Playing to Win

by Becca Van

  Kat pulled Joy into her arms, blinking rapidly. “Yes, you are. Don’t hesitate to ask for something if you need it.” Kat drew back and met Louise’s eyes and then the children’s. “Any of you. Okay?”

  Louise swiped at the tears on her cheeks, nodded, and then replied in a fractured emotional voice, “Th-thank y-you.”

  Kat smiled at the small group before glancing at Cindy. “Are you ready to see more?”

  “Lead the way, boss.” Cindy smiled. She hated that the two families had a need for Safe Haven, but she was glad they had somewhere to go. While she didn’t know their stories and wouldn’t impinge on their privacy by asking, she hoped that their abusers were long gone. If the assholes who’d hurt these women and kids knew where they were, trouble was sure to follow them.

  Once they were outside again, Cindy drew in several deep breaths to get her nervousness under control.

  “Hey, are you okay?” Kat asked.

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” Cindy lied. “I hate that they’ve been hurt.”

  “Me too,” Kat said. “But at least they’ll be safe here.”

  “Do you think their abusers are looking for them?”

  “I don’t know.” Kat sighed. “I hope not.”

  “Have you thought about having security cameras and maybe a couple of security guys around here just in case?” Cindy asked.

  “Niki and I discussed it, but I’m not sure how that would go down. Louise, Joy, and the kids won’t even venture outside because of the Kenny brothers and any other men around.”

  “Do you know what happened to them?” Cindy asked, but continued on before Kat could respond. “I’m not trying to pry or trying to get their story out of you. I just think you should have some sort of added protection for just in case scenarios.”

  “I know you’re right, but I don’t know what to do. Security cameras will be installed in the hall tomorrow, but I don’t want to terrify the women and kids more than they are by having this place surrounded by men. There are already too many males here for their liking. Niki and I weren’t going to take anyone in until everything was finished, but I couldn’t say no when the police contacted me.”

  “How did word get out about Safe Haven?” Cindy asked. Goose bumps raced over her skin, and the hair on her nape stood on end. She knew she was being watched, and although the temptation to turn around to see who it was was strong, she ignored the urge as much as she could. She had a feeling that she knew exactly who was staring at her and Kat.

  “Our lawyer did a write-up about it in a nationwide newspaper. He wanted to get the word out about Safe Haven, hoping to get donations from businesses and such. I tried to tell him we didn’t need any money, but he said a place like this bleeds money like blood squirting from an artery.”

  Cindy wrinkled her nose at the analogy.

  Kat held her hands up. “They were his words, not mine, but Niki and I realized he was right. What money we have has been invested wisely and is earning interest, but building and running a refuge like this is costly, and since it’s a nonprofit organization, there’s no money coming in. Our lawyer is right, Cindy. We need as much publication about Safe Haven as possible. We want people to know we’re here to help and that they can come here to recuperate and get back on their feet, but we’re also hoping for regular donations from the public.”

  Cindy nodded. Kat was right—regular donations coming in would keep this place afloat. She just hoped that the victims’ attackers didn’t start looking toward Safe Haven for their revenge.

  The last thing the survivors here needed was to have to confront their worst fears.

  Kat and Cindy turned when they heard a car coming up the gravel driveway. When the vehicle came into view, Cindy smiled at Niki through the windshield. Kat’s sister looked so damned happy, she couldn’t help but be a little jealous. Kat looked just as happy as Niki did.

  Cindy remembered when she, her mom, and her sister arrived in Slick Rock. She’d been about the same age as Brett and Angela. Maybe a bit older. Erica, her sister, had only been a few months old. Her mom had been in a deep depression after their father had walked out on them, and though she’d kept it together long enough to move away from San Francisco to Slick Rock, she’d started drinking. It had been up to Cindy to take care of Erica, and though she’d loved her baby sister, it had been hard to take care of someone so helpless when she’d barely been old enough to look after herself.

