Brendon (17 page)

chapter
NINETEEN

A
pparently some crazy-ass stalker was not going to get in the way of girls’ night, so Brendon found himself at Moonshiners at seven o’clock on Thursday night with a bunch of giggling women. Well, to be fair, his brothers were suffering right along with him, so he couldn’t complain too much.

It had given him the opportunity to talk to them about what was going on. Surprisingly, even his father showed up for the get-together.

“What’s goin’ on?” Zane asked, his expression apprehensive.

Brendon knew that his brothers were aware that something was up. Since he’d opted to take the week off, choosing to help Cheyenne and Kylie’s construction crew around her house, his actions had raised a few questions.

“Have a seat,” Brendon said, nodding toward a handful of empty tables.

With Zane’s help, they pulled four of them together and his brothers joined them, pulling out chairs and dropping into them one by one.

“Y’all need anything?” Mack hollered from behind the bar.

“Beers all around,” Curtis yelled back.

“Right on it!” Mack answered.

Brendon didn’t care for a beer, but with his father placing the order, it was easier not to argue.

Glancing at the back of the room, Brendon checked on the girls. They had pulled together several tall tables and were gathered around, their heads together as they laughed and talked. The drinks weren’t flowing as one would expect at a girls’ night though. First of all, Zoey and V weren’t in the market for alcohol, since they were pregnant. Cheyenne claimed she was still drying out from the last time she’d had a run-in with Jose Cuervo. Kylie was apparently too concerned for Cheyenne to risk getting intoxicated since she was the only one who knew what was going on, thanks to her husbands.

As for the rest of the girls—Jessie, Kennedy, Chelsea, Reilly, and Olivia—they were on their best behavior, it seemed.

“Who’s with Mom?” Zane inquired, glancing from Brendon to Travis and then to Kaleb.

“Jared and Jaxson are there, helpin’ with the kids.”

Brendon knew that Jared and Jaxson were doing more than helping with the kids, but most of his brothers didn’t know that.

Yet.

Mack brought the beers, handing them off to Ethan and Sawyer, who took them and passed them around.

“Someone want to tell us what’s goin’ on?” Braydon asked, pinning Brendon with a stare before turning his attention to Travis.

Brendon glanced around to ensure no one else was within hearing distance. Moonshiners was nearly empty, which was a good thing tonight, considering the topic of conversation they were going to have. When he turned back to the table, he noticed that everyone’s attention was on Travis.

“This ain’t my show,” Travis said firmly. “Brendon’s got it taken care of. I think he just wants to fill you in so you don’t worry.”

Brendon’s heart slammed against his ribs. He wouldn’t be the first to admit it, but Travis’s approval was important to him. Hell, any of their approval was important to him.

All eyes slid in his direction.

“We’ve got a situation with Cheyenne. Before you freak, it’s bein’ handled. I’ve reached out to a buddy of mine with Sniper One Security and he’s taken the lead on this.”

Braydon’s eyes widened. Clearly he understood the magnitude of the situation if Sniper 1 was involved, but Brendon didn’t elaborate on the company, choosing to look at one face at a time as he continued, “About a year ago, Cheyenne picked up a stalker. He followed her concert schedule, showin’ up at every show, but the worst of it is that he broke into her apartment and trashed the place. The guy’s escalatin’ and has moved on to sendin’ death threats. She’s hidin’ out here in Coyote Ridge. No one knows she’s here, not even her parents, her manager, or her record label.

“Unfortunately, it looks as though she isn’t as far off the grid as we’d hoped. Sniper One was able to track her relatively easily and they believe that this guy won’t have much of an issue, either. I’m stayin’ with her indefinitely until we catch this asshole. I’ve talked to Endsley, he’s keepin’ an eye out, but he isn’t makin’ this widely known to his force for obvious reasons. We need to take this as serious as we can. That’s why we’ve got Jared and Jaxson with Mom and the kids. None of the women should be out alone until we know who we’re dealin’ with. If he wants to get to Cheyenne, who knows how far he’ll go to do that.”

No one said a word for a minute as they processed the information he’d given them.

The first person to speak up was Zane. “If you need anything, I mean anything at all, you let me know.”

Brendon nodded his thanks.

“Is there a plan to lure this guy here?” Kaleb questioned.

“Absolutely not,” Brendon confirmed. “That’s why I called my buddy. This is bigger than we are and the last damn thing I want is for it to get this far. They’ll track him down, I have no doubt about that.”

Curtis’s hand came down on Brendon’s shoulder. “You let us know what you need. Even if it’s just someone to stay with her for a little while. Hear?”

“Yes, sir,” Brendon answered.

