The North Star

by Wendy Cole

  Boe followed behind us. “She freaked out. I think she knew someone.”

  Bard stiffened, but he didn’t slow. He didn’t respond. His long legs ate away at the ground in a hurry to get me inside.

  When we reached the door, he pulled it open and turned to Boe. “You can go.”

  Boe didn’t move. “I’m not leaving until I know she’s okay.”

  Bard’s grip tightened. “How do I know you’re not the cause of this?”

  “How about you take her inside instead of starting a pissing contest with me?” The sound of Boe’s voice, so rough and angry, managed to pull my attention.

  Bard looked down, and his eyes met mine. “Are you okay?”

  I nodded. My mind cleared, and my heart steadily calmed now that I was away from him and somewhere safe.

  Bard stepped inside, sat me down onto the chair, and didn’t comment about Boe following us in. His eyes cut through the other man, deadly like they’d been that first night at the bar.

  “What happened?”

  “I took her to Frank’s Bar and grill to play pool, but something spooked her.”

  Bard’s jaw clenched. “Get the fuck out.”

  Boe snorted and moved towards me. “Jessie? You all good now?”

  Bard shoved him back. “She’s fine.”

  Boe whipped around and returned the favor, shoving Bard hard in the chest, but like a mountain, he barely wobbled. Boe stood as tall as he could and met Bard’s stormy eyes. “How about you back the fuck off!”

  That’s when all hell broke loose.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  The two men collided like stray dogs over a scrap of meat. It was faster than anything my disoriented mind could keep up with.

  Contrary to the night I’d seen Bard fight the group of kids, this was no dance. No elegance graced his movements. Instead, jerking muscles slung with abandon across the living space and into the connecting kitchen.

  Bard looked possessed, his eyes wide and glassy, and Boe’s normal smile had curved into a sneer.

  They beat away at each other: punching, grabbing, and shoving back and forth. Appliances crashed to the floor. Pictures rattled off the walls. The two bounced around the room like pieces in a pinball machine.

  No surface was safe. The small space just couldn’t accommodate them. I jumped out of my chair to keep out of the way.

  Bard wrapped his hand around Boe’s throat and slammed him into the opposing wall. He pressed him firmly. His grip was tight, and his arm flexed as Boe clawed at the contact and scrambled to break free.

  “Stop!” I rushed over and grabbed his forearm.

  Bard’s grip tightened.

  Boe’s face turned an awful shade of red. He pawed away at the massive hand and kicked his legs, but each attempt he made seemed weaker than the last.

  “Bard! Stop!” Fuck it. I grabbed a handful of his hair and yanked his head back as hard as I could.

  He grunted and stumbled back.

  Boe dropped to the floor and wheezed.

  “What the fuck?!” I screamed at the both of them.

  Boe didn’t respond. He rubbed his throat, his chest rising and falling heavily with each breath as he recovered.

  Bard focused on me, and those eyes cut like they’d never done before.

  “Boe,” I turned away from Bard, “are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” he lied, struggling back to his feet. “Are you okay?”

  Bard’s hands clenched into fists at his sides, and I quickly grabbed his bicep to pull his attention back to me. “That’s enough…please.”

  Boe’s gaze ran over my grip on Bard, and the way we stood together. “Right. Then, I guess if you’re okay, I’ll just head out.”

  I didn’t miss the irritation in his voice. “I’ll walk you to your truck.”

  Bard grabbed my hand. “Stay.” It was just a word, but it sounded so much more than that. It was deep, smooth, and…desperate.

  It hit me hard; hard enough that I paused to study his face.

  When I turned back, Boe stood in the doorway, staring at the scene. “Don’t bother.” He turned away. “I’ll see you around, Jessie.”

  He was mad. I was supposed to be having dinner with him, and now…

  “What the fuck was that?” I turned back to Bard. “There was no fucking reason for any of it!”

  “He’s an idiot for taking you there. You could have been caught.”

