Shephard (Mountain Men of Danger Falls #1)

Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20

D enise

“I know, baby. I know. We’re going.” I’d found myself enjoying time with Maggie, even if it had been difficult to pull my mind off Shephard and the dance. Or the feel of his hard body pressed against mine.

I’d darted looks in his direction when he thought I wasn’t looking. But he always was. At least that’s what it had seemed like from across the bar. I’d even been stupid enough to head to the restroom in hopes he would follow.

I was such a child, the games we were playing getting ridiculous.

Pepper was more than eager to do her business before bed. As soon as I opened the door, she rushed out, squatting and peeing near the cabin. The night was beautiful although chillier than I’d thought it was supposed to be. I remained on the porch for a few seconds, staring up at the bright moon. There was just enough cleared land surrounding the cabin to allow me to gaze at the stars.

It truly was beautiful here and very safe. Even with the murders from before. My gut told me they had nothing to do with the townspeople or the typical crimes I’d seen before. But it would appear I’d never know. I felt my pocket, more than eager to jump into whatever Maggie had put on the drive. The fact the drug had been present in at least one of the victims led me to believe we did have a revenge killer in our midst. The person responsible was settling a score with someone he knew, a betrayal.

That didn’t make the horrible nature of the crimes any more palatable.

A sudden low growl somewhere in the woods instantly put me on edge. “Pepper. Come.” The one thing that Pepper remained curious about was other animals. Bears included. Her first encounter had scared me to death and helped me realize the big brown creatures were as much a part of the scenery as the hiking trails. However, her training usually prevented her from acting on her curiosity.

When my pup didn’t come right away, I moved off the porch. The floodlight I’d installed was high in wattage, but the light disappeared in the trees almost instantly.

“Pepper.”

Her growl was followed by a strange bark then a sharp cry. Something was terribly wrong. I raced in the direction of the sound, my pulse skyrocketing.

“Pepper!” The next sound nearly tore my heart into. She was injured.

I didn’t care that it was dark or that I’d been stupid enough to walk out of the house without some kind of protection. I would save her. I flew through the trees, batting away what few limbs I could see.

A cracking sound forced the hairs to stand up on the back of my neck. Stopping short, I was angry that some horrible animal would dare hurt my baby.

“Pepper.” I said it quietly. I was no bear expert, but I was in a dangerous position if the creature was as close as I believed him to be.

Suddenly, Pepper was right there by my side. She nuzzled against my leg, her body shaking. What in the hell had happened? From what I could tell, she hadn’t been injured, just terrified. But I needed to get her inside.

Raw fear trickled up my spine from my recklessness.

“Come on. Let’s get you home.” I would never leave my house without a weapon again. I took quick steps, but could tell something or someone was following us. The moment we stepped into the light, Pepper growled all over again.

“You should keep that bitch on a leash. I’ve told you that before.”

There was an odd sense of things at that moment. The past had come to haunt me in one of the most beautiful places on earth. I grabbed Pepper’s collar to prevent her from lunging at the asshole. As I turned around, I realized exactly what had happened to her.

The first horrible thing Jameson had done was to drive a hard punch into Pepper’s throat when he thought I wasn’t looking. That was the first time we’d argued. It was also the day I should have left him. All the apologies and promises in the world hadn’t changed things in the three months after the incident. The only thing I could say was that I hadn’t waited any longer.

Yet three months seemed like a lifetime.

“If you ever lay a hand on my dog again, I will kill you.” The words were easy to say for me. I meant them too.

“I’d like to see you try.”

“What are you doing here, you son of a bitch?” He’d found me. It wasn’t as if I’d changed my name, but the fact he was hundreds of miles away from his beloved fiancée put a little fear of God into me.

“I think you know what I want.”

“Do I?”

When he took a step closer, fisting both his hands, I was certain Pepper was going to free herself from my hold.

“I think you better leave.”

As Shephard stepped from the shadows, a gun in his hands, the intense light provided a glow around him. It was almost surreal, just like him showing up out of the blue.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” Jameson snorted. I’ll be damned if the jerk didn’t act like he was going to get into a fight with someone five inches taller and sixty plus pounds heavier.

Honestly? I wanted to see that in action.

“Someone who will stick your ass in a sealed oil drum and shove you on a plane back to Charlotte without any issue.”

I should have figured a man like Shephard would find out everything he could about me. Just like I’d done with him. Touché. And I was thankful he was here, still shaking from being confronted and from the rage I felt that he’d managed to hurt Pepper again.

