Chapter Eleven

Nicole couldn't escape the feeling that she was being watched. Maybe it was nothing more than all the gossip that had spread after Sunday's showdown with Josh's evil ex. Maybe she'd simply made a misstep that put her on the town's radar, and in a couple of days they would move on to something else, but Nic wasn't sure and the knot in her gut made her think it was past time to move on.

She adjusted her purse over her shoulder as she looked up at the auto mechanic's shop. She had the money in her bag and with tips over the next two days, maybe she could head out before she was supposed to go to Austin with the guys.

Or maybe going to Austin would throw off anyone who was watching her. Maybe going to Austin was actually a way to solve her problems.

She was getting good at justification.

"Hey, sorry. I had to take that," Heather said as she joined her on the steps leading up to the office. She'd decided to tag along since her mom was being tended to by a home health nurse today. She'd declared it was her day off and joined Nicole.

It was nice to have a friend, but she kind of wondered what Olivia was doing today. Heather was nice but she was probably almost old enough to be her mom. She talked about her kids and husband a lot. And the town she was from.

If Olivia was here, Nic could get her to talk about Josh and Grim. She could hear all their childhood stories.

It was good she was with Heather because Heather reminded her of everything she had to lose. She'd already lost her chance to have a normal life. If she wasn't careful, she wouldn't have any life at all. She wasn't going to get to have kids with her husband, wouldn't enjoy living in a quirky town. She wouldn't have a solid job like Heather's.

She would be alone, and at some point the law would catch up to her and she would either die or go to jail for a crime she didn't commit.

All in all, it was a pretty shitty future, so why was she fighting the glorious present she found herself in?

A man walked by, his big dog on a leash. His eyes trailed her way and a frown crossed his face before he suddenly needed to be on the other side of the street.

Oh, yeah, that was why. She was rapidly becoming the town pariah.

"He seems fun." Heather wrinkled her nose. "Do I smell or something?"

Heather wasn't the reason that man had crossed the road. "I think that's more about me becoming the town whore. I'm sure that Alyssa chick has been running my name into the mud." She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. Let's get this done so we can go to the store."

Not that she would buy anything, but she would help Heather. And then she would work her shift and possibly see Josh and Grim for the last time if she could get her car back tomorrow or the next day.

The thought of leaving them sent her into a tailspin, but what else could she do?

"They're not open yet." Heather pointed to the sign on the door. "They don't open for another fifteen minutes. Do you want me to knock?"

It was only fifteen minutes. She could wait. She sank down on the top step. "It's fine. I thought I would get out here early. I guess small towns run on a different clock than the city."

Heather sank down beside her, setting her gorgeous bag at her side. "Where I come from, time definitely runs slower."

"I thought you came from here."

She shook her blonde hair. "No. My mom moved here after I was long grown. We actually lived up in New York most of my life, but then I traveled a lot and ended up in this little town for a job." Her lips had quirked up like she was remembering something lovely. "I fell for that town. It was a while before I could live there, though. After my husband and I finally got our shit together we moved there, and we've been building a business ever since. You should come sometime. It's mountains and weirdness and surprisingly good coffee."

She would love to be able to visit. But she didn't want to get her new friend's hopes up. "I'm afraid I'll be working a lot soon."

Heather turned to her. "I know. Your dream job. I'm excited for you."

"I wouldn't call it a dream job." More like her never-ending nightmare. She wasn't handling this conversation the way she should, but she found she couldn't work up the will to fake it around this woman.

"Oh. I guess I thought because you moved your whole life for it that it was something you'd always wanted." Heather seemed to think about it for a moment. "Okay, then I have to ask. Why? Does it pay that much better than Christa's?"

She should never have opened this up. Nicole scrambled. "Yes. It's a good bit more money and lots of room to get promoted."

