Protect Me (Rivers Edge Book 4)(2)

I am free.

I'm finally free.





Chapter One


Nate


Present Day




Why does the thirty-minute drive home always feel like an hour? Maybe  it's the fact that it's well after six in the morning? Or maybe it's the  fact that I just got off another twenty-four hour shift? How about that  I've had very little to no sleep? Take your pick.

I yawn loudly as I pass the warm "Welcome to Rivers Edge" sign. Rivers  Edge sits along the Missouri River and is home to seven thousand of the  nosiest people in the state of Missouri. Everyone knows everything about  everyone. There's no such thing as secrets in a town like Rivers Edge.  Want to know something about anyone in town? Just walk up to the beauty  shop or stop by the hardware store around three o'clock in the afternoon  when the older men gather in the backroom for coffee. You'll learn  plenty about everyone in town, including yourself, that you probably  didn't even know.                       
       
           



       

But for all the gossip and drama that comes with a small, close-knit  town, you also get plenty of positive. Neighbors who know your name and  offer help no matter what time of day. Local small businesses who  support each other and strive to provide quality product. People who  wave as you pass on the street or say "hello" as you pass on the  sidewalk. Rivers Edge is a friendly community and for all the times I've  thought about getting the hell out, I just can't see myself leaving.

Which is why I drive thirty minutes one-way to my regular, full-time  job. I am a Lieutenant with Company 732 of the St. Charles Fire  Department. I love it. Fighting fire is all I've ever wanted to do. It's  not the glory or the status. It's the satisfaction of a job well done.  It's the challenge. The fight.

I also volunteer for the Rivers Edge Fire Department where, last month, I  was promoted to Captain. The entire squadron took me out for drinks  afterwards to Jack's Pub to celebrate. That's also where I was  introduced to the lovely Vicki. She helped me celebrate - after hours.  I've enjoyed the company of Vicki three times in the past few weeks.  She's a yoga instructor at the fitness center in town and believe me  when I say, she's bendy as fuck!

As I start to pass by the buildings of our downtown district and  continue along Main Street, I can't help but let my imagination wander  towards Vicki's lean legs and flat stomach. The woman has a model-thin  figure with small, perky tits. Though Vicki and I aren't anything  exclusive - hell, we aren't even dating - I haven't really had the  desire or need to fill my bed with the ever-present stream of women  eager to jump a fireman. Seriously, it's so easy, it's sickening. Tell a  few ladies that you're a fireman and the panties practically evaporate  into thin air.

I've never had any trouble finding a date. I'm a six foot two fireman  with sandy blond hair and blue eyes with a little green mixed in. The  dimple I have in my right cheek pretty much ensures me that I get plenty  of phone numbers. Throw in some badass tattoos, and my baby - a  metallic blue 1969 Ford Mustang with a silver racing stripe and a  three-fifty-one on the column. When you drive a classic muscle car, it  practically ensures that you get plenty of pussy.

This lifestyle has suited me just fine for years. I have no desire to  settle down. Definitely not like my older brother, Jake. He met his  fiancée, Erin, eighteen months ago, and they are going to be married in a  few weeks. Actually, they went to school together years and years ago  and reunited when Erin moved back to town. Jake was the ultimate player  before Erin came along. Was being the keyword there. Now, Jake goes  home, removes his balls, and hands them to Erin every night for safe  keeping in her purse. They snuggle and watch chick flicks and shit. It's  nauseatingly domestic.

My youngest brother, Travis, got married almost a year ago. But,  honestly, that one didn't surprise me as much. Travis has always been  the softer Stevens brother. His wife, Josselyn, showed up one day and  announced she was pregnant after a one-night stand the night Avery and  Maddox got married. Of course, Travis and Josselyn weren't married at  the time. Hell, they didn't even really know each other. My nephew,  Grant, is the shit. Coolest little dude ever. I love that little guy  like he's my own. He'll be a year old in a few short months, and I can't  wait to spoil the crap out of him. Hell, I do that now. Pisses off his  dad - which is one of the main reasons I do it.

