Hammered: An Enemies to Lovers Romance (Hard n' Dirty Book 5)

by Alexis Alvarez

  I still care about the cranes, the animals. I just wonder... if there’s a better way to do things.

  ***

  “Come out with me tonight. I’m going to see Bae’s newest underground bar.”

  “I’m not in the mood.” I shoot Lem a look. “I need to think.”

  “Sometimes people think better when they allow their thoughts to process on the periphery, while they’re doing other things. It’s proven.”

  “And you’re saying these things should include dancing in a bar.”

  “Dancing is the world’s oldest way to cleanse the soul. Think of all the cultures who used it as a conduit to the heavens. To religion. But this bar isn't a dance club. It’s quiet. Not like the other one.”

  “I could use some religion.” I put my face into my hands.

  “Why?”

  “Things are messed up with Dane.”

  “I know.” She puts a hand on my arm. “I’m sorry. I was hoping—”

  “What?”

  “That it would get better.”

  “It’s not better. It’s worse. And Mark’s gone rabid.”

  “Yeah, that worries me.” She frowns. “I read his latest email. Lots of exclamation points. We’re back on cranes, apparently? And he actually got Manda Shine?”

  “He did.”

  “I thought he might have been having a lucid dream.”

  “No, it’s real. And I think he cares more about wooing her than saving animals.”

  “I’m quitting too.” She nods her head. “I already emailed Mark. Bam.”

  “You don’t have to do it just because I did.” But my heart leaps at her declaration.

  She scoffs. “First of all, yes, I do. Because your reason for quitting is an important one. And second of all…” she pauses. “I guess it’s just the one reason. Come on, Mark is even more of a douche than Dane. I can’t volunteer for a douche.”

  I laugh. “I hope not.” Then I sigh. “Why do people have to be so complicated, in a such an entirely shallow yet devious way?”

  “It’s the way of the world. Come on out. It will do you good.”

  “Fine. Dane won’t be there, though, right?”

  “No. I asked Bae.” She gives me a guilty grin.

  “I just mean because they’re best friends.”

  “I know what you meant.”

  “Okay.” I’m relieved and disappointed at the same time.

  “So get dressed.” She goes to my closet. “Pick something sexy.”

  ‘Please. Every single thing I freaking own is sexy. Even my ripped sweats.” I scoff and roll my eyes, then laugh.

  “Oh, of course. But for tonight, I’m thinking you skip those and go with a little teensy skirt.”

  ***

  The club, as promised, is muted, although it’s still full of energy. Just not the deafening music from the last time we were out together. This one is hidden in back of an old butcher shop, and has a crazy underwater theme that makes me think a mermaid is about to swim up.

  “This is fun.” I glance around. “Cool place.”

  “You should write about it. Do a series on cool places.”

  “Yeah, not my area. Maybe Margo, though. I’ll shoot her an email later.” The hanging nets bedecked with colorful glass globes sparkle in the dim light, and the huge aquarium is mesmerizing. “It could make an appealing write-up.”

  “I mean, I’m not trying to use my contacts to publicize my boyfriend’s businesses. God forbid.” She rolls her eyes.

  “Oh, not you. Never.” I laugh and sip my drink.

  Bae comes up and kisses her, and the smiles they give each other make me sad for my own solitary status. The look he gives me—unlike the one for her—is cool. Assessing.

  “Talia.” He sits down next to Lem. “Good to see you.”

  “You too.” There’s no hug, not that we’re besties or anything. But I can tell that clearly he’s giving me the ice because of the situation with Dane. Probably he’s only tolerating my presence here because I’m Lem’s BFF.

  Feeling awkward, I stand. “I’ll be back in a minute.” I gesture vaguely to the sign in the far corner for the restrooms. I will never in my life be able to just leave the table without explaining to everyone, in masked terms, that I need to pee. As if they’d think I’m taking off for parts unknown, leaving them in the lurch, stranding them in the Antarctic without a snowmobile.

  I wave and take off, breathing deeply. But I don’t head to the bathrooms. Instead, I go out to the street and stand in the hot air, looking out at the surroundings.

