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“What do you think?” Tazer asked Max as they walked out of Shelby’s house and stood by Max’s truck.
“I think she’ll run in a heartbeat to keep her sister safe as well as Bender, Kenneth, and Sam.” He shook his head.
“To think she really does care about them but is actually trying to protect them is crazy. They’re nuts about her,” Tazer added.
“I know. But her fear is justified from what information she did give us about these men.”
“Mickie Hayworth is a piece of scum. Anything he’s involved with has illegal ties. If we could figure out what the deal was that her boyfriend made with Mickie, then maybe it will be something we could work with. But you know as well as I do any snooping around we do could raise red flags.”
Max ran his hand along his jaw. “Let’s see what happens in the next several days. Your brothers Burker and Parker, maybe they can help do that snooping we need under the radar,” Max suggested.
Tazer squinted his eyes and gave a firm nod. “I was thinking the same thing. Let me gather names and shit, do the recon stuff tonight. I’ll brief them on the situation.”
“Are you sure you’re okay with acting as her security and guardian? I know how good of friends you are with Kenneth, Bender, and Sam. Also wouldn’t want your chances with a certain young woman to be ruined,” Max said and smirked.
“It will work out fine. Besides, I know the Pace men won’t stand for it for long. They’ll make demands on Shelby and hopefully set her straight as to their desire to protect her and make her their woman.”
“And the woman you have eyes for?”
“Max, don’t push it. She’s young, extremely shy, and like a sister to us.”
Max opened his door to his SUV. “She’s not your sister and you’re not her brothers. You’re friends with her cousins. She’s a beauty and she needs looking after. I think you and your brothers are perfect for the job.”
Tazer squinted his eyes at him. “She in some kind of trouble?”
Max shook his head. “No, no, nothing like that. Just heard she’s always got guys calling her and wanting to go out. She declines. I wonder why,” he added and started the SUV.
“It’s not my concern. Let me deal with this situation with Shelby. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Max nodded and headed out of the driveway and Tazer went to his car and left, too. Max wondered what Tazer might do. Eliza Grace was a beautiful young woman, and she was extra shy, even after going away to college and moving back here to Chance. He remembered the night something happened to her at college. Bender took off in an uproar and the next thing Max knew, he was being called by the local authorities about Bender’s credentials and who he was. Apparently some college guys had tried to grab Eliza and pull her into a bedroom at a party. She fought back, struck two with a lamp, and was nearly sexually assaulted. From the little he heard, another group of friends heard her screams and the commotion and intervened. She was damn lucky but the incident really scared her and she finished her last year online from home here in Chance. Bender went out there again after the college tried to cover up the incident. Using Kenneth’s legal experience, they got the men who were involved arrested and charged. It was a hell of a mess and poor Eliza was withdrawn for quite some time. Within the last couple of years she changed, matured, became stronger, but she was still shy and especially when it came to men. But her eyes were always on Tazer, Lynch, Burker, and Parker, and their eyes were always on her.
Max chuckled. What a heck of a match that would be, especially if they ever found out what happened to her and how she fought off her attackers. They’d be more protective than they already were. He wondered how Eliza would react having one of the guys she liked being guardian to Shelby Ann? He hoped it didn’t cause any tension. The two women were good friends.
He thought about Shelby Ann and what happened to her. He was glad that she was seeing a counselor. Perhaps she was trying to get through whatever really happened in that room with those men so she could move on with her life and maybe a relationship with the Pace men. But that didn’t seem likely by her words. He wouldn’t put it past her to take off and hide on her own. It was obvious she hid all of this from her sister. Wait until Caroline found out.
He’d better give C.J., Hunter, and York the heads-up. They had some planning to do to keep this town secure and Shelby safe, and they would do it.
He headed back to the department to do his own research, starting with a friend of his who was a judge, and maybe knew more about this Mickie Hayworth.
Chapter 3
Shelby Ann was exhausted as she sat at her desk trying to get through the day. Tazer had followed her from home to work and of course Kenneth had seen him walk her to the door. They talked briefly about him gathering some information and they were going to meet for lunch. That was in fifteen minutes. She wanted to meet him at Rita’s but he insisted that he come get her at work and start coming up with a comfortable plan for him to watch over her. She felt sick to her stomach. She even felt guilty as she saw Kenneth’s face go blank and his eyes zero in on Tazer with daggers. She cared about Kenneth.
She knew if things were different, if she weren’t scarred both physically and mentally, that she would love and accept their attention and courting. She had a feeling they would be very passionate, caring lovers and companions. Their kisses alone had left her dreaming of the men and of course their great bodies.
They were respected, professional, strong, and powerful men. In a way they signified the types of men she always longed for but felt she wasn’t good enough to have. They didn’t deserve her baggage, her mistakes, or the chance at being hurt or killed. God knew Blade was more than capable of doing either. He had no limitations. She swallowed hard and shivered. Her mind w
as constantly remembering the past, that night she was held against her will and on display for Blade and Mickie. All because Jerry and Skip did something that they needed to disappear.
Blade always had his eyes on her. Sometimes he would touch her, brush her hair with his fingers, whisper something close to her ear, and inhale. He scared her, gave her the creeps, but he was close with Skip and Jerry, and he was the one who seemed to be in charge when it came to their loan-sharking business. At least that was what she believed it to be as they talked about money and who was behind in payments. She didn’t know much or care to know.
She shook the thoughts from her head and tried finishing the document she was working on. She read it multiple times before her mind truly focused on the work at hand. But then she heard talking and deep voices. After closing the file on her computer, she spotted Tazer and Parker. They were talking to Kenneth, and then Kenneth looked shocked as she locked gazes with all three men.
“Ready?” Tazer asked with a smile. She nodded her head and grabbed her bag. She fixed the things on her desk and took a deep breath as she headed toward them.
“I’ll be back in an hour,” she told Kenneth.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
