Break Down Here: A Country Romance Read online

  “I can’t imagine leaving.” She met his eyes. “I’m in love with you, actually. For a long time, I didn’t recognize the feeling.” One shoulder lifted in a shrug. “I was unfamiliar with the emotion.”

  When he started to speak, she placed the tips of her fingers over his mouth. “Wait. I don’t love you because of everything you’ve done for me. I love you for all the things you haven’t done.”

  “What do you mean,” his voice was barely audible.

  “For hugging me gently when you wanted to hold me tight. For not kissing me when I know you would have if I’d been anyone less screwed up. For not seducing me when given the opportunity and permission. For not dating when I can see that you’re lonely.”

  Squeezing his hand, she cupped his face with her other hand. “Most of all, I love you for never expecting me to love you, even though I think you love me, too.”

  Chapter Seven

  Madison wasn’t surprised when Xander reached out to pick her up and set her over his lap. He crushed her against him with his face against her neck. He sat, just holding her for a long time. Her arms were around his shoulders, his on her back, his hands splayed wide as if he needed to touch as much of her body as he could.

  When he raised his head to look at her, his eyes were filled with hope. “I wanted you to choose to love me. Are you sure, Madison?”

  She nodded and held his face in her palms. Their first real kiss, he let her lead and set the pace.

  It was a little thing that she greatly appreciated. There was no doubt in her mind that Xander was normally the alpha in his relationships. Unlike the man who’d all but held her hostage for three years, the man her heart had chosen was secure in who he was and didn’t need to prove his strength.

  Simple affection, touching and kissing him, was a novel experience for her. She explored his mouth with small sucking kisses, nipping and licking, her tongue dipping in to twine with his.

  The power in his hands was clear but all he did was hold her, hug her. His fingers reached up to stroke over her hair and she pulled back to look at him. She played with the hair at the base of his neck and his smile gave her butterflies in her stomach.

  “You being mine is all I’ve thought about for almost a year.” His palm settled against the side of her face. “I wanted you to see, to know, that you were safe with me.”

  “I have a lot of baggage, Xander…”

  “No, you have a criminal stalking you. I talked to Abby and her man while I was in Boston. I’d like you to hear me out and I hope you trust me enough to protect you, Madison.”

  “I do. Tell me.”

  He stroked over her shoulders and down her arms. “I made some calls to a friend of mine. He’s a United States Marshal.” Terror shot through her before she could stop it. “Wait. It’s going to be okay. I give you my word.”

  Inhaling carefully, she nodded.

  “He made some quiet inquiries out in Reno. That son of a bitch is still living in the house that belongs to you.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me.” She swallowed hard. “He wasn’t good with his own money. After…the first time, he showed up the next day with a suitcase. He moved in and I didn’t know how to stop it from happening.”

  Glancing off over the meadow, watching Biscuit chase a butterfly, she thought back to the first few days. “I was afraid to call any of the guys my dad worked with and I looked bad.”

  “One thing I need you to believe is that none of this was your fault, Madi. He’s a sociopath.”

  Closing her eyes, she remembered scrambling the first time Jason went to work, racing to the attorney who handled her parents’ estate. “I was able to protect the money our parents left us, the life insurance, and the little bit of stocks Mom used to buy.”

  She laughed bitterly. “We weren’t rich but they died close together and both of them had life insurance through their jobs and more that they purchased privately. Dad, he was always worried about making sure we’d be okay if anything happened to him.” Gathering her close, Xander hugged her, soothed her. It was only then that she realized she was crying.

  With her forehead against his neck, she whispered, “He took over the house, started driving my car, and sold everything of value. All my dad’s tools, my mom’s jewelry, anything that wasn’t nailed down. After I got Abby out, I saved myself. The stuff didn’t matter but I wish I could have grabbed more of our keepsakes from when we were kids, more of the photos.”

  “Getting out was more important than anything else. You made it and stuff can be replaced.”

  “I took the photos in the den. It was on the first floor and I could see the front of the house. I was afraid to go upstairs for the others.” She sat up and met his eyes. “You have a plan.”

  “I will never do anything to put you in danger but he can’t be allowed to get away with what he’s done, Madison. He takes whatever he wants and brutalizes women while he hides behind a badge. It can’t go unpunished. Men like him give all law enforcement a bad name not to mention how wrong it is.” He brushed her ponytail over her shoulder. “You probably weren’t his first victim. I doubt you’ll be his last.”

  Her eyes widened and she put her hand over her mouth to stop the scream that wanted to escape. “I never thought…I never considered. If he doesn’t have me, h-he’ll find someone else. Oh my god, I’m so stupid!”

  “No. You took one day at a time and you survived, Madison. Now, we have to stop him so he doesn’t hurt anyone else and so you can live your life in the open, without fear.” She watched him take a deep breath. From what you’ve said, he was after you before your parents died. He’s been fixated on you for a long time and there’s a chance he’ll never give up looking for you.”

  He held her face. “I want you to be able to visit your sister and your grandmother without being scared out of your mind. That piece of shit can’t be allowed to take another day from you.”

