by Brook Greene
“She have a problem?” Cowboy, a man of few words unless he’s speaking to Emily or Caden.
“Not that I thought. I told her I was leaving on club business and I couldn’t give her details. You know, the usual spiel.” I shrug. “She seemed fine.”
“If you say so.” He takes another beer, leaving me to go to Emily, who had given Jax up to Josie.
I take out my phone and look up the office number of the county tax assessor’s office and dial it. “Hello, this is Claire, how can I help you?”
“Claire, this is Matthew.”
“Hello, Matthew. How is Tessa feeling?” she asks with a hint of concern in her voice.
“Feeling? What do you mean, feeling?” I ask as a hint of panic starts to tighten in my chest.
“She called in this morning and said she couldn’t come in for the rest of the week.” She clears her throat, and I can hear her hand cup the phone. “Matthew, I’m worried. She didn’t sound quite right. I’ve only known her for three days, but there was something off.”
I feel my muscles tighten all over my body, and my heart rate begins to explode. “Has Angela messed with her in any way?”
She laughs a little. “She tried, but Tessa shut her down. But I don’t think that’s it because she seemed fine with it.”
My chest tightens even more. What had Angela said? I hope she didn’t spill the beans. I look over to Eno and tip my head, watching as his expression tightens. “Thank you, Claire.” My gut churns. The uneasy feeling I felt after I couldn’t get her on the phone last night hits me with the force of a nuclear bomb. I turn to Eno. “I’m gonna go check on Tessa.” I cross to my son, giving him a kiss on the top of the head. “Watch him for me?” I ask the ladies.
Avery’s eyes dart to me. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, just gonna go check on Tessa.” I turn, but she puts her hand on my forearm, stopping me. “What, Avery?”
“Go easy on her, okay? She was scared yesterday.” Her big green eyes are soft and so full of compassion.
I stop, giving her my full attention. “You saw her yesterday?”
“Yeah. She came to see me at the hospital.” She steps back, crossing her arms over her chest.
“What for?” Tessa wouldn’t have just gone to Avery out of the blue like that if it wasn’t something important.
“Ask her, but be gentle.” She looks back over her shoulder at Jax, and then back to me. “Okay?” Not sure what Jax has to do with any of this, but I’m in an even bigger panic to get to her now. I walk out the door and to my car. I tear out of the parking lot, breaking every speeding law there is between me and Tessa.
I pull into her drive behind her piece of shit car and park. The house looks normal from the outside, just as it had when I left it on Tuesday morning.
I pound my fist on the door. “Tessa?” There’s no sound or response. “Tessa?” I move over to the windows of the living room and cup my hands around my face to look in. The living room is turned upside down. “Shit.” I go back to the door in a panic.
I look for the rock and find it gone, so I step back and kick the door again and again until the deadbolt gives, busting the frame, and the door swings open. The house is utter chaos and deathly silent. I pull my gun from my back and lead with it, clearing the living room. “Tessa?” I survey the damage and my chest tightens. The kitchen is in the same shape as the living room—destroyed. Her dishes have been broken. All the drawers have been dumped on the floor, and all the food in the cabinets and fridge are scattered everywhere.
I stop when I see the back door. It’s screwed fucking closed. That’s when I see the small spots of blood dotting the white paint. “Son of a fucking bitch,” I mutter, turning and running for the stairs. When I reach the landing, it’s just as trashed as the rest of the house. I see her bedroom door standing wide open.
I step through to find her on the mattress that has been tossed off the frame, her small body curled into herself. “Tessa?” I rush to her, falling to my knees beside her. She doesn’t respond. “Tessa?” I say, taking her by the arm and gently rolling her to me. Her face is one huge ass bruise. Her lip is split, and her left eye is swollen shut. “Tessa, baby?” I say again as I pull her onto my lap, checking for a pulse. It’s there, but it’s faint.
“Matthew?” Her voice is pained and barely audible.
“Yeah, baby, I’m here.” I take out my phone and call Leo.
