Page 27 of Protected by the Sheriff (Magnolia Falls #2)

Mason

B efore I’m able to open the front door, I see lights and hear sirens as several patrol cars pull into the makeshift driveway of the old ski resort. Policemen and my deputies all exit their vehicles and run to my back.

“I’m going in the front. I want the building surrounded. No one leaves this building unless they are in handcuffs. Locating Olivia is the priority here. When you find her, call me immediately.”

Not knowing what to expect is killing me. We end up having to break the front door down and using flashlights, we enter the building. As I look around the main lobby, I see a rickety table with paperwork on it. There’s blood on the floor in front of the table as well as on the papers.

Picking up the papers, I quickly scan their contents.

The legal jargon outlines the purchase of Olivia’s property by Richards’ Land and Resorts.

I hear the rustling of the pages as I turn them.

A gut feeling told me that weasel was involved when my woman disappeared; his shifty eyes and slimy demeanor screamed guilt.

The signature for the seller is nonexistent, which means Olivia didn’t sign them.

I know she never would, but whoever brought her here must have tried to force her to.

The blood splatter on the floor sends shivers down my spine, and I struggle to stop the ache in my chest. Please don’t let Olivia be hurt.

Shining my flashlight, I continue to investigate the area and follow the trail of blood. There’s a lot streaked across the floor and when I arrive at a set of steep stairs, I see a body lying at the bottom. As I stoop down and flip the person over to see who it is, I’m taken aback when it’s Knox.

Olivia’s friend and employee! Did he try to help her, or is he involved?

With trembling hands, I feel for a pulse, the cold skin a stark contrast to my own, confirming my first impression.

No pulse. The blood pooling beneath the body is coming from a hole in his neck.

Looks like someone hit an artery. Thank God it’s not Olivia’s blood.

My deputies catch up with me and we scour the long hallways, looking into each room but it feels fruitless; there are hundreds of guest rooms. Hearing officers yell “Clear” as they systematically check the empty rooms sends sheer terror through my veins. What if she’s not here?

Finally, I hear someone yell, “She’s here. Walker, get up here.”

Running towards the voice, I see the police chief standing in the doorway to one of the rooms on the second floor.

“Walker, she’s not doing well. We didn’t want to touch her in her state and waited for you.

I will arrange for clean up on the body and get an ambulance out here to look her over.

I’m going to need her clothes for evidence but since you’re law enforcement, I’ll allow you to collect them and bring them into the station. ”

As he steps out of the way, I walk into an old, faded room with a broken bed inside.

Turning towards a sobbing sound, I look inside the closet and on the floor, I see a disheveled Olivia sitting in the corner rocking back and forth and hysterically crying.

Her eyes have a faraway look, as if she’s in another place in her head.

A crimson stain darkens her clothes, her left cheek is swollen, and her lip is split and bleeding.

There is no doubt in my mind that the jerk assaulted my girl.

The disarray of her hair mirrors the state of her makeup; streaks of mascara and foundation stain her face, resembling the dark circles of a raccoon.

“Liv,” I whisper gently. “Baby. Look at me. I’m here, baby girl.”

Olivia’s blank stare meets mine, and then recognition flickers in her eyes, like a spark in the dark. “Mason.” Her voice quivers as she admits, “I hurt Knox.” Each ragged breath hitches in her chest, her words catching and stumbling, lost in a torrent of tears.

“Olivia, it’s okay, baby. I’m here and I’m going to take care of everything. Do you trust me?”

Her chin trembles as she nods yes.

“Was anyone else here?”

“The real estate guy is Knox’s uncle, and it was all part of the plan the whole time. He planted Knox in my business.”

Startled because I never got the impression the two knew one another, let alone worked together, I know I have to take care of Olivia first. She’s emotionally damaged and fragile. It’s clear hurting another human being even though it was self-defense has affected her.

With a slow, deliberate movement, I extend my hand, placing it gently before her. Fearing I may frighten her more, I hold my breath and wait for her to take my hand, the silence heavy between us.

Her hand trembles as she reaches for mine.

She’s obviously in shock, and I know she cared about Knox as a friend.

No matter how much that pisses me off, I don’t enjoy seeing her hurting.

Killing anyone, even a stranger, would have affected her, but for it to be someone she trusted and cared about is just too much for her to bear.

Once she is within reach, I gently wrap my arms around her, lifting her into a bridal-style embrace, her weight secure against my chest. The feel of her soft skin against mine is like a soothing balm.

With a choked sob, she collapses against me, her breath hitching as if a physical weight has been lifted.

Relief floods her face as she finally exhales a shaky breath.

I carry Olivia down the dark stairs, carefully watching my step. There are several other officers walking around, investigating the scene and collecting evidence. When we reach the lobby, the police chief approaches me again.

“I know she’s upset and needs space, but eventually I’m going to need to speak with her at the station about what happened. We need answers.”

“Chief, that’s fine, but it won’t be tonight. Olivia is in shock and needs to get checked over by EMS. I won’t have her any more traumatized than she already is.”

“It looks like self-defense so we can wait, but call me first thing in the morning, Sheriff.”

Giving the police chief a curt nod, I walk out of the dilapidated building, its crumbling plaster and musty odor clinging to my clothes.

We already have EMS and fire on standby, so there’s an ambulance waiting outside.

I carry Liv over to them where they do a quick exam and take her vitals.

