Interfering, page 20
Movement behind Rufe caught my eye, and I did my best not to clue him in. Someone was lurking behind a large pickup truck parked two spaces away. The person slid between cars, crouching low so as not to be seen. I stared at Rufe, willing my eyes not to flicker to the person behind him.
Carla bolted from behind Rufe’s car and jammed a gun in his back. Rufe’s eyes grew big, and he grunted in pain.
“Drop your gun on the ground. Now. I have no issue shooting your dumb ass.” Carla left no doubt that she was dead serious. Rufe twisted around and attempted to wrestle the gun from her, but Carla kneed him in the balls. As he doubled over, she took his gun and handed it to Evie before twisting Rufe’s arm hard behind his back. He whimpered like a baby.
Lill dialed 911, and Livy put her arms around me. Just that simple gesture of kindness brought about a flood of tears running down my face.
* * *
The next several hours were a whirlwind of flashing lights, policemen everywhere, and curious attendees milling around the parking lot. About midnight, the last of the stragglers headed for home. Rufe had been hauled away in handcuffs and charged with attempted kidnapping. Despite the drama, we’d raised close to two hundred thousand dollars for the animal rescue.
My girlfriends hovered nearby most of the evening and fussed over me. I finally sent them home with their guys. There was nothing more they could do here. All I wanted was to curl up in a warm bed next to Trent and sleep for hours.
Trent beat himself up for not being present to protect me. I assured him Rufe’s attempted kidnapping wasn’t his fault. If my girlfriends hovered, Trent smothered, but I didn’t mind. He repeatedly touched me as if to assure himself that I was okay.
And I was okay. This confrontation with Rufe had given me a shot of much-needed confidence, and I had another piece of business to take care of.
“Trent, I need to talk to your sisters. Alone.”
He frowned. “Are you sure that’s wise?”
“No, but it’s something I need to do.”
He nodded solemnly before brushing his lips against mine. “I’ll be right over there if you need me.”
“I’ll be okay. But it means a lot to have you in my court.”
“Always, baby, always.” He gave me a quick hug and wandered away, glancing over his shoulder. I gave him a smile before drawing in a deep breath and turning to find Evie. She was cleaning up some of the evening’s mess near the arena when I approached. She saw me coming and waited, making no move to meet me halfway, but not exactly discouraging my approach.
“Evie, thank you. That took guts. He could’ve hurt you.”
“It’s nothing. I would’ve done it for anyone.” Evie turned and looked me up and down. I had no idea what she was thinking as she didn’t give anything away.
“Well, thank you anyway. You stalled him long enough that Carla was able to get there.”
Evie nodded, still not showing any emotion.
“I hope we can be friends.” I tried again, ready to put our differences to rest. I was opening myself up for rejection and disappointment, but I didn’t care about that.
“You’re dating my brother. I’ve never seen him like this with another woman . He loves you, so I guess we’re stuck with you.”
It wasn’t much, but I’d take it. Coming from Evie, I’d guess those words were as close to announcing a truce as I was going to get.
Livy slid between us, and her gaze darted from one to the other. Her worried frown was replaced by confusion. “Everything okay with you two?”
“Yes, we’re fine. She’s here to stay, so we’ll find a way to get along.”
Livy’s eyes widened in surprise. “I think that’s wise.”
“It is,” interrupted Lill. “Trent is stupid in love.”
Neither Lill nor Evie promised their everlasting friendship, but I’d take it. The two of them wandered off together, leaving Livy and I alone.
“Are we good?” I asked.
“We are. I think we should start over.”
“I’d like that.”
“So would I. Once the police are gone, let’s meet at Trent’s. I want to tell all of you what happened between Rufe and me . It’s time.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
One Lucky Guy
~~Trent~~
Tonight was a night very few of us would forget.
The team had been finishing the promo pics when Lill ran up to me and pulled me aside. What she whispered in my ear froze the blood in my veins. Fear paralyzed me for an instant.