  This place is downtown, a few miles from the Chinese place. The traffic is quieter here, but the area is more upscale. I peer down the street, but can't see from here the location that Dane’s proposed for his new building site. That’s a distance away, in the area that needs renovation.

  I sigh.

  “Heavy conscience?”

  I whirl around. It’s Dane.

  “I thought you weren’t going to be here.” I put a hand to my chest. “Also, you startled me.”

  “Bae told me you’d be here.” He crosses his arms. He’s wearing a suit, and like last time, my heart speeds up.

  “And you actually wanted to see me?” I raise my eyebrows.

  “I have something to say to you.”

  “What’s that?”

  He looks at me. “I think we need to talk this out.”

  “Talk what out?” I’m mesmerized by his eyes. Dark, angry, hungry.

  “What’s going on.” He steps closer. “We’re two adults. We have issues. We can surely figure out a way to work past them.”

  “I don’t know if we can.”

  “The bigger person at least gives it a chance.”

  “Oh? In my opinion, the bigger person at least listens to the other one.”

  He breathes out. “That’s exactly what I’m suggesting. You tell me all about your issues. Your plans. Your ideas. The cranes.” His mouth twists, as if it’s hard for him to say, but he adds, “I’ll listen with an open mind, as CEO of Danton Construction. Then I just ask that you do the same. Let me talk. Listen.”

  I blink. “You’ll really listen to me?” I touch my mouth.

  “Yes.”

  “Oh. Wow. Okay. This is unexpected.” I run my finger over my lower lip.

  “What do you say?”

  “Yes?” I want to be mad at him. I am mad at him. But I’m also oddly charmed, and taken by surprise at this sudden detente.

  “Is that a question?” His mouth quirks.

  “Maybe. This time you need to answer more than three, though.” I give him a look.

  “I can do that.” He holds out his hand. When I don’t take it, he coughs and takes it back. “I want to take you somewhere. May I do that?”

  “It depends on where. Also, I drove here.”

  “You can follow me if you want. Or I can drive you and drop you back here later.”

  “Okay.” I step forward.

  “Great. I’m over here.” He points to the street where his car sits, sleek and shiny, reflecting passing car headlights. “Do you need to get anything?”

  “I should tell Lem where I’m going. This is going to be like déjà vu all over again.”

  “Except there’s no Chinese food.” He puts his hands into his pockets and regards me. Smiles. “Although I can stop and pick some up if you’re hungry.”

  “I’m fine. I’ll text her. I don’t think she and Bae will miss me anyway.”

  I pull out my phone and send off a few lines, then turn back to Dane. “What prompted this?”

  He opens the door for me, waits to reply until he gets in and starts the engine.

  Looking down the street, he pulls out. Fast. “It didn’t feel right, what was happening.” He glances over at me. “And I missed you.” I think his face gets a little red around the jaw, but it’s hard to tell in the low light.

  “You barely know me.” My voice is soft.

  “I know, and that’s a shame. Th
e way things are going, I won’t ever get that chance. So I thought I’d see if I could turn things around.”

  He looks at me. “Do you agree?”

  I bite my lip. “Well, I…” But his honesty prompts my own. “Yes, I do.” I pause. “I’m still mad at you.”

  “I’m not entirely enthused with you either.” He snorts. “But that doesn’t mean I want to throw it all away. I don’t like to give up on things that matter.”

  My heart swells with emotion. It’s maybe the most romantic thing anyone's said to me in years. Odd that it’s coming now, when I’m still pissed at him and not entirely sure what’s even going to happen with us. This.

  I mask my feelings by making my voice rough. “Well, good, because neither do I.” Wow, I sound pissed.

  He looks surprised, then laughs. “Good. See? Already something in common. Progress.”

  “Well, we have the one thing in common.” It’s out before I can get the words back.

  “We do have that.” He puts his hand on my thigh for a second before putting it back on the wheel. “And I don’t regret a second of it, Talia. Not that part.”

  “Where are we going?” We’re driving into a dingy part of town where at least one or two buildings on each block are boarded up. The kind of neighborhood that makes you want to roll up your windows and ensure the car doors are locked.

