Cyn makes a jerky motion with her head, momentarily lost in a bad memory so I throw out, “Don’t forget Jake is coming. You probably want to condition your hair or something so you look nice for him.”
“In his dreams,” she snaps. And she’s back. She stomps out, letting the screen door slam noisily behind her as if to punctuate how much she dislikes Jake.
She doesn’t fully recognize that her so-called hate for Jake outpaces her fear of men, but I’m grateful for it, so even if she does find a female pilot, I’ll never fire Jake.
I couldn’t even if I wanted to. It’s his ‘copter and his time that he volunteers to pick up women in need of escape and bring them here. If I told him that he couldn’t land in my backyard, he’d put his bird down in the middle of the road and wait for Cyn. He’s determined to have her. He feels like he missed his chance back when they were kids. He’s right. He should’ve taken her away even though she was only eighteen and her daddy hated him. It’s not like Uncle Greg was a good judge of character. While I was off doing top secret shit for the government, Uncle Greg sold Cyn to the highest bidder—a man twenty years Cyn’s senior. He mistreated her bad, beating her up because he couldn’t get a rise out of his pecker. He thought a young wife would change things. It didn’t.
I wasn’t around to save her. Jake saw to that and I’ll be forever grateful. But she wasn’t ready to acknowledge either his feelings or his actions. I had my own wounds to lick. War’s not good for anyone’s mental health, so I brought her up here and we built this shelter together.
Cyn’s got a whole network she’s developed. Women who are in need of assistance, who need to go off the grid or who just need a place to hide for a while contact her. We feed them, clothe them, and help them find new jobs—sometimes even new identities. This place isn’t known to many people so Cyn had a right to feel a certain sense of unease at the ringing of the doorbell. No one who knows us would use it. No one who knows us would lean on the damn buzzer and let it ring endlessly like the person is doing now, being a damned nuisance. I grab my sidearm, slide it into the shoulder holster, and pull open the door.
I don’t know who’s more surprised—the tasty morsel with the long dark hair looking up at me or me with my cock coming to instant attention as I fall ass over heels into a pair of the prettiest brown eyes to have ever seen a sunset.
“Where’s Danny?” my future wife demands.
Danny? Oh, hell, no. The woman of my dreams can’t be looking for a man. I’m right here. Good thing I’ve got the gun. “Who the fuck is Danny?” I scowl.
She scowls right back. “Who the fuck are you to ask me who the fuck Danny is?”
“I’m King.”
“So?”
“So you asked me who I was. Now it’s your turn.”
Her nose goes up. “My mama taught me not to talk to strangers.”
“Then what are you doing on my doorstep?”
“Getting Danny back!” She wriggles by me and starts yelling, “Danny! Danny!”
I don’t bother to tell her the house is empty because the truth is, I’ve got her just where I want her.
two
HAYDEN
I lookaround the beautiful giant cabin but don’t see my sister anywhere. I turn back to the man that is too handsome for his own good or maybe for mine. I was taken aback when he’d opened the door. No wonder my sister took a job here. I don’t blame her on that accord but she will be coming home or back toherhome in the city. She isn’t running. It is a bunch of bullshit and I am going to tell her that. I’m not planning on letting some jerkface like Brandon run her off. He isn’t worth it and both of us know it. She had taken off before I realized exactly what she had planned.
“Where is Danny?” I ask again. My patience is starting to wear thin. This is the address she told me she was going to. I got her letter in the mail two days ago. I still can’t believe she sent a letter in the freaking mail. Who does that? I know I live in the country but it’s not like we don’t have social media and email. Not to mention cell phones. Hell, Danny is the one that made me get on social media to begin with. Then in a blink of an eye, all of hers were gone. I have a feeling that it’s because of Brandon. I’m going to show that man what stalking is.
“I have no idea who Danny is.” The big man crosses his arms over his chest, making him look bigger than he already does. Not that it takes much. I barely come in a few inches over five foot, so most people look big compared to me. But this man is giant sized. The muscles under his shirt sleeves beg to be let out and I can tell by the callused hands that he’s no stranger to hard work. He stares at me. Taking me in as I return the favor.
“That supposed to be intimidating?” I ask, putting my hands on my hips. Not wanting him to think that I was checking him out. Sure he’s handsome but I’m not here for that. I’m here to get Danny and bring her home. I might be small but I am quick on my feet. It comes with the job. He drops his arms from his chest immediately.
“I do my best to never intimidate females.” His voice is calm. Almost lazy. “That’s the opposite of what we do here. In fact, I’m going to have to have you tell me who you are and why you’re here. I can’t let random people just roam around my land.”
“Give me Danny and I’ll be gone.” I give a fake sweetness to my voice, adding in a smile as an extra bonus.
“If you’re looking for a man you won’t find him here.” He smirks. “Alive at least.” He winks at me and I don’t know if he’s joking or not.
“Liar. You let Jake roam around here.” A beautiful woman comes strolling in from somewhere in the back of the house. She has the blondest hair I’ve ever seen. It’s almost white. With her bright blue eyes, she’s breathtaking. My own eyes go straight for her ring finger but I’ll never admit that. Not even to myself. The weird feeling I got in my stomach when I thought this big lug was married is scary. I’d felt a pang of jealousy and that doesn’t fit my personality type at all. I guess there’s a first time for everything.
I look back to the man that I’ve been having my showdown with. I realize that this gorgeous woman and he have matching eyes. Prompting me to guess that they’re related. My stomach settles at this revelation and everything is right in the world again, besides me not being able to find Danny.
“Jake is a good one, Cyn.”
She purses her lips but doesn't tell him he’s wrong as she glares at him.