Locked Down

by Jess Anastasi

  CHAPTER FIVE

  GABE BELATEDLY realized he hadn’t started the night off on the right foot by going to talk to Jake without explaining properly to Matt.

  Nonetheless, he’d gotten a few interesting tidbits from the military-trained deputy, enjoying their chat. When he’d seen the burgers and beer heading for the table where Matt had sat down, he’d wrapped things up quickly, extracting a promise from Jake that he could call on him if he needed anything else, then made his way to the table.

  As he’d neared, he’d seen the way Matt was sitting stiffly, attention buried in his phone, clearly not comfortable at the table by himself. Gabe had called himself an idiot for not realizing sooner and then made sure to tease the guy back into being more relaxed—forgetting all about whatever had been making him feel uneasy.

  The food had been excellent. As good if not better than anything he could get in Houston, which had surprised both of them. After they’d finished eating, Gabe bought them a second beer each and then suggested they play a game of darts.

  Matt had seemed a little reluctant at first, but had agreed readily enough. He’d then proceeded to win the first game. By quite a bit.

  “I think you’ve got a hidden competitive streak,” he told Matt as he pulled the darts out of the board for a second game.

  Gabe had to say, he was enjoying himself immensely. Matt seemed to be one of those people you had to work a bit harder to get to know, being that he was a little reserved and possibly had a more introverted personality. But the effort was definitely worth the payoff. Matt had a wicked sense of humor, all sarcastic and cutting. He clearly had a razor-sharp wit and was intelligent, not that Gabe was surprised considering Matt owned his own business… that he’d googled while Matt was in the bathroom and found to reportedly be very successful if all the glowing reviews and handful of awards were anything to go by. It totally wasn’t stalking. It was just his professional need to know everything getting the better of him like it always did.

  If Matt stumbled over his words, Gabe recognized it wasn’t his mind getting in the way, it was his naturally reserved personality. That and he’d bet his last dollar Matt was the kind of person who second-guessed a lot of what he said, especially around people he didn’t know all that well. Gabe got the feeling that once a person made it into Matt’s safe zone, it was a rewarding and fun place to be.

  “Did the ass kicking I just gave you clue you in to that fact?” Matt asked in return, taking the offered darts so they could start a new game.

  “Hey!” He struggled to maintain his indignity against the urge to laugh. “Maybe I wasn’t trying very hard.”

  “Uh-huh.” Matt’s drawled reply held nothing but skepticism.

  “Oh, you want to play serious now?” He leaned in closer. “Maybe we should put something up. Best of three, winner takes all.”

  “Something like what?” Matt’s brow creased, expression landing somewhere between curious and concerned. “Money? Next round of beers?”

  Hmm, he could think of a few prizes he wanted to put on the table. Most of them would require some level of nakedness. But he wasn’t sure enough of where the night was going to put it out there quite yet.

  “Winner gets to decide their prize,” he finally answered, trying not to let a hint of suggestiveness creep under the words, but he probably failed considering the light brush of red that colored Matt’s cheeks. However, he didn’t get flustered like he had earlier in the day when they’d been putting away the flat tire and Matt had caught him checking out his ass. In fact, his blue eyes seemed to darken a touch. Gabe wasn’t sure if the beer had taken his edge off for him, or he was simply feeling more comfortable as they’d gotten to know each other. Either way, Gabe got the sense this was all going to culminate in something they were both going to enjoy.

  “What if what I want isn’t of equal value of what you want?” Matt asked, an edge of husk to the words.

  Gabe had to take a quick swallow of beer, his imagination firing all kinds of inappropriate images into his mind’s eye.

  “I’m sure we can come to some kind of agreement,” he said when he trusted himself to speak without adding a lascivious suggestion.

  Matt seemed happy with this, a gratified grin lifting his lips. “I’ll start since I won the last round.”

