Playing to Win

by Becca Van

  “No.”

  “Do you get migraines often?” Brigg asked as he dug into his bag. He pulled out an alcohol wipe, a packaged needle, and a vial of clear medicine.

  “No.”

  “What do you usually take for them, honey?” Brigg tore open the wipe and then swabbed her upper arm with the disinfectant.

  “Just over-the-counter stuff.”

  “I think you should go and see one of the docs for something else.” Brigg prepared the needle. “It also wouldn’t hurt for you to have a medical checkup. A little pinch, Cindy.” Brigg pushed the needle into her good arm and plunged the fluid into her body. Within a minute, Cindy sighed and the tension in her shoulders eased.

  “What did you give her?” Shane asked.

  “A small dose of Demerol. She’ll be out for a few hours. From what I can gather, your woman gets stress migraines. At least that’s what Phoenix told me. He must have the information on record. While I hate seeing anyone suffering, and I know you all hate it, too, after what she’s been through recently, this isn’t a big surprise.”

  Grant rubbed at the back of his neck and gazed at their woman. When she slumped more onto the table, he knew she was out. Being careful with her, he gently lifted her from the seat and into his arms. “Is there anything we need to do for her?” he asked.

  Brigg shook his head. “Just take her home and let her sleep. Make sure she has plenty of fluids when she wakes up. If she’s still in pain later, it would be a good idea to take her to see one of the docs.”

  “Thanks, Brigg.” Grant gave him a chin lift.

  Brigg waved off his appreciation. “No need to thank me. I’m just doing my job.”

  “Thanks anyway.” Shane shook Brigg’s hand, then so did Curt and Jake.

  “Let’s get her home,” Grant said as he walked toward the door. He nodded and smiled at the two women peering out from the kitchen. Their frowns turned to tentative smiles.

  Shane hurried around him to the truck and opened the door. Grant climbed into the back, still holding the love of his life.

  * * * *

  Cindy blinked her eyes open with a sigh. Though she felt a little thickheaded, she felt a lot better. Heat suffused her cheeks when she remembered tossing her cookies in front of the Kenny men. She hated anyone seeing her being sick. In fact, when she wasn’t feeling well, she usually hid behind four walls until she was back to normal.

  “Hey, honey. How are you feeling?” Jake asked.

  She turned to find him lying on his side on the bed with his hand propping up his head. “Much better.”

  “You scared us, darlin’,” Curt said from her other side.

  She met his gaze. “I’m sorry.”

  “You have nothing to be sorry about, baby,” Shane said.

  “Nothing at all. We all get sick every once in a while,” Grant stated.

  She glanced down at her chest and shouldn’t have been surprised to see that she was no longer wearing her clothes. The T-shirt covering her breasts was big and black and looked like it belonged to one of her men. When she inhaled, she knew from the scent it was Grant’s. “How long was I out?” Cindy pushed her hair back from her face.

  “A few hours,” Curt replied.

  She frowned. “Brigg gave me something. Whatever it was worked fast.”

  “Demerol,” Jake said.

  “What?”

  “Brigg gave you a shot of Demerol.”

  “Oh. Uh, okay.” She wondered if the medicine was the reason she was so thirsty.

  “Are you hungry, baby?” Shane asked.

  “A little.”

  Curt stoked a finger down her cheek. “Why don’t you go and freshen up? By the time you come out to the kitchen, dinner should be ready.”

  “Do you want some help?” She pushed herself up until she was leaning against the headboard and pillows.

  “No!” Grant shoved to his feet, combed his fingers through his hair, and began to pace. She had no idea what was going on, but she didn’t have to wait long. “You’ve been pushing yourself too fucking hard. You need a few days to rest and recuperate, sweetie, and we’re going to see you get it.”

  “I’m fine, Grant.”

  He slashed his hand through the air. “No, you’re fucking not. Look at you. You have stitches in your chin and side and a busted wrist. You’ve been through so much.” He spun to face her, pointing at her. “That migraine was your body’s way of telling you to slow the fuck down.”

