Protecting Lyndley (13 page)

Ky

As much as it hurt to see the look on her face when I told her I wasn’t going running with her, I needed to get back to me. I needed to remember what I was doing here in the first place. My job was to protect her and as long as my heart was wrapped up in her, it was going to cloud my judgment. Unfortunately, this was a decision I had to make and stick with.

I paced back and forth across the living room, practically wearing a line in the carpet. She had been gone for exactly twenty-four minutes and every second that passed, I became more and more worried. I knew she was in good hands with Ruger, but a part of me couldn’t seem to settle down enough to let her be. I was used to being the one that took care of her, not Ruger.

I pulled back the curtains, glancing out across the vast fields when I caught sight of her. My eyes zeroed in on her gorgeous face and roaming eyes, as she ran past. I wasn’t exactly sure what she was looking for, but a large part of me was hoping it was me. I could feel my heart rate pick up as her gaze made its way over to me, and I quickly pulled the curtains back in place. I closed my eyes and let out an exasperated sigh as I leaned my head back against the wall. No matter what I did, this girl invaded my every waking thought and I wasn’t exactly sure how I was going to get past this.

A few minutes later, I heard the front screen door open. My heart jumped into my throat and my heart began to race as the thought of seeing Lyndley out of breath and sweaty. She was already hot as hell, but right after she had been running, she looked absolutely stunning. Unfortunately for me, it was Ruger who came walking through the door, not Lyndley.

“Hey man. What’s going on?”

“Nothing much. I thought you were keeping on eye on Lyndley?” I was a little annoyed by the fact that he was so nonchalant about the whole situation.

“She’s waiting for me over by the barn. I just came in to get her a bottle of water. What’s wrong with you?” He took a long pull off his beer bottle and my mouth began salivating. “Sorry, man. You want?”

I didn’t hesitate to answer. “That would be great. Thanks.”

I took one sip and realized just how much I had missed the cool amber liquid coating my insides and making me feel numb to it all. I quickly downed the rest of the bottle in my hand and made my way over to the fridge to grab another. “You don’t mind, do you?”

“Not at all. Whatever I have in this house is yours as well. Make yourself at home.”

“Thanks, man.” I headed back over to the couch with a new bottle and sat my exhausted ass down, propping my feet up on the coffee table in the process.

“All right, well I’m headed back outside. If ya need anything, just holler.” He tipped his hat to me
, and then walked out of the room.

I flipped through the channels as I stared aimlessly out the opposite living room window from the one I had seen Lyndley through. All the windows were open and I knew her laugh the minute I heard it. It was the sweetest melody I had ever heard, and I instantly wanted to be the one making her laugh. I downed the rest of my beer and went to grab another, when the front door swung open again.

“I’m just grabbing another one. You want one, Ruger?” When I glanced behind me, it wasn’t Ruger that was standing against the counter staring at me.

“I’m good, but thanks for asking.” Disgust and contempt dripped from every word.

“Sorry, I thought you were-“

“Ruger? Yeah, I got that much. Too bad, you’re stuck with lil ole me.” She smirked.

“I’m okay with that.” I muttered under my breath.

“So…you’re back to drinking again, huh?”

I finished my sip and smiled over the lip of the bottle. “It would appear so.”

“Well good for you.” She grimaced.

“Did you come in here just to harass me, Lyndley?” I took another sip. “Not that I mind, I was just curious how long you were going to berate me for?”

Her hands went straight to her hips and she started tapping her foot. “You know, this persona you’ve created for yourself is far inferior to who you really are. You’re portraying yourself as an even bigger asshole than you really are.”

“Honestly Lyndley, all I heard was…blah, blah, blah. If ya wanna bitch at someone, could you go bitch at Ruger?”

“
Is this really how it’s going to be now?”

I grabbed another beer and opened it right in front of Lyndley’s face. “Apparently so. So if you don’t mind, I’m a little busy.”

She let out a loud grunt, and then stormed off outside. I counted down the seconds until the door slammed and just like clockwork, it was five seconds after she had walked away. Whatever her problem was, it had nothing to do with me. At least that’s what I was telling myself.

I was starting to feel a little tipsy and knew if I kept on drinking, that I was going to end up saying or doing something I would most definitely regret the next morning. I stood to grab another beer and almost fell into the side table, but caught myself on the wall. Laughter erupted through the open space, vibrating off of every wall.
I laughed the entire way to the fridge, waiting for someone to join in with me, but quickly realized that I was alone.

