Town of Chance: Fight for Freedom [The Dare Series 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Dixie Lynn Dwyer

  “Her sister’s case was all over the media.”

  She covered her mouth a moment. “He said something about hearing about me being alive. I don’t remember, but maybe he saw the news reports. There were reporters everywhere, even at the hospital,” she said to them.

  Max exhaled. “I’m sorry, Shelby, but your protection is priority. I understand that you want to protect the Pace men, that you care about them, but I have a job to do, too. Your sister can be protected by her men and will be made aware of the situation. In the interim, Kenneth, Sam, and Bender will find out what is going on and they will demand to be part of protecting you.”

  “Can you pick someone else instead? I can’t have them here. I can’t tell them what happened and allow them to get close to me. I can’t do that,” she cried.

  “Calm down, Shelby. They’ll insist in being part of this because they already care so much about you,” Max said to her.

  She shook her head. “I don’t accept his. Find someone else to help watch over me or I’m gone. I’ll leave here and disappear. I won’t let people I love get hurt or get killed. I won’t,” she said to them. She didn’t care that she just admitted to basically loving Bender, Pace, and Sam. She knew she did already and she hardly knew them. But the attraction, the connection between them was forceful, life changing, and she knew she didn’t deserve them. They deserved a woman who was clean of scars, of damage. Not some stupid woman who allowed a man to control her and then sell her off to pay some kind of stupid debt. They had almost succeeded in raping her, but then that call came and Mickie disappeared and Blade just wanted to play games with her body and her head as Skip watched.

  She clenched her eyes closed and tried to calm her breath.

  “We’ll work it out the way you asked, for now, but no promises on it staying that way,” he said to her and she held Max’s gaze with tears in her eyes.

  “No promises of me sticking around if danger comes this way,” she replied, and she knew the moment they left she would have to formulate a plan. There was no way she was risking getting her sister hurt or killed, or the Pace men. This was her situation, her troubled past to get free from. Disappearing again might be her only option.

  * * * *

  “What do you think?” Tazer asked Max as they walked out of Shelby’s house and stood by Max’s truck.

  “I think she’ll run in a heartbeat to keep her sister safe as well as Bender, Kenneth, and Sam.” He shook his head.

  “To think she really does care about them but is actually trying to protect them is crazy. They’re nuts about her,” Tazer added.

  “I know. But her fear is justified from what information she did give us about these men.”

  “Mickie Hayworth is a piece of scum. Anything he’s involved with has illegal ties. If we could figure out what the deal was that her boyfriend made with Mickie, then maybe it will be something we could work with. But you know as well as I do any snooping around we do could raise red flags.”

  Max ran his hand along his jaw. “Let’s see what happens in the next several days. Your brothers Burker and Parker, maybe they can help do that snooping we need under the radar,” Max suggested.

  Tazer squinted his eyes and gave a firm nod. “I was thinking the same thing. Let me gather names and shit, do the recon stuff tonight. I’ll brief them on the situation.”

  “Are you sure you’re okay with acting as her security and guardian? I know how good of friends you are with Kenneth, Bender, and Sam. Also wouldn’t want your chances with a certain young woman to be ruined,” Max said and smirked.

  “It will work out fine. Besides, I know the Pace men won’t stand for it for long. They’ll make demands on Shelby and hopefully set her straight as to their desire to protect her and make her their woman.”

  “And the woman you have eyes for?”

  “Max, don’t push it. She’s young, extremely shy, and like a sister to us.”

  Max opened his door to his SUV. “She’s not your sister and you’re not her brothers. You’re friends with her cousins. She’s a beauty and she needs looking after. I think you and your brothers are perfect for the job.”

  Tazer squinted his eyes at him. “She in some kind of trouble?”

  Max shook his head. “No, no, nothing like that. Just heard she’s always got guys calling her and wanting to go out. She declines. I wonder why,” he added and started the SUV.

  “It’s not my concern. Let me deal with this situation with Shelby. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  Max nodded and headed out of the driveway and Tazer went to his car and left, too. Max wondered what Tazer might do. Eliza Grace was a beautiful young woman, and she was extra shy, even after going away to college and moving back here to Chance. He remembered the night something happened to her at college. Bender took off in an uproar and the next thing Max knew, he was being called by the local authorities about Bender’s credentials and who he was. Apparently some college guys had tried to grab Eliza and pull her into a bedroom at a party. She fought back, struck two with a lamp, and was nearly sexually assaulted. From the little he heard, another group of friends heard her screams and the commotion and intervened. She was damn lucky but the incident really scared her and she finished her last year online from home here in Chance. Bender went out there again after the college tried to cover up the incident. Using Kenneth’s legal experience, they got the men who were involved arrested and charged. It was a hell of a mess and poor Eliza was withdrawn for quite some time. Within the last couple of years she changed, matured, became stronger, but she was still shy and especially when it came to men. But her eyes were always on Tazer, Lynch, Burker, and Parker, and their eyes were always on her.

  Max chuckled. What a heck of a match that would be, especially if they ever found out what happened to her and how she fought off her attackers. They’d be more protective than they already were. He wondered how Eliza would react having one of the guys she liked being guardian to Shelby Ann? He hoped it didn’t cause any tension. The two women were good friends.

