Brynn's POV
I was at work with thirty minutes until the end of my shift when I heard: "Brynn! I need you in here now!"
Figures. Lorenzo would call me out on a last minute run. I went into his office to see where I was going.

"You need to deliver this to the town of Dreake off of Lake Crescent. Ask for King Arlen." Lorenzo commanded.
"Someone actually named their kid King?" I laughed.
"Don't joke Brynn Greely! Just get that package to him before King Arlen has all our heads!" Lorenzo snapped at me. Who the h**l was this guy??
"It would help to have an address there, boss!" I love getting a rise out of Lorenzo. His face gets all red, the veins get distended on his forehead, and his Boston accent gets even stronger and funnier. He's rough around the edges, but I absolutely adore Lorenzo.
"Oooh ya little rugrat, I'll get you the d**n address!" Lorenzo wrote it down and threw it at me.
"Ya won't find that on your precious GPS!" He laughed. Names and joking aside, it's a couple of hours of overtime. I may act disgruntled, but I need the money. I headed to my truck where the cargo is loaded, then try to use my GPS to figure out where this place is at. I found the place easily but noticed a large stone fence with a gate. I approached it in the truck and someone with dark hair leaned out the gate post window.

"I'm with Lorenzo's, I have a package for a King Arlen?" I said politely.
"Where's Grimes!" He snapped at me. The f**k is this guy's problem!?
"He's in the Caribbean on a much deserved drunk vacation, so you get me!" I said cheerily, refusing to let him intimidate me. He turned his back on me and I swore I heard him whisper: "The King isn't going to like this!"
Yeah...I'm just going to be dropping off this package, skipping out, and telling Lorenzo never to send me here again. This place is too weird.