  “Be my guest.” He indicated the dartboard. Considering how well Matt had beat him the first time, he didn’t like his chances of actually winning. But he got the feeling taking an ass kicking—as Matt had put it—would end up working in his favor. Besides, he was immensely curious as to what prize Matt would ask for.

  Matt took his first turn, unsurprisingly starting out with a decent hit. He then stood to the side, leaning idly on the high table next to them where their beers were sitting, while Gabe stepped up to the line. Matt picked up his drink and Gabe found himself distracted first by Matt’s lips on the rim of the bottle, and then the line of his neck when he tilted his head back. Hell, the guy was cute just standing there, drinking beer.

  Matt seemed to realize he was being watched and their eyes met, sparking like a shock of electricity through his whole body. God damn. He hadn’t felt a jolt of lust like that since he’d been eighteen and still ruled by his hormones.

  “Something wrong with your dart?” Matt asked, amusement in his features.

  “Just making sure you’re not thinking about cheating.” He took his turn, frowning when he only managed half Matt’s score.

  “Cheating?” Matt stepped over to take his next turn, brushing close by him, their bodies touching briefly in all the right places, making most of Gabe’s synapses misfire. “And just how do you think I’m going to manage that?”

  How indeed? He didn’t know whether to call Matt out on his underhanded tactics or let it play out. Maybe the guy honestly didn’t have an inkling of how tempting he was with that thick hair and that ass in those black jeans and all that flawless skin Gabe wanted to run his tongue over.

  Matt took his second turn, then stepped aside, this time hitching the bottom of his shirt up a little as he slid a hand into his pocket and returned to leaning against the table while he waited. The shirt was caught up on his belt, and Gabe abruptly remembered the hint of hip and waist he’d seen that morning when Matt’s shirt had ridden farther up as he’d stretched into the trunk of the car.

  Gabe took his second shot but completely missed the board. Not by much. The dart sunk into the cork lining the wall. But still. It was a little embarrassing. Matt was clearly trying not to laugh as he came over to claim the darts. Then Matt somehow dropped one of the remaining darts, bending over right in front of him to pick it up.

  Gabe glanced at the ceiling and prayed for divine guidance. Just like he’d said, it was always the quiet ones. Matt was proving to be as devious as he’d guessed.

  When Matt finally got upright and turned around, there was a look of complete innocence on his face, like butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. But Gabe could see the wicked gleam in his blue eyes.

  The rest of the game continued in a similar fashion, with Matt beating him even worse than the first time. Gabe was pretty much ready to call him an evil genius and had started debating what kind of tactics he might be able to employ himself. Except Matt didn’t seem nearly as distractible as Gabe clearly was.

  They’d only just started the second game when a rowdy group came into the bar. It was like the temperature immediately dropped by twenty degrees as the patrons who’d already been present became distinctly uneasy.

  All thoughts of flirting and games were immediately forgotten as Gabe assessed the group, who took up a booth and two tables in the far corner—a couple of other people automatically moved from their seats as if the group had a standing reservation. They had to be ALP members; there was no other explanation for the reaction they’d caused when they’d walked in.

  Most of them were dressed in worn jeans, boots, and more flannel shirts than should ever be worn in one place at one time outside an actual work
ing ranch.

  He glanced over at Jake to see the deputy was already coming over, a grim look on his face and cell phone pressed to his ear. Jake finished the conversation as he reached him.

  “Had to check in with the station—we’re supposed to log when the ALP come into town and usually have a unit on standby in case there’s trouble.” Jake slipped the phone into the back of his jeans and glanced around him, gaze presumably landing on Matt. “Sorry to interrupt your date.”

  “Oh, it’s—” Matt began.

  “Fine,” he finished with a smile at Matt, knowing full well what he’d been going to say and wanting to disabuse the notion, even though he’d never specified whether this actually was a date when he’d asked Matt out.

  Matt, however, was back to being flustered and looked like he wanted to melt into the shadows in the dim corners of the bar, stealing nervous glances at the rowdy group.