“Come on. Heidi needs you.” She shook me, none too gently, out of my stupor.
“Where is she?” I bellowed, finally regaining some brain activity. Every head turned my direction, alarmed by the desperation in my voice.
Lill turned and jogged toward the parking lot with me hot on her heels. I heard the pounding of several feet behind me, but I didn’t look back. My teammates had my back and were ready to mix it up if need be.
All my baby sister had told me was that someone tried to kidnap Heidi, and she needed me.
Tried to?
That meant they hadn’t succeeded, didn’t it? Lill, the emotional, drama-addicted one of the three sibs, hadn’t given any details, but I hadn’t asked either. All I’d wanted was to be led to Heidi. We weaved in and out of cars.
I stumbled when I saw flashing lights from police cruisers along with a gathering crowd of party guests. Regaining my stride, I pushed through the crowd. The first thing I noticed was the black sports car. My heart hammered in my chest, and a cold sweat broke out on my forehead. My sisters and some of the WAGs were huddled around, and I suspected Heidi was in the middle of that protective huddle of women. The group parted as I approached.
Heidi saw me, and we ran toward each other. She threw herself into my arms. I held her tightly as her small body was racked with heart-wrenching sobs. My sisters started talking all at once, but I managed to catch the gist of what’d happened.
Evie had saved Heidi, along with Carla’s help.
My head reeled as I tried to process everything and comfort Heidi at the same time.
I looked over Heidi’s shoulder and caught Evie’s eye. “Where is that bastard? I’m going to wring his neck with my bare hands.”
“Too late, little brother.” Evie pointed toward the row of police cars. Rufe was being led in handcuffs toward one of them. Carla stood near a plainclothes cop, probably a detective, and was animatedly explaining something.
I nodded and turned my attention back to Heidi. I let her cry herself out and continued to hold her, rubbing her back, stroking her hair, anything I could do to offer comfort. Like most guys, I had some work to do on comforting someone when they were crying, but I was doing my best. Heidi didn’t seem to mind that I bumbled through this.
After what seemed like a minute and also like an hour, Heidi lifted her head from my chest. Evie handed me a tissue, which I passed to Heidi. She wiped her red, bloodshot eyes and then blew her nose. Giving me a gentle push, she moved out of my arms, but I wasn’t letting go that easily. I slid my arm around her waist.
“Thank you, everyone. I’ll be okay.”
“You might, but I’m not sure Trent will recover,” Dash quipped. Laughter rippled through our group and eased some of the stress and tension. Heidi’s smile warmed me like hot chocolate on a rainy day.
“Are you okay? I never should have left you alone. I’m—”
“Trent, stop. It’s not your fault. We didn’t even know he was here. Please no blaming. I’m okay.” She sent Evie an apologetic grimace. “I hope I didn’t ruin your fundraiser.”
“First of all, using your words, no blame. Second, the fundraising portion of the evening was over by the time the police arrived. Most of the guests didn’t know what had happened until they saw the blinking lights.”
“I’m glad.” Heidi leaned against me, as if she was suddenly too tired to hold herself up.
“Heidi.” Carla approached with an encouraging smile. “The detective has a few questions for you.”
“Okay.” Heidi leaned harder into me. She probably didn’t see cops in the best light due to her former profession.
“I’m going with her.”
Together, we walked back toward the barn, where Heidi took a seat at a table, and I sat next to her. We waited for the detective to show, while my sisters and the WAGs stood nearby and cast anxious glances our way.
“I’ve never been so fucking scared in my life. I thought something bad happened and that I might lose you.”
“You’re not getting rid of me that easily, mister.”
“Thank God.” I gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, and she melted against me and tucked herself under my arm. Heidi sighed, and I smiled down at her. I’d never experienced such raw panic that the woman I loved more than anything in the world might be in trouble. But the women had it handled with no help needed from their strong, hockey-playing guys.
