Leslie shrank away from him and he advanced another step, his face twisted into a nasty sneer. He pushed her against the wall, pinning her there with his body, his foul breath hot against her face. Without thinking, her hands tightened around the mag light in her hands. As he closed in further, intent on kissing her, she suddenly swung it as hard as she could, clocking him squarely against one ear.
The metal made a horrible cracking sound against his skull and he cried out, then fell to the ground. Leslie looked down at him in horror as blood starting seeping into the straw that remained on the otherwise dirt floor. She dropped the bloody flashlight and ran screaming from the barn for help. Several of the shifters came running, including Tucker.
“What happened?” he asked, bending over the man briefly before another shifter pushed him away in order to get in and provide medical aid.
“He had me trapped in the corner. He tried to assault me,” she gasped, near tears.
She was shaking all over, terrified by what she had done as much as she was about what he had been saying to her. Tucker pulled her to him and hugged her, stroking her hair in an attempt to calm her.
“Is he alive?” she said, her voice barely more than a whisper.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m taking you home.”
“But what if he’s dead? I can’t just leave if I’ve killed someone.”
“Yes, you can. It was self-defense and you are on pack property. You’ll be protected by the pack.”
“I should stay,” she said, trying to look around him, to see what was happening.
“No. I’m taking you home, Leslie. I’ll come back and deal with this once you are settled in.”
She didn’t argue, instead walking to the car and taking a seat on the passenger’s side. She turned, once again, toward the barn, trying to get a look at what was happening. The crowd around the front opening had grown, keeping her from seeing anything at all. Tucker slipped behind the wheel and started it up, making a rapid retreat toward home. She sobbed and he let her, only reaching to hold her hand with his free one.
It was only once they were home that he sat down to talk with her, grabbing her some tissues and a bottle of water on their way up to his room where it was private. He eased her down on the edge of the bed and sat down beside her, saying nothing until she had sipped some of the water and wiped away the tears and snot collected on her face.
“Can you tell me exactly what happened?”
“I’ll try.”
Leslie relayed what had gone on, trying not to cry again. She could tell he was getting angrier with every word but was trying to keep himself calm for her sake. When she was done, he took her hands and looked at her, his eyes locked on hers.
“You did the right thing. He is one of Marshall’s guys from what I can tell. All these little questions we’ve both been getting from people are not incidental. They are being fed to people who still support him. He is in contact with some of them. I don’t know exactly how many, but I’ve managed to figure out some of them from the questions they’ve asked and their actions.”
“Do you think it will get worse?”
“I don’t know, but we have to be careful. I asked the agency about the marriage license like we talked about and the reverend on our marriage certificate does exist and will back up our story. He’ll even marry the couple if they take it that far.”
“That’s so crazy. They really cover all the bases, don’t they? Hopefully, all of them, anyway.”
“I think we are well insulated. Still, Marshall is going to try to cause trouble in any way that he can. I’m going back out there to put an end to this nonsense right now.”
“What will you do?”
“Just let me worry about that, Leslie. I know how to handle these people. I should have already done so, but I was still trying to flush out the bad apples. I will shut it down right now. You just get calmed down. Spend some time with the girls or go for a walk. Take your mind off it.”
“What if he’s dead?” she asked, still bothered by that.
“He’s probably not. He’ll just have a headache tomorrow, but he’s going to have it far away from our club or he’ll wish he had left while he had the chance. I will not tolerate a member of my own pack coming after my family.”
Despite how bad she felt now, she found herself touched by his reference to her and the girls as his family. It was nice to hear him say that; he gave her a warmth that only continued to grow with every day she spent with him, even in a dark hour like she currently found herself. The momentary happiness of knowing this man accepted her and her girls more than their own father had was eclipsed by her dismay. What if she had killed a man? He might be able to make the problem go away as the leader of the pack, but how did she live with what she had done? Yes, he had been about to attack her, or so she thought, but could she ever be sure?