“I would hope you know better than to use bleach on your work clothes.”
“Oh, I do,” he stated in a curt tone.
After putting the bleached clothes in the dryer and starting Jessica’s dress in the washer, she joined her cousin. “I feel terrible,” she complained and walked toward the counter where the coffee pot was.
“I would too if I were you.”
“I don’t remember coming home.” She poured a cup of coffee and sat down at the table with her cousin. “I’m so sore,” she complained. “And my head. Do we have any asprin?”
“I’m sure I do in the upstairs bathroom.”
“Can you get it for me?”
He chuckled at her request. “Nope.”
Ally’s brow furrowed, “Really?” She shoved herself away from the table, causing her head to pound as she stood.
“Can you get the paper from the porch?” Theron called as she began the climb upstairs.
“Can’t you? My head is killing me.”
“No. I have to get ready for work.” Not wanting to argue with him, she trudged toward the front door. Chilly air blew against her skin. October was always cold in Oklahoma. She hoped it wouldn’t be raining on Halloween, but normally it did. As she bent over to grab the paper, the front end of Theron’s truck was facing her. “Of course, I have to find a way to get to work, first,” Theron stated from behind her as he sipped his coffee. Seeing his only vehicle in the condition it was sickened him. He had worked hard to keep it pristine. In only a matter of a couple hours in Ally’s care, it was ruined.
The vehicle was parked with the front passenger wheel on one of the porch steps. The bottom half of his white truck was covered in huge clumps of dried red mud. Massive amounts of it was caked in the wheels and long pieces of grass were sticking out from between the bumper and headlights. The windshield was even cracked. “Oh my god! What happened?”
“Someone stole it.”
“Someone stole it and then brought it back? Who would do something like that?”
“The sheriff’s daughter,” he stated and then sipped his coffee again. Trying to resist laughing. He should have been angrier with her but he couldn’t help but feel relieved.
Ally processed his words, “No,” she shook her head. “I did this?”
“Yes.”
With a pinched face, attempted to shuffle her memories from the night before. SHE went for a joy-ride in Theron’s truck and vaguely remembered driving through a barbed wire fence. “I’m so sorry, T.”
“I guess we are both stranded, cause I’m not driving this.”
“How did I even get it in the front yard?” she questioned. There was a fence wrapped all the way around to the backyard, showing no evidence of destruction.
“Go look,” he stated and gestured to the side of our home. Ally stepped around the porch and next to the house, the grass and foliage were all torn up. “Jessica is gonna kill you if she sees you murdered her rose bushes.”
“Fuck!”
I felt horrible enough to agree to wash his truck, but SHE refused to back down from what SHE believed in. From what SHE had experienced personally, Bowen was not a danger. He was just a nice guy trying to help someone. SHE called into work so SHE could also fix the yard. Gardening was not her thing, but SHE would do her best. Mike gave Theron a ride to work, but not before filling me in on her actions the night before. It was childish on her part, but SHE refused to clean their bathroom. They needed a lesson in not taking people for granted. Cleaning it themselves would be a good start.
Ally set an appointment to drop off her car at the mechanic shop later in the day and made a mental note to have it towed there after lunch. She felt horrible for the condition of Theron’s truck that she insisted she cleaned it. He didn’t protest.
It took several attempts but Ally was finally able to get the truck into the backyard without knocking down the fence. Mike had loaned her his music device. Music blared in her ears, drowning out the world as she began working on the yard first. Theron was right. If Jessica paid a surprise visit, she was going to kill Ally. She trimmed the bushes down to stumps and hoped they would return the following spring. With the thorny limbs piled up, she began work on the truck.
The weather was turning cold and the water from the hose was nearly freezing. Her hands shook from the cold as she washed off the red mud. Large clumps of it littered the ground, but after nearly two hours of hard work, Ally was finally able to remove the mud from every wheel and gap. The barbed wire had caused deep scratches in the paint. She would have to bite the bullet and pay for the damage. Sadly, her car repairs had to be put on hold for a while.
