by Tess Oliver
“Hmm, extremely attractive— I like that description.” He moved his hand to my bottom. “And, I’ve just decided that I definitely like slow songs better than fast.”
With that, the song ended, and the band started up a fast paced tune. The slow dancing couples parted, and more people flooded out onto the floor. Luke took my hand and led me out.
“I’m amazed there are so many people here,” I said as we reached the table.
“Some of them drive forty or fifty miles to come here when the band is good. There isn’t all that much nightlife in the area,” Gage said. “That’s why I think it would be worth buying this place. I just hope it doesn’t fall apart while it’s in transition of ownership.”
“I think it would be a great business to run,” I said. “I could totally see you managing this place.”
Gage wasn’t one to show much emotion, but my comment had pleased him. While the music still pounded through the speakers, it seemed some of the conversation had quieted. I took a sip of wine. Out of the corner of my eye, I sensed that Jericho’s shoulders had gone rigid. Luke stood up straighter too.
My heartbeat sped up. Luke’s jaw twitched as he kept a close watch on the entrance. Three bikers walked inside. They removed their cuts and hung them on hooks by the door as the rules stated. None of them looked familiar.
Jericho’s shoulders had lost some of their tension. “They’re from the Midwest. The club calls themselves Iron Fist. They don’t have much to do with the west coast clubs. But they’re not known for being friendly.”
Gage downed his beer. “That club comes through here every once in awhile. As long as no one hassles them, they just drink and leave.” He smacked his mug on the table. “Well, I’ve got women friends to visit. You people are on your own.”
Even with the hundreds of customers and few people on hand to help, Friday managed to make it over to our table the second the pitcher of beer was empty. “More beer?” she asked.
“Sure,” Luke said. “Want another glass of wine?”
I shook my head. “I’m good for now.”
“How is your leg?” she asked Jericho.
Jericho stared wide-eyed at her, obviously not expecting the question. Luke elbowed him under the table.
“Uh, it’s good. I’ll be running marathons in no time.”
She smiled at his quip.
“I was so scared when he got shot.” I stuck my hand out. “Hi, I’m Angel. Jericho and I grew up together. He was protecting me when it happened. He was beaten badly too. Horrible people, the men who shot him.”
Jericho’s mouth dropped open, and he stared at me as if I’d lost my mind.
“Oh my gosh,” she said, “and I was teasing you because I thought you were cleaning your own gun. I just assumed it was an accident. You never said anything.”
My usually silver-tongued friend just shrugged in response.
“I’ll get you some more beer.” She walked away with the empty pitcher.
“What the fuck, Evie?”
“What? It’s true, in a convoluted sort of way. Besides, you’ve saved me from a lot of stuff in my life. I just embellished things a bit.”
Jericho shook his head. “A bit.”
“I’ve got to tell you,” Luke said. “I think she likes you.”
“That’s because she doesn’t know me.”
I groaned. “Oh my God, here comes the wallow in my own misery party again. Snap out of it, Richo. It’s getting old.” I drained my glass. “I think I will go up and get another one.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” Luke asked. I raised my brow at him.
“Yeah, right. I guess it’s not that far. You probably don’t need a guide.” He looked a little contrite, but I hadn’t meant to make him feel bad. Our conversation during our last visit to the Raven’s Nest had been hard but necessary.
The truth was, I relished the fact that I had someone that made me feel so incredibly loved and protected, but I also knew that it could go too far and end up hurting a relationship. Now it seemed he was really trying. It wasn’t easy considering there was always a grave threat hanging over my head.
I felt a touch guilty and needed to wash away the sadness in his expression. I leaned quickly over the table. His eyes widened as I crossed his lips with an unexpected kiss.
“Besides,” I said, adding a sultry kick to my voice, “how are you going to be able to watch my ass in these tight jeans if you’re walking next to me.”
He raised his beer in a toast. “Good point.”
“And that’s my cue to limp around and mingle.” Jericho grabbed his beer and meandered to the other side of the room where three girls, who’d been eyeing him since he walked in, were enjoying some pink, fruity-looking drinks.
I made a point of swishing my hips from side to side as I headed to the bar.
Rita, the waitress from our last visit, came up to me. “Hey— Angel, right?”
“Yes, can I get another glass of white wine?”
“Sure thing.”
I glanced back at the table, intending to cast a flirtatious smile toward Luke, but Gage had returned and they were deep in conversation. Somewhere, amongst the clamor of the music and people, a phone rang.
Rita grunted in frustration, reached behind the counter and her hand came up with the receiver. “Raven’s Nest,” she said loudly, and covered her outside ear with her free hand. “Please say the name louder,” she said, “I can’t hear you.” She paused and then peered in my direction. Her forehead creased with surprise as she passed the phone to me.
I stared at her as if she was handing me a live grenade.
“They’re asking for Angel, and I don’t know any other person in here with that name.”
A tremor of fear shot through me. “Who is it?”