Will is a paramedic and a couple of years younger than me. He's also the  only other single one left which, I guess, kinda bonds us together and  shit. Will is quiet and more reserved. Not like me. But, we have the  same work ethic. Work hard. Work often. Do your job right. Hell, we're  all like that. It's one of the best qualities we inherited from our dad.

Finally, there is Avery. She is married to Maddox who happens to be  Jake's best friend. You should have seen the shit hit the fan when Avery  and Maddox started sneaking around behind everyone's back. It got ugly  for Maddox. Ugly in the form of a black and blue eye and swollen face.  Avery found herself pregnant with my niece, Brooklyn - or Bean as we all  like to call her - when she was only eighteen. Wanna elevate my blood  pressure to stroke level? Start talking about her loser ex-boyfriend,  Drake Connor. Thankfully, we don't have to worry too much about him. Oh,  he's still around and we run into his ugly mug every once in awhile,  but we don't have to worry about him causing trouble for Avery and  Brooklyn. The second the marriage certificate was signed, Maddox started  the adoption process. Bean is Maddox's daughter in every way that  counts.                       
       
           



       

This past March, Avery gave birth to my other nephew, Ryder. He looks  just like Maddox with his dark hair, yet with Avery's blue eyes. On  Sunday, I got to roll around on the floor with him. He's so close to  crawling it's not even funny. I can't wait to sit back and watch when he  officially becomes mobile and starts terrorizing their home.

As I approach the heart of downtown Rivers Edge, I see the lights  already on inside of Purely Sweet, the small bakery that my mom started  almost two decades ago. Mom recently decided to step back from the  business, turning it over to my little sister. I haven't stopped in to  say hello lately. When Mom worked the morning shift, I always stopped on  my way home from work to steal a cinnamon roll and a cup of decaf. With  Avery still learning the ropes, I've tried to give her some space,  especially because she's not exactly a morning person. Plus, I've been  so damn exhausted lately that I thought it'd be best to just bypass the  bakery all together and head home to pass out. I know she's looking to  hire someone to open the store for her. Her plan is to work the  midmornings and afternoons while the kids are in school or daycare.

I yawn again as I pull up in front of the bakery. It's barely six-thirty  in the morning and the front door is still locked, though it should be  unlocked any minute. I head down the block, around the corner, and down  the alley towards the back entrance.

When I reach the back door, I wrap my large paw around the doorknob and  give it a push. I'm instantly assaulted by the scent of vanilla, sugar,  and coffee. Mom's recipes for sweet rolls, cakes, and cookies are  legendary in this town. Avery made no changes to the menu or the  recipes. Hell, she grew up on these recipes that have been in our family  for generations and wouldn't change a measurement a fraction of a unit.

I step through the doorway and walk into the large, warm kitchen. The  small stereo over the sink is playing some twangy country crap, but I  don't see Avery anywhere. I walk through the kitchen and head towards  the front where the display cases and a handful of small tables are  located. Just as I start to push through the swinging door and into the  front room, I hear a small noise behind me like a floorboard squeaking. I  slowly start to turn around when … Wham-O! Something very large and very  hard slams into the side of my head. I turn around fully, wondering what  in the hell just happened, when I catch another solid blow to the back  of my skull. Pain vibrates through my entire head and down my body  causing me to drop to my knees instantly.

"What the hell!?" I shout. I stare at the blurred figure in front of me.  It's definitely a woman, but for some reason, I see three of her.

The woman drops the pan on the floor, terror written all over her  beautiful face, and starts to back away. She's ready to bolt, I can see  it even through the haze. She's shaking like a leaf, her bluish gray  eyes filled with fear.

I shake my head to try to clear the fog and reach out for her. She turns and runs towards the back door.