Fight for You (Beyond the Cove Book 4) Read online

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Epilogue

  Other Books By Jaclyn Quinn:

  Author’s Note

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Fight for You

  A Beyond the Cove Novel

  Copyright © 2020 Jaclyn Quinn

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Cover design by Cate Ashwood Designs

  Interior Design and Formatting provided by Flawless Touch Formatting

  Interior Design by Designs by Morningstar

  The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval systems, without express written permission from the author, Jaclyn Quinn, author. The only exception is in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. While references may be made to actual places and events, the names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Licensed material is being used for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted in the licensed material is a model.

  All products and/or brand names mentioned are registered trademarks of their respective holders/companies.

  Fight for You picks up where Thirst for You left off. Therefore, if you would like to avoid spoilers from Thirst for You, it is suggested you read that book first in order to truly understand what the characters in this book are going through.

  There is a retelling of a violent event from an MC’s past. Though it is not told as it’s happening, it may be triggering to some readers.

  This book is dedicated to all the readers who patiently waited for Mason, Sawyer, and Grant’s story. These three men definitely deserved their happy ending, and I’m so grateful that you all stuck by me so I could make that happen! Love to you all!

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” Grant asked, his voice cracking. The anguish in his words was nothing compared to the pained expression in his brown eyes when he lifted them and focused on Mason.

  “You know why,” Mason replied. All eyes were on them, but the only person Mason saw was Grant. “Besides, I had no proof. That’s a heavy accusation, and I had nothing to back it up but a hunch. The second I got confirmation that she was our stalker, I went to her place, thinking you were with Drew. Things escalated pretty quickly from there.” That was an understatement. All fucking hell had broken loose, changing the course of several lives in Riverside Falls.

  Grant dropped his head and wiped the tears from his face. Jesus Christ, have I ever seen Grant this broken? “I need a minute.” He stood up, but when Mason tried to stop him from leaving the room, Grant pulled away from his grasp. Mason looked back at Drew apologetically then took off after Grant.

  Grant was halfway down the hallway; his long, determined strides moving him toward the stairs. Mason picked up his speed, not bothering to call out for Grant to stop. The man was stubborn; always had been. Mason caught the heavy door Grant had just pushed through as it started to swing closed, fully expecting to hear Grant’s heavy footsteps at least a flight down at this point. Seeing him leaning against the stairwell cinder block wall—heels of his hands pressed firmly against his eyes and sobs wracking his entire body—tore right through Mason.

  Without another thought, Mason wrapped his arms around Grant, feeling tremors course through the man’s tense muscles. Grant pushed against Mason’s chest, but Mason held on with even more determination. Grant could fight all he wanted, but there was no way Mason was letting go. Not now. Not ever. That vow flashed through his mind unexpectedly, with such force, Mason felt it down to his bones. Grant’s brother, Drew, was going to have his own demons to fight, but there was no way in hell Grant was going through this alone.

  With a pain-ridden, garbled, “Oh God,” Grant stopped pushing and, instead, slid his arms around Mason’s waist, gripping the back of his shirt tightly in both hands. “How did this happen?” Grant pressed his face into Mason’s neck, and the touch of his lips brushing against Mason’s heated skin sent a jolt through his system—one he had no right feeling. Not in this moment. Maybe not ever.

  “I don’t know. She had us all fooled.” Those words went deeper than Mason cared to admit. He was the goddamn police captain. His job was to protect the people of Riverside Falls and trust his instincts.

  And he’d failed.

  Mason stared out the window to the crowded parking lot below, waiting for Grant to exit the building and finally go home and get some rest. No such luck and not a fucking shocker either. The man had been glued to Sawyer’s bedside in ICU for two days. The hospital was keeping Drew overnight for observation after the trauma earlier in the day coupled with the concussion he already had. Now, with Drew a floor down, Grant would no doubt split his time between the two rooms. God only knew the last time he’d slept.

  “Must have gone for his tenth cup of coffee. So damn stubborn,” Mason grumbled, turning from the window to stare at Sawyer laying in the hospital bed. Jesus Christ, the last couple of days had been like something out of a goddamn movie. Shit like this didn’t happen in Riverside Falls. They weren’t supposed to worry about attempted murder, never mind two attempts in one fucking week.

  You still should’ve been able to figure it out and do your fucking job. Sawyer and Drew sure as hell wouldn’t be in the conditions they were in if he had.

  Mason crossed the room and sat in the chair next to Sawyer. He looked slightly better than he had after surgery two days before to close a tear in his spleen—which wasn’t really saying much considering how banged up the guy was. Mason’s eyes scanned down Sawyer’s right leg encased in a long splint. They’d apparently held off on fixing his leg until his condition stabilized, which had been early that morning. Before all hell broke loose. A respiratory therapist had weaned him off sedation and the ventilator as soon as they’d felt he could handle it, and he’d been somewhat coherent for the first time a few hours after the surgery. Hence the only reason Grant had been here with Sawyer and had left Drew with Lisa.

