Taken Hard (The Hard Boys 2)

She let out a scream as Caleb let her go and attacked Jacob. It all happened so fast.

“Caleb, stop it,” she said.

He shoved Jacob hard, throwing him against the counter. Bar stools and tables were knocked over.

No one interfered as Caleb and Jacob continued to fight.

She couldn’t handle it, trying to get between them. Shoved away for her troubles, she hit the floor hard, knocking the wind right out of her.

Lilly got to her feet in time to watch Jacob grab a beer bottle, smash it, and aim for Caleb.

She couldn’t see him get hurt. Without thinking, she charged in front of him, and the bottle slashed against her waist. Cries escaped her as pain rushed through her.

She fell to the floor, cupping her side.

In the moment of actually wounding her, Jacob took a step back.

The door to the bar opened. In walked the sheriff with Theodore, James, and Rome.

“Baby, shit. Fuck, are you okay?” Caleb wrapped his arms around her.

She looked up at him. “I think so.” She groaned.

Theodore lowered himself to the ground beside her. She was shocked as Jacob held his hands up for the sheriff to arrest him.

“Make sure she’s okay,” Jacob said.

“I’ve got to have a quick look, Lilly,” Theodore said.

Lowering her hand, she didn’t dare look.

Caleb cupped her face and she smiled at him. “I’m so sorry.”

“I hate blood,” she said.

He pressed a kiss to her lips.

“It doesn’t appear to be too deep. We need to get her to the hospital.”

With Caleb and Theodore’s help, they escorted her outside and the sheriff was there waiting. “I’m going to need you to make a statement,” he said.

Caleb continued to walk her to his truck as his father took care of everything. Rome climbed in alongside them as they took off, heading toward the hospital.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” Rome asked.

“Shut up. You didn’t hear the shit that prick was spewing. If he was saying stuff about your little teacher, you’d be just as pissed as me. Don’t fucking start.”

Lilly frowned. “Teacher?”

“It’s not important,” Rome said.

“He’s got a crush on a teacher. Has for the past ten years, isn’t it now?”

Lilly looked at Rome, seeing his cheeks redden. “Which one?”

She and Rome were close in age. He was two years older than her. Twenty-five at his last birthday, which was a few weeks before her own.

“Miss Evergreen,” Caleb said.

Rome looked out of the window.

“She’s really pretty,” she said. “And nice. I like her.”

Miss Evergreen was one of the nicest people Lilly had ever known during her high school years. She hadn’t been qualified for long when she joined the high school. Quite a few of the guys had been smitten with her, but Miss Evergreen wouldn’t give them the time of day.

“It doesn’t matter,” Rome said.

“Why not?”

“Let’s not talk about this, okay? You got sliced with a bottle.”

“It doesn’t stop me from talking with you.”

“She was my teacher. Nothing else.”

“Was being past tense,” Lilly said. “I don’t think she’s dating anyone. She never married.”

“How do you know so much about her?” Caleb asked.

“She was the nicest person in school. She saw how difficult it was for me to study at home and would often stay behind after classes so I had some company and help. She always believed with hard work came rewards.”

Andy Evergreen was the sweetest woman around.

Looking at Rome, she wondered if he deserved her.

Lilly didn’t judge. “Have you ever thought of asking her on a date?”

“She’ll only see me as a kid.”

“You’re not a kid anymore, Rome. You won’t know unless you ask.”

“We’re here,” Caleb said.

She didn’t get an answer to her question. Caleb tossed the keys to Rome as he helped her out of the truck. Tucked against his side, Lilly never wanted to leave him.

They were shown to a room where a nurse checked over her cuts. There were a few shards of glass in her cut, and they worked to remove them.

She was given a few stitches, another appointment to come back to check them over, and some instructions to rest.

On the way out, Caleb refused to take her home, insisting on taking care of her. He dropped her off at his home and then went to grab some of her clothes from Aunt Betty’s. Sitting in his home, pain filling her body, she settled on the sofa and was a little shocked and confused by the night’s events. It was crazy to think about what had gone down. Even crazier to know Edward hadn’t called to tell her she was fired. The bar had to have been a mess.

Feeling a little sick, she closed her eyes. Then she couldn’t remember anything else that had happened.

****

“Caleb, I’m not injured. You don’t have to help me everywhere,” Lilly said as he walked her toward her next class.

The library had given her some paid sick leave, and Edward had also told her to take some time off, but he was also paying her.