by Wendy Cole
The Camaro revved to life, alerting me of Bard’s retreat. I set to washing my hair and enjoyed the solitude I’d been denied for so long. My mind wandered, ran through everything that had happened since I’d arrived and realized how much had changed, how much better my life was now than it’d ever been, and how much I didn’t want it to end.
The front door slammed shut.
Did he forget something?
I froze.
The Camaro never pulled back up.
My heart stuttered, and every ounce of oxygen left my lungs in an audible whoosh.
Bard was gone. Someone was here. And I was naked in the shower.
I kept completely silent, not even daring to breathe as I jumped out and threw my clothes back on. The bathroom door looked a lot more important with an unknown threat somewhere on the other side of it. I stepped forward and pressed my ear to the wood.
Footsteps worked their way through the house. There were multiple pairs. It was a group, some in the living room, maybe the kitchen. I couldn’t be sure.
My only means of escape was a small window just above the toilet, but there was no way I’d ever fit through it.
This was it. Fight or flight, and flight wasn’t an option. I was trapped. My only chance of escape would be to somehow get past them and make it to the woods.
What about Bard? Would he know people were here? Would he run in to try and save me?
They’d kill him.
I needed to get out. I needed to warn him. If I could make it to the road, I could try and cut him off when he came back.
My eyes roamed the bathroom for anything I could use as a weapon, but unless I could brush their teeth to death, my only option was the plunger.
A plunger.
Fuck you, karma.
I picked it up. The handle was wooden and long enough. Bard and I had begun working with weapons a few days prior, mainly sticks, and this looked close enough to a fucking stick to me.
I placed one hand on the end and the other in the center, just like he’d shown me then swung a couple times. This could work. It had to.
I took a deep breath, listened one last intent time then slowly turned the knob.
An empty hallway greeted me, but heavy steps worked their way around the kitchen. Cabinet doors opened and closed. Someone cleared their throat in the living room.
I kept my back to the wall and eased down the hall. My sole focus was on making it to the front door, but someone was in there. I knew they were. I could hear them clear as day. They were humming softly to themselves as if they weren’t trying to get the best of someone.
I contemplated going into the bedroom, but the window was jammed. I’d learned that when I’d tried to open it a few weeks ago. It would be too noisy. They’d catch me before I had a chance to escape.
It had to be the front. It was the only option.
I peeked around the corner. A large man stood dead center of the room with his back to me. He was big, but not as large as Bard. If I could manage to sneak up on him, I might be able take him out and make it away before the others came in.
My chest tightened, and each breath was shallow and pointless. I blinked hard, tightened my grip, and put all the focus I had to give on what I knew needed to be done.
Stay calm, Bard’s voice ran through my head. Keep focused. Don’t let the fear distract you.
I stepped forward as silent as he’d been that day. I took it painfully slow.
Heel, toe.
Heel, toe.
I lifted the plunger and swung it as hard as I could into the side of the man’s head. After that, I did it again and again in quick succession across his right knee.
He hit the ground hard. “Son of a bitch!”
The plunger slipped from my hands.
“Oh shit!” I dropped down to check on him. I’d know that voice anywhere. “Boe? Shit! I’m sorry. I thought you were an intruder.”
His eyes met mine. “Remind me not to piss you off!” He rubbed his head and struggled himself into a sitting position. “What the hell did you hit me with?” His eyes cut over to the weapon. “A plunger?”
I bit my lip. “I’m really sorry.”
He looked back at me, and the harshness in his expression slowly melted away. His chest vibrated, his lips curved, and a laugh broke free and didn’t stop. Boe rolled to his side and clutched his chest, laughing so hard, his face turned red.
“What happened?” Zeke walked out of the kitchen.
Boe heaved a breath and wiped his eyes. “Jessie knocked me on my ass with a plunger.” He wobbled and grunted as he pulled himself from the floor.
