proud of all the people who worked there to help others get on with their lives just as someone had helped them move forward in theirs.
But things had picked up so quickly at Daphne’s House that Tia was becoming swamped in office work. She’d rather be out drumming up more donations for the program than sitting in her office for hours on end going over paperwork.
Maybe she could talk Amy into coming aboard as her assistant.
She knew that Amy liked to work at the club, so maybe she could arrange for her to work at least part-time with her. She’d be great with the residents, and she would be an example to them of what could be accomplished once you were free from the abuse.
* * * *
“I don’t know what his plan is, Amy, but I am sure that he will come after you, so you need to find a safe place to hide until he either leaves town or does something stupid and gets himself thrown back into jail. You’re not the only woman that he has abused, but you are the only one that ever dared to stand up to him, and that has pushed him off the deep end. He honestly sees you as his woman and will stop at nothing until he makes you pay for embarrassing him,” the mayor told her.
Just as Amy was about to speak, Kane, one of the part owners and a well-respected Dom, and Turk, another respected Dom that worked at the club, came into the room with concerned looks on their faces. Noticing that the mayor was there, Kane asked, “Is Jasper coming here to pick you up?”
“No, he doesn’t even know I’m here, why?” Mayor Collier asked in a bit of a panicked voice.
“He’s on his way in here with a couple of really nasty looking guys. Turk overheard them talking at the diner, and they plan on grabbing Amy and taking her to some secluded cabin that Jasper has rented up north.”
“Fuck…” Ryder was the first to move. “Tia, you and Amy head into your room upstairs and stay there until one of us comes and gets you.”
“Sorry, honey, but I don’t think so. Amy has every right to face Jasper, and I’m going to stand right beside her while she does it. If she doesn’t do it now, she may never get the chance.” Tia stood beside her friend and put her hand out. Amy smiled and placed her hand in Tia’s and waited, along with the men, for Jasper to come through the door.
They didn’t have a very long wait because not five minutes after Tia had decided they would stand together to face him, Jasper walked through the doors of Club Kinsey.
* * * *
Since they had left the ranch without letting any of the hands know where they were going, there was only one way that Jasper knew where to find her, and that was the sheriff. Amy was pretty sure that the mayor wouldn’t have let his son know that he was meeting with her, and the only other person who knew, besides the people in the room, were two state troopers and a very pissed off sheriff.
“Well, isn’t this ju
st a lovely sight to see.” Jasper walked into the center of the room with his arms wide open as if expecting Amy to go running into his arms.
“Amy, Amy, Amy…you’ve been a bad little girl, haven’t you?” he said, leaning down to as if to brush something off his pant leg.
“Why not save me the trouble of getting rid of everybody and just come with me now? I only want to have a little talk with you, sweetheart. It’s been such a long time since you and I have spent any quality time together.”
“Jasper, you need to turn around and head out of here right now,” Mayor Collier said. “Just being this close to Amy can get you thrown back into jail, son.”
“Don’t…don’t you call me that ever again, you traitor. She’s mine, and you want to help these fuckers keep her away from me. If everyone would just leave us alone, Amy and I would be able to work out our problems, and then we could get married.”
Jasper had obviously completely lost his mind if he thought for even a second that she would go anywhere with him.
“I’m not yours, Jasper. I never was, and I never will be.” Squeezing Tia’s hand for support, she went on, “My life is with Adam, Ethan, and Jordon, now. They love me, and I love them and nothing you say or do can ever change that.”
“Are you sure about that, Amy, my sweet?” Jasper asked her with a look of pure malice on his face.
“Absolutely,” she told him.
“Hmm…I wonder how they’d feel about you if I told them how much you liked being my whore. How you begged me to let you fuck my friends.”
“You’re so full of shit, Jasper. They would never believe that of me. They know how you treated me. How you beat me over and over again. One of your threats was exactly that, to whore me out to your friends, but that never would have happened because I would have rather been dead than to do that.”
An Education for Amy [Men of Kinsey 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) Page 8