Strong Safety Ch. 06

Foreword: Thank you all for the feedback. I appreciate the perspective and constructive criticism. I hope that I'm growing as a storyteller and telling an engaging story. Please keep in mind that's all I'm trying to do. I know that it could be edited better, that there are continuity errors, and I don't take time to fully develop every facet of the story. This is just an outlet for some creativity and imagination. Enjoy the ride because no one is charging you for it.

Disclaimer: There are some descriptions of the after-effects of violent retribution. Since this is a complete work of fiction, no actual people were harmed. I don't tell the actual account of how it was perpetrated because that's gross. Additionally, this is a work of erotic fiction. All fictional people in the story that participate in sexual activity are represented to be 18 years or older.

We slept late the next morning, not even waking until 9. I took Lauren's truck to get breakfast and coffee for everyone. I'm sure that Lauren would have preferred cereal but this morning she would have to settle for a sausage biscuit. I did get her a latte rather than the regular coffee the rest of us got.

Lauren's phone was up and going so she called Alicia's number and then Alicia's mom. "Hello, Mrs. Thomas, this is Lauren. I'm trying to get a hold of Alicia. Is she okay?"

They talked for a few minutes and then I heard Lauren say "Thank you, we'll see you in a few minutes."

We all went to meet Alicia and her mom at a nearby park. Lauren and Alicia wrapped each other in a long, desperate hug; shedding even more tears. When they finally released one another I walked up to her. "Alicia, I'm so sorry for everything that happened to you. Is there anything that I can do?" She immediately wrapped me in a big hug as well.

"Thank you, Liam. I'm so sorry I opened the door! I..."

"Hush, Alicia. This isn't your fault and I'm so glad that both of you are alive and will be okay," I cut her off.

She nodded through her tears. Mom hugged her next and then hugged Mrs. Thomas as well. The ladies stood in a small cluster and talked with one another, leaving me and Poppee off to the side. He turned facing away from them but told me to keep my eyes on them. "Liam you're going to get a call in a little while on the phone you purchased. The phone number won't make sense and there won't be a name. When you answer don't say your name or ask who you're talking to. The only name that you're to mention is the person that you think is responsible for this horrible situation. The person on the phone will investigate the name you give them and get back to you with the results. Don't try to call or text the number. It won't work. Do you understand everything?"

"Yes sir" I replied quietly.

Mom came over to us and said, "The girls need a little TLC. Mrs. Thomas and I are going to take them out for a little while. We'll meet you back at the hotel in a little while. Liam, do whatever Poppee tells you to do, and don't go anywhere without letting us know where you're going. We don't want you to be caught by yourself."

"Yes ma'am. Can I tell Lauren 'bye' before y'all leave?"

"Of course, just be cautious, okay? Don't push her too fast."

I nodded and headed over to her. "I love you. Be ... careful okay." I didn't know what to do with my hands. I wanted to wrap them around her and kiss her goodbye but I kept them behind my back awkwardly.

"Come here, baby. Are you afraid to touch me or hold me or is it something else?"

"None of the above. I want you to know that you're in control. I want to do all the things we were doing before but I'm, I'm, I'm, not sure how comfortable you are with me."

"Thank you, Liam, for being considerate of my feelings but I need you to want me like you did before. If you're too grossed out or ..."

I stopped her with a kiss. Not a gentle peck or innocent smooch. In front of my mother, grandfather, Alicia, and her mother, I kissed Lauren open-mouthed with my tongue searching for hers. My hands slid down to her waist and then cupped her gorgeous ass. It was intense enough that we lost track of where we were and who was present. Finally, my grandfather cleared his throat and coughed a couple of times to get our attention.

"You're the sexiest most desirable woman I've ever met," I whispered in her ear. "I would make love to you in this park in front of everyone but I don't want to get you arrested."

She smiled. It was my smile, the one that let me know that I had got it right. "I'll see you later this afternoon. We'll get ready to head home tomorrow if the detectives are done with us," I told her.

I watched them head to Lauren's truck and drive off. Poppee came up beside me and bumped me with a shoulder. "Was that for her or you?"

"For both of us. She needed to know that I still want her and I needed to know that she would accept me."