  One more thing for Grant to blame himself for.

  It was something any one of them would’ve done in Grant’s position, but tell that to the obstinate guy who was, at this very moment, blaming himself for everything.

  Mason let his eyes roam over the sleeping man in the hospital bed who, no doubt, would be out for a while from the pain meds. Sawyer had a long road ahead of him but seeing him without the tube in his mouth was a substantial improvement. There was something about Sawyer being able to breathe on his own that transformed him from knocking on death’s door to giving the Grim Reaper the finger and telling him to fuck off. But then, Sawyer had always seemed like a fighter, to the point where Mason figured Sawyer didn’t know how to be anything else.

  He looked younger when he slept, his forehead void of worry lin
es, a scowl nowhere to be found. With Sawyer’s eyes closed, Mason couldn’t see the torment always present in their depths. Was there ever a time in Sawyer’s life when he was happy? Mason tried to recall ever seeing a smile on the guy’s face but came up short. It was a shame; the man was gorgeous. Mason gently pushed a brown wave back from Sawyer’s forehead, trying not to wake him or touch the bruises and cuts still healing on his face. They were hard to look at; more so than the ones littering his arms—one more painful reminder of why Sawyer was laying in this bed.

  “Oh my God,” a woman’s choked voice cried from the doorway. Mason looked over, watching as the woman covered her mouth then leaned her face on the man’s chest to her left. “I can’t see him like this.”

  “He needs us right now, Sharon.” The man kissed the top of her head, and she nodded, wiping the tears from her blotchy cheeks. The man met Mason’s gaze for a split second as he moved the woman toward Sawyer’s bedside.

  She let go of him and leaned over Sawyer, her trembling fingers following the path Mason’s just had as she gently pushed Sawyer’s unruly hair back. “Sawyer, we’re here, honey.” She took a deep, shuddering breath then hung her head, a whimpering sob escaping. She covered her mouth and pressed her eyes closed, releasing more tears that fell silently onto Sawyer’s chest, quickly absorbed by the hospital gown. The man behind her rubbed comforting circles on her back, and it seemed to give her strength. They have to be Sawyer’s parents.

  As if noticing Mason for the first time, the woman glanced over to him with bloodshot eyes so much like Sawyer’s. “Are…are you his boyfriend?”

  “Sharon.” The man’s firm tone and shake of his head had Mason eyeing him with a whole hell of a lot of judgment. That was until he added, “We have to respect his wishes, even if he’s not awake to argue with us.”

  “You’re right, I’m sorry. I guess it was just wishful thinking, and well…” She looked down toward the bed. Mason didn’t remember doing it, didn’t even know how long he’d been doing it, but at some point, he’d taken Sawyer’s hand. A sudden warmth wrapped around their joined hands, and for reasons he didn’t want to examine too closely, he didn’t want to let go. But the hopeful gleam in this woman’s eyes made Mason slowly pull away and stand up.

  “Uh, no, ma’am. I’m Captain Lockley, but you can call me Mason. I’m guessing you’re Mr. and Mrs. Levy? I called and left you a message.” That had been two days ago. Under any other circumstances, Mason would’ve asked what the hell had taken them so long. But he didn’t need a magnifying glass to truly see how much these two people loved Sawyer.

  “Please, call us Barry and Sharon,” the man replied. He was an older version of Sawyer, his wavy hair thick and full, but instead of chocolate brown, his was streaked with different shades of gray. Their build was so similar, the way both father and son held themselves, it was as if Mason was getting a sneak peek at what Sawyer would look like in thirty years’ time.

  “We feel sick about not getting your message sooner,” Sharon said. “We’d gone to Sedona for a few days. That was our house line you’d called.” She looked back down at Sawyer. “I can’t even tell you how scared we were. It’s killing me to see him like this again.”

  Again?

  Mason opened his mouth to ask her what she meant when Grant walked into the room with two cups of coffee in his hands. Grant’s eyebrows drew together, his defenses visibly going up. “What’s going on?” He crossed the small, sterile room and went to the side of the bed where Mason was sitting, handing him a cup.

  It was unbelievable to see how protective Grant was of the man in the bed, when only a week ago, he and Sawyer had been at each other’s throats. Sawyer still had no idea that the day he’d saved Drew’s life was also the day Grant had taken a silent oath to stay by Sawyer’s side. Mason almost laughed, envisioning the scowl Sawyer would soon be sporting when he realized he’d inherited his own personal bodyguard while he’d been out cold. Yet, Mason also couldn’t take his eyes off Grant; that tick in his stubbled jaw, the tightness around his guarded eyes as he stared at the two strangers in the room. It was a hell of a turn on—holy shit, this isn’t the time or place to be thinking that.

  “Sharon, Barry…this is Grant Belford. One of Sawyer’s friends.” That’s something I never thought I’d say.