  It had taken her mother a full year to get her act together. Thinking back, Cindy realized that seeing Erica taking her first steps had shocked her mom from her depressive stupor. She’d stopped drinking and had become the loving parent she’d once been. They’d never had much money, and more than a few times Cindy and her mother had gone hungry to make sure Erica always had food, but life was difficult at times.

  Cindy had still taken care of Erica when their mom had been out working, but she hadn’t minded in the least, because she’d liked being able to eat.

  They’d been in Slick Rock ever since, and while she missed her mother and sister dreadfully, Cindy didn’t want to live anywhere else.

  She pushed her thoughts aside when Niki brought the car to a stop close to the hall and got out. “I bought a lot of groceries and would appreciate it if you could both help me unload them from the trunk,” Niki said.

  “Hi to you, too, sis,” Kat snarked.

  Niki smiled sheepishly. “Sorry. Hi, Kat. Hi, Cindy. How are things?”

  “All good,” Cindy replied as she followed Niki and Kat toward the back of the car.

  Because the trunk was already popped open, Cindy didn’t hesitate to reach in and grab a couple of bags.

  “Let us help you with those, ladies,” Shane said from behind her. He was so close, Cindy felt his body heat, and she was sure she felt his breath ruffle through the hair on the top of her head.

  She half turned and bumped into a broad muscular chest. Swallowing around the tightness in her throat, she slowly raised her gaze up and up and up some more until she was looking into his green eyes. He stared into her eyes for a beat or two and then caressed his hands down over her arms, starting just above her elbows. Her pulse raced wildly when her heart thudded rapidly, and although she wanted to draw in a deep lungful of air, she didn’t want him to realize his touch was affecting her. She tried to step back but ended up bumping her hip into the back of the car. When his hands reached hers and he grasped the handles, her face heated with embarrassment. He wasn’t making a move on her like she thought. He was only trying to remove the grocery bags from her grasp.

  Cindy released the handles, ducking her head as she tried to hide her mortification.

  “My brothers and I will bring in the rest.”

  Cindy nodded, and when he turned away from her, the backed-up air in her lungs exploded out of her mouth. She drew in a couple more breaths until she was no longer panting like she’d just run a footrace. Thankfully, Curtis, Grant, and Jake had also grabbed some shopping bags and were already carrying them toward the hall.

  You are such a dork, Cindy Dodge. Get over yourself. The Kenny brothers probably think you’re a naïve, childish idiot.

  Chapter Three

  Chester couldn’t believe that bitch had pressed charges. It wasn’t like it was the first time he’d hit her. He’d been beating on her for years. He was so furious he couldn’t sit still, but no matter how much or how fast he paced, the anger wouldn’t abate. He was sure if he looked in the mirror he’d see steam coming out of his ears.

  His dumb slut of a wife and his kids seemed to have disappeared off the face of the earth. He’d lost his fucking job because of that stupid cunt, and it looked as if he was about to lose his home, too, since he couldn’t pay the rent. While he didn’t really give a shit about working on the road crew in his hometown of Phoenix, Arizona, it was the principle of the situation that had anger roiling in his gut.

  She’d promised in a church to love and obey him in sickness and in health, but she’d taken off at th
e first opportunity. That cunt needs to pay for taking away his own flesh and blood.

  There was no way she was smart enough to have escaped him on her own, so he figured that she must have had someone help her.

  He was worried about Brett and Belinda. Kids needed a father figure around them to lay down the law and teach them right from wrong, especially a boy. No boy of his was going to grow up without a male’s touch. If he didn’t find his family, he could just imagine Brett growing up to be a real mommy’s boy. When his son got older, females were likely to walk all over him and he would probably let them.

  No, he wasn’t going to let his bitch wife get away with what she’d done.

  Chester was going to find his kids if it was the last thing he ever did, and when he got his hands on his wife, well, he’d make sure she learned a lesson she’d never forget. When he was done with her, there was no way she’d ever think of leaving him and taking his kids from him ever again.

  Chester wasn’t giving up until he had his family back where they were supposed to be, right here in the house he’d been busting his ass at work to pay the rent for.