“Yeah?” he answers.
“Bring Avery and get to Tessa’s house, now,” I bark out, right before I hang up to cradle my broken woman in my arms. “Who did this, baby?”
She shakes her head furiously on a sob. “I’m so sorry.”
“For what?” I try to tilt her back, but she has a death grip on my T-shirt.
“I brought him here. He followed me, and now we’re all in danger.” She rolls into me, sobbing. I’ve killed a man this week, and now seeing Tessa in the state she’s in, I’ll have the blood of another man on my hands again soon.
Chapter Nineteen
Matty
“Matty?” Leo bellows from downstairs.
“Up here in her bedroom,” I call back. I look down at Tessa’s battered face. “Tell me who in the hell did this to you.”
Before she can answer, Leo and Avery come through the door. Avery rushes over to my side, falling to her knees. “Oh my God, Tessa,” she says as she quickly unzips her case. “You’re going to have to lay her down, Matty, so I can check her out.” She instructs as she unloads numerous items on the mattress beside us. I kiss Tessa’s forehead as she slides off my legs and back onto the mattress.
“You seem to be moving fine,” Avery says as she begins to lift Tessa’s shirt to inspect her ribs and abdomen.
Leo taps a folder against the doorframe, getting my attention. “We should talk,” he says to me, lifting his eyebrows along with the folder.
I look down into Tessa’s green eye—just the one, since the other one’s fucking swollen shut. Anger burns through me. Someone thought they could lay their hands on my woman and get away with it. Obviously, they don’t know who the fuck they’re dealing with. I lean in and kiss her. “I’ll be right back, baby.” A tear slips down her temple and I wipe it away with my thumb.
Avery lays her hand on my forearm. “She’ll be okay, Matty. I’ve got her.” She smiles at me, and I know I’m leaving her in good hands.
I stand and turn toward Leo, following him out into the hall where he hands me the folder. I open and start flipping through the many papers it contains. “Sorry. If we would’ve gotten this information sooner, we would’ve had someone on her house, brother,” he growls when I come to a legal document that catches my attention. “Why the fuck we didn’t have one on it in the first place…fuck. You would’ve thought by now we’d learned our lessons.” He’s just as mad at himself as I am at me. “Oh, I know why we didn’t have anybody on the house—it’s because we didn’t know you were fucking leaving,” he seethes.
I look up at him, dismissing his anger at me. “This is a fucking restraining order.”
“And another thing,” he says as I flip the folder, “she’s married too, man. Divorce papers have been filed, but it seems her dumbass of a husband won’t sign.” He looks at her door, then back to me. “And I have a strong feeling this is his handiwork.”
“That’s a fucking given.” I shake my head a few times, then look up at him. “Do we have eyes on him yet?”
“Eno’s working on it.” Leo’s eyes dart back into the room where Avery is kneeling beside Tessa.
“When we find him, he’s mine.” I jab my finger hard into my chest.
“Never any doubt about that.” He leans back against the wall. “Sorry, man. If we would’ve had this information sooner—”
“No, she could’ve said something. It’s nobody’s fault. We didn’t know.” The blame falls nowhere but on the shoulders of the man who did this.
Avery comes around the door, her face pinched with worry. “I�
�ve done all I can here, Matty. She needs a hospital and some X-rays to really see the extent of her injuries.”
~~~~~~
After a short ride in an ambulance, because Avery didn’t want to risk hurting her any more than she already is by picking her up and carrying her, I sit outside the emergency room, waiting for an update.
I’d called her mother, who now sits next to me, holding my hand like I’ve known her longer than the fifteen minutes she’s been here.
“I knew he would find her. She’s been trying to leave him for years.” She stops, dragging in a ragged breath before continuing. “I never liked that boy, from the time they started dating when she was in high school. Never did, not one bit,” she says, looking off into nothing. I pat her hand, trying to reassure her.
When she turns to me, I see where Tessa gets her beautiful green eyes. “It’s no coincidence, you know?”
I look at her, confused. “What isn’t?”