  Cindy shook her head, crossed her arms over her chest, and scowled at him. “I. Am. Fine,” she yelled. “I’m used to doing things no matter how I feel.”

  “You don’t need to do that anymore, baby,” Shane said. “You have us to lean on now. Stop being so fucking independent. Listen to your body.”

  “I agree with Grant and Shane,” Jake said. “We know you don’t want to let your new bosses and those kids down, but you’ve been pushing yourself too fucking hard.”

  “If you don’t stop, you’re going to end up in the hospital,” Curt stated. “Do you want that? Where will those kids be if you get so sick you’re down for weeks?”

  Cindy sighed with reluctant resignation. They were right. She’d been pushing herself too hard and had suffered the consequences, but she had a responsibility to teach, and to Kat and Niki.

  “I called Kat while you were sleeping,” Shane said. “She and Niki don’t want to see you at Safe Haven for at least a week. During your week off, you aren’t allowed to lift a finger. You can read and watch TV, but other than showering and dressing, nothing else. Is that understood?”

  Cindy glared at him, but Shane held her eyes with a glare of his own. When she glanced at the other men, she knew she wasn’t going to win this fight. Every single one of the Kenny brothers had implacable resolve in their eyes.

  “Understood,” she snapped.

  “Good. We’ll leave you to clean up,” Grant said before leaving the room.

  One by one, his brothers followed him out.

  Cindy sighed with frustration, and when she went to push her hair from her face again, she hit herself in the forehead with her cast. “Great,” she muttered. “Just what I need. I’ll probably end up knocking myself out with the fucking plaster.”

  Flinging the covers aside, she hurried to the bathroom. Although it was going to be awkward to cover her cast by herself so she could shower, she wasn’t going to ask for help. She was still a little piqued with her men after they’d ordered her about. Cindy began to wonder if this relationship was going to work out after all. She was a grown woman, not a child, and didn’t need anyone telling her what to do anymore.

  Maybe the migraine had been a blessing in disguise. Because she’d been ill, she hadn’t had a chance to go back to her apartment to pack up her things and bring to her new home.

  When she realized she thought about this place as home, she pushed her angry thoughts aside. This was where she belonged, and she never wanted to leave.

  Cindy just hoped that Curt, Jake, Grant, and Shane never asked her to.

  * * * *

  “I think we should hire on a couple of men,” Curt said after taking a sip of his beer.

  “I agree.” Jake nodded.

  “We’ve been thinking about it,” Shane said, “but I think we should put that plan in motion.

  “It’s not like we can’t afford to hire on more labor workers,” Grant said. “It will free up some of our time so we get to spend more time with Cindy.”

  “Are we going to take turns staying at home with her?” Jake asked.

  “As much as I’d like to say yes, we can’t afford to. We might be ahead of schedule right now, but all it takes is something going wrong for us to fall behind.” Shane rubbed his chin. “Grant, I want you to set up a classified for new employees ASAP.”

  “I’ll do it after dinner.”

  Curt was glad Shane hadn’t asked him to set up an ad. He hated doing any sort of paperwork but would if he had to.

  “I don’t lik
e leaving her alone.” Jake said what Curt was thinking.

  “If we hover all the time, she’s going to think we don’t trust her,” Grant said.

  Curt sighed and nodded. “You’re right, but if we tell her we’re just looking out for her, surely she’ll understand.”

  “Would you want someone babysitting you?” Shane asked.

  “No,” Curt answered. “Fuck! I hate that she’s hurting.”

  “We all do, Curt,” Jake said.

  “She should be fine.” Grant me each of their gazes. “She’s been living alone for a while.”

  “Doesn’t mean I have to like it,” Curt replied.

  “No one said you had to.” Shane frowned.

  * * * *

  Cindy tugged a brush through her hair. Though it had been difficult to cover her cast with a plastic bag and tape it up, she’d managed. If anyone had been judging her efforts, she probably would have scored a one, if that, for looks, but she didn’t care.

