by Alex Grayson
“Fine!” I know I’m acting childish, but I don’t care. I puff out a breath and shove my wrapped hand in his face.
He unwraps it slowly. He lifts his eyes to mine, and his lips quirk up. “Just a nick, huh? Any deeper and you would need stitches.”
“Whatever,” I mumble.
“Get to the kitchen, and I’ll grab the first aid kit,” he says and walks off. I stick my tongue out at his back.
“I saw that, you little shit,” he calls out.
Of course he saw it. There’s a huge fucking mirror behind the bar. I lift my hand and salute him with my middle finger. “Did you see that as well?” I yell.
“Kitchen, Mia. Now,” he yells back without stopping.
Grumbling and cursing, I walk into the kitchen and over to the sink. I pass Hoot, our cook, on the way.
“Hey, Mia,” he says in his gravelly voice. Hoot is a big grizzly of a man, but he has a heart of gold and wouldn’t hurt a fly.
“Hey, Hoot.”
When he notices the bloody rag, he walks over to me. “What in the hell did you do?”
“Dropped a beer bottle and cut myself when I was picking it up. It’s no big deal, just a little scratch.”
“It’s not just a scratch,” Jaxon says, walking up to us carrying the first aid kit. He sets it down on the counter and opens it. Pulling out a couple of items, he places them on the counter, too.
“Hoot, could you go clean up the rest of the mess behind the bar?” Jaxon asks him.
“Sure, boss,” he says, and walks out the kitchen door.
I turn the spigot on and run my hand under the water. It stings, but I hold in my hiss of pain. Okay, so maybe it’s more than a small scratch. Jaxon’s right. Any deeper and I’d be on my way to get stitches.
Jaxon takes my hand and pulls it towards him. Picking up a pair of tweezers, he starts poking and prodding.
“Ow!” I say and try to pull my hand away.
“Oh, hold still and stop being a baby.”
“It fucking hurts, you dick,” I snap at him.
He snickers at me before saying, “I bet it does. Now stop wiggling around and let me get this last piece out.” He bends his head down and digs around some more until he gets the sliver out. He puts the tweezers down and picks up some peroxide. Holding my hand over the sink, he pours the cool liquid over the cut.
“What’s going on with you lately, Mia?” He asks while he applies triple antibiotic ointment on my palm. “It’s not like you to be so distracted.”
“I just have a lot on my mind lately. Don’t worry about it.” The last thing I need is to have Jaxon in my business.
“Is it Mac?” He asks and looks up at me.
Well, so much for him not being in my business.
“What? Why in the hell would you ask that? You know I don’t have anything to do with him.” I feign innocence. Maybe if he thinks his suggestion is way out of the ballpark he’ll let it go.
Nope, no way I could be so lucky.
“I talked to Ethan yesterday…” he says and looks into my eyes, trying to see the truth there.
I’m going fucking kill Ethan. He just can’t keep his damn mouth shut.
“Jesus fucking Christ! Does everybody in this town know? I swear that man is worse than a group of old ladies at their weekly book club meeting,” I spit out.
Jaxon doesn’t say anything while he puts a bandage on my hand. After it’s done, he cleans his mess and turns to me, and I know what’s coming. I brace and prepare.
“What’s going on between you two?” He asks.
“Absolutely nothing. We kissed in the hallway at Mom’s and that’s it. It was a stupid mistake. A mistake that won’t be happening again.”
“Mia, I never pushed back then because I knew you were in pain. Both of you were and I didn’t want to make it worse by butting into your business, but I need to know. Did he hurt you?” I know the expression on his face. He’s in big brother protective mode. While I love that side of him most of the time, right now it is not something I need. I don’t need him trying to wiggle his way in. The less he knows the better. If he knew that Mac cheated on me, there’s no telling what his reaction would be. Even if it wasn’t really Mac’s fault. Jaxon would overlook that and instead focus on the cheating part.
I take a step closer to him and grab his hand with my good one. “He didn’t hurt me, Jaxon. It just wasn’t working between us. We decided to go our separate ways.”