“Kylie’s been informed that no additional contractors are allowed to work on the house. Only Bill and his two-man crew. We know them well enough. I don’t want to take that risk,” Travis mentioned.

“Good point,” Beau stated. “And we’re here if you need anything. The shop’s slow right now, so we’ve got some spare time if you need somethin’.”

Brendon knew his family would be there for Cheyenne. It’s what they did, they took care of their own. The fact that they weren’t questioning him despite his decision-making track record for the past year meant more to him than they would ever know.

Way more.

“HAVE YOU MET
Jason Aldean?” Chelsea asked, her crystal-blue eyes filled with excitement.

“I have,” Cheyenne confirmed.

“What about Luke Bryan?” Reilly tacked on.

Cheyenne smiled, glancing over at Kylie, who merely chuckled. “Yep. Him too.”

“Oh, my God!”

“So, who’s gonna tell us what’s goin’ on over at the boys’ table?” V questioned, her eyes glued to Cheyenne’s face. “I see Brendon’s got a lot to say, so I’m guessin’ we need to get the scoop from you.”

Cheyenne had hoped this wouldn’t happen. Being invited to girls’ night shouldn’t have turned into a conversation about things she’d rather not think about, but she figured she owed it to the girls, so she relayed the details of the stalker as she knew them, explaining them succinctly.

“Holy shit,” Zoey whispered. “We had no idea.”

“And I was hopin’ to keep it that way,” Cheyenne told them with a small smile. “I really didn’t mean for this to happen.”

“Of course you didn’t,” Kennedy stated, her hand coming to rest on the back of Cheyenne’s. “But, the thing is, we’re gonna stick together on this one. If you need anything, we need to know.”

Jessie cleared her throat, catching Cheyenne’s attention. “At the risk of soundin’ nosey—which we all know I am anyway—is there anything you wanna tell us?”

Cheyenne laughed when Jessie’s eyes darted across the room, coming to land on Brendon.

“Hmmm,” Cheyenne replied, pretending to consider the question. “No, I don’t think there is.”

“Whatever, woman. I would’ve called you a hooker, but I don’t know you well enough yet,” V said, clarifying as she laughed. “We want to know all the delicious details about Brendon. Spill.”

“There’s nothin’ to spill.”

“Whatever. I’ve seen the way he looks at you,” Zoey mentioned.

“Oh, you mean the way he’s never looked at another woman ever,” Jessie stated, warmth filling her gaze.

Jessie was part of the reason Cheyenne didn’t want to talk about Brendon. She knew that Jessie had been in a relationship with both Braydon and Brendon and it wasn’t her intention to ever hurt someone’s feelings. Based on that comment, and the genuine smile on Jessie’s face, Cheyenne was pretty sure there weren’t any hard feelings.

“Seriously though,” Zoey said. “It’s goin’ well?”

Cheyenne nodded. “He’s great.”

“So, does that mean he’s your boyfriend?” Kylie teased.

“Accordin’ to him, it does,” Cheyenne said, just because she wanted to stake her claim publicly on the man. Although she wasn’t big on sharing the details of her personal life—something that had been engrained in her for the last few years due to her celebrity status—she felt safe with these women. For all intents and purposes, they were her family.

“Seriously?” Chelsea asked. “That’s fantastic.”

“So, Chels,” Zoey said, changing the subject. “Are you back in town for good?”

“Looks like it,” she said, glancing at her sister briefly. “Reilly and I are thinkin’ about startin’ up our own business.”

“What is it that you do?” Cheyenne asked.

She knew that Chelsea and Reilly Jameson were CJ’s younger sisters. Since their parents, Owen and Deborah, still lived in Coyote Ridge, it only made sense that their kids would as well, but from what she knew, CJ and his older brother Stone were the only ones still there.

“Although she doesn’t admit it, I’ve been doin’ Aunt Lorrie’s hair for the last five years.”

“I
knew
it!” Zoey exclaimed. “She tried to tell me she’s never had to color her hair.”

The table erupted in laughter.

“Yes, well, that information doesn’t leave this table,” Chelsea added with a chuckle. “Anyway, since we both went to cosmetology school, we figured we’d give it a go. And . . .” Chelsea glanced at Kylie. “Since we recently found out there’s a buildin’ that could possibly be available to us, we thought we’d do it.”

“That’s fantastic!” Jessie squealed.

“Does that mean you’re not gonna go back to work full-time?” Kennedy asked Kylie.

“Not for a bit,” Kylie replied. “I’m gonna keep my focus on Cheyenne’s place for now while I take care of Kate. I don’t want to give up my career aspirations yet, but for now, I’m kinda livin’ the dream so I’m hesitant.”

