“You mean, call you when the man responsible for my injuries started hitting on me and making threats I thought were merely that, threats?”
He eyed her over, and she felt self-conscious about her body. Like, because she was well endowed and in great physical condition, it made her a target for men. It annoyed her and had her straightening out her shoulders, raising one eyebrow at his perusal, and standing her ground about being tough and giving as little information as possible. His eyes narrowed. Obviously he didn’t care for her attitude.
“Yes, because obviously it was more,” John said to her.
She took a deep breath and held John’s gaze, but he was powerful, too, and in a way that had her feeling inferior and timid. The man was a force that was for certain. She glanced away, unable to hold his gaze and keep up this toughness. She was exhausted, hungry, in pain, and just wanted to sleep for days. Or at least try to.
“Listen, I’m fine. I got through it, and I’m only here because of my dads’ request and because I don’t have the resources to create a fake identity or documentation so I can get a job, save money, rent a place, and move on. I need your help for that. I’ll recover from my injuries just fine. I need rest. I’ve been on the run, catching little naps here and there, and could use a safe place to just rest up. All I have to go by are my fathers’ orders and their word years ago that you are a good man, Spartan, and one they trust enough to be here for me because they can’t. I won’t be a burden. I just need your resources.”
“You’re going to get more help and protection than just that from us,” John said, and she squinted, not knowing what he meant, and his statement got the others all in a state as they moved around in their seats and then cleared their throats, looking a bit shocked.
“What John means is that we have a place for you to stay, and I do believe there’s a position in the school district for the upcoming school year for you and protection, as well. But we need information and to sit down and go over things. You’re safe here and in the house. There’s security that patrols, and they will be aware of your presence since that house has been vacant for some time. Anything you need we will assist with, including protection and going in and out of town for the time being,” Spartan told her.
Well, ordered really. It definitely was an order. The man spoke in that constant in-charge and demanding tone. She should be used to that having two dads in the military and being the men they were, but she hadn’t been around it for a while. She supposed she took a bit of comfort in the tone and felt a little safer. Then she gave herself a mental shake. Her head was getting worse, and if she didn’t lie down soon, she was going to vomit. What a scene that would make. These men would be disgusted and think she was weak. She rubbed her temples.
“I don’t need protecting, but I’ll take the documentation, the job, and the place to stay is where?”
“You need something for the pain. It’s getting worse,” Hans said to her and stood up and walked toward the cabinet.
“Did you notice the blue house when you pulled up onto our road?” John asked.
“Yes.”
Hans came up behind her, put his hand on the back of her chair. His fingers touched her back, and despite the blouse she wore, she felt his touch and that tingling sensation. She sat forward and turned slightly as he placed three pills down in front of her.
“Ibuprofen. You’ll need three if that’s a migraine, and if you need something stronger, we have a doctor in the area.”
She swallowed. “This is fine for now. Thank you, Hans.” When she said his name, his eyes held hers, and then he walked back to his chair.
“Like I was saying. The blue house you passed before the gated entrance. It’s yours, and the backyard connects to our yard. We can see you off the deck and are right here if you need anything,” John stated.
“I won’t need anything, but thank you,” she said, and they watched her until they finished eating and it was time to bring her over to the house.
* * * *
“What do you think, Spartan?” John asked.
Byre, Nolan, and Hans stood around the kitchen, all seemingly affected by the gorgeous blonde. Spartan had been, too. He hadn’t expected such beauty or those amazing green eyes, the attitude, toughness, maybe, but overall, she was a shock.
“I think she is going to be resistant to any protection or giving any info on what went down, and that can’t happen,” he replied.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from Field and Harrow’s daughter. She is gorgeous. This is going to be a situation, you know that,” John stated.
“What do you mean?” Brye asked.
“He means the men. One look at her and we’ll be dealing with men wanting to be her guardians whether on camp here or in town,” John said to them.
Brye chuckled. “That isn’t going to happen with us around. Besides, something tells me Cherokee has a mind of her own.”
“We have the file on her,” Nolan stated. “We all went over it before her arrival. She’s smart, educated. Mrs. Perkins was extremely impressed with her education, certifications, and experience. She, of course, was concerned over any danger brought to the school, but I made sure that she understood it was precaution hiding her real name and identity and more than likely she wouldn’t be found here. Also, that she was under our protection. So we need to find out everything whether Cherokee wants to tell us or not.”
“She will,” Spartan stated. “I’m giving her no choice. She looked exhausted, and we know how it feels to be on the run, trying to keep pursuers off our tail, and getting to safety. It will take her some time before she feels safe. We should rotate talking with her, making our presence known, and make her get used to one of us always being nearby. She’ll interview for the teaching position in a few weeks. We have the summer before the next school year. Right now our priority will be getting her comfortable with the house, with us, and getting details of what happened. We need safeguards in place, too.”
“Yes sir,” Nolan said, and then they all left the room except John.
John crossed his arms and stared as Spartan looked out the window, having a clear view of the blue house and back porch.
“What are the next steps in finding Field and Harrow? So far we’ve got shit,” John said.