She leans over to whisper in my ear. She scans the room where the other boys are standing, waiting with me. “I know what you boys are, and I knew you were the only ones who could protect her. I’m just sorry you had no clue about her past and was left defenseless.”
My mouth falls open and a rush of worry comes over me. “Don’t worry, son, I’m not going to say a word to her about you. I’m leaving that up to you.” She squeezes my hand. “Just promise me you won’t let this happen again.”
Still in a haze of shock, I nod my head, agreeing. “He will never touch her again,” I tell her, but I’m still reeling. She knows we’re DEA. Or does she think we’re just bikers? I fight the urge to ask, and thank God I’m interrupted by the doctor coming through the swinging doors, leveling his eyes on me.
“She with you?” he asks me with an accusatory tone.
I help Noma out of her chair so she can stand beside me. “Yes, she is.” I nod my head. “This is her mother.”
“I’ll have to inform the police,” he taunts, right before dismissing me to turn to Noma.
I take him by the arm, jerking him back to me. “Do you think I did that shit to her?” I point past him at the doors he just exited.
He looks at me, then down at my hand at my busted up knuckles. “From what I’m seeing, the idea isn’t very far-fetched.”
“I would never lay a hand on a woman, especially not my woman, and call the fucking cops. She has a restraining order against the motherfucker that did that to her.” I release his arm.
I take a step back and Noma steps in front of me in a defensive stance. “How is my daughter?”
The doctor takes a deep breath, eyeing me over her shoulder. “She has a mild concussion and several bruises, but nothing is broken, fortunately.” He flips another sheet of paper. “We’ll keep her overnight for observation.” Avery is standing beside Leo with a pained look on her face.
Her sympathetic eyes land on me as she pulls her bottom lip through her teeth, deep in thought. She pushes up to her tiptoes, whispering something into Leo’s ear. He nods and lets her go so she can follow the doctor back through the doors.
A nurse takes Noma back to see Tessa with a promise from me that I’ll be right behind her. Leo comes over to me. “Emily took Caden, Gia, and Jackson to her house. Hollis and Josie are helping her.” He rubs the back of his neck, taking in the expression on my face. “Shit…what?”
I motion with a nod of my head for the others to join us. I scrub my hand down my face, blowing out a long breath. “Noma just informed me that she knows who we are, and it was no coincidence she won me at the auction.”
“What the fuck?” Roman asks. “How the hell? What exactly does she know about us?”
I shrug my shoulders. “I don’t know. Didn’t get a chance to ask her.”
“Well, you need to find the time.” Leo looks around as Avery comes back through the double doors towards us.
She comes to a stop beside him. “She’s asking for you, Matty.”
I nod to her, then look back up to Leo. “We’ll take care of it, man. Go check on her and we’ll let you know what’s going on.” I slap him on the shoulder and head back to Tessa, a thousand questions flying through my head with just as many concerns. But there’s no doubt about where Tessa will be staying from now on, and that’s with me and Jackson at my home, where I can keep her safe.
I knock before entering her room and hear Noma invite me in. I push the door open to find them both crying. “I can come back.”
Tessa sniffles, but holds out her hand to me. “No.”
Noma stands, but Tessa grabs her hand. “Momma, this is Matthew.”
Noma leans in, kissing her forehead. “Yeah, baby I know. We’ve met and I know it was money well spent.” She looks up at me, giving me a weak smile. “I’ll just go get a cup of coffee and let you two talk.”
I take out my phone shooting off a quick text. “Noma, wait, let me get Dalton. I don’t want you going anywhere by yourself.” I cross to the bed, taking Tessa’s outstretched hand. Leaning in, I give her a kiss.
Dalton walks into the room, smiling at Tessa. “Hey darlin’,” he greets her, then offers Noma his arm. “Shall we leave these two kids alone, pretty lady?” Noma takes his arm, smiling for the first time in hours. I shake my head. My friends always come through, regardless of what I need from them. They’re always there backing me up, offering support.