Zeke looked from the two of us, to the plunger, then back again, until he finally focused on me. He echoed Boe’s laughter. “I see Bard’s been teaching you well.” He pulled me into a hug. “Sorry if we scared you. We thought we’d come out for the weekend. Visit with y’all.”
I smiled back and squeezed him once then broke away as Charlene, Scarlet, and Lexy walked in with arms full of grocery bags.
“Boe, come help me in the kitchen,” Zeke said.
“They’ve got food. I’ve got alcohol. Who’s your favorite?” Scarlet pulled my attention away and held her bag up with expectant eyes.
“I think you underestimate my love for food.” I grinned at her and moved to take one of the bags from Charlene.
“I’ve got it,” she said, hoisting it more securely against her chest. “There’s more in the truck you can grab, though.”
I nodded. “Alright.”
The rest of them set towards the kitchen while I moved for the door. My heart felt deflated after the scare, but the house full of people, Zeke and Boe included, slowly helped to ease my nerves.
I reached the doorway and froze.
Bard hadn’t left.
He stood beside the Camaro…with Amber, and she was clinging to him.
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
“About that…” Scarlet walked up behind me. “She showed up not long after y’all left and has been hanging around the shop ever since.”
“Her daddy died,” Lexy added as she joined us. She sounded less like a brat than the last time I’d met her, but she was dressed much the same: Crop top, short-shorts, belly button ring, and enough makeup to make a nun cross her chest. “I guess Zeke knew him really well, so he’s been keeping an eye on her. Mama said that was the only family she had.”
I nodded, .my throat tight. When I looked back over, the pair had broken apart, and Bard was coming towards me with long purposeful strides.
He knew I saw him.
A green-eyed monster fought to take control of my sense, but I pushed it aside and focused on being rational. He’d told me the story there. He’d done nothing to make me doubt him.
Bard ignored the two girls beside me and gently cupped my arm.
Scarlet and Lexy took the hint and left to get more groceries out of Zeke’s truck.
“I didn’t know she’d be here,” he said. His hand ran up my arm. “She hugged me, not the other way around.”
“I know, Bard.” I heaved a sigh as I clung to those rational thoughts a bit tighter. “It’s okay. I trust you.” I laid a hand against his chest.
He smiled and cupped my cheek. “Good.”
“What is this?” Zeke appeared, eyebrows raised, smile wide and open. “Did something happen out here I don’t know about?”
Bard’s lip twitched. “Stop. You’re making her blush again.”
“I don’t blush.”
“Oh, you’re definitely blushing.” Zeke rumbled a laugh as his eyes danced between the two of us. Then he took in my increasing discomfort, and blessedly offered a reprieve. “Alright, none of my business…” He lifted his hands then focused on Bard. “I thought we’d camp. There’s a lot of people here. We ain’t gonna fit in the cabin anyway, and Charlene really wants to head up to the hot spring. I brought a couple tents.”
Having no opinion, I simply nodded and made my escape. My face was hot. My chest w
as tight with an anxiety I couldn’t shake, and I was having a really hard time hiding these things when a patch of auburn hair still dominated my peripheral vision.
I needed a moment alone to gather my thoughts, but Scarlet and Lexy had other plans.
The moment I exited the door, I was accosted. One girl on each side took an arm and steered me back the way I’d come. They passed Bard and Zeke without so much as a glance and kept going until we reached the bedroom.
Scarlet shut the door and latched it, and Lexy threw a bag onto the bed. “Zeke said we’re going camping.”
I eyed them both. “Yeah…and?”
“We’re going to the hot spring.” Lexy unzipped the bag and pulled out a strip of black cloth.
“You need a bathing suit,” Scarlet clarified since Lexy didn’t seem to have any intention of doing so. “Lexy packed a couple extra for you to borrow.”
I warily ran my gaze over the half-naked girl then each scrap of material she pulled from the bag. “Those aren’t bathing suits. They’re wash rags.”
Lexy snorted then shot Scarlet a secret smile.
Scarlet grinned at me. “Nope. They’re bikinis.”