I shrugged my shoulders, grabbed another beer, and then started making my way upstairs to my room. At least if I was confined to my own space, I was least likely to get myself into trouble. Little did I know that
trouble,
would come finding me.

Lyndley

When I approached Ruger after my little run in with Ky, I was livid. No, I was beyond livid. I had no idea how I could have ever thought that it was love with that arrogant asshole. Every time I tried to make an effort with him, he turned right back into the prick I had met in the first place. Well this time, I was done. I wasn’t going to let him treat me like this one second longer.

“Hey, sweetheart. What’s wrong?”

I pointed back at the house. “That asshole is what is wrong with me.”

“Look, I’m not sure what he said or what has happened between y’all, but maybe you should give him a little break.”

I turned around and looked him right in the face, appalled. “Are you seriously defending him right now?”

Ruger grabbed my hands and held them to my sides. “I’m not defending him by any means. What I am doing, is letting you know that there is more to him than what you see
, or know for that matter.”

“Please enlighten me, Ruger.” I sneered.

“Let’s go sit down for a bit. Follow me.”

As much as I didn’t want to do it, I followed him over to a small wooden bench that overlooked his property. I let out a loud huff as I plopped myself down beside him. “Well…”

“Look, Lyndley. I’ve known Wakely for quite some time now. He’s had a lot of bad things happen in his life. I’m not saying that’s an excuse, I’m just sayin’ that he deserves a chance.”

I was suddenly intrigued. “What do you mean, a lot of bad?”

“It’s not really my place to say.”

“Because I haven’t heard that line before. I don’t care anymore what is or isn’t your place to say. Either you tell me, or I will walk. I’ll go back to my scary little life back in Chicago
in a second. I mean let’s face it, nobody wants me around anyway.” I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes, and I took in a deep breath, willing them to not fall.

I felt Ruger’s arms wrap tenderly around me, pulling my body into his. He smelled of sweat and Old Spice deodorant, and it was surprisingly comforting. As much as I didn’t want to get close to this man, I found myself wrapping my arms securely around his waist as the tears began to steadily fall down my cheeks.

Being in his arms felt entirely different than being in Ky’s. Ky had his moments when he could be a full-fledged asshole, but the chemistry between us was undeniable. As I stood in Ruger’s embrace, I was silently wishing it was Ky who was holding me, and making my tears disappear. I glanced up at Ruger as my tears began to fade, and a small smile fell across his lips.

“Why would you feel as though nobody wants you here, sweetheart?” His voice was sincere, but I couldn’t tell if it was because he felt sorry for me, or because he genuinely cared about my
well being.

“Let’s face it, Ruger. I’m just a job. We all know that.”

His finger dipped below my chin, pulling my face up to meet his gaze. “You my dear girl are
not
just a job.”

My eyes bounced back and forth between his lips and his eyes.
His lips were magnetic and I was finding it hard to resist them. All my life I had played things safe, and I was sick of living my life the way people thought I should. Without another thought, I leaned in and pressed my lips softly against his. I half expected him to pull away from me, just as Ky would, but I was pleasantly surprised when he clutched my face in between his hands and deepened our kiss.

My hands slid up underneath his sweat ridden t-shirt, trying to familiarize myself with his body. His muscles were pulled tight in all the right places, and my body was surging with lus
t with every touch. Just as fast as his hands had gone to my face, they were now reaching down and pulling my legs up around his waist. My insides were filled with butterflies taking flight, and with every kiss my attraction to him grew.

Seconds later, Ruger’s hand
s fell to the waistband of my running pants trying to find their way to my most needy body part. As much as my body wanted this, my mind was busy thinking of Ky. I pulled back out of his embrace, looking down at the ground. I knew if I made eye contact with him, I would change my mind.

“You okay, darlin’?” His voice was doing things to me that no longer felt right.

I shook my head not wanting to answer. “I think I should head inside and take a shower.” I jumped down from the fence he had set me on, and started to walk away.

“Lyndley?”

I turned as I kept walking towards the house. “Yeah?”

“Try talking to Ky about it. I’m sure he would like to tell you himself.”

I wasn’t sure this was true, but I was willing to say okay just to appease him and be on my way. “Okay. Thanks Ruger.”

“Anytime, sweetheart.” He tipped his hat and headed back into the barn.

