Mastered by Malone (Haven Texas Book 6) Page 11

  What the hell was happening to his control?

  9

  Mia sat curled up in the corner of the sofa, the TV was muted with some romantic comedy playing on it. She wasn’t really interested in watching it. Three days had passed since Molly had visited and she had barely seen Alec.

  Maddox had gone into Haven and picked up her prescription. Raid had grabbed the things on her list while he was in Freestown getting supplies. She’d kept the list as small as possible.

  It was best that Alec was keeping his distance. It wasn’t like she needed him; she was fine as she was.

  Sure, you are. Fine and lonely.

  Molly had called, wanting to set up some Skype sessions, but she’d brushed her off. The last thing she wanted was to talk about what had happened. Bad enough she had to relive it each night in her nightmares.

  Real healthy way to live, Mia.

  The phone rang just as she was trying to decide if she was tired enough to go to bed. Not that it really mattered, she wouldn’t actually be sleeping. She knew she shouldn’t answer it. She’d been warned against doing that.

  She let the phone ring. It stopped. She sighed. She’d actually considered answering just to have someone to talk to. Pathetic, huh?

  It started up again. She frowned at it. Then it stopped. What was going on? It started ringing a third time and she knew she couldn’t just sit there and ignore it. Alec was going to kill her, but she picked it up. She attempted to disguise her voice, making it low and gruff. “Hello?”

  “Hello? Who’s that? Mia, that you?” Jaret asked. Relief filled her.

  “Jaret? What are you doing calling?” He was supposed to be with Gloria, his girlfriend tonight.

  “Mia? You ill? You sounded funny before.”

  She sounded funny? He was slurring his words.

  “Are you drunk? Jaret?” Alarm filled her. What was going on?

  “Yeah, it’s me.” She glanced over at the clock on the wall. It was only ten. But then who was she to judge?

  “You’re not supposed to be answering the phone, darlin.” He made a tsking sound.

  “Jaret, did you just call to tell me that I shouldn’t be answering the phone? Or did you actually want something?” She was damn sick of Malone men telling her what she could and couldn’t do.

  There was a beat of silence. And she could practically feel the surprise coming through the phone. No one was really used to her biting back. She just wanted to do what she had to in order to fit in. Do what she had to in order for them not to kick her out.

  But she was growing tired of doing what everyone else wanted of her.

  “You’re gonna get in trouble with Alec.”

  “He’d have to be talking to me for me to get in trouble with him.”

  “Don’t gotta talk to you to spank you. You know that’s what he does, right? Spanks women. I’m thinkin’ of takin’ it up. Maybe if I’d spanked Gloria, she wouldn’t have cheated on me.”

  Oh, hell. Gloria cheated on him? No wonder he sounded so awful.

  “Is Alec there?” Jaret asked her.

  “No, he went out about two hours ago. Did you try his cell?”

  “Shit. He doesn’t usually go to the club this early. I was hoping to catch him. Can’t get hold of him there unless I go through Saxon. Fuck. Darlin’, do me a favor and call one of those useless, bonehead brothers of mine. Get one of them to come to Freestown and pick me up, ’cept don’t call West. He won’t come. And don’t bother with Tanner or Butch, they’re pissed at me. Just call one of the others, okay?”

  “Jaret, what happened?”

  “Fucking Ron Bergman happened, that’s what. Now I gotta get out of here before someone finds out what I did.”

  “What you did? Jesus, Jaret, what’s going on?”

  “May be in a spot of trouble. I’m usin’ the phone at the 7-Eleven. Mine’s busted. Jus’ get Maddox or Raid, will ya?”

  “I can’t. They’ve all gone out.” And she didn’t have anyone’s phone number. “West is here—”

  “Not West. That fucker won’t come. Shit. Goddamn, imma end up in jail. I hate jail. Nobody gots a sense of humor there. Come visit me, will ya, darlin’?”

  Panic swirled in her gut. What had he done? “Stop being an idiot. I’ll try to reach one of them. Where’s the 7-Eleven?”

  “It’s the one two streets over from the main road. They’ll know the one I’m talking about.”

