Surrender to Chance [King's Bluff, Wyoming 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Fiona Archer

  “Oh, I’ll be on your back and Eli at your front, and every other combination you can think up, spitfire,” Caleb said in a matter-of-fact tone.

  “What?” Purdy squawked.

  Olivia’s mouth dropped. She felt the tug on her jean’s loop again and swung her gaze at Kane. He shook his head, a silent warning not to interfere. She turned back to Purdy, letting her friend’s reaction be Olivia’s barometer if she needed to step in.

  Caleb’s grin was shameless. “This is just a prelude, curly top. You’ve been fighting your interest in me for so long, you don’t know any other way to behave around me. Now that Eli’s here, I’m done waiting.”

  “My interest?” She sprang to her feet—and Caleb allowed the move. “Get this clear, both of you.” She stabbed a finger at Caleb and Eli. “You could use radar, sonar, and NASA’s biggest telescope and you’d still never find a trace of my supposed interest in either of you. So you can shove a butt plug up that idea’s ass and send it back to never-never land.”

  She stalked off, arms swinging.

  “Purdy.”

  Maybe it was the fact Caleb spoke so softly or the dark power in his voice, but Purdy stopped, her shoulders rising and falling as she threw a look over her shoulder.

  Caleb and Eli stood as a united force. The golden blond of the sheriff contrasted with the dark sinfulness of the resident Dom. Two servings of danger and dominance, both aimed at Purdy.

  Caleb’s deep voice demanded compliance. “It’s time you put what happened in the past behind us, sweetheart. High school was long ago. I’m giving you fair warning. Eli and I are a team. Rangers are experts at capturing their target.” His gaze narrowed as she drew in a deep breath.

  Purdy raised her chin but a smidge of uncertainty showed in her eyes before she merged into the crowds.

  Olivia let out a breath. Well, that was…intense. She looked across, seeing Chloe had the same stunned look on her face.

  She’d call Purdy tomorrow sometime, make sure she was okay.

  Alex’s face broke into a grin. “One ass-kicking from the Hammond twins and you turn into an action hero.”

  “Flynn presented us with an opportunity too good to pass up.” Caleb saluted his friend.

  The Aussie chuckled. “Glad I could play a bit part.”

  “He’s used to that. Playing bit parts. Second string all the way.”

  Olivia leaned forward to see the man who’d just walked up.

  He looked familiar. Average in height, he wore jeans and a western shirt. His sparse hair was clumped into short, dark spikes, as if he’d tried using gel for the first time and used too much.

  But there was something about his hazel eyes, a malevolent gleam that warned not to dismiss him as a threat.

  “Fuck, I knew the day was going too well,” Flynn said as he straightened his spine. “What do you want, Wagner?”

  Karl Wagner? Yes, of course. He’d aged fast, widened around the waist. She hadn’t seen him since before her father died. It was hard not to compare Wagner to the guys seated with his softer build, but she’d heard enough about him to know his strike had proven poisonous on more than one occasion.

  His gaze landed on Alex, then switched to Olivia and stayed. “I heard you got local help, MacKenzie. Finding it hard putting a down-home spin on your rich man’s playground?”

  Wagner’s gaze swept the length of her seated form, as if the men sitting next to her didn’t exist. She felt the change in the air, the tenseness of the bodies on either side of her.

  Alex stood. “Eyes on me, Wagner.” His voice rang with such authority Olivia’s knees went weak.

  Wagner took his time following Alex’s order, but Olivia could see the way the toes of his boots pressed into the ground, as if fighting the urge to obey.

  Kane rose and moved a few inches to the right, just enough to partially hide her from Wagner’s view but not stop her from seeing the action.

  “You like that, don’t you? Giving orders. Think you can come here and show off what a big man you are?” Wagner looked over his shoulder at the activity of the Community Day, then turned back. “Not gonna happen. You’re an outsider. Always will be. Like King.”

  Chloe’s face tightened under the insult to her husband, while Noah’s face remained blank.

  “I’d be bloody pissed except I’ve come to realize it’s you who feels like the outsider, Wagner.” Noah kept his seat, as did Flynn, Olivia guessed in an obvious snub to the man. “Adapt or move on.”