He pulls me in his arms and rests his chin on top of my head. I lay my head on his chest. He really is the best big brother a girl could have.
“I know you’re lying. I know something more happened between you two. He’s my friend, Mia, but if I find out he hurt you in any way, I’m going to beat his ass.”
I pull back and look up into his eyes. Eyes that are so unique and beautiful. Eyes that have an edge to them right now.
“Please, Jaxon, just leave it alone, okay? It happened a long time ago. There’s no need for you to go all alpha big brother. I’m fine. He’s fine. Everybody is fine.”
“Yeah, well, we’ll see,” he mutters before kissing the top of my head and letting me go. He picks up the first aid kit and walks away, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
My feet are killing me and I’m exhausted. I’ve been ready for this day to be over since I walked in the door. It’s ten minutes to closing, and it couldn’t come fast enough. I’m doing as much of my end-of-shift duties as I can, hoping to get out of here quickly.
Once the last straggler walks out, I breathe a sigh of relief.
Finally.
I quickly finish up and yell through the kitchen door to let Hoot know I’m leaving. It’s just after two in the morning, and I’m really looking forward to a hot shower and my bed. I grab my purse and walk down the hallway to the back exit. Walking out into the slightly humid air, I turn and lock the door behind me. I dig my keys out of my purse and make my way to my car. I’m two steps away when I look up and see I have a flat.
That’s just fanfuckintastic! Can today get any worse?
I bend down to inspect my tire and don’t see anything embedded in it. Probably a nail. Lucky for me, Jaxon showed me how to do minor repairs to cars when we were younger, including how to change tires. But I sure as shit am not doing it tonight. I can barely keep my eyes open as it is. I debate with myself to go in and ask Hoot to give me a ride, but I decide against it. He does most of his creative cooking at night after the bar closes. That means he’ll be here for at least another hour, and I don’t want to wait. I just want to go home. I know he would stop what he’s doing to take me home, but I don’t want him to have to go through that. I can walk, as I don’t live too far from here. I throw my keys back in my purse and start my trek towards home.
Even though I’m wearing a tube top, the humid air is causing my shirt to stick to me and sweat trails down between by boobs. I feel nasty, and I’m sure I don’t smell too good either. I speed my steps and promise myself I’m never wearing my combat boots to work again. Yeah, that’s a promise I won’t keep. I love my combat boots.
Jaded is a small community and relatively quiet most of the time, but it’s amazing how quiet it is in the dead of night. All the houses and businesses are dark, except for an occasional porch light. The streetlights are on, and there’s not a running car in sight. I’m just passing Davey’s Bait and Tackle when I hear something behind me. I turn quickly and see a tall figure just outside of the glare of the street lamp. I try to shield my eyes so I can see better, but it does nothing to help.
“Alright asshole, just show yourself,” I snap out. I am really not in the mood for this shit.
“Well, well, if it isn’t little miss Mia,” comes a voice I despise. “What are you doing outside this time of night?”
“I should be asking you the same thing, Shady. What trouble are you causing?” This guy gives me the creeps. There is something way off about him. Of course, it probably has a lot to do with the fact that he was the g
uy that I gave my virginity to. I use the word ‘gave’ very loosely. I don’t even know if he remembers it. He’s never brought it up.
Shady starts stalking towards me with an unnatural glint in his eye. “I’m just out for a leisurely stroll. What’s your excuse? You must know it’s not safe for little girls to be out this late at night.”
I start walking backwards the closer he gets to me. I don’t want him anywhere near me. Not paying attention, my dumb ass walks myself backwards until I bump into a hard surface behind me. Shady doesn’t stop until he’s right in front of me.
“Back up, Shady,” I tell him firmly. I may sound brave on the outside, but I’m quaking in my damn combat boots. No way will I show him I’m scared shitless, but that’s exactly what I am: scared out of my mind. Shady is a huge man, and I know if he wanted to hurt me he would have no problem at all. I may be able to hold my own in many situations, but I’m no fool to think I can take on a guy like Shady.
