“You never mentioned this inkling of a feeling that night when we all asked you if you had any suspicions,” Cesar asked her.
“I didn’t want to make an accusation.”
“What makes you think it’s a possibility tonight, then?” Jagger asked her.
She licked her lower lip. Aero was on her other side.
“Well, the other day after I met with Aero and Jesse about security, I had a scheduled appointment with Les and Derek about their company placing a bid. They were acting funny, kept talking to me about safety measures and how anyone could come in and rob me at night or early morning and that they could start, like, yesterday. They were bad-mouthing people and I got totally turned off but blew them off and said I needed to wait to make a decision but would be in touch. They even pushed about a construction company that would help with patching up walls and doing the addition. I got this bad feeling about them.”
“Because of them bad-mouthing other people and pushing their friend’s company?” Cesar asked.
“Well, they were a bit too touchy for my liking. They had this look in their eyes like they were conniving a plan, or like I was easy or they could make a move on me. I don’t know. I’ve seen it before. My gut clenched and so I got rid of them. Tonight, when the guy came in, my thought as he threatened me was that it was their friend. That he did this to scare me into hiring them. This guy went too far, though. The things he said sounded personal. Like maybe he’d been waiting for the opportunity.”
“Damn it. I wouldn’t put it past those assholes. They’ve been nothing but trouble and leave a path of bad business behind them,” Aero said to them.
“They do have reputations for causing more damage on a construction site or security install that winds up costing the customer more money. It was probably their plan with Brooklyn and the Filling Station,” Finnian added.
“Well, this is a start instead of a shot in the dark. I got men on patrol looking for that vehicle and the license plate. There’s an APB out on it in every town in this state and surrounding states. We’ll find it and we’ll find him. We can start by visiting Les’s office and getting a list of all employees. That guy shows his face anywhere, we’ll know it’s him by the broken nose,” Cesar said.
“Also a cut along his neck and I think, I’m not a hundred percent sure because I was pretty damn scared, but I thought I saw a tattoo on his collarbone and along his chest. As he…as he forced his mouth against my neck and breast, his shirt parted and I think it was a tattoo.” She raised her hand up toward Cesar as the men mumbled curses about her experience and Zeke clenched his teeth.
“I scratched him good. That’s why this nail is ripped,” she said and her hand was shaking.
“We took a sample of the blood under your nail. We’ll get that to the forensics lab at the state police headquarters. A blood match that’s not yours could surely help charge this guy when the time comes. You did good, Brooklyn. You kept fighting, and I know you’re scared, but we’re going to be watching over you and your sister,” Cesar told her.
“We all are. Starting right now when we take you home and stay with you so you can rest easy,” Aero said to her.
“I’ll be fine. My sister and I will get through this,” she said.
“Not alone, honey. Not alone,” Finnian told her.
* * * *
Brooklyn was exhausted. She had been glad to take a shower last night but felt on edge that Aero and Zeke spent the night on the two couches in the living room. She slowly got out of bed, feeling her body ache something terrible.
“Oh, God,” she moaned as she sat on the side of the bed and looked at the clock. It was ten a.m.
The door slowly opened and her sister was there, all dressed for the day and giving her a small smile.
“In a lot of pain?” Antonia asked.
Brooklyn nodded.
“Aero and Zeke are still here.”
She was shocked.
“Tell them they can leave. I’ll be fine,” she said and stood up. She forced down the difficulty she felt and pushed herself up from the bed with Antonia’s help.
The strap to her tank top lowered as Aero opened the door.
“You need help?
She looked at him and winced, as her body ached terribly.
“I’m fine. Please, just go. I’ve got this,” she said to him. But with every step her back really hurt, and as she turned with Antonia to face the bathroom, Aero hissed.
“Son of a bitch, Brooklyn, your back is all bruised up.” He stepped into the bedroom and was at her side in a flash.
“Let me help you,” Aero stated.
“What’s going on?” Zeke asked, joining them. Brooklyn felt her temper flaring but then she kept walking and the pain took away the anger. She felt tears fill her eyes. It was like waking up after having a car accident and suddenly everything hurt from other injuries she hadn’t realized she had.
“We’ll help her, maybe you want to put on another pot of coffee, Antonia?” Zeke suggested.
“Sure, no problem.” Antonia walked out of the bedroom and Aero got Brooklyn to the bathroom. As she looked into the mirror, she gasped. “Motherfucker,” she said aloud.
Aero caressed her arm and Zeke stood behind her.
“That about sums up my comment, too, baby,” Zeke said to her. She held on to the vanity and lowered her head. She felt the strap to her tank top lower and then Zeke’s hands smooth along her skin on the sides of her back.
“You’re all bruised up back here,” he said and she took steady breaths and wished she didn’t look so bad.
“He shoved me hard against the wall and the cabinets. I think I hit the sharper edges,” she said then gasped as warm, firm lips kissed her skin.
“Zeke.”
“No, baby, just let us care for you and try to take the pain away,” Aero said to her and kissed her shoulder and then eased his arm along her waist.
“You scared the hell out of us last night. We’re worried about you, about what this is all about and how we can all ensure you’re safe.”
“It’s not your worry.
I’m
not your worry,” she said to him and lifted up only for Zeke to wrap his arm around her waist from behind and press up against her. Her lips parted, and her breasts were pouring from the tank top she wore but she couldn’t move to lift them up. He kissed her neck and she let her head roll back against Zeke’s shoulder.
“That’s where you’re wrong. You are our worry, our responsibility. We want to make you our woman, Jagger and Finnian, too,” Aero said and he cupped her cheeks and looked down at her lips. He pressed his mouth to hers and she couldn’t believe how aroused she was, how attracted to these two men. Two men were touching her, kissing her and telling her that they wanted her to be their woman and to share her with their other two brothers. How insane was this?