"Is it more important than the guys you're seeing?" Heather asked. "Sorry. I know that's intrusive, but I feel like I've gotten to know you and it's so obvious to me you're crazy about those men. And from what I've heard from my mom, they're good men. I mentioned I have a new friend who's in an odd dating situation and she knew exactly what I was talking about. She said she's been hoping Josh and Grim could find someone nice to settle down with. She said we haven't had a good wedding here in a long time and when those boys settle down, she expects fireworks. I think she meant that literally, like their dads have promised a ceremony the town won't ever forget."

It was good to know they had at least one fan rooting for them, but she could also see why Jack and Sam might have said that. "I bet their own wedding wasn't a big affair. I heard this town was hard on Jack and Abby and Sam."

Heather sobered. "Yeah, I got that story, too. Mom didn't move here until after they'd been married for a while. She said things settled down, but people still talked. Is that why you want to leave? Are you afraid of all the gossip?"

Nic snorted at the thought. "I don't care what anyone thinks except the people I love. I care very much what they think, but I tend to make up my own mind. I spent too many years not able to make my own decisions."

"Because of your ex-husband."

Nic nodded. It felt good to vent. She wouldn't talk about this with Josh and Grim because there was a possibility that the guys would go all alpha-male, protect-our-woman on her and try to find her ex. Who was dead and buried. And that could open a whole line of questioning she was trying to avoid. So Heather was her go-to girl when it came to venting about her previous life. She'd decided it was safe enough. After all, she wouldn't see the woman again in a few days no matter how much she wanted to. Heather felt like family already, like the mom she'd wished she had. And she only said that because Heather had a son who was a mere three years younger than she was. Big sister. That was probably a better way to go. "Micah didn't like it when I disagreed with him. He was a my-way-or-the-highway kind of guy. Except when I tried to take the highway, he punched me in the gut. Never the face. That would have invited questions. But he learned where he could hurt me."

"Honey, I'm so sorry about that," Heather said, putting a hand on her.

It was easy to be with this woman. Willow Fork, for all its problems, was making her soft. She leaned against her friend, reveling in all the affection she could get because the world would be cold again soon. "I got out. Eventually."

"I can't imagine how much that cost you." Heather was quiet for a moment. "How did he take the divorce?"

Normally she would feel like she was on a sheet of ice that had cracked under her feet, but she was sure Heather was merely being kind. It was right there, the impulse to talk to someone about what she was going through. How many times had she longed for someone who could help her work through the problem? Maybe if she was careful she could get some advice. "Not well. He's the reason I had to move."

"I was wondering about that. Does he know where you are?"

Nic shook her head. "I'd like to keep it that way."

"Are you worried he'll try to hurt you again?"

"I'm worried he'll try to kill me." Now she wasn't talking about Micah. She also wasn't lying. She definitely worried that Ted would kill her if only to keep his own culpability in his brother's murder under wraps. "I'm afraid the whole family took exception to me leaving."

"In a kill you way?" Heather sounded horrified.

"Well, they were an intense family. What I didn't know at the time was that they have ties to some nasty people. Like criminals. They look like the perfect American family from the outside, but when you scratch the surface, there's so much corruption."

"Seriously? Like what kind of crimes?"

"I don't know if the business was used for crimes, but I know my husband had mafia ties that had to do with his gambling," Nic said with a sigh. "Ted told me he took a lot of money from the company. Enough to get the attention of the feds. He did it to try to pay off the people he owed. Not that I could prove it. If I could have, I would have gone to the cops. Instead my choice was to get a divorce. It was scary, but I'm on the other side now."

She would never be on the other side.

"It doesn't sound like you are," Heather said quietly—almost cautiously. "You're still making decisions based on what could happen. Do you think they're looking for you?"

"I hope not, but if they are, I'm ready to defend myself." Nic lowered her voice. "That's why I freaked out last night. I thought…I don't know what I thought. There's no way they know where I am."

Heather was quiet for a moment as though processing the information. "Okay, I'm going to ask a couple of questions, and I don't want you to get scared. I'm asking because I can help you. I've helped women get out of bad situations before."

