Finding Happiness Read online

  “Autumn McCainely? I don’t know anyone by that name.” He narrowed his eyes at her but then exhaled a little before smiling. She didn’t trust him and knew he was lying. Would know that even if she didn’t know who his was or what he was really after.

  “You see, ma’am, I know that isn’t true, and that maybe she contacted you or stopped by on her way through here. I have some documentation, and sighting by Mr. Shenning who runs the gas station right before town here. Showed him a picture of my Autumn and he recognized her immediately.”

  “I don’t know her, and no woman stopped here. My husband is taking a nap right now, and my son, he’s in law enforcement and comes by often to check on us. Maybe you can ask him, being that he’s a cop and all?” she said to him.

  “No, that won’t be necessary. Sorry to bother you.” He was looking around, and toward the barn, maybe thinking Autumn’s car was there.

  “I can give him a call. Those are Connecticut plates. Seems you traveled far looking for this woman, whomever she is. Maybe the police can help?” she pushed.

  “Maybe they can. I think I’ll stop into the local department, see if they can help. Thank you, ma’am.” He quickly got into his car. She watched him pull away as she picked up the phone.

  “You get all that?” she asked her son.

  “The gist of it. You did good, Mom. Real good.”

  May sighed and gripped the gun in her pocket and thanked her husband for being a Marine and teaching her a thing or two. “My God, Keith, he’ll be able to find out she went to Texas.”

  “Maybe so, but they’ll be ready, and Shay said they sent information Autumn gave them about some illegal activities Connor was involved in. Internal Affairs will order him back to Connecticut, and he’ll get charged. Autumn’s men and the sheriff will make sure of that.”

  “They have some questions for her. It’s normal procedure,” Kane said to Shay, Aldreck, and Manderine.

  “Your guy explained the situation to them though? That her safety is top priority, that Connor was abusive to her, that she ran and is scared of him?” Aldreck asked.

  “Of course he did, and the interview can be done over the phone, documents signed if necessary. The good thing is that Internal Affairs has been working on this for more than a year and they have the same five people involved. Including a commanding officer who recently was looking up information on a car purchased by May McCainely and phone records. There was an initial call from Autumn to May two months ago. Then when he went to see May two days ago, and mentioned that guy who owned the garage, Keith went in to talk to him. Keith is afraid the guy mentioned to Connor about Autumn taking a map and needing to buy one of Texas, indicating that was where she was headed,” Kane said to them.

  “Fuck, he could be here any time if he figures out where she is,” Manderine said.

  “Keep her close,” Kane said.

  “Fuck, I’m going to drive into Central Valley to check on them. She’s shopping with Leeann and Candice,” Aldreck said, standing up.

  “I’m sure she’s fine. But from here on out, maybe keep the traveling within Cherry Hill,” Kane said.

  “Got it,” Manderine said, and they left the chief’s office.

  Aldreck sat outside of the boutique in Central Valley. He could see Autumn and Leeann inside shopping. He sighed in relief as he looked around town and felt on edge. He now had a picture of Connor, knew what the man looked like, had background information on him, and he was a little jealous that the man got to make love to their woman. Connor was big, over six feet tall, muscular, stocky, and definitely intimidating to a woman as petite as Autumn. Considering that he was a soldier and law enforcement, it added to that intimidation as well as to his capabilities.

  He sighed again, thinking about how Autumn explained to them that Connor would threaten her and sometimes just for fun. That he would place his gun against her, or be aggressive when in uniform and press her hard against a wall as he made her promise him things. As he glanced down at his own utility belt, gun and badge, the thoughts enraged him even more. That wasn’t what being law enforcement or being a soldier was all about. You protect women, children, and those who are innocent and maybe even weak. You don’t take advantage of their smaller size and weakness and threaten them. He was a batterer, an abuser, a manipulator, and he prayed that Connor didn’t find Autumn. That one of them would be nearby and could protect her if he showed up and before he even got close.

  As he looked at the storefront he saw the women heading out with their bags, and his woman was smiling and talking a mile a minute with her new friend Leeann. That was another thing. Autumn never got a chance to have a best friend, or her own friends. Connor dominated her life in every way. She looked happy and youthful, and it was his job and his brothers to protect her. As her gaze locked onto his through the patrol car window, she stopped short and her coloring went pale. He quickly got out and smiled wide. “How was the shopping? Get anything for me?” he teased and stepped closer.

  “What are you doing here? Is everything okay?” she asked looking around them. Leeann stepped closer and looked around them, too.

  “Yes, baby, everything is fine. I had to drop something off in town and saw you two shopping, so I parked and figured I would say hello.” He caressed her cheek and her coloring instantly came back.