  “To meet someone. One of the guys on my crew, Hector. Are you okay with that? I’m coming by to bring him some stuff. I asked if I could bring a friend. He said yes.”

  “Hector?” I blink. “Sure, I guess. This isn’t what I expected.”

  “He was injured on the job recently.” He swallows and his hands tighten on the wheel. “His arm gave out while he was guiding a beam and he took a hit to the shoulder.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “He’s going to heal. At least, from that.” He has a serious look on his face.

  “And you’re bringing him... stuff?”

  “That’s right.” He pulls up in front of a small single-story home, next to other little houses. The yard is a small square, barely big enough for a few bushes and a patch of dirt, metered out from the others down the block by a sagging chain link fence. “Here we are.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Talia

  I get out and watch as he opens the hatchback and takes out an accordion file folder and a canvas bag, like a reusable grocery sack. “Want me to carry anything?”

  “No, I’ve got it.” He pushes his key and the hatch glides shut. “Let’s go in.” He leads the way and I follow, noticing that his cologne is just as sexy as last time I was with him.

  The porch light flickers on before we get all the way up the five sagging wooden steps, green paint flaking off to show the weathered oak boards below.

  “Dane.” It’s a woman in her fifties, I assume, with a warm face and black hair in two braids over her shoulders. “Come on in. We have enchiladas. Hector’s been expecting you. Welcome.” She looks at me and I stick out my hand.

  Before I can speak, Dane nods. “This is my friend Talia Carlsson. Talia, this is Esperanza Garcia.”

  “Nice to meet you.” I follow Dane in, looking around. The front room is dim and clean. Lots of knickknacks, the sort of thing my grandma would have liked: porcelain figurines, the kind you find aplenty in a Goodwill ceramics aisle. Some toys and Barbie dolls scattered on the rug. Kid art and family photos on the walls. Overall it’s warm and inviting, full of character. “You have a lovely home.”

  She smiles briefly, but turns her attention to Dane. “He’s in the kitchen. Come on in.”

  The two greet each other with hugs. “Dane, good to see you, man.” Hector looks tired, despite his upbeat tone. His eyes are ringed with circles and his hair is rumpled. There’s an elastic bandage lying unraveled on the table, but I can’t see anything outwardly wrong with either arm.

  When he reaches out to shake Dane’s hand, though, I notice a tremor. And when he walks to get something, more details catch my attention. A cane, resting against the counter. A box of something in white and plastic, with blue writing—pre-filled medical syringes.

  “How are you feeling?” Dane sits down and gestures to me to do the same.

  “Fine, man. Fine.”

  “Yeah?” Dane tilts his head. “This is Talia. Talia, this is Hector.”

  I put out my hand again. “Nice to meet you.”

  Hector looks at me, and at Dane, and I know what he’s thinking. Wondering. “Wanted to thank you for helping.” He nods at Dane. “Cassie was freaking out when it happened. It meant a lot to have you take me to the ER so Espi could stay home with her.”

  “No problem.”

  Hector sees my quizzical glance. “I—ah, fell at home. Bad fall, reinjured the arm I hurt on the site. Had to go back to the hospital. But my daughter, she has anxiety issues... it wasn’t a good scene. I called Dane and he came right over and drove me to the ER. Good man.”

  “I’m glad everything was okay.” I suck in a breath. “You were injured at work?” I keep my voice neutral. My mind swirls with worker’s comp lawsuit ideas. Negligence. Also, my stomach sinks to hear it. The truth is that I don’t want to hear anything bad about Danton Carter Construction... or Dane.

  “Well.” Hector looks at the wall. “I, ah, didn’t tell anyone at work that I was diagnosed with MS. I was afraid to, because my doc said I’d have to stop doing construction soon. But I needed the job. And when the tremors started to get worse, I figured, well, I’ll just power through.” He coughs. “One day I couldn’t power through. Had an accident.” His face is pale. “Hurt myself. Could have hurt the other guys too. Lucky that I didn’t.”

  “Wow. I’m sorry.”

  And I realize it’s far more complex than a typical workplace injury. If he didn’t disclose his own medical issues, but knew that he wasn’t fit to do the job… and he endangered himself and other workers as a result, the legalities could get incredibly difficult… and might not go in his favor.