I watched as he walked away from me, contemplating whether or not I had just made the right decision. Ruger was a good man. A man who wasn’t afraid to show me how he felt, and a man who was willing to protect me and like me all at the same time. Ky on the other hand, well…he didn’t seem willing to do any of those things. At least not from what I could tell.

When I got back to the house, I searched the entire bottom floor for Ky, but he was nowhere to be found. I had almost given up hope in finding him, when I heard his soft voice echoing off of the walls upstairs. I stopped just outside of his door, listening to Ky singing some random song. I wasn’t sure what state of mind he was in, but I was willing to bet he was somewhat inebriated by now. Oh well, now was not the time to walk away from him. No, now was the time to lay
all my cards out on the table.

I knocked lightly against the open door, causing him to stop singing immediately. He glanced
up at me with what appeared to be tears in his eyes. Was he really crying? I shook my head in disbelief. There was no way in hell this tough ass man was shedding a tear for any reason. I sheepishly walked into the room not wanting to scare him away. As I went to take a seat next to him on the bed, he held up his hand to stop me from doing so.

“Lyndley, please don’t.”

“Ky, are you okay?”

“No, Lyndley. I’m not okay. Now could you please go?”

His hands were over his face as he sat hunched over on the side of the bed, so I couldn’t see his face any longer. I turned to leave his room, but quickly stopped and turned back towards him. “No.”

His face shot up, his eyes immediately landing on mine. “Excuse me?”

“I said, no. I’m not leaving until you talk to me.”

“Lyndley, I am trying to be nice here and not say anything I might regret later. But honestly, if you don’t leave my room right this minute I will have to physically remove you.” His tone was serious, and for a brief second I thought he was joking, but when he stood up and stopped just short of running into me, I knew he was dead serious.

“Ky, I’m not leaving.” I stated with conviction this time.

He pushed his hands back roughly through his hair as he let out a loud groan. “Damn it, Lyndley. Why the hell can’t you just listen to me for once? I just need some time.”

“You’ve had plenty of time to sulk, now it’s time to tell me.”

“Tell you what
?”

“Tell me about you, Ky.”

Ky

And that right there was exactly what I was afraid of. I didn’t want Lyndley to know about my past. Hell, I didn’t even want her to know about my recent past. If she couldn’t love me before, she sure as hell wouldn’t be able to love me after she found out about my past. I could tell by the look on her face, that she wasn’t willing to leave until she got the answers she sought.

“Now isn’t a good time, Lyndley. It’s not importan
t why I am who I am. You already know me. I’m the asshole assigned to protect you, right?”

“In this moment, yes you are. And it’s important to me to know who you are. I’m trying here, Ky. I really am. But apparently, I misread the entire situation between us. My mistake. Trust me, I will never make
that
mistake ever again.”

As she turned to leave my room, my hand shot out and clutched onto hers. I wasn’t sure what was going to come of all of this, but I wasn’t willing to give her up just yet. “Wait.” I whispered.

“Why?”

I let out a loud sigh, “Because I need you.”

She turned ever so slightly in my hand. “You don’t need me, Ky. You don’t need anybody, remember?”

I shook my head in response. “Are you sure you
really
want to know, everything?”

She was now facing me, her hands coming up and cradling my face in them. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life, ever.”

I gently pressed my lips against hers and pulled her over to the bed to sit by me. “Where do you want me to start?”

“Anywhere you want.”

“You realize this makes all of this between me and you, real?”

“What if I want this thing between us to be real?”

“Maybe you should wait and ask that after I tell you my story.” I chided. I could tell by the look on her face that she wasn’t exactly sure how to react to what I had said, and that was okay because honestly, I wasn’t exactly sure
how
I wanted her to react.

“Well let’s see.” I laughed nervously.
“I’m an only child. My mother died when I was little and my dad, well let’s just say he wasn’t around much.” I paused to see her reaction.

“Ky, come on.” She slapped my chest and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“I’m sorry. You just looked so serious.”

“I’m
trying
to be serious. If you don’t want to tell me and have an actual conversation with me, then fine. I’ll just leave you be.” She stood up to walk out of the room, but I quickly grabbed her by the hand, pulling her down onto my lap.