I smell body odor and stale whiskey on his breath when he leans in towards me. I have to force myself not to gag. He really stinks. Shady is a heavy drinker, but I can tell he’s sober right now. That may be the only thing that saves me.
I put my hands on his chest to push him back, but he doesn’t budge. “Shady, I mean it. You need to back off.”
Instead of backing up, he leans in further and puts his arms on the wall behind me on either side of my head. His mouth is at my ear when he speaks again.
“I can still smell you, Mia. I can still see you laid out before me in the back of my truck. I can still see the blood on my fingers after I shoved them in you. Do you remember?”
Well, shit. I guess he does remember. I had hoped that he was so fucked up that he wouldn’t remember. His words send a repulsive shiver down my spine.
“I prefer not to remember. Now back the hell off,” I shove him again, and again he goes nowhere. I’m really starting to get worried. I’m out here all alone with him. Not a soul in sight. I know what Shady’s capable, of and I definitely don’t need a repeat performance.
I’m just getting ready to knee his balls up into his throat when a flashlight shines on us. Shady immediately takes a step back. I can’t see the holder because the glare is blinding me, but I’m glad nonetheless.
“What’s going on here?” Mac’s voice sounds from behind the bright light. I sag back against the wall in relief.
“Mia, you okay?” Mac asks as he walks towards us. He’s pissed. I can tell from the ridged line of his jaw.
I give him a shaky smile before I reply, “Yes.”
He swings the flashlight in Shady’s direction. “What are you doing out this late, Shady?”
“What are you, my momma? It ain’t against the law to be walking the streets, is it?”
“It is when you’re causing problems.”
“I haven’t done anything. I was just leaving Dax’s house when I saw Mia here. Me and her were just reminiscing, weren’t we, little girl?” The ravenous look he sends my way makes me want to smack the look from his face. I still can’t believe I let him touch me all those years ago.
“No, we weren’t, Shady. You were being a dick,” I tell him. I feel the tension coming from Mac, who is now standing beside me.
“If you so say, babe.”
The endearment brings bile to my throat.
“Alright, it’s time for you to go home, Shady,” Mac practically growls. “Don’t stop until you get there.”
Shady smiles at me with his nasty yellow teeth. “Will do, Weston. See ya around, Mia.” With that, he turns around and moves down the street toward a bike sitting on the side of the road.
Once his bike is out of sight, Mac turns back to me with narrowed eyes.
I point my finger in his face. “Don’t you fucking start with me, Sheriff.”
“What the fuck, Pix? What in the hell are you thinking? Yes, we have a pretty safe community, but when assholes like Shady are lurking, you know it’s not safe to be out this late at night alone.”
“Yeah, well, I have a flat tire and thought I’d walk home since I don’t live far from here. Who was I to know Shady would be out here?”
“And you couldn’t ask Hoot to give you a ride?”
“Yes, I could have, but I didn’t. He was going to be there for a while longer, and I didn’t want to wait. I’m dead on my feet and just want to go home.”
Mac drops his head and runs his fingers through his thick brown hair. I don’t see how he hasn’t pulled it out yet with how many times I’ve seen him do that lately. I see him shake his head and mutter something that sounds like, “Stupid women.”
“Excuse me?” I ask him. Now my temper is starting to flare. I understand his worry. I really do get it, but he has no right to act all high and mighty. It’s not like he hasn’t made any mistakes in his life. I almost laugh at that.
“Nothing. Let’s go.” He reaches for my arm, but I yank it back.
“I can walk myself without your help.”
“Fine, walk, run, I don’t care. Just get to the damn truck. I’m tired and want to get out of here and go home.” He turns on his heel and starts walking down the street.
He is so frustrating. It takes me a minute to catch up with his long strides.
“So, why are you out so late?” I ask him while we walk side by side towards his truck parked on the side of the road.
“Mrs. Cranny found a spider in her bathroom. I had to come get it out,” he says with a sidewards glance at me.