“No offense,” Kennedy added, her eyes glued to Kylie, “but I’m lovin’ my new office manager, and as long as you’re not gonna try to steal her back, I’ll support anything you do.”

More laughter echoed through the back of the bar. While the other women were talking about whether they would be willing to go to Chelsea and Reilly’s new salon, Cheyenne stole a peek at Brendon. Her heart turned over when she saw him looking back at her. When he winked, she was pretty sure her heart did a triple somersault.

Jessie leaned over and whispered, “I saw that. And for the record, I really am so happy for the two of you. Bren’s a good guy and he needs someone like you.”

“Someone like me?” Cheyenne didn’t understand.

“Yes, someone who will devote all her attention to him and him alone. I totally get the fact that you never wanted to be shared, but between you and me, I think Brendon needs that. He needs to know he’s number one in his woman’s heart.”

Cheyenne smiled. He certainly was number one in hers.

“What about you?” Reilly called out, pulling Cheyenne’s attention from Jessie.

“What about me what?” she asked.

“Would you consider bein’ our client? It might help boost business if we had someone famous.”

“Once it all dies down, you can count me in,” Cheyenne told her new friends. “I’d be more than happy to be your client.”

“Have you heard from Cooper and Dalton lately?” Zoey asked when the cheers died down.

“Not in a couple of weeks, no. As I mentioned, I’m layin’ low and I didn’t want to involve them in this mess.”

“Cooper? As in Cooper Krenshaw?” Reilly’s eyes were the size of plates.

“One and the same.”

“Okay, just for the record,” Reilly said seriously. “I’m twenty-four years old and my sister’s twenty-five. We aren’t usually quite this . . . excitable. Honestly.”

“Trust me, I’m quite used to it.”

Chelsea and Reilly briefly pretended to be serious, but when the others started laughing, they both gave up.

Good thing too, because from the sound of the chairs moving on the other side of the room, it looked like things were about to get pretty damn serious without their help.

chapter
TWENTY

“I
s that . . . ?” Braydon didn’t finish his sentence and when he trailed off, Brendon’s eyes darted over to the door. The two men who walked in, their astute gazes quickly assessing everything in the room within seconds, caused Brendon to instantly get to his feet. His brothers must have noticed his apprehension because they weren’t that far behind him, the sound of chairs scraping against hardwood replacing the drone of voices.

“Z? What the hell are you doin’ here?” Brendon questioned the big guy approaching the table.

A wicked smile formed on Z’s rugged features as he moved closer. “Good to see you, man,” Z greeted with a quick handshake. “Braydon, what’s up?”

“Not a helluva lot,” Braydon responded hesitantly.

“You might rethink that statement in a minute,” Z told him.

“How’d you know we were here?” Brendon hadn’t talked to Z since yesterday and the last he’d heard, they didn’t have any news.

“I’ve got my ways,” Z said, his dark brown—nearly black—eyes somber. Before Brendon could question him, another grin split Z’s face, followed by, “No, not really. I’m bullshittin’ you, bro. I saw those two girly trucks out front, knew you were both here.”

Laughter could be heard from the group and Brendon realized that every man who’d been sitting at the table now stood directly behind him, a human barricade between the newcomers and the women in the back. Even Mack had come to stand on the opposite side of the bar he normally inhabited.

Brendon turned to face the group, taking a position beside Z as he made introductions. “Z, this is Travis, Gage, Kaleb, Ethan, Sawyer, Beau, Zane, and my father, Curtis. This is Zachariah Tavoularis, aka Z.”

“Nice to meet y’all officially. And this here is the big boss man, Ryan Trexler. Most people simply call him RT.”

Brendon offered RT his hand as he said, “Nice to meet you.”

The guy’s no-nonsense presence and staid expression had Brendon’s curiosity meter redlining. Something was going on, he just didn’t know what.

“Same here,” RT offered, the resonant tone of his voice contained in the small area.

“Your reputation precedes you,” Travis said, shaking RT’s hand.

While the others greeted RT, Brendon pulled Z to the side. “Seriously, man. What’s goin’ on? Why’re you here?”

“It’s cool. I asked him to help out. RT wanted to get the lay of the land. And when the boss man says jump, I fuckin’ jump.”

“I thought Trace was your boss?” Brendon had heard a few stories about the Trexlers and the Kogans—the two families who owned and operated one of the nation’s leading security companies—over the years and Z always spoke highly of them.

“I’ve got more than one,” Z said with a sly grin.

“Any news?”

