She should have let Max deal with this. He was a bear shifter, fierce and strong, capable of rescuing his brother and maiming Vincent without breaking into a sweat.
But that wouldn’t change the way she felt deep inside. Allowing Max to deal with Vincent would not be cathartic and Josephine needed to cleanse herself of Vincent Branston completely if she was ever to be whole and complete. And she wanted to be whole and complete so very much. For Milly. For Max. And most of all for herself. She was tired of living half a life.
Josephine ran across the mountain road and followed it around the bend until she stood at the end of the driveway leading to the Harrison residence. Pausing to collect her thoughts and strengthen her resolve, which threatened to disintegrate as she drew nearer to the man she’d been running from for over half of her life, she took her phone from her pocket and replied to Vincent’s text.
I’m walking up the driveway now. She hit send and then shoved her phone into her pocket.
With shaking hands, she put one foot in front of the other and walked toward the house where only a couple of days ago she’s arrived to meet Max and his brothers. So much had changed for Josephine on that fateful evening and she wasn’t ready to let Vincent ruin everything.
She’d taken ten steps along the gravel driveway when her phone buzzed in her pocket. With shaking hands, she pulled out her phone and tapped the screen. It was from Vincent.
Imogen! Or should I call you Josephine? Can’t wait to see you after all this time xx
Josephine’s legs felt like lead weights as she read the text. Imogen. She hadn’t been called that name since the day Vincent was sentenced. That was the day she’d walked away from her old life and changed her name for the first time. How had he found her?
Needing answers, she straightened her back and marched toward the house with her chin up and a steely set to her jaw. Imogen had been scared of the man who had come here to ruin Josephine’s life.
Well, Vincent needed to learn the person he’d pushed around and hurt until she cowered in a corner was gone, replaced by a process of metamorphosis by Josephine.
And Josephine was in no mood to take any crap from anyone.
“I’m here!” she yelled from in front of the house.
“Come on in, Imogen.” The front door swung open and Vincent stood there watching her with those same small, black eyes that had watched her pain and the same crooked smile that had smirked as she squirmed as he tried to crush the spirit out of her.
“Vincent. Prison did not do you any favors.” Josephine took a couple of steps forward, forcing herself not to cross her arms over her body. He would take that as a weakness. Vincent was an expert at reading body language and using her weaknesses against her.
“Well, if you hadn’t gone running to the police, I would never have been locked up.” He smiled, and she wondered what she’d ever found so attractive about him.
“Why are you bringing this up?” Josephine asked. “It’s in the past, it doesn’t matter. I thought you were a man, not a whining baby.”
He gave her a confused look as she took another two steps toward him. There was no sign of Jake and she hoped she wasn’t too late.
“Imogen. You know better than to speak to me like that.” He rubbed his right hand over the knuckles of his left hand.
“Did you lose your sense of humor, too?” Josephine clucked her tongue on the roof of her mouth. “You take life too serious, Vincent.” She shook her head at him and watched his face turn red with anger.
“I think I need to remind you who is the boss of you, honey.” He took a step forward, his back teeth grinding together as his anger built.
“You see, Vincent, the thing is that I’ve changed.” Josephine kept her voice level, not allowing any hint of emotion to surface, even though inside she was quaking. “I’m not the same poor pathetic creature you used to beat up on when you felt like it.”
Vincent chuckled. “I’m sure she’s in there somewhere and I’m willing to cut you just enough to bring her out.”
Josephine shook her head. “You really are pathetic, Vincent. Look at you. You’re nothing but a small-minded bully. Life moved on while you were in jail. I moved on.” She reached the foot of the steps leading up to the porch and placed her foot on the first tread. It took all her strength to mount the first step and then the second. “You see, I know people. People who would slit you open like the pale little piggy you are.”
“People like your boyfriend.” Vincent thumbed toward the interior of the house. “He wasn’t so tough.”