A hand grabbed her left shoulder from behind. The sound which bellowed out of her mouth was something you would hear in a horror movie. She spun around and grabbed the persons shoulders. Her knee instinctually came up, connecting a blunt hit to Bowen’s balls. His body toppled to the ground. “Oh. My. God. Bowen.” She pulled her earbuds out of her ears and knelt down beside him.
The pain was excruciating. He couldn’t breathe for a second as it crushed through his nether region. Undeniable tears of pain flooded his eyes but he pinched them back. His hands were between his legs as he writhed in agony, “Damn, woman!” His voice was a deep grumble. “Are you wearing knee pads? Shit!”
Ally’s cheeks flushed as a grin played on her lips, “I’m so sorry. Are you alright? Here, let me help you.”
Once on his feet and he caught his breath and inserted his finger into his right ear. “You have a set of lungs on you. You ever think about singing opera?” Ally smiled and slapped his arm. He gasped dramatically and grabbed his arm. “I’m filing for spousal abuse.”
“Actually, it would only be an assault charge. You have to be my spouse in order to file that charge,” she stated factually but pinched her lips tightly together.
He chuckled, “How do you even know that?”
“My dad’s a cop.”
His right hand went down to hold the front right side of his pelvis, “That explains the expert ball shot.”
“You shouldn’t sneak up on people.” She chuckled again while wiggling her index finger at him.
“I love how you find my suffering funny.”
She pursed her bottom lip, “I’m sorry. Will you ever forgive me?”
“I’ll sure as hell be watching you next time,” he laughed. He looked behind her at the piles of branches. “Doing some landscaping?”
Ally turned around and looked too. The poor rose bushes were massacred. She knew what Jessica was capable of if family crossed her. It was a shivering thought of what she would do if she discovered her rose bushed murdered. “Yeah, something like that.” She turned back around to face him. He was certainly handsome. His dark eyes glistened as they landed on hers. Ally tried to see the menacing creature her cousins saw, but there was nothing there but allure and intrigue. “What’s up?”
“Your car is still sitting on Willow Road. Unfortunately, the battery is dead.”
“Shit! What time is it? I need to have it towed.”
“It’s after four but I already called someone,” he smiled brightly. “I’d love to give you a ride to where it’s being taken.”
Ally didn’t hesitate to agree. After cleaning herself up and changing her clothes, she met her new friend out front. He was in the driver seat of his forest-green 1500. She climbed into the passenger seat and buckled her seat belt. He already had the heat blowing, making it feel toasty.
“Ready?”
“Yup, good to go. I really do appreciate this, Bowen.”
“No problem.” Before he could put the truck in drive, Mike’s truck revved loudly as he drove up to them. He slammed his truck into park and jumped out. Before we could react, he ripped Ally’s door open, unbuckled her seatbelt, and pulled her out into the cold with him. “HEY!” Bowen growled.
Mike grabbed the tops of her arms and forced her to look at him. “We told you not to associate with this guy.”
> “Back off,” Bowen growled again and shoved Mike away, forcing him to lose his grip. Ally stumbled back into Bowen’s truck.
“You wanna take me on, Skinwalker?” Mike snarled and flexed his fists tightly. His body was shaking. If Bowen wasn’t careful, Mike would shift.
“Mike, chill.”
“Look, I don’t wanna fight you, man. I’m just here to help Ally.”
“She doesn’t need help from your kind.”
“Guys, stop!”
Bowen turned to face her, “Are you alright, Ally?” When he tried to reach for her, Mike’s fist connected with the side of his head. He hit the ground like a sack of potatoes.
Something inside Ally clicked and utter rage caused her to explode. She hurdled over Bowen, shoved her cousin violently in the chest, and slapped him across his left cheek. “What the fuck, Mike?”
“Ally.” His expression was shock and then anger. Her nails had scratched his skin and he was already bleeding. “What the hell?”
