“It’s Hans.” She placed her hand over her heart and bent down as if recovering from shock. He closed the distance between them.
“What in God’s name are you doing?” he asked her.
She glanced up, still heaving a little, cheeks red, eyes watery and red, and she chuckled and shook her head.
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
He placed his hands on his hips. “Try me,” he said sternly.
She looked up, holding his gaze with those magical green eyes.
She straightened out her shoulders and then used the sleeve of her hoodie to wipe her eyes.
“Chasing away demons,” she whispered. His heart felt like a vise grip had just tightened around it.
“Oh, sweetie.” He walked closer, pulled her into his arms, and hugged her to him. He inhaled her scent, the shampoo he dreamt about, and absorbed it all.
“It’s stupid, Hans. I know it is.” She squeezed him as tight as her delicate arms could squeeze him.
Then she pulled back. “Wait. What are you doing up this early?”
“Watching over you,” he said, and she stared at him. He reached up and cupped her cheek. He stroked her lower lip and so badly he wanted to taste her. To kiss her, wrap her up in his arms, and take her back to bed.
“You…watch over me?” she asked, getting all clogged up and emotional.
“Of course I do. Every night one of us is out here keeping watch on you and the house, even though there’s security. Tonight I’m here, and good thing, too, because if Spartan was and saw you walking alone in the darkness, he’d spank your ass,” he said to her without even thinking. Her eyes widened, and her lips parted. He held her gaze.
“Something tells me you might enjoy that.” He pulled her close, stroking her lower lip.
“I never had one,” she whispered.
He smirked.
“I can resolve that for you right now.” He eased his palm along her ass. She tightened up and then gave his shoulder a light slap.
“That won’t be necessary.”
She went to pull back, smirking, but he kept her against him.
“I’ll be the judge of that. I can’t have you walking off your deck in the middle of the night looking for trouble.”
“I won’t walk off the deck again.”
“I don’t know if I can take your word for that. You’re sort of a rule breaker for a teacher.”
“I am?” she countered.
“Oh yeah. You’ve broken several rules since your arrival. Including the one about asking us for help, even for the smallest thing.”
“Like what?”
“Like staying with you so you feel safe here. Or maybe sitting out on this deck, just remaining by your side because you can’t sleep and those damn demons keep bothering you.”
“Sounds like you know about demons,” she whispered.
“Oh, I’ve got them, too, but they don’t hold power over me anymore. Yours are fresh, and with time, and of course me right here next to you, their power will lessen.”
She stared at him, and then he felt her palms rub against his lower back as she hugged him.
“Stay with me tonight then?” she said to him.
“Why, Miss Brooks, I would be more than willing to share your bed with you tonight and any night.”
She chuckled.
“Nice try, Hans. I mean on the porch.”
He smirked. “Can’t blame a soldier for trying.”
He winked at her then slid his hand to her hip and they started walking back to her deck. She kept her arm around his waist, and they climbed the deck together and walked over to the chairs and double-wide lounger. He led her to the lounger and got on then patted the cushion. She pulled the blanket off the top of another chair and then lay with him on the long lounger, her back and ass against his front. They fixed the blanket over them, and she snuggled close and fixed her hoodie, and he held her in his arms.
“Get some rest, Cherokee. No more demons will even make it close again tonight. I’ve got you.” He kissed her cheek.
She pulled his arm around her waist and held it to her chest. He lay there happy to finally have her this close to him and hoping him and the other commanders could have times like this with Cherokee, together.
* * * *
Like clockwork, Cherokee awoke in a panic, having the same nightmare over and over again, except this time, Stanston was successful in raping her. She was crying so hard her head hurt. She didn’t want to be alone. She instantly thought of the men and wondered who would be watching tonight. Was it Hans, maybe Brye, Nolan, or John? She didn’t think it would be John or Spartan. They were so hard and distant. She wondered if they even found her attractive. Why was she thinking this? They didn’t want her like that. They thought she was young, probably weak, waking up like this. She got out of bed, pulled on her hoodie and the thick socks over her form-fitting lounge pants, and headed out of her room. She turned the light on and went to get painkillers for the migraine starting and some water.
