Selena's Savior [Appledale 4] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Lee Rose

  She breathed out her tension. Help was on the way. The vehicle bumped them hard from behind. She screamed and hung on. Harrison controlled the steering wheel and sped up, swerving to avoid being hit again from behind.

  Selena heard a loud crack as the back window cracked into pieces. She instinctively leaned down and covered her head with her hands. “Oh my god. He is shooting us.”

  “That fucker,” Harrison muttered and grabbed the mic. “Shots fired. Shots fired.”

  “Stay down, Selena.” He started swerving all over the road when more shots rang out.

  She stayed low and heard Harrison grimace. He started bleeding from the shoulder.

  “You’re hit, Harrison,” she cried out. Anger started taking over the fear. “That bastard. I am going to kill him myself. How dare he shoot you.”

  Harrison smiled and looked at her. For a moment all she saw was the heat in his brown eyes and she returned his smile.

  “My heroine.” He sounded amused despite the horrible situation they were in. “I see police lights, baby. The cavalry is coming. It just grazed me. Believe me, I know what it feels like to be shot.”

  “Thank God.” She sighed, feeling like she wanted to throw up. Please let this end tonight. She couldn’t handle any more days like this. As long as Dave was running loose she would never be able to relax.

  Chapter 19

  Harrison’s heart was beating wildly. He was not scared of Dave Matthews. He relished the opportunity to face him in person. What he feared was Selena getting hurt. If Dave made him crash and she got hurt he would tear Dave from limb to limb with his bare hands. He would forget the law and become the judge and executioner. Red and blue lights started coming closer.

  “I’m right behind him, Harrison.” He heard Gabe’s voice over the speakers. “Want me to bump him?”

  Harrison picked up the mic. “Yeah. I’ll step on the brakes.”

  Harrison looked at Selena. She had tears rolling down her cheeks but she was trying so hard to keep it together and he felt his chest swell with pride. His woman was strong. “Hang on, baby.”

  She screamed when she felt the car jerk forward then put her hand over her mouth. She hugged herself and Harrison stepped on the brakes. The car stopped and he felt a hard bump. Harrison immediately looked at her. “You good?”

  She wasn’t sure she could speak so she just nodded. She heard gunshots and put her hand over her mouth to prevent another scream from coming out.

  He looked in the rearview mirror. “Gabe and Logan are out there. I better help them.”

  “Be careful. I love you, Harrison.”

  He grinned. He was relieved they got him. He was not getting away tonight. He would either end up in jail or dead. Either one was fine with him. “This is the end of the road for that asshole.”

  She smiled and nodded. “Go get him, baby.”

  Harrison opened his door slowly and felt more shots breeze by his door.

  “Shit,” he muttered, scooting down.

  “You’re not getting out of this, Matthews,” he heard Logan say over the loudspeaker. “You might as well drop the gun and give up.”

  “Never,” Dave yelled back. He shot at Logan’s car.

  Harrison had enough. He aimed his gun while Dave was busy concentrating on Logan’s car. He pulled the trigger and hit Dave’s shoulder. Dave’s gun fell to the ground and Gabe and Logan pounced on him and had him handcuffed before Harrison even got out of the car.

  “Good shot.” Gabe grinned at Harrison. Dave was moaning on the ground but still yelling obscenities at all of them.

  “We shouldn’t even take him to the hospital,” Logan grumbled. “We should throw him in a cell and leave him there.”

  “I’m with Logan,” Selena replied.

  Harrison turned around and frowned. She was pale but she seemed fine. She had wiped the tears from her eyes but they were still a little puffy. He planned on taking her to his place and holding her all night long. “Selena, I didn’t tell you to get out of the car yet.”

  She shrugged and pouted. “He is handcuffed.”

  Dave looked at her. “Tell them you want to be with me, Selena. Tell them to let me go. We can make a new life in Florida, just you and me.”

  She looked at him with pity. Harrison could understand her feelings. Dave was so high he hadn’t even realized he had been shot. His eyes were red and his skin was ruddy and unhealthy looking.

  Selena shook her head sadly and looked at Gabe. “Harrison was shot in the shoulder.”

  “Sounds like Doc is going to be busy tonight.” Gabe picked up Dave with Logan’s help. They dragged him to the car as he kept yelling her name out loud.

  She put her arms around Harrison’s waist and leaned on him. He heard her little sniff and he knew she was feeling sorry for Dave Matthews. “I hate drugs and addictions. They ruin lives. Why can’t people see that?”

