Along Came Merrie (8 page)

“Yes,” Braden confirmed.

“I know the club well. They’ve been on our radar for some time. Unfortunately, they’re very good at evading the law.” Detective Christianson stood. He pulled out two cards and handed one to her and the other to Braden. “I’ll start my own investigation into this Axe character, as well as the local police. Just stay here out of sight and don’t talk to anyone until I say otherwise. Understood?”

Braden stood as well and held out his hand. The two men shook firmly then Braden escorted him out of the door.

* * * *

When Clark Christianson slid behind the wheel of his rental car, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number to his brother’s burner phone.

“Did you find her?” Axe asked, forgoing a greeting.

“Yes. You did a fucking number on her, you shit.”

“Obviously not enough. She’s still alive.”

“They have pictures and there’s more than enough to arrest your sorry ass.”

“You’re not going to arrest me. Otherwise, I’ll be singing how you’ve always looked the other way when it comes to your baby brother. Now, where is she?”

“Like I’m going to fucking tell you. I’m still a cop, Axe.”

“Don’t screw around, Clark!” Axe yelled over the line. “Tell me where the girl is so I can get back to business.”

“And what business is that, Axe? Unlike the clueless girl I just interviewed, I happen to know why your panties are in a twist. I work in organized crimes, remember? And outlaw motorcycles clubs fall under that jurisdiction. What’s the angle?”

“None of your business. And if the cops come snooping around or if I get fucking arrested for this petty shit, then I’m not the only one going down in flames. Got it, brother?”

Clark clicked off the call and tossed the phone onto the passenger seat. Two weeks. Two fucking weeks and he got saddled with his brother’s fucking mess. He started up the car and wondered how he could string this along until his retirement day arrived. Then he could write this off as a bogus investigation and go fishing.

Chapter Nine

When Leo got home about twenty minutes later, he and Braden sat to talk about Detective Christianson while Merrie made breakfast. It might be sexist, but she liked the feeling of taking care of the two men, cooking their breakfasts while they talked at the table. Her broken wrist wasn’t as much of a hindrance as she’d thought it would be. She still had use of her fingers. She served their plates piled with eggs, bacon and toast, and set cups of piping hot coffee and glasses of orange juice next to them. Braden sat at the head of the table, Leo to his right and she took the seat on Leo’s left.

For a moment, she just watched both men eat. She couldn’t help the feeling of contentment that came over her, as if she had found the place where she belonged. All of her life she’d been looking out for only herself but deep down she’d always wanted a home and loved ones—family.

The rush of emotions the thought evoked gave her a sense of vulnerability and she bowed her head to eat. Her left hand was becoming stronger the more she relied on it, making little things like using a fork a lot less cumbersome.

“You think we can trust this Detective Christianson?” Leo asked, as he pushed his empty plate away.

“I don’t see that we have a choice,” Braden replied.

“We have choices. We can send her to Florida to your parents.”

“We could—”

“No.” Merrie slapped her fork down. “If you want me gone, I’ll go. But you can’t send me to your parents.”

“Calm down,” Braden said, patting her hand. “We won’t send you to Florida. Leo’s sense of humor is warped.”

“I’m just saying we have options—and Merrie, I don’t want you gone. I just want you to have peace of mind.”

“I just wish that Axe would go away.”

She rose and picked up her dish, although she wasn’t finished eating. She had lost her appetite at the thought of Axe. At the sink, she gazed out of the window as she put the dish down on the counter. The lush green fields rolled behind the house like thick carpet. Barns rested in the distance, as well as the majestic mountains jutting into the sky. Everything was beautiful. Perfect. Except for the dark cloud hanging directly over her head.

“I’ve got this, Merrie,” Braden said, distracting her from her thoughts.

She nodded her thanks and dashed out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

In the bathroom, she splashed water on her face. As she patted the moisture away, her reflection was anything but self-assured and bold.

“Forget about him,” she told herself. “Don’t give him the power over you. You are strong.”

The pep talk helped stamp down her insecurities. Once upon a time, all she’d wanted to do was run away, but not now. The ranch was quickly becoming her home.

