Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22

J agger

The afternoon sun had a warming effect, the thick snow slowly fading into a memory. I pulled into the parking lot of Shackles, a favorite local watering hole, the grip on my steering wheel tight.

Two days had passed since I’d lost my shit and Bella had found me. I knew I’d seemed like a madman to her, likely ranting and raving. I remembered only some of what I’d told her. But what I knew was that she’d held my hand for a solid two hours after I’d told her I’d been captured, finally falling asleep on my chest.

The closeness had been the nearest thing to heaven I’d ever experienced.

I’d carried her up to bed, tucking her in and watching her sleep for the rest of the night. As soon as dawn had broken through the gray horizon, I’d heard both Cally’s and Xena’s feet romping through the house. At least the sweet little kid had allowed me to pour her a bowl of cereal for breakfast. She’d chattered away like she did every minute she was awake while I’d fed the pup.

It had tugged at my heartstrings more than any time before.

The reason why had become clear to me. Because everything seemed normal. A normal family. A normal house. A normal morning.

When nothing was truly normal in my world or in Bella’s.

My anger was still fresh, my mind anticipating what I would do to Joel if he stepped foot in Danger Falls.

At least work had taken up the better part of the last two days, which had kept me from going off the deep end. With Bella still on the job waiting tables, and Cally and the hero dog Xena the hit of daycare, I had the early evening to myself. What did I do instead of going home to an empty house?

I asked both brothers to meet me at a goddamn bar. It wasn’t my usual behavior by a long shot, so I knew they’d have questions.

I’d had more trouble sleeping, only able to stay with Bella for a couple of hours. At least I’d waited until she’d fallen asleep before heading downstairs, pulling out my computer and searching for every scrap of information I could find on the Brockford family. She hadn’t been lying about their power.

Joel’s father had come up through the illustrious ranks of being one of the top surgeons in the country to running a highly profitable charity for extreme medical conditions. The money he’d managed to bring in was astounding. He appeared charming in the photographs, always smiling and shaking hands. However, I could read between the lines.

People were afraid of him.

Some notorious criminals had also been included in a couple of the photographs. That gave me an indication there was some type of a relationship with the Brockford family.

Maybe the patriarch had a way of saving the lives of powerful people who would then owe him a favor or two, including eliminating anyone getting in his way. It was just a crazy theory of mine, but one that wouldn’t leave my mind. Joel was shadowing his father’s footsteps, also highly respected and considered the quintessential surgeon on the East Coast.

As with every family, dark secrets lay in wait for the right person to find them. While a significant part of me wanted to resort to my previous convictions on handling a target, I also knew the problems killing Joel could create.

I’d come to terms with the thought of destroying the man instead.

Unfortunately, I would need help in doing so. Something I wasn’t used to either.

After parking the Rover, I climbed out, scanning the parking lot. It was early, but there were already a solid three dozen vehicles, which meant the place was going to be packed. The damn holidays again. Plus, the snow hadn’t dampened anyone’s spirits.

Cally had started talking about what to get the dog for her stocking and I’d been forced to walk out of the room. My attitude had been bad enough that the little girl had taken to calling me Mr. Grumpy. And every time Bella had burst into laughter. Meanwhile, both girls as well as Xena also had added light to the house that hundreds of lamps hadn’t been able to do.

I strolled into the bar, glancing at the bartender who I knew. While I might not frequent the place that often, people paid attention to the Fox boys. The whole town had watched us like hawks for weeks after our arrival. In addition to the sheriff throwing shade given our backgrounds, there’d been real fear we’d sell or shut down the resort. I couldn’t blame them for their concern.

We’d looked pretty rough around the edges when we’d walked into town, our people skills lacking.

I’d barely walked past the bar when the bartender shoved a glass of my brand of bourbon across the bar top. “I take it my brothers have arrived?”

“Back table. I guess they don’t want to be seen.” Mark grinned and was shouted at from the other end of the bar.

As I pushed my way through the crowd, I had one too many congratulations. Praise was getting old, especially when in my mind I didn’t deserve it. Poppy had even dropped off muffins, for God’s sake.