The animal inside Ally was fighting to break free as she eyed him. With her body shaking with wrath, she prepared to out their kind to the world in order to protect Bowen. “You do not command me!” Bowen had already gotten to his feet and was standing beside her.
“Do we have a problem here?” Jay’s voice was deep and full of concern. Completely embarrassed, Ally turned to face her father. He had a bulky police jacket and his gun belt on.
“No, dad. Everything is fine.” Ally expressed as the beast inside her settled down slightly. She couldn’t keep herself from watching her cousin closely.
He was eyeing Bowen closely. His nostrils flared slightly. “You sure?”
“I’m positive. Just going with my friend to get my car worked on.”
“What’s wrong with your car? Why didn’t you call me?” Jay questioned.
“It’s not a big deal. I’ve got it covered,” she replied.
Jay scanned Bowen. “You want to press charges?” Ally knew if he did, Michael wouldn’t even visit the station.
“No, sir. Just a misunderstanding.”
Ally’s mouth fell open. If he were any other guy, he would have demanded Mike’s ass be hauled off to jail, or even hit him back, but not Bowen. He decided to take the higher ground. “A misunderstanding, huh?” Jay questioned and eyed Bowen. “You alright?”
Mike glared at Bowen and wiped the dripping blood from his cheek before spitting on the ground. “I’m fine.”
“Dad, this is my friend Bowen. Bowen, this is my dad Jay.”
Bowen put his hand out and Jay took it in a firm grip, expressing his dominance, “Nice to meet you, sir.” Bowen glanced at Mike. He was furious seeing his uncle even touching a Skinwalker.
“Likewise,” Jay nodded. “The weather is calling for sleet. Keep your speeds low and watch out for black ice tonight.”
“You got it,” Bowen replied with a stiff nod before putting his arm around Ally. “You still up to going?”
She glared at Mike again, “Absolutely. Let’s go.”
“This isn’t over,” Mike snarled but Bowen ignored him as he helped Ally into the cab of his truck.
“That’s enough, Mike,” Jay stated sternly.
Ally rolled down her window after getting in. “C-ya, dad.”
“Be safe, baby girl.”
“I will.” She looked directly at Mike, “Oh, and you have some cleaning to do upstairs. The maid is on strike.”
Bowen pulled away from the curb slowly. Mike didn’t hesitate to spout off as the couple drove away. Before they turned at the corner, Ally saw a cab pull up to the house and Theron was getting out. The shit was certainly going to hit the fan.
“I’m so sorry, Bowen. Are you alright?”
“My first visit to your place and had my ass kicked twice,” he chuckled in a teasing tone, but Ally’s stomach sank. She felt horrible and completely humiliated. “I should probably run for the hills.” She kept her lips tight. The truck slowed as he pulled up to a stop sign. She could feel his eyes on her. “Shit, Ally. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”
“I wouldn’t blame you if you never wanted anything to do with me again.”
He put the truck in park. “No.” He reached over and took her left hand. “Ally, please don’t worry. I don’t scare away so easily.”
“I’m so sorry about what happened last night, and today,” she sniffled, feeling defeated and humiliated. “My cousins can be such dickheads. I don’t understand what their problem is with you. It’s so stupid.”
“Cousins?” He snickered, “I honestly thought that one guy was your boyfriend.”
“Theron? No way!”
He laughed at her disgusted expression. The way her brows pinched together and her lips curled. Bowen thought it was adorable and hilarious. “He and the other guy act like you’re their lover or something.”
“No! Never! Gross!” she expressed, feeling slightly sick at the thought.
Bowen snickered and without even bothering to ask, he interlinked his fingers with hers. “Ally, I don’t want you to worry. I’m not going anywhere unless you want me to.” He waited for her to pull away but her grip grew tighter around his.
Holding hands with him felt right for Ally. Natural. She flexed her fingers against his. She wanted to tell him to never leave but she knew her cousins could ruin everything. Eliminating any potential relationship she may have with Bowen. Friendly or romantic, it didn’t matter to her. As long as Bowen continued to come around. “I like you, Bowen. I really do. I just don’t want to cause trouble for you.”
