No Refunds No Exchanges: A Hudson Family Series- Book 4- Matt and Ali

by Chontelle Brison

  “Let me guess, she died in a car accident?” I asked feeling my chest constrict with every heartbeat.

  “Yep, someone cut her brake line, and she slammed into a tree about three days before they were scheduled to appear in court to settle their divorce.” He finished with a sigh, and I silently begged him to not show me anymore.

  “Last, we have the developers in New York. Their parent company is in South Africa and basically they have surveyor teams that scour the country, looking up old maps and mining claims. Once they find something promising they aggressively offer the landowner a buyout. Those that go willingly are paid off; those that don’t are suddenly plagued with mysterious accidents and dead family members.” Dalton grimaced when he pulled out the copies of newspaper reports that attested to an alarming number of freakish accidents that had happened to various landowners all over the country. I thought he was finished but then he put one more document in front of me, and I followed the yellow highlighter to the most important parts. A little over a year ago, the son had taken over New York Developers, Inc. What was Junior’s first act as the new CEO? The little bastard appointed Richard Taggart to the board and to a committee that dealt in land acquisition.

  It didn’t take a genius to realize that was when everything had started to go wrong for Alison and her sanctuary. Richard Taggart hadn’t wanted to get back together with Alison because he loved her, the asshole wanted to marry her so that the land would be community property!

  A plan. He needed a plan, and he needed one now. “Okay, has anyone spoken to Trevor yet?” I asked hoping Alison’s faithful ranch hand would be able to give them a heads up if Alison or her Ex arrived.

  Reece sighed and for a moment I wanted to scream. “Yeah, we’ve been calling for the last hour but not getting anything on the cell number that John gave us, no one answers the business line either,” Reece replied.

  Crap, crap, crap. My gut told me Alison was running headlong into trouble, John’s guy wasn’t there, Trevor wasn’t answering, and nobody had a fix on where Richard Taggart was.

  “How much of a head start does she have and when did she get her car from the garage?” The tension in the air was palpable.

  “Pepper left about nine this morning, and we didn’t realize anything was wrong until about four this afternoon. It is almost five-thirty now so she has a huge lead. Depending on how fast she’s driving, she’s almost there already.” Sara said while she rubbed her growing belly.

  Synclair snorted, and when I turned to look at her, I was shocked to see such an angry look on her face. “You should know she took your car, Matt.”

  I knew things were bad, I knew I’d messed up, but I didn’t need to have Synclair on my bad side here. I walked up to my new sister and grabbed her shoulders. I bent down until we were eye level with each other.

  “I get it. I know I screwed up Synclair. I’m going to fix this.” I told her gently. Synclair had an enormous soft spot for abused women. I had no idea what growing up with a mother who was a drug addict and prostitute had forced her to witness, but I was sure it was bad.

  Not satisfied, the little spitfire threw my hands off her shoulders and paced the room. “Jesus Matt, the guy murdered her parents. Parents she dragged out of a burning car. He almost raped her a few months ago, and now she’s so riddled with guilt she’s probably going to get herself killed trying to make up for something that’s not her fault!”

  My fear and frustration got the better of me and even though I knew that Synclair was right, I couldn’t seem to stop from lashing out. “I know it’s not her fault. Something I would have told her if she had just trusted me enough to tell me what was going on before she left on this crazy suicide mission,” I bellowed and out of the corner of my eye I watched Reece slowly rise from his chair and hand Wyatt off to Sara.

  Synclair didn’t back down. Even though I knew, Reece was ten seconds from laying me flat, I felt whatever came out of Synclair’s mouth would be worse. Where most women would have cringed at my angry tone or at least got teary eyed, Synclair calmly walked forward and tipped her head back to give me a look that told me she wasn’t afraid of my angry shouting.

