Page 47 of Taken By my Brothers' Best Friends

“Maybe my body is but my emotions aren’t! I’m so mad at you three that I can’t look at you right now. That wasmysecret to tell, not yours!” I looked at Mills. “I don’t want to go with you either. I want to go to Harmony Valley. I’ll get a rental under another name.”

“No, Vera. Dean’s right—”

“I wasn’t asking!” Angry tears filled my eyes and I hurriedly swiped them away. “I’m done letting you boss me around and think the worst of me. I didn’t want you to know about my career, but you do now. I can’t change that. I can’t take back that you now know your loser little sister is the only reason the ranch didn’t collapse at times. Maybe I don’t want to. I’m free now.”

“Vera, no.” Reed’s voice was rough as he spoke. “Stay. We didn’t mean—”

“I can’t stay here with y’all right now. You’ll touch me and I’ll forgive you without meaning it.” I walked towards the door. “I will take a ride to the airport, Mills. Nothing more.”

“Goddammit, Hellcat. We can’t just let you leave. You’re not safe.” Lennon rounded the couch to grab me but Mills stepped in front of him. “Get out of my way, Mills. We have years and history but she’s more than any of that.”

“She doesn’t want to be here.” Mills shook his head. “We’ll keep her safe.”

“You heard her. She needs space.” West wrapped his arm around my shoulders and led me out.

“She needs protection! If you let anything happen to her, you’re done.” Reed’s voice was scary as he shouted.

For the first time in a while, I was outside. Then I was in Mills’ truck and we were leaving the place that had turned from my prison to my home overnight. Tears leaked down my cheeks but I kept my face turned away from my brothers and let them fall.

CHAPTER 37

Vera

“Obviously, we can’t let you fly to Harmony Valley, V.” Tate sighed. “You’ll be fine at the ranch.”

I didn’t say anything. It wasn’t surprising that they thought they could still tell me what to do. I didn’t care what they wanted, though. I was done being weak for them.

“I can’t believe you hid this from us, Vera.” West was in the backseat with me and he reached over to squeeze my shoulder. “We’ll figure it out, though. We owe you an apology and—”

Mills had pulled to a stop at one of the only redlights in town and I acted fast. I threw the door open and jumped out. I didn’t look back as I took off at a sprint. I poured every bit of anger and hurt into getting away from them.

There weren’t enough places to hide in Devil’s Den and I knew my brothers were going to catch me. There was nowhere for me to go. It was stupid that I’d even tried to run away. I was just about to give up when I spotted Sheriff Morgan coming out of The Big Dill.

He looked up in surprise when I ran up to him. “Vera? What—what are you doing out here?”

“I have to hide. Can you give me a ride to the airport, Sheriff Morgan? Please.”

“Good grief, Vera. Your brothers are supposed to be keeping you safe. Come on. Get in the back. There are bad people looking for you, girl. Why are you just running around?” He juggled his bag and coffee cup so he could open the back door of his patrol car. “In. Hurry. Lie down and keep your head down.”

I stretched out across the backseat and stayed down. My heart was pounding but I let out a small laugh. I couldn’t believe my luck. I was sure Mills was about to reach out and grab me. If he had, I would’ve been locked away at the ranch more than I’d been at the place I’d just left.

Sheriff Morgan started the car and pulled away from the curb. “You okay back there?”

“Yes, sir. Just happy to be getting out of town.” I blew out a shaky breath. “I think staying around here was a mistake, so I’m going to visit some friends.”

“Makes sense.”

I just lay there for a while, catching my breath and processing what I’d just done by running from my brothers. Mills would probably actually murder me when he caught up to me. That was just something I’d deal with, though. I only needed space. I was sad and angry. My feelings were hurt.

“You can sit up now, Vera.” Sheriff Morgan switched off his radio but I’d heard the static-filled voice that came through. My brothers had already called in my disappearance.

I sighed as I sat up and looked around. I was confused and it took me a second to recognize where we were. When it clicked, I frowned. “Why are we headed towards the Mays’?”

“I know it’s not great timing but I had to run something by to Michael. I’ll get you where you want to go, though, Vera. Don’t worry.”

I tried not to scowl too much at the Mays. It was in my blood to hate them, though. Our families had both settled in Devil’s Den around the same time, each built up a ranch, each had vied for control of the town. It was before the town even had a name and our family had won. Devil’s Den was a play on the Hellstone family name. The two families had been enemies ever since.

The Mays couldn’t keep up with the number of kids the Hellstones made but they still had a pretty big family. I’d gone to school with a few of them, as had the rest of my siblings. They were all shitheads as far as I was concerned, from Michael, the oldest living Mays, to whatever baby they’d popped out last.

---