  The image of Drake as he stepped into view flashed through my mind, but I pushed it away. “He didn’t know. He doesn’t know about any of that stuff.”

  The anger fled my voice. Instead, I just sounded tired, and I was; so unbelievably tired.

  One time. One fucking time I let a guy take me out somewhere, and Drake almost found me. We didn’t even make it out of the truck.

  “Tequila?” Bard’s hand lifted to push the hair out of my face. It was so gentle. How could something that had been so violent only a few seconds before be so…soft. “Tell me what happened.”

  I looked up at him. His eyes darted back and forth―across my face, my hairline―as he had that anxious expression.

  “I saw him,” I whispered, my voice hoarse. “He was right there.”

  Defeat. That’s what I felt. Complete and total defeat. I’d never win. “He’s always going to be right there.”

  Bard’s eyes softened. “Maybe he will be,” he said.

  His body bent to catch my gaze. Those eyes. His eyes. They were like whirlpools, sucking me into their depths no matter how hard I fought to swim away. “But so will I.”

  I didn’t have the energy to fight. I didn’t have the will to keep up the wall I’d built. So instead, I allowed myself to slump into him. I needed his strength, needed someone other than myself, needed someone to be strong for me for once.

  Bard readily accepted me. He wrapped me up and pressed my head against his chest. He didn’t speak; didn’t utter bullshit words of reassurance. None were needed. His presence, the safety I felt only with him, was enough. My whole life, I never truly felt safe, but for some reason, now…

  It was stupid. It was dangerous. It would be the end of me; the true end. Drake could torture me. Drake could take my life away in an instant. But Bard…

  Bard could destroy me.

  I tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t give.

  “I’m sorry,” he spoke into my hair. “For Boe, for pushing too hard…for Amber.”

  Amber.

  “Boe seemed upset.” I stepped back again, and this time, he released me. “I should really check on him.”

  His expression hardened. “Tequila, Boe isn’t who he claims to be. It’s an act.”

  A humorless laugh escaped me. “Forgive me if I don’t take your word for it.”

  “I’ve never lied to you.”

  He had me there, but I wasn’t about to admit it. “I can form my own judgements. I’ve spent a lot of time with Boe these past two weeks.” I looked at him. “You were gone.”

  He looked away, moved towards the kitchen, and grabbed a bottle out of a bag on the counter. The fact that it had managed to survive the fight was a miracle. Wild Turkey.

  “You really like that shit, don’t you?”

  Bard grabbed two glasses from the cabinet.

  I shook my head. “None for me.”

  He ignored me and took a seat at the table. “This is what my dad always kept around the house. I guess it reminds me of him.”

  He opened the top and filled both glasses to the rim.

  I couldn’t respond, not to that. With a defeated sigh, I took the seat across from him. Seeing Drake had destroyed my sense of comfort. It was probably a good thing. I had become far too complacent. How could I have just gone with Boe with no idea where we were going? If I had just asked, this all could have been prevented.

  Now, Boe was angry with me, and I didn’t blame him. He’d been so excited to go out, only to have me freak out, him get beat down by a monster, then have to leave while I stayed
behind…with the man who beat him.

  This was so fucked up.

  “How have things been around here while I was gone?” Bard asked, his voice quiet.

  I shrugged. There was no use telling him the truth. There was no reason to tell him how much him not being here had affected me.

  “How’s Amber?” I asked instead, hoping to bring back a hint of the animosity I felt for him. I needed it because if I wasn’t mad at him, I’d never stay away.

  Bard downed his drink and poured another. “I haven’t seen her.”

  Dammit. I looked at him, searching for any signs of deception. He hadn’t just gone nowhere. It was awfully convenient to just take off so suddenly right after she arrived. “I assumed that’s where you were.”

  He grinned, and I wanted to slap him.

  “I went to see my parents.”

  I looked away. I was an asshole.

  “I’ve been in the mountains; on my family’s land. Well, my land now, I suppose.” His voice drifted. “I was thinking…”

  I waited, but Bard didn’t look at me. He stared at the bottom of his glass, his fingers twisting it idly like they’d done so many times at the bar.

