Copper by Iris Abbott Read Free Book Online

“As far as your last concern, all of my brothers and I have been in plenty of risky situations.”
    “I just don’t want you to regret helping me.” 
    “What I would regret is standing around and doing nothing while you have a target on your back.  You might as well know that I’m not made that way.”
    She nervously twisted her fingers together.  “I really don’t want anyone getting hurt because of this.”  The thought was enough to chill her to the bone.  She couldn’t live with herself if someone else was hurt or even worse killed because of her.
    “Too late for that, you’ve already been hurt,” he pointed out.  Then he played the one card Marla couldn’t ignore.  “By not accepting our help you are putting your sister at risk. Is that what you want?”
    “You know it’s not,” she said on a ragged sigh.  “Of course I don’t want anything bad to happen to her.  It’s just been Natalie and me for years.  She’s all I’ve got.”  She glared at Copper.
    “Take it easy,” he said with a smile.  “I wasn’t trying to ruffle your feathers.  I was just stating a fact.  Just so you know your sister isn’t all you’ve got, not anymore.” 
    Marla didn’t know what to say. She stared at him with a look of confusion marring her features, waiting for him to clarify the previous statement.
    “You’ve got the Metal Cowboys now too. We don’t back down from a challenge, and we don’t walk away just because the going gets tough.  That’s not what real man do. They don’t take potshots at innocent women in a deserted parking lot either.”
    “Somehow I knew you would say something like that, but I had to try.”  Deep down she was relieved that Copper wasn’t turning her away.  Someone was after her, and she didn’t have a clue what to do about the deadly situation.
    A delicate knock sounded on the door.  “Come in,” Copper called out in a gruff voice. 
    Natalie pushed open the door and barged into the room before Copper finished speaking.  She rushed to Marla’s side. She pushed her boss out of the way without a second thought.
    “Thank God you’re okay. I was scared to death when you told me someone was shooting at you.” Natalie sat on the edge of the bed, and the sisters embraced each other. 
    “That makes two of us then.”   Marla squeezed her sister hard.  “For a few minutes I didn’t know if I was going to make it out of that parking lot alive.  I had serious doubts until the gate guarding this property clanged shut behind me.” 
    Heavy footfalls echoed in the hallway.  The women separated and glanced toward the doorway.  Chrome, Mercury, and Steel filed into the room.  They joined Copper at the foot of the bed.  All four men had grim looks on their faces. 
    “Sorry to interrupt the reunion,” Chrome spoke up.  The look on his face said he was anything but. 
    “We need to question Marla while her memory is still fresh,” Steel added to the conversation. 
    “The sooner we neutralize the threat, the sooner everything can get back to normal,” Mercury spoke up.
    Marla felt like she’d turned a corner in her life, and nothing was ever going to be the same again.  She stared at the imposing group of men with a slightly open mouth.  That much muscle and testosterone in a confined space made her really nervous. She noticed it didn’t seem to faze Natalie.  Then again, her sister had been working around the Metal Cowboys for years.
    First, I want to thank you guys for keeping Marla safe.”  Natalie stood up and hugged them one by one.
    “We take care of our own,” Copper reminded her.  “Now let’s get this done.  I want to make sure Marla gets all the rest she needs.  Iron hasn’t returned from the drop off yet, but I will fill him in when he gets back.”
    Marla cleared her throat and finally found her voice.  She might as well get this over with as soon as possible.  “What do you need from me?”
    “A step-by-step recount