Unfinished Hero 04 Deacon (44 page)

I went there.

He grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the
room.

He kept hold of my hand as he pulled me down
the stairs, Bossy following. And he kept hold of it as he pulled me
to a stop in the foyer.

Bossy barked at the company we had crowding
the space.

I looked down at her and said, soft but firm,
“Quiet. Sit. Stay, baby.”

She looked up at me, quieted and sat.

“Oo, sugar! Isn’t that precious! Your dog is
sooooo
good.”

My head snapped up and I took in a woman who,
at first glance, I thought was Dolly Parton.

I also saw Hanna and Raid, a handsome but
scary man standing next to the Dolly lookalike, and another
handsome (incredibly handsome) but scary and younger man standing
next to a very beautiful woman. Last, I saw a petite blonde who
still looked like she could take a stab at kicking Deacon’s ass and
hold her own (before he bested her, of course), standing next to
another handsome man who had a scar on his face.

She had a baby to her hip.

So did the beautiful woman, not to mention
her hot guy held a toddler.

“I’ll do this so you boys, and girl,” the
Dolly lady started, tipping her head to the petite blonde, “can get
your shit sorted so you can get shit
sorted
.” She stepped
forward. “I’m Daisy Sloan. That’s my honey bunches of oats,
Marcus.” She pointed at the older, good-looking guy.

Even as scary as all this was, I was fighting
back a giggle at her
honey bunches of oats
comment.

“This here is Tucker and Sylvie Creed and
their baby, Jesse,” she went on, giving me the knowledge of who the
petite woman and hot, scarred guy were. “That there is Knight
Sebring, his woman Anya, their girls Kat and Kasha.” She indicated
the beautiful woman and non-scarred, hot guy. “Think you know Raid
and Hanna,” she finished.

“Uh, yeah,” I confirmed, sending a small grin
Raid and Hanna’s way. I looked to the others. “Nice to finally meet
you all. Deacon says good things.”

I got smiles, grins, and chin lifts.

“Right,” Daisy stated. “Now, Knight’s brother
is a pain in the patoot. And ’cause he is, your man is gonna have
to go off with all our men,” she circled the air with her upturned
finger, “to sort his shit out. We’re stayin’ with you, with Sylvie
standin’ guard. Not ’cause she doesn’t want in on the action,
’cause it’s doubtful you’d shoot a man in the face if he came to
give us trouble, and she would.”

I blinked before my eyes cut to Sylvie and my
mouth dropped open.

Her lips quirked, she lifted her hand and
gave me a finger wave.

Deacon’s hand tightened in mine but I heard
some chuckles and giggles hit the room, Deacon’s one of the
former.

Daisy kept talking.

“I might, but it would depend on what I’m
wearin’. Bloodstains are a bitch to get out and my Marcus works
hard to keep me in my duds, most of ’em special made, so I don’t
wanna ruin them with bloodstains.”

It was then I took in her attire: bolero vest
heavily studded with square silver rivets, white tank stretched to
the max over enormous bosoms, skintight jeans that were so faded,
they almost looked white, these with rips at both knees and up the
thighs, massive rhinestone encrusted belt buckle attached to an
equally rhinestone encrusted belt, and patent-leather, pink
high-heeled, platform sandals that, no other way to describe them,
were stripper sandals.

It was the most horrendous outfit I’d ever
seen.

And she looked fabulous in it.

“I, uh…” I mumbled.

Daisy cut me off. “So let’s get coffee. You
got beds these little ones can be tucked into?”

I turned and motioned to the kitchen. “Coffee
in there.”

Hanna headed that way.

“I’ll show you guys to my guestrooms,” I said
to Anya and Sylvie.

They headed to me.

“Now, git,” Daisy said to the men, shooing
them with neon pink taloned hands toward my living room. “Sort your
shit so this shit can get sorted. I don’t do the outdoors, but if I
did, I’d do it here, though not for long,” Her massive head of
teased platinum-blonde hair swung my way as she said, “No offense.
But I like my facials and I’m not thinkin’ there’s a spa close by
that can give it to me like I like it.”

“No offense taken,” I replied.

She looked back at the men and did more
shooing.

I led the women up the stairs with their
kids, helping Anya out by taking the sleeping little one Knight had
added to her other arm, and carrying her up.

We got that sorted and by the time we got
back downstairs, the doors to my living room were closed, and
female chatter was coming from the kitchen.

Sylvie went to the living room.

Anya guided me to the kitchen.

“Cra
zeee
,” Daisy stated when I walked
in. “Thought I was havin’ me a vision,” she said, circling her
taloned hand in front of her face. “Got me some Rock Chicks, all in
Denver, and not one a’ those bitches are hard to look at. But,
girl
, you might be the most beautiful thing I ever laid my
eyes on.”