  “Oh…okay.”

  “So anything for me?” he asked and winked.

  “It was a boutique with women’s clothing silly,” she said and Leeann smiled. “Well, there is lingerie in there, too,” Leeann added and then looked away chuckling.

  “Leeann,” Autumn reprimanded, but then Auldreck pulled her into his arms and cupped her cheek with one hand making her look up toward him. “Lingerie huh? I thought so. Hope you’re bringing home a surprise.” Before she could respond he pressed his lips to hers and then gave her ass a tap. He pulled back.

  “Are you going somewhere else?” he asked, trying to hide the nasty concerned feeling he had.

  “Nope. Leeann has something to do, and I wanted to get back, too.”

  “Okay, then I’ll follow you back.” He gave her a wink and she smiled. He got into the car and watched them walk to their car. His concern and worry went down a notch as he followed them back to Cherry Hill. He didn’t like the feeling he had. She was in danger, and Connor was out there hunting her down.

  Chief McCabe picked up the phone as his secretary said that Sheriff Titus Mullen was on the line for him.

  “Afternoon, Titus, what’s going on?”

  “How are you, Kane?”

  “Hanging in there.”

  “I wanted to touch base with you on some recent burglaries on the outskirts of town. Seems like the person is just looking for cash, as no jewelry or merchandise is taken. Any similar cases there? I thought I heard something about one of the resident’s being assaulted.”

  “Yes, Candice who works in the café has a brother, Dell, who has been on the run. He struck her and stole money from her, threatened to kill her, too.”

  “Oh yes, she’s been living in the shelter temporarily until this guy is found. Does this fit his MO?” Titus asked.

  “Sure does sound like it. Aldreck is heading into town to check on his woman and her friends, Candice included. Why don’t I radio him and ask him to stop in and go over the investigations with you? He’s familiar with the case. Perhaps it can lead to finding out where this guy is hiding out?”

  “Sounds great. Always better to be working together and pulling in ideas. How is everything else? Any word from Charlie?” Titus asked, and Kane exhaled. He knew the sheriff was interested in his sister Charlie, but she wasn’t biting because he was a cop and a soldier.

  “Nope, but she has to come back soon. Her leave from the veteran’s clinic is up in two weeks.”

  “Oh yeah, that’s right. Well, thanks again for the help. Hopefully between all of us, we can get this guy off the streets and into jail.”

  Kane ended the call and then radioed Aldrec
k to stop in and see the sheriff.

  The guys were all on edge the last few days, and Autumn was trying so hard to be tough, and to not act like she was affected by the news of Connor looking for her and perhaps getting closer to finding her in Texas. So as the music played and the majority of town gathered around for the summer concert, she hugged Aldreck’s arm to her waist and leaned back against his chest. He was in uniform and had to work but took a little time to stay with her and his brothers. He whispered next to her ear. “I need to get going, but you keep this ass and pussy warm for me, okay?” he said and kissed her ear. She felt her face flush and her body go warm. She turned in his arms, slid her hands up his chest, and stood on tiptoes to kiss him he gave her rear a tap before he looked at Flex, nodded, and then walked away. Flex took his place, holding her in his arms, and she reached out and held Hill’s hand and Manderine’s hand as they listened to the concert together.

  Aldreck was working the night shift when the call came in of a suspicious individual walking between the houses on Smith and Clover Street. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but immediately thought about Dell, Candice’s brother. Backup was coming around on the other end. Lotus McCuen and Faris Montgomery were on patrol, as well, and several others around the center of town. As he put on the spotlight and set it up between two houses before he continued driving, he caught sight of a man climbing out of a back window of a home. He called it in, then got out of the car. “Stop! Police!” he yelled as he started to run toward the robber. The second the shots were fired, he ducked for cover and shot back. Sirens could be heard in the distance, and despite the burning pain in his arm he ran after the robber. Of course he was heading toward the wooded area and then another set of homes and farm land. “He shot at me. He’s armed and dangerous. He’s heading towards the Graze, through Tulip Street and Briar,” he said into the radio, hoping that Deputy McCuen could cut him off. As tires squealed he felt the pain getting worse in his arm. He glanced down and was shocked to see the blood.

  “Aldreck? You okay? What the hell happened? You said shots fired?” Lotus asked running toward him, gun in hand.

  “He got away through the woods. Is Faris getting backup, too?”

  “Yeah, everyone is coming. Fuck, you’re hit,” Lotus said.

  He raised his arm. The pain was even worse, and there was a lot of blood.

  “A flesh wound I think,” he said. More police were arriving and even state police too as Shay Hayes arrived on scene.