We headed back to the hotel so I can make a series of important calls. I started with Detective Sampson. He picked up on the second ring, "Sampson."

"Detective, this is Liam Stanley. I need to ask you about taking Lauren home. Is there any problem with me leaving with her?"

"I can't compel you to stay, Liam, but I have a favor to ask. Please leave your phone with me. I'm in the process of obtaining a warrant but I would appreciate it if you would just drop it off. If you can do that I don't have a problem with letting you two head back to Alabama together."

"Georgia. We have to go to Georgia first, assuming that her mom and stepdad are still willing to board her horse."

"They're quite the pair. They've called me 8 times today trying to find a way to get evidence or force Lauren to undergo more testing. I think they're more worried about suing the school and hotel than they are about Lauren."

"Yeah, I imagine I'm high on their shitlist. It doesn't matter to me. I'm just here to support Lauren."

"When can you get me the phone?" He slipped in.

"Let me back it up and I'll tell you where you can pick it up."

"There's no need in doing all that. We'll only need it a couple of hours and I'll have it back to you before you head out."

"Sorry detective but I'm not losing my contacts, texts, and pics to accident in the lab." I wasn't worried about any of these but I didn't need him knowing that.

"Okay, okay. How long do you need?"

"Give me a call in 90 minutes."

"Talk to you then."

Next, I needed to contact Samantha and Darren. I dreaded making this call but I would rather do it than dump it off on Lauren. One of the only positive things about being in two different locations was that I couldn't hand her the phone when they demanded it.

"Hello Samantha, this is Liam."

"Thank you for calling us, Liam, is Lauren available?"

"I'm sorry but she's out with my mom at the moment. They needed to pick up some things before we started back. That's the reason I'm calling. We'll be leaving for home tomorrow morning. It will take us about 3 days to get there hauling Tate."

"Liam surely you realize that Lauren is not in a good place to make decisions right now. She needs to be checked out physically and mentally."

"Lauren has already met with a crisis counselor and we will be getting her an appointment with a therapist that I know as soon as possible. I'm not sure why you think she needs a physical examination. I think it would do more harm than good."

"Liam, you're a very young man and you have a good heart but this is an opportunity to set Lauren up with a very good start in life. The settlements could be in the millions but will at least be in the six-figure range. We need to ensure that we present a compelling case to maximize the opportunity," Darren interjected.

"So you want to exploit Lauren by using one of the most traumatic things she's ever experienced for financial gain?"

"Surely, you're not this naïve. This is an opportunity for all of us. You would likely have a case yourself if you file under emotional distress," Samantha sounded frustrated.

"I'm not interested in making Lauren relive a nightmare to get rich."

"It's not like she has to actually go through it again," Samantha nearly shouted.

"I'll support Lauren in whatever she decides. She's the only one that matters in this. Is it still okay for us to bring Tate back to the stables?"

"We'll need to talk with Lauren about it. Please have her give us a call." Darren was obviously annoyed as well.

Guess I was on speaker. "Yes sir."

I was frustrated I wasn't able to take care of it completely but at least I had broken the ice and hopefully it would make it easier for Lauren. I was glad to be done on the phone and thought about finding something to eat when the prepaid phone rang. I remembered Poppee's rules and answered, "Hello."

"I need a starting place; do you have any idea who's behind this?"

"Zack Taylor"

"Reason?"

"Two physical altercations and two verbal confrontations. Same language and voice."

"Any idea of whereabouts?"

"No, but I have a phone number from the text."

"Give it to me."

"251-267-xxxx"

"On it. I'll call again when I have information"

With that done, I backed up my phone and waited for Sampson to call. I met him in the hotel lobby and handed over my phone. "Did you take the lock off?"

"No sir, I didn't think of that." He handed it back and I removed the security lock. He immediately went to the messaging app and looked to confirm that the text that contained the videos was still there.

"Any idea of how he got your number?"

"Not really, just a guess. He and Ty, a roper on the team, weren't great friends but Ty could've given it to him."

"Ty's number in here?"

"Yes sir"

"I will put a rush on this and hope to have the phone back to you by tomorrow, if not I will mail it to you. I assume your provider has your correct address."

I nodded. "We'll be leaving early in the morning. If you aren't done with it by this evening, you'll probably need to mail it."