  She felt so much better after brushing her teeth and showering but wished she had some of her own clothes to put on. Nevertheless, she’d found another clean T-shirt in one of the drawers and tugged it over her head before donning a robe. The robe was big, bulky, and too long, but there was nothing for it.

  After a last glance in the mirror at her messy hair, which, while it had been brushed and looked clean, it was going to have to stay down. There was no way she’d be able to put it up in a ponytail, let alone braid it.

  As she walked toward the kitchen, she took stock of her body and realized, for the first time in a week, she was no longer in pain. She was good at hiding things like that. She’d learned to push pain and illness to the back of her mind because she’d been responsible for her younger sister’s care, but the Kenny brothers were right. There was no need to ignore what her body was telling her anymore. It had become a habit to put herself last, but it was time to put herself first for a change.

  She liked the idea of having four men to lean and rely on, and even though at the time she’d been pissed at the men for telling her she wasn’t going back to work for at least a week, she was looking forward to some downtime.

  Cindy couldn’t remember the last time she’d had free time to spend on herself or just to be. She had a couple of books on her e-reader she purchased months ago but hadn’t had the chance to read them.

  Smiling with anticipation of being able to do one of her favorite pastimes, she entered the kitchen. Shane and Grant were at the stove cooking what smelled like stir-fry, and Curt and Jake were setting the table.

  “You look better, baby,” Shane said as he eyed her over. “How do you feel?”

  “I feel great,” she said.

  When he held her hand out to her, she stepped closer. As soon as she was within touching distance, he pulled her into his arms, embracing her. He bent down, kissed her on the forehead, and then released her.

  Cindy was about to help carry the bowls of food to the table but stopped when Grant made a growly sound. She gave him an impish grin, sidled out of the way, and then walked toward the dining table and took a seat.

  “What are your plans for tomorrow, honey?” Jake asked.

  “I have a couple of books I haven’t read, but my e-reader is still at my place.”

  “Jake and I can go get it for you. In fact, if you trust us, we can pack all your things up and bring them back home,” Curt suggested.

  “I still haven’t finalized my lease.” She frowned.

  “We can deal with everything after dinner, baby.” Shane pointed at the bowl he’d placed in front of her. “Eat.”

  Cindy dug into the delicious food. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until she’d smelled the cooking food, but it shouldn’t have been a surprise since she’d thrown up her lunch.

  “Do you have a contact number for your landlord, darlin’?” Curt asked.

  “Yes. It’s in my purse.” She covered her mouth.

  “Don’t panic, sweetie. Jake got it for you.” Grant pointed to the sideboard behind her.

  When she went to stand, Shane clasped her shoulder. “Stay right where you are, baby. Curt can get it.”

  Curt tilted his seat on the two back legs, stretched out his arm, snatched her purse up, and then passed it to her.

  “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome, darlin’.”

  She retrieved her phone, scrolled through her contacts, and hit dial.

  “Well, what did they say?” Shane asked after she’d ended the call.

  Cindy blinked back tears of frustration. “He said since I signed a binding contract and the lease isn’t up for another six months, I can’t end the lease.”

  Grant shook his head as he covered her hand with his. “It doesn’t matter, sweetie. You’re still moving in with us.”

  “But—”

  “No,” Jake said. “No buts, honey. You’re moving in with us where you belong. End of story.”

  Cindy nodded. She wasn’t about to argue since she didn’t want to leave. She loved Jake, Shane, Curt, and Grant with her whole heart.

  She had no idea what to do about her apartment but had a feeling her men would take care of everything for her.

  They were so damned wonderful her heart filled with love.

  She hoped she never did anything to make her men look at her with disappointment.

  If they did, she’d be so heartbroken, she wasn’t sure she’d survive the pain.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chester took everything in as he drove through the town of Slick Rock. Though it was small, it looked as if it was going through a growth boom. There was a new estate being built in the northwest just outside of town, but right now, his only interest was finding where Safe Haven was. Luckily for him, it was late. He hadn’t headed out until almost lunchtime, and he’d stopped to look at a few things along the way.