When she walked back downstairs, Leo waited for her by the front door.

“Ready to begin work?”

She nodded.

“Are you sure?” Braden asked, touching her shoulder. “You can rest a few more days.”

“I’ve been resting for five days, Braden. I want to earn my keep.”

Both men shared a frown.

“You don’t have to earn your keep, Merrie,” Braden told her. “You’re our…”

She looked between him and Leo, waiting.

“I’m your what?” she prompted, her heart pounding expectantly. Hopefully.

“Guest,” Leo finally said.

Disappointment shot through her, and some of the euphoria for finally being able to work died too. She didn’t want to be their guest. A guest implied forced attention and a tendency to be underfoot. A guest was supposed to leave and Merrie didn’t have anywhere to go. Also, she didn’t want to leave. She’d been at the ranch for only five days but she loved the big, beautiful house and the view of the sweeping meadows. She delighted in hearing the horses whinny as they greeted each other. The place was paradise on Earth and the last thing she wanted to do was leave it.

But that wasn’t up to her, she supposed. This was Braden’s and Leo’s home, not hers, and that fact sucked. She gave them a sunny smile, pushing her dismay down deep.

“I like working,” she said. “I like keeping busy. Come on, Leo. I want to help you out.”

Then she swept past them, across the porch and down the steps, heading over to Leo’s truck to wait for him. Braden came out onto the porch and watched them leave.

* * * *

“I don’t really set appointments,” Leo said as he turned off the alarm to the office and flipped on the light. “The only time I do is for vaccines and various shots and that’s because I don’t want owners to become lazy and forget. Most of the time people just bring their pets by. All my on-call appointments are usually for herd animals.”

Merrie looked around the waiting room. A wall divided two sections, one for cats and the other for any other animals. The décor was simple and easy to maintain, which was probably crucial for any accidental animal messes.

“Interesting way you’ve divided the sitting room,” she said.

“Many cats spook easily, especially when they’re in a carrier,” he explained. “Giving them a little privacy from leashed dogs seemed like the right thing to do.”

The reception area was behind a low counter. It held a phone, a computer, a copier and a fax and nothing else. Very Spartan but very efficient.

“No files?”

He shook his head. “I went paperless. I work with a tablet then back up my data every night to the server. The server is then backed up with another company.”

“Very eco-friendly,” she said.

“Yes, and the way of the future. You don’t have to learn any of that. Mainly what you’ll do is answer phones and make appointments in my calendar for pets needing various shots. Oh, which reminds me, let me take out those stitches later. I don’t want to leave you with railroad marks.”

“Okay,” she said. “They’re starting to itch anyway.”

Leo showed her how to lead the patient to an exam room then how to send him a message on his tablet about who his next patient would be and their location. Just before he left the reception, he pointed to the computer. “It can get boring here so you can browse the Internet. I don’t mind.”

“Thanks,” she said.

She didn’t have time, however, to play much on the Internet because the first patient came in, a woman carrying a very fat Chihuahua. At ease greeting the woman, Merrie led her back to an exam room. She typed a quick email to Leo just as the door opened again.

It stayed fairly busy throughout the morning. She didn’t know how Leo had managed without his assistant, a woman by the name of Patty, who was off celebrating her one-year anniversary. There were several pictures of her and her husband on their wedding day sitting around the computer, making Merrie a little envious of the happiness on Patty’s face.

Merrie took several messages, mainly people wanting Leo to stop by when he had a chance to look over a sick cow, horse or goat. She made a few appointments. And although she was new to the veterinary world, she immediately fell in love with it.

* * * *

Over the next couple of days, she, Braden and Leo fell into a comfortable pattern. She’d cook breakfast every morning, head to the office with Leo, have lunch with him and Braden, then cook dinner at night. The men would clean up and afterward, they would watch the news before heading to bed. Sometimes Leo was called away for an emergency and sometimes Braden came home late from the barns, but Merrie had never felt more at peace in her entire life.