  But first he had to find them.

  * * * *

  “Whoa, are you okay, darlin’?” Curt asked as he grasped Cindy’s hip just after they’d collided. He’d been carrying in another bag of groceries and was glad he’d had a free hand to steady her. He hadn’t seen Cindy enter the hall, but he was relieved that she hadn’t disappeared on him like he’d thought.

  “Sorry,” she said.

  Curt’s dick twitched in his pants. He loved the husky quality of her voice, but his body reacted almost instantly to the sound, and he hoped she didn’t look down toward his crotch and see that he was as hard as nails.

  “Don’t apologize, darlin’. I should be the one saying sorry. I was lost in thought and didn’t take any notice of where I was going,” he explained.

  She raised a skeptical brow at him but stepped to the side of the entrance. With a quiet sigh of regret, his hand dropped from her arm. He’d noticed in the diner, and again now, how fucking good she smelled. Curt wanted to pull her into his arms and hold her up against his body. When he had her in his embrace, he imagined just holding her and breathing in her delectable perfume.

  “Everything all right?” Shane asked.

  Curt watched Cindy intently as she glanced toward his older brother before quickly looking away. Pink crept up her cheeks as she blushed and nodded. When he looked down at her chest, he almost groaned when he saw her hard little nipples poking against the shirt she was wearing. She was so shy and sweet, but she wasn’t naïve. Cindy was just as aware of the attraction between her and them as he and his brothers were. He decided now was as good a time as any to ask her out on a date. He cleared his throat and then asked, “Will you have dinner with us tonight, Cindy?”

  The flush on her face deepened, and his gut clenched when she shook her head. “Thank you for asking, but I have a lot of work to do tonight.”

  She licked her lush lips, drawing his gaze to her mouth, and his imagination immediately went straight to the gutter. Pushing his lust and his carnal thoughts aside was hard, but if he didn’t get control of himself, he was liable to scare her off with his intensity.

  “What work do you have, baby?” Shane asked.

  Cindy lifted a trembling hand toward her face and pushed her hair back off her cheek. Curt frowned and wondered if she was scared of him and his brothers. It didn’t bode well for them if she was.

  His mind started spinning in circles. Had Cindy also been a victim of abuse? Is that why she was going to be teaching kids at the shelter?

  “I have lesson plans to prepare for the kids to do tomorrow.”

  “What about tomorrow night?” Jake asked as he and Grant joined them. His brothers remained at the bottom of the steps, and Curt was glad they’d seen how nervous she was and had decided not to crowd her. Cindy was shifting from foot to foot and was now wringing her hands. He wished he could take her hands in his and try to settle her down, but he didn’t want to spook her.

  “Sorry, I’ll be busy all week with the lessons.” Cindy nibbled on her lower lip.

  Curt shifted his stance, trying to relieve the pressure of his jeans against his hard, aching cock, but it didn’t help worth a damn. The only way he was getting any relief was if he made an adjustment, but he wasn’t about to draw attention to the fact that he was hard.

  “So you’re free on the weekend?” Grant asked.

  Cindy gazed at the doorway to the hall over her shoulder. She was so fucking tiny, he was worried that if he and his brothers ever got the chance to touch her, to make love with her, that they’d hurt her. While he knew most women were a lot tougher than they looked—they had to be, otherwise none of them would ever go back for a second or more children—he was very aware of his own strength and masculinity right now.

  Curt sighed when she shook her head again. “Sorry, I already have plans.” Without looking at any of them, she descended the steps, making sure her body didn’t brush against his or Shane’s and hurried away.

  “Damn it, Curt, you are so fucking impatient,” Jake snarled.

  “And you aren’t?” Curt snapped.

  “Hey, what the hell is going on out here?” Kat asked brusquely.

  When Curt turned to meet her gaze and he saw the scowl on her face, he winced. While Kat was taller than Cindy and her sister, Niki, she was still small compared to him and his brothers, but he’d learned from listening to others that she had a sharp tongue when warranted. Curt opened his mouth to answer but quickly shut it when Kat held her hand up, palm out toward him.