“Wasn’t my business to ask.” She pushed the phone toward me, and I took hold of it, still treating it as if it might explode. I looked back at Luke, hoping he had a phone in his hand and that he was just messing around, but he was still talking to Gage. It seemed he was trying his hardest not to pay too much attention to me. Now I regretted the scolding I’d given him. My heart raced as I lifted the phone to my ear. Everyone I cared about was here with me, and no one else knew I was in Montana. I quickly tried to assure myself that Rita had misheard the name.
“Hello,” I said, barely loud enough to compensate for the surrounding noise. The voice on the other side came back with loud and clear precision.
“How’s the band?”
It was a voice that just months ago, I would have been happy to hear. Now it shook me to my core. I grabbed the edge of the bar to steady myself. Rita slid the wine glass in front of me and sensed my distress immediately. She looked across the room toward Luke’s table. She tried to get his attention, but I waved at her to stop. Reluctantly, she returned to filling more drink orders.
I pressed a hand over my outside ear. “How did you find me?”
His inappropriately timed laugh only punctuated the fact that he was losing his mind. “Look around. Several of my acquaintances rolled up to the Raven’s Nest at my request. I’ve got contacts all over the country, Sweetheart. Phoned up some people who I knew were in Montana, and they knew of Barringer’s brother. They said a popular band was playing tonight and that you would probably all be at the Nest. And there you are.”
It was clear to me now that I was never going to be free of this man. “How did you know we were in Montana?”
Another laugh that sounded more appropriate for a padded cell. “That part was easy, but I guess your shiny special agent didn’t give you the message.”
I turned toward the bar and covered my ear more. “What message?”
“He keeps everything to himself, doesn’t he? I guess he’s just trying to protect his l
ittle treasure. You need to return to the compound, Angel. Otherwise, people will suffer. If you ignore my wishes, you will be responsible for the misery of others. And I know you hate that.”
Suddenly, the room seemed hot and suffocating. The crowd vibrated with noise, and my head spun. I pressed my hand down on a stool for support.
Rita slid a shot of tequila in front of me. “It’s on the house,” she mouthed. I’d really frightened the poor woman, but there was no way I could hide the terror I felt.
I threw back the tequila and winced as it burned my throat. The glass slipped from my trembling fingers and bounced off the polished wood surface and behind the bar. The air had been sucked from my lungs.
Dreygon’s chilling tone drowned out the surrounding voices. “I’ll be visiting Cash soon. I’ll tell him hello for you. Come home, Granddaughter. We have a lot to catch up on.” He hung up. I stared down at the phone in my hand, trying to decide if the call had really happened or if I was in the middle of a horrible dream. My arms tingled with numbness as I placed the phone down. If felt as if all the blood had puddled in my feet, and my head was filled with air.
I willed myself to look across the room at Luke. When our eyes met, his smile vanished instantly. He headed toward me, but I ran toward the exit, fighting my way through elbows and shoulders.
I reached the door and pushed it open.
“Angel!” Luke’s deep voice rose above the din of instruments and voices.
I raced through the parking lot, but I had no real place to go. A memory of me running from Gunner flashed through my head. And now Gunner was dead, and it was because of me. Dizziness blurred my vision as I stumbled toward Gage’s truck.
Fingers grasped my arm, and I wrenched it free. “What happened, Angel? What the hell is going on?” Luke asked.
I glanced toward the Raven’s Nest. Jericho and Gage had followed us out, but they remained near the building.
“I just got a phone call,” the words squeaked from my dry throat.
“What? Who?”
“Think hard. I’m sure you can puzzle it out.”
He was confused by my anger. “Dreygon?”
“Yep, apparently he knows those three bikers who walked in. They let him know I was here. Gunner’s dead because of me.” My anger had dissolved to tears. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“He’s not dead because of you. He’s dead because of Dreygon.”
“Why don’t you stop treating me like a porcelain princess and treat me like a girl who was raised by Dreygon Sharpe.” I swallowed back a cry, figuring it wouldn’t help my point. “No matter how much you try and deny it, I was part of that sordid world. It’s who I am.”
He shook his head. “It’s not who you are, and that’s why I need to keep you away from it.”
I shoved him hard in the chest, but he was like a fucking brick wall. “If anyone else dies it will be my fault because I’m cowering here like some scared rabbit in a hole. I’m going back. I’m not going to let Cash die.”
“No, no you’re not. Cash can take care of himself.”
I slumped back against the truck. He reached for me, but I pushed his hands away. “You kept this from me, and I can’t forgive you.”
He combed his hair back with his fingers, a habit of his when he was stressed or tense. There was nothing he could say right now that would mollify my anger, and he seemed to sense that. He waved at Jericho and Gage to go back inside.
I crossed my arms against the cool night air and the horrible chill I had from hearing Dreygon’s voice.
“Angel, I kept it from you for your protection.”
“Stop it. Stop protecting me then. Either treat me like an adult or leave me the hell alone.”
Luke’s gray eyes darkened with frustration. “You think the solution is to go back to your grandfather? How can I treat you like an adult when you’re not thinking like one.”
My hand reacted before my mind had a chance to stop it. I slapped him hard across the face. The hurt in his expression was profound, and it wasn’t from the sting of my palm.