Despite the words, Nicole felt her anxiety tic up. "I thought you said you had a business with your husband. What do you do?"

"We have a business guiding nature hikes and river rafting and pretty much anything else you can do in the mountains," Heather replied. "But one of my coworkers is also a paramedic, and where I'm from they take training classes that help them identify at-risk people. Women, kids, old folks. It would not be the first time I helped a woman who needed a way out. Do you have secure ID?"

She knew this was the moment she should walk away, but she didn't fucking want to. Nic was tired of being so alone. If Heather knew how to do things, why shouldn't she reach out for help? Could she get through the rest of her life never talking to another person about what was really wrong? "I started out with a couple of IDs, but I'm down to my last one. The one I have right now was very expensive. It's got some tech on it that makes it harder to use for facial identification if someone takes it. I have to find someone in Austin who can help me if I need to change names again."

"I'll find a name for you. Of who can help you. Not a new name. You should pick that." Heather was taking this news like a freaking champ. "There's a network of people who help women leave bad relationships. I can put you in contact with them, but Nicole, you should think about talking to your men."

She shook her head. That was one piece of advice she couldn't take. "I don't need that kind of drama. I assure you if they knew the truth they would run as fast as they can. No. It's better to keep things light between us."

"That young man didn't look like he was keeping things light when he hauled you away. He looked serious about you."

"Josh can be intense. So can Grim, but we've all agreed to the parameters of the relationship." Except she'd lied to them because if she could leave before this weekend, she might. Or might not.

She was trapped between doing the expedient thing and what her body and heart wanted more than anything—more time with them.

"If you're certain," Heather allowed. "But I meant what I said. You don't have to go through this alone. I can help you. Why don't you tell me what happened?"

She couldn't tell her that story or Heather would be calling the police. Luckily she was saved by the door to the shop coming open, and a man who looked to be in his late thirties/early forties stuck his head out.

"Hey there, Miss Nicole," Greg greeted. "Sorry. We were out back working on Leah Raine's old Jeep. Didn't know you were here. Come on inside."

Nic stood, taking a deep breath and thanking the universe for the save. She needed a halfway decent story to tell Heather if she wanted the woman's help. "No problem. We were just enjoying the nice weather."

Greg held the door open for her and Heather.

"Hi, I'm Heather Turner. I'm staying in town for a couple of weeks and find myself right next to Nic here." She walked in, and Nic followed her. "I thought I'd come down with her. It's a nice morning, and I could use the steps."

Nic was fairly certain Josh and Grim would be irritated she hadn't waited for them, but they should get used to the idea that she was independent.

Or not. They should sadly get used to the idea that she would be gone soon. And she was about to find out how soon. "I have the cash for my car. Your dad gave me an estimate of twelve hundred dollars. Which seems high. Couldn't I buy a whole car for that?"

Greg frowned. "What century are we talking about buying from? Do you have a time machine because if we went back to the fifties, we might be able to find a car for that much. Do you want to look on Craigslist? I bet we could find some scam artists who are willing to sell you a car that works long enough for them to disappear."

She did not appreciate his humor. "I get your point. Here's the cash. How long do you expect the work to take?"

Greg accepted the payment, opening the register and making a couple of notes as he logged the payment. "Oh, it's a pretty easy fix. I suspect we'll be done in a day, two tops, once we get the parts in."

Nicole's stomach threatened to clench. Two days. She would have to make a major decision in two days. Somehow she'd thought she might have more time with them. If she was stuck here, then it wouldn't hurt to see them. But if she had the chance to run, she had to take it, right? "So I'll have the car back before the weekend?"

Greg looked up. "Well, if by the weekend you mean two or three weekends from now, then yes. You'll have it before a weekend. I guarantee."

Nic was confused. "What? I thought you said two days tops."

"Two days after I get the part," Greg explained. "I'll order it tonight, but it's taking a couple of weeks to get anything in these days. Everything is backed up in some canal. Wouldn't have this trouble if we made anything in this country anymore."