  He thought about Shelby Ann and what happened to her. He was glad that she was seeing a counselor. Perhaps she was trying to get through whatever really happened in that room with those men so she could move on with her life and maybe a relationship with the Pace men. But that didn’t seem likely by her words. He wouldn’t put it past her to take off and hide on her own. It was obvious she hid all of this from her sister. Wait until Caroline found out.

  He’d better give C.J., Hunter, and York the heads-up. They had some planning to do to keep this town secure and Shelby safe, and they would do it.

  He headed back to the department to do his own research, starting with a friend of his who was a judge, and maybe knew more about this Mickie Hayworth.

  Chapter 3

  Shelby Ann was exhausted as she sat at her desk trying to get through the day. Tazer had followed her from home to work and of course Kenneth had seen him walk her to the door. They talked briefly about him gathering some information and they were going to meet for lunch. That was in fifteen minutes. She wanted to meet him at Rita’s but he insisted that he come get her at work and start coming up with a comfortable plan for him to watch over her. She felt sick to her stomach. She even felt guilty as she saw Kenneth’s face go blank and his eyes zero in on Tazer with daggers. She cared about Kenneth.

  She knew if things were different, if she weren’t scarred both physically and mentally, that she would love and accept their attention and courting. She had a feeling they would be very passionate, caring lovers and companions. Their kisses alone had left her dreaming of the men and of course their great bodies.

  They were respected, professional, strong, and powerful men. In a way they signified the types of men she always longed for but felt she wasn’t good enough to have. They didn’t deserve her baggage, her mistakes, or the chance at being hurt or killed. God knew Blade was more than capable of doing either. He had no limitations. She swallowed hard and shivered. Her mind w
as constantly remembering the past, that night she was held against her will and on display for Blade and Mickie. All because Jerry and Skip did something that they needed to disappear.

  Blade always had his eyes on her. Sometimes he would touch her, brush her hair with his fingers, whisper something close to her ear, and inhale. He scared her, gave her the creeps, but he was close with Skip and Jerry, and he was the one who seemed to be in charge when it came to their loan-sharking business. At least that was what she believed it to be as they talked about money and who was behind in payments. She didn’t know much or care to know.

  She shook the thoughts from her head and tried finishing the document she was working on. She read it multiple times before her mind truly focused on the work at hand. But then she heard talking and deep voices. After closing the file on her computer, she spotted Tazer and Parker. They were talking to Kenneth, and then Kenneth looked shocked as she locked gazes with all three men.

  “Ready?” Tazer asked with a smile. She nodded her head and grabbed her bag. She fixed the things on her desk and took a deep breath as she headed toward them.

  “I’ll be back in an hour,” she told Kenneth.

  “What’s going on?” he asked.

  Tazer placed his hand behind her back and guided her out. “Lunch,” he said straight-faced, and she saw the exchange between the men. It was like a hidden code for something. As they headed out and she glanced back at Kenneth, who immediately pulled out his cell phone, she felt sick.

  “Why did you do that? He is going to ask questions. He’ll force you to let him know what’s really going on. He’s probably calling his brothers right now. God, I can’t do this. I can’t take it,” she said and before she got into the car Tazer held her by her shoulders and gave her a little shake. She looked way up into his eyes. He was so serious, it scared her.

  “You love them. You want them to be safe. You’ll do as I say and you’ll get through this. We protect our own around here, and you heard Max. He won’t let you take off and try to handle this alone. Now, I think you’ll find that the information Parker came up with may be something we can work with.”

  She glanced at Parker. He gave a wink.

  “It will be okay. We’ll protect you,” Parker added. She got into the car, and as they drove away in Tazer’s truck she spotted Kenneth in the window on his cell phone and he looked ready to kill.

  * * * *

  “Goddamn it, Max, you better come straight with me. I’ve got my brothers on their way into town to see you and then to see Shelby.”

  “Calm down, Kenneth, and I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

  “Why the hell not? She’s our responsibility. We claimed guardianship with you and you believe she cares for us, too, but is just fighting it because of her past. What the fuck is going on?”

  “I can’t tell you.”

  “What the hell do you mean you can’t tell me?” he yelled into the phone and saw that his entire staff was listening to him and appeared worried. He headed into his office and slammed the door closed. He was pacing. He saw red when Tazer walked Shelby into work this morning and now he was fuming at seeing him and Parker pick her up for lunch. One look from his good friends and he knew something was up and they were protecting her. From who? From what?

  “It’s not my position to disclose what is currently going on. Tazer and his brothers are acting as her guardians.”

  “Why? Is she in danger?” he asked, his heart racing and concern for her well-being getting his temper rising and his gut clenching. She was going to be their woman. They were trying to be so patient but this was insane.

  “Kenneth, I’ve assigned them to her. There is nothing romantically happening between Shelby and the Hayes brothers, okay?”

  “No. It’s not okay. How could you assign them to her when you know damn well where we stand and that we’ve claimed guardianship of her? That means if she needs help, is in any kind of danger and needs protection, it’s all our job, not theirs.”