Which was as amusing as it was frustrating.
* * *
A few hours later, everyone had finally left but my sisters, a few of my teammates, and their girlfriends/wives.
“Trent, a word with you?” Addison surprised me. I thought she’d left long ago.
“Sure.” I turned to Heidi, hesitant to leave her. “Are you okay if I leave for a few?”
“We’ll take care of her.” Livy spoke up before anyone else had a chance.
“Thank you.” I turned and headed in the direction Addison had gone. She waited by the barn.
Addison’s eyes gleamed with determination and something I couldn’t put my finger on.
“Trent, this incident is going to expose Heidi to possible scrutiny, and you know what that means.”
I did, but I’d been so absorbed in Heidi’s ordeal, I hadn’t given any thought to possible ramifications. “What the fuck are we going to do?” I put my head in my hands. The hits just kept coming.
“You’re going to leave it to me. This is what the Icehawks pay me for, and I’m good at my job.” Her eyes gleamed in anticipation of this challenge.
“But Heidi—” I couldn’t have asked for a better person on our side. Addison gave the impression she lived for problems like this.
Addison held up her hand and cut me off. “Leave it to me. I’ll spin this so Heidi’s a sympathetic character who’s had misfortune in her life and battled her way out of a situation many young women find themselves in. She’s a hero, and I’ll make sure everyone sees that. I’d like to meet with Heidi tomorrow at noon in my office.”
“On a Sunday?”
“There’s not a moment to waste. She’ll need to fill me in on anything that might explode on social media, so I can get out in front of it.”
“I’m glad you’re on my side.”
Addison laughed, and I couldn’t recall if I’d ever seen her genuinely laugh. She was always such a ball-busting go-getter who didn’t have time for fun. “Go back to Heidi, and trust me. I’ve got this. Dad’s legal team has requested her name not be released to the public, and we’ll hold that line as long as we can. I’ll use that time to formulate a game plan. We may have as little as twenty-four to forty-eight hours before the internet sleuths hear her name and start researching her, or we may have longer.”
“Thank you.”
Another genuine smile. “You don’t have to thank me. I live for problems like this.”
Addison and I parted ways a few minutes later, and I returned to Heidi. Everyone had finally gone home, including my teammates and their women. Only my sisters and Heidi remained. I briefly outlined my discussion with Addison.
“Let’s go to your house, Trent. I have some explaining to do.” Heidi spoke with conviction and without a trace of her earlier fear. I was proud as hell of her.
“You don’t have to explain anything.”
“But I do. I owe all of you an explanation as to why Rufe came after me.” Heidi stood, squared her shoulders, and reached for my hand.
“You’re amazing.”
“So are you. Let’s do this.” Her smile brimmed with confidence. And I wondered who this strong, poised woman was and what she’d done with shy, scared Heidi.
But I already knew. She’d outgrown that person, and she’d become the woman she was always meant to be, and that made me one lucky guy.
Chapter Thirty-Three
PDA
~~Heidi~~
I’d had more drama in one night than I hoped I’d ever see again.
Trent and I waited for his sisters to arrive at the house. They’d wanted to do one last check on the animals. We sat side by side on the couch with Hogan at our feet.
The time was late, after 2:00 a.m., but I’d insisted we do this now before I backed out. I turned to Trent and cupped his handsome face in my hands.
“How did I ever get so lucky as to have found you?” I ran my thumb across his lips, and he growled from deep down in his throat.
“Keep that up, and we’ll be putting on a show for my sisters. I’m thinking neither one of us cares to deal with the fallout from that. And in answer to your question, I found you.”
“You did not. I knew you were special the first time I saw you.”
Trent’s brows shot up, then he narrowed his gaze. “You didn’t act like it.”
I shrugged. “Regardless, you were my fantasy guy, but the real guy is way better than the fantasy.”
“You’re my fantasy and my reality. I love you, Heidi. You’re everything I didn’t know I needed, but now I realize how much I’d been missing you. I just didn’t know any better.”