  “He got hit. Call it in for an ambulance,” Lotus said.

  “What?” Shay asked and hurried to him.

  “No ambulance. No need. Just drive me to the damn hospital. Did they find him?” he asked as one of the other deputies brought over something to put on his arm to stop the bleeding.

  “Fuck,” he said and bent lower.

  Shay put his flashlight on the wound as they helped Aldreck to the police cruiser. “Not a flesh wound, Aldreck. The fucking bullet is in there,” Shay told him.

  “Shit.” He could feel the adrenaline beginning to leave his body.

  “I’ll take him to General in Central Valley,” Shay said, and then they radioed in. He could hear the conversations through the radio and then his fellow deputies telling him they would take care of the car, and that they would catch the guy.

  “I’ll call your brothers.”

  “Fuck, Autumn will worry.”

  “She’ll worry more if she finds out from someone else.” He closed his eyes and nodded.

  “Flex, it’s Shay. Yeah, all the commotion and sirens are for the guy on the run. We think Dell, who is armed and dangerous. Listen, Aldreck took a hit. He’s okay, but the bullet is wedged in his arm,” Shay said as he kept the sirens going and sped through the roads to get Aldreck to the hospital.

  “More than a flesh wound but he should be okay. Bringing him to General, so head there with Autumn.”

  “What is it? What’s wrong? Where are we going?” she asked as Flex held her hand and they headed to the truck.

  “There’s been a situation. All the sirens, police activity. There was a breakin in a house. The police responded, Aldreck, too, and the guy was armed,” Flex told her as they all got into the truck and he drove. She held on to Hill.

  “Aldreck, is he okay?” she asked immediately.

  “He got shot, but Shay said it’s in his arm. The bullet is in there.”

  “Oh God, will he be okay?” she asked as tears fell. Hill held her next to him, and Manderine clutched her shoulder.

  “He’s tough. He’ll be fine. Let’s just get there and see what the doctors say,” Flex said, and she could tell, despite them trying to act calm and telling her that Aldreck would be okay, that they were scared and worried about their brother. She took a deep breath and placed a hand on Flex’s thigh as he drove and covered Manderine’s hand that was over her shoulder with hers. “He’s a big, strong man, a Ranger, and a deputy. He’ll be fine. I know he’ll be just fine.”

  The outpouring of support was like nothing Autumn had ever seen before. Within an hour of arriving at the hospital, the waiting room was filled with friends, and even family she hadn’t met yet. The doctor said they removed the bullet just fine but there was some nerve damage and he would need physical therapy. The good thing was that it wasn’t his right arm or his shooting hand, so he should be able to recover and get back to work. The thing was, he was pissed off because Dell got away.

  Hill held her hand as they walked into Aldreck’s room. The nurse was checking his vitals and then smiled at them when they came in. Aldreck had an angry look on his face.

  “How you doing, bro?” Flex asked as he walked to one side and Hill went to the other side.

  “I’m fine. It’s nothing,” he said, mumbling his words.

  “Doc said you got some pain meds in you and you’ll need to rest a few days here,” Flex said to him. He didn’t look at Autumn, and she wondered why.

  “I don’t need them,” he snapped and closed his eyes. He then looked at her as she came closer. She covered his good hand. “I’m fine, Autumn. They didn’t even have to bring you here,” he said shocking her. His brothers looked pissed.

  “Really? Like you don’t want me here?” she asked him, feeling a bit insulted but knowing he was in pain and he was a tough guy and didn’t want to seem weak in front of her. Plus, he was on heavy pain meds. The doctor said they could make him irritable. She kept that in mind.

  He exhaled. “I don’t need you to worry about me.”

  She smiled at him. “I think I have something for your grumpiness.” He squinted at her, and she leaned over and kissed his lips. She then kissed along his jaw and his neck then pulled back.

  “How was that? Did it help?” she asked and brought his good hand to her lips and kissed his knuckles.

  He stared up at her. “I’m sorry. I love you though, but I don’t want you to worry, or see me weak.”

  “Weak?” She shook her head. “Never. You ran toward a robber, a gunman, and fired back. It’s very heroic. In fact, when you do get home I’ll take care of you and be your personal nurse,” she said and held his gaze. He smiled.

  “I am going to hold you to that,” he said, and she winked at Flex.

  “Oh, brother, he’s going to get spoiled and the rest of us will get gypped,” Hill said.

  She gave his belly a light tap. “Doubt that very much. There’s plenty of me to go around,” she said, releasing his hand, and Manderine wrapped an arm around her waist and suckled against her neck.

  “Only around to us, no one else. Ever.” He chuckled, and then they spent some time with Aldreck before they were forced to leave for the night.