Convincing Lina: A Bachelor of Shell Cove Novel (The Bachelors of Shell Cove Romance Book 2) (22 page)

“Baby, what are they doing to you?” Tears gathered in her mother’s eyes.
 

“I’m alright, Momma.”

“Lina, you have to get help. You can’t handle this on your own.”

“I’m not trying to. Gideon is taking me away…”

“No,” her mother said in a stern voice. The look of disapproval was reminiscent of childhood.
 

“Mom, it’s just until the repairs are complete and I could use some down time.”

“Where is he taking you?”

“Some one-horse, one-road town in West Virginia. If it’s anything like I’m imagining, the bad guys will need satellite imagery to find me.”

“Lina I called Bishop and…”

“And who?”

“A friend of the family,” her mother’s tone was low and filled with trepidation.
 

“Is this friend from my dad’s time on the force?”

“He knew your father.”

“That’s a good idea, maybe he can help the police focus on my case and who’s targeting me.” Gideon had remained silent after offering a greeting to her mother.
 

“Mrs. James, do you have any thoughts on why this is happening to Lina?” Her mother looked unsettled and anxious.
 

“My baby has done nothing for someone to want to hurt her.” Tears streamed down her mother’s face. Maybe, she shouldn’t have insisted that they come here. Her mother reached for her and clutched her tight.
 

“I’m sorry this is happening to you, baby.”

“Bishop will figure this out.”

“My sweet baby, always looking for a hero.”

“Momma, that’s a terrible thing to say.”

“No, it is not. Every woman wants her very own hero.”

“Lina.” She knew by Gideon’s tone it was time to leave. Shell Cove was her home, now she was climbing into a car with Gideon and driving to a place she’d never heard of until forty-five minutes ago. She would be totally dependent on him and his family. Were there even any black people in Waverly Falls, West Virginia?
 

Hugging her mother tight, she said, “I’ll call you when we arrive.”

“I expect to hear from you while you are on the road, Lina Diane.” Her mother gave Gideon a stern look.
 

“Gideon, I’m grateful to you for keeping my daughter safe, but if I don’t hear from my child at reasonable intervals, me and the Triple OG’s will be visiting Waverly Falls.” Pointing her finger at Gideon like only a mother could, Bernadean said, “Go in the kitchen and write all your contact information on the refrigerator. Include your families address and home phone number. No omitted information, or else.” Lina stretched her eyes wide in horror.
 

“OG’s?” Gideon looked at Lina.
 

She sighed and looked at her mother. “Momma stop issuing threats. You and the Original Gangsters can rest easy. I’ll be sure to call.”

“Come on you two, get going. Hopefully, whoever is after you won’t expect you to leave town so quickly.”

“I love you, Momma.”

“Momma loves you too, baby. More than I can express in words.” Walking them to the door, her mother reached behind the coat rack and came out with her prized possession. She extended it to Lina.
 

“Take it.” Lina looked down and a tear came to her eye.

“It’s okay, I have a back-up.”

“Is that a mini-me version of BETAS?” Both of them laughed at Gideon’s question.

“Let me do the honors.” Clearing her throat, Lina took the eight-inch stick from her mother and turned toward Gideon.

“This is BETAS mother, BEYAS.”

“BEYAS,” he smirked in question.

“Momma’s, Beat Your Ass Stick.” Lina’s height came from her father’s side of the family, thus her mother’s petite baton. She watched him rolled his eyes heavenward.

“Keep it with you. It’s the perfect size to keep with you at all times,” her mother said.
 

Lina kissed her mother goodbye.
 

They were exiting the driveway when it occurred to Lina they didn’t have any snacks in the car for the nine hundred miles to their destination.
 

“Wait,” Lina blurted out.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, I forgot something I need.”

“What? I can buy you whatever you need on the road.”

“I need something to eat. Food relaxes me.”
 

“I thought that was my job?” Images of their hot tub session flooded her mind and her body heated by ten degrees. Unwilling to step on that landline she changed the subject.

“Yeah, just let me grab some water and snacks for the road. I don’t know how well we’ll be received in small town America at two o’clock in the morning. It’s best to be prepared.”
 

He nodded. Gideon may not have a problem with being seen with an African-American, but she was willing to bet the good folks in small town America were probably not as tolerant as the tourist haven of Shell Cove.
 

“Be right back.” Lina exited the car with Gideon stepping out on the opposite side.
 

“I don’t need your help.”

“Not out of my sight.” Finding the front door locked they rounded the house, Lina snagged the side door key from its hiding place and entered the dark utility room. She could hear her mom talking.
 

“You promised to keep her…”
 

“Momma?”
 

Deanie’s screech rivaled a scolded cat. She dropped the cordless phone, and it clattered on the linoleum kitchen floor, spinning in circles before coming to a halt.
 

“Lina, you scared the crap out of me.”
 

“Who’s on the phone?”

“Oh, it’s Bishop.”
 

“Let me say goodbye.” Lina reached for the phone. “Hello?”
 

Silence greeted her, but she knew someone was on the line. Then the call dropped. Her mother stood like stone, eyes closed, her breathing slow and deep.
 

“He hung up.”

