Montana D-Force (Brotherhood Protectors Book 3) Read Online Free

They don’t.” She pulled Mia into her arms. “I’m glad you came here. You can’t go back until you have the deadbolt fixed and a decent security system installed.”
    Mia shook her head, her lips thinning into a straight line. “I have to go back. Whoever did this can’t get away with it. I refuse to let anyone scare me away from my family home. I’m tired of being the victim.”
    Bear’s fists clenched into fists. The bullish frown on Mia’s face made him want to go after her demons as much as she wanted to.
    Sadie gripped her friend’s arms. “What are you talking about?”
    Mia’s chin lifted, even as tears filled her eyes again. She swiped at them with the back of her knuckles. “Did I tell you about the script I came to write?”
    Sadie shook her head. “No.”
    Drawing in a deep breath, Mia glanced around at the men in the room, as if in challenge. Then she turned to Sadie. “It’s about a woman who returns to her hometown thirteen years after she was brutally raped to find the man who did it to her.”
    Sadie tilted her head to the side. A frown dug a line between her brows. “That’s a tough one to write.”
    “Even tougher when it’s based on a true story.”
    Sadie gasped. “Mia?”
    The smaller woman nodded. “On my way home from school, thirteen years ago.”
    Bear’s chest tightened. Mia couldn’t have been more than fifteen or sixteen at the time. What kind of animal would have done such a thing?
    Sadie’s hand dropped to the swell of her belly. “Who?”
    Mia shook her head. “I don’t know. He wore a ski mask. I never knew who did it.”
    “Oh, my God.” Sadie’s eyes filled, and she pressed her hand to her mouth. “Was that at the end of the school year between your junior and senior year?”
    Mia nodded.
    “I wondered why you didn’t participate in anything that summer or during our senior year. Oh, sweet Jesus, Mia.” Sadie pulled her friend into her arms again and held her there. “You should have told someone.”
    “I couldn’t,” Mia whispered. “I was so ashamed and scared.”
    “Why didn’t your parents go to the police?”
    Mia shrugged. “I told them I fell down a hill to explain the cuts and bruises. They even let me stay out of school the rest of that week.”
    As Mia quietly told her story, Bear’s heart hurt for the girl she’d been. “That’s why you freaked out when I grabbed you.”
    Mia glanced his way. “I’m sorry.”
    “No. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have held onto you. I thought you were an intruder. And then I was afraid you’d fall off the steps.”
    Mia gave him a hint of a smile. “No intruder would have a chance against you. You’ve got one helluva grip.” She rubbed her arms.
    Sadie glanced from Mia to Bear, and then up to her husband.
    Bear’s eyes narrowed.
    The couple exchanged a knowing look, and then Sadie said, “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
    Hank nodded. “Mia, I have a proposition for you.”
    Mia’s brows puckered. “What kind of proposition? If it’s to stay here with you two, my answer is no. You’ve got enough on your plate with a new business and a baby on the way.”
    Hank held up a hand. “Though we’d love to have you live here, we know how determined you are to renovate your family home and get some writing done there.” He shot a glance toward Bear. “No, my proposition is that you hire a bodyguard to protect you while you’re doing that renovation.” Hank’s jaw tightened. “In the meantime, the rest of my team can work on finding the bastard who raped you thirteen years ago.”
    Mia looked from Hank to Sadie and back. “I came back to Eagle Rock not just to write a script. It wasn’t until I started the script that I realized that, by not telling, the man who’d raped me was free to attack other women. I came back because I needed to make sure he wasn’t hurting anyone else.” She nodded. “Yes, I’d like to hire your team to investigate.”
    “And protect you,” Sadie