  I almost asked but stopped myself. Instead, I picked up my own drink and focused on nursing the burning liquid into my stomach. Each sip relieved some of the tension, the slow heat like a balm on my shattered nerves.

  “I could take you there,” Bard finally spoke up, breaking the silence. “It would be safe. Even if they did come, they wouldn’t stand a chance in those mountains.”

  I almost choked. No way did he just suggest that. I sat the glass down and stared at him. “And what? Hide forever?”

  His eyes met mine and cut. “They’re going to figure it out, Tequila. They’ll find you.”

  My whole chest constricted at the sound of him, of all people, confirming what I fought so hard to ignore. My fate. The inevitability.

  He gripped my hand across the table and squeezed. “But they wouldn’t stand a chance in those mountains. It’s the soundest plan with their numbers.”

  I snorted. “Yeah, but how would they even think to look there? And how would I work? Is Zeke going to start sending clientele out into the mountains for me to tattoo?”

  “The job will still be here. If we keep going like we are though, it might not survive this.” I didn’t miss the words he didn’t speak. It wasn’t just the shop that wouldn’t survive. Zeke, Scarlet, Boe, Charlene, her kids, everyone…gone.

  “What does Zeke think about this?” I took in the scratch on his forehead but didn’t comment. Besides the small mark, Bard didn’t seem to have any ill effects from the fight at all.

  “I haven’t told him yet, but I’m sure he’d agree with me.” As if feeling my gaze, his fingers deftly lifted and traced the spot. “I want to hit him for that.”

  “Hit him again, and I’ll knock you out. Seriously, Bard! You need to chill the fuck out.”

  His jaw tightened and his gaze fell. He titled the bottle to his lips and took a long heavy pull.

  “So,” he rasped, his voice raw from his blatant disregard for his liver. “The plan? If he finds you there, we could get rid of him this way, end it once and for all.”

  It made sense. No way could we expect to survive going the way we were, but being alone in the mountains with Bard almost sounded more dangerous than taking my chances with Drake.

  “I’ll think about it,” I said. “What about you, though? Don’t you ever work? Don’t you have obligations some damn where?”

  Bard smirked. “My land is self-sustainable. Everything we need is already there. And I’ve got money. Insurance money…from my parents.” He paused and took a drink. “And a training area. We could work some more on your fighting skills.”

  I swallowed hard, and my face grew hot. My last lesson hadn’t exactly taught me much more than what a great help cold showers could be. “What about Amber?”

  “What about her?” He glared at me. “Let’s just not talk about Amber. She doesn’t have anything to do with this.”

  “She doesn’t want you teaching me how to fight. She basically told me so. She didn’t want more heartache.”

  His mouth closed and set into a grim line. “If Amber said that, it makes no difference. We’re not together.”

  “Like you said.”

  His hand took mine again. “That’s right. Like I said. I’ve never lied to you, Tequila. Not about this, not about any of it.” His fingers trailed up to my wrist. “Is it so hard to believe what I say? Can’t you feel it?”

  I swallowed hard and fought to ignore the flaming heat sizzling its path across my cheeks, my neck, and my ears.

  Bard hummed. “God, I love that.”

  “What?”

  “When you blush. I like it even more that I never see you do it for anyone other than me.”

  As if on cue, the heat magnified. “Shut up.”

  His chest rumbled as he pulled his hand away, and that blinding smile spread across his face as he landed one final blow. “One day, Tequila, I’m gonna get past that wall of yours.”

  I ignored his words and focused back on my drink. He didn’t know it, but the wall I’d built collapsed every time he looked at me like that.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  I downed the last of my drink, then pushed myself up from the table.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I’m gonna head over to the shop. I need to talk to Zeke, and I need to try and catch Boe, or at least call. I owe him an explanation.”

  “You don’t owe him shit.” The moment he let the words slip, he took a deep breath through his nose, and a mask of calm fell over his face. “I thought you didn’t want a man.”