I laugh at that. Mrs. Cranny is constantly calling the station for someone to come get little critters out of her house. She’s a crafty ninety-year old lady that lives by herself and has a phobia of insects. Or rather, she likes to claim she has a phobia. Everyone knows the real reason she calls the station; to have one of the officer, most specifically Mac, come out to her house to give her eye candy to look at.
“It isn’t funny. I walked into the bathroom expecting to see a big spider. Did I see a big spider? No. I saw a spider smaller than my damn pinky nail. I would swear that she pinched my ass when I was bending over picking up the damn thing. She needs to be put in a home.”
“Oh, come on, Mac. She’s just a little old lady. Are you telling me you can’t handle someone like her?”
“Fuck, no. She’s a slick one. The last time I was there I think she purposely spilled tea on my shirt so I would have to take it off.”
I laugh even harder. “Did you take it off?”
“Hell no, I didn’t. No telling what she would have done if I had.”
We reach Mac’s truck, and he opens the door for me. Because I’m so short, I have a hard time getting into it. He startles me by putting his hands on my hips and hoisting me up into the seat. I bite my lip to keep from chuckling at the cliché lingering of his hands on my hips. Typical male reaction in this situation.
“You can let go, Sheriff. I think I got it now,” I tell him over my shoulder.
He looks up from looking at my ass with heat in his eyes. Yep, typical male. The look he gives me tells me he doesn’t care he was caught looking.
“It was in my face. Where else do you expect me to look?” He says before letting me go.
I tip my lips up at that.
He closes the door and walks around, while I put on my seatbelt. Of course, he climbs up with no trouble. I think the truck companies that make these monsters are a bunch of horny guys. Their sole purpose is so guys have to touch women’s hips to lift them in the truck. I snicker at the idea.
“What’s funny?”
I glance over at him. “Nothing.”
He starts the engine and pulls out onto the deserted road. The cool air coming from the vents causes goose bumps to form on my sweaty skin.
“What did Shady mean, you were reminiscing?” Mac asks after a couple of minutes.
Nope, not going there. No way am I telling Mac what happened between Shady and me. He would shit a brick and go ballistic, especially if he knew the details. That’s one story th
at will never come to light. I decide to act nonchalant and lie.
“I have no idea what he’s talking about. We’re talking about Shady here, and you know Shady likes to act…well, shady.”
Out the corner of my eye, I see Mac turn his head my way, watching me, weighing my words. Doesn’t matter if he believes me or not. He’s not getting anything out of me. He can speculate and contemplate all he wants. Luckily, he lets it go.
“I’ll stop by the bar tomorrow morning and change your tire. I’ll bring your car by the house so you’ll have it for work.”
I turn my body so it faces him before I speak. “You don’t need to do that. I can change it myself.”
“I know you can, but I’m going to do it for you.” The stubbornness I see in his jaw tells me not to argue. I do anyway. It’s my damn car.
“Don’t touch my car. I’ll take care of it,” I tell him.
“Fuck, Mia, just let me change the damn tire. I don’t have anything going on tomorrow anyway.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to, that’s why.”
“You don’t owe me anything, Mac,” I tell him quietly. I wonder if this is some guilt deed. Is he trying to make up for what happened? It sucks that it happened, but it was a long time ago. And after what he told me the other day, he doesn’t owe me anything. Actually, I probably owe him an apology for never giving him the opportunity to talk. It’s an apology I’m not ready to give yet though. One day, maybe.
“You may not think I owe you anything, but I feel I do. Just let me do this for you, Pix.” The remorse I hear in his voice makes my chest hurt. I never realized how deep his guilt was until now. It runs much deeper than it should. Yes, he should feel some, but not what is emitting from him right now. He was a victim just as much as I was.
“Okay.” I pull my keys out of my purse and hand them to him.
He looks at me in surprise before giving me a small smile. “Thank you.”
Mac glances over and sees my hand that’s wrapped in gauze sitting in my lap. “What happened to your hand?”
I had forgotten all about it during the episode with Shady, and then with Mac.