I tasted the salt of my tears on my lips. He was right. I was acting like a kid. “I’m sorry,” I sobbed. “Please leave me alone, Luke. I just don’t want to talk to you right now.”
“Come back inside and have another glass of wine. I’m sure we can talk Gage and Jericho into leaving.”
He reached for my hand, but again, I pulled it away.
“Angel, you can’t stay out here alone. It’s not safe. Especially if the bastard has people lurking everywhere.”
That thought sent a shiver through me. We were miles away in the middle of a vast wilderness, and he’d found me. “I can’t go back inside.” It felt as if my legs were filled with jelly, and my chest was filled with lead.
“Then I’ll stand out here with you.”
“No,” I said sharply, and again his expression looked pained. “Go away, Luke, please.” They were words I could never have imagined myself saying, and yet, the sting of his betrayal, of him keeping something so important from me again, was beyond bearing.
I reached back and grabbed the door handle. It was unlocked. I opened it, slipped inside and shut it. Luke reached for the handle, but I quickly locked it. “There. I’m safe inside the truck. I don’t need you.” I was hurling horrible words at him, and it seemed every syllable caused him more heartbreak. But I needed more than ever to be alone.
“Goddammit, Angel.” He stood there for a second and then walked back toward the Raven’s Nest. I hated the look of defeat in his broad shoulders, but I needed him to go. I watched him disappear inside.
I crossed my arms tightly across my body and slumped down in the seat. I’d caused Gunner’s death. That hideous notion ran through my head over and over again. My grandfather had killed a man he’d known for years, a man who had been part of our extended family, because of me. I had no idea why. Why the hell was I so important to Dreygon? None of it made sense but then sensibility was something my grandfather seemed to lack. He was truly insane. And as much as I knew Luke was right and that going back would be the end of me, I would never forgive myself if something happened to Cash.
I glanced toward the Raven’s Nest. Laughter and music made the windows on the truck wobble. I stared down at my hand. The palm was still pink. The slap was something I badly wanted to take back, but it was too late. And now, here I was, pouting inside a locked truck in the parking lot, proving Luke right. I was acting like a kid. But then, he was completely wrong to not tell me that he’d spoken to Dreygon in Nevada. He was wrong for not telling me about the threats my grandfather had made.
My head throbbed. It had started out as such a nice day, but now despair made my chest ache. I felt physically sick from it all.
Chapter 12
Luke
I turned over, and my arm smacked the coffee table. My skull pounded, and I pressed my palm against my head to staunch the pain. After the heated scene with Angel, I’d gone back inside the Raven’s Nest and swallowed down four shots of whiskey. I had needed it. Once I’d let Jericho and Gage know what was going on, we had all decided it was best to head home. The bikers had watched us over the rims of their glasses as the three of us walked out.
I had come to the conclusion that we needed to leave Montana. At some point, during my alcohol stupor, I’d decided that Seth’s boat would buy us some time. It would be harder to trace us out at sea, even though Dreygon seemed to have spies everywhere. But his minions always rode on two wheels. Like Seth had said, being out on the water would make it tough for them to follow.
Now, I just had to convince Angel of the plan. She hadn’t said one word to anybody during the ride home. After we’d gotten back to the ranch, she walked straight into the bedroom and shut the door in a manner that left no room for misinterpretation. I’d flopp
ed down on the couch, wishing that I hadn’t drank the whiskey and that I hadn’t disappointed her so badly again.
Morning light pushed past the edges of the living room drapes. I’d fallen asleep fully clothed. Standing up sent a wave of nausea through me, and I swallowed hard to keep it down.
I walked to the hallway. The house was quiet, and the doors to all the bedrooms were shut, except for Gage’s. I poked my head into his room. He was already up and out.
I knocked on Angel’s door, but there was no reply. I wasn’t surprised. I contemplated not going in for all of one second and then I turned the knob. The bed was empty, and I experienced my usual rush of worry. The bathroom and the kitchen were empty. I headed outside.
There was no filter of smog or city dust over the ranch, and with my aching head, the daylight seemed extra harsh.
I shaded my eyes with my hand and walked out onto the porch. Gage was sitting on the railing drinking coffee. His two dogs were flopped along the steps sleeping in the sun.
Gage continued staring out at his pastures as he spoke. “She took off on a ride about an hour ago.” He looked over at me. “You look like shit.”
“She rode off alone?”
“Relax. It’s not like she could ride a horse all the way to Nevada.”
I turned to go back inside. “If you’re just going to be a fucking asshole about it, then—”
“I’m not the one you’re pissed at, remember? You wrapped yourself up in this, Luke. Did you think this would was going to be easy? Jericho and Angel came from a whole different world.”
I turned around. “Don’t you think I fucking know that, Gage? I spent a month in that asshole’s compound. That’s why I knew I had to get Angel out of there. But he keeps creeping up out of nowhere, ready to snatch her back. I can’t lose her, Gage. I can’t.”
“I agree, but I think you should give her some space.” He squinted at the fields. “I see some dust kicking up on the trail. She’s on her way back. By the way, I talked to Seth.”