Chapter 39 Part 39
Maggie
She chewed on her lower lip as she drove to the ranch. Melody was still with Thomas, and now she was thankful. She’d wanted to grab her last night after telling Asher where to shove it, but common sense had told her to leave Melody.
She’d packed everything they owned because Asher loved her. She believed that they could weather any storm now. He knew her most shameful secret, and she knew some things about the war he’d never told anyone else.
The man in town that was looking for her scared her. She had no idea if it was Sean, himself, or one of his goons. It didn’t really matter; they all scared her. Sean couldn’t know about Melody. She’d left even before she knew she was pregnant.
Before she knew it, she was in front of Asher’s house, and he parked his truck behind hers. He was next to her door in an instant, and opened it. “Go inside. We’ll handle this.”
“We?” As she spoke those words, all four Fitzgerald brothers and Eden, rounded the corner. It seemed Asher had already said something to them because they barely greeted her, and started unloading immediately.
Twenty minutes later, everything had been unloaded, and Thomas had joined them with Melody. Dakota had licked her face, got his ear grabbed, and then she laughed. When she pulled herself up against Asher, he picked her up, and hugged her tightly.
“For all intents and purposes, Melody’s my daughter, and I’ll tell everyone I met Maggie while I was on leave, and cheated on Lorelei.”
“You’re getting married?” Eden’s voice was shrill, but she clapped her hands, and Melody mimicked her.
“There’s more,” Asher said, looking at Maggie.
She took a deep breath, her heart still hammering because of what Asher had said. He was going to claim Melody as his publicly. “I moved to the city when I was 18, and—”
Thomas held his hand up. “You don’t need to give details to anyone.”
“There’s a man in town that’s looking for Maggie; that is the first reason I had her pack her things to come back to the ranch,” Asher said.
“What was the second reason?” Blair asked him.
“Because I love her, so keep your eyes off her,” Asher said. Blair chuckled, and shook his head.
“You still don’t have to give details,” Thomas said.
“I know, Thomas, and I appreciate you saying it, but me being here is a threat to all of you. I’m not sure I feel comfortable with that.”
Colt snorted. “We don’t turn family away here. Whatever trouble’s on the horizon, we’ll handle it together. Finn’s a deputy, Asher was a sniper, heck, all of us can shoot that rifle pretty damn well. Ain’t nobody touching you or Melody on this ranch.”
Maggie closed her eyes, and swallowed the nerves away. “My ex-boyfriend, Sean, forced me into prostitution, and when my only friend died of a drug overdose, I stole his money, and ran. I only found out later that I was pregnant.”
“Get out! All of you!” Asher’s voice was loud and angry. Maggie heard shuffled footsteps and the front door opening and closing. The low growl could only come from Dakota having heard Asher’s tone.
Maggie couldn’t hold her breath any longer, finally exhaling, and gulping in air. She couldn’t look at him, and she was glad that everyone had left. She didn’t want to see the disgust in their eyes, as well. Asher was muttering to himself, but she couldn’t make out the words.
“The bastard forced you into prostitution?”
As Maggie looked up, Asher stepped closer to her. “I was so stupid, Asher. By the time that happened, I was in so deep. I had nowhere to go, no job, and no friends, or family. He said I owed him, and I didn’t know what to do.”
“Colt’s right. He won’t touch you. Nobody will ever touch you.”
“Your brothers and Eden must think I’m trash right now,” she said, as more tears gathered in her eyes.
“You didn’t see the look on their faces. Nobody thinks you’re trash. Do you hear me? You’re not trash.”
The front door opened again, and Asher turned around. The brothers, Eden, and Thomas, shuffled back inside.
“It’s cold outside, and we don’t care what she did in her past. She’s here now, and she’s one of us, so be mad at us later, Asher.”
“I am mad, but not at you, or her,” Asher said, pointing at Maggie.
“So, tell us about this man in town,” Thomas said.
“Tall, lean, light blonde hair, dark brown eyes. He’s about 5’8”, and I guess around 160 pounds. He looks in shape. He knows she lives at the Lansing house. He was on the phone when I overheard him. He was speaking to Sean. He said he’d pay Maggie a visit tonight, and that he’d have his fun with her, but that she would be alive when he delivered her on Sean’s doorstep.”
Maggie sighed with relief, making everyone stare at her. “He doesn’t know about Melody.”
“What are you thinking, Asher?” Thomas asked him.
“Honestly? I’m thinking of holing up at the Lansing house and shooting the bastard when he breaks in.”
“That would be fine. Trespassing can get a man shot around here,” Finn said.
“He doesn’t know she’s here, right?” Thomas looked pointedly at Asher.
“No.”
“If he trespasses in Maggie’s house, and she’s not there, how do you justify shooting the man?”
“If he trespasses on the ranch, it’s a whole other story,” Dylan said.
“We can wait for the bastard,” Blair said.
“There’s that ravine,” Eden said. “We can dump his body there, and nobody would find him until after spring, maybe not even then.”
Maggie watched them with wide eyes. They were calmly discussing shooting this man and getting rid of his body. For her. For Melody. She knew she should be a little disturbed by it, but she couldn’t help but feel loved at that moment.
“Maybe he’ll give up and tell Sean I left when he finds the house empty,” Maggie said, hopefully.
Blair chuckled, and Asher glared at him. “They found you somehow. Did you open any social media accounts? Talk to friends, maybe?”
“No, I have no friends, and the only family I have is all in this room.”
Eden grinned at her, but then her eyes widened, and she looked at Asher. “I registered Maggie’s social security number as being employed at the ranch. Could they have found her through that?”
Asher nodded his head. “Probably. It only means they had a tracer on her identity. It would have notified them wherever she found a job.”