I stepped closer and picked one of the tops between the very tips of two fingers. “Why is it so fucking small?”
I let it drop.
Scarlet laughed. “Because…I don’t like that girl outside. She’s going to try and play you again, and you got played way too easy last time. That and Boe is here.” Her smile turned devious. “I thought it would be funny.”
I looked at the door as if he’d suddenly appear. I’d been so caught up with thinking they were the club at first, then seeing Bard and Amber, I hadn’t even thought about Boe. Now that Scarlet pointed it out…
“Yes,” Scarlet said. “Zeke had sent him on an ass of errands the day you two left. When he came back and found out why you weren’t at work, he didn’t seem happy.” Each word she spoke only seemed to intrigue her more. “I’ve never been camping before, but it sounds like it’s going to be real fun.”
Lexy rolled her eyes. “Don’t mind her. I’m pretty sure she’s part demon.” She picked up the rest of the pile she’d made and shoved it into my arms. “But that doesn’t change the fact that you don’t have a suit. Pick one.”
The skin on my back felt tight as I stared down at the offering. It couldn’t happen. I couldn’t. “I don’t do bikinis.”
Scarlet’s face fell. “Why not?”
I bit the inside of my cheek. “I just don’t.”
I threw the clothes back onto the mattress and turned away from them. Would Amber wear something like that? Would she parade around unblemished and untainted?
I hated myself for even wondering. It didn’t matter. Bard wanted me. I knew that like I knew each one of the scars I wished I didn’t have.
Why am I being like this?
I paused at the door and gripped the knob tight. My teeth clenched. This wasn’t me. Yet, here I was, acting like a princess. Was I really going to be so easily threatened by some random chick just because she had nice hair and a pretty face?
I wasn’t pretty. I didn’t have a single drop of elegance in my entire body. I didn’t have class or any history worth mentioning. My last name was just a string of letters sketched across my birth certificate. I had no family, no ties, little education, and a record long enough to make a judge sit up straight in his chair.
But, dammit, I was strong.
I’d survived. The scars along my back were evidence of that, and a night with an angry Drake was way worse than some girl with a crush.
Stop being a little bitch. You’ve allowed yourself to be pampered, and now you’re soft. Get it together. Inner Jessie rose her head and clawed at my gut. What are you gonna do? Cry?
I turned and stormed back to the bed. “On second thought, I’ll borrow one of these. Thank you.”
The smile they both shared didn’t reassure me that things weren’t about to go terribly wrong, but I ignored them and headed for the bathroom.
The marks on my skin were like my ink. They told the story of my life, and I wouldn’t let it be a sad one, not anymore.
They were all the same, barely-there-at-all, so I picked the black one, finished my shower, and put it on underneath my clothes. By the time I was done, everyone else was ready to go.
The moment I stepped outside, Boe was waiting for me. “There she is.” He smiled. “You’ve got some explaining to do, Jessie. You can’t just run off and take a man’s heart with you.”
I snorted. “Yeah. Okay.” I smiled back at him. “It was last minute. There’s no reception out here.”
We stepped off the porch together, but had barely cleared the last step, when Bard appeared and took my hand.
“Walk with me.” His eyes cut across my face then narrowed at the man beside me.
This was so messed up. I needed to at least explain. I needed to soften it in some way, but one look at Bard, and I settled for an apologetic smile. “We can catch up later?”
Bard pulled me away before he could answer. His steps were quick, too quick. I could barely keep up and wouldn’t have if he hadn’t been literally dragging me along behind him.
When we made it a good distance ahead of everyone else, he finally slowed to a stiff walk beside me.
I stared at his profile, the tight jaw and set face, and touched a hand to his shoulder. “Hey. Don’t be jealous. I’m not…”
“What’s there to catch up about?” His eyes met mine, sharper than I’d seen them in weeks.
I gaped at him. “You can’t be serious.”
His expression didn’t waver.
“So, you’re telling me, that I have to play nice when some chick is clung to you like a cat on a fucking scratching post, but I can’t even associate with Boe?”