  “You’re right. I know you’re right.” She nodded. “You want to lure him here, don’t you?”

  “I want to involve a couple of the guys I work with and my marshal friend. I’ll try to arrest him but I’m not above putting him down like a rabid dog. I’d never lose one minute of sleep over it after what he’s done.”

  “I’m afraid but…I trust you, Xander.”

  “No more upset today. Let me take you to lunch. I want you smiling and laughing so I can kiss you some more.” He grinned. “I could kiss you forever.”

  “More please.”

  They sat in the dappled shade of an Alabama summer day and Madison held the man she loved. He kissed her, hugged her, and talked to her until the knot in her chest began to ease.

  Then he took her into town and bought her lunch. By the time the sun was going down, she’d calmed down a lot. She was ready to put together a plan.

  “Let’s figure out how to do this.” He held her in the circle of his arms and told her what he wanted to do. When she drifted to sleep around midnight, he carried her to her bed. “Stay, Xander. Don’t leave me.”

  He stretched out beside her and she admitted that her fear couldn’t compete with how safe he made her feel. Her last thought was how good he smelled.

  * * *

  Xander listened to Madison’s steady breathing and soaked up the way she felt in his arms. He wanted her past resolved so he could make her his wife. She deserved to have her name back.

  He knew what was coming. After talking to his contacts, he had suspicions that he was certain she hadn’t considered. Jason had taken everything from her for three years and he was about to be baited to a little town in the middle of Alabama.

  One thing was certain. His woman’s tormentor was either leaving in handcuffs or a body bag…and he wouldn’t examine his personal preference too closely.

  Chapter Eight

  Two weeks later…

  “I knew you’d be hurting for money eventually, Madison. If I waited long enough, I knew it would lead me to you.” Jason wore a mocking smile as he en
tered the diner a few minutes before closing.

  Madison filled ketchup at the long counter and tried to control the shaking of her hands. He slid into a booth without a care in the world. The place was empty.

  Reba walked out of the back and he growled dangerously, “Go find something to do, old woman. Get the fuck out of here. Take anybody else still here with you.” She backed around the wall and disappeared. He gestured casually to the other side of the booth. “Get your ass over here and don’t make me tell you twice.”

  She took her time capping the bottle she was filling, closed the big jug, and wiped her hands on a damp towel. Inhaling deeply, remembering that this man could no longer hurt her, she walked out from behind the counter and crossed the small dining area.

  His eyes never left her. “Hurry the fuck up. You know better.”

  Sliding into the booth, she folded her hands in her lap and asked, “What do you want, Jason?”

  His eyes bulged in his face and she remembered how she used to tell herself to back away when they got like that. “What do I…are you fucking kidding me right now? What do I want? I want you where you belong. It’s not what I want, it’s what I’ll damn well have.”

  “I would rather not.”

  “That whole thing with the guys was a big misunderstanding.”

  An insincere smile crossed his face and she knew he was about to try to push her into something horrible…as he’d done many times before. He usually tried to coerce her but he’d turn to manhandling her if she hesitated to agree.

  “They feel bad about how that night went down. They’re out in the SUV, waiting to apologize in person. I wanted you to try something new.” He grimaced. “You got so fucking mouthy and I lost my temper. You know I hate that smart-ass shit. Next time, it will be better.”

  She shook her head and he sat forward, close enough that she could smell the cloying sticking sweetness of his cologne.

  “You belong in Reno, not in some shit-kicking little town in the middle of nowhere.” He used what he considered his sweet voice and Madison worked to control the bile at the back of her throat. “You shouldn’t have run, Madison.”

  “You threatened my little sister’s safety if I didn’t sleep with you. For three years, you beat me, raped me, sold everything in my parents’ house, and tried to get the money they left us.”

  “It wasn’t like that…”

  “Then you and your friends gang-raped me on the kitchen floor where our mother used to make my sister and me breakfast. I ran because you are a monster. I ran because you will never lay hands on me again.”

  She leaned forward in the booth. “Now I’ll ask you again, what the fuck do you want?”

  His fists clenched on the table. “You aren’t putting it all on me, bitch. You used to strut your ass in front of me when your daddy was alive. Then you tried to play hard to get? You don’t tease a grown ass man and get away with it, sweetheart. You make the offer, you best be prepared to back it up or else.”

  Breathing carefully through her nose, she let the silence draw out for a few seconds.

  “I met you the first time when I was thirteen and you were inappropriate for years which is why my mom didn’t want you in our house. Women can say no whenever they want, for whatever reason they want. You’re almost twenty years older than I am! I was a kid, you’re a cop, and you damn well should have known better.”

  Tilting her head slightly, his entire body tensed in fury. “Why were even looking at me that way when I was so young? Are you a child molester as well as a rapist?”

  Jason’s face was almost purple with rage as he told her in the low, evil voice he’d always reserved for her worst beatings, “I’ll make you pay for that, you fucking cunt. The boys and I are going to make you pay hard for a long time.”

  Madison smiled and it reached her eyes for the first time with this man. “You need to watch other guys’ in action to get off yourself?” She laughed as he slammed his fists down on the table. “You’re pathetic. Get out of here, Jason. Go have a psychopath circle jerk with your buddies. I’m selling my house, I’m taking all my money, and you can fuck off.”