She reached for the meds Doc gave her for the migraine. He’d told her to take it the moment she started to feel the beginning of one. She took it, closed her eyes, and then looked at the sliders to the deck. Were they out there watching over her like they did every night? Maybe she shouldn’t go out there. Maybe it was sending the wrong message?
She thought about that and then thought about the guys she had met in the last month. None of them brought on a reaction like these five men did. She loved being with them. Felt safe and comfortable in their company, hell, in their arms. She wished she could bottle the emotions and attraction she felt when one of them was so close holding her. She would wrap herself in those sensations and scare away her fears.
She looked at the door again. “Don’t go. Don’t show them you need them. It isn’t smart. They’ll break your heart.” She then nibbled her bottom lip.
She was getting used to spending the time outside on the deck. She loved the outdoors and had yet to go camping like she loved out of fear. She didn’t want to wake up screaming or crying and drawing unnecessary attention to herself. But the outdoors calmed her. It was sleeping alone in the darkness of the night that scared her. Going onto the porch was an attempt to resist the fear and not give it power but face it. If Stanston or his men were out there still searching for her, then so be it. She wasn’t going to live like this. She had to gain control.
With that thought, she ventured out toward the deck, grabbing the thick large blanket on the way, and opened the slider doors. As she pulled the lounge chair over to the center of the porch by the house, her head throbbed. It was getting worse. She needed to lie down and try to drown out the sounds and wait for the pain medication to kick in. She got onto the lounge chair, pulled her hoodie over her head snuggly, then the blanket, and cuddled up on the thick, wide lounge cushion. As she tried to not focus on her head but instead the peaceful sounds of night, she heard the whistling, a gentle noise to warn her that someone was coming over. Her head throbbed more.
She heard the footsteps and blinked her eyes open. Not one of the commanders but two. Brye and Nolan were here to watch over her.
Both men looked incredibly handsome, with some scruff along their cheeks that were normally clean-shaven. Nolan bent down and caressed her shoulder.
“Hey, are you okay?” he asked.
“No.” she whispered.
He squinted, and Brye bent down, too.
“What’s wrong? Can’t sleep?” Brye asked.
“Yes, and migraine,” she whispered, squeezing her eyes closed.
“Damn. I thought Doc gave you something for that. Did you take them, Cherokee?” Brye asked in a reprimanding tone.
“Yes.” She started to rock her body back and forth in an attempt to drown out their voices and the sounds because she felt such pain.
“We’re here. Rest. We’ve got you,” Nolan said, and then she felt the lounge chairs move and Brye got up behind her while Nolan got up in
front of her.
They fixed the blanket and held her between them in a cocoon of protection and warmth as she moaned and rocked slowly, trying to make it through the pain until the medication sank in and did its job. It wasn’t long before she was fast asleep in their arms and under their protection.
* * * *
“Where is Cherokee now?” Spartan asked, that uneasy feeling hitting his gut hard. It was getting worse. The need to see her, to have his eyes on her and know that she was safe, that she was with one of his team and no others. In a month’s time she’d snagged the attention of many of the men. He could only imagine the attention she would get going to town with the new friends she had made.
Then the last several weeks, at night, the men had taken turns lying with her on her porch while she slept. It started with Hans then Brye and Nolan. Spartan and John hadn’t stayed with her. Like him, John was fighting the attraction, afraid that it would make conflict and cause bad blood between them and her fathers. They expected him and the team to protect her, not fuck her.
He was raging. Getting angrier and angrier the more Cesar or Tobias, the assistant chief of police, contacted him with potential guardians. What the fuck?
He ran his fingers through his hair as John leaned against the door of the office.