  When he saw a deputy patrol car coming toward him on the other side of the road, he stopped gazing about and kept his eyes on the road. He cursed the fact that he hadn’t thought about stealing a set of license plates and changing them with his own. However, he wasn’t wanted by the police even though he now had a record, thanks to his slut of a wife, but he should be ok. So he hoped. He’d have to be a good law abiding citizen so he didn’t draw any attention to himself. Otherwise he might end up with the cops on his ass.

  Once he was on the far end of town and away from any prying eyes, he pulled over toward the curb and grabbed his cell phone. Using the navigational system on his smartphone, he punched in a search for Safe Have and started the map directions. After checking his mirrors to make sure the road was clear, he turned right down a side street and headed away from the town center. There were a few houses spaced far apart, and he also passed a couple of entrances to ranches, but they didn’t hold his interest. All he cared about was finding the shelter. When he knew where that was, he had plans to come back tomorrow and reconnoiter.

  He was going to get his kids back no matter what. Although he didn’t love his wife, she was still his, and he wasn’t letting her live her life without him. There was no fucking way he was letting her hook up with some other asshole and live happily ever after. She’d ruined his life and deserved payback. Brett and Belinda were his flesh and blood and should be with their father. If they grew up without any male influence, fuck knows how they’d turn out.

  When his phone told him he was almost at his destination, he pulled his truck over onto the verge and got out. After stretching and looking around to make sure the coast was clear, he started walking toward the large building he could see in the distance.

  Just as he was about to step out from the behind the trees, he caught movement ahead of him. Ducking down to a crouch, he peeked around the trunk of the large tree. There was a security guard walking around the perimeter of the building, and from the confident stride and his size, the fucker knew how to handle himself.

  Once the asshole disappeared around the corner, Chester stood and hurried back to h
is truck.

  There was no way he was going to be able to get his hands on his bitch of a wife and his kids without a plan.

  He’d have to find somewhere to hole up for the night and think about what he was going to do.

  He didn’t care how long it took, but he wasn’t giving up until he had his son, daughter, and wife back under his control.

  * * * *

  “We need to buy our woman some clothes,” Jake stated.

  “We sure as shit do.” Curt frowned.

  It had taken Jake and his brother just over an hour to pack up all of Cindy’s things. Most of the furniture had come with the apartment. The things in her kitchen and bedroom had attested to Cindy not having much money. She’d only had two plates, bowls, cups, and knives, and forks. There’d been a dented saucepan and a battered secondhand frying pan in another cupboard.

  Her small pantry had held four packets of noodles, a small jar of coffee, and a jar of peanut butter. Her closet hadn’t been much better.

  “Have you got the check ready?” Jake asked.

  “Right here.” Curt patted his shirt pocket.

  While Curt had been driving, Jake had searched about the rent on apartments at Cindy’s housing complex. A one-bedroom apartment was going for one-hundred and fifty dollars a week. Since she still had six months, or twenty-six weeks, left to go on her lease, he’d worked out that she’d owe three thousand nine hundred dollars. He’d decided to add another eleven hundred bucks and written the check out for five grand. Now all they had to do was find out the fucker’s name, put it on the check, and hand it over.

  Jake wasn’t going to give the prick time to argue with him, and since he and his brothers were paying more than what was owed, there was nothing the asshole could do to stop Cindy from moving out. He didn’t really give a shit how much it cost as long as she never had to come back here again.

  * * * *

  Shane couldn’t believe how fast Curt and Jake had packed up Cindy’s stuff. They’d been gone just over an hour and a half and were back already unloading the truck. Grant had gone to help them, but with Cindy asleep with her head on his thigh, he wasn’t about to move. She needed all the rest she could get. He watched as his brothers carried her stuff into the house and clenched his jaw with anger as the last load was brought in and set down near the front door.