“He also wasn’t my boyfriend.” She held out her hands. “You made a mistake, Vincent. You got soft while you were in prison. Soft in the head.” Josephine tapped the side of her head. “And your body looks pretty soft, too.”
“My head wasn’t too soft to find you, Imogen.” He laughed. “I’ve been impersonating you on social media, yeah, I’ve kept up to date with technology. I even attended classes. So imagine my surprise when a couple of days ago one of those old guys who used to be so concerned for your welfare posted a picture of you.” He laughed. “At some mountain rescue talk of all things.” He slapped his leg as if it was a really funny joke. “Are you that boring, Imogen? Damn, you need me back in your life.”
“No, I don’t. And my name is Josephine.” Josephine couldn’t believe Vincent had found her because of Max’s talk at the museum. What a coincidence.
Or maybe this was fate.
Which meant she was in the right place at the right time to deal with Vincent once and for all.
“Call yourself what you want, you’re still branded with my mark.” His eyes flashed and for a second, she saw the man she’d once been so attracted to. But then his expression darkened, and dread filled her as he strode across the porch and stood towering above her on the edge of the steps. “You are mine.”
“You really are delusional. You live in this crazy, mixed-up world where you really think I’ll come back to you. It’s never going to happen. You’re a bully and I refuse to be your victim anymore. It’s over.” She leaned forward and jabbed her finger at him. “I see you for what you are. You can’t play me.”
“So are you going to stand there while I go back inside and hurt your boyfriend?” Vincent asked, a small waver in his voice giving him away. He was losing, he thought he would come here and bend her to his will just as he’d always done.
“He’s not my boyfriend.”
“But he’s someone special, or else you wouldn’t be here,” Vincent mused as he rubbed his stubbly chin. He looked as if he hadn’t washed or shaved since the day he left prison.
“If that’s how you want to end this… But if you lay one finger on him, I’ll make sure you never leave jail, ever again. You’re already in trouble.” She shook her head. “I bet you are so disappointed you broke your parole for this.”
He smirked. “Making an indelible mark on your soul would make a lifetime in jail worth it.” He took a couple of steps backward, heading toward the front door.
“Or you could run.” She lifted her head and listened. “The police are on their way. If you run now, you might stand a chance.”
Vincent looked into the distance, a sliver of fear cutting across his face. “I don’t hear anything.”
“Oh, they are coming. I can hear them. They’re about five minutes out.” She took the last step and stood level with him. “Or did you like prison that much? I bet a bully like you was someone’s bitch.” She put her hands on her hips. “Is that what this is about? Vincent Branston needs to prove he was still a man.”
“Shut your mouth.” His fist clamped tight at his side.
“Did I hit a nerve? You never did like hearing the truth about yourself.” She leaned forward and whispered, “Run, Vincent Branston. Run before they haul your ass back to jail. And I bet your ass doesn’t like jail.” She straightened up and raised an eyebrow. “Or maybe it does, and poor little Vincent Branston doesn’t like to admit it, which is why he came here to terrorize a woman
.”
He lunged at her, his fists held high as he swung a punch at her. “You fucking bitch.”
Josephine held his gaze, looking deep into his evil eyes until the very last second. With a nimble step to the side, she moved out of the line of fire. A moment of shock registered on Vincent’s face before he sailed right off the porch, his legs flailing in the air before his feet hit the ground and his legs buckled under him.
Josephine didn’t wait. She ran for the house, grabbing hold of the door as she entered. But before she could swing it shut, Vincent got to his feet, his face flushed red with pure rage.
“I’m going to kill you for real, Imogen. Or Josephine. It doesn’t matter what you call yourself, you are still mine. And then I’m going to kill your boyfriend.”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” Josephine called out as she pushed the door closed.
“Well, I’m gonna kill him anyway…” His words were cut off as a massive bear rammed into him and flattened him to the ground. In an instant, the bear shifted, and Max stood over Vincent.
“I’m her boyfriend,” he said savagely to an unconscious Vincent.