  “I know, baby. There are a lot of things in this world I don’t understand. I do know I love you and I am going to take care of you until the end of our days,” he said, thinking of his younger brother. Drugs had become the most important thing in his life. More important than family and even his own life. He had followed in his parents’ footsteps and Harrison knew he could never have made Lucas quit drugs unless he had wanted help. The way Della had reached out to Selena tonight, if Lucas had even showed one sign of wanting help he would have moved heaven and earth to help him.

  She looked up at him with her blue eyes shining with tears. “I will love you forever, Harrison. Even after this life ends and the next one begins. You are my family and I am yours.”

  Chapter 20

  Selena walked around the party with a smile plastered on her face. She looked down at her costume and hoped Harrison liked it. She had been at Lacy’s all day. Lacy helped her get ready because Selena wanted to surprise him. His wound wasn’t serious and he was almost back to normal. She had moved in with him the very next day when he asked her. They wanted to spend as much time with each other as possible. With Dave gone they could concentrate on deepening their relationship.

  It had been ten days since the shooting. Dave had been patched up and sent to the county jail in St. Clair until trial. She was not looking forward to it but she knew Harrison would be right by her side. Della had kept her word so far and was off in a rehab program in St. Louis. She wrote Selena already and she sounded like she was really trying hard to finish the program. Selena planned on taking it one day at a time with Della. She wrote her an encouraging letter and sent her money to buy the things she needed.

  “Excuse me, goddess. I am looking for my girlfriend. She is a sweet little thing with blonde hair.”

  Selena felt a thrill of joy run though her at the word girlfriend. She loved belonging to Harrison. Her heart swelled with joy. She turned to see him dressed in a long white toga with grape leaves around his head. He carried a lightning bolt in his hand.

  “No, sir, I haven’t. Maybe I can tempt you into a dance until she shows up.” She hoped he liked her short white dress with gold belt. It was shorter than anything she had ever worn. It ended just above her knees. She had on gold sandals that tied. The front was draped low and showed her cleavage. She left her hair loose and had a gold headband to push her bangs out of her face.

  He pretended to think about it until she grabbed his hand and pulled him on the dance floor with a laugh.

  “You look sexy as hell, baby. I think we should leave early,” Harrison suggested. His arms around her waist lowered just above her ass. She could feel his erection through the light material and she was tempted. There was nothing better than making love with her man.

  Selena laughed and encircled his neck with her arms. “Maybe I can be persuaded. I have always been a sucker for Zeus.”

  He placed soft kisses on her neck and she shuddered at the feel of his lips on her skin. “I haven’t seen you all day, baby. I didn’t like it.”

  “Poor baby.” She gave him a sultry smile, playing with h
is hair. She loved having the freedom of touching him without fear of what people would say. Everywhere they went he introduced her as his girlfriend and dared people to make a catty remark. No one did. “I’ll make it up to you tonight. I promise.”

  He grinned and twirled her around the dance floor. She laughed with joy. He leaned down and placed a hot kiss on her lips as if he couldn’t resist. Selena leaned into him and opened her mouth. She had missed being with him too. He gripped her hair with his hands and knew he was getting excited. She wanted nothing more than to go home but first she wanted to socialize. This was her first dance and she wanted to enjoy it.

  After the music stopped, she spotted Ryan and Lacy by the punch bowl and dragged Harrison over there. Lacy was dressed as a girl from the roaring twenties and Ryan as a matching gangster in a dark suit. He even had a plastic machine gun.

  Harrison grumbled. “Why does he get to look cool and I end up wearing a toga?”

  Ryan patted him on the back. “Cheer up, buddy. If you’re smart you will seduce your girl on the dance floor and take her home early. That’s my plan for tonight. Lacy finally threw away her pills.”

  Harrison looked at Lacy, confused. “You were sick?”

  Lacy laughed, grabbing on to her husband’s arm and blowing him a kiss. “My birth-control pills, silly.”

  Harrison gave his boss a smile. “Oh, those pills. Gotcha.”

  Stella came up behind them dressed as Cinderella and her husband was Prince Charming, complete with a cape. They made such a cute couple.

  Lacy and Selena admired her gown and could not believe she made it herself. Stanley shook Ryan’s and Harrison’s hands in greeting.

  “Where is Liz?” Stella asked, looking at the large crowd of people socializing.

  “She was tired again. She offered to babysit John Luke for Gabe and Karissa,” Lacy explained with a smirk. “I think we will be hearing an official announcement for baby number two soon.”

