Page 144 of Dirty Discipline, Vol. 2

“He didn’t want to break up, so it was a little messy, but all good now.” She didn’t want to open that can of worms, but it reminded her of what might happen if she got together with Jacob. She looked around awkwardly, then said, “I should get going. It’s probably getting late.”

“Nope. It’s eight, so all good. Besides, it seems you still have the habit of avoiding subjects you don’t want to share. So spill. What did Flynn do?” Jacob’s tone left her with no doubt he would not go on until she told him the whole story.

Sage sighed dramatically but began. “I liked the protective vibe you always had, so when Flynn showed that to me, I was interested in trying things out. He kind of pushed into moving in pretty quickly. It was soon afterward I discovered the truth.”

Jacob nodded and said, “Go on.” He was reserving his reactions, but Sage could see he was holding himself stiffly.

She explained that with Flynn, protective was attached to a strong possessive feature in a most unhealthy way. For her and those around her. Jacob opened his arms, inviting Sage to sit on his lap, but she wouldn’t be able to continue without breaking down if she did that. So she paced.

“I stopped to talk to Ray, a friend from high school, and we were laughing and cutting up before I went home from church. Alone.”

When she stopped talking for too long, Jacob prompted her quietly as he snagged Sage’s waist and pulled her close when her pacing brought her in front of him. “What happened, baby?”

“I got my first round of interrogation about my motives for talking to another man. Then, I heard Ray was beaten up badly the next week. My alarms began to go off but only a little. Flynn had overreacted and then apologized profusely. Yes, it rang a bit off, but he’d always been, and quickly returned to being, the considerate guy I thought I knew. I guess I wanted to overlook it, so I did. I don’t know if he had anything to do with Ray, but…” she shrugged.

“But you have more than a suspicion.”

“Yes. The vague description of his attacker could have been Flynn.”

Sage explained that even though she wondered about the assault, she heard it was a mugging gone wrong. It was something they rarely had in Ridgeline. In fact, it was the first in recent history, but still, it had happened.

“I ignored it after a while, and things were good for a few months. Until it happened again.”

Sage explained she had gone out with several female friends one evening, arranging with her dad to stay at his house in town if she had been drinking. She was happy to see the others had arrived, standing with their husbands and significant others outside.

“They weren’t happy I drove myself.”

Sage could still hear their responses.

Michael, Carolyn’s boyfriend, spoke up. “You mean he let you drive here? I thought you girls were drinking.” He turned to Carolyn.

She placed her hand on his forearm. “We are, honey. But that is a good question. Why did he let you drive yourself? Is he picking you up?”

Sage had done her best to ignore the lack of care on Flynn’s part. She placated herself by saying, “He knows if I need to stay in town, I’ll go to dad’s.”

Chris, the girlfriend who made it her business to watch out for the group, had always questioned Flynn’s motives. She asked, “That’s what you told him?”

“He already knows. We don’t have to talk about it.”

Sage knew her friends thought differently, and their men had a variety of expressions over the situation, none very flattering, but no one said anything, and the men left. She sighed. Jacob would have been right there with the other men, even so far as to talk to the bartender to ensure she was protected. Hell, he probably would have sat in the corner and kept his eye on them.

“Sage? Are you okay?”

“What? Oh, yes, I’m fine. Just remembering. When they picked up the girls, Michael, Carolyn’s boyfriend, offered to walk me to my car before taking Carolyn home. Actually, he wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

“Good. I’m glad to hear some men care about the women around them. So, what happened.” Jake was tense again.

“I had told them that Flynn was off practice shooting or probably home asleep by then. They didn’t like that it was dark, and he still didn’t make arrangements to pick me up.”

“Don’t point this guy out to me, Sage, because I’m likely to teach him a few home truths.”

“I won’t.” She smiled sadly at Jacob as he pulled her into his arms, almost cuddling her. It felt so good that Sage felt safe enough to remember the rest.

“Later that night, when we were ready to go, I decided I was sober but too tired to drive home. I said my goodbyes, and Michael walked me to my car because the streetlight was out.

“Michael leaned over to open the door for me and stood until I had started the car. He strode back to his truck and Carolyn, who he’d settled before escorting me. He was such a gentleman. I know it’s silly, but I had a momentary wish I had someone who did that for me.”

Jacob kissed her temple. “I’m sorry I was such a dick for so long, sweetheart. It’s my fault you didn’t have that then, but you do now.” His voice promised to follow up on what his words declared. He would be her protector.

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