Conceal (The Barker Triplets 3)

Thank God. What a diversion that would be.

Logan rolled his shoulders and motioned to see if Betty was ready.

“She’s always ready, Forest. You should know that,” Catch said, that slimy smile in place. “Isn’t that right, Barker?”

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll shut your trap.” Hulk was now inches from the wire fence and earned a glare from the catcher.

Interesting.

Betty ignored both of them and nodded at Logan to throw the pitch, as she swung the bat and eyed up right field.

Beau had been playing with her all day and he knew that she knew how to place a ball. Right field had moved way in—something the guys had been doing whenever a female was at the plate.

Dumb. Betty could hit the damn ball and as Logan threw a nice pitch down the pike, Beau knew the ball would go right and that it would land way over the fielder’s head.

The crowd cheered madly as Betty ran to first and made it to second before the fielder threw to the infield.

She took a bow, to more whistles and cheers, and for one second he caught a look of pure, unbridled, joy in her face as she smiled back at Logan.

It hit Beau in the chest. Tightened things that maybe shouldn’t be tightened.

He had to clear his throat and his head as he stepped up to bat.

The crowd went crazy. It was pretty obvious the Pirates were favorites. Someone shouted, “Beau I want your babies!” and the crowd cheered and laughed as he eased into the box, glancing to each side of the diamond and waving. He saw his security detail pushing back a gaggle of women near the team dugout and was glad that he’d decided to call them in for this event.

The numbers had swollen considerably since this morning—with all the social media available, word had spread that he was in New Waterford.

“You get a piece of that, Simon?”

There was Catch again.

Beau held his hand up and Logan stepped back, holding onto the ball as Beau turned to the catcher. It was then that Beau remembered the face.

He was the asshole who’d had his hands all over Betty that night at the dance. The asshole that Beau had told to take a hike.

Beau stepped up in the guy’s grill and thumped him in the chest. He had a couple inches on him, and maybe it was the tension that sat in his shoulders—or the look of joy that he’d just glimpsed in Betty’s eyes—but he was ready to tear the guys head off.

Beau spoke, low and slow, but there was no mistaking he would back up his words.

“You shut your dirty-ass mouth. If you so much as look at her or say one more fucked up thing, I will rearrange your face and I’ll do it right here in front of this entire town. You got that?”

The guy was stupid. He opened his mouth to say something but Beau didn’t let him have a chance. “And when I’m done….” He pointed over to his security detail. Four big, strong men who were ex-military. “Those guys will want to chat and trust me, you don’t want a private audience with them. So right now I’d think long and hard about how you’d like to proceed.”

Ump stepped up. “We good boys?”

Beau flashed a signature smile, and earned another round of sighs, cheers among the female fans watching. “I’m good.” He glanced at Cat

cher. “How bout it? You ready to finish this?”

The catcher took a step back but said nothing.

Beau turned, nodded at Logan who stepped back into the pitchers circle, and when a perfect ball was thrown to him, he stepped into it. Beau swung even and hard and he knocked the damn thing out of the park.

He ran, his eyes on Betty as she circled third and headed for home. His gaze never left her as he followed in her footsteps and when he reached home plate, she was there, a big grin on her face.

Her eyes were huge, their blue depths sparkling and her smile was open and unguarded. Her cheeks were flushed, her ponytail had come loose, long strands blowing in the breeze.

She was breathtaking. Alive.