Chapter 20—Illegal Stick

“Shit,” Vi muttered under her breath as the truck blocked their escape. The bastard had come for Steph. A few minutes later, and they wouldn’t have been there to rescue her, but they were here now, and he’d touch Steph over her dead body. Judging by the cold anger in Matt’s eyes, over both their dead bodies.

Steph grabbed Vi’s hand and clutched it so tightly, Vi knew she’d have bruising, not that she cared. God, she hoped the psycho didn’t have a gun.

“Matt, be careful.” Vi watched as Gino stepped out of his truck and swaggered to the SUV. His evil smirk made Vi’s blood run cold.

“I will.” Matt’s eyes were hard and uncompromising, the same look she’d seen on the ice when he was facing a particularly formidable opponent.

She heard the click of the door locks. Steph cowered down in the seat, shrinking into herself.

Matt lowered the window a few inches. “What do you want?”

His menacing tone gave Gino pause. His eyes narrowed as he sized up the man in the driver’s seat.

“Is that traitorous bitch in there?” Gino spat out in a voice dripping with disgust.

“Shhh.” Vi shot Steph a look. Steph swallowed and nodded. She slid off the seat and onto the floorboard, making herself even smaller than she already was.

Matt’s razor-sharp gaze cut through the man in the truck, the same way he intimidated the rookie wingers. Vi almost smiled as she imagined Gino the coward peeing his pants in fear. He thought he was so tough to beat up on someone weaker than him. How did it feel to be confronted by a guy who could take him out with one punch?

“You’re in my way.” Matt’s voice was steely and coldly unemotional. “Move that piece of shit before I call the police, or better yet, take care of you myself.”

“I want my woman.” Gino’s voice wavered for a fraction of a second before his bluster came back full force. “Hand her over.”

“She’s not your woman anymore. Now get the fuck out of my way.”

Gino’s hard eyes flicked to the backseat and briefly met Vi’s then went back to Matt. “You tell that bitch I’ll be looking for her. She’ll be sorry she disrespected me. As if she can do better. She’s nothing but a two-bit whore.”

“Move. The. Fucking. Truck. Now.”

Gino’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down and he turned pale underneath his scruffy beard. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, as if torn between arguing and getting the hell out of there. A second later, he sauntered to his truck and moved out of their way. Matt put the SUV in drive and exited at a leisurely pace.

They were on I-5 before Steph poked her head up and climbed back on the seat. She was sniffling but in decent shape. “Is he following us?”

Matt glanced at the rearview mirror. “Nah. He’s not that stupid.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Vi said sarcastically. Gino was that stupid and arrogant, but a glance over her shoulder didn’t reveal his piece-of-shit truck as they took the off-ramp to Matt’s house.

“Where are we going?” Steph asked in a small voice.

“We’re going to my house. I have plenty of room. You’ll be safe there.” He wasn’t going to be swayed, and within minutes they’d arrived home. Vi took Steph upstairs to show her the spare bedroom with its adjoining bathroom, while Matt went in search of Rod.

As Vi swept open the door to the large, cheery room, Steph stood in the doorway and stared in shock. Matt’s mother had decorated this room in yellows and greens; even the walls were painted a cheerful pale yellow. The window seat had a flowered cushion that matched the bedspread on the queen bed.

“This is—too much. It’s beautiful. I can’t—”

“Of course you can. We’ll talk in the morning about where you go from here.”

“I can’t afford to pay for this.”

Steph patted her friend on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about that right now. Let’s get you taken care of.”

“Do you cook?” Matt asked from the doorway, startling both, which drew a hearty chuckle from him.

“Yes, I’m a good cook.” Steph frowned at him in confusion.

“What kind of stuff? Not that health food crap Vi tries to foist on us, I hope.”

“No, I’m a meat-and-potatoes girl.”

“Merci Dieu.” Matt clasped his hands together and looked to the sky. “You can cook for us to earn your keep if you’d like.”

“Oh, I’d love to.” Steph smiled the first genuine smile Vi had seen on her, possibly ever.

“Good, then, I’ll let Vi get you settled in.” He turned to Vi. His eyes darkening. “I’ll be waiting for you. Don’t be long.”

“I won’t.” She winked at him, and he grinned and walked from the room.

Vi showed Steph where stuff was and pointed out the boys’ rooms down the hall. Luther, not to be ignored, slipped into the room and settled on the bed, his black head on a pillow.

“I hope you’re not allergic to cats.”

“No, not at all.”

“Good night, Steph.”

“Good night, Vi. Thank you. I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to repay you.”

“Stay away from him and get your life back.”

“I will. I promise.”

“I’m going to hold you to that.”

Vi left the room and shut the door. Setting herself free wouldn’t be that simple. Abusive men were like an addiction that was tough to break. Even though it was bad for Steph, when it was good, it felt so good. Abusers were like that.

* * * *

“How’s she doing?” Matt asked after Vi came to bed. He pulled her naked body to his and kissed her shoulder.

“She’s still shell-shocked, but she’ll make it because she’s a survivor.”

“And you know this how?”

“I don’t, but if I can will her to be one, I’ll do just that.”

“Ah, yes, my Violet, rescuer of whales and wayward girls.”

“And one stubborn man.”

“What stubborn man?”

She cocked a brow and tilted her head.

He pointed at his chest in mock innocence and feigned shock. “Who did you rescue me from?”

“From yourself.”

“You have a point.” She’d saved him from a life of routine and boredom by injecting a little spice and spontaneity into everything. The same thing with the boys. They laughed a lot more now and bared their emotions. He had Vi to thank for their improved lives, even if Andy kept asking him to get a tattoo. Not yet, bud, you gotta be eighteen.

“I really do want you to move in, Vi. I want a life with you.”

“What about my baggage?”

“We’ll deal with stuff as it comes up.”

“What? No plan? Just wait until it happens. That sounds like something I’d say.”

“It is.” He laughed heartily, and she joined in.

Vi rolled on top of him and stared down at him. He tried to focus on her face instead of those incredible breasts with their equally incredible flower petal tattoos. He inhaled the heavenly scent of wildflowers.

She was his wildflower, and he never wanted to tame her.