“Hopefully they don’t hurt anyone.”
“If they do, then there will be hell to pay. That I can guarantee.”
Chapter 2
“So what do you think about that girl Tessa?” Antonia asked Chloe about the new bartender.
“She’s doing a great job. She’s cute and seems to snag the men’s attention, yet she can handle the women’s attitudes, too. She’ll get better and better the more she gets comfortable working here.”
“So you noticed what I did, too?” Brooklyn chimed into the conversation. The three of them were sitting at a table in the Filling Station going over some applications people filled out for jobs. They needed more staff, especially at the bars now that there was a small one outside off the patio where the live bands played.
“You mean her response to the more aggressive men? Yeah, but that’s not a problem. One of us, either myself, Ledger, Selena, or Lori is always nearby or working alongside Tessa,” Chloe stated.
Antonia and Brooklyn looked at one another and then back at her. “So you think she’s okay? Does she share any information about her personal life with you?” Antonia asked.
Chloe leaned back into her chair. “What’s going on? It sounds like you know something, or have some concerns.”
“You’re right. We do. The other night when she was leaving, there were two men outside waiting to talk to her. She looked scared. They exchanged a few words and she shook her head, told them to never come here again and she walked away to her car.”
“The guys listened?” she asked Antonia.
“That’s what Aqua told us. He’s concerned,” Brooklyn added.
Chloe smirked. “Maybe Aqua, Tank, and Tank’s brothers have an interest in her.”
Both Brooklyn and Antonia sat forward in their seats.
“What?” Antonia asked.
“You’re shitting me,” Brooklyn replied.
Chloe shrugged her shoulders. “Just saying. I guess if you’re concerned then you should mention it to your boyfriend.”
Antonia held her gaze.
“Cesar already spoke to Tessa. She was shy and wouldn’t give up any information and said it was nothing.”
“Well, maybe it isn’t,” Chloe stated.
“Well, just keep an eye on her, Chloe. You seem to have a knack for noticing things other people don’t. In fact, how about Selena? I know she just started a week ago, any problems that either of you have noticed?” Brooklyn asked.
Antonia shook her head. “She’s very smart, and very nice. She’s the complete opposite of the rest of the family and their reputations,” Antonia stated.
“She did tell us she wasn’t like them at all. She has her CPA and MBA. She’s trying to start up her own small business and is working for that accounting firm in Goshen. She only needs to work Friday nights and a couple of nights during the week, which is great for us for coverage, so it’s working out well,” Brooklyn said.
“She knows her stuff and what she doesn’t know, she is eager to learn and learns quickly. I like her,” Chloe stated.
Just then they heard some laughter and turned around to see Cesar walking into the Station with Tobias Copeland, the new assistant chief of police. He had short crew cut hair, a beard and was filled with big muscles that made him look ready for a fight. It was the expression she saw in his eyes and that suspicious attitude that made her stay clear of him, yet she always found herself seeking him out, just to get a peek. He was sexy and dangerous-looking at the same time. She supposed it was due to intimidation, or maybe the guilt he seemed to bring out in her despite her not being guilty of anything. Well, except lying about who she was and her capabilities. As long as she kept to herself and didn’t converse too much then she was fine.
“Hello, ladies. What are we, on break?” Cesar asked as he bent down and gave Antonia a kiss. Chloe locked gazes with Tobias, who looked her over as he said hello to Brooklyn, Antonia, and then her.
Chloe got up.
“I need to get back to work,” Chloe said and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. When she looked up at them Tobias squinted and stared at her. She stared right back, raising one of her eyebrows up at him and then realized what she did. She should not challenge the man. It was instinct and she couldn’t stop herself. By his surprised expression she knew she just gained more of his attention.
“You don’t have to. Did you want to break for lunch?” Brooklyn asked her.
“No, why don’t you guys enjoy lunch and I’ll cover things for ya. Nice seeing you guys—enjoy,” Chloe said and caught Tobias’s eye one more time as she started walking away. But before she took two steps she heard her name and turned to see Tobias approaching. Brooklyn squinted, Antonia smiled, and Cesar took her arm and turned her toward the table. The three of them engaged in conversation.
Chloe couldn’t believe the sensations that hit her body the moment Tobias was this close to her. She tried expertly to avoid standing close to any men around this town for obvious reasons. It would be unwise to befriend a man who was the assistant chief of police, a retired Special Forces operative and a soldier. He reminded her of Scallone for some strange reason and that thought brought on an anger and sadness that she wasn’t over yet.
“Did you need something, Tobias?” she asked him.
He stared at her and then looked at her lips and her top then back into her eyes. He was a good foot taller than she was. “Do you have a problem with me?” he asked her straight out. Jesus, the man was a force. Holy crap.
“What?” she asked.
He took a small breath and released it. “Every time I come in here, or I see you in town, you seem to walk the other way, look away from me, or at me like there’s something wrong with me. I don’t know you or anything about you—only what I heard and have seen. It’s a simple question, Chloe, do you have a problem with me?”
She stared at him a moment. Firm lips, dark-brown eyes, and the damn uniform. “No, Tobias, I don’t have a problem with you,” she said softly.
