She took an unsteady breath. “Who do you think did it? Why?”
“I don’t know. But chances are whoever it was still doesn’t want us together.”
And that still made no sense to me. Who the hell would go through that much trouble just to fail? Unless it had simply been a power game to see if they could get away with it. “Have you heard from Raquel today? I saw the newsletter.”
The Twiner sisters had painted our story as some kind of fairy tale. Raquel had not been so lucky. And they’d blown the lid off Chazz running for mayor. I was surprised no one had called me, but then again, I’d been off the radar for most of the day.
Lex shook her head. “No, Mom called a few times, but I ignored the phone calls and haven’t listened to the messages. I imagine they aren’t very kind. With everything else, I just didn’t want to deal with the stress. And Raquel is probably plotting her revenge.”
For a few minutes, Lex traced the letters of my faded Red Onion Bar shirt. She was still lost in her head. “Do you think Raquel did this?” she asked.
I blew out a breath. Regardless of the fact that Raquel was a bitch, she was still family. That wasn’t just erased with a few mean words. This subject needed to be trod on carefully, yet truthfully. “I think she’s a likely suspect.”
“And my mom.” It wasn’t an accusation, just a statement. But this hurt my girl to the core. And I fucking hated that I couldn’t do anything.
“It’s no secret that neither of them likes us together.”
Maybe it had all been to keep us apart and hurt Lex. Maybe it was Raquel’s way of having fun, screwing with our lives. It wouldn’t be the first time. When we were first dating, she’d planted the seed in Lex’s head that I was on a date with another girl when I’d been out hunting with Kane and Hayden. She’d even had one of her friends lie and say she’d seen me. I’d been so pissed. So fucking pissed. When we’d started dating, Lex had been a little leery because she hadn’t been sure if I was ready to date one person—for one, I was older, and two, I’d dated my fair share.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Before I could call out or answer, Crete’s muffled voice came through the door. “Drake, I need to talk to you. It’s urgent.”
This wasn’t good. I didn’t want to leave her, but she touched my shoulder. “Go. It sounds bad. And we don’t need it to get worse. We have enough worse right now. I’ll be fine.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Lex scooted off my lap. “I promise. I’ll be fine.”
Inside, I was torn, but she was right. “I’ll be right back.”
Nodding, she lay down and stared into space, obviously lost in thought. There was a blanket Mom had added to make the place a little more cozy. I laid it on her and knelt in front of her. “We’ll make it through this. Me and you.”
For the first time since Butch had arrived, she gave me a small smile. “I know we will. It’s just a lot to wrap my head around.”
I kissed her forehead. “I know it is. I’ll be right back.”
The best thing for Lex right now was probably to give her a little time to process everything, though it was the last thing I wanted to do. My instinct was to always rush to her, keep harm away from her. But I’d learned she processed better when she had a little time to herself.
She turned to look into my eyes. Each and every time she looked at me, I could get lost in them.
I headed out into the hallway and closed the door. “What happened?”
Crete had a hard look in his eyes. “I’ve got Randall on hold. He said he tried you, but it went to voicemail. He was going to pick up your liquor order for the ferry from Juneau tomorrow, but his boss told him to leave it.”
“What the fuck?” That was the last thing I’d been expecting to hear. I’d honestly been expecting news of another fight between a couple of the regulars.
“Yeah, he’s not sure what to do. He doesn’t want to leave you hanging, but if he takes it, it’ll cost him his job.”
“Son of a bitch.”
Randall and I had been friends since high school. He was a good man, and steady jobs weren’t a dime a dozen in Skagway. There were tourist jobs, which brought a lot of people from the mainland, but day-in, day-out jobs that paid the bills throughout the winter were harder to come by.
“Tell Randall to leave it in Juneau and that there’s no hard feelings.” I had a few contacts I could call. Chazz was Randall’s boss. That asshole would not pressure me to come crawling to him.
As Create walked to the front, he said, “Will do. Do you know what’s going on?”
“A sister with a vendetta.”
Crete shook his head. “I saw the newsletter. People have been talking about it all day in the bar. It’s rubbing them the wrong way after the dinner Chazz threw for Mayor Richards two nights ago.”
“I would imagine. Tell Randall to stop by for dinner on the house. It’ll be good to catch up with him.” We’d tried to meet up a few times, but our schedules seemed to conflict.
“Will do.”
People in our town were loyal. Chazz Hennington was still considered an outsider by many. And Chazz’s latest move would spread through the town, alienating him more.
Crete walked away, and I cracked my neck. I should have kept my mouth shut to the Twiner sisters. This blowback was the last thing I wanted to deal with. I leaned against the wall to think this through.
My liquor came from Juneau. It had to be ferried to Haines first and then to Skagway. I loved my town, but it was hard as fuck to get stuff there. The delivery company I used was owned by Chazz. Fucker. There were rumors that Reeser, a longtime friend, was interested in expanding his warehouse business. I would call him, see what his thoughts were. If not, he might be able to recommend someone. With winter around the corner, delivery companies were doing their peak business. It was hard to get space unless you had a standing appointment.