  Comprehension dawns. “That must have been the night we were at the club.”

  “Yup.” Dane nods.

  “Oh. I see. That was really nice that Dane was there.” I nod to Hector.

  “Course, once my medical leave benefits run out, I don’t know what I’m going to do.” Hector smiles at me. “MS is not the best fit for a construction guy, so…” He laughs and rolls his eyes.

  I don’t laugh. It’s not funny, and I don’t know him well enough to joke about this with him. “I’m sorry.”

  “I’ll be fine.” His voice is strong. “I just need to figure my shit out.”

  “I’ve told you.” Dane’s voice is a little tight. “You might not have to leave Danton. There are other jobs at the company.”

  “Sure.” Hector snorts. “Laying pipe. Driving rock.” He shakes his head. “I dunno. I mean, technically, should I be in trouble for not telling you guys I was sick?” His voice falters. “Some of my buddie were saying I’ll need a lawyer, based on what the old CEO usually, you know.” He coughs.

  “If you want one, that’s your choice. But I’m trying to help. Did you look at what I gave you last time?” Dane persists.

  “He did not.” Esperanza comes in, face furrowed. “I keep telling him, but he’s been sort of down.”

  Hector says something under his breath and Esperanza rolls her eyes. “It’s true. You know it.”

  Dane opens the file folder and pulls out a thick paperback book entitled Web Design Basics. From the canvas sack, he pulls out a laptop. I notice how his whole demeanor and voice roughen up when he talks to Hector. “Come on. You’re good. You know what I’m talking about.” He raises his brows.

  Hector smiles. “Man, that was just joking around and shit.”

  “Yeah? Well, joking around and shit like that can make you six Gs if you do it right. I’m not fucking around. Open it up.” Dane nods at the laptop.

  Hector rolls his eyes but flips the lid. “Fuck, man. You got me the software?”


  “I just want you to take that online class.” When Hector starts to interrupt, Dane continues. “Danton is paying for it. I authorized it. You take the class and see. I think you’ve got the skills to do this. Okay? And if you get good, we can reassign you to a different department. Then, if and when your condition gets to the point where you can’t do construction, you’re already doing something else.”

  He puts up a hand. “Not now, okay? You do the class after MLOA is over. Until then, you don’t do a second of anything for work. Officially. I’m just saying, if you have the time and interest, you might poke around at it. Just for yourself. Just for fun. Get a head start on it.”

  “I don’t know, man.” Hector crosses his arms. Though the look on his face is hopeful, he seems hesitant to allow that to show through. “It’s not that I care about doing it on medical leave. It’s just, I might suck at it.” He turns to me. “Are you good at this stuff too?”

  I clear my throat. “Are you talking about web design? Ah, no. I don’t know a thing about it.” I smile, though. “I’m a journalist.”

  “Are you writing about him?” He gestures to Dane.

  We both go still.

  I bite my lip. “I’d love to see the site you made before. If you want to share it.”

  “It was for fun. Well, for my kid’s soccer team.” He smiles and then ducks his head. “Ah, they were all freaking out about no website. So one night I just found this software. Weebly. And it’s pretty self-explanatory. So I, you know, made them one.”

  He shoots Dane a look, then types rapidly. “If you really want to see it.” But I think there’s a look of shy pride on his face, even as he pushes the laptop toward me and Dane. “Here it is. Nothing much.”

  It is pretty impressive. I’ve seen Weebly sites—some are basic, some are okay. This one is fucking phenomenal. “Wow.” I’m not acting. “This is fantastic. You figured this out on your own?” My voice rises.

  He seems to take my surprise as praise, to my relief. “Yeah. I’m teaching Cassie, too. I mean, not that I’m a teacher. Just showing her what I did.”

  “So he’s good. You’re good. Right?” Dane looks at me. “And I really think you could do more with this stuff, man. I mean, I can’t guarantee the future. It’s gonna depend on how you do. But I think you got this. It’s at least worth a shot.” His voice sounds almost pleading, and with a start, I realize Dane’s actually a good guy. Okay, he lied and tricked me. And he’s being an asshole about the birds. But he’s not all bad.