“Last time you saw him, he took you out and put you in danger. Forgive me if I’d prefer you not get caught up on any of that.”
I snorted a laugh. “He’s still a friend. I meant catch up like friends do, Bard.” I dug in my heels and forced him to stop. “I trust you.” Our eyes met. “Can’t you do the same for me?”
Bard stared at me for a long moment, then stepped forward, gently took my chin between two of his fingers, and lowered his eyes even with mine.
“Every part of me loves you, Jessie.” He kissed the corner of my mouth. “And I do trust you.” He let go and gripped my hand, then focused back on the trail and pulled me along. “But the only thing that motherfucker’s gonna catch is a beating.”
I huffed a laugh and shook my head. “Don’t do that. I’m serious. I’ll be mad at you if you do.”
“I’ll do my best.”
How reassuring.
“Maybe we could sneak away later.” I pressed into his side and gripped his arm.
Bard looked down at my secret smile for a long, drawn-out moment before his whole body seemed to deflate. “Why are you so irresistible?”
“The truth?”
His lip twitched. “I’ll know if you lie.”
“Every night, I coat my skin in crack-cocaine. Once I’ve got you nice and hooked, I’ll start charging.”
His chest rumbled. “That makes more sense than you realize, Tequila.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
“Jessie, you mind helping me over here a second?” Zeke held up one of the tent poles and motioned with his head to the half-erected tarp below it.
I rushed over and grabbed the other end.
“Just hold that one so it doesn’t come undone.”
I did as asked until he secured it. He smiled. “Thanks. This one is old and likes to give me shit.” His eyes drifted to the clear water, and he breathed in deep through his nose. “It’s been a while since I’ve been out here.” He looked at me. “It’s nice.”
“It is.” I chewed my lip. I’d been burning to ask him about Officer Jones since the man had come out, but until then there’d always been too many people around to bring it up. “Officer Jones came.”
He hummed. “Yeah. I knew he was.”
I stared at him, hoping he’d elaborate, but he didn’t. “How am I not in jail?”
“Why? Did you want to go to jail?” His lips twisted.
“Oh, you know it. Why wouldn’t I?” I rolled my eyes. “What I mean is, why? He said he owed you a favor.”
Zeke sat down beside the tent, propped his elbows onto his knees then cut a look up at me. “Yeah, well, that one’s a doozy.”
He motioned for me to join him, and I did. We both sat and watched as Boe and Parker threw Lexy into the water. She screeched and Parker laughed, then Boe’s eyes caught mine, and that one look held a million questions.
I was an asshole.
I looked away.
Zeke’s expression was warm. “There was a riot.” He tilted his head over at me, and his smile faded. “He was at the worst place at a worst possible time, and I helped him out of it.”
“When you were locked up?” That was suicide. You didn’t get involved, especially to help one of the people responsible for putting and keeping inmates inside.
He grimaced. “Yeah, it wasn’t the smartest idea I ever had, but it worked out in the end.” He playfully shoved my shoulder. “Lucky you.”
My lips curved, and I heaved a sigh. “Yeah. Lucky me.”
I let my gaze roam.
Fuck me…
Amber stood at the edge of the water in all her eloquent glory. A black bikini far too similar to the one I wore barely covered her perfect tan skin. She shimmered like fucking gold.
I looked around for Bard and found him by the coolers. He wasn’t even looking at her, but for some reason, the thought of him catching a glimpse made me want to hurry over and cover his eyes.
I forced myself not to.
“I can’t tell you how good it feels to see him again,” Zeke said.
I looked over at him. “Yeah. I’m sorry I’ve stolen him from you all. I never meant to burden…”
Zeke waved a hand. “You’re not understanding, girl. I ain’t seen that boy in years. Not really.” His jaw twitched, and he looked away. “I never thought I would again.” He paused and clasped his hands together in front of him then sucked in another lungful of mountain air. “You could never be a burden to me. Not before, not now. I’ve got a feeling you’re the reason he’s here.”