  “I don’t want a man.” I groaned. “What is with you? Why is that so hard to comprehend? Me, Jessie Murphy, does not want, nor need, a man in her life! Is that so damn strange?”

  “I got it until you started hanging around with him.” He made a show of pouring more Wild Turkey into his glass.

  “We’re friends, not that it’s any damn business of yours. You know, friends? We could be friends if you’d just stop…”

  His lip twitched. “Stop what?”

  I growled at him. He knew exactly what. “What is it, Bard? You want to fuck me that bad? I mean, shit! I know I’m not ugly, but you act like I have a golden vagina hidden in here.”

  I motioned towards my pants in an agitated wave.

  That small twitch turned into a full smirk, and there was only so much I could do before I threw something at him.

  “I’m going to the shop. I’m going to try and borrow Zeke’s phone. Then, I’m going to call Boe and hopefully fix this fucking mess.”

  Bard stood. “You shouldn’t do any of that.”

  His calm infuriated me.

  “Why the fuck not?”

  “Because…I want you to stay here with me.” He moved slowly towards me, and I immediately made a beeline for the door.

  I’d just grabbed the doorknob when, without making a sound, Bard filled the gap between us and laid a hand across the surface.

  It put him close to my back, caging me in. I could feel his body heat and smell the scent of Wild Turkey and Earth. He smelled masculine, felt masculine, and even though I hated it and would never have even thought it possible, he made me feel feminine.

  “Do you?” he murmured into my ear. His breath tickled my neck, and a rush of heat coursed through me. It burned me up from the inside out and made it impossible to think straight.

  “What?” The word came out hitched. Damn this man! Damn my stupid attraction to him! Damn him for being so drop-dead fucking sexy!

  “Have a golden vagina?”

  I whipped my head to look at him, and Bard was smiling that blinding smile at me. His eyes danced.

  “Fuck you, Bard.”

  He let out a booming laugh, and the sound reverberated through me. It was so rare. Like a fucking unicorn, majestic and magical as fuck. Damn him.
>
  “I’ll make you a deal.” He stepped back but didn’t take his hand off the door. “You stay here, and I’ll let you use my phone to call Boe.”

  “You have a phone?” My eyes widened, then narrowed. “And you’ll let me use it? I thought you hated him?”

  Bard’s smile dulled and his eyes got that intense look to them, searing me. “I barely know him, but what I know, I don’t like.”

  My curiosity peaked. “Like what?”

  Bard stepped away, pulled a phone out of his pocket and handed it to me. “Let’s just say you don’t need a golden vagina to get that man’s attention.”

  I laughed. “You’ve got a lot of room to talk, Bard.”

  He didn’t find it humorous. “I know what I stand for.” He took his seat back at the table and grabbed the whiskey bottle. “Make your call.” He wouldn’t look at me. His gaze hit the wall as he took a long drink and stewed.

  I stared at him for a moment. “Bard?”

  He cut a look over to me. “Yeah?”

  “I don’t know his number.”

  His jaw twitched. He turned and grabbed the phone from my hand and scrolled through the screen until he found the right contact. “Here.”

  He shoved it back into my hand and turned away.

  “Thank you.” I pressed the call button and walked as far as I could without going outside.

  Bard pretended indifference, but I could tell he was listening.

  The phone rang twice before Boe answered. “Oh, so now you finally figured out how to use that phone Charlene got you. To what? Drive your point home? Rub it in? Fuck off, you cave dwelling, piece of shit! I don’t give a fuck…”

  “Boe?”

  The line went quiet.

  “Jessie? Ah shit.” He paused. “I’m sorry. I…”

  “It’s okay. I just wanted to call and apologize.” I cleared my throat. “Our not-date didn’t exactly go how I planned it would.”

  I tried to make my voice light, praying we could just go back to normal. I liked Boe. He was great, and I couldn’t stand the thought of things being weird between us. I felt like a bitch, and selfishly, I needed him to help me feel better about how shitty I’d been.