  Gabe showed up dressed in dark jeans and a white T-shirt, his black hair gelled back. He was with a pretty sandy-blonde-haired woman in tow. She was wearing a blue poodle skirt with a white blouse and scarf around her neck. Her hair was up in a high ponytail.

  “Selena, this is my wife Karissa,” Gabe said proudly, his arm around the blonde’s waist.

  Karissa gave her a friendly smile and Selena relaxed. “Hi, Selena. I am sorry we haven’t met before. My son John Luke keeps me so busy. I never knew parenthood was so exhausting.”

  “I understand,” Selena assured her. “I would love to meet him someday.”

  Karissa nodded with a friendly smile. “That would be great. We will plan something soon. I am so glad that Dave is in jail. I used to be a bartender at Thorn’s. I never liked him. I’m glad he got what he deserved.”

  “Me too.” Selena didn’t want to think of him tonight. She wanted to enjoy her night out. “Now I can stop being afraid to walk down the street. Plus the self-defense classes give me confidence.”

  “Now that Gabe’s mom is here I might go to the next one. I am still a beginner too,” Karissa told her. “We can practice together.”

  “So I heard you agreed to taking on the manager position for Ally.” Stella brought up the subject. “I am so happy we’re going to work together, Selena. I can’t wait.”

  “I gave my two-week notice and I have to admit I am nervous but excited too. I won’t miss getting yelled at by my cranky boss or someone’s ex-lover giving me evil looks all the time.” Selena laughed when Harrison’s brows crinkled downward. He growled in her ear but she just patted his cheek.

  Gabe teased Harrison unmercifully. “Shame on you, Romeo.”

  Ryan and Lacy laughed at his annoyed glance. Harrison pretended to choke Selena. “Don’t you know who I am?”

  Selena rolled her eyes. “Come on, Zeus, help me find Ed. He said he was dressing as a scarecrow and I want pictures.”

  Selena had so much fun and plenty of people greeted her in a friendly manner. She would never admit it out loud but she had been afraid her bad reputation would affect the diner. So far people had been very supportive and even offered her encouraging words about Della Mae getting better. It made her feel like she finally belonged somewhere. There would always be small-minded people like Tracy or the Drama Queen gals but they didn’t matter to her. For the first time in her life she could stand tall and proud and confident of who she was.

  She was Selena Monroe, restaurant manager, friend to some, and best of all she had the most wonderful man who loved her. Harrison helped her build up her confidence. He showed her she could dress up and not be afraid people would point at her and call her horrible names. He made her throw out all her baggy clothes and scrubs and took her shopping at Liz’s store. She had modeled many of the clothes at home for him, especially the lingerie. Needless to say they had not left the house for two days.

  Harrison pulled her out to the dance floor for one last slow dance. She loved the sound of his thumping heart against her cheek. She would never take her new life for granted. She had spent so many years shying away from people but no more. She was not guilty of anything and she refused to act like she was. With Harrison’s help she was seeing life from a different point of view. She had to stand up and let people see who she really was without being afraid. “I need to go home and explore what Zeus has underneath his toga. Why is he so powerful with all the goddesses?”

  She rubbed against him as she spoke and he grinned. He smiled so much these days and it made her feel so proud she made him happy. “Well I would never deny a goddess. What are we waiting for? Zeus’s private quarters await.”

  The song wasn’t even over and he was dragging her off the dance floor. She was laughing with joy as she followed him. She loved his enthusiasm and she prayed it never waned.

  “Harrison. I wanted to have girl time with her,” Lacy complained, her arms folded across her chest.

  “Later, like next week,” Harrison answered but didn’t stop dragging her behind him. Ryan and Gabe gave him the thumbs up and cheered him on.

  Selena felt that funny feeling in the pit of her stomach. Now she knew what to call it. Anticipation, desire, excitement, love.

  She was excited about her life for the first time in twenty-five years. No matter what the future held, the ups and downs, she knew Harrison would be by her side. He would hold her hand and lift her up when she felt down. And she would do the same for him. Because that was what love was all about. Love was not just about riding the waves when you were on top of the world. Love was about sticking together through the low valleys and the tough times. She had everything because she had Harrison Vaughn’s love. She would cherish it with all her heart. The lonely, sad days were gone and her new life was looking bright.

  THE END

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  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  I have always loved reading, especially romances. I believe in a happy ending and that love does indeed conquer all. Now I love writing romance stories just as much. When not writing I spend my time with family and friends. I enjoy hearing from my fans and can look me up on Facebook.

  For all titles by Lee Rose, please visit

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