The entire time, Olivia sits in silence and looks completely vacant.

The female EMS worker approaches and explains, “Sheriff, the patient’s blood pressure and pulse are elevated; I can feel a rapid heartbeat.

She’s probably suffering from a concussion from the blow to the head and she’s been struck in the face several times.

She’s going to need a CT scan at the hospital.

You’ll need to follow up with a doctor for the concussion. ”

Olivia starts shaking her head back and forth frantically, her eyes wide with fear. “Mason, I need to go home,” she whispers, her voice barely audible.

Leaning forward, I place a kiss on her forehead. “Okay, baby girl. I’m going to take you home.” I know she needs to go get a scan, but I think she can make it until the morning when we have to go to the station and answer questions.

“Thank you,” I say to the EMS worker as I lift Olivia back into my arms.

Reaching my car, I gently place Liv in the passenger seat, the familiar click of the buckle a comforting sound as I secure her.

The entire drive home, she stares straight ahead, her gaze unfocused, the silence punctuated only by the hum of the car’s engine and the rhythmic thump of the tires on the road.

There are so many questions racing through my mind but right now, Liv is in no shape to answer them. Seeing her huddled up in that closet makes me wonder how long she was there, in shock and scared, before I arrived.

Turning my head to look at her, I try to engage her in conversation. “Are you okay, Liv baby?”

Silence.

“I need you to respond in some way, darlin’. You’re scaring the hell out of me right now. I feel like I’m losing you.”

A fresh wave of grief washes over her, and she cries again, her sniffles punctuated by the occasional shuddering breath. “Mason, I ended his life,” she whispers. “I only meant to disable him long enough for me to escape.”

Pulling over on the side of the road, I unbuckle my seat belt and turn to grab Olivia by her shoulders. Turning her body towards mine, I use a finger to lift her chin until our eyes meet. “Baby, you survived. There’s nothing wrong with that. You did nothing wrong.”

“But he was my friend,” she cries harder.

“Olivia, Knox was not your friend. He pretended to be your friend to get something he wanted, but make no mistake, he was a predator. Your enemy. Anyone who tries to hurt you is not a friend. Do you understand that he’s the one who did wrong? You had every right to defend yourself.”

“It just hurts so badly. I never thought I’d take another person’s life, and I don’t know how to live with this.”

“You will live with it because I’m at your side, and we will get through this together.” I pull her closer, the warmth of her body against mine igniting a fire as I kiss her with a ferocity that mirrors the desperation in my heart. Once I pull away, a sharp gasp escapes her lips, her eyes wide.

“What about Bryan Richards? Oh my God, Mason. Will he come after me?”

“Let’s get you home, and I want you to tell me exactly what happened in that lodge. Every detail. I’m going to get extra security, and we are going to find this asshole. I won’t stop until you’re safe.”

Once we pull into my driveway, I walk around and unbuckle Olivia, carrying her into the house. “I can walk, you know,” Olivia says, speaking normally for the first time since I found her hunched over in that closet.

“I know you can, but I want to hold you as close as possible.”

Once inside, Liv looks down at her clothes and sniffles again. “His blood. Mason, get it off me,” she cries frantically.

Rushing my girl to the shower, I strip her out of the bloody clothes and place her under the warm water.

While she’s standing there, stoic and unmoving, I carefully fold her clothing, ready to pack in plastic evidence bags.

Liv’s eyes skirt the room and land on the pile of bloody clothes.

Her breath hitches in ragged gasps, her eyes widening in stark terror.

Quickly, I grab the clothes and move them out of sight before getting back into the shower with Liv.

Placing my hands on both cheeks to cradle her face gently, I turn her to meet my gaze. “Baby girl, you’re having a panic attack. I want you to listen to me.”

Liv’s eyes widen again as she tries to catch her breath. “Baby girl, kneel.”

Liv falls to her knees on the shower floor. Sticking my cock into her mouth, I try to soothe her. “Olivia, suck, baby. Just suck. You’re safe. I’m here. You’re going to be okay.”

There’s nothing sexual about what’s happening. Olivia is sucking on my cock like it’s a pacifier, but it’s slowing her breathing and calming her. I’m not even hard because I’m terrified for my woman and all I can think about is being close to her and soothing her terror.

She sucks for a few minutes before she pulls her mouth off my dick.

“Let’s get you cleaned up, baby girl.”

After washing her thoroughly, Olivia watches the stained red water go down the drain as I rinse the blood from her hair and off her body.

Wrapping her in a large fluffy towel, I leave her briefly to quickly bag the bloody clothes, placing them out in the hallway, then I lead her to bed and climb in beside her.

As I hold Olivia to my chest, she finally speaks. “Can I do it again?”

“Do what again?”

“Can I suck on you? It helps calm and soothe me. I know it sounds weird, but it’s what I need.”

“Baby girl, you make yourself comfortable and take what you need from me.”

She gets down between my thighs and lays her head on one inner thigh, placing my cock in her mouth. Like a baby with a pacifier, Olivia sucks gently, and gradually, I hear her breath slowly even out. She falls asleep with my cock in her mouth and we both rest peacefully for the rest of the night.

I think sucking me gives her the same peace that sleeping inside of her gives me. It’s not about sex. It’s about being close and feeling safe. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for this woman.

She owns me body and soul, and I’m going to make sure that nothing ever separates us because I can’t live without her.