The only disturbance in her happy little world was the fact that the specter of Axe hung in the back of her head. Her one and only trip to the outside world had terrified her and she hoped the men never asked her to leave.

Each night she dreamed of them. The dreams were always filled with erotic images and desires. Sometimes she was sandwiched between them, both men filling her at the same time, loving her until she was breathless with desire. Sometimes it was one then the other. She’d wake up with an ache between her thighs that wasn’t satisfied by quick masturbation sessions.

While her pulse raced with excitement, she brought her hand up to her mouth, caressing her lips, slowly sliding a finger inside the moist warmth to suck on it, getting it nice and wet. She pretended it was Braden’s finger or Leo’s, teasing her. Taunting her.

She pulled her finger from her mouth to trail down her neck, her chest. The air hit the wet trail, cooling her skin. She reached the apex of her thighs and burrowed into the curls surrounding her sex. Moisture slicked her pussy lips, liquid proof that she wouldn’t be able to last long. Merrie let her thighs fall open, pressed a finger inside, and her thumb against her clit. Already her pulse quickened at the onslaught of the pleasure streaming through her body.

Her nipples hardened, pebbling into aching points that demanded attention. With one hand buried between her thighs, she cupped her breast with the other. She thought about Braden and Leo, imagined one sucking on her tits while the other buried his face in her pussy. It should be wrong to fantasize about two men, but it just felt so right. Pleasure spiraled through her body. She bucked her hips at the image of both men possessing her, fucking her. A breathless little moan escaped as she slipped another finger into her pussy and applied pressure against her clit.

She pinched her nipple, tugging on the sensitive nub. The bite of pain only added the eroticism and she wanted more than anything to be filled with cock, but since that was denied, she sped up her thumb’s frantic clit rubbing until she bucked her hips harder in a desperate attempt to come.

The pressure built up and up, boiling over, until she came with a shout. Her climaxes always felt great, but empty. Her body knew the difference between masturbation and actual loving and she’d fall asleep to dreams of both men surrounding her.

Chapter Ten

Sheriff Givon Halloran pulled his truck up along the side of the squad car belonging to one of his deputies and shut the engine off. The office had received a phone call from a hiker who had reported a burned-up car shell located along some high boulders near the trail.

He walked around where he could stare down the hill. Needing a better look, he carefully maneuvered down the gravel path into the shade of the tall maple and ash trees then around to the boulders where yellow crime scene tape roped off the area. Behind it, a car still smoldered.

His deputy snapped photos of the charred husk, latex gloves already on his hands. The kid was fresh out of the academy but he was a hard worker and seemed to be a stickler for protocol.

“What do we have, Jack?” Givon asked.

“The license plate is gone, probably taken off to hinder identification. But the good news is the VIN number hasn’t melted, so we can trace the car,” Jack told him. “Unfortunately, everything else is ash.”

“At least there isn’t a body.” Givon walked around the car then turned to where the ass end pointed toward the road. “So the car was pushed off the road then set on fire. What evidence do you think the person was trying to conceal?”

Jack shrugged. “At least the person stayed around to make sure the whole forest didn’t catch on fire.”

“There is that.”

Givon leaned over what used to be the windshield. He asked to borrow Jack’s notebook and pen then proceeded to write down the vehicle identification number. He tore out the paper and handed it and the pen back.

“I’m going to run this,” he said, holding up the paper. “Will you handle cleaning this up?”

“Sure,” Jack said.

Givon decided to walk up the hill, following the path the car must have taken to see if there were any clues, but he didn’t spot anything. In his truck, he booted up his dashboard computer and typed in the VIN. A name and face immediately popped up from the motor vehicle database and he stared at it in shock.

Merrie Christmas Walden.

It wasn’t so much that her name was funny as it was the fact he’d seen the same girl on the screen the other day coming out of Wal-Mart. The look of terror on her face had stayed with him for some time. He’d thought about calling Leo Cloud Dancer to see if she was okay, but decided not to freak her out any more than she already seemed to be. Now, it looked like he’d have to make a trip over to Leo’s and Braden’s place after all.