The Bad Boys' Reluctant Woman (18 page)

She was walking down the alley of
her neighbourhood when she saw the shadow fall over her. Startled, Zoe stared
up to see Bill standing with two of men.

“I told you this wasn’t over,” he
said. She didn’t have any time to react as Bill pulled the phone out of her
hand and slammed her against the wall. Her head banged against the bricks. Pain
shot through her head, and then the world went black.

****

Connor knew the sound of that voice.
His blood ran cold.

“Zoe, baby, are you there?”

Jake and Brent looked up. He knew
his voice was filled with panic. Shit, he was panicking.

Heavy breathing came over the line.

“You better be careful who you
threaten in future.”

“Where the fuck is Zoe?” Connor
demanded. His voice rose as the panic began to take over.

“Consider her payment because of
your boys getting in the way of my business. I never interfere with your part
of Law Castle, and you shouldn’t have fucked with mine. I’m taking Zoe as
payment for all the money you’ve lost me.”

“If you touch her, I swear to God—”

“No offense, boy. I’m the one with
the girl.”

The phone cut off. Connor threw the
phone at the opposite wall. Noah and Drew had come from around the back at his
raised voice. “That drug dealing asshole has got Zoe.” He pulled the hair at
the back of his neck to try to focus. The pain helped numb the heartache at
losing the woman he loved.

“I’ll get Tristan. Where was she?”
Noah asked.

Drew ran out of the shop, a cell
phone in his hand. Connor watched him run in the direction of the sheriff’s
office.

“I don’t know. I heard some
scuffling as if Zoe was thrown against something.
A wall,
maybe.
Shit, I don’t know.”

“Her apartment.
That was where she was going
earlier today. She needed to check her mail and make sure she was not behind on
the rent.”

Tristan and Drew
came
running back along with Stefan and a couple of members of the Law Castle Bad
Boys.

“I thought she was moving in with
you?” Noah said.

“We were going to ask her tonight.”

Brent threw his tools across the
shop. Connor saw the anger in his eyes.

“What happened?” Tristan asked.

Connor saw red and flew at him.
“What happened? Your fucking meddling has got Zoe caught up in this shit.
You’re supposed to look after the people in this town.” Connor pushed Tristan
up against the wall. Vicki pulled up outside of the mechanic shop.

Tristan grabbed Connor’s arm and
twisted it behind his back. “Don’t ever think of

doing
that again. Do you understand me?”
Tristan said.

“Yes,” Connor said.

“I’ve been looking into Bill and
stopping his supplies. I wanted to know where this shit came from. It would
seem he made the first move before we did. Vicki, what are you doing here?”

“A couple of guys walked into The
Dugout. They shot Steve in the leg, and I saw them carry Zoe inside. She looked
asleep. I ran out of the back when I saw them.”

“At least we know where she is,”
Tristan said. “Stefan, I think you need to control some of your boys.”

“I’m not controlling anyone,
Tristan. This is not a gang. We’re friends, and I think all three of them have
a right to know where their woman is, don’t you?”

“I do not want a blood-bath.”

“There won’t be one. We’ll get
inside, order a drink, and settle this peacefully,” Stefan said.

“You’re going to go inside? Are you
insane? They have a gun,” Vicki said.

“Vicki, go home,” Tristan said.

“No, Zoe is my friend.”

The older guy turned on her. “I
wasn’t giving you permission to argue. Go home, now.”

Connor saw the tension. Vicki glared
at the older man then walked toward her car.

“Let’s go and have a party,” Tristan
said.

****

Brent felt on edge. Up until this
moment he’d had so many doubts about the way he felt about Zoe. No more. He
fucking loved her.

When he got her in his arms, he was
going to shout it from the rooftops. There were a couple of cars in the parking
lot, but other than that the parking lot was deserted.

“Fucking bitch,” Tristan yelled.

He followed the other man’s gaze.
Vicki’s car was in the parking lot with no sign of the woman.

Brent watched as Tristan pulled out
his gun, loaded it, and walked toward the front door. Stefan stopped the other
man from walking into his own death scene.

“We don’t have any idea who is
inside.”

Brent followed his two friends
toward the other men.

“I don’t give a fuck. They’ve got
Vicki, and I don’t care. They’re all fucking dead men.” Tristan pulled out of
the guy’s hold.

Seeing no end in sight, Brent
whistled. “Hey, Bill. You’ve got what you want. We’re here to talk.” Brent
shouted every word. He knew the man inside would be able to hear him.

“That’s right. I’ve got two crying
women inside. I’m wondering which one to pop first.”

Tristan charged for the front door.
Noah, Drew, and Stefan held him back. Fuck, that guy was strong.

“You’re going to hide behind women
like a coward?” Brent asked.

“I’m not a coward.”

There was his weakness. Bill may
have been king within an area where they were down on luck. In The Dugout, he
was a weak man intent on causing harm.

“Fuck this,” Tristan yelled. He
fired his gun. Two shots splintered the wood. Tristan ran toward the door,
firing his weapon. The older man was yelling as he ran. Jake and Connor
followed behind him, and Brent charged forward as well. Shouting was coming
from all sides and wasn’t stopping. Nothing seemed right to Brent. Law Castle
was a peaceful town. No one fired guns or sold drugs. What had happened to this
small town? Brent ran toward the door. Tristan fired his weapon as the other
followed.

This was the hardest day of Brent’s
life.

When he got through the door, two
men were dead on the floor. Vicki was holding her stomach, blood gushing out of
the wound. She looked pale as she was propped against the wall.