  “Okay, just stay there, all right?”

  “Okeydokey.”

  She hung up. Alec was out. He’d told her to call West on the short-wave radio if she needed something. Right. She walked into the kitchen where the short-wave radio was kept and picked it up.

  “Yeah?” West’s voice crackled through.

  “Um, I just got a call from Jaret. He needs a lift back from Freestown.”

  “Tell him to call a taxi.”

  “Well, I think—”

  “He dying?” West asked abruptly.

  “No, I don’t bel—”

  “Then I don’t care.”

  She knew it had been pointless to try. West never left the ranch. She guessed she could try the bunkhouse on the chance someone was home.

  She walked into the mudroom and grabbed a flashlight then turned off the security system before making her way out to the bunkhouse.

  As she drew closer, she could see there was a light burning in the main living room. She knocked loudly. She just hoped they were all dressed, unlike last time when she’d walked in to find Maddox streaking his way through the living room. Of course, she’d been the only one embarrassed by that. He’d stopped as soon as he’d seen her, then just stood there in all his naked glory and grinned at her.

  She pushed the door open slowly, while keeping one hand over her eyes. She called out, but there was no reply.

  Damn it, what was she going to do? She couldn’t just leave Jaret at the 7-Eleven. But she had no way of reaching anyone but West. And he was no help. Anger at Alec filled her as she made her way back into the mudroom. This was all his fault, if he’d given her everyone’s number then she wouldn’t be in this predicament.

  She made her way back to the main house and as she put the flashlight back on the shelf, she looked at the keys hanging there. She could take one of the ranch trucks. She bit her lip. Alec would kill her if she left the ranch. But she’d only go to Freestown, pick up Jaret and then drive home. Maybe he wouldn’t even know. She wouldn’t get out of the truck and she’d wear a hoodie. No one would see her.

  Trying to ignore the voice screaming at her that this was a bad fucking idea, she snatched up a set of keys.

  And if Alec did find out, well, she’d just point out how it was all his fault.

  Yep, there was a failproof plan if ever she’d had one.

  It was a really stupid idea.

  She knew it was. And yet as she approached the gates at the end of the driveway, she knew she wasn’t going to turn back. Shit. What if she needed a code to get out? But, as she got closer, the gates opened automatically.

  Okay. That was cool.

  Alec was going to flip when he found out. What if he kicked her off the ranch? She was breaking one of his precious rules, after all. She tightened her hands around the steering wheel. But what kind of a friend would she be if she didn’t try to help Jaret? He was one of the few friends she had.

  “Stupid. Stupid.”

  Her only hope was that Alec wouldn’t find out. She wasn’t sure of the likelihood of that, considering Alec seemed to know everything. She turned right, towards Freestown. Luckily, that’s the way she and Mike had come, so she knew where she was going.

  She still took a couple of wrong turns, but gradually made her way to Freestown. It had taken about an hour. Jesus, she hoped Jaret was still at the 7-Eleven. Luckily, it wasn’t a big city. She drove through the main shopping district, searching for the green and red sign. Damn it, she should have asked for better directions. After about fifteen minutes of driving around, she
spotted one on the corner and quickly pulled into the lot.

  But he didn’t appear.

  Had he gone? Was he still there? She bit at her lip and pulled her hood close, draping it around her face. There was no choice, she was going to have to get out and look for him. She got out of the truck.

  Where the hell was he? She made her way into the store and the relief she felt as she spotted him made her feel a little light-headed.

  “Jaret!” She stormed over to him.

  He turned away from where he’d been perusing the slushies. “Hey there, darlin’. What are you doin’ here?”

  “I’m here to get you.” She smacked him on the arm, then pulled her hand back shocked at herself. She never hit people.

  “Oh, you weren’t s’pposed to come. Alec’s gonna have kittens.”

  “Well, I couldn’t find anyone else, so I was your only option.”

  “What kind of slushy should I get?”

  Was he kidding her?

  She grabbed his arm and tugged. “Jaret, we have to go. I’ll whip you up something when we get home.”