“Oh, God, Aero, no, no, this won’t work. It won’t,” she said and pulled from him and Zeke. Zeke released her and she took a few steps to the side.
“What is that?” Zeke asked and stepped closer. She looked down and her tank was lifted high enough against her ribs to reveal her scar from when Kevin had attacked her.
She pushed her tank top down.
“Nothing.”
“That isn’t nothing. That’s a deep scar. From what, Brooklyn?”
She crossed her arms in front of her chest.
“I need to use the bathroom, so if you’ll excuse me, please,” she said, and Zeke and Aero exhaled.
“We’ll wait in the kitchen,” Aero said, giving Zeke a tap on his arm, and he and Zeke walked out of the room.
Brooklyn exhaled. She was shocked that Aero kissed her and Zeke was going to, too. What the hell was happening here? She was suddenly losing all sense of control and it wasn’t good at all. Shit, shit, shit.
She did her business and then brushed her teeth and washed up as best she could.
She got dressed as quickly as she could but realized she couldn’t wear a bra. The bruising was so bad and there were finger marks on her breast. The bastard.
When she finally walked into the living room, Jagger and Finnian were there, as well as the Chief.
“Shit,” Jagger said and met her halfway. He cupped her chin and tilted her face up toward him to check out the bruises on her cheek bone.
“You need to ice it.”
She turned away from him and stepped to the side, catching her sister’s expression. She was nervous, too, feeling on edge to have these men, these strangers, in the house.
“What for? It’s only going to get uglier anyway,” she said and walked closer to Antonia.
She clutched her sister’s arm and stared into her eyes.
“I’m okay. We’re safe and everything is going to be just fine. I’ll handle this.”
Her sister didn’t look too sure as she nibbled her bottom lip and looked at the Chief. Cesar was a big man. He was rugged, attractive, and it seemed to Brooklyn that he had his eyes on Antonia. Brooklyn didn’t know how she felt about that. Her sister was in a bad place right now. Hell, Brooklyn was back in one.
She walked over to the coffee pot to pour a cup of coffee and felt the instant ache to her shoulder. She paused to take an unsteady breath. Son of a bitch, that bastard got her good. She needed to be smart here. To remain diligent in protecting her sister and herself. She worked too damn hard to get a new life after Kevin, after nearly winding up in jail.
She tightened up when she felt a large, warm hand on her hip and one on her shoulder.
“You’re hurting this morning, I can tell. Your shoulder is bruised and your back, too. Maybe some ointment or ice will help ease that ache,” Jagger said to her.
She didn’t turn to look at him. He would see how his touch affected her and somehow took the pain away and replaced it with something nicer. Something she wasn’t going to accept.
“I’ll be just fine, Jagger, don’t you worry,” she said and poured the coffee, her hand shaking still. He covered her hand with his and she tightened up.
“You’re safe, Brooklyn. I promise you,” he said to her. She put the pot down and turned to look at him over her shoulder. Those dark blue eyes bored into hers. He glanced at her bruised cheek and then to her swollen lip. When he reached up to touch her, she stepped away from him.
She looked at the others, who were sitting around her living room talking. The Chief was sitting on the barstool by the island next to Antonia in what appeared to be a protective position. It made her wonder how Antonia felt about the Chief and the rules of Repose.
“So, Chief, what’s the plan now? I need to get to work today.”
“You’re not going in. It’s covered,” Finnian told her.
She was shocked at his statement and what sounded like a man taking control.
“Excuse me?” she said, holding his gaze, which was difficult to do. The man was a force to reckon with.
The Chief cleared his throat.
“There are ways we’re going to handle this, Brooklyn. Protecting you and Antonia are our top priorities while Zeke, myself, and a few others in the department try to locate this individual who assaulted you last night. I’ve got men watching Les’s business and I was there this morning already.”
“What? Why didn’t you tell me? Was the guy there? Did you find out anything?” she asked him. He held her gaze.
“He gave us a list of his employees,” the Chief stated.
“He conveniently left off a couple of names,” Zeke added. One look at his facial expression and Brooklyn could tell he was ticked off.
“You think it’s one of them, Zeke?”
He looked at the Chief and she lifted her hands up. “What? Tell me. What’s going on?”
“Well, honey, if it is one of these three guys, then the danger isn’t exactly over yet. All three are ex-cons, felons who’ve been out for a year to three years. All three of them meet the description from the information and details you were able to remember. One in particular meets it to a tee, and conveniently enough, he was working for Les yesterday and suddenly he isn’t anymore,” the Chief told her.
“Okay, so we need to take precautions, but where does that leave Les and the idea that maybe he set this up so that I would use his company and not Jesse’s?” she asked.
“We can’t prove that, and there’s no way to unless we find this guy and he gives up the information. Les isn’t talking or saying much and is in complete denial. He says he was just trying to help the guy out and give him a second chance,” Zeke said.
“And you didn’t believe him?” she asked him.
He raised just one of his eyebrows up at her like it was a silly question. She got it loud and clear. She also realized that the danger wasn’t over. This guy could still come back and try to finish the job. She felt like this because of the things he’d said and how he’d touched her. It was like he had been watching her, maybe interested, and this gave him the opportunity to get off on his desires. The idea had her opening up her mouth and asking the Chief a question that stirred every man in the room up.
“What was he in jail for? What’s his record of crimes he’s committed?”
The Chief held a firm expression, but she didn’t miss Zeke’s body language, how he shifted from one foot to the other, or how his brothers all seemed to exhale.