  “Obviously this has turned into some kind of work thing.” Matt set his darts down on the table next to his empty beer bottle. “I’m just going to— Weird question, but is there a back way out of here?”

  Jake’s brow creased but he jerked his thumb toward the hallway leading to the toilets. “Out through the back garden.”

  “Matt, you don’t have to leave. We still have a game and a half left to play.” He nodded toward the dartboard, even though it’d been pretty likely Matt was going to beat him again.

  What could have made him so skittish all of a sudden? Something about Jake, or the fact he hadn’t corrected the deputy’s assumption they were on a date? Maybe Matt didn’t want to be on a date with him? But no, he didn’t think that was it. The guy had definitely been matching him move for move when it came to the flirting. So what the heck had gotten into him?

  “It’s late and I had a long trip getting here today. Think it’s catching up to me. I’m sure I’ll see you around since you’re my temporary neighbor and all.”

  Matt started to back away, but Gabe caught his arm, reluctant to let him go. They’d been having fun, and he’d definitely thought the night was going somewhere.

  “I’ll text you later, okay?”

  Matt nodded, expression shuttered but worry clearly showing in his blue eyes. Something was definitely bugging him, but Gabe didn’t know him well enough to insist on an explanation, even if he had the weird, possessive urge to fix whatever the problem was for him.

  “Are you sure you want to walk back to the motel alone? If you wait a few minutes—”

  Matt’s tense expression eased a little, a soft smile edging over his lips. “Thanks, Gabe, but I’ll be fine. Seriously, I’m just really beat. Need sleep like it’s crack right now.”

  “Okay,” he relented, finally releasing Matt’s arm. “But if you need anything, just message me.”

  Matt nodded and then spared a glance for Jake. “Nice meeting you.”

  Jake sent him a nod and a brief friendly smile before settling his attention back on the group who were being unnecessarily loud in the far corner. Gabe watched Matt until he’d disappeared down the corridor, in that second wishing like hell he really didn’t have a job that killed his social life and he could go after Matt like he wanted to. He’d just have to make it up to him tomorrow. Brunch, maybe. Except the lack of decent coffee was definitely going to be unfortunate in regards to that plan.

  “Didn’t mean to scare off your boyfriend,” Jake said casually, though Gabe could tell he was fishing. The guy would have made one hell of an FBI agent. What he was doing wasting his smarts and military training in a small-ass town like this was anyone’s guess. Though Gabe got the feeling a lot of it probably had something to do with the six-foot, blond, blue-eyed, boy-next-door guy currently behind the bar.

  “He’s not my boyfriend.” Not yet, he added silently.

  Where the hell had that thought come from? Matt was not boyfriend material. They lived clear across the country from each another for a start. “I just met him today.”

  “Oh yeah?” Jake leaned against the nearby thick wooden post, complete with horseshoes and other paraphilia nailed to it higher up. The deputy had his attention very carefully split between the ALP members and Danny moving around behind the bar, but was still apparently capable of carrying on a conversation. “He’s obviously not from around here. Where’d you meet him?”

  “Actually, I found him on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere.”

  This earned him an incredulous look, and Gabe had to laugh.

  “Seriously?” Jake returned his attention to his surveillance.

  “Yeah, he had a flat tire. I stopped to help.”

  “Mm-hm,” Jake replied. “And I’m sure those big blue eyes had nothing to do with you stopping to help.”

  He laughed again; it seemed Jake had drawn some very accurate conclusions about his personality. The deputy was the kind of guy he could have been really good buddies with.

  “Honestly, I didn’t see him until I’d already pulled over and gotten out of my car.” He held up both hands in a gesture of innocent surrender. “Once we changed the tire, I thought that was the last I was going to see of him. When it turned out he had the room right next to mine at the motel, well, I wasn’t going to pass up a second opportunity.”

  Jake cut him a knowing glance. “You were that sure he was going to say yes?”

  He gave a nonchalant shrug. “Let’s just say I’m excellent at reading people. One of the many skills required for my job.”