  He leaned in and the evil that radiated off his body could almost be smelled. “Let me tell you what’s going to happen, you little bitch. You’re coming with me. One way or the other, you’re going back to Reno. I’ll kill you if I have to but you are going back.”

  He actually winked at her. “Depending on how nice you are on the drive back, I might not kill you. Otherwise, I’ll leave you dead on the side of the road. When we get back, you’re going to get your sister back from Boston because that cunt needs to be punished for humiliating me.”

  Everything inside her went calm and still.

  “You’ll hand over every dime or I’ll kill everyone you know and make you watch.” The maniacal smile that covered his face told her how proud he was of himself. “No one ever suspected about your parents and no one will ever know about the others I’ve taken out.”

  For a moment, her world shifted and she worried that she’d faint. Jason’s strangely giddy laugh was a sharp slap back to reality.

  “What, you never suspected that I took out your fucking parents? You’re pretty dumb, Madison. I had to fuck you and I was sick of waiting to catch you alone. If you’d done what you should have, if you’d returned my calls, they’d still be alive. It’s your fault they’re dead but rigging their car still makes me smile when I think about it.” He wiggled his eyebrows and added, “Boom!”

  “You’re more insane than I realized.” One deep breath and then, “You really do need to be put down like a rabid dog.”

  She took the .38 from her apron pocket, pointed it at him, and cocked the hammer.

  Chapter Nine

  “The look on your face…so shocked. It amuses me.”

  “Put that gun down, you stupid bitch.”

  “How many women have you brutalized you sick fuck? You deserve castration with a rusty knife. After what you and your friends did to me, do you honestly think I’d hesitate to kill you? I’d shoot myself before I’d ever let you touch me again. I found a real man. Not someone like you who has to compensate for your tiny dick and even smaller brain with violence.”

  Through gritted teeth, he told her, “I’m going to get that gun away from you and then I’m going to kill you. No matter what, I got your cherry. I’ll remind you of that as you’re struggling to breathe with my hands wrapped around your throat, squeezing the fucking life out of you.”

  “Fascinating. Being a cop, you’ve taken a lot of pretty stupid risks. You’ve used your position for illegal reasons for years.” Calmly, she added, “If you aren’t put away, I plan to sue the city of Reno as well as the police department for allowing you and your buddies to remain on the payroll. There is no way your psych evaluations don’t reflect your insanity.”

  The door to the diner opened but Madison never looked away from Jason’s face. He was apoplectic with rage. From her peripheral vision, she recognized two of the local policeman. They held Jason’s friends between them and both were in handcuffs.

  “Did I mention that my boyfriend is a police officer here? That’s Jimmy and Dan. Looks like they’ve met your friends…but it doesn’t look as though they like them very much.” She smiled. “Xander has been waiting to meet you.”

  From around the wall that led to the back of the building, Xander walked out in full uniform. He took his time walking across the diner, where he leaned down and kissed Madison’s forehead.

  “You did amazing. The wire picked up everything loud and clear.”

  She never took her eyes away from Jason’s face and saw when he realized everything he’d said with local law enforcement listening. She still hadn’t lowered her gun. He straightened and stared at the man who’d made her life hell for so long.

  “This is Jason. I’d rather not go with him, if you don’t mind.” A third officer slid into the booth behind Jason and held his arms while his gun was removed. “He keep
s a throw-away on his left ankle and a switchblade on his hip.”

  When Jason tried to kick her, she slammed her booted foot down on his and made him yelp.

  “Madi, lower the gun for me.” Xander slid into the booth beside her and whispered. “We have him now and you have a whole new life ahead of you.” She smiled, uncocked the hammer, and put the gun in her apron. He pinched her chin before planting a quick kiss on her lips.

  Jason started thrashing and screaming but Jimmy had taken over holding him and there was no risk of him getting free. Standing, Xander pulled the man who had haunted her from the booth with very little effort. How small Jason was seemed more obvious. He’d hurt her so many times.

  He’d seemed so much bigger.

  Xander’s voice was low and dangerous. “I hoped you’d be bigger, maybe start some shit, but you’re only into violence with women, right? Beating the breath from your body would be like kicking an animal caught in a trap…but don’t tempt me.”

  He put handcuffs around his wrists with a satisfying click and Madi exhaled hard.

  “I’m locking you and your friends up on every charge I can find. Your own people are taking you back to Reno but I’ll keep the charges filed just in case.” He clapped him on the back and said cheerfully, “I filed a formal complaint with your internal affairs department before I asked Madison to withdraw cash at the ATM here in town and call her grandmother from the diner.”

  Smiling, Madison stood and looked Jason in the eye. “We dropped the bait and you took it. An IA officer was sent down from Reno four days ago. The same day you and your friends requested time off, as a matter of fact. He’s been wonderful and I gave him my full statement. He’s in the surveillance van outside, probably making notes about the crimes in Nevada you linked yourself to by bragging. Dumb criminals are the worst.”