He gave a nod and then continued. He took her arm and led her by her elbow as he talked and damn it to all hell she felt a shock of attraction to the man she hadn’t expected. When she pulled her elbow free he stared at her as if he was shocked too and felt the same thing.
They were at the end of the bar at the wall where he had her pinned in.
“I needed to ask you a few things,” he said softly and looked at her face as if he were memorizing it. When she went to move, feeling on guard about what the hell he had to ask her, she felt his hand on her hip and she tightened up and froze in place. Holy shit, her nipples hardened, her pussy throbbed and she suddenly felt her cheeks warm something stupid. She couldn’t show an attraction to the man. To any man. Shit shit shit.
“What do you need to ask me?”
He licked his lower lip. God, the man was good-looking in a rugged, backwoods, country maniac kind of way. She’d seen him on his Harley with two brothers she didn’t know, riding along the roadway on Sunday as they passed her house way out on the edge of town. His brothers kept to themselves and barely came into the Filling Station. They didn’t even do any shopping in town. They supposedly did it elsewhere, and there was a fourth brother she’d never seen before. Not many people did see him when he showed up sporadically. It was a small town, so gossip got around fast.
“Selena Willis has been working here for a bit. How does she seem?” he asked and she was shocked at the instant feeling of jealousy that shot through her gut and her heart. Where the hell did this come from? I don’t need a man. Hell, I don’t need much of anything.
“Why are you asking me? You want a date with the woman, go ask her questions straight out. I don’t play matchmaker,” she stated firmly and went to move away when she felt his hand, his very large, hard hand, grip her hip bone as he pressed closer.
“What the hell are you talking about? I’m not interested in her. I want to know if she’s causing any trouble or if her brothers or cousins come in here to c
ause any shit around her?”
She felt like an idiot. She never reacted like this to anyone. She was always on her toes. Always being smart. Jesus. Instead of trying to apologize or make a bigger fool of herself, she just ignored what happened.
“She’s great, Tobias. She’s a hard worker, very smart and her brothers and cousins barely talk to her when they come here.”
“They don’t give her a hard time?” he asked, but his eyes zeroed in on her lips and then over her chest again. She wore a tank top today with the Filling Station logo on the front. It wasn’t too low and she wore a sports bra with a thick strap underneath that hid the scar from the shot to her shoulder. She was so careful to not show her scars so that no one would ask any questions. Now that it was summertime, it was getting difficult to avoid the lighter clothing and to decline invitations to swim at the local swimming holes or to just go sunbathing with friends. She thought about the lies she would need to tell. Being caught in an exchange of gunfire while robbers robbed a bank was her only option of a tale to tell. She may be sharing that story sooner than later.
He went on asking a few more questions and then finally she told him she needed to get back to work.
“Thanks for the information.”
“Not a problem. Always ready to help the assistant chief of police,” she said to him. She smirked.
“Is it me, or does everyone think there’s something humorous about the title?” he said to her.
“Well, we have a chief of police who everyone calls chief. Should we call you assistant chief?”
He held her gaze and his expression was very serious. “Why don’t you just call me Tobias? I kind of like the sound of it coming from your lips, Chloe.”
She felt her cheeks instantly turn red, and boy did he notice. She was dumbfounded by her reaction. She couldn’t seem to hide her nonverbal responses from this man or his effect on her body. Meanwhile she spent years undercover, pretending to be someone she wasn’t. Never had any man, no matter how good-looking or sexy, made her cheeks blush and made her feel shy and embarrassed before. Jesus, she was losing her abilities. She might need to consider sharpening her skills again just to remain on top of her game.
She looked around them and then stared right up into his eyes. “Nice one, Tobias. I bet you have a handful of cute little flirty lines to say to all the ladies looking to land a big shot like yourself. I’m not interested. Have a nice day,” she said and walked away.
* * * *
Tobias couldn’t believe what just occurred between him and Chloe. It was the first time he was able to get that close to her, converse with her and inhale her shampoo and take in every ounce of her. Goddamn, was the woman gorgeous. She had blonde wavy hair, bold green eyes, a firm jaw, toned arms, beautiful body, and was spunky to boot. He watched her walk away and absorbed the way her firm, tight ass filled out those jeans she wore. He didn’t think he’d ever seen her wear shorts to work once here. Always jeans and always painted on.
He wasn’t sure what came over him. Was it that instant attraction the moment he guided her by her arm, or her resistance despite the fact that she’d felt the connection too? What the hell just happened? As he approached the table where Cesar and Antonia were they asked him if he was staying for lunch.
He looked over his shoulder to see if Chloe was still there but she wasn’t.
“Join us, Tobias. Here comes Michelle,” Antonia said as the waitress, Michelle, gave him a huge smile.
“Hello, assistant chief, what can I get ya to drink?” she asked and then nibbled on her bottom lip. Cesar chuckled as Michelle flirted while taking their order. When she walked away Cesar gave his arm a nudge.
“Cute girl. A little young for you and you weren’t very friendly.”
“She isn’t my type and she’s too young.”
“Maybe it’s bartenders you have a thing for?” Antonia asked and Cesar looked at Antonia.