“I thought I told you to stay in the car?” Josephine asked as she came down the porch steps and stood next to Max.
“Sorry, this guy was seriously pissing me off.” He glanced at Josephine. “Are we good?”
She folded her arms and looked down at the crumpled body of Vincent Branston as he began to stir. A small groan escaped his mouth. “Seeing you flatten him? I suppose that was worth you breaking your word. Yeah, we’re good.”
Max slipped his arm around her shoulder and sighed with relief. “Sheriff Brad is on his way.”
“Where is Milly?” Josephine asked, looking around.
“With Fiona. I called backup and I figured who better to have on your side than a dragon.” He glanced sideways at his mate. “If he made a run for it, she would have followed. And probably killed him.”
“She is an actual dragon?” Josephine asked in shock.
Max swiveled his head around to look at her and winked. “Only if you get on the wrong side of her.” He nudged his foot into Vincent’s ribs. “And this guy is on the wrong side of everything.”
“Including the law.” Josephine looked up as a sheriff’s vehicle turned off the road and raced along the gravel driveway, spraying small stones in its wake.
“Why don’t you go check on Jake?” Max suggested as he hovered over Vincent, who was slowly crawling away across the ground like a snake.
“Jake.” Josephine swung around and ran back toward the house.
With her heart racing, she leaped up the porch steps and sprinted inside, scared of what she might find.
“In here.” Relief swept over her at the sound of Jake’s voice and she raced down the hallway and took a left turn as he called, “I’m in my office.”
“I don’t know which door that is,” Josephine reminded him.
“Third on the left.” At least Jake was coherent even if he did sound annoyed. Which he had good reason to be. Getting assaulted in your own home would shake anyone up.
She counted the doors. When she reached the third room on the left, she turned the doorknob and pushed the solid wooden door open, dreading what she might find. With firsthand knowledge of what Vincent was capable of, Josephine hoped he hadn’t done any permanent damage. Like cutting off an ear, or a finger.
Her stomach lurched as she lunged forward, spilling into the room. “Are you okay?” Relief at the lack of blood rushed through her. “Are you hurt?”
“Only my pride,” he admitted crossly. “I can’t believe he got the jump on me.”
“What happened?” She crossed the room to where Jake lay on the ground, with his hands and feet bound. Kneeling down, she quickly undid the ropes while Jake watched.
“He came to the door with a package. Of course, Tad has been ordering so much baby stuff online that I let my guard down.” He lifted his freed right hand to his forehead. “Bastard smacked me across the head with a tire iron. He must have dragged me in here while I was unconscious.”
Josephine’s face paled as she looked at Jake’s face. There might not be too much blood, but there was a big swelling bruise just above his hairline. “We should get you to the hospital. You need to get it checked out.”
“I’m fine,” Jake insisted as he pulled the ropes off his left hand. A moment later, Josephine freed his feet and he stood up, looking menacing. “Where is he?”
“Outside.” Josephine grabbed hold of his arm as he strode across the room. “Leave him, Jake. We need to get that head looked at.”
“Not until I’ve…” His hands curled into fists.
“Not until you’ve what?” Josephine asked. “The sheriff is here. Vincent is going back to jail. The only thing you need to do is make a statement. That way his prison sentence will be extended and since he came after me, there is a good chance he will stay in prison for the rest of his life.”
“He assaulted me,” Jake ground out.
“And like you said, he hurt your pride more than your head.” She grabbed hold of his shirt with both hands. “If you hurt him while he is in police custody, you might jeopardize the case against him. I need him to go to prison for the longest possible time.”
Jake sighed, the pent-up anger leaving his body. “Just for you, Josephine, I’ll let it go.”
“Not just for me,” she told him. “For our family. The family you always protect, no matter how hard the circumstances.” Josephine stood on tiptoes and kissed his cheek as tears rolled down her cheeks. “Thank you.”