“I really am an only child, and my mom really did die when I was young.
I was nine years old when I found her on the bathroom floor. I knew at a very young age that my parents were addicts. My father used to practically drink himself into blacking out, which would in turn leave me alone with my mother who was addicted to heroin. I spent most of my childhood taking care of my mother after she would go on one of her many benders, and then come home and pass out. When my father
was
sober, which was few and far between, I endured the many beatings he would give without ever fighting back. Needless to say, the way
you
grew up looks like a fairytale compared to how I was raised.” I glanced up at her solemn face just as a stray tear rolled down her cheek.

“Don’t cry for me, princess.”

“Don’t call me that. My life may look seemingly perfect from an outsider’s perspective, but trust me, it was anything but.”

“I never meant to make your life seem like something it wasn’t. You asked for my story, and I was just telling it. I tend to make light of the things that are dark. I’m sorry, Lyndley. I never meant to imply that you grew up in a perfect home where nothing ever went wrong.” I pulled her face down to mine. “Forgive me?” Before I let her answer, I lightly pressed my lips against hers.

“You’re forgiven.” She whispered against my lips before sealing them against mine one last time. “Keep going. Please.”

“As you wish.” I chuckled. “
So as you would guess, my father blamed me for my mother’s death. God forbid he blame the drug dealer who supplied her with the dope, or the bastard himself for beating her and her child. I laid by her side for a good twenty minutes before I finally called 9-1-1. I couldn’t tell you why. I guess in some morbid way, it was as though I had the mother I had always known back. If even for a brief second, it was the way I wanted to remember her, not as some junkie who didn’t give a shit about me.”

I could feel myself getting choked up, so I took a second to take a few deep breaths before I continued. I could feel Lyndley’s hand gripping my hand tighter with every word I spoke. I was amazed at how much I was willing to tell her, but she was the one person who made me feel like an actual human being and not some fuck up who grew up far too early in life. She was the light at the end of my dark and twisted tunnel.

“Anyway, after they took my mom away things with my father hit an all time low. Nobody thought to take me out of my father’s care, given the fact that he was my father, but little did they know that the state in which they would find me in one day, would be a state you should never find a child in. My father’s drinking only got worse and the beatings became more frequent. I dealt with them as long as I could and I never told a single soul. I would go to school and play with my friends as though life at home was just as peachy as everyone else’s home life.”

“Oh my god, Ky. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be, Lyndley. I’m a stronger person today because of all of it.” I wasn’t exactly sure if I agreed with what I was saying to her, but I had to if I wanted to keep my sanity about it all.

She lifted my face up to hers. “Ky what happened to you is
not
okay. Where is your father now?”

Ah and there was the question I was so hoping she wouldn’t ask, because the answer was far more complicated than I wanted to admit to anyone, especially her.

“He died. When I was twelve he was murdered.” I looked deep into her eyes, praying that I wouldn’t have to elaborate any further. “After that, I went to live with my aunt in South Carolina. She took good care of me and such, but I rebelled. I got into a lot of trouble, drank until I couldn’t anymore, and stayed as far away from any sort of relationship with pretty much anybody. The only serious relationship I’ve ever had ended a few months ago, give or take.”

“And who may I ask was this girl?” She let out a small laugh and I knew that she genuinely wanted to know, and not because she was jealous.

“Her name is Olivia. I met her my senior year of high school. We instantly clicked. Her home life was pretty messed up to, so we bonded over horror stories and such. She was a cool girl. When I asked her to marry me I honestly thought that we would get married one day. Unfortunately, she said yes, but then changed her mind once I took the Marshal position. She thought my job was too dangerous and asked me to choose. I always told myself that the right girl would never ask that of me, so she left. And I haven’t spoken to her since.”

“
I’m so sorry.”

“There’s no reason to be. Everything happens for a reason, Lyndley.”

“Ky, how was your father murdered?” Curiosity was imminent in her tone, and I knew what she was asking.

“Lyndley, I ha-“

Before I could finish my sentence, the sound of a gun going off and shattering glass, filled the tiny bedroom we were currently occupying. I quickly slid Lyndley off of my lap and down onto the floor, throwing myself on top of her to shield any other shots that may be fired. Flashes of red cluttered my vision as I frantically glanced around the room at the damage. When I couldn’t find the cause of all the blood around us, I began to freak out.

What felt like minutes later, but was most likely only seconds, I found the origin of the now pool of blood beneath us. It was coming from Lyndley. She had been shot. I started ripping her clothing from her body trying to find the exact entry wound, but with all the blood it was proving to be far more difficult than I had originally thought.