  Mason looked up at Sawyer’s mom, and there was that hopefulness again on her face as she stared at Grant and then looked back at Mason. Mason gave a subtle shake of his head, and her eyes dropped. Sawyer being outed once today was a complete accident, but Mason felt the need to prevent it from happening again. That clearly fell in the things-you-should-never-fucking-do category, yet he was giving Sharon the benefit of the doubt that in a normal, non-traumatic situation, she never would have disrespected her son’s privacy like that. At least, he sure as hell hoped that was the case. The fact that she’d held back from saying it out loud a second time helped to set Mason’s mind at ease. “Grant, this is Sharon and Barry Levy. Sawyer’s parents.”

  The suspicious glare dropped from Grant’s face replaced with immense apprehension. “Oh, um…it’s nice to meet you—I mean, not nice because—” Grant motioned to Sawyer and then scrubbed a hand over his face. “Shit. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t mind him,” Mason said to Sawyer’s parents. “He hasn’t slept in days.” Grant flashed Mason the sexy-as-hell frown he’d been hoping for. Grant probably knew he didn’t have a leg to stand on. His raven hair was sticking out in all directions from the amount of times he’d dragged his hands through it. His eyes were bloodshot, taking away from the bourbon color Mason loved so much, and he had dark circles underneath.

  Barry pulled a chair up on the other side of the bed for Sharon. As she sat next to her sleeping son, she said softly, “Thank you both for being here with him. I prayed he hadn’t gone through this alone.”

  “He’s not alone,” Grant responded softly as he stared at Sawyer.

  “Can you tell us what happened?” Barry asked.

  Mason hadn’t wanted to explain the disturbing details of what had happened on their voicemail. It must have been hard enough to hear a message from a police officer saying their son was in the hospital. Next to Mason, Grant flexed the fist hanging down at his side. It wasn’t going to be easy for him to listen to the details again, but there was no getting around it. Mason sighed. “Sawyer was involved in a hit and run.”

  Sharon’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh my God. Who would do that? How can someone hit another person and not get help? He could’ve died!”

  Mason glanced up, making eye contact with Grant before Grant walked over and looked absently out the window. Turning back to Sharon and Barry, Mason said the words that would undoubtedly cause Grant pain…the words no parents wanted to hear. “It wasn’t an accident.”

  Sharon sucked in a breath, and anger flooded Barry’s face as he demanded, “What do you mean it wasn’t an accident? Are you saying someone tried to kill our son?”

  “No.” The gruff response came from Grant as he continued to stare vacantly out the window. “Someone tried to kill my brother.” Finally, he turned an agonizing gaze on Sawyer’s parents. “Sawyer saved his life.”

  Grant hated looking at them. How the hell was he supposed to make eye contact while explaining that it was his damn fault their son was laying in that hospital bed?

  “I don’t understand.” Sharon looked back and forth between Mason and Grant, but the words felt like glue in Grant’s throat.

  “Drew Belford worked at the same bar as Sawyer,” Mason began, and Grant braced himself, even though he knew what was coming. “Drew was being stalked, and at the time, we didn’t know who was responsible. A couple of nights ago, the person showed up at the bar as Drew and Sawyer were closing up. She attempted to hit Drew with her car, but Sawyer pushed Drew out of the way and took most of the impact.” Grant felt disconnected, as if Mason weren’t really talking about Lisa and Lisa hadn’t really been out of her fucking mind.

  “
Oh my God,” Sharon whispered, covering her mouth. “Please tell me she’s been arrested.”

  Grant looked away and shook his head, pushing down the rage boiling up and hating himself for the pang of loss he couldn’t help but feel for the woman he’d thought Lisa was. But that woman hadn’t really existed, because even if she hadn’t tried to kill Drew, she’d never truly been in love with Grant. He’d been a fucking pawn, a cover up for the sick, twisted obsession she’d had with Zach, Drew’s boyfriend and Grant’s best friend. “She’s dead.” The delivery was harsh and tactless, but Lisa didn’t deserve more than that.

  “Can’t say I’m upset about that,” Sharon said indignantly, gently placing a hand on Sawyer’s shoulder. Unfortunately, Grant couldn’t say he agreed with that, either. She’d been important to him, and some stupid part of him ached from losing her. Guilt and shame fought for dominance, warring in his fucked-up mind.

  Grant met Mason’s eyes. He couldn’t do this. Couldn’t hear the story one more time. “I’m gonna get some air while you fill them in.” Mason gave Grant a slight nod.

  Grant crossed the room, but before he left, he froze in the doorway. Slowly, he turned back around and faced Sawyer’s parents. “I don’t even know how to repay him for what he’s done for me. Drew’s the only family I have left.” Grant swallowed the lump in his throat. “Sawyer protected him when I couldn’t be there. He protected him”—when I brought her back into our lives, into my bed, literally slept with the fucking enemy—“when I didn’t.” Grant turned away from the sympathy in the eyes of all three people, the pity in Mason’s hitting him the hardest.