  “Whoop!” He turned and placed his arm over her shoulders, leaning so much of his weight on her that she stumbled. He managed to pull the hood off her face as he helped her stand.

  “Damn it, Jaret.”

  “Sorry, darlin’. Bit unsteady on my feet.”

  She sighed and left the hood down as she helped him out to the truck.

  “Gotta get out of here before the cops find me.”

  Her heart raced at those words. “What exactly did you do?”

  He stumbled his way to the truck, trying to get in the driver’s side. She reached out and tugged at his arm. “Jaret, you’re drunk. You’re not driving.”

  He let out a bark of laughter and gave a salute. “You are so right, darlin’. You are so right.” She helped him around to the passenger side.

  Somehow, even though he outweighed her by a good hundred pounds, she managed to get him inside the truck. He didn’t bother to put on the belt. She grabbed it, and pulled it over him, locking it in place.

  “Ah, you take such good care of me, darlin’. Wanna marry me?”

  “No.”

  “Too bad. You’ve got a great ass.”

  She shook her head and just shut the door. She leaned against it, her legs wobbling. She was out of shape. And feeling a little weak and lightheaded. She definitely needed some more sleep and food.

  “Idiot! The whole bunch of them are idiots!” She walked around to the driver’s door and climbed in, turning on the truck.

  “Course Alec would kill me if I made a move on you.”

  “Alec wouldn’t care.”

  “Warned us all off you, course he cares. Way he looks at you, easy to see why. Like you’re prime filet and he’s been on a vegetarian diet for years.”

  “You’re drunk and delusional,” she muttered as she drove out of town and towards the ranch.

  “Yes to the first, no to the second. Have to be blind not to see he wants you. Won’t have you, though.”

  “Oh yeah, and why is that?” she asked.

  “Cause Alec never lets himself feel anything. Not for his brothers, not for the women he fucks. And that’s all he does. Fucks. Oh, he likes that dominance stuff. But he always chooses women he doesn’t have to have feelings for. Cause he doesn’t have feelings.”

  She wasn’t certain about that. “Everyone has feelings.”

  He glanced over at her. “Sure. Unless they bury them deep. Unless they cut all ties to the people they’re s’pposed to care about. He pushes everyone away. Has since . . .” his voice trailed off.

  She glanced over, wanting to prod him, knowing it was none of her business. But had something happened to Alec that meant he now kept people at a distance?

  “He’s a bastard,” she muttered more to herself than to Jaret.

  “That he is. It’s deliberate. If you hate him then you won’t want to be around him, and he can live out his miserly existence alone.”

  That sounded awful. It was her worst nightmare. Having no one. And she was close to living it. But at least she had Mike.

  “But he has all of you.”

  “Yeah, and I bet that just pisses him off. Has to keep us around. We’re family. Doesn’t mean he has to love us. Alec Malone doesn’t love. He’s loyal. He’s bound by his own moral code. But he doesn’t love.”

  She was quiet, thinking that over, and her anger against Alec dissipated. To be replaced with pity.

  “Hey, this is one of the work trucks,” Jaret said suddenly.

  “Yeah, well, I don’t have a vehicle. So I had to take one.”

  “No worries, darlin. Everything we have is yours.”

  It was a nice thought. But not true. She wasn’t family. She was just an obligation.

  “Just surprised to see you driving one, considering it’s a stick shift. “

  “I can drive a stick shift. Mike taught me when I was a teenager. So, you want to tell me what happened tonight? Did you fight with Gloria? Why would the cops be after you?”

  “Gloria an’ me are no more. She chose Ron Bergman over me. Can you believe that? Fucking Ron Bergman. I was trying to surprise her tonight. She wasn’t ’pecting me. Walked in and there she was, fucking Ron Bergman on the table. I thought I was the only person to bend her over that table.”

  “Oh, Jaret. I’m so sorry.”

  “Nothing for you to be sorry about, darlin’.” He yawned. She tried to take shallow breaths as the air in the cab became filled with the stench of whiskey. “Wasn’t your fault she decided she’d rather have Ron Bergman’s pencil dick over my anaconda-sized dick. Fuckin’ Ron Bergman. Thinks he’s a politician, you know? But he’s just a forty-year-old mamma’s boy. Still lives at home, for fucks sake. And, honest to God, his dick.” He held up his pinky finger.