  Wagner’s face hardened for a second before it smoothed out. “No amount of adaption or Community Days is going to fix the MacKenzies’ image problem in the town.”

  “What problem is that? The one you’ve been peddling since before the lodge’s plans were approved by the town council?” Kane’s voice had bite, as did his glare.

  “I’m not the one suffering unfortunate accidents on my property.” The shorter man lifted his chin, emphasizing the roundness of his jaw. “Two SEALs and you can’t keep your own home protected.”

  “Funny you should mention that, Karl.” Alex’s voice went silky quiet in a way that tensed Olivia’s spine. “Any insights you’d care to share?”

  Wagner’s hazel gaze sharpened. “I don’t believe I will.”

  Caleb rose. “That’s a smart idea, Karl. An even smarter one is to walk on.” The sheriff followed up his suggestion by advancing on their uninvited guest.

  “Sheriff.” Wagner nodded to Caleb, then faced Alex and Kane. This time, there was no mistaking the open hatred on his face. The blatant stare wasn’t so much an act of bravado as a silent threat. Then he left, leaving a sense of foreboding behind him.

  Flynn glanced over at Alex and Kane. “Wagner’s an arsehole, and it would be easy to underestimate him, but don’t.” He pulled Chloe to her feet, gathering her tight by his side. “He might act like the school bully but he still has enough friends in the town who have influence over others using employment, housing, whatever as their leverage. They can make life difficult for those not able to fight back. Until we get prosperity for a broader number of locals, he’s still influential.”

  Determined to banish the stain of Karl’s interruption, Olivia clapped her hands together, grabbing everyone’s attention. “Okay, he’s a jerk and needs monitoring, but today is all about showing the folks of King’s Bluff a good time.” She checked her watch. “It’s almost time for the band’s second set. I promised them I’d get you guys on stage to say hello to the crowd before they start, so let’s get over there.”

  Alex’s lips quirked. “Bossy little sub.”

  “That’s right, and you can spank me for it later.”

  “Count on it.” Kane’s grin showed his white teeth.

  Was it bad she grinned back?

  “We’ll heckle you from the crowd.” Flynn ducked Kane’s pretend punch, laughing as he tugged Chloe along behind him.

  With a few good-natured laughs, everyone headed the short distance to the stage. Olivia got a thumbs-up from the Gazette’s reporter-slash-photographer, who had his camera ready for a picture. She waved back, pleased the newspaper agreed to a double page spread of the day. The reporter stated he’d be targeting locals for their thoughts on the day and how they felt the MacKenzies would fit into King’s Bluff. As far as Olivia was concerned, it was free publicity. She was all for it.

  She, Kane, and Alex walked around the side of the stage to the back area. The lodge’s maintenance team had assembled the rented sound system, along with stairs at the front and back of the six-foot high stage. A large square tent had been erected behind the stage, allowing the band a place to chill out when not performing.

  A flap at the side of the tent was pulled back, allowing a small amount of light under the green canvas. The band must have lowered the other sides, wanting some privacy as they ate their burgers.

  As Olivia, Kane, and Alex entered the tent, Henry and his brother Darrell were chugging down the last of their sodas. The three other members headed out on sta
ge, waving to Olivia as they passed.

  From inside the tent she could see directly under the stage. With the network of steel poles holding up the stage, the structure resembled an oversized metal spider’s web.

  “Hey, guys. You sounded great earlier.” Olivia grinned at the two local men, both dressed in western shirts with pearl buttons and jeans.

  “Howdy, Livy.” Henry, dark haired and in his mid-fifties, stroked his perfectly groomed beard. “I see you came with the men of the hour.” He smiled and extended his hand.

  Olivia made the introductions. Compliments on the band and the lodge were exchanged, and then Henry confirmed with the guys how they’d handle the introductions.

  “See you out there.” He nodded, then with Darrell following, made his way up the steps, past the black curtain backdrop and onto the stage.

  “Red, you’re joining us.” Alex held his hand out to her.