“You’re threatening me?” Jameson retorted.

“I don’t threaten. I promise.” I could barely keep Pepper from lunging at him. She was foaming at the mouth and if I let her go, she would try to rip him apart. I couldn’t allow her to get hurt. She was all I had.

I took a deep breath, backing away and guiding Pepper to the front door. Running wasn’t my style, but I had no chance of winning this twisted game out in the open. Without my weapon.

“I didn’t say you could leave, bitch. We’re still going to have a long discussion.”

The noise was pleasant to my ears, the sharp and strangled cry coming from Jameson’s throat perfect.

Shephard.

He’d come after me.

Jameson had no clue who he was facing, but he soon found out when Shephard backhanded him with the weapon still in his hand for the second time. This time, there was no doubt he’d drawn blood. My ex went down with a hard thud.

Jameson tried to turn over, but was coughing and wheezing, even clawing at the ground.

“It’s not nice to talk about a lady that way. You won’t do it again.” Shephard oozed confidence, stepping over the asshole and walking toward me. “You okay? Pepper okay?”

“We’re fine, but he’s not supposed to be here,” I said, although there was no restraining order. He’d threatened me to stay out of his life and I’d been happy to comply.

“And he won’t be. Trust me. He will be leaving. Go inside.”

The coughing continued, but Jameson made it to his feet.

“I’ll leave when I’m ready, buddy. I’m going to talk to my girlfriend. She belongs to me.” His voice was still strangled.

Pepper howled and tried to get out of my grasp once again. I struggled but finally managed to get her inside the house. I was now shaking like a leaf. Had he been the one to follow me? Was he responsible for the murders? I couldn’t put it past him.

“You’re going to leave, fucker. Now,” Shephard repeated and I could tell he’d already lost his patience.

“No, asshole. I don’t know who you are, but as I said, she belongs to me until I’m ready to get rid of her. Trashy little thing. Isn’t she?”

I lunged toward him, the sound coming from the depths of my being not human.

“Whoa, girl. I’ll handle the asshole,” Shephard said as he caught me.

“Fucker.”

Jameson was stupid enough to laugh.

Pepper refused to stop barking, the growls she issued displaying her fury.

I don’t know how anything out of Jameson’s mouth could surprise me any longer. He believed he could own people by just snapping his fingers. It was too bad he’d hidden his rich and obnoxious actions for as long as he had. He’d sucked me in with his sweet gestures, gifts, and sensual texts over months. I’d bought it, the buzzard luring me in with fresh bait every time my instincts told me we weren’t getting along.

Jameson was surprisingly agile for a man who’d been decked by a massive boulder. He advanced toward Shephard, stupid as always and I watched in a combination of amusement and continued anger as the mountain man turned hero gave three brutal punches to Jameson’s face and stomach.

When he stood over Jameson, I was certain there would be additional bloodshed. Instead, Shephard hunkered down, using the weight of his body to crush Jameson’s chest.

He wheezed and coughed, struggling to free himself all over again.

Shephard took his time, glancing up at me then toward the moon. “You know. It occurred to me that you still are under the belief that Denise ever gave a damn about you. She doesn’t. Even if she did, it’s over. That’s because she belongs to me. Now, I’m going to offer you one last opportunity to get the fuck out of this city and this state and never return. And before you ask what will happen if you don’t, I’ll be happy to tell you.”

Jameson was fuming, the bright light shining directly in his eyes. If I knew it wouldn’t come back to haunt me, I’d kick him while he was down. Right now, I just wanted him to get the hell out of my life permanently. I would ordinarily bristle when any man declared ownership, but the way Shephard did it was entirely different.

My entire body was tingling.

“Just let him go, Shephard. He will leave and never bother me again. He knows why.”

Shephard tilted his head in my direction. The man could look right through you in a split second. He finally rose to his feet, keeping the gun handy as he moved by my side, but far enough away to allow me space.

And control of the situation.

He would ask what I meant later. I could see it in the limited reflection in his eyes.

Jameson took his time getting up, rubbing his chest for a few seconds before slowly turning to face me. “I’m getting married. You act holier than thou about our past, Denise, but you forget I know you too well. I will do what’s necessary to keep you from attempting to destroy what never belonged to you. Keep that in mind. I know people.”

“Go now. My trigger finger is itchy,” Shephard snarled.

He knew I had the goods on him to do exactly what he feared. His grin was the same one he’d used after punching me in the face. It was one I’d never forget.