She did not have time for his political opinions. "Three weeks? Are you kidding me? I've already been here for three weeks. You knew I was going to fix my car but you didn't order the part you knew would take three weeks to come in?"

"Well, you hadn't paid for the part," Greg said, altogether too reasonably. "You can't expect us to front you the money."

"People do it all the time." She felt her teeth clench. "If I were in a city…"

"She's good." Heather stepped in. "Order the part and let us know when the car is ready. We'll be going now."

"I don't…" Nic began but Heather hauled her out. "He has my money and my car, and I'm stuck here for weeks."

"There's nothing to be done by arguing with that man," Heather said sensibly. "You're in a small town where the next nearest shop is over an hour away, and you would have to start this process all over again. If you need a ride to your new job… Oh, there's no job, is there?"

Slowly she nodded, frustration forming tears in her eyes. "I never stay in any one place this long. Never."

Heather reached for her hand. "I'm going to help you. I have to go home for a couple of days, but I'll be back on Saturday, and I'll have thought through a plan by then. I think I might know a place where you can go, but I have to make some arrangements first."

She felt like her damn life was ending and Heather was throwing her a life raft. "Why would you help me like this?"

"Because once I needed a place to go, too." Heather squeezed her hand. "Also, the town I live in is kind of known for being welcoming to anyone who needs to find some bliss. Let's do this. Let's move you into my motel room and check you out of yours so even if someone found out your name, it will look like you've left. You can stay there or with Josh and Grim."

"I'm supposed to go to Austin with them this weekend. There's a club there," she said, her mind whirling. Should she believe this woman? Or was she making a terrible mistake? She'd handed over almost all of her cash. She would get tips from her shift this afternoon, but it wouldn't be enough to get her out of Willow Fork.

Panic threatened to overtake her, but Heather was right there, telling her to breathe.

"Go with them. Let me work some things from my side," Heather said.

They started to walk toward the town square with its shops and restaurants, where people were out walking dogs and kids played on the swings in the park. It was all so normal. Normal people living normal lives. They wouldn't be happy every moment. They would suffer tragedies, get sick from time to time, but they had the potential to be content.

She would never find that if she didn't take a risk.

"I didn't divorce him."

Heather stopped. "I know. You ran for your life, and whatever you had to do to get away is fine with me, but we're going to have to talk about it someday. Not now. When you're ready to tell me the whole story, I'll be ready to listen."

Nic felt tears caress her cheeks.

A buzzing sound broke up the quiet moment, and Heather sighed as she pulled her cell out. "I'm sorry. I have to take this. It's my son."

Nic nodded. "Go on. I'll wait here and then we can go to the store if you like. Although you might find they're friendlier if I'm not with you."

Heather's nose wrinkled. "Hush with that. I'll be right back." She slid her finger across the screen. "Hey, sweetie. What's going on?"

She began to talk to her son and Nic found a bench. She sat down and watched the world flow around her, wondering if there was a place for her in it.

* * * *

Josh looked out over the office space on the second floor of the building where the Barnes-Fleetwood Collective's administrative work was done. His fathers had purchased the building on Main Street years before and changed the former mixed-use office center into an ultramodern space. Not that one could tell from the outside. His mother had taken over the Willow Fork Historical Society when he was a kid in what the town liked to call the Coup of the Century. It wasn't really a coup. It was a case of the society needed money and his mother had it.

Sometimes he wondered if his dad thought they'd made the wrong play. He'd been unwilling to give the society a dime if his wife wasn't the chairman of the board. His mom had turned right around and denied all the changes his dad wanted to make to the fa?ade of the building.

That had probably been one hell of a spanking.

He groaned. He shouldn't have even thought that.

"Hey, Josh. I set the reports on your desk, confirmed your reservations for the club this weekend, and pulled the employment files you asked for. Are we finally firing Alyssa?" His assistant stood in the doorway, a mug of coffee in her hand. Sandy was more of an office manager, and she never let him forget the fact that she'd changed his diapers when he was a baby.

