Let It Go (5 page)

He placed one hand on his hip and one on the holster of the gun he wore.

“Are you going to introduce me to the sister I didn’t know you had?” he asked.

“Chief Cortland, meet Antonia. Antonia, the head honcho of Repose,” she said and the Chief gave Antonia a small smile.

“Welcome to Repose. Sorry that we met under such circumstances. However, maybe this is the best opportunity to inform you about the rules.”

“Rules?” Antonia asked with a quivering voice. She grabbed on to Brooklyn, and the Chief as well as the doctor noticed her fearful move.

“Our most important one here, Antonia, is that all women are protected from any danger they may be in, or the potential for danger. We’re a close-knit town and we watch out for one another and give a helping hand. Your sister knows this. She’s been giving a lot of people in need assistance since arriving here.” He gave Brooklyn a small smirk.

So he knew that she hired a few soldiers who were down and out and a couple of waitresses who, like her sister, had bad luck with men or had children to care for. Not all women could be as strong-minded and determined as Brooklyn had taught herself to be.

“It’s a great town, Chief. I think my sister is going to learn to love it here and to be able to have a new start,” she said, holding his gaze.

He looked at her deeply and as if he wanted to say more but was getting her drift about taking it slow. He was damn intimidating, like most of the men in this town, but she wouldn’t back down. Her sister came first now. She needed her protection.

He looked at Antonia and stepped closer. He eyed her over and Antonia pulled her sweater tighter against her chest.

He stared at her cheek.

“I run a safe town and don’t tolerate trouble of any kind. As I mentioned, we protect our community and all those who live here. I need to ask you if the person responsible for the damage to your beautiful skin will be making their way here to continue to try and hurt you?”

She looked at Brooklyn.

Brooklyn squeezed by him and helped Antonia off the examining table. The Chief stepped back and squinted at her. She held Antonia against her side.

“I don’t think it will be a problem. If you don’t mind, all this happened recently and my sister is exhausted from traveling. Perhaps we could talk another time?” she asked. She didn’t turn away from his gaze. As intimidating as he was, she was in protective mode.

“I’ll be by the Filling Station later today. You call me if you need anything. Either of you,” he said. She knew he was sincere in that offer, but she hoped they wouldn’t need any help at all. It was better that way.

“Thank you. Thank you too, Dr. Cortland. I’ll bring her by in a few days like you asked to check the stitches.”

Brooklyn walked with her sister out of the office with Dominick trailing behind them after he briefly spoke with the Chief. She noticed her sister glance back at the Chief.

“Is he going to come by and ask me more questions? What if he tries to find out about Ray and then notifies cops in New York and they notify Ray? He’ll come here looking for me. He’ll bring trouble.”

“Don’t worry, I told you that I would take care of everything and I will.”

* * * *

“How many stitches?”

“Twenty-four, and under her left breast. It was definitely caused by a knife and there were bruises and cuts along her skin.”

The Chief swallowed hard. “Sexual assault?”

His cousin shrugged his shoulders. “She said no, but I don’t know, there were finger marks on her ribs.”

“Shit. I don’t like this, and Brooklyn has downright refused any protection from any men or even any indication of protection. She even gives me a bit of a cold shoulder when I check up on her at the Filling Station,” the Chief said.

“She called Dominick and he accompanied them. I’d say that’s pretty good, to know she trusts him.”

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right.”

“She’s a beautiful young woman, just like Brooklyn is.”

“Tough and unwilling to let down her guard or let anyone help her, that’s Brooklyn. Always had the feeling Brooklyn had a hard life. She has this attitude and yet she is sweet, compassionate, and willing to help strangers. I don’t get it. I had no idea she even had a sister,” the Chief stated.

“Neither did I, but then again, we don’t really talk to Brooklyn on a regular basis like other folk around town. What do you think of her sister?” Nevin asked.

“She’s a beautiful young woman. Obviously some guy knocked her around, but the knife wound? Not sitting well with me. I’m going to have to dig a little deeper and get those two to give me more information. The last thing I want to do is go snooping around and alert some batterer to where Antonia is. I guess I’ll be going to the Filling Station tomorrow night.”

“Maybe I’ll see ya there,” Nevin said as he cleaned up the items he’d used to care for Antonia.

“To see Carina?” Cesar asked.

“Carina? Why would you ask that?” Nevin asked and looked away from his cousin. Cesar hid his smile. He had a feeling Nevin liked Carina, but she wasn’t biting.

“Just asking. She’s a very attractive young woman. You seem to get along well.”

“Yeah, well, we talk at the Filling Station but not anywhere else. If I see her in town or at the grocery store, she quickly gets away from me, never mind away from Jesse. It’s like she sees his police uniform and freaks out.”

The Chief nodded. “Just take your time. She’s shy. If she’s anything like the other women Brooklyn has working there, then she may have a past and may not trust so easily. Hopefully with time these women, including Antonia now, will feel safe.”

“We’ll see,” Nevin said and exhaled, sounding frustrated. The Chief said good night and they walked out together. Cesar couldn’t help but to think about Antonia and those big, sad, beautiful green eyes. Who could have possibly wanted to hurt her? He would follow procedure and notify the men. Antonia would be safe here, he would make certain of that.

“Damn, the entire parking lot is jam-packed. Look at this place,” Aero said to his brothers, Finnian, Jagger, and Zeke. They found a spot way in the back where they had to park halfway on the hill, but with the large pickup truck it was no big deal.

“I’ll tell you something. It’s good to be back in Repose and to see a place like this. Someplace fun and lively,” Aero added as they locked up the truck and headed across the parking lot and to the front door.

Finnian was surprised to see two big guys standing there asking for IDs and then smiling at Aero.

