Sean itched to get his hands around Matt’s neck.

“Tell me what you want to do then. I’ll take you to the hospital if you want to go.”

“I just want Marlene,” she said in a small voice.

“Then I’ll take you home. Okay? I’ll call ahead to make sure she’s there.”

“Won’t she be at the hospital with Sophie?”

“I think right now you need her more,” Sean said gently.

Rusty breathed a sigh of relief and then she looked at him. “Thanks. You’re not so bad, you know? For a cop.”

Sean shook his head. “We’re not the bad guys, Rusty.” He glanced over at her car. “Do you need anything out of there before we go?”

“My purse. And my school stuff.”

“Okay, sit tight while I go get it. I’ll need to call a wrecker to come get the car.”

“Frank and Marlene are going to be so upset,” she said. “They just got me that car and I promised to take care of it.”

Sean paused and then leaned back into the car to look over at Rusty. “They’ll be happy you’re okay. They don’t give a damn about that car.”

As he walked toward the wrecked car, he pulled out his cell phone. “Marlene? This is Sean. Yeah, Rusty’s okay. Look I know you’re probably on your way to the hospital but ... Rusty really needs you right now. I’m going to take her home if you can meet me there.”

CHAPTER 16

SEAN parked his patrol car outside Matt Winfree’s home and sat for a moment trying to get his anger under control. Dealing with teenage punks of Matt’s ilk wasn’t anything new, but this time really set him off. It was no secret there was no love lost between him and Rusty. She’d been obstinate, obnoxious and rebellious from the first moment she’d learned that Sean was a cop. Half the time he wanted to shake her senseless. The other half, he preferred to just avoid her. But she didn’t deserve this shit with Matt. For all her faults, he knew beyond her tough-girl exterior lay a very frightened, insecure girl who just wanted what other teenagers took for granted. Someone to love her and give a damn.

He got out and walked toward the front door. Matt’s father, Tom, opened it when he was halfway up the walk.

“Sean,” he greeted. “What can I do for you?”

Sean stopped a foot in front of the bottom step. “I need to talk to Matt, Tom.”

Tom frowned and his brow drew together. “Is there a problem? He just got in from school. He’s up doing his homework.”

“You need to get him. I need to have a private word with him.”

“I’ll get him, but I’ll hear whatever it is you have to say.”

Sean shrugged. “If you insist.”

He stood outside, hands shoved into his pockets while he waited. A few minutes later, Tom returned with Matt and they stepped outside onto the porch. Matt glanced nervously between Sean and his father and then his lips curled and he went on the offensive.

“No matter what that little bitch said, I didn’t do anything.”

“Watch your mouth,” Tom barked. “You’ll show some respect.”

Sean leveled a stare at Matt and enjoyed watching him squirm. “Well now, I hadn’t said anything at all. Interesting that you get on the defensive right away now, isn’t it?”

Tom’s eyes narrowed and he fell silent as he stared at his son. Then he turned to Sean. “What’s going on here, Sean? Just spit it out. What is it you think Matt has done?”

“I don’t think anything,” Sean said softly. He looked past Tom to Matt and then took a step forward. “You’re damn lucky I don’t haul you down to lockup.”

Matt smirked, though his eyes betrayed his panic.

“Rusty isn’t pressing charges, though I tried to talk her into it. Nothing would give me more pleasure than to stuff you into a cell. But let me tell you this. If you so much as breathe her name—even once—I’ll make your life miserable. You got me? You don’t talk about her. You don’t brag to your buddies that you got next to her. If I hear a single word that you’ve done anything to make her miserable at school, I’ll come down on you so hard you won’t be able to take a piss without me breathing down your neck and then you can kiss your football scholarship to UT good-bye.”

Matt paled and Tom’s perplexed expression turned angry. “Matt, what the hell is he talking about? What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything,” Matt spat out. “The little bitch is a prick tease.”

“I saw the bruises on her neck. I saw the tears in her shirt. You wrecked her new car—which, by the way, you are going to make restitution for. You’re getting off scot-free, which pisses me the hell off. But it ends right here and now. If you don’t think I’m serious, you just try me. I can ruin your life, and moreover, I’d take great pleasure in doing so if you do anything to give Rusty a hard time.”