  She bit back a smile. It wasn’t really funny. And she knew he was using humor to hide how hurt he really was.

  “What did you do?” she asked. “You didn’t do anything stupid, did you?”

  “Depends on your definition of stupid. May have slashed all the tires in his car and run my keys down the fancy paintwork, though.”

  She looked over at him in horror. “You didn’t?”

  “And, perhaps, written pencil deck in spray paint along the other side of his car.”

  Great. Shit. Her mind raced. “They’re gonna know it was you.”

  “They have no proof,” he said smugly.

  “Yeah, only you just walked in on your girlfriend having sex with another man. And then that man’s car gets trashed. Kind of too much of a coincidence for the cops not to put two and two together.”

  “Good point. All right, we need a story.”

  “A story? What do you mean, we need a story?”

  “We just need to change the narrative. If the cops figure it out—”

  “When they figure it out, they’re not morons.”

  “Don’t know about that. Two of the deputies are Bergman’s cousins. So they’re probably not too smart.”

  “Oh my God. You trashed the car of your girlfriend’s lover, and two deputies on the police force are his cousins? Jaret, this is a problem.”

  “Never met a problem that can’t be fixed,” he told her. “This is what happened. I walked in on them fucking. Yelled a few insults. Stormed out of the house to get drunk. Which a number of people can corroborate. I went over to Patty’s Bar. That Patty has got the best tits in the state. No offence.”

  “None taken,” she said dryly. “Then what?”

  “Well, after a few drinks I went back to Gloria’s, grabbed some spray paint out of her garage and trashed his car, but we’re not gonna say that.”

  “Good plan,” she said sarcastically. “So what are we gonna say?”

  And what the hell was this ‘we’ business?

  “I never went to Gloria’s. I called you ’cause I had too much to drink. You came and got me, drove me home. We got back at . . . ” he l
ooked blurrily at the dashboard. “What’s the time?”

  “You’re looking at the gas gauge,” she pointed out. “It’s nearly midnight.”

  “Okay, cool, you picked me up at ten.”

  “And what about the clerk at the 7-Eleven? He saw us.”

  “Oh, I bribed him. He didn’t see nothin’.”

  He’d bribed him? How the hell had he had the sense to do that when he could barely manage to walk on his own?

  “See? All we had to do was change the narrative.”

  “Right. So when you say change the narrative, you mean lie. To the police.”

  “Exactly. Thanks, darlin’. You’re the best.”

  He reached over and patted her thigh. She was too shocked to say anything for several long minutes. Then when she looked over at him, she realized he was sleeping. The idiot was sleeping. After everything that just happened, he decided to take a nap. He expected her to lie to the cops for him. She clenched her hands around the steering wheel as her breathing came in harsh pants. Okay, she had to get hold of herself. She pulled over to the side of the road for a minute, not trusting herself to drive while in the middle of an attack. Jaret didn’t even stir as she pushed the seat of the truck back and then rested her head between her knees, trying to stop herself from passing out or vomiting. Finally, she managed to calm herself. Okay, she needed to snap out of it. Just because the police were probably going to come and talk to her, no reason to freak out. She just had to do what Jaret told her. Tell them she’d picked him up earlier than she actually had.

  She could do this. She had this. He was a friend. Friends helped friends.

  She was in so much trouble.

  10

  She was in so much trouble. Alex stormed his way out of the club. Not even bothering to answer Saxon as he called out to him. He strode his way towards his truck. She’d broken the rules.

  When West had finally discovered she was missing, he’d called Saxons to tell him. What he wanted to know is why the hell she would leave the ranch? Her ass was toast. His hand itched with the need to spank her. How dare she disobey him? She’d not only put herself in danger, but she’d interrupted his scene at the club. He’d had to untie the delectable little sub he’d had bound to the St Andrews cross, and leave her with a monitor so he could grab his stuff and chase after a little brat who thought she got to disobey him.