Chapter 7
T onya
Two black SUVs appeared at the end of Kevin's driveway like something out of a nightmare.
I'd been sitting on the porch, trying not to think about Michael’s threats.
I was enjoying my morning coffee and the peaceful mountain view, when the sound of expensive engines grinding up the dirt road shattered the tranquility.
My blood turned to ice when I recognized the man stepping out of the lead vehicle.
Michael.
He looked exactly the same—perfectly styled hair, designer suit that probably cost more than most people made in a month, that practiced smile that had once made me feel special and now made my skin crawl.
Behind him emerged two men who were clearly hired muscle.
Big, professional, the kind of men who solved problems with violence.
"Hello, Tonya." Michael's voice carried easily across the yard, smooth and confident. "You look... rustic."
I stood slowly, my hand instinctively reaching for my phone to call Kevin. He was checking the maple lines on the far side of his property. My fingers pressed the recall button and I hoped the call would go through because I didn’t want to take my eyes off of Michael.
"You need to leave," I said, surprised by how steady my voice sounded. "This is private property."
"I wanted to give you this in person." He reached into his jacket and pulled out an official-looking document. "Eviction notice. You have thirty minutes to gather your belongings from the cottage before I have you removed from premises you're occupying illegally."
"You can’t do that."
"I can and I will. In fact, we’ll drive you to the cottage." He nodded to his companions, who started walking toward the porch with purposeful strides.
"I'm not going anywhere with you." I backed toward the front door..
"I'm afraid you don't have a choice," Michael said, his mask of civility slipping slightly. "You see, you owe me rather a lot of money. The cottage’s property taxes and all the estate’s debts. I'm simply collecting."
"I don't owe you anything."
"The courts might disagree. Especially when they learn about your unstable mental state, your complete dependency on strangers, your inability to make rational decisions." His smile turned cruel. "I've been very thorough in documenting your breakdown."
The two men reached the porch steps. Up close, they were even more intimidating—scarred, professional, the kind who'd hurt people for money without losing sleep over it.
"Ma'am," one of them said, his voice surprisingly polite. "We'd prefer this go easy. Just come with us quietly, and nobody gets hurt."
"And if I refuse?"
Michael's laugh was cold. "Then these gentlemen will force you into the car. One way or another, you're coming home, Tonya. The only question is how much this has to hurt."
I thought about running, but there was nowhere to go. The farmhouse was isolated, surrounded by wilderness, and these men were clearly prepared for resistance. My only hope was that Kevin would return soon—but what could one man do against three, no matter how strong he was?
“I need to gather my things, inside.”
Michael looked bored. “We will break the door down, if you try to lock us out.”
“I won’t,” I said, hoping he’d believe that I was capitulating this easy. After all, it’s what I always did.
"You have five minutes to pack essentials," Michael said, checking his expensive watch.
"Then we're leaving. And don’t think your mountain man will come for you.
I've had him investigated thoroughly. He’s a foster kid with anger management issues and a history of violence.
Once the authorities hear about how he kidnapped and isolated you, kept you dependent and afraid, he'll be lucky if he doesn't end up in prison. "
The sick part was that Michael almost sounded believable. He'd always been gifted at twisting reality, making his victims doubt their own perceptions.
"He didn't kidnap me. He saved me."
"From what? A man who loved you enough to give you everything?
A stable, successful relationship?" Michael stepped closer, his voice turning silky with false concern.
"Tonya, you've been traumatized. Manipulated by a predator who saw your vulnerability and exploited it.
But it's not too late. I can get you the help you need. "
"The only help I need is for you to leave me alone."
"That's not going to happen." His mask slipped completely now, revealing the cold control underneath. "You're mine, Tonya. You've always been mine. A few weeks playing house with some mountain peasant doesn't change that."
“Fine.” I went inside and slammed the door.
“Don’t you dare lock it,” Michael warned.
And damn him, I didn’t. I did, however, run to the back door. But one of the goons had beaten me to it. “Kevin, are you there?” I gasped into the phone.
“I heard everything. Lock the door.”
“He said he’d break it down.”
“Fuck the door. I’m on my way. Hang in there. I’m coming.”
I locked the back door, but when I sprinted to do the same to the front, Michael and the other goon kicked it open.
"Time's up, ma'am. Let's go,” the goon said.
When I didn't move, he reached for my arm. I jerked back instinctively, and his grip tightened painfully.
"Don't make this harder than it needs to be," he said, dragging me outside.
We were almost to the SUV when I heard the distant roar of an engine being pushed far beyond its limits. Kevin was racing back at dangerous speeds.
Michael heard it too. His expression darkened. "Deal with him," he told his men. "Whatever it takes."
Hi truck came into view and skidded to a stop. Kevin jumped out and came at us in a dead run. The sight of him made my heart pound with relief and terror in equal measure.
He looked primal and dangerous—six-foot-four of pure muscle and fury, his dark eyes taking in the scene with death in his eyes. When his gaze landed on the man gripping my arm, all civilization leaked away..
"Let her go," he snarled.
"Mr. Pike, I presume," Michael said smoothly. "I'm Michael Castellanos, Tonya's fiancé. I'm here to collect my property."
"She's not your property." Kevin stepped closer, and I could see the controlled violence radiating from his massive frame. "And she's not going anywhere."
"Actually, she is.”
Kevin's eyes never left the man holding my arm. "You have three seconds to let her go before I make you let her go."
The hired muscle looked to Michael, who nodded slightly. Instead of releasing me, the man's grip tightened and he reached inside his jacket.