Tom closed his eyes and shook his head. All the color had drained from his cheeks, and Sean felt sorry for him. Tom was a good man. He was a longtime school board member and a huge supporter of the high school. He didn’t think for a minute that Tom would condone his son’s behavior.

“He’ll do whatever it takes to make amends,” Tom said hoarsely. “You have my word on it.”

Matt’s face reddened and swelled up with anger, but his father’s look prevented him from speaking his mind.

“I want him to stay away from Rusty and keep his mouth shut.”

Tom nodded. “He will.”

Sean turned and started toward his car when Matt’s outburst reached him.

“She’s nothing! Just some little tramp. Why do you give a shit about her?”

Sean stopped and then slowly turned back around. He pinned Matt with the full force of his glare until he saw fear glimmer back in Matt’s eyes.

“That’s where you’re wrong, you little prick. Take my advice. Forget you ever heard Rusty’s name. She’s very much a part of the Kelly family now, and if you know anything about them, then you know they don’t suffer any insult to their family. She now has six older brothers who’d love nothing more than to kick your little arrogant ass all over Stewart County.”

“Matt, for God’s sake, shut up,” Tom snarled. “You’re in enough trouble as it is.”

Sean tipped his hat in Tom’s direction and then continued to his car.

Satisfied that he’d given Matt Winfree plenty of incentive to keep his mouth shut and to leave Rusty alone, he drove toward the Kelly house.

A few minutes later, he pulled to a stop beside Marlene’s car and sighed. This sucked all the way around. Especially for Rusty. But he could at least allay her fears of the incident making the rounds at school.

He knocked and waited. Marlene opened the door, her eyes fiery. Oh, he’d seen that look plenty of times. She was such an easygoing, loving woman, but God help the fool who messed with one of her chicks.

“How is she?” he asked quietly.

Marlene sighed. “Upset but trying not to let me know how much. She’s playing it off, of course, but it scared her to death. Tell me you beat the shit out of that little asshole.”

Sean’s shoulders shook with laughter. “I might have threatened to.”

Marlene made a disgruntled sound.

“Can I see her?” he asked.

Marlene opened the door wider. “Of course. Come on in. She’s in the kitchen. I made her put an ice pack on those bruises.”

Sean scowled at the mention of those bruises. It made him want to go back over and bruise Matt Winfree’s face.

He followed Marlene into the kitchen and braced himself for Rusty’s belligerence. But when she looked up, he saw no sign of anger or hostility. She looked ... young and extremely vulnerable.

“How are you doing?” he asked.

She leaned against the kitchen sink and let the hand holding the ice pack fall away. “I’m okay. Thanks to you.”

She sounded subdued. He almost preferred her mouthy and obnoxious. He didn’t know how to take the quiet and beaten-down Rusty.

“I just came by to tell you that you don’t have to worry about Matt Winfree causing you any more trouble. And school won’t be a problem. He won’t be running his mouth.”

Her eyes widened in surprise and to his extreme discomfort tears shimmered on the surface.

“What did you do?” she asked hoarsely.

He shook his head. “What I did isn’t important. What is, is that he won’t be a problem for you. And Rusty? If you ever need me, you call, okay? You seem to think that no one is on your side and that you can’t depend on anyone. By now you should know that isn’t true. The Kellys stand by you, and so do I.”

Her eyes held the faint glaze of shock as she stared wordlessly at him. Marlene’s phone rang, breaking the growing silence that followed his announcement. She picked it up and he listened as she said hello and then broke into a wide smile.

“Sophie’s had her baby!” she said over the mouth of the phone.

Sean smiled. “That’s great. Tell Sam I said congratulations.”

Marlene spoke on the phone a few more seconds and then hung up, beaming from ear to ear.

“Why don’t I drive you two up to the hospital to see Sophie and the new baby?” he offered. He glanced at Rusty as he spoke. “Seems to me this is a good time to be surrounded by your family.”

A smile hovered over her mouth, the corners lifting as her eyes lightened.

Marlene looked over at Rusty and then reached out her hand to squeeze Rusty’s. “What do you say? Want to go up and see the newest addition to the Kelly clan?”

“I’d like that,” Rusty said in a soft voice.

“Well come on then. I’ll give you code-three treatment,” he said with a grin.

CHAPTER 17