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Ted shook his head. “Why would I do that? If the police findyou, there’s some small chance one of them will believe you. It’s better ifyou’re simply not here. If you’re on the run, the focus remains on you. See,that’s what I call a win-win. I mean except for Micah, but then this is whathappens to dumbasses who don’t listen to solid advice and embezzle a shit tonof cash so he can try to pay off his mob connections. I’m afraid my brotherlikes to gamble.”
How was this happening? Surely this was some nightmare. “Areyou insane?”
“No, I’m quite of my right mind, Nora. And I think I’m beingrather kind giving you this shot. That bag has everything you need. I know youhave access to another car. You were planning on running anyway. I assure youMicah wouldn’t have handed you a bag with ten thousand dollars cash and acouple of burner phones and a credit card and false ID you should change assoon as possible. I want to give you a day or two to get as far as you can.Unless you want to come to a different arrangement.” He was too close now, andthe hand not holding the gun came out as though he wanted to touch her.
She stepped away.
His hand flattened out, and he gave her some space. “No? Itmight not be so bad. You could be my dirty little secret. I’m not as violent asbaby brother here. The current situation notwithstanding. I don’t feel the needto smack my woman around. Too much effort. It’s better to find a damaged oneand bring the bitch to heel. But since you won’t have to be out in public…”
God, he was really doing this. He had her in a neat trap,and she couldn’t think of a way out. She only knew one thing. She wasn’t givingin to him. “I assure you if you try to lock me away, I’ll make what you did toMicah look like a restful evening.”
“There’s the spark I knew you had. I know you won’t believeme, but I always knew you were too good for my brother. Let’s see how long youcan last. You should run.”
So she did.
Chapter One
Willow Fork, TX
Two years later
Joshua Barnes-Fleetwood was only halflistening to the argument currently going on between his sister and Dad. He wasfar too busy watching the brunette. She moved across the dining room floor withthe grace of a woman who had never once before carried a tray of drinks in themidst of a rural diner where people let their kids run a bit wild.
She barely managed to stop when Austin Parker chased hisbrother across the room, nearly cutting her off and sending all of those drinksright to the floor.
Her jaw clenched, and she seemed to take a long breathbefore making the decision to continue her dangerous journey.
Damn, but she was pretty.
She’d started working at Christa’s Café a few weeks before,and Josh barely knew her name. Nicole. He only knew because a name tag was partof the uniform. His Aunt Christa called the fairly short pink dresses with awhite apron retro chic, but Josh thought it was sexy as hell.
On Nicole. His aunt did not wear one, thank god.
“Dad, don’t be ridiculous.” His sister was using theirweekly family outing to protest their father’s schedule.
His sister butted heads with their father from time to time.Dad, not Pops. Pops pretty much gave Livie anything she wanted. And him. AndGrim and Mom. Sam Fleetwood was a sunny man who didn’t try to hide the fact hewas a marshmallow on the inside.
Jack Barnes made up for it with loving authority and longdiscussions of discipline. His dad was big on discipline.
Josh was wondering if that pretty lady liked a littlediscipline.
He glanced over and noticed he wasn’t the only one looking.Grim’s eyes were on the brunette, and Josh knew that look. His best friend washungry, and not for the chicken fried steak he’d ordered.
“Josh went out last quarter. He spent two weeks in BrokenBend at the Rockin’ R. One would think it’s my turn.It’s almost like you don’t want me to be the face of your company,” his sistercomplained.
“Baby, you know that’s not what the problem is.” His mothertook a sip of her tea and shook her head. She sat where she always did. Inbetween Dad and Pops. They had been together, living openly as a threesome, forhis whole lifetime and people still stared.
The good news was, he didn’t give a shit what random peoplethought. He cared what his friends thought, what his family thought. But hecouldn’t care about anyone who would judge his parents for loving each other.He’d learned that lesson at a young age, or perhaps he’d simply been bornwithout the component for shame when it came to sex.
The brunette barely avoided tripping over a chair in herway. It made her twist slightly, giving him a nice view of her backside. Shewas slender but curvy in all the right places.
That fine ass was begging for a spanking.
Yeah, he might not have been born with a big capacity forshame, but he had come into the world with certain needs. He’d come by themhonestly, and his father hadn’t made him feel bad about it. Nope. When he andGrim had gotten caught with their first woman—a college freshman when they werestill in high school—her father had threatened to kill them both while JackBarnes had sat them down and had the “talk.” And then when they’d turnedeighteen sent them to Dallas for a summer where they’d trained at a placecalled The Club.
Him and Grim, not him and Ashley Hill. Her father had caughther in bed in between Josh and his best friend. It had been Grim who’d jumpedout of the window with him and who’d had the foresight to grab Josh’s pants ashe’d jumped so he wasn’t running across a pasture with his dick swinging.
“Josh doesn’t want to go to Colorado so he can chase aftertwo boys.” Dad pointed out the problem he had. “You can take the Californiatrip next month.”