Z’s eyes narrowed. “Unfortunately, no. We’ve got RT’s younger brother, Austin, workin’ his magic. He’s one of those tech nerds—a hacker for the good guys, if you know what I mean. If this asshole can be found, Austin’ll find him.”

“And until then . . . what? You thought you’d just come hang out? Grab a beer? Shoot the shit?”

“That a problem?” Z asked, smirking.

Brendon sighed, realizing he sounded as uptight as he felt. “No, it’s not, actually.” Now that he thought about it, Brendon figured it was a good idea for Z and RT to stop by and check on things. If this guy did end up in Coyote Ridge, which Brendon prayed never happened, it would only make sense to have them there.

Then again . . . as Brendon watched the two men, he noticed something else. A strange tension between the two of them. It was . . . Well, now that he thought about it, it was the same sort of tension he’d witnessed between Ethan and Beau, back before those two got together.

Brendon smiled to himself. That made complete and total sense. He knew that Z was gay, and from the way RT was eyeing Z from time to time, he figured it was safe to assume RT had his sights set on the big guy. Interesting.

A soft hand on his arm drew Brendon’s attention, not to mention Z’s gaze moving to the woman beside him. Offering her a small smile, he turned his attention back to Z. “Z, meet Cheyenne Montgomery.” Brendon saw the way Z’s eyes lit up, so he tacked on, “My girlfriend. Cheyenne, this is Z.”

Z chuckled and then shook Cheyenne’s hand. “Loud and clear, bro. And I promise, you ain’t got nothin’ to worry about,” Z said to Brendon, and to Cheyenne he added, “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”

“I’m almost positive that guy’s bigger than Beau,” someone said from behind him.

“I didn’t think it was possible, but yeah,” someone else said—a woman, of course.

Brendon knew without looking that they were talking about Z. The guy was by no means small. In fact, he looked like a fucking linebacker. Brendon wasn’t a small guy, but even he felt intimidated by Z’s size. Or maybe it was the don’t-fuck-with-me gleam in the guy’s eyes.

“Is everything okay?” Cheyenne asked.

“So far,” Z answered, “yes. We’re just checkin’ things out.”

“Of course.” Cheyenne’s tone didn’t match her words, but she left it at that.

“You ready to head home?” Brendon looked down at Cheyenne. Although Z had assured her that things were fine, she suddenly looked jumpy. He figured it was because everyone was there and ultimately, her greatest concern seemed to be everyone else’s safety.

“If you are, sure.”

“We’ll follow y’all back to your place,” Z informed him. “Lemme talk to Braydon a minute.”

“Sure.”

Brendon took Cheyenne’s hand in his, the smooth feel of her fingers in his palm soothing him. The fact that no one was looking at them strangely made him feel better as well. It was as though his family had accepted what was transpiring between him and Cheyenne. And that was a damn good thing too, because if Brendon had a say in the matter, the only way from there was up and he fully intended to go that direction.

Fifteen minutes later, after everyone had said their good-byes, the parking lot started to clear out. Brendon helped Cheyenne into his truck and then made his way around to the driver’s side. His eyes tracked the dark areas beyond the bar as he walked.

With Z and RT there, things suddenly felt all the more real. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end and when he got into the truck, he instantly started the engine, not wanting to keep Cheyenne out in the open any longer than he had to. Wasting no time, he floored it out of the parking lot, making sure his truck mixed in with the others leaving. It wouldn’t do him much good to be singled out, even with the two enforcers somewhere behind them.

Less than ten minutes later, they were walking into Cheyenne’s house, Z and RT hot on their heels. Once the front door was closed, Cheyenne turned to face all three of them, her hands landing on her hips. Brendon watched her carefully as she studied them.

“Okay, so when are y’all gonna tell me what’s
really
goin’ on?”

Brendon glanced over at Z and RT, noticing how they gave each other sideways glances before they offered her matching grins.

“Honest to God, ma’am, there ain’t nothin’ to be worried about yet.”

“Well, if you can’t find this guy, I’d say that ain’t exactly true,” Cheyenne retorted.

RT said, “She’s kinda got a point there.”

“Can I get you somethin’ to drink?” Cheyenne offered, her small smile replacing the concern that had been etched on her beautiful face moments before. She didn’t look completely at ease, but she seemed to have settled down somewhat.

“That’d be awesome.”

“Iced tea or lemonade?”

“Iced tea,” both men said in unison.

Cheyenne looked at him and Brendon shook his head. For now he was good. She nodded and then disappeared into the kitchen.

“Seriously, bro. We’re merely here to make our presence known.”

“Known?”

“Yep. Nothin’ new since I talked to you last, but RT thought it’d be a good idea to head down, check things out, make sure we’re seen.”