He wondered what it was like for people who lived in cities where not every citizen remembered how you used to accidently pee on them as a small infant.

And the coffee was for her, not him. He'd been told in the beginning that he should get his own.

Now his parents were another story. Sandy would trip over her own feet to make sure Abigail Barnes-Fleetwood had her coffee exactly how she wanted it and made sure there was always Coke in the fridge because that's what the dads preferred.

"I'm reviewing a couple of things," he replied, turning from the window and moving back to the big desk that his father had occupied until he'd decided Josh was up to the task of running the business portion of Barnes-Fleetwood.

The day he and Olivia had taken over, Jack Barnes had saluted his kids and run out of the office after declaring himself a free man.

Sandy's brow rose, and she adjusted her comfortable cardigan. She'd been with the company for over twenty years, and sometimes Josh thought the only reason his dad didn't watch them like a hawk was he knew Sandy would step in if anything went wrong. "Josh, everyone knows what she did to your new girlfriend."

"That doesn't mean I have a business reason to fire her, and my uncle will have my hide if I put the business in legal jeopardy." He sank down into the big chair. Olivia hadn't wanted the larger office, claiming it was too cold in here and the view from hers was better.

Sometimes he thought it was because she'd known how much responsibility came from sitting in their father's chair.

"I'll ask around," Sandy offered. "Her mother's been an excellent employee over the years, but I think Alyssa causes too much drama. If you want her gone, we'll find a way. Now, you've got a call on two, and I've been told to make Olivia's flight plans to Bliss. When is someone going to tell her those boys can't love her the way she needs?"

Josh groaned. "My sister is stubborn. You try telling her the boys she's dreamed about since she was six aren't going to give in. I keep thinking one of them is going to find a partner and get married and dash that dream of hers, but then I think about how few good prospects there are here."

"She'll go to Dallas and drown her sorrows there," Sandy said with a shrug. Sandy liked to keep up with the younger generation's antics.

That was kind of what he was terrified of. "I'll make sure she goes to Austin. Those are the only Taggarts that don't scare the crap out of me. Who's on the phone?" He needed to get ready to go to the very club they were talking about. There were scenes to prepare and romantic gestures to plot. He had a couple of weeks to convince their sub to stay with them. Grim would simply tie her up and fuck her, but he kind of thought they needed a soft touch with her, too. He'd already called his contact at Subversion about ensuring their suite was perfectly stocked. "Is Liv in? Can she deal with it?"

"It's Harlow Dawson, and she asked for you. I can send her to your sister…"

Josh stopped her. "No. I'll take it. Thank you, Sandy."

She gave him a nod and closed the door as she left. Josh picked up his phone. "Hey, Harlow. What's going on?"

"Josh, I've got some news, but you aren't going to like it."

His stomach threatened to turn. He glanced over at the clock. It was only an hour or so until he was supposed to meet Grim and pick up Nic at the café. "Tell me."

What was he going to do if this was bad? How would Grim handle it if there were real problems to face?

"The driver's license is a fake and a pretty good one," Harlow said in that matter-of-fact manner that let him know she was in detective mode. It was the same tone she used when she told a spouse their partner was cheating on them.

"All right." He could handle this. He'd known there was something in her past. "So she's running from something. Likely a bad relationship."

"Maybe," Harlow allowed. "Or she's running from the law. I don't know yet. What I know is the only Nicole Mason in the Chicago area is a ninety-year-old grandmother of ten. Also, I didn't find a Childswood High School or any towns named that in the state of Illinois."

Not so surprising. "All right. So we're working from the theory that Chicago is all bullshit and she's from somewhere else. If someone's trying to hurt her, she would hide her past. And don't say or if she's running from law enforcement."