I turn back to Tessa. Taking her face in my hands, I press my lips in a fine line, fighting the anger coursing through my body. She has fear in her eyes as we both hold our breaths, just looking at each other. I lower myself to the chair beside the bed, stroking her cheek gently with my thumb, wiping the tears that are spilling down away. “Shh, baby, I’m here now. He’ll never touch you again. I promise.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” Her voice is broken with her sobs. She presses her eye closed. “I always knew he would come for me.”
“Well he made a mistake when he did,” I tell her. She opens her eyes and slowly turns her head to me. “There are certain things that aren’t acceptable in my world, Tessa.” I hold up my index finger. “One, never lay hands on children. Two,” I lift my middle finger, “never touch another man’s woman.”
She pulls her split lip through her teeth, wincing when she realizes what she’s done. “What are you going to do to him?”
“Do you care?” I ask her raising one of my eyebrows with the question.
“No, not really.” She shrugs. “But I don’t want you to get into trouble over it.”
I scoff. “That’s highly unlikely.”
I feel her squeeze my hand, pulling my attention back to her. “He knows people, Matthew…bad people.” Her eyes are so serious and full of concern.
I kiss the back of her hand. “Don’t worry about me, angel. I know some people too.” She sinks back into her pillow, looking completely unconvinced I could be capable of holding my own.
I hold her hand and watch as she drifts off. I lay her hand on the bed beside her and stand. Taking out my phone, I call Emily.
“Hello?” she answers.
“Hey. How’s Jackson doing?” I look back at the bed, trying to figure out how to tell Tessa about him.
“He’s great. He got a little fussy so I just laid him down for a nap. How’s Tessa? Is she okay?” she asks, worry evident in her voice for a woman she has only met once, but knows is important to me.
I turn to look at Tessa’s bruised face, cut lip, and swollen eye. “Banged up. It could be worse, I guess.” I rub the back of my neck, trying to work out the stress that’s knotting up the muscles as I stifle a yawn. The past two sleepless nights are catching up to me. “They’re going to release her in the morning. Can he sleep over with Caden?”
“Yeah, of course, Matty, but uh…” she pauses. “Have you told Tessa yet?”
“No. Haven’t figured out just how to do that yet,” I answer, worry burning my gut.
“Well we’re all here for you, Matty, and if you want my opinion, I think she�
�ll be great with it.” Hell, she knows from experience. She’d gone through an eerily similar situation with Cowboy. She accepted Caden with open arms, but she isn’t Tessa, and she and I haven’t been together as long as Emily and Cowboy have.
“Thanks, babe, I appreciate it.” I tell her goodbye, then hang up as I look at Tessa. I’m not ready to let her go, but it’s not about me anymore. I have a little boy who’s had a rough start in life looking to me now for guidance and care. I have to put my wants and selfish needs aside and turn my focus on the life I helped create, but I have to at least try with her too, right? My chest already aches with just the thought of having to let her go.
I’m torn by my own words because basically, I’m putting myself first by staying here with her and leaving him with Emily. Or am I doing what I promised her I would do and protect her? Jax is with family, people he needs to know better. He already knows me, and I have no fucking doubt Cowboy would die before he let anything happen to my little boy, as I would for Caden.
I will always believe that fate brought Tessa and me together.
No longer being able to fight it, I slump down into the chair and fall asleep, holding her hand with hopes of not ever having to let her go.
Chapter Twenty
Tessa
I roll to my side and find Matthew asleep in the chair, still holding my hand. I noticed when he’d come into my room earlier, how exhausted he’d looked, and wondered what he’d been doing for the past three days.
I run my thumb over his knuckles, the rough scabs of his busted skin makes me wonder even more. “Who are you?” I whisper the question into the space between us. His features are soft with sleep. Thick stubble covers his strong jaw, and his sandy blond hair is messy, like he’s been running his fingers through it. I’d asked for him and he’d been here. I’ve never had this kind of love and support from a man, other than my father who had set the standard, but Jake had busted all my misconceptions and expectations.