Spartan took a deep breath and exhaled. “We can’t push too much. There could be some sort of operation going on, and we don’t want to blow their covers.”
“Cherokee said she hadn’t heard a word from them in over a year. She’s their daughter. Something is wrong,” John said.
Spartan thought about that. “We were caught in shit where we didn’t get back to US soil for two years' time. So deep undercover in operations it’s like living a different life. You forget what real life is and that you’re on a mission. They could be in deep. Around the time they left, Jaguar was picking a few men, ones with specific abilities, to go into some shithole in the Middle East and infiltrate from within. Who knows?”
“Shit, you’re right,” John said. “And it isn’t like you can contact Jaguar either. Cherokee has us, and we’ll make her see that she can trust us and that it’s safe here.”
“We’re all she has. We’ll take care of her for Field and Harrow,” Spartan said, but as he said the words, he looked at the blue house and thought about the young, very young, twenty-four-year-old blonde with the gorgeous green eyes. He’d felt an instant attraction to her, but who wouldn’t? She was stunning, sweet, and acting tough. He had to keep his distance and watch the men, too. He’d noticed their reaction to her, as well as their interest. She was a responsibility, and he needed to make sure the men kept their distance, too, and didn’t go and do something stupid. That uneasy feeling intensified.
This could get complicated quickly.
Chapter Two
Cherokee really needed to get these stitches out. They were pulling, and she knew it had to be done, but then she would have to tell Spartan, and that would lead to explaining in greater deta
il what had happened to her. It had been two weeks since she arrived here. She’d finally gotten a good night’s sleep, and she wanted to begin working out, running, and getting into a gym or martial arts studio. She had to ask them. Maybe she could just tell them a little bit?
She pulled on her sneakers and was determined to try and run this morning, despite the aches and pains and the damn stitches. Maybe she could take them out herself? She cringed just thinking about that. She could wind up with a worse scar than what she had. The place she had gone to was one her father Field had told her about. A doctor and facility that didn’t record incidences or injuries to anyone. Cash pay and no questions asked, and it was a good doctor. In fact, as scared shitless as she’d been when she found the place and made the call, she didn’t care. She felt the life leaving her body and was losing adrenaline and the will to keep going and to hide. She made it there in the nick of time. When she passed out, relinquishing control over to the strangers, the doctor and staff she didn’t know, she felt defeated. Once she woke up though, Tonic, the doctor, told her that he knew her fathers and that he would take care of her and she wasn’t to worry about a thing.
In fact, he was ready to take her in and let her live in his place since he worked all the time. She recovered and knew to move on. Her fathers warned her about staying in one place and also about getting to Spartan and John. Why did her fathers trust these people so much? They were so hard-core. Intense beyond any soldiers she’d ever known. The last several days one of them was always around, talking to her, watching her, and trying to get information from her. She was getting used to their presence and, strangely enough, thinking about them being nearby seemed to calm her. She was getting comfortable, but was it a good thing? She wasn’t sure, so she figured it was well past time to start getting back into shape.
She headed out into the early morning darkness. A hint of fear hit her insides, but she was determined to not give fear any power over her. She did her stretches, felt the pull, and cursed under her breath. She had to do this. She needed to train, to get her shit together, and be ready in the next few months to handle going back to work, pretending to be someone she wasn’t. Not Cherokee Andrews but Cherokee Brooks.
She decided to take off running toward the tree line and the outskirts of the campgrounds. She wouldn’t venture too far, not knowing any routes really but creating her own. She looked at her watch to get the miles she would run and know the distance she did and the time. It was the first run since the incident. She gulped and started to jog. She passed by the front gates to the private community and gave a wave to the guards there, who waved back. It wasn’t a traditional military base but still apparently had surveillance, security and limited who got to go into that area. The outside development of houses was nice, and she saw that she wasn’t the only one up at five a.m. to take a run.
She saw a few men jogging along a path and then went up into the woods. They must know a trail, as she noticed them following some sort of path, so she went, too. Another few men came down the hill and gave a wave to her. Apparently it must be some sort of route that circled around and they were finishing it. She trekked on, intrigued by the route. Rough terrain, but obvious markings showed how used the trail was. In fact, as she started to feel winded and was pissed, she heard other joggers approaching from behind. As she turned to look, Brye was there, along with Nolan.
“What are you doing out here?” Brye barked at her, and she kept going up the hill and through the trail. She wondered how long this route went on.
“What does it look like?” she asked, feeling out of breath. She was so out of shape right now, and her side was hurting.
“You’re not ready for this. It’s twelve miles up and round then back down,” Nolan reprimanded.
“Twelve miles?” she asked and slowed down.
Nolan took her arm and pulled her off the path. A few other men came running up the hill and one woman. They said good morning, and Cherokee caught her breath, her hand on her side.
“You’re pushing too hard. You ever jog before?” Brye asked.
“Of course. I do nine to ten miles a day, usually at this time. It’s just I’m a little out of shape,” she said to him, her hand on her hip.
Nolan eyed her over.