  “Betray you? Trust you? Would you like some cheese with that wine you have going on?” her sarcasm rolled off her tongue like poison, and I knew I had poked the wrong bear. “This isn’t about you, Matthew! This is about Alison! If you were not so caught up in your own self-centered feelings and bruised ego, you would realize that she’s doing this for you! For all of us!” She gestured around the room with a sweeping motion of her arm. Then came the poking and after the third hard poke I was itching to reach out and grab the offending index finger. However, Both Reece and Dalton were standing behind Synclair, throwing me looks that told me the ass whooping that was waiting if I did anything but stand there and take it. Grrrrr!

  Poke. “Don’t you get it, Matt? She’s blaming herself for exposing her parents to that man and now she’s deathly afraid that she just put all of us in endanger! She’s never allowed herself to care about many people, she’s never felt good enough and now that she has us…she doesn’t want anything to happen to us!” Synclair sniffed and for the first time since her tirade had begun, I realized that Synclair saw herself in Alison.

  I was shocked that I had missed it. Synclair had been a loner before coming to Carson City. Not only had she not known how to deal with all of us meddling Hudsons but she wasn’t used to having people care about her. I was an idiot to forget how long it took for her to warm up to the affectionate hugs that we gave her or not to cry when we did the smallest thing for her. By smallest thing, I mean, bringing her coffee from town, an impromptu kiss on the cheek or some random compliment.

  Sighing like the ass that I was, I gathered up the little storm cloud in front of me and nodded to my brothers over her head. They understood what I had missed. Like Synclair, Alison had resisted letting people close, she didn’t know how to let people help her and everything she was doing, she was doing because she not only loved me but all of us.

  Synclair was stiff in my arms, but I refused to let her go. After a few minutes, she relaxed and put her arms around my waist as her tears soaked my shirt.

  Still sniffing, I felt her smile against my chest as she bunched my shirt in her small fists. “I promise I won’t stop until she knows how much I love her, how important she is to us and she understands that she and Pepper are family, and they don’t have to fight everything alone,” I promised as I gave her a quick kiss on her forehead.

  Leaning back, she smiled up at me, and I gave Reece a look over my shoulder that told him what a lucky man he was. From the way he was staring at Synclair as he pulled her from my arms to his, he definitely knew.

  Dalton, how fast can we get to Mt. Charleston?” I asked trying to get back on track. Every minute I stood here was another minute lost.

  Dalton nodded and opened his laptop. “Well, we have three options. There is a flight leaving Reno airport in less than two hours. It is a 25-minute flight and then an hour drive from Vegas to Mt. Charleston, there’s one seat left, and it would put you there in less than four hours if you drive like a madman in a rental car from the airport in Vegas.” Dalton said from behind his screen.

  “The rest of us can drive up in the Humvee; it’s already decked out for any situation,” Dalton said with a grin.

  When Dalton and I had returned from the SEALS, Dalton had built an underground bunker, and it housed a fatigue painted Humvee that he had purchased straight from the government. I also knew exactly what he meant when he said it was ready. Without alerting the women in the room, he was letting me know that any weapons that were necessary were already in the monster vehicle. As of yet, we hadn’t had an opportunity to use it, but I was sure Dalton was itching to give it ago.

  “How long before you can be wheels up?” I asked reverting to our military jargon. I couldn’t help it. This felt like the most important mission I would ever take on.

  “We can be gone in
ten minutes that puts us about three hours behind your pace, you’ll be on your own until we get there or John’s guy shows up. You’ll also be sans weapons since you have to fly.” He explained with a pointed look.

  “Wait! He can’t just go up there with no weapon except his Hudson charm, he has no idea what he’s walking into!” Sara exclaimed putting a hand on Lucas’s shoulder. I could tell that the women were not fond of us heading out to something that could be very dangerous.

  “Honey, both Matt, and Dalton are highly trained Navy SEALS, and Reece and I can hold our own too. Richard Taggart won’t know what hit him. That’s assuming he’s waiting for Alison at her sanctuary at all. The man could be anywhere; we’re just covering all the bases.” Lucas said gently.

  “Well, that’s a relief,” Synclair said brightly. “Then you won’t mind if I come along since I know the Vegas area better than anyone.” She stated in a voice that dared anyone to stop her. All eyes shifted to Reece, and I didn’t envy my brother, one bit.