"Understood, I know this isn't easy for Lauren or for you but we will find the people responsible and they will face justice."

"Thank you, Detective."

The rest of the afternoon was spent waiting on Lauren and the other ladies to get back. It was close to 5 when Poppee got a call. He chatted with Mom and they were making dinner plans.

We were at a local chain 15 minutes later. I was shocked to see Lauren's long hair was gone. She now had a pixie cut and her nails had been done. I stood up and greeted her with a genuine smile and an appropriate kiss. "Hey beautiful, you look spectacular."

"Thank you," apprehension dissolving from her face. "You really like it?"

"It's adorable and I like your nails too." I wrapped her in a big hug and held her close to me. "I missed you today; did you have some fun?"

"Yeah, we went to a spa and got cleaned up," she said as her eyes went misty.

"Glad you were able to relax and enjoy yourself a little."

We settled in and enjoyed our meal. The ladies told us about their day at the spa and asked us about our day. "We just took care of business that needed attendin' to," Poppee assured them.

Alicia's look had changed too. Her dark hair had been colored to an auburn color and she had gotten her nails done as well. I started teasing her about the red hair and her personality going together. She seemed to enjoy it. I made sure not to be too aggressive and finished by telling her how great she looked. "Really, does that mean you're ready to dump Lauren and finally accept that you should've been my boyfriend all along?"

"I'm not ever giving up Lauren," I said with a smile and a glance in her direction. "We'll go on double dates with you when find a guy worthy of your time."

She nodded and misted up, "Thank you, I think I'll need that for a while."

During dinner, we decided that we would all caravan back to Alabama and then split off. Poppee, Alicia, and I could help haul the horse trailer as necessary. Mrs. Thomas would ride with Mom and Poppee. Alicia would go wherever she was needed or where she wanted. We would leave the arena where Tate was stabled at 7 in the morning and planned to take 3 days to make the drive.

In our room that night we were getting ready for bed, and while most of the tension had started dissipating, I could feel Lauren tense up again. "Would you like Mom to stay in here again tonight?"

"No, I want you to hold me but I'm still scared."

We climbed in and she rested her head on my chest with my arm around her. I couldn't help but play with her short blonde hair. "Is it really okay?" she asked.

"Definitely, you look beautiful in any style."

"I felt like it was still there. No matter how many times I washed it, it was like I could feel it and smell it. I hated it. I had them scrub me today. My skin feels raw but I don't feel dirty anymore."

"Do you want to tell me about it or would like to keep it between you and your counselor?"

"I'm embarrassed by it but I'll tell you if you want to know but please don't ever hold it against me."

"I don't need or want to know about it. I want to know what you want to happen to the boys responsible?"

"What do you mean?"

"What would justice look like to you."

"I want them to know the helplessness that Alicia and I felt. I want them to be covered in filth like they did to us. I don't want them to be able to do it ever again. What about you?"

"I warned Zack if he came after you in any way that he would never ride again. I intend to keep my promise."

"How?"

"I'm not sure but I fully intend to find a way."

The drive home went smoothly. I rode with Lauren and Alicia. I had Lauren call her mom during the second half of the day while I was driving. I could tell that she was getting upset as the phone call progressed. I don't know if Samantha was ignorant of the hurt she was inflicting or simply didn't care.

"If you don't want to deal with Tate anymore that's fine! I'll make other arrangements even if I have to sell him!"

I turned to look at her as the tears were forming. "No, if you will let me then I would like to keep him at the stables at home but I won't be pushed into a lawsuit. It's not the school's fault, he didn't even come with us on the trip and we opened the door at the hotel. This is on Zack and his friends and I'm sure that the police will catch up with them soon enough."

Not too soon, I hoped.

We made it as far as Hays, KS the first day. This was my first road trip with a horse. They don't like staying in the trailer indefinitely so you have to let them out to stretch their legs and you have to find a place to board them overnight if possible. It's possible in Hays. We dropped off Tate and found a place for ourselves before we found supper. It was an exhausting day and I was ready to climb into bed next to Lauren.

I had finished in the bathroom and was waiting for her to come out when the prepaid phone rang. I grabbed it and slipped out of the room.

"Hello."