On the flipside, Shephard was entirely different. The man oozed not only power but sex. Even now when I’d just been threatened. I found it ironic all I could think about was seeing myself through his eyes. He was pouring hot fudge all over me, prepared to lick off every drop. My body throbbed in a way it hadn’t before even with our rounds of extreme passion.

He’d claimed ownership and I liked it.

No, I loved it.

I forced myself to look back at the jerk before I possibly made a fool of myself. “Now, get out of here. I am the law around here and will arrest you if you dare set foot on my property again.” He didn’t need to know the sheriff would have a coronary if I did that.

“I’m warning you. I won’t let this drop until you give me what you owe me.” Jameson acted entirely different. He was on edge. His company’s stocks had all but tanked. He’d lost the respect of dozens of people and his father had even turned his back on him.

In other words, the man could be considered dangerous. But enough to commit murder? I wasn’t certain.

Shephard slapped his gun against his other hand, walking closer to the man.

It took a few seconds, but slowly the bastard disappeared into the night. What surprised me almost as much as his sudden arrival was the fact I almost crumbled. He’d managed to rip a part of my confidence away.

Shephard didn’t budge at first, but when he did, I could tell by the look on his face he remained furious. “Let’s get inside.”

It wasn’t a request but a command that I followed. I was happy to. By the time I made it inside, I was weak in the knees, shaking like a leaf.

“Oh, God.” My cry was muted, but full of anger.

“You’re going to be okay,” Shephard insisted.

“Pepper. He hurt you. I’m so sorry. I will never let him touch you again.” I dropped to my knees, wrapping my arms around my pup. There was no reason for tears—that would be giving in once again to the man’s horrible tyranny—but they streamed down my face anyway. That embarrassed me more than I wanted to admit to myself. I buried my head in Pepper’s neck, trying to keep the sound down.

“Go. Sit down. I’ll grab drinks,” he said, his voice gentler than I’d heard before.

I managed to get to my feet, checking to see if the door was locked. I moved to the window, unable to see the asshole. Somehow, I had a feeling I’d collapse if I didn’t sit down. Which I did.

I seriously doubted a man like Shephard Fox could tolerate a weak woman. I was proven right when he re-entered the room, stopping only a few feet away from the couch. I’d sensed his presence seconds before as I always did when he was in close proximity.

Maybe I expected him to say something, chastising me for being stupid or walking out in the middle of the night. But he didn’t. He placed the drink on the table in front of me and moved to the chair opposite. His silence was almost as unnerving as everything else had been.

He also wasn’t the kind of man to ask questions, which I would ordinarily appreciate. Now? I wasn’t certain. It was almost as if I was all alone in a war I wasn’t certain I could win.

When he did speak, it was so obvious he’d done a deep dive into my ex’s life that I was impressed instead of being pissed. He knew his way around information that Jameson’s family had tried hard to suppress.

“Jameson Charles Reynolds. First-born son in a family with a lineage in Atlanta that goes back to the Civil War. They own half of the eastern seaboard in either commercial or residential land development. They are rich yet have several secrets lurking in their closets. That makes them highly dangerous. Your affair was expected to be shoved under a rug, something he was used to, since I hate to tell you, but you weren’t his first.”

“Or his last. I was just the girl who recently accepted a position in Charlotte being charmed by an asshole. I didn’t know anyone and I don’t make friends easily. You figured that out.”

He didn’t have any expression on his face. “Make no mistake, Denise. His threat shouldn’t be considered harmless. He is highly dangerous because he’s gotten away with murder before.”

The news was as surprising if not more so than the fact the jerk had shown up. “What do you mean?”

“I mean he killed a former roommate over a girl and Daddy managed to sweep it so far under the rug, the only mention of it is in deep, dark archives.”

“That you found.”

“I have my sources.”

Pepper eased off the couch, immediately heading in Shephard’s direction. “Who are you really?”

“Someone who knows a dangerous man when I see one. You’re going to come stay at my cabin for a few days until I make certain he’s out of town. I’m not risking your life for that prick.”

“I… can’t do that.” Why was he offering? It wasn’t like I didn’t have weapons. He knew that.

“Yes, you can.”

“You’re a cocky son of a bitch, aren’t you? Used to getting your way.”

“I’m not cocky, sweetheart. I’m confident.”

“And I can take care of myself.”

He leaned forward in his chair, locking eyes in such a way I couldn’t look away even if I wanted to. “You don’t seem to understand, Denise. I’m not offering you a place to stay. I’m telling you that you’re coming with me.”