I leaned into him, and he met me halfway for a tender kiss that turned scorching in a heartbeat.
“Okay, really? You called us over here for a PDA?” Evie stood in the doorway, hands on her hips, and scowled. I jumped away from Trent, flustered at first, until I noticed the smile tugging at the corners of Evie’s mouth.
“We brought wine.” Lill pranced into the room brandishing a bottle of wine. Her boundless energy made me tired just watching her. She poured five glasses and passed them out. I gratefully accepted my glass of liquid courage. Enough time had passed that my bravery was slipping, but I clung to it. I was committed.
All eyes turned to me, and I knew my day of reckoning had arrived. I flickered my gaze to Trent, and his smile was encouraging. He winked at me and whispered, “You’ve got this. I’m with you every step of the way.” His support gave me the strength I needed to dive in and start swimming.
“Rufe was a regular client for several months. I was warned to steer clear of him, but the money was so good, I couldn’t refuse. In the beginning, he was charming and witty. He bought me expensive jewelry. But as time wore on, he became unreasonably controlling. He wanted me all to himself, offered to make me a kept woman, but I didn’t want that. I’d been working too hard to get out of the business. Besides, he wasn’t the guy I thought he was, and he’d started giving me the creeps, like there was something very wrong with him.”
“Perhaps an entitled, spoiled, narcissistic, rich asshole?” Livy said.
“Yes, all that. And so much more. One night in November, I had an appointment with him. He had his driver pick me up, but I wasn’t taken to our usual rendezvous spot, an upscale hotel in downtown Portland. Instead, I was driven out of town into the woods to a secluded house. I started getting a bad feeling about this, but I didn’t listen to my gut.”
I stopped for a moment and collected my thoughts. Everyone was quiet but attentive.
“He held me captive for a month in the basement of that house. He and his friends did unspeakable things to me. A lot of it was filmed. I was gang-raped. I was abused physically and mentally. Most of the time, he kept me drugged, and I didn’t have the ability to formulate an escape. I’d begun to realize I wasn’t making it out of there alive. My chance came when he went out of town for a few nights. He left his bodyguard in charge, who took full advantage of the situation. The guy drank and used drugs to the point that he passed out. I knew I had my chance. I escaped and stole his car, which I drove to safety and left it on the street outside Rufe’s home. Trent knows the rest. I’ve been living in fear ever since. He’s not someone to be crossed, and I crossed him.”
I sat back and drew a deep breath. No one said a word. In fact, the three sisters stared at the floor, while Trent put his arm around me and stroked my shoulder.
“He messed with the wrong woman, Heidi. You’re strong, and you have devoted friends. We have connections, too, and he’s about to find that out.”
“Heidi…” Livy sounded strangled, as if she couldn’t get enough air. She stood and crossed the room, leaning down to give me a hug. Soon her sisters followed.
“You’re the most resilient, strong woman I know, and that’s saying a lot because Evie is my sister.” She hugged me too. Evie was next.
“I’m so sorry, Heidi. I’m a judgmental bitch, and I hope you’ll forgive me.”
“Of course I will.”
They smothered me in hugs and support. I was going to be just fine. I was no longer alone in this world. I had a family, and I had a loyal, loving man by my side.
Epilogue
~~Heidi~~
Heidi and I sipped lattes in the coffee shop at the practice facility. We were drinking Captain Dash’s Blend, and Everly, who managed the roasting company, was developing additional blends named after the players. She’d warned me I might be next. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
We were meeting Addison for a briefing on the Rufe situation. She’d been closely involved since the incident a week ago.
Rookie camp started yesterday, and I’d be busy with training camp in a few days. While I loved the start of hockey season, I was nervous about leaving Heidi while on road trips. I asked her to move in with me, but she hadn’t given me an answer yet. I’d pointed out she’d be able to ride horses regularly, which only sweetened the pot.