He never got the chance to draw whatever weapon he was reaching for.
Kevin moved like lightning, covering the distance between them in three strides. His first punch caught the man in the throat, dropping him instantly. The second man rushed forward, but Kevin was already swinging for him.
KEVIN
The moment I saw that bastard's hands on my woman, something savage tore loose. This was my home. My woman they were threatening. And I was going to make them regret ever stepping foot on my mountain.
The first man went down from my throat punch, gasping and choking. The second came at me trained and ready. I could see it in his stance, the way he moved. Former military, maybe private security. He knew how to fight.
But he'd never fought a man protecting what was his.
He threw a professional combination—jab, cross, hook. I took the jab on my shoulder, slipped the cross, and caught his hook arm mid-swing. Using his own momentum, I yanked him forward and drove my knee into his solar plexus. The air exploded from his lungs.
Before he could recover, I grabbed him by the back of his head and brought his face down to meet my rising knee. Cartilage crunched. Blood exploded from his nose as he staggered backward.
The first man was back on his feet now, one hand still at his throat but reaching for his jacket with the other. I closed the distance in two steps and buried my fist in his kidney—a shot that would have him pissing blood for a week. He folded with a strangled cry.
I spun back to the second man, who was trying to circle me despite the blood streaming down his face. He was tough—I'd give him that. Came at me again with a low tackle, trying to use his training to take me to the ground where size mattered less.
I sprawled, driving my weight down on his back, then wrapped my arm around his throat in a rear naked choke. He clawed at my forearm, trying to break the hold, but I had thirty pounds and years of farm work on him. I squeezed, cutting off his air, feeling him weaken.
"You came to my home," I growled in his ear, tightening my grip. "Threatened my woman. Put your fucking hands on what's mine."
His struggles were weakening when the first man tried to rush me from behind. Without releasing the choke, I kicked backward, my boot catching him in the chest. He went down hard on the gravel.
"Jesus Christ!" Michael stumbled backward, finally understanding the magnitude of his mistake. "You're insane!"
The man in my choke hold went limp. I released him, letting him collapse gasping to the ground. Both hired thugs were down—one holding his throat and chest, the other face-down and groaning, blood pooling beneath his broken nose.
The sound of engines roared up the driveway. My brothers, arriving like the cavalry with weapons drawn and murder in their eyes. I had called them on my frantic drive here.
"You came to my home," I growled. "Threatened my woman. Put your fucking hands on what's mine."
Neil came off his ATV with a shotgun. Sam had a rifle. Shane carried his service pistol from his EMT days. They'd clearly been monitoring radio chatter and heard the call about suspicious vehicles in the area.
"Easy, brother," Neil said quietly, assessing the scene. "They're done."
I was standing over the two broken men, fists still clenched, breathing hard, adrenaline and fury making my hands shake. Part of me wanted to keep going. Wanted to make sure they never even thought about coming back.
"Kevin," Shane said, his medic voice cutting through the rage. "Step back. You've made your point."
He was right. The two men were no longer a threat—one was coughing blood, the other barely conscious. I'd defended what was mine. Anything more would cross a line.
I turned my attention to Michael, who had gone pale. "Get off my land. Now."
"This isn't over," he snarled, but his voice shook. "I have the right—"
"You have the right to leave under your own power," Sam interrupted, his rifle trained on Michael's chest. "Or we can discuss your rights with the sheriff. I'm sure he'd be interested in hearing about armed men threatening a local woman."
Michael's face went white as he realized his position. Three mountain men with legal weapons and home field advantage, versus his two broken hired thugs and his own worthless self.
"You have no idea who you're dealing with," he said, but he was already backing toward his vehicle. "I have resources, connections—"
"And we have a mountain full of places to bury bodies where they'll never be found," Shane said conversationally. "Your choice, city boy."
The threat was delivered so casually, so matter-of-factly, that Michael actually stumbled.
"This isn't over," Michael repeated, but his voice cracked. "Tonya belongs to me. I'll be back."
"You come back here, you won't leave," I said simply. "That's not a threat. It's a promise."
The hired muscle helped each other to the SUV, both moving like broken men. As they drove away, tires spinning on gravel, Shane was already on his radio. “Dispatch, this is Medic 47. Need to report an assault incident on Sugar Maple Ridge Road. Multiple injuries, suspects fled the scene.”
'Shane—' I started, but he cut me off.
“Kevin, you beat the shit out of two men. This has to be reported properly, or it'll come back to bite us. Self-defense or not, there are procedures.”
Neil nodded grimly. “State police will be here within the hour. We need to get our story straight—and it better be the truth."
When that was out of the way, I turned my attention to Tonya.
She was standing on the porch, shaking but unhurt.
"Are you okay?" I asked, reaching for her.
"Kevin." She threw herself into my arms, and I held her tight against my chest. My hands were shaking with residual fury. "I thought—when I saw them—"
"Shh. I've got you. They're gone." I looked over her head at my brothers, who were already securing the perimeter.
"He's not going to give up,” she said.
I looked down at Tonya in my arms, this brave, beautiful woman who'd become everything to me. Michael could have his legal documents and his hired thugs and his connections. None of it mattered.
"He will," I said. "if we make it too costly for him."
“What do you mean?”
The afternoon sun was setting behind the mountains, casting long shadows across my property. Somewhere out there, Michael was licking his wounds and planning his next move. Let him come. This was my territory, my family, my woman.
"Come on," I said to Tonya, finally allowing myself to relax slightly. "Let's get you inside. Your grandmother had a lot of friends. Shane, Neil, and Sam can help us figure out some next steps.”