 
“Why would he do that?” Her mother’s eyes popped open.
 

“Cell phone reception is unpredictable. Why did you turn around, baby?” Reminding her of why she’d entered the house.

“Sorry about scaring you. We need some food for the road.” Gideon entered through the side door with a fierce look on his face.

“I heard a scream,” he said looking to her.
 

“Oh, I spooked Momma when I let myself in the house.”

“I’ll pack you a cooler,” Deanie said before disappearing behind the open refrigerator door.
 

Lina smiled up into Gideon’s troubled expression. Was he upset because of the delay?

“We’ll be on the road in a few minutes.” This was more than a road trip, this was a journey of trust. Gideon would keep her safe but could she trust him with her heart?

It wasn’t every day you call a woman’s mother a liar. Bernadean James was hiding something. The scene in the kitchen replayed in his mind for the first four hundred miles. Marines are trained to think the same in basic, Bishop wouldn’t hang up without talking with him or Lina. He knew his sister was in danger. And more importantly, Gideon knew the type of man Bishop was. Regardless of the newness of their relationship a Marine would never walk away from someone in need.
 

When he parked the Cadillac next to the four pick-up trucks lined in front of the main house it reminded him how much he didn’t belong here. He never wanted to return to this place.
 

He roused Lina from sleep, “We’re here.”

“Dang it, why did you let me fall asleep. Now, I don’t know how to get out of here.” Stepping from the car he released the Crossbill bird call Jacob Rice taught him the first month he came to live at the house.
 

An answering Nuthatch, Tern, and Harlequin calls carried through the air. Only Caleb and D.Wright’s calls were missing.
 

“What was that?” Lina asked.

“A mountaineer text message,” he grinned, rounding the car to open her door. “Something Jacob taught us boys to keep track of one another.”

“You all make bird sounds?”

“Not sounds, sweetness. We each have a unique bird call. The ranch sits on one hundred acres of mountains, streams, and flatlands. When we hunt, it helps to signal our location.”
 

“You are a true mountain man.” It was the first time those words had been directed at him with a touch of pride.
 

“Is that a problem?” He studied her. If driving through the town had her alarmed, meeting the locals would have her on the next helicopter home. Waverly Falls was quaint enough that it didn’t warrant mass transportation.
 

“Gideon, your name is synonymous with a lot of words in my vocabulary. There isn’t a problem with one of them.” Their eyes met, and the trust reflected in them, swelled in his chest like she had given him a new lease on life. She had given him her trust.
 

“Heard what you said about not knowing the way back.” Before he could tell her she wasn’t leaving, not without him, his father and three of his brothers came riding up on their mounts.

“Are those real cowboys?”
 

Gideon laughed.
 

“Come on sweetness, let’s get you introduced to the Rice family.”

“The country boy gladiators are your brothers?”

“There’s a girl that’s not too far behind.”

His father, adoptive father he corrected himself, was the first to dismount and approach him.

“Glad to see you, son.” They both stood at an odd standoff.
 

“You too.” He remembered the child he’d been standing here on West Virginia soil. Unwanted. A hand-me-down kid taken in by Jacob and Emma Rice.
 

Reaching back toward Lina, he waited until she took his hand.
 

“This is my…,” he hesitated unsure if Lina would be comfortable with the title of his woman.
 

“Hi, I’m Lina James.” Gideon glanced over to find Lina’s expression unreadable.
 

“I’m Jacob. I owe you a big thank you for bringing my son home, young lady.” Lina was the only one to laugh.
 

“These are my sons, Phoenix, Thane, and Ian.” Jacob pointed his finger right to left. “Phoenix is the baby of the bunch.” Phoenix offered a salute in greeting. With his tanned complexion, striking Native American features and ink black hair to his mid-back he’d always been a hit with the women in town. He looked every bit the survivalist he was. Phoenix was a born hunter. Guns, knives, or arrows. If it was deadly, he’d mastered it.
 

“Honestly, Dad, you can stop introducing me as the baby. At thirty-one years old no one would mistake me for a baby,” Phoenix said.

Lina chimed in, “I can see you’re not a baby.” She was flirting with his brother. To add fuel to the fire, Phoenix winked at her. Ian and Thane, not to be outdone, added their
I’m a man
roar.
 

“Knock it off.” Gideon growled. He pinned each man with a steel eyed glare, before he looked to Jacob. Jacob, who studied him with a knowing awareness. The weight of his stare had Gideon grinning his teeth.
 

“Leave your brother’s woman alone, boys.” He hated that Jacob could read him so easily.

“Oh no, Gideon and I aren’t–”

“Where’s Caleb?” He blurted out, interrupting Lina before she inadvertently set one of his brothers up for a beating that would be recorded in the history annals.
 

“He’s working on a case. He’ll fly in tonight,” Thane answered. Caleb was a contract penetration tester. A male escort was the first image that populated into his brain years earlier when Caleb promptly educated him that was the industry terminology for a computer hacker. If he was on the job, a big fish was involved.
 

Thane dismounted, crossed to where he and Lina stood in front of the car, and shook Gideon’s hand. He gave Lina a quick glance from head to toe before meeting her eyes.