“Antonia,” he warned.
She blushed then looked at Tobias. “Sorry, Tobias. It’s just that I noticed you talking to Chloe and standing close to her. The way the two of you looked at one another was interesting.”
“Why is that?” Tobias asked.
“Chloe doesn’t get close to anyone and especially not men. I’ve seen and heard her turn down some very fine men indeed.”
“Really? You’re checking out other men?” Cesar asked.
Tobias listened as Antonia explained what she meant and he couldn’t help but smirk. He could never see himself involved with a woman, let alone commit to one. He had a feeling that after a while, a woman would get on his nerves. When he thought about his brothers and the idea of sharing one woman like their friends did—and like their own parents did—it made him feel even more unsure. He was a pretty demanding and possessive person when it came to what belonged to him and his brothers. They each shared that quality.
“Anyway, like I was saying, Chloe tends to keep to herself. She has a great personality and is funny, too.”
“You checked her out when she first got here?” he asked Cesar.
“I did. She told me she worked in business, made a lot of money, and then wanted a change of scenery and lifestyle,” Cesar said to him.
“So you believed her?” Tobias asked.
Cesar squinted his eyes at him.
“I accepted what she told me. She knows the rules of the town, and has witnessed what has happened to her close friends who weren’t forthright about their pasts. I’d say she isn’t in any danger, but there’s more to her life story.”
Tobias looked toward the bar where Chloe was working with Tessa, another new bartender. He didn’t know why but his gut clenched in warning. There was something about Chloe that stood out to him beyond her looks and her body. He never ignored his gut instincts and wondered why he was reacting like this. He changed the subject and asked about the band playing Saturday night.
“You planning on coming by with your brothers?” Antonia asked.
“Just me and maybe a few friends,” Tobias said to Antonia.
“Well, it should be a great time. This band is pretty popular. We expect a large crowd,” Antonia added.
“Yeah, I have extra guys on duty. At this rate I may need to talk to the board about hiring another full-time officer,” Cesar told them.
“Well, there will be plenty of good men to choose from,” Tobias said.
“Yeah, like Stephan or Scottie?” Cesar said to Tobias.
Tobias nodded. “Good luck with that, Chief.” They both chuckled. There was no way his brothers would sign on to that. Not while they were still working independent jobs for the service and government. He wondered when they would all get together for a sit-down dinner again. It had been months since they spent time together like a family, more than a year since Stephan came around long enough for one, but he supposed them not being active duty was better than worrying about where they were or if they would make it back alive.
* * * *
Wallace Copeland pulled his black Suburban into the driveway and parked by his brother Tobias’s truck. He noticed another truck, a navy blue one that belonged to Coastal McDaniel. Coastal, Tobias, Wolf and two other men Wallace didn’t know were standing on the back porch having beers. It was something positive to come home to. Working for the special operations unit for the government had required twelve-hour days for the last three months. Another few days and it would be over and he was relieved. As he stepped out of the truck in his uniform they whistled and cheered. It sucked having to wear the uniform but it did give him a lot of attention with the ladies.
He chuckled as he flipped them the bird and made his way closer.
“You’re just in time,” Wolf called out and threw him a can of beer. His quick reflexes caught the tin can before it hit him in the chest.
“For what?” he asked and popped the can open then took a sip.
“For going out with us. It’s Friday night, and Tobias said you’re off tomorrow.”
“Mee
t Monk, Lazer, and Turk.” Tobias introduced the guys Wallace didn’t know. He shook their hands hello and thought they were cops. Definitely military.
“What makes you think I would want to hang out with a bunch of cops?” he asked and they chuckled.
“What better group of men to hang with than us?” Turk said and tipped his beer toward him.
“Wallace, we’ll keep things real,” Coastal said as they started egging one another on.
“How real can it get? We got the assistant chief of police with us,” Wallace teased and they all roared and gave Tobias little shoves and punches in the arm.
“Jesus,” Tobias said and shook his head.
“Scottie get home yet? What about Stephan?” Wallace asked and Tobias shook his head. He knew that his brothers were getting upset about how little time they all spent together. In another two weeks they were supposed to go camping. That should give them quality time together if Stephan decided to show. He missed the event last year and only stopped by for two days before taking off again.
“Well, go change, shower, or whatever and meet us out here. Hurry up,” Costal said to Wallace.
“I don’t know if I feel up to going out. It’s been a hell of a couple of months and I have another few days to go,” Wallace complained.
“Come out for a few hours,” Tobias said and he could tell his brother wanted him to.
“Okay. Give me fifteen minutes.”
* * * *
Chloe was watching Tessa trying to handle three guys by the bar who were flirting and giving her a hard time. Chloe could tell Tessa was getting nervous and upset so she made her way over.
“What’s going on, guys? What do you need?”
The one guy was definitely feeling his alcohol.
“I need this pretty little lady to keep the cold beers coming. This bottle isn’t cold enough.”
Chloe took the bottle and felt it.
“It’s ice cold.”
“Not cold enough for me,” he said and his friends stared at Chloe and looked at her breasts. The tank top she wore accentuated them even more than usual.
The Battlefield Series 7: Disguising the Truth (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 3