“
Don’t
fucking move,” Bill said. He had Zoe in front of him like a protective shield.
Blood was dripping from her head. Brent saw bruises down one side of her face,
and judging by the way she winced, some of her ribs were either bruised or
broken.

Brent was terrified. She could die
if they weren’t careful. Bill held a gun to her temple, and his hand was
shaking.

The guy was clearly on drugs.

“Put the gun down,” Tristan said.
“There is no way this ends with you leaving. Who shot the men?”

“I did. They’re traitors.
All fucking traitors.
That bitch came walking in, and she
needed to go. The only one I want is this bitch. She’s been dodging me, and I
want payment.”

“Not going to happen.”

“Where is Steve?” Connor asked.

“Dead.”

“Guess again,” Steve said. A
baseball bat swung for Bill.

“Zoe, duck,” Connor, Jake, and Brent
shouted.

She did as they asked, collapsing in
a heap on the floor.

Bill went down as Steve rained blows
on Bill’s body. Tristan cuffed Bill,
then
moved toward
Vicki.

Brent went to Zoe, as did Jake and
Connor. She was whimpering on the floor, tears streaming down her face.

“We’ve got you, baby,” he said. “I
love you, Zoe. I love you so much.”

Jake and Connor said the words as
well.

She cried harder. “I thought he was
going to kill me.”

“No, that was never going to happen.
We wouldn’t have let him.”

“You all came for me,” she said. She
winced as they moved her into their arms. “My head hurts.”

“I’ve called an ambulance,” Stefan
said.

“I love you,” she said on a whisper.
They each held her close. The unmistakable sound of sirens filled the air.
Tristan picked Vicki up and carried her outside. Connor, Jake, and Brent followed
behind the ambulances as they both went in the direction of the hospital.

****

Jake stood in the waiting room with
Brent, Connor, and Tristan. They were waiting to see if the two women were
fine. Zoe had taken a severe hit to the head while Vicki was worse. She’d been
pregnant, and the baby had been lost the moment the bullet hit her. Vicki was
in surgery.

Tristan looked like a tortured man.

The doctor came down the hall. “I’m
looking for a relative of Zoe Howard.”

“That’s us. I’m her fiancé,” Jake said.
 
There was no way they were not getting
married. Zoe was their woman, no matter how reluctant she was to admit it.

“She’s fine. The bang on the head
was hard, and she’s got a bad headache and will have for a few days. There is
some swelling on her face and bruised ribs, but nothing rest won’t cure. We’re
keeping her here overnight just in case. You’re free to go and see her.”

“What about Vicki Phillips?” Tristan
asked, standing up.

“She’s still in surgery. I’m afraid
you’re going to have to wait.”

Zoe was sitting up in the hospital
bed as they walked in. She smiled, which was promising.

“How do you feel?” Brent asked,
taking her hand and kissing it.

“Like I’ve been ten rounds with a
bus and lost. My head hurts, and my whole body aches. The fucking bastard
kicked me in the ribs when I was down and out of it. I wish I could knock him
around a bit. See how he likes it?”

“He’s not going anywhere except
jail,” Jake said.

She smiled. “I heard what you guys
said before the ambulance came. I want to know if you meant it or if it was
down to a spur of the moment thing.”

“If we meant
what?”
Connor
asked.

“That you love me. I understand if
you don’t. I just want to make sure all the facts are right before I say
anything.”

Jake, Connor, and Brent took seats
next to her. They reached out touching her body.

“I love you so much, Zoe Howard.
I’ve never been in love with such a reluctant and independent woman before in
my life,” Jake said.
 

She chuckled.
 

“I didn’t know how I felt until I
thought I’d never see you again. I love you, Zoe. There is no way you’re
leaving us. I won’t let it happen,” Brent said.

“You own my heart and soul, Zoe. You
understand me, and I was never in doubt of how I felt. I love you completely,”
Connor said.

She reached out to all of them. “And
I love you three so much. When I woke up and saw he’d taken me, all I could
think about was all of you. I love you all so much, and it scares me. I’ve
never felt like this before in all of my life.”

It was the best news Jake could have
hoped for. From the looks of his two friends, it was the same for them.

“I think you need to tell them,
Connor. Now is the best time to put the past to rest,” she said.

Jake frowned. Connor shut the
hospital door, sat down, and began to tell them the truth about his past. All
of them cried at the news. It hurt more than anything he ever thought possible.
His best friend had been in pain and hurting, and he’d not done anything.

When they left the hospital room,
Jake knew they would all be different. They would never be the same again.

“How’s Vicki?” Zoe asked.

****

Tristan couldn’t stop his hands
shaking. They were covered in blood. He’d washed them until they were red raw,
but it didn’t stop him from seeing Vicki’s blood on his hands. The doctor came
back with good news. He even pointed him in the direction of where she was
resting. For a few minutes he stared at his hands knowing he shouldn’t go in
there.

Sweet, innocent Vicki deserved
someone better than he was. What had happened between them was his fault. He
should never have let it go so far.

He walked in the room. She was
hooked up to a load of tubes. Her face was pale, and the pain in her eyes
killed him dead on the spot.

“How are you?” he asked.

“Fine.”

Tristan took a seat next to her bed.
“You didn’t tell me about the baby,” he said.

“You didn’t tell me about your wife
until it was too late.”

He winced. He was a fucking coward.

Neither said another word. Tristan
stared at her until she fell asleep.

What have I done?