Bowen couldn’t help but smile and tighten his fingers, “Let me worry about that part, Ally Cat.” He didn’t let her hand free as he drove. For the both of them, being close to someone was nice for a change. Especially, for Bowen. He was holding the hand of his dream girl. Ally hadn’t realized how lonely she was until Bowen came into her life. For years, ally always felt empty and devoid of love. In the beginning, she thought it was due to her cousin’s protective nature, but finally realized what had been missing. It was Bowne.
“I like you too.”
Chapter 9
The drive took them straight over the state line into Kansas. “I thought we were going to the mechanic shop,” Ally stated in a confused way.
“We are.”
She pointed with her thumb over her right shoulder, “You missed it. It’s back there.”
“I had your car towed to my garage.”
“You have a shop?”
Bowen winced a little. “Not exactly, but I have a garage at her house.” He looked at her, trying to judge her reaction. He didn’t want her to think he was trying to trick her into being with him. The last thing he wanted to do was push her away. “It will make it easier for me to work on it.”
Ally chewed on the inside of her cheek. She pondered if her cousin would follow them after her dad left. She didn’t want to get Bowen into even more trouble. “Your house?”
A smirk pulled on his lips. She hadn’t pulled away from their closeness the entire ride. “Is that a problem?”
She cleared her throat, “No problem. I just didn’t know you were going to work on it yourself.”
“I wanted to work on it yesterday but it was raining, plus, if I missed the sound check, I never would have heard the end of it.”
“I will be glad to pay you whatever it cost.”
He shook his head, “Don’t worry about it. It’s my pleasure.”
“There has to be something I can do to repay you.”
Bowen couldn’t help but grin as images of them together flooded his mind. “I’m sure I can think of something,” he teased with a wink and a playful grin. Since seeing her, he wanted nothing more than to bury himself deeply between her thighs, tasting every inch of her.
Ally gasped and pulled her hand from his. “I’m not having sex with you, if that’s what you’re thinking, Bowen,” she expressed while her cheeks grew red at the thought. She had wondered what it would be like to be with
him on an intimate level but she had to play coy.
“Is that what you think?”
Ally fought the grim threatening to show. She was trying to play hard-to-get. “You’re a man, aren’t you?”
He snickered, “First, I resent that comment. Second, I would never expect you to fuck me just because I’m helping you.”
“Then why are you?”
“Because you need help.”
“So, you aren’t trying to sleep with me?”
Bowen couldn’t fight the smirk which pulled on his lips as he thought about the potential and shrugged his shoulders. “No,” he lied.
Ally crossed her arms over her chest, “And why not? Am I not cute enough for you?”
“No. That’s not it at all,” he insisted. “You’re cute as hell.”
“So, you are trying?”
He smirked at her, “Is it working?”
“I guess, anything’s possible.” She shrugged her shoulders and finally allowed her grin to play across her gorgeous mouth, causing Bowen’s desire to tighten below his belt. Her words caused every ounce of testosterone to practically burst throughout his body. The potential of having her in his bed teased his nerves. “What? No smartass rebuttal?” she chuckled.
“Are you offering to sleep with me, Ally?”
“I wouldn’t be a lady if I did something like that, now, would I?” she couldn’t believe what she was saying but it was fun to tease him. Her taunting smile and the glisten in her eyes told him all he needed to know. Ally’s body was alive with excitement as they turned into a housing edition.
“There she is.” Ally’s car was backed into the driveway, just as Bowen had instructed the tow truck driver. It would make it easier for him to get it into his garage. He parked on the street and the friends got out of the vehicle. “Do you have the keys?” Ally nodded and secured her jacket around her body. Bowen opened his garage door and ally noticed several tools and a generator on one side of the space. After handing Bowen, the keys, he tried to start her car. “I’ll have to charge the battery before I can work on it.”
“Ok,” she replied with a shiver.
Echos in the Shadows (Mystifying Music Book 2) Page 5