“She’s with that woman, Mercy, she met when she interviewed for the teaching position at school.” John looked toward the window.
“It’s good she’s making friends. Plus Mercy works at the school, too. When Cherokee starts in September, she’ll feel comfortable knowing a few people,” Spartan said with very little enthusiasm.
“A few friends? The woman has grabbed the attention of everyone she meets. Do you know that she’s planning on going to town with these new friends tomorrow?” John asked and then exhaled.
They heard the male voices and then Hans laugh and start cursing up a storm in Russian. Spartan shook his head and chuckled. Reeves, Flint, Big John, and Tiny had arrived for their meeting. As the men entered the office, handshakes and more teasing continued with John being the target this time.
“I thought you’d be using a walker by now, John. Heard you haven’t even been competing in the pit lately,” Big John said, and they laughed.
“Me? I heard you got a little leg cramp and couldn’t finish half the obstacle course last week. You got arthritis?” John said back, and they all laughed.
“Fuck you. I finished, and it was a bad fucking Charlie horse,” Big John replied in a huff. He was over six feet four and wide like a WWE wrestler.
“Poor Big John. A little Charlie horse was all it took to take him down. What happened to the bad-ass soldier who used to plow through twenty men like a bowling ball?” Hans teased.
“Shit, you bringing that game up now, ten years later? I was in my twenties.”
“Bullshit your twenties,” John said, and they laughed more.
“Where’s the eye candy? I was hoping to get one of her kisses hello and a scent of that sweet perfume she wears. The woman is the center of my erotic dreams,” Tiny said, licking his lips and looking around, and Hans, John, and Spartan got quiet.
Spartan tried not to show any reaction, but it was too late.
Flint laughed, and so did his team. He slapped Spartan on the shoulder. “When the fuck are you going to make a move on her? All fucking five of you want her as your woman. What the fuck?”
“We don’t want her as our woman,” Spartan said.
“Really?” Flint asked and then looked at Reeves.
Reeves smiled. “Then you don’t mind if we ask her to the fundraising competition Saturday?”
“What? Why the hell would you ask Cherokee to that?” Spartan asked.
“Well, aside from the fact that the woman is more than capable of handling it, showed interest when I saw her earlier up by the training station with Mercy, we all love seeing her in those little short shorts she wears and those sexy tank tops. Goddamn, it’s unnerving watching the woman work out and seeing the sweat drip between her breasts. Makes my mouth water.”
“Shut the fuck up!” Hans yelled.
They all got quiet. Reeves smirked, and so did Flint, Big John, and Tiny. It was Tiny, who stood at six feet four, who looked at Hans.
“She isn’t going to be single long. You want her, put aside the bullshit excuses. Her fathers would be thrilled if you were her men, staking a serious claim to her as guardians and husbands. Get your heads out of your asses before it’s too late,” Tiny said firmly.
Spartan exhaled and looked at John and Hans.
“Let’s get down to business and talk about why we’re having this meeting. There’s a situation we’ve been called into helping out with. I need specific men for this operation. John, close the door. Let’s get down to business,” Spartan said, but his heart was heavy, and in the back of his head, a whirlwind of thoughts were circling. Where was Cherokee now? Who was hitting on her or possibly asking her out? Would she be okay going to town tomorrow afternoon? What men in town would try to stake a claim? Should he call Cesar and have him keep an eye on things or send one of the men with her and Mercy?
Holy fuck, he was in a panic. How the hell had this happened?
* * * *
Cherokee and Mercy were watching the soldiers practicing and doing their combat maneuvers while sitting up on the ridge. Cherokee met Mercy a few weeks ago when interviewing for the teaching position with the principal, Mrs. Perkins. They had just finished going for a run together and were talking about the school and how great it was working there. Cherokee was both nervous and excited. They sat on the top rung of the fence and looked out over the land and the men down below.