“You did good out there, cowboy,” Tyler Florence said as I tried to pass him. “Saving that little girl. I didn’t know you had it in you.”

Tyler was a deputy, a nice enough guy, but he was a sheep following his boss, Sheriff Adam Young’s dislike of the Fox family. Since we’d never had a run-in with the sheriff’s department, the only two reasons for the hatred would be our reputation and the fact Adam’s family had tried to purchase the resort. His father had a land development company and from what I heard, had plans on turning the resort’s side into condominiums.

But his personal conviction to run me out of town or put a bullet in my gut was something else altogether.

“Just doing what any good person would do in helping out a fellow man.” It was best not to provide but so much information to Tyler. He’d take whatever I said directly back to the sheriff. I wasn’t in the mood for some pissing contest over God knows what.

“Yeah, so I heard. I also heard the girl’s mother is staying at your place. I guess you think you’re the only hero around here. Shacking up with the sordid woman.”

It wasn’t a good idea for any man to goad me, period. But in speaking about my woman that way, he’d crossed a final line.

Now the dude had me pissed. I was in his face in a second. “You don’t talk about a lady that way. What’s it to you if she is staying with me anyway?”

“I was just jiving you, man,” he said, real fear in his eyes.

“I suggest you remember this is a public place, gentlemen.” The newer gruff voice was just as irritating.

I slowly turned my head in the sheriff’s direction. I should have known where there was one, the other would follow. “I think that’s something you should mention to your man here, Sheriff.”

“I don’t like you, Jagger. As you know, I don’t like the three of you boys. I think you bring shit onto this town and if I had my choice, I’d kick you out.”

“Not your call. But I’ll keep that in mind. Maybe I’ll see if the other boys would like to purchase a few more pieces of property around here. I think you have your heart set on a few. I wouldn’t get your hopes up.” Maybe I was just fueling his guns, but I couldn’t help myself.

There’d been tremendous speculation about the jobs my brothers and I in our former lives had performed, stories including we were part of some big mafia family. At least most of the townies had stopped googling our names in hopes of finding some dirt.

I had a bad feeling the sheriff was keeping a file on the family.

Of course he had a reason to hate me. I’d only found that out after moving here. Because of his hatred for me, I continuously egged him on. But that didn’t make it right that he was gunning for my entire family.

“You shouldn’t have come here, Jagger,” the sheriff said quietly, as if for my ears only. “One mistake and I’ll lock your ass up.”

I stopped only briefly, resisting all the nasty words that came into my mind. “Maybe you’re right, but I’m here now. I’m staying. Just try and force me to leave and you’ll regret it.”

“Don’t threaten me, boy. I have friends in all the right places.” He laughed one of those maniacal sounds that likely put the fear of God into all the locals. Not me. He could threaten all he wanted, but he had no idea what I was capable of.

No man was going to push me away from anything or anyone ever again.

No matter how much he hated me.

He was huffing behind me as I turned and headed toward the back of the bar. I couldn’t care less, but we owed it to the staff to keep the man and his family away from the resort. There were always bad business deals and while our father had taken great strides to keep the integrity of the resort, I’d had a feeling all along the Young family was planning something under the table.

“What the hell was that all about?” Hunter asked as soon as I sat down.

“My typical run-in with the sheriff and one of his goons.”

“Boy, that man hates you. What did you fucking ever do to him?”

I shook my head toward my brother. “I don’t know. I think it’s all about my sterling personality.”

“He’s an asshole. We should ensure he’s not voted in at the next election.” Hunter had no idea how dangerous Sheriff Young could be. However, he was small potatoes in comparison to the Brockfords.

“Both of you, just lay low. Okay? We don’t need to come up against the man. He has some powerful friends and you know how ruthless his father can be. Plus, with our father’s past history, we don’t need any unwanted attention drawn to the resort.”

Past history. Our father had provided a trumped-up story about working from the ground up with a company where the other executives had turned rogue, engaging in criminal activity. He’d taken his share of the proceeds and skipped town to avoid possible prosecution, pretending he was someone else while raising three boys in Montana. Then he’d up and sold the place prior to bankruptcy, somehow managing to purchase the resort and spending millions of dollars in renovations.