  “Oh, no.” She shook her head hard enough that her ponytail swished against her neck. “I’m behind the scenes today. This needs to be all about you.”

  Alex frowned, clearly not happy with her decision, but they could all hear Henry start his monologue. With no time to argue, Kane bent down and kissed her on the mouth, followed by Alex, before they waited on the top of the metal stairs.

  “Put your hands together for our hosts, Alex and Kane MacKenzie. Let’s give these boys a real King’s Bluff welcome.”

  The guys headed out to the sounds of healthy applause.

  Okay, so far so good. Maybe she’d grab a soda before heading out front.

  At the folding table in the far back corner, she glanced at a plastic bucket filled with partially melted ice and stocked with cans. Hmm, lemonade this time. Walking back into the darkened corner, she dunked her hand in the icy water and claimed her drink.

  “Just finish the fucking job and let’s get out of here.”

  Olivia glanced over her shoulder. That sounded like—

  Lacey dipped under the flap of the tent, followed by Kevin. The young male lodge employee grabbed a pair of surgical gloves from his back pocket, put them on, then crouched near the back stairs. He reached behind them and pulled out a dark backpack.

  “Everyone enjoying themselves?” Lots of whistles and clapping and shouts of agreement. “Hey, Alex, we may have to make this a yearly thing.” More cheers. “So how about we get busy throwing out these lucky door prizes?” Even more cheers.

  “Calm the fuck down, Lacey,” Kevin warned. “If you hadn’t come rushing in here before, I wouldn’t have panicked. Most of the paper’s already in place.” He pulled out a flashlight, switched it on and aimed it under the stage. Its beam bounced off the steel scaffolding used to hold up the platform, then landed on a huge pile of scrunched up paper.

  “Someone had to tell you the band was coming back. If you’d done this earlier like we’d planned, I wouldn’t have had to rush in.” Lacey leaned in close beside him.

  What the fuck were they doing? Gut instinct told Olivia to keep quiet until she could get past them. Careful not to make a noise, she pulled out her cell, turned on its camera, and while holding the phone in one hand and the soda in the other, she started filming.

  “You’re the one who lost it after your little showdown with the MacKenzies’ slut.” Kevin pulled out some newspapers and moved under the stage.

  “That condescending bitch is going to have the worst fucking day of her life.” Lacey’s words were an angry snarl. “Thinks she can lord it over me? We’ll see what happens when her big day turns into a fucking PR nightmare.”

  “Whatever happens, Alex isn’t going to fall in love with you, you dumb bitch.”

  “You should talk. Alex is mean to you so you have a temper tantrum and break into their house. I’m the one that made sure you had an alibi. You owe me this.” She snorted. “I bet you did that shit with the logs, too.”

  “Let’s ask these boys to stay on stage for the first song. They haven’t finished with those lucky door prizes.”

  “That wasn’t me. Now shut up and let me get this fire started. You slip out the back of the tent and wait for the smoke to freak people out.” His laugh did nothing to dispel the evilness as he lit a long sheaf of paper, and then threw it on the pile hidden in the darkness. It immediately caught. A bright orange ball ballooned. “Imagine the pictures with kids crying, people getting trampled.”

  Oh, hell no!

  Olivia dropped the phone and her can. “I don’t think so, bitches.” She grabbed the partially melted bucket of ice and ran forward, managing to throw some of it on the fire.

  The music started, so loud Olivia barely heard Lacey’s screamed insult, only it was right in her ear.

  Lacey yanked on Olivia’s hair, forcing her head back viciously.

  Olivia kicked out, striking Kevin in the shin with the hard toe of her boot. He went down in a howl of pain.

  “Alex! Kane!” The music drowned out her screams of warning. Twisting her body, she ignored the tearing pain in her scalp and punched Lacey in the face. Immediately the pressure on her hair disappeared.

  She coughed against the smoke starting to fill the tent. It stung her eyes. Burned her throat. Running to the stairs, she made it halfway up before a painful shove in her back sent her crashing to the steps. Her hands and knees banged hard on the metal surface. She kicked backward, hitting something soft. Scrambling to her feet, she ran up the rest of the stairs. Her fingers curled on the backdrop, ready to swing it wide when an arm circled her neck, pressing against her throat.

