Dawson's Fall (Welcome to Covendale #5) Read Online Free PDF

us?”
    “Yes.” He’d heard it before, and worse, but Gage didn’t know that. Neither of the younger ones knew what happened that night—and he’d never told Jonah why the man came after him in the first place. They’d had other things to deal with.
    “We were just leaving.” Jonah’s voice had a cold edge to it. “But right now, you’re in the way.”
    Mark recognized the threat in his brother’s tone and knew he wouldn’t hesitate to follow through if Monroe didn’t back off. He also knew the older man wasn’t going to move. So he stepped around Jonah to deal with it.
    And walked directly into Jason Monroe’s fist.
    “Don’t!” Even as the taste of blood filled his mouth, he reached back and snagged Jonah’s wrist. He couldn’t physically stop his older brother if Jonah really wanted to keep going, but he hoped to make him pause a minute. Just long enough to get out of here. “Gage, I mean it,” he called, knowing how ready he was to hit something. “Outside. Now. ”
    As his brothers and Reese filed past behind him, he caught Jason trying for another blow. He managed to get an arm up and block it. “You really want to do this?” he said tightly. “Because I don’t see your friends around to get in my way this time.”
    “Mark, stop it!”
    Aubrey’s voice hurt a hell of a lot more than his aching jaw. She came up beside Jason, and he glared at her as he lowered his arm. “You want me to stop.”
    “I called the sheriff,” she said in trembling tones.
    “Of course you did.” He could barely get the words out. “Well, when he gets here, you make sure to send him after the real bad guy,” he said. “You know. The one who didn’t touch any of you.”
    He spat blood on the floor, and walked out after his brothers.
    Mark didn’t dare breathe until he got outside. If he did, he was going to lose it. He’d never been so furious in his life. It was bad enough this had happened before—Jason attacking, and Aubrey telling him to stop.
    It was even worse that he’d actually done it. Again.
    He headed over to where they’d parked, hands stuffed in his pockets. Jonah was the only one there. He must’ve sent Gage home with Reese to keep him from going back in there, before their hotheaded little brother could get himself arrested. It was a good call.
    But Jonah looked like he wasn’t finished fighting, either.
    “You okay?” he rumbled when Mark reached him.
    “Fine,” he said. “But she called Tanner, so we need to move.”
    “Something you want to tell me?”
    “No.”
    “Mark…I heard what Monroe said.”
    “So did the whole damned bar.” He had to physically hold himself back from taking a swing at Jonah. “What are you trying to say?”
    Jonah stared at him for a long moment. Finally, he said, “Nothing. Let’s go.”
    As Mark got in the car, he thought there wasn’t anywhere he could go that was far enough away from Aubrey Monroe.
     
     

Chapter 3
     
    It was almost noon before Aubrey convinced herself to go to the address Mrs. Vanderbright had given her. After last night, she wanted nothing more than to put this town in her rearview mirror forever.
    But she had to admit, she’d feel a lot better doing that with fifty grand in her pocket.
    At the bar, she’d insisted on talking to the sheriff alone, since she’d been the one to call. Her father and brother weren’t thrilled about that. But she wasn’t going to send the law after Mark—after all, Jason had hit him first. And he didn’t even hit back.
    Staying in Covendale would be hell, just knowing Mark was around somewhere. With all the tension between their families, it was going to take several lifetimes to put it behind them. Still, she’d decided to stick to the original plan. Avoid him, do the job, and then get out. She could make a fresh start somewhere else.
    She found the place easily enough. The site was at the edge of town, on a gorgeous lot with a wide expanse of lawn and plenty of old trees.