“You think your presence is gonna send this guy runnin’?” Brendon asked, confused.

“Not at all,” RT stated sternly, the deep bass of his voice reflecting his authority. “Quite the opposite, actually. Not that we’re tryin’ to lure him here, but if we’re right, we’ll prove to be a challenge for this guy.”

“And what? Then you disappear and we’re left to fend him off?” Brendon’s anger ignited in his gut.

“Fuck no,” Z growled. “We ain’t leavin’ till we’ve got him. RT’s assigned two more agents to this. Trust me, she’s covered from all angles.”

“I don’t like luring this bastard down here,” Brendon told them frankly. “It’s too damn risky. My
family
is here. It’s a little close to home, know what I mean?”

“We do,” RT answered. “And if there’s any possibility to keep him far from here, that’s our main objective, but in the meantime, somethin’ tells me this is where we need to be.”

Brendon appreciated the fact that RT followed his instincts. He obviously knew what the hell he was doing, but that still didn’t help the apprehension that filled Brendon.

Oh, hell, who was he kidding? That wasn’t apprehension . . . that was fucking fear.

It wasn’t an option for him to lose Cheyenne. Not then, not ever.

BY THE TIME
Z and RT left, heading back to the hotel they mentioned they were staying in, Cheyenne was exhausted. As she sat in bed, Scrap snoring on his new bed on the floor, she stared at the ceiling, listening to Brendon on the phone in the other room. He’d had one phone call after another, all of them from his brothers expressing their concern.

She got it. She really did. They didn’t like the fact that it appeared Sniper 1 was luring a maniac to their town. Truthfully, she knew she should bolt for a little while. Maybe head back to Abilene, spend some time with Grams. At least that way, she’d take the threat away from the people who’d become like family to her.

Then again, her Grams was the most important person in her entire life, and bringing trouble to her doorstep seemed careless.

Which meant she was stuck right there for now.

After listening to Z and RT, Cheyenne’s faith in them had doubled. She’d heard plenty of good things about their company and had even been referred to them a time or two. Never had she thought she’d really need their services though. According to them, this was one of those times when they needed to be involved.

Their knowledge had settled her, but it had also told her that they knew more than they were leading on. She rationalized that they were likely not wanting to freak her out, but she could’ve told them it was far too late for that.

She was freaked.

Hell, a full-blown panic attack was the next on her to-do list, in fact.

“You okay?” Brendon asked when he stepped into the room.

Cheyenne’s eyes slid to his form, admiring the way he filled the doorway with his wide shoulders. He toed off his boots and her stomach did a little flip.

“I’m good,” she said, recognizing the arousal in her tone.

Okay, so maybe the fear had morphed into desire. Who cared. It was something to get her mind off the shit that she couldn’t control.

Brendon’s shirt met the same fate as his boots, ending up on the floor. When his hands moved to his waistband, her eyes followed them.

He slowly unbuttoned his jeans and that was when Cheyenne realized he was watching her watching him. It was kind of sexy.

Rather than meeting his knowing gaze, she kept her eyes trained on his flat, washboard stomach. He’d come to stand on her side of the bed, and she hoped like hell that meant he wasn’t ready to go to sleep just yet.

“You seem to be fixated on somethin’, Chey. Tell me what.”

The command in his tone reflected his knowledge of her current state. He wasn’t questioning, because he already knew what she was thinking about. He wanted her to tell him what she wanted.

Sitting up, Cheyenne allowed the blankets to fall to her hips, showing him that she’d donned one of his T-shirts to sleep in. It happened to be one she’d commandeered from his house after their Sunday ride. He hadn’t seemed to mind that she had wanted to take it, which in itself was sexy.

Cheyenne liked the way he looked at her when she was wearing nothing but one of his shirts. The fire that burned in his gaze was hot enough to set the smoke detectors off. Any minute now, she figured the house was going to burst into flames.

Reaching for him, she tucked her fingers into the waistband of his jeans as she turned to face him, her legs dangling over the edge of the bed. She looked up at his face while she traced the freed button and then lowered the zipper.

“Tell me, Chey,” he repeated.

“I want you,” she whispered. As much as she wanted him, it was still a little unsettling to tell him exactly what she wanted. Showing him wasn’t a problem at all, but the idea of telling him still caused butterflies to take flight in her belly.

“Be more specific,” he said, lust darkening his gaze.

Cheyenne reached into the V of his jeans, sliding her hands into his boxers and finding his cock hard and eager. Without freeing him completely, Cheyenne leaned forward, sliding his boxers down just enough to uncover the head of his cock. She swiped her tongue over the thick tip.