Both men looked good even in plain T-shirts and sweatpants. She could tell they were in excellent physical condition. They looked her over, too, and she felt her nipples harden beneath the sports bra and T-shirt she wore. The V-neck dipped low, showing off her abundant breasts, which were squeezed tight because of the sports bra. She still had some bruising on her thighs, but they were fading fast.
“Let’s head back down. You’re in pain.” Brye started pulling her along. She yanked her arm free and felt the ache in her side but squinted at him.
“No. I’m not going back down. I’ll go as far as I can and then trek back.”
“You’re not ready, obviously.” Nolan stared at her with one hand on his leg resting since they were on an incline.
She glanced up at the hill. It would be difficult normally but, with the injuries and this pain, worse.
“Come on,” Brye commanded.
“No. Leave me alone. I don’t need a babysitter.” She started to run up the hill.
They remained behind her, cursing, but she wasn’t going to give in and let these men tell her what to do. She needed to make it through this damn run. She had to. It was time to stop being tired and fearful and get her shit together.
She glanced at her watch as she got to the top and then the winding trail back down. She didn’t know if she could do this. But with the two soldiers on her ass, she needed to, despite the burning and the pain in her head.
“We can walk if you need to, Cherokee. There’s nothing to prove to us,” Brye said to her.
She glanced behind her, giving him a dirty look. He thought she was trying to prove something to him and Nolan? Like impress them or something? What narcissistic jerks.
“Don’t flatter yourselves. I’m not trying to impress you. I need to do this.” She panted between words, struggling to keep from falling. As they came down rough terrain again, she lost her footing, but Brye and Nolan both grabbed for her. Brye grabbed her arm, and Nolan placed his hand over her belly and hip. She was smushed between them, her eyes locked onto Nolan’s, and he stared at her, sweat dripping from his forehead. It was one hell of a route, but she would finish.
“I’m fine. I’m good.” She pushed their hands away, as well as the magnified attraction to both good-looking men. She ran down the hill and through the woods.
They were right there with her all the way, and as she thought she might not make it, Brye shocked her.
“You got his. Push it. Move that ass,” he ordered.
And she dug deeper, couldn’t even see where the trail ended, but it must be close. She glanced at her watch.
“No. You listen to us, not the fucking watch,” Nolan yelled, shocking her.
She was slowing down, holding her side but then clenching her teeth. A few others went by grunting support for her. The camaraderie amongst soldiers and apparently her, too, was felt immediately.
“A mile more, maybe less,” Nolan said
“A mile?” She was shocked. That was a ways to go. Jesus, what had she gotten herself into? What was she thinking? The burning was worse.
She trekked on.
“You got it, Cherokee. Dig deeper. You wanted this. You said you can handle it. Show us. Prove it. Don’t be weak,” Brye yelled, and she got pissed at his words, and she wouldn’t give up. Not in front of them. She was a soldier’s daughter, and she needed to complete this.
“Just ahead. Push. Push!” Nolan yelled right up against her back and her ear as she saw the clearing and knew that she was almost there. She felt the dizziness, the exhaustion, and feared she might not make it when they got through the clearing and back to the starting point. Others were there, walking around, panting out of breath. Men, soldiers in better physical condition th
an her, and they struggled, too.
“Fuck yeah!” Nolan yelled out and gave her ass a smack.
She gasped, eyes wide, and Brye chuckled.
“You crazy thing. You actually did it. You made the whole thing,” he said to her, smiling.
She teetered and went to sit down but then lay down on the grass.
They chuckled, but then Nolan was kneeling down next to her.
“What the fuck is this?” he asked, lifting her T-shirt a little higher. She was too tired to push it down and deny it.
“Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask Spartan about that doctor you guys have. I need these stitches removed,” she said nonchalantly.
Brye was down on the grass, too, now. She tightened up as he stroked her bare skin, the muscle along her abs, and looked closer at the stitches
“A fucking knife wound, Cherokee?” Brye asked in an angry tone, eyes squinted.
She got her mind back on track and pulled her shirt down and tried getting up. Nolan reached for her, and they helped her up.
“It’s fine. Like I said, maybe the doctor can remove the stitches later?”
Both men exhaled, and Nolan ran his fingers through his hair. Brye reached up and stroked her cheek, shocking her.
“Time is up. We meet at the house and you tell us exactly what the fuck went down. There are no more excuses or time to process everything. You’re going to tell us all about it.”
“Why are you so pissed off at me, Brye? I don’t want to relive it.”
Nolan placed his hand on her hip and was nearly pressed up against her. He stared down into her eyes. Both men towered over her big time.
Brye placed his hand on her other hip from behind. Once again she was caged between them.
“Because a woman as young and beautiful as you should not have sustained such injuries to this perfect body. It’s fucking bullshit. I want to know…we want to know who did this to you and if they’re going to come looking to hurt you more. You’re going to tell us. This isn’t just about you wanting to forget what happened. It’s about protecting you from anything like this happening again and protecting the people of Repose and the children. By taking a position in school, you could put them all at risk if the one or ones responsible come looking to finish what they started. Do you understand me?” He raised his voice, and tears filled her eyes.
Sons of Justice 1: In Good Hands (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) Page 3