“It’s so nice out here. I can’t get over how big the campground is,” Cherokee said to her.
“I know. I was really impressed with it a year ago when I first arrived.” Mercy sighed as she looked out, too.
“Was it difficult to adapt to the rules or easier because you had your brother here?” Cherokee asked. She knew part of Mercy’s story. Something bad happened to her back in New Jersey. She didn’t say much, and Cherokee didn’t push. She wasn’t exactly ready to tell her tale of danger either. There was a silent understanding between them, and it worked well.
“Channing is an intense man. I hadn’t had much of a relationship with him once he left for the Marine Corps. We drifted but kept in touch. When the shit hit the fan and I was in trouble, I had no choice but to call him for help. I had no one I could trust. It was a bad time for me, Cherokee. I guess kind of like for you now and whatever danger you’re in. I didn’t have anyone else to help me,” Mercy said then exhaled and looked at Cherokee, who gave her a small smile. “Then I came here, and oh boy, I wasn’t exactly cooperative.” She chuckled.
“What did you do?” Cherokee asked.
Mercy laughed. “What didn’t I do?” She shook her head.
“I can tell you, from personal experience and in warning, don’t ever try to sneak off at night. They take that shit seriously. Oh, and orders? Obey them. My brother’s friends are even more protective and commanding than Channing. He left for a mission last month, and Scout, you met him yesterday, he was the big guy who asked what we were up to and where we were going. He’s extreme.”
“All these men seem extreme, and they’re all big, like not average at all.”
“It’s because they’re the best of the best. The craziest, the most well-trained and capable. From my understanding, the Sons of Justice is a secret organization of well-trained mercenaries, trackers, basically killers, that go into the most dangerous and complicated situations and save the day. Impressive, but I think suicidal. I mean seriously, risking your life like that for strangers? It has to be for the adrenaline rush. I’ve been in danger before, and it wasn’t appealing or something I want to feel again.”
“I agree completely. I suppose, though, that we do need men, soldiers like this, because unfortunately, situations occur that make it necessary.”
“I guess so.�
�� Mercy took a deep breath and exhaled.
“At least the majority are hot. So the men are fun to look at.” Mercy winked. Cherokee chuckled. “I know, I know. It would be a mistake to like one of these men. Their lives are filled with danger. They have to leave at a moment’s notice and could disappear for months, or longer,” Mercy added.
Cherokee felt the tears reach her eyes. There was still no word on her dads. She missed them. She really needed them. To hug her, hold her, and tell her that everything was going to be okay. It was crazy how much she needed a hug and to get that comfort she got from them holding her and taking care of her. She thought about Hans, Brye, and Nolan. She had to admit having them hold her every night on the deck to help while the migraines passed was definitely something she could get used to. But Mercy was right. These men were soldiers first and could have to leave at a moment’s notice. They were older and, more than likely, not the commitment kind. They were just watching over her for her dads. She shouldn’t read into their actions, never mind give power to the attraction she felt for each of them. They would think she had a crush.
“I’m sorry. That was cruel of me to bring that up when you are worried about your dads,” Mercy interrupted her thoughts.
“No, it’s okay. It’s the reality of being the daughter of soldiers. We have to be strong. We can’t think the worse. I’ve been on my own for a while. It’s just right now, with the situation and all, I long for their hugs, for their protection that only my dads can provide for me.”
“Well, I’m sure if you need a hug, any of the commanders would oblige,” Mercy said, and Cherokee felt her body warm. She looked at Mercy and Mercy laughed. “I know you like them, and it’s obvious that they like you and are attracted to you.”
“I don’t think they are or take me seriously. They’re older, close to forty, and it’s like they’re trying to be fatherly. I don’t need the complications. It wouldn’t be smart at all. Plus, I haven’t even left this area except for the interview at the school. Tomorrow, with you, will be my first venture into town without one of the commanders.”
Sons of Justice 1: In Good Hands (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) Page 6