  Olivia grabbed at the arm. With all her might she bent over double, forcing her opponent off his or her feet. She surged forward, half dragging them with her as she crashed through the backdrop, out onto the stage, and into a band member.

  Olivia jerked to the side, tossing her opponent to the ground. She stared down at Lacey’s furious face. Dragging in much-needed air, she glanced up at the stunned faces of the band members. An eerie silence greeted her gate crashing.

  Alex dropped his box of prizes, ran across the stage, shoving Darrell out of the way like he weighed nothing. “Jesus, Red.” He gripped her shoulders.

  “Under the stage. Papers. A fire.” She coughed uncontrollably.

  Darrell ran past them. Olivia saw a whiff of smoke, not much, as the curtain flounced back.

  Lacey.

  In the center of the stage, Lacey was twisting in Kane’s unbreakable grip. He avoided her kicks with ease.

  Caleb and a deputy ran up the stairs at the front of the stage.

  Olivia gripped the front of Alex’s shirt. “Lacey and Kevin started a fire under the stage. She wanted to cause panic.” Olivia looked out at the crowd. There was plenty of shocked faces but no rushing or yelling. Thank God.

  Alex’s face hardened, then he flicked his icy stare to the young office worker. “What the fuck?”

  It took Olivia a second to register he didn’t even question her word.

  Lacy wasn’t giving up easily. “She’s lying. It wasn’t me. Kevin—”

  “It’s all on my phone. I taped you.” Olivia looked to Caleb. “I dropped my phone on the ground when I grabbed the ice bucket.”

  At a gesture from Caleb, the deputy headed toward the tent.

  Darrell returned, a fire extinguisher held loosely in one hand. “All clear.”

  Damn, why hadn’t she thought of using that? Part of the safety plan for the day said they were stored in the tent.

  But hey, she’d been thinking on her feet.

  Caleb took custody of Lacey, twisting her to face the backdrop as he cuffed her arms behind her.

  Alex and Kane formed a barrier between Lacey and the stage as Caleb forced her resisting form down the back stairs. The guys looked back for Olivia.

  Kane and Alex both extended their arms.

  Alex glanced over at Henry. “Can you give an apology and carry on where we left off?”

  “You got it, Alex.” Henry nodded.

  She took Kane and Alex’s hands, ignorin
g the ache from her bruised palms. Kane led them down the steps as Alex followed.

  “Sorry folks, somebody got overenthusiastic with some sparklers,” Henry announced to the crowd. “Good thing you’ve got a member of King’s Bluff’s Fire Department on stage. You making him earn that donation already, Alex?”

  Bless Henry for his diversionary tactics.

  There was plenty of laughter from the crowd before the band took over handing out door prizes and keeping the crowd distracted.

  The sides of the tent had all been rolled up, allowing fresh air and sunlight to flood the area. But it also meant no cover from any gawking onlookers.

  There was nothing she could do to contain the gossip that would now flourish. Her stomach twisted in knots at the thought of Lacey’s failed revenge overshadowing all the good work everyone at the lodge had tried to achieve today.

  Kevin was sitting on the ground, wrists cuffed behind his back. His lips curled as he glared at Alex.

  “You can get fu—”

  “Save it, asshole,” the deputy snapped, clearly unimpressed by Kevin’s would-be tough guy persona.

  “This yours, Olivia?” Caleb held up her phone.

  “Yes,” she said.

  Kane dragged over one of the folded chairs. “Sit, sweetheart, before you fall.”

  She wanted to argue, but one look at Kane’s uncompromising gaze told her it was a losing battle. As soon as she sat down, the muscles in her legs felt like jelly.

  He crouched down beside her. “You hurt?”

  “Just my scalp. Lacey yanked pretty hard.” She ran her hands over her hair and winced at the pain in her palms.

  Alex gently lifted both hands, turning them over to see the scraped skin.

  “I fell on them and my knees when Lacey pushed me down on the stairs.”