"You're right. It was Zack and three other cowboys that he knew from other schools. They broke in to harass the ladies. It went further than they planned because they were all drunk."

"Are the police close to making a case against them?"

"They might be able to convict them on 3rd-degree sexual assault but most likely they plead down to sexual battery, which is a misdemeanor charge. They will likely get a little jail time in county lockup and be fined. What do you want to be done?"

"Leave them helpless, unable to feed themselves or wipe their own asses. Cover them in semen, don't care what kind or where it comes from but make sure it's in their hair and faces. They should learn to swallow. Then make sure they can't ever do this again. Finally, Zack was warned he would never ride again. Make sure that he can't."

"All of that is doable. Do you want them left alive? Video or pictures?"

"Yes, and miserable. Video apology to the ladies. Pictures once everything is done."

"I'll get it done."

I went back to the room and Lauren was already in bed. She was afraid when she couldn't find me. "I'm sorry, sweetheart; that was unkind of me. I needed to answer a phone call."

"Who were you talking to?"

"Don't know for sure but it's someone that is helping find out who is responsible for what happened. Whoever it is, is close to finding out who did it and wanted to know what needed to be done when they find them."

"What did you tell them?"

"That what they had done to you needed to be brought down on them."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you want to know?"

She considered it for a moment. I hoped she wouldn't ask. Part of her innocence had already been stolen and I hoped that she would remain ignorant of what was going to happen. "I don't want to know do I?" she asked in a whisper.

"I will tell you everything, Lauren, but you can trust me that what is going to happen is nothing but justice. Harsh but just."

"Will you be okay and be able to sleep with it?"

"I could take a nap in the room while it was happening."

She smiled, "You're protecting me again, aren't you? Thank you, Lee." She kissed me with passion and desire. I cupped her breast through my t-shirt and felt her nipple stiffen as did the rest of her body. "I know I started this but can I have a little more time?" she asked.

"As much as you need, darlin'," I promised.

The rest of the drive home was boring but smooth. We stopped in southeast Missouri on the second night and rolled into Alabama late on the third day. I still hadn't heard from my avenger. I was beginning to worry that something had gone wrong.

The next morning we were up and making plans to take Tate to Georgia. Lauren had stopped referring to it as home. I'm sure the full-court press pushing a lawsuit had something to do with it.

"Do you want to go up and see your dad after we're done in Georgia?" I asked.

"What about your internship?"

"They agreed to let me come back next summer. I explained to them everything that happened and they were great."

"But I thought you were going to be putting money away for next year?"

"I was but they found a workaround and paid me anyway. Never thought a kid from a tiny directional school would get NIL money but here I am living the dream."

"You got endorsement money?! Liam, that's huge baby! What do you have to do?"

"It's not much. I have to get some pictures made so they can do a billboard with the Austal and West Alabama logo, and I have to do a radio spot for their hiring recruitment drive."

"Oooh, I'm dating a model!"

"Yeah, I can see it now, which one is your boyfriend Lauren? He's the one in the hard hat and safety vest," I said with a chuckle.

"If they have you without a shirt and just a safety vest, they'll have every lady that sees you applying," she teased.

"I think I'll to have test that theory on you."

"You want me to work for you?" she coquettishly.

"There are some jobs that only you are qualified for."

She smiled and her cute dimples were so damn sexy. "I think that it's about time to get caught up. But..." she faltered.

"Lauren, no pressure. I'm not..."

She interrupted me, "No Liam, it's not that. I'm not sure I can handle your dick being around my face. I want to make love but I'm not sure if I can do all the things we did before. I don't want you to be disappointed."

"Lauren, I want to make love to you. That means you feel love, pleasure, and bliss. It's not about getting off as much as coming together."

"Here?"

"Wherever you're comfortable, baby. We can go to my room or get a room."

"When will Amy be home?"

"This evening. She was headed to Mobile to catch up with a client."

"I think I would feel safest in your bed. Can we make love this morning and then get on the road?"

Instead of answering I pulled her into my arms and kissed her. I let the kiss build naturally and let her passions rise to meet mine. Her hands roamed to my chest and back. Cautiously she slipped her hands down and squeezed my butt. I left her lips and kissed her jawline and neck. Her short hair left me free to enjoy every inch without getting a mouthful of hair.