“Well, uh…thanks.”

“Don’t thank me,” she muttered, dropping
hand. “God gave you them looks.”

I gave big eyes to Hanna, walked her way, and
gave her a belated welcome hug.

“Good to see you, darlin’,” I said in her
ear.

“Same here,” she said back, pulled away, but
didn’t let me go. “Told you when we left, wanted another stay at
Glacier Lily. But Knight’s crazy brother wasn’t the reason I wanted
to be here.”

She knew about Knight’s crazy brother. I also
knew because Deacon had told me Knight’s crazy brother, Nick, was a
“wildcard” in some crazy shit that involved Knight that had not yet
been resolved.

I was guessing it still wasn’t.

“Was a phone call too much to do prior to you
all hauling yourselves up here?” I queried.

“Phones are being listened to,” Hanna
replied.

Oh my God!

“Are we in danger?” I asked.

Her head tipped sharply to the side, her
brows snapping together, her expression profoundly stunned.

I’d know why when she answered, “Raid
wouldn’t let anything harm me.”

No, he wouldn’t.

Same with Deacon.

I relaxed.

She grinned.

Bossy barked.

And then I heard Deacon order, “Cassie,
here.”

I let Hanna go and looked to the kitchen
door. Deacon was just inside and the others were streaming in
behind him.

I didn’t care we had company and thus
snapped, “Seriously?”

He came to me, took my hand, and dragged me
out of the kitchen.

Bossy followed, dancing around us, and
stopping with us in the foyer.

He got me in front of him, kept hold of my
hand, but lifted his other to my jaw.

“I’m gonna have to go,” he told me.

“I got that,” I told him.

“You’ll be safe.”

“Of course I will.”

His head jerked.

“Would you leave me if I wasn’t?” I
asked.

He stared at me.

“Go,” I bossed. “Do whatever it is you do.
Try not to make too much of a mess. Uncle Sam knows you exist now.
You don’t need him getting better acquainted with you by
introducing you to his penal system. You hear me?”

He kept staring at me.

“Hello, Deacon Deacon Louis Gates?” I called.
“Go so you can come back to me. We’re getting married in T minus
six months and I kinda need you there when that happens.”

“Cassie Boss,” he murmured.

“That’s me,” I said proudly.

“Fuck, I love you,” he growled.

“Know that too.”

His hand at my jaw jerked me forward; his
other hand came to the other side just as his mouth crushed down on
mine.

When he lifted his head, my breathing was
unsteady, but I’d have to be dead not to be able to be ornery and
bossy.

So I commenced doing that.

“You’re far away, you eat and sleep on your
way back to me. And before that, you eat and sleep good while
you’re away from me. Last, you call me when you’re on your way home
so I have plenty of time to make you cookies.”

The grooves dug deep, the crinkles fanned
out, his beautiful lips tipped up, and his magnificent tawny eyes
started dancing, making me feel precisely what he wanted me to
feel.

Warm.

Safe.

Loved.

And happy.

For eternity.

####

Kristen Ashley grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana
but has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England.
Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around the
globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when
you want to write.

Kristen was raised in a house with a large
and multi-generational family. They lived on a very small farm in a
small town in the heartland and existed amongst the strains of
Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake
(and the wardrobes that matched).

Needless to say, growing up in a house full
of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.

And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting
better.

*****

Rock Chick Series:

Rock Chick

Rock Chick Rescue

Rock Chick Redemption

Rock Chick Renegade

Rock Chick Revenge

Rock Chick Reckoning

Rock Chick Regret

Rock Chick Revolution

The ‘Burg Series:

For You

At Peace

Golden Trail

Games of the Heart

The Promise

The Chaos Series:

Own the Wind

Fire Inside

The Colorado Mountain Series:

The Gamble

Sweet Dreams

Lady Luck

Breathe

Jagged

Kaleidoscope

Dream Man Series:

Mystery Man

Wild Man

Law Man

Motorcycle Man

The Fantasyland Series:

Wildest Dreams

The Golden Dynasty

Fantastical

Broken Dove

The Magdalene Series:

The Will

The Three Series:

Until the Sun Falls from the Sky

With Everything I Am

The Unfinished Hero Series:

Knight

Creed

Raid

Deacon

Other Titles by Kristen Ashley:

Fairytale Come Alive

Heaven and Hell

Lacybourne Manor

Lucky Stars

Mathilda, SuperWitch

Penmort Castle

Play It Safe

Sommersgate House

Three Wishes

Connect with Kristen Online:

Official Website:
www.kristenashley.net

Kristen’s Facebook Page:
www.facebook.com/kristenashleybooks

Follow Kristen on Twitter:
KristenAshley68

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