The three of us had decided to let it go, not grilling him any longer since he had only months to live. But I knew in my gut whatever bad deeds he’d done would come back to haunt the family one day.

However complacent we’d become, I was surprised at Shephard’s declaration of peace. “I’ll keep that in mind.” I sat back, surveying the crowd and enjoying a few sips of my drink. I noticed the sheriff was talking to a few men in the crowd. My hackles remained raised. He was going to cause trouble. I felt it in my bones.

“Not that this newfound brotherly love isn’t good for our mental stability, but why the hell did you want to meet us?” Hunter pushed after clearing his throat on purpose.

“You got a hot date?” I asked him. “Another tourist fascinated by your engaging eyes?”

“Very funny, but as a matter of fact, yes.” He grinned and I shook my head.

“Your dick is going to fall off if you aren’t careful,” I told him.

“I didn’t say I fuck all of them.”

“Louder so the entire bar can hear you. Jesus, brother.”

Hunter snorted. “At least I get some. Maybe things are changing for you though, huh?”

I glared at him.

“The two of you make enjoying a cold beer a moment of torture. Now, I have other plans as well so cut the chitchat. Denise is meeting me here for a couple drinks, maybe dinner. Unless you want her knowing your business and bugging you about getting together for a holiday thing, spill it.”

What I wanted to avoid was her taunting me about being best man and any questions she had about Bella. Since she was an ex-detective, she never stopped asking questions.

Seeing the many ways my brother had changed over the last few months had initially pissed me off. Now I knew why. Shephard had found true happiness and I’d been jealous.

I laughed halfheartedly. “Then I won’t keep either one of you. As much as I hate to say this, I need your help.”

Shephard placed his hand against his heart. “From us? We should be honored.”

“Fuck you,” I grumbled.

Shephard laughed. “Stop being so much like some grizzly bear stuck in a trap. Does this have anything to do with your houseguest?”

“How is Bella adapting anyway” Hunter asked, but I knew the man was fishing.

“She’s fine. She’s taken over the place. Even ripped down the goddamn curtains I hate.” At least I could smile. “Yesterday she came home with flowers for the kitchen table and made freaking chocolate chip cookies, for God’s sake.”

“And so it begins,” Shephard mused. “Just wait until you’re seriously involved. Don’t forget to pick up your socks and underwear. What’s up?”

The man was way too happy.

“I need this kept quiet and I also mean from Denise. Okay? Bella needs help and we’re the only one who can provide it to her.”

Shephard took a deep breath and leaned over the table. “You found out why she dropped in on our little town. Did you grill her on her last name too?”

“Yeah, on both. She’s running from her soon to be ex-husband. He was abusive to her. I’ve seen the bruises. He also threatened her career, cheated on her, and is trying to take her daughter from her.” Bella had told me more of the sordid details, including finding her best friend in their bed with the man.

“Ouch. Real nice guy,” Hunter hissed.

“Yeah, he took a video of them engaging in some pretty kinky stuff and is threatening to release it like it’s from a porn movie.”

Shephard coughed, spitting out part of his beer. “What the hell? Who does that shit?”

Hunter gasped. “And why? He was the one who fucked up.”

“She thinks there’s some contractual reason Joel asked her marry him,” I told them.

“Like an arranged marriage? Is that what you’re thinking?” Shephard wiped his mouth with his sleeve, sitting back in his seat after doing so.

“Yeah.”

“She’s still married?”

I glanced at Hunter. “For now. They are legally separated and the divorce should be final any time, but yeah, still married.”

“You know the fact you’re hooking up could create difficulties for Bella.” Shephard waited so I’d absorb what he was saying.

“We’re not hooking up.” I felt the agitation rising.

“Then what are you doing?” Hunter had a damn smile on his face.

“Trying to learn to live again.” My answer was at least honest. “And I am going to protect her. No matter what it takes or what it means to my life.”

Shephard raised his glass. “A toast, Hunter. To our brother who just returned to life.”