  Max exhaled. “She asked that you not be her guardians.”

  “What?” he asked, shocked.

  “I’m sorry, but for now, it’s how it must be. You should know that Tazer and his brothers are on top of things.”

  “No. That’s not enough. I’m going to find out. She will change her mind and that’s final.” He closed up the phone and then slammed his fist down on his desk. He was so upset, and he was hurt. He actually felt betrayed. It wasn’t right. Why was she pushing them away? Why was she being hurtful doing this? He thought about it so hard his head ached. He knew she had something happen in her past. Hell, Max had mentioned that when Caroline was abducted and they were searching for the guy who did it, Max found out Shelby was using her mother’s maiden name. No big deal. She had said she was trying to start over and everything was legal. Now it was obvious something was happening here to get Max to assign Tazer and his brothers as her guardians. That meant trouble was coming. If Shelby was in danger, he and his brothers would be the one to protect her. Why was she not letting them?

  He grabbed his keys and headed out. He was going to get to the bottom of this and that was final.

  * * * *

  Things couldn’t get any worse, or so Shelby thought. The moment they got into Rita’s, everyone looked at them and seemed shocked. They assumed she was seeing Tazer and Parker, but the men went right about being professional and guided her to a table in the back. That was when her eyes landed on Eliza Grace’s. Shelby immediately saw the sadness and then the anger. Eliza Grace would think that she was taking them away from Eliza. Shelby knew the woman liked them, but she had fears. Now she would think the worse. She had to do something before she lost a friend.

  As she was going to ask Eliza to join them, Eliza stood up, ignored Parker saying hello, and she hurried out. Shelby would have to explain things later.

  “Well, first things first. Your men are not going to let us be your guardians for long,” Parker whispered, and she opened her mouth to speak but Tazer stopped her.

  “What he means is that they really care about you, Shelby. You saw Kenneth’s face. He is pissed and I give him and his brothers another five minutes before they come in here demanding that you tell them what is going on. So let’s go over things quickly,” Tazer said to her.

  She listened as Parker explained about the information he discovered on Mickie as well as on Skip. They had a hard time finding info on Blade because they didn’t know his correct last name. The man had aliases.

  “It’s Fisher, I think. I remember hearing Skip call him that for something. Blade wasn’t happy about it, or that I knew the last name. I remember him giving me a look. It was like I knew something I shouldn’t have been privy to and now I was a threat.”

  “Okay, we’ll look that up further when I get back to the house,” Parker told her.

  “I don’t know why Mickie would care to find me or even tell Skip I’m alive and here in South Carolina. When I think about it, about what went down, they should have been relieved that I left, and that I never tried to press charges.”

  “Why didn’t you?” Parker asked, and she felt the twinge of embarrassment. She held his gaze and her eyes welled up with tears. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked like that.”

  “No, it’s fine. I was weak and scared out of my mind. I assume your brother told you a bit about what happened.”

  “Yes, he did, but obviously it was worse than you explained. Something else happened there to make these men still seek you out.”

  “It’s simple, really,” she said and played with the place setting on the table. “I got away before they could complete their intentions. It was over because of a phone call. Everything stopped and they panicked and Mickie took off. Blade told me we weren’t finished and that I belonged to him and to Skip.” She locked gazes with Parker.

  “He’s a very evil man. He thrives on a person’s fear. He doesn’t sleep, and he has total control over Skip.”

  “You were invol
ved with both of them?” Parker asked.

  “No. Skip was my boyfriend. Blade was his best friend and buddy along with Jerry. But like I told you guys, I think Blade was like a guard or a heavy for Skip. I know he must have done work for Mickie, too, because that night when they all showed up, Blade was wired. He had this look in his eyes. It was so wild and he appeared lost, out of it, and I knew I was never going to be the same again after that night. I knew they were all going to rape me.”

  “Jesus,” Parker whispered, and he covered her hand and gave it a squeeze. She held his gaze as one tear fell from her eye.

  “Then I heard the click of the switchblade,” she said and Tazer cleared his throat.

  “Shelby.”

  She looked over to the side and saw Kenneth approaching along with Bender.

  It appeared as if the entire diner went silent. They all just watched waiting to see if there was going to be a fight. She felt so stupid but then Tazer took control.

  Tazer stood up and so did Parker.

  They shook hands with Kenneth and Bender. “How’s it going?” Tazer asked Kenneth.

  “You tell us,” Kenneth replied and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

  Shelby was embarrassed. They were causing a scene and that was the last thing she wanted.

  “Just sit down. People are looking,” she said, and Kenneth uncrossed his arms and he sat down in the empty chair as Bender pulled one over from another table.

  That move seemed to get the crowd to go back to minding their own business. Chance was a close-knit community. This little incident would make the gossip column fast. She worried about Eliza Grace. She didn’t want her to misunderstand what was happening here. She was making a mess of everything. Shelby should have skipped town when she had the chance.

  Kenneth and Bender stared at her.

  “What’s going on, Shelby?” Bender asked.

  “You don’t belong here,” she replied, trying to hold her ground.