"As long as you know the she-could-be-a-mass-murderer part is implied," Harlow quipped. "Now what I have found is there are twenty Childswoods across the States. It's going to take me a while to search them. I don't suppose you want to send me a good picture of her so I can run it through facial recognition. One of the things whoever created her license did well is use a laminator that fucks with the picture. It's fairly new technology, so I was impressed. She had to have laid out some cash for this sucker."

Which explained why she needed to work to fix her car. His heart kind of clenched when he thought of how little she had, how vulnerable she was. Would she even think about letting him help her? Or would she run from him? "I'll see what I can do, but now that I think about it, she's camera shy. Olivia tried to take a selfie with her the other night but she said she couldn't stand pictures of herself."

"Or she understands that pictures of herself could lead to IDing her."

It was obvious Harlow had suspicions. He wasn't going to listen to them. "I'd like some other explanation than she's a criminal on the run."

"Cool. She's a vampire and she doesn't want anyone to know she doesn't age."

He did not need her sarcasm. "Your parents didn't spank you enough."

"My parents didn't spank me at all, and neither did yours. I won't go into why because we already have to deal with that crap on a daily basis," she said with a chuckle before she got serious again. "I could use a picture, Josh. I know that feels like you're betraying her, but it's common sense to know who's actually in your bed."

And she should know. "I'll do what I can. We'll be at Subversion this weekend."

"You didn't want to take her to The Hideout?" Harlow asked, and he could hear the grin in her tone. "Gabriel will be devastated."

"No, I like my clubs luxurious." Gabriel Lodge had teamed up with some of the Taggart kids to form their own club, but he was also doing the whole got-to-make-it-on-my-own thing and refusing to use his hefty trust fund. So The Hideout was…rustic. That was a good word for it. "Also, they're better behaved at Subversion. I don't want to have to kill Lucas Taggart because he flirts with my sub, and watching Chloe and Seth is painful at times."

"I know. I wish they would fuck already," Harlow admitted. "I'm waiting for the moment when Uncle Julian finds out his daughter is sleeping with Big Tag's son."

"Big Tag's fuck-boy musician son." Josh chuckled but then remembered he had some problems of his own. "I think my father's worried about what kind of trouble Nic could be in. I wouldn't put it past him to call your dads for help. I know I said not to involve them…"

"But if I let them know I'm looking into it, they'll trust me," she concluded. "I've got my own spies. I'll check it out. If I think I need to intervene, I will, but Josh, you have to know what I find will come out eventually. I can hold my dads off for a couple of days, but if Uncle Jack asks them for information, they'll give it to him."

Sometimes it was hard having the Godfather of Ranchers and Doms as a dad. "I only need a week or two."

He would find a way to get her to open up to him. He and Grim would wrap her in love and affection and as many orgasms as her gorgeous body could handle this weekend. They would prove how devoted they were to her, and she would open up to them. She'd already started. When she was sleepy or satisfied, sometimes she said things he knew she wouldn't when she was focused.

"I can give you a week or two if your dad hasn't talked to mine. If he has, well, I'll give you a heads-up before the shit hits the fan. Which is why you should send me a picture," she replied. "Do you think it's smart to invest this much time with a woman your father is suspicious of? I'm going to take it this is all coming from Jack and Sam thinks she's lovely."

Pops was an optimist. Always. Which was probably why his dad was such a careful man. He had to take care of both of his subs. His loves. He might not love Grim in the same way his father loved his pops, but Grim was one of his soul mates. They didn't have to get physical to be necessary to each other. He had to protect Nicole and Grim, and that meant he needed information. "Yeah, that's pretty much how the conversation went, though it's not like Dad doesn't like Nic. He's afraid she's in trouble, and he doesn't want to get blindsided. I'll get you what you need."

His dad was right. They had to know the truth so they could face it.

"I'll drive down to Austin on Saturday. I'd like to meet her and see if I can make any observations," Harlow explained. "Until then, get me that picture and watch your back. Talk to you soon."

She hung up and Josh sighed, his mind working on the problem.