I stayed in my truck and waited, and the next thing I knew there were two men walking towards me. Never in my life have I ever seen more handsome men. I honed in on the blonde-haired one who was staring hard at me. He was gorgeous, but looked terrifying and had the air of "don't mess with me." He was flushed and breathing fast. I heard the blonde say to the other man beside him:
"She's my mate!"
The man next to him whipped his head around too fast. I tentatively stepped out of the truck.
"Uhm, I have a package for a King Arlen?"
"Where's Grimes at today!?" Tall Blonde and Scary boomed at me.
"Like I just told your other friend here, he's wasting away again in Margaritaville and will be all this week. I was the only one left to deliver this package today and from what Lorenzo told me, it's urgent. Now are you King Arlen or not?" The other man next to him snorted.
"Yes!" Oh hell no.
"With all due respect, I don't know what happens around here or how things work on a normal day. But if you want to wait until Grimes gets back, I'll let Lorenzo know and be on my way!" I got my phone out ready to dial my boss. I'm not dealing with these fools today, and the way Tall Blonde and Scary is staring at me is making me very uncomfortable.
"I'll take my package but, in the future, your boss needs to make me aware of any changes!"
"Take that up with him then. Ever hear of don't shoot the messenger!?" Within seconds the man was in front of me. Jesus Christ, he was beautiful up close! His blue eyes bored into mine and it took everything I had in me not to panic. I'm not going to show him I'm scared. Never again will any man see me scared.
"Are you always this abrasive?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at me.
"No, but I'm not going to stand around and let someone talk to me like this!" I fired back, and I swore I caught a glint of a smirk starting on his face. "I get it, you're mad because of the delay and change in delivery person but take that up with Lorenzo. I'm just trying to do my job!"
"I'm sorry, you're absolutely right. What's your name." Is he serious??
"Brynn." I said.
"Does Brynn have a last name?"
"Brynn IS a last name." I snarked, and he actually looked hurt for a moment.
"I have ways of finding out, Brynn." His blue eyes appeared amused.
"So go do that then. I really need to go." I saw an opening and ducked around him and was in my truck fast. Without looking at him, I put it in reverse and drove that truck as fast as it would let me out of the driveway and on the road. As soon as I was a few miles away from the town, I parked as I felt a panic attack coming. After it was over, I sat back in tears reflecting on the last few years.
There was no doubt that King Arlen's bright blue eyes and handsome face awoke something in me that I long thought was dead. But I can't go down this road again. I almost died because of one man already and the scars of that man are just as much inside as the one I will always have on my left foot, which I was very lucky not to lose. I can't go through that again.
Patrick was charged that same night he attacked me four years ago with attempted m*rder, s*xual assault, and several other charges. With how I told police officers and medical personnel it was Patrick who attacked me, it should have been a done deal. But Patrick had friends in high places and quickly assembled a dream team of attorneys. They put out so many motions that it tied the case up for over a year. Luckily for me, the judge refused to grant Patrick bond so he had to wait in jail until the trial. The judge also made it clear Patrick was not to contact me in any way and granted me a lifetime restraining order.
After all the motions failed and he was forced to stand trial, Patrick was found guilty on all charges. He was sentenced to 30 years, but inexplicably was granted a chance for parole in 20. The day he was sentenced his lawyers filed several appeals and I knew Patrick wasn't going to serve long. The moment he was allowed back in society again, Patrick would come after me.
A few weeks after he was sentenced, I left Portland with only the clothes on my back, my car and some pictures of me and my parents. I drove clear across the United States and ended up in Port Angeles, Washington. I knew absolutely nothing about the area and knew no one. I changed my last name to my mother's maiden name as a precaution. Within a month, Brynlee Hunter became Brynn Greeley.
I secured a small one-bedroom apartment overlooking the bay and took the first job I could as a delivery woman for Lorenzo. It's steady work and the pay is decent. I've met a lot of interesting people and have made friends. My best friend Emma Carrigan went to phlebotomy school while working at the delivery service and got a job in her field last month. I see her about once a week as well as my therapist every Wednesday night. Slowly, I've been moving past what I went through.
One thing I made sure of is to learn some form of self defense. I signed up for mixed martial arts once my income stabilized and am now a blue belt and just started learning to use nunchuks. My confidence is much better and I have taken down some large men in the dojo with my moves.
After my panic attack passed, I called up Emma. "Hey, I've had a rough day." I told her. Emma is the only person in this area who knows what happened to me.
"Same here, bestie. Meet me at Old Port in about an hour?" Old Port is a bar on the water. After I dropped the truck off and clocked out, I fixed my face and headed to meet Emma. She got there minutes after me.
"You would not believe the day I've had!" Emma came in and sat down at the bar beside me and ordered a beer. "Forty-two lab draws from the time I walked in the door until I left! We were down two phlebotomists. We got them all done, but I am terrified I missed something! Monday will be interesting with the Lab Rat." Emma shook her head. Lab Rat is the nickname we gave her boss, who makes it her personal mission to give Emma a hard time.
I sipped my rum and diet staring at my best friend. Emma is gorgeous, with big brown eyes, thick brown hair and a curvy body. Men always hit on us when we go out, though many would be surprised to hear Emma has only had one serious relationship that ended when he moved overseas. We are not your typical twenty somethings. With my trauma after Patrick and Emma's addiction to crime shows making her overly cautious, we have an unspoken rule to not take guys home. We give them our numbers and sometimes Emma will go out with them if she thinks they're worth the effort. I always give a fake number and I hope I don't run into them again.
I told her about the delivery today and the handsome but scary King Arlen. "Hmmm...I've heard of that place. It is blocked off to everything. My dips**t brother tried to enter it once and swears some light thing chased him away. He's always on some stupid stuff though." Emma rolled her eyes. "Oh, great speak of the devil..."
"What's happening little sis?! Oh, hi Brynn!!" I smiled thinly. Gabe Carrigan has been trying to date me since I met Emma. I tolerate him because of Emma and the friendship I value with her but make it clear I am not interested in him. He is very handsome, with the same brown hair as Emma and bright green eyes. Unfortunately, he's way too eager to get to know me. I've successfully managed to spurn his advances politely so far, but the day will come that I can't turn Gabe down easily anymore.
"Hey! Tell us about the time you tried to sneak into Dreake! Brynn had to deliver a package there today and met some weirdos." Emma told him.
"You did, did you??" Gabe stared at me. "Yeah I was able to sneak through the fence and got about a couple of yards, then some f*****g light force charged at me out of nowhere and I had to get out of there. I don't know what those people got going on back there! They either have the most complex d**g manufacturing plant anyone has ever seen or they're warlocks or some s**t!"
"Gabe!" Emma snapped at him.
"Hey, those are the only things I can think of!" Gabe laughed. "What did you think Brynn?"
"Lorenzo better not send me back there again! Grimes can have that place." I sipped my beer. I can't deny how Arlen made me feel today. It was like I was waking up from a long deep sleep. But I can't see him again. This is the way it has to be.
"Where is old Grimey anyway?" Emma sneered. She couldn't stand Grimes.
"In the Carribbean. Lucky f****r." I snarked. That is one place I have always wished I could go, and that smelly ba****d got to go instead.
Gabe got up to order more drinks. "I'm sorry my brother is such a tool. Feel free to smack him if he gets too fresh with you." Emma said ruefully.
"I've been meaning to talk to you about that. Gabe's nice, he's just really insistent and I'm not interested in him that way. Your brother is not a bad guy Em. It's me." I told her sadly. Emma touched my shoulder in understanding.
"I'll talk to him. How has therapy been going?"
"One day at a time." I smiled at her. Without my therapist, my job and Emma, I'd be so lost.
Emma gasped. "Hold.the.f*****g.phone. Check out those guys that walked in!" I turned briefly and instantly turned my head back.
"It's him, King Arlen! The blonde one!" I whispered to Emma.
What the hell!! How can this happen two times in one freaking day!?