“Tank, Aqua? What the fuck are you two doing here?” Aero asked and the two big guys stepped down off the stools they leaned against and gave him a big hello. Aero introduced them as retired soldiers he knew.

“How the hell have you been? I thought you guys were heading to Florida or something?” Aero asked.

“We couldn’t. There wasn’t any work and the job we thought we had fell through,” Tank told them.

“So you wind up here, bouncing and checking IDs?” he asked.

“Long story. We were at the flea market in town and talking to this girl Chloe who works here. She’s sisters with a buddy of ours and she introduced us to the owner, Brooklyn. We start bullshitting about needing jobs and maybe heading into the shelters and, next thing you know, Brooklyn is offering us, two big-ass men she doesn’t even know, jobs here.”

Finnian was shocked. What was this woman up to and who the hell was she?

“That’s awesome, man.”

“Do you know Brooklyn?” Tank asked him as Aqua checked people’s IDs who were coming in now, too.

“No. Never met her. This is our first time here. We’ve been really busy and traveling and working and shit,” Aero told them.

“Well, I guarantee that you’re going to love it. Check out what she did to this old gas station. She incorporated just about every piece of original material after she spoke to the family that owned the place.”

“She did, huh?” Jagger asked and Finnian looked around as they all headed inside.

Sure enough, he could see the old gas pumps that lined either side of the bar, some metal advertising signs from the twenties and even older decorated the walls along with old pictures.

“Holy shit. Those look like the ones that lined Grandpa’s office,” Zeke said to them and started walking closer to the pictures as they made their way through the crowd.

Finnian could smell the food being served in the dining area in the back of the place and noticed how a long line of people were waiting to be seated. The owner definitely needed more space to accommodate the customers.

As he tried to take in everything he could along with his brothers, he felt a slap to his stomach and quickly turned to the right. Jagger gave him the hit, and his eyes landed on a long, sexy pair of tan legs, a slim-fitting black skirt, and an off-the-shoulder, fitted top in green that accentuated one sexy figure from behind. Her long brown hair was pulled to one side, and from her profile, he’d say she was hot. When she turned around because one of the waitresses asked her a question, she turned completely, and it was like he got smacked in the face—the effect she had on him was instant. The woman could be a model, and she sure as shit stood out.

He didn’t even glance at Zeke or his brothers, who all stood there staring at her. Then they heard three men call out to her and raise their mugs of beer toward her.

“Brook-lyn,” they chanted, stretching out her name to emphasize the syllables. She shook her head, laughing, gave a wave and a wink, and then continued to speak with the waitress.

“Holy fuck, that’s her,” Zeke whispered to him.

Jagger chuckled.

“Don’t you feel like an asshole?” Jagger asked, smirking.

“What? Why?” Finnian replied, turning to look at Jagger in surprise.

“Because you’ve dodged meeting that woman for over a year.”

Finnian couldn’t take his eyes off of her, and as she got closer and closer, he was shocked at his reaction.

“Brooklyn?” he said her name and she stopped short, looked at him, and then squinted her eyes. She shyly placed a strand of hair behind her ear as she glanced at him and his brothers and then back to him.

“Do I know you?” she asked.

He reached his hand out.

“Finnian Cartwright.”

Her eyes widened and he saw the glimpse of anger and then a smooth smile. He caught it. He was that good at reading people.

She looked him over with her eyes squinted and almost appearing like she’d had a different idea in her head of what he would look like. The idea that she thought about him had his cock growing thick and hard instantly in his jeans. It was a first for him.

“Wow, I guess it’s nice to finally meet you. I hope your business went well, since you were stuck out of town for the board meeting, again?” she asked and he picked up on the hint of attitude.

“I’m his brother, Jagger, and these are his other brothers, Zeke and Aero,” Jagger introduced himself and the others. She shook their hands, each taking their time to hold her hand before they released it. She looked away from them a moment and he wondered if she felt the attraction he did. Damn, he had been stupid not to come by here.

“We love what you did to the place. Were these all your ideas or did you have help?” Jagger asked her. Figures he would ask that, as an engineer with a love of construction and building unique things.

“These were all my ideas.”

“Why an old gas station? How did you even come up with this idea of a bar and restaurant?” Zeke asked her.

A large group of people started walking past them and she was forced to step closer to Jagger and Zeke. Finnian saw his brothers both place hands against her lower back and hip and then she side-stepped after pausing and glancing at both of them. Once again she shyly pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and motioned toward the wall behind them.

“Well, I grew up learning a lot about cars and my dad owned a small gas station like this on the corner of our block in the neighborhood.”

“In Brooklyn?” Finnian teased but by the odd look she gave him it seemed he annoyed her.

“South Bronx, actually. Anyway, when I heard about this place and met this nice older couple outside of it who said they lived in town, I inquired about who owned it. It happened to be in their family, well, your family, I think. It was your grandfather’s place, wasn’t it?” she asked Jagger, completely ignoring Finnian, and it pissed him off. He wanted her full attention and that surprised him. So she was going to give him an attitude and try to minimize his authority?
I don’t think so.

“It was and we loved this place. Finnian was hoping to turn it into something one day but we have been way too busy with work and other things,” Aero told her.

She looked at Finnian and they stared at one another. “Is that why you’ve been avoiding meeting me to help approve my additions? Were you bent out of shape that I bought the place and renovated and transitioned it?” she asked. The woman did not beat around the bush, that was certain.

He squinted at her.

“It’s a small town and we don’t want it turned into some circus town. The bigger a place gets, the more trouble can show up,” Finnian told her and looked at her face, those sparkling green eyes, and those abundant breasts she was hiding behind a tapered top.