  Synclair was a force of nature in her own right, and if it came down to a fight, I would put money on her any day of the week. However, I also knew that Reece didn’t want his new wife and mother of his child to be anywhere near the danger zone. Yet, while this made sense to me as a man, I had no idea how he was going to explain it without getting Synclair’s feminism card shoved up his well-meaning ass!

  “Sure sweetheart, I’d love to have you with us. We can leave Wyatt with Sara and Camille.” Reece said nodding his head. We all gasped collectively and watched as Synclair’s face went from surprise to happy, to uncertainty as she glanced at her little boy, happily babbling and slobbering on the arm that Sara had around his little body.

  “I can’t,” came Synclair’s response. It was so quiet that I almost didn’t hear her.

  “What sweetie? Can’t what?” Reece asked as we all watched Synclair gently lift Wyatt from Sara’s arms to her own.

  “I can’t leave him, Reece, he’s never been away from me for more than a few hours. He needs me.” She whispered softly. She looked up at Reece, and her big hazel eyes shimmered with tears. Synclair had always been one to run first into danger to protect the people she cared about. She had almost been killed trying to save Sara from Amber’s psychotic cousin, not long ago. Suddenly, I got the wisdom of my brother’s words. He hadn’t worried about Synclair wanting to come because he knew she would never leave Wyatt alone. Synclair was a devoted mother and Reece must have sensed that despite her urge to run headlong into trouble, she would take a step back to avoid the risk of Wyatt being without her.

  “He does, honey. I wouldn’t leave you both if it weren’t important. I promise we will all be back, and we’ll bring back Alison and Pepper.” Reece vowed as he embraced both wife and son.

  “Okay, but you guys come home safe. Get Alison, Pepper, her ranch hand, make arrangements for moving the animals, whatever you have to do. Then come back!” Synclair sniffed as she gave Reece a passionate kiss.

  “Okay, now that all that is out of the way. I’m going to run upstairs, grab a few things and then maybe Camille can drive me to Reno.” I blurted out. I knew I was messing up a Kodak moment between Reece and Synclair, but I needed to be on that plane.

  “You got it, lad! Don’t get yer knickers twisted, I’ll get ya there!” Camille winked at me.

  Running up the stairs to my room, I glanced around for a moment then stomped over to my nightstand and grabbed the ring I had purchased for Alison. I was about to switch off the light when I noticed Lucas standing at my doorway.

  “Damn, what happened in here?” he asked with a whistle.

  I looked around and realized I hadn’t even noticed the clothes that Alison had tossed around the room. “It’s not important; I just need to get to Alison.” I shrugged and went to push past him when he stopped me.

  “Wow, little brother I never thought I’d see the day. You really love that woman.” Lucas said in apparent disbelief. Glancing back at my room, I couldn’t fault his shock. Usually, I wouldn’t have gone two seconds without stopping what I was doing to put everything away neatly, knowing that the longer it stayed messy, the more my anxiety would rise. Yet, right now, all I cared about was Alison being safe and that stirred up all the anxiety I needed right now.

  Knowing it would take too long to explain, I just nodded my head. “Yeah, she’s it, she’s mine, and if that asshole touches one hair on her head, I’m going to take him out.” The steel in my tone surprised even me.

  Running down the stairs, I kissed Wyatt, Synclair, and Sara and promised to text my brothers as soon as I landed in Vegas. As I advanced to Camille’s car, I took a deep breath and tried to calm the fear that was building.

  “Hang on baby, I’m coming. I promise.” I whispered my pledge softly as I buckled my seatbelt.

  Ali

  Taking a deep breath, I made a right turn onto the road that would get me up to Mt. Charleston to my Animal Sanctuary, my home. Pepper must have guessed how tense I was because she grabbed my free hand and squeezed. We hadn’t said much on the long drive here. Although we had kept the pit stops to a minimum, a few accidents on the interstate had made the journey take longer than usual.