“Just don’t say it’s because I’m a good man,” Jake said lightly, although the emotion in his voice reflected the real man inside. The man who would protect his family no matter what.
“I can’t wait to join this family.” She patted his chest and they turned toward the door and left the office together.
“Is everything okay?” Max asked. He met them halfway along the hallway and Josephine had the sneaking suspicion he’d been holding back to give Josephine time to calm Jake down.
“We’re good,” Jake nodded and then put his hand to his temple. “Son of a bitch.”
“Jake needs to go to the hospital,” Josephine informed Max. “Even though he is adamant he doesn’t.”
“Come on.” Max beckoned to Jake.
“I’m not a baby.” Jake shrugged off the offer of help and stalked outside.
“It’s over,” Max said to Josephine as he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her lips.
As if someone had stuck a pin in her, Josephine seemed to deflate, her body weak as she clung to her mate as if he were the only thing holding her together. “I can’t believe I spoke to him like that.”
“I can.” Max slipped his right arm around her back and his left arm under her knees and picked her up. Cradling her against his chest, he carried her to the living room and placed her down on the sofa. “You did what you had to do. You found the strength you needed.”
“I think it’s well and truly gone now.” Josephine put her hand on her flushed cheek. “I feel as weak as a newborn baby.”
“But you found the strength when you needed it, that is all that matters,” Max told her gently. “That’s what heroes do. They aren’t the people who are always the strongest, or the fastest or the bravest. Real heroes are often the ordinary people on the street who step in when someone weaker is being mugged, or who helps another when they fall down in the street.”
“Or who helps a hiker down from the mountain when they are in trouble.” Josephine leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. “I love you, Max. I love the way you make me see the best in people. I love the way you make me see the best in myself.”
“I love you, Josephine. I love your courage and your capacity to love, despite everything you’ve been through. And I love that I am going to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“Then let’s get married. Let’s tell the world how much we love each ot
her. I have nothing to hide from anymore. I want to embrace life, I want to be the best wife, mother, and sister-in-law I can possibly be.”
Her fear for Vincent was gone. He was in her past. She was in control of her future. And she wanted to celebrate the future with the people she loved. At last, she was going to be part of a real family.
In answer, Max cupped her face in his hands and kissed her lips. “I promise to be the best mate a woman has ever had.”
“Now, that is some promise,” Josephine replied, a little breathless from his kiss.
“And one I will spend every day fulfilling. You have completed my life, Josephine. You and Milly.”
As he kissed her once more, Josephine would have agreed. But Max’s kisses stole her senses.
Epilogue
“Good morning.” Max carried in a breakfast tray and set it down on the bed.
“What’s this for?” Josephine asked as she sat up in bed. “And isn’t it bad luck for the groom to see the bride on her wedding day?”
Max covered his eyes with his hand. “Better?”
She reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him down onto the bed beside her. “Is Milly awake?”
“Not yet.” Max brushed her hair back from Josephine’s face. “We have a few minutes to ourselves before the day begins.”
“Then let’s make the most of it.” Josephine hoped the look in her eyes didn’t send Max the message that she intended to spend these few precious moments eating toast and honey.
“I like your way of thinking.” Max stood up and stripped off his clothes, revealing his toned body, covered in sun-bronzed skin.
Josephine giggled. “Isn’t this part supposed to come after the marriage ceremony?”
“I won’t tell if you don’t.” He carefully moved the tray off the bed and set it down on her dresser. Josephine watched every move of his body as a thrill of excitement built inside her. He was the man of her dreams. Although, before she met Max, she had never dreamed such a man existed.
“I don’t care who knows,” she answered. “I just want to be with you.”
“You say the sweetest things.” He slid under the bed covers and she moved forward, pressing her body against his. Skin against skin, the heat of their bodies ignited a fire deep in the pit of her belly, which spread through her veins. He was a drug, an addiction, she craved him, wanting to be with him every minute of the day and every second of the night.
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