  “Not sure if I find that fact disturbing or intriguing,” Jake returned distractedly as the ALP members got even more raucous. Seemed a few of them might have been drinking long before they’d arrived at the bar. Most of them were keeping to themselves, but there were three or four who were taunting some of the people nearby and harassing two women a table over from them.

  “Think we should step in before some civilian takes it upon themselves to intervene?” Gabe was already getting up from the stool he’d been perched against.

  “A little warning couldn’t hurt.” Jake gave a nod, stepping into the crowd, people moving out of his way—either from the innate air of command and authority he carried or because being a small town, people knew he was a cop despite not being in uniform.

  Gabe followed a few steps behind, not planning on getting involved—it wasn’t his kind of thing, after all. This was the type of stuff he left to the agents. But he planned on observing very closely, getting a read on how this small portion of the larger ALP group dealt with authority figures and having their public behavior curbed or questioned.

  “Evening, all,” Jake said loudly as he stepped up next to the booth.

  “Deputy Jake,” one of the men greeted with a shit-eating grin. Obviously some kind of unofficial leader; the others were all looking to him, albeit subtly. He didn’t look any older than thirty, however, and had the typical all-American good looks of blond hair and blue eyes.

  “Billy, you know we don’t mind you all coming in for a drink now and then, but we’ve talked before about leaving the other patrons in peace.”

  “Just admiring the local talent.” Billy winked at the two women sitting at the nearby table, neither of whom looked impressed. Having finished their food, they quickly got up and headed for the bar. Another of the men seated in the booth whistled at them, and someone made a comment about their asses.

  “You know the rules,” Jake replied, voice steel-lined. “Keep a low profile. Don’t make trouble for us and we won’t make trouble for you.”

  “That’s an agreement we made with the sheriff, who actually belongs here, Texas born and bred.” Billy looked Jake up and down with obvious disgust, before his attention moved on and he appeared just as revolted with Gabe. “And where the hell did you come from?”

  “San Antonio,” Gabe drawled in reply. “Foreign, I know—you’ve probably never heard of it since I doubt any of your last three inbred generations have left this county.”

  “Gabe,” Jake warned, sounding somewhere between exaspe
rated and amused.

  “What? I’m as legal as he is.” Gabe crossed his arms, knowing he was poking a bear but apparently unable to help himself. “Free speech works both ways. He makes assumptions about my heritage, I get to do the same about his.”

  “Fuck you, pretty boy!” Billy spat, pushing to his feet, making the chair scrape loudly and the bar fall silent.

  “You think I’m pretty? Why didn’t you say so sooner?”

  Gabe dodged the fist swinging toward him, and Jake caught Billy’s momentum, using it to shove him facedown on the table and pull his arm up behind his back.

  The rest of the ALP members jumped to their feet like they’d just been waiting for the chance to start a fight. But Jake pulled a pair of cuffs from the back pocket of his jeans and held them up so everyone could see them, seemingly enough to keep them all at bay.

  “You want to spend tonight in lockup, be my guest.” Jake easily maintained his stance against Billy’s struggles using his body weight, even though Jake was a little leaner. Leaner and meaner, by the looks of that hold. Gabe almost winced in sympathy.

  The blond from behind the bar came over—Jake’s boyfriend, Danny.

  “Old Man Murphy says you want to keep drinking in here tonight, then you need to sit the hell down and shut the fuck up. Those were his exact words,” Danny told the bristling group of men who were clearly trying to decide what to do about Billy being pinned against the table.

  “Let me go,” Billy snarled through a tight jaw.

  Jake held him for just a moment longer and then stepped back. Billy got upright and roughly yanked his clothes straight, looking pissed and thwarted.

  “You know the deal, Billy.” Jake crossed his arms, shifting to stand with Gabe on one side and Danny on the other, presenting a united front, even though there were twice as many ALP members. “There’s a cruiser parked outside just waiting for you to be a dick and ruin everyone’s night. And you know how much the sheriff hates all the paperwork you guys generate.”