I looked down at her pale face just as her eyes fluttered shut. “Lyndley, wake up. LYNDLEY! YOU HAVE TO WAKE UP NOW! Son of a bitch.” I pulled down the strap of her workout shirt and found the wound that was profusely bleeding. I reached behind me and pulled my shirt over my head. I shoved it into place, covering the bullet hole that hit just below her left shoulder. I applied as much pressure as I could, but the blood was quickly seeping through the thin fabric.

“RUGER!” I shouted his name as loud as possible
, but didn’t hear any footsteps coming up the stairs. “FUCK! Lyndley, I need you to hang on. Please Lyndley. Please hang on, for me.”

I heard a few more shots go off outside, but none that were aimed at us. I crawled over to the window, pulling Lyndley along with me as I tried to keep as much pressure on her wound as I could
while doing so. I pulled the gun out from behind my back and peered over the ledge of the now blown out window. I couldn’t see anybody in the back anymore, but I could still hear shots in the distance.

“RUGER!” I tried yelling for him one last time
, before I finally picked up Lyndley’s limp body and made my way downstairs. At this point I was willing to shoot anybody I had to, to get this girl to safety. Just as I reached the bottom of the stairs, Ruger came into view.

“Where did she get hit?” He was out of breath and I could tell he had been taking the brunt of the gunfire outside.

“Just below her shoulder. She needs to get to a hospital.”

“I don’t think that’s the best idea.”

“I don’t give a shit what you think, Ruger. She’s going to die if she doesn’t get medical attention soon, so if you don’t want me to shoot you in the process, you might wanna get out of my way.” I tried to push past him, but he stood his ground.

“I can fix her up
here. I used to be an EMT. Take her in that back room. I’ll be there in just a second.”

I glanced b
ehind me and without hesitation ran into the room he had just pointed at. The room was all white and smelled exactly like a hospital. There was a gurney in the middle of the room and the walls were lined with all sorts of gauze, padding, wraps, bandages, medications and who knew what else. I gently placed Lyndley down on the gurney and applied pressure to the wound.

“Okay, I need you to cut her top off so I can have better access to the wound.” Ruger handed me scissors and as much as I knew she would kick my ass for it later, I made quick work of cutting off her top, exposing her entire torso.

“What is this place?”

“Given the job we do and the fact that I’m out in the middle of nowhere, let’s just say it’s helpful to have a room like this.” He laughed. “
Okay, now grab the package of sterile utensils on that wall.” He pointed to the wall behind me. “Now hand me the scissors that look like tweezers.” I handed them over and quickly grabbed a pair of gloves from the stack that he had thrown down on the metal table next to us. “Okay, you ready?”

I nodded, uncertain of whether or not I really was. “What do you need me to do?”

“Just listen to everything I say and don’t hesitate. Not even for a second, or we risk the chance of losing her.”

“Okay. Ready.”

“Move your shirt on the count of three. One, two, three.” I pulled back my blood soaked shirt and immediately blood began pooling on her chest and dripping off of her in every direction. Ruger quickly stuck the tweezer like scissors into the open wound, searching for the bullet. This was one moment I was thankful that Lyndley was passed out, and couldn’t feel or hear anything that was going on.

“Got it.” Ruger stood there with the bullet in hand. “Hand me the thread and needle.” I did as he asked and stood back in amazement as he stitched up her wound. When he was done, I grabbed a stack of gauze and pressed it firmly aga
inst her skin before securing them in place with the medical tape he had handed me. “Now we just wait for her to wake up. I’m going to give her a shot of morphine, just so she doesn’t wake up in excruciating pain. Let’s get her wiped up and covered, and then I need to show you something.”

I nodded in agreement as I made my way over to the small sink in the corner with a st
ack of towels. I quickly wet them down, and then proceeded to clean off all of the blood from Lyndley’s chest and neck. After I was done, I laid a blanket that Ruger had given me on top of her, and then washed myself up. I walked over to Lyndley’s lifeless body and bent down low to her ear.

“Come back to me, princess. Be the strong girl I know you to be, and come back to me.” I pressed a soft kiss to her forehead and then made my way out of the room, looking back at her beautiful sleeping form.

Ruger was waiting for me outside the door when I exited the room, making sure to close the door behind me. I tossed my shirt in the wastebasket as we headed out towards the living room, and went to go upstairs to grab another, but Ruger grabbed my shoulder to stop me.