  With a deep sense of awareness, I realized I only had about three hours of daylight left, tops. The fact that Trevor wasn’t returning my calls or text only made me more on edge. It wasn’t like Trevor to not answer my call or return a text. I had tried calling John, but I had gotten his voicemail too. I suppose Trevor could have called me back, it had been three hours since I had checked last. I had turned off my phone because every Hudson under the sun had been blowing up my phone with texts, calls and even a picture of shit. Yep, Synclair Hudson sent me a picture of dog shit and told me, ‘this is what you are in deep of- CALL Me.’

  Any other time I would have laughed and texted her back, but not today. I knew once everyone found out that Pepper and I were gone that they would be pissed. However, I also knew the text messages hadn’t started until after four, which meant I had a huge lead if any of them were crazy enough to follow me. That would be crazy! I wasn’t a Hudson, I wasn’t even a close friend. I was a woman that Matt had brought home and practically shoved down their throats. While I was sure they were angry and concerned, I knew better than to think someone was coming to save me. No! I didn’t even want to entertain unrealistic ideas like that. No one saved my parents when Richard had the brake lines cut, no one came for me when I was in a hospital bed for months having painful procedure after pain procedure! The only ones that helped me were Baloo and the others. They patiently loved me and knowing they depended on me had forced me to work through my physical therapy until I could walk again.

  I needed to remember that I was not a damsel in distress, waiting for her prince charming to come and save her. Fuck that Cinderella crap, I was going to write my own fairy tale and this time the damsel was going to save herself and everyone else she loved. She had to, I had to…I couldn’t accept any other ending and live with myself.

  “Aunt Ali, I was researching public records, and I’m sorry, but the court ruled against you. Effective immediately you know longer have a permit for the animals. They gave you seven days to have them removed, or animal control will do it. I’m so sorry.” Pepper’s anguished voice broke through the haze of my inner peprally, and I pulled the car over to the shoulder.

  “It’s okay kiddo, I’ll miss all the wonderful memories I have of that house and Mt. Charleston will always be special to me. However, we have a new home waiting for us with plenty of room for Baloo, Nala, Lady and everyone. Home is where the people and animals you love are.” I assured her as I pulled her into a tight hug.

  “What about Matt? Does that make Matt home too? You do love him.”

  I sighed and brushed a long piece of blonde hair out of her pale face. “Yeah, Matt is home. I do love him Pepper, but I don’t know if we have a future together. No matter what happens, though, you and I will always have each other.”

  Pe
pper hugged me harder and then pulled back. I was surprised to see the smirk on her face. “Yeah, tell yourself what you want, Aunt Ali, but Matt Hudson is totally coming for you.”

  Letting out a strained laugh, I pulled the car back onto the road. Part of me was secretly hoping Pepper was right, while another part of me felt like if I didn’t get Richard to confess to his crimes, I wouldn’t be deserving of a wonderful man like Matt.

  “Why’s it so dark?” Pepper asked as drove slowly up the winding road. I tried not to shudder as we passed the crash site where my parents had died. Looking around at the light poles above us, I realized they were broken.

  I slammed on the brakes so hard that Pepper shrieked as she flew forward, her seatbelt was the only thing that kept her from going through the windshield. “What the hell? What’s wrong?” Pepper squealed as she glanced quickly around.

  “One light being broken I can understand. But never in all the years I have lived here have all the lights been broken.” I told her gesturing to the pole that lined the road. You could see broken glass on the ground below each post. During the day, you would not notice, but the mountain blocked out the sun after about four in the afternoon. Then the curvy road up to the sanctuary would get dark even if the sun was out. I’d paid a small fortune out of my father’s life insurance settlement to have the road lined with light posts. I had felt it would make the road safer and avoid any possible tragedies, and I wanted any school buses coming up to the Animal Sanctuary to be safe.

  “Vandals? Dumb kids?” Pepper asked and I heard a slight tremor in her voice.

  I turned in my seat and decided I needed to make sure Pepper was safe. There was no doubt Richard knew it would only be a matter of time before I came running back here. Especially after the court ruling. The red flags that were flying in my face were too much to ignore. Yet, I didn’t want Pepper anywhere near that monster, I didn’t want him to have any opportunity to hurt that precious girl.