  “You know what? I don’t really give a shit,” she said through clenched teeth, but also softly so no one inside the hall would hear her. “If you four are going to argue and fight, you need to take it somewhere else, or better yet, wait until you’re far away from Safe Haven. Those women and kids inside have been to hell and back. They’re scared, and they don’t need all of you frightening them further.”

  Curt felt his cheeks heating with shame and embarrassment. He hadn’t blushed since he was a kid, but Kat was right. This wasn’t the time or the place to get into it with his brothers. “Sorry, Kat. It won’t happen again.”

  Kat nodded, and when she gazed at Shane, Jake, and Grant they all apologized, too. “Look, I know you’re men and need to blow off steam now and then, but please be aware of where you are. I like you guys, and I appreciate how hard and fast you’re working to get the houses built, but I need to think of our guests first.”

  “And so you should,” Shane said. “We promise to keep our…debates on hold until we get home.”

  “Thank you,” Kat said. “Are we all good?”

  “We’re good,” Curt and his brothers replied simultaneously.

  “Does Cindy have a boyfriend?” Jake asked.

  Kat gazed at each of them with speculation. “Not that I’m aware of. No.”

  “She doesn’t look old enough to have a teaching degree,” Grant said. “Do you know how old she is?”

  “I do.” Kat quirked a brow.

  “Are you going to enlighten us?” Shane asked.

  “Don’t you all know it’s rude to ask a lady her age?” Kat countered.

  “We just want to make sure we aren’t about to do something illegal,” Curt said.

  “And are you?” Kat smirked.

  “Not on purpose. No,” Jake replied.

  “Cindy is over the age of consent if that’s what you’re trying to find out.”

  Curt sighed with relief, and he wasn’t the only one. Kat grinned mischievously, a twinkle of amusement in her blue eyes. She was a pretty woman, but he wasn’t attracted to her at all. Right now, he only had eyes for Cindy, and he hoped that he and his brothers would get the chance to take her on a date and find out if she was the woman he and his siblings had been waiting for.

  “You need to take your time with her if you’re planning on dating.” Kat crossed her arms
beneath her breasts. “Cindy hasn’t had the easiest of lives. Don’t push her, or you’ll never have a chance.”

  Before Curt could ask any more questions, Kat reached for the shopping bag he’d forgotten he was still holding, turned, and walked back into the hall. He spun on his heels and jogged down the steps. He and his brothers still had a few hours of light left, and they intended to use it to remain ahead of schedule. They had plans to eat out again tonight, and he was hoping like hell that they would see Cindy in town. If they could persuade her to have dinner with them, then all the better.

  * * * *

  Cindy hadn’t been lying exactly when she’d told the Kenny brothers that she had lessons to plan, but she also didn’t feel comfortable around men she didn’t know. Especially after what Virgil had done to her. However, what she’d experienced at his hands was probably nothing compared to what all the other women she knew had gone through.

  She’d never been a scaredy-cat, but now that she was living on her own, she was nervous. Sure, she’d had nightmares nearly every night for a few months after Virgil had kidnapped her, tied her up, and beaten her, but they’d slowly begun to taper off. Yet, now that she had a place of her own, the nightmares were back every damn night, and she was tired of it. She was weary from lack of sleep, and while she was excited that all her studying and hard work was finally paying, off, she hated living by herself.

  She’d even thought about looking for a room to rent and sharing an apartment with someone, but she wasn’t a great people person either. Working at the diner had helped bring her out of her shell somewhat, but she was shy to the bone, and she’d never, ever made a first move on anything or anybody except for her passion in regard to teaching hearing-impaired kids.

  Cindy had a lot of friends, which still managed to surprise her, but they were all older than her and involved in serious relationships. She’d never been on a date or been asked to go on a girl’s night out or even to someone’s house for a barbecue. Maybe if she were more outgoing, she’d be asked to join a fun night out, but she also wondered if her earlier refusals to invitations were the reason she was no longer asked.