“Who the fuck did this to you? How did it happen?” Mason demanded to know, and the tears stung her eyes. She shook her head.
“Monte?” she whispered toward him to help her. Mason looked insulted and annoyed as he glanced quickly at Monte then back at her.
“The sheriff is taking care of it,” Monte stated, but now he looked upset, too.
“The sheriff? Did this happen in Cellar County?” Steven asked. She looked back toward Monte, and Monte nodded his head.
She moved away from them and Steven stepped back. Virgo was there and he and Dale looked just as upset as the others.
“Hell, baby, that looks like shit,” Virgo told her.
She gave a small chuckle and felt the pain in her side. Her ribs and thigh were black and blue on the skin from where Garret had kicked her.
“What’s wrong with your side?” Dale asked.
“Just bruised.”
“From what?” Mason barked and she jumped. The others seemed to pick up on his anger at her. Figures, he would blame her for this when he heard the details.
“From getting kicked in the side by one of the assholes after he knocked me on my ass,” she snapped at him.
“Come here, baby,” Virgo whispered and opened up his big strong arms. She went to him, knowing that Virgo was a large teddy bear and would never hurt her.
He hugged her gently like a brother would a sister.
“They’ll get these assholes. Don’t you worry,” he told her. She stepped back and smiled up at him.
“Thanks, Virgo. So are you
all headed to Dixie’s for Tuesday wing night?” she asked, changing the subject as she moved toward the island. She slowly took a seat on one of the stools.
“Yeah, for a little bit,” Dale stated.
“Not Steven and I. We’re staying here,” Mason said firmly.
Her eyes widened in shock.
“Monte, can I have a moment please?” Steven asked, then he and Monte walked out to the hallway.
“Monte and I are fine here. We have the security system on,” she stated.
Mason moved closer to her. He placed his hand on the back of her chair and leaned slightly over her. He was dressed in blue jeans and wore a black shirt that stretched across his muscular chest. His green eyes held hers, and he smelled incredible, too. She caught herself inhaling the cologne then looking back up into his eyes. Why was Mason so appealing to her, and Steven, too? She was a glutton for punishment.
“We’re staying here to protect you. I want to know the whole story and I want to know who these assholes are.”
Damn it to hell, he was so intimidating. All six feet three of him and his tattoos and muscles. He was such a hard-ass. So abrupt, and right now she didn’t need that.
“Leave, Mason,” she stated.
“What?”
“Leave now. This is not some social duty for you to handle. Monte is here, BJ will be over after work with Susanna. Michael and Chad are around and so are Matt, Tyler, Carl, and Richie. You don’t need to waste your time.”
He slammed his hands down on the island, making her jump and drawing everyone’s attention.
“Goddamn it, Sally, you think I don’t want to be around you? You think that Steven and I aren’t freaking out right now and don’t want to find these fuckers and rip them new assholes? We’re here because the moment we found out that you were in trouble, that you got hurt, we needed to see you and see if we could help.”
She tried to ignore the idea that perhaps he and Steven did have feelings for her. She wasn’t reading into signs or falling for emotions. It had become obvious that she was a bad judge of character and that her fate seemed destined for loneliness. Garret and Keiffer were still out there. The sheriff hadn’t tracked them down yet, and they felt that she was in danger. She couldn’t look at the intensity in his green eyes, his firm jaw and muscular physique. She couldn’t allow a weakness of feminine attraction to direct her actions. She was a mess of confusion. She felt hollow inside.