I walked back to my office, thinking about solutions. Lex probably didn’t want to hang out on the couch, so I’d take her somewhere more private, get her settled, and then come back here to get everything straightened out.
Chapter Seventeen
Drake
As I stepped back inside my office, Lex sat up.
“Is everything okay?”
It was best to keep it straight and simple. I wouldn’t want her to keep stuff from me. “The delivery company I use won’t pick up my liquor in Juneau.”
“Who do you use?”
“Hennington Express.”
That said it all, and Lex’s face dropped. “Oh no! Drake, I’m so sorry. I’ll call Raquel and try to get it sorted out.”
“No, that’s what she wants. I’ll find a way to get the liquor, and anything else I need, delivered. Hennington Express isn’t the only game in town.” I could tell there was a lot of turmoil within her. I framed Lex’s face with my hands. “I mean it. I brought this on myself. It’s fine; I’ll get it worked out. I’m not worried.”
And I wasn’t. But man, it irritated me. Now, I had to sort this out instead of being with Lex.
As she searched my eyes, I hoped she saw that I meant what I said. She looked at the clock. “We can meet at your parents’ later.”
There was no way I’d let her just leave by herself. If she really wanted to go to my parents’, I would either drive her or follow her out there. However, there was another option, so I threw it out there. “Or we can stay at my place tonight.”
It would be a hell of a lot easier. Lex hardly had to think about it. “Your place.” She took a step forward. “I need to get my stuff out of my truck.”
“You got your stuff today?”
Lex blew out a long breath. “Yes. I got a random text when I was leaving your parents’. Teagan put my stuff on her front porch if I wanted it.”
“What?” Who does that?
Lex shook her head. “Yeah, she did. And she won’t return my calls or my texts. I have no idea what’s up with her.”
We’d have to deal
with Teagan later. She was still the same self-absorbed person I’d always known. “Let me walk you upstairs, and I’ll go get your stuff.”
“I can get it.”
“I know you can. Humor me.”
She leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed my lips. “Thank you.”
It was hard not to say I love you. But it wasn’t the right time—not yet. We needed to get away. Forget all this. I’d figure out how we could steal some time to ourselves after I got this other mess fixed.
I took her hand and led her out the back way. The town was quiet. The cruise ships had departed, leaving only the locals and those few tourists who were passing through town. Tomorrow was the night the ships stayed longer, which made everything busier.
As we stepped into my place, I saw there were a few things lying around. I picked up a shirt and threw it into the laundry. “Make yourself at home. I’ll hurry.”
“I may take a bath and relax. Try to sort my thoughts.”
She was going to be naked in my bathroom. My dick hardened. Nothing would happen tonight, but I wanted her to fall asleep in my arms. “Yeah, I’ll hurry.”
She giggled. Outside the door, I waited until I heard the lock engage. Jogging down the stairs, I pulled out my phone to call Reeser.
He picked up on the second ring. “I was expecting your call. Sorry, man. That was a shitty thing for Hennington to do.”
“I heard you were looking at becoming a distributor.”
“Yeah, I’ve started small, and I’m pretty full. I’ll beat Hennington’s rates.” Reeser was a good, honest guy.
“Sounds good. Can you handle my food and alcohol?”
“Yeah, I have the schedule. I’ll have my guys pick it up when I grab another customer’s load. We’ll split those fees since there’ll be full truckloads.”
“Perfect. Thanks, Reeser. I’ll tell the guys here.”
“Sounds great. After this first round, if you’re satisfied, any referrals would be appreciated.”
“Of course.”
I walked into the bar area. Crete was wiping down the dark wood counter. A couple of people sat at a table, drinking beers. Crete poured two beers from the tap and slid a mug my way. It was a local IPA that had a hearty wheat flavor.
“It’s handled. Reeser will be our new guy.”
“Good to know.”
A man I’d never seen before sat at the bar. He was clean-cut and reminded me of Hollis. “Whiskey, neat. The most expensive thing you have.”
Or not. Hollis was rich, but he didn’t flaunt it like this man.
“Coming right up.”
Without missing a beat, Crete poured the glass and slid it his way. The man downed it. “Keep them coming.”
I liked to get a sense of the new people in town when they came into the bar. If this guy was going to drink himself into oblivion, then cause issues, I was going to stop it now. The last thing I needed was to go upstairs to Lex only to have to come back down. “Rough day?”
“Yeah, some days things just don’t go your way.”
“Hear, hear.” I held up my beer. “I’m Drake.”
“Drake Foster?”
It threw me off that he knew my full name. Visitors rarely did. “Yeah. I don’t think I’ve seen you in here before.”
He thrust out his hand. “I apologize for my lack of manners. I’m Dixon Hennington, Chazz’s brother.”
What the fuck? Chazz’s brother was here, drinking. Bold, cocky son of a bitch. Before I could say anything, he continued, “Seems like I’ve stumbled into enemy territory.”
I cocked an eyebrow, waiting to see if he said anything else. He was about five seconds from being cut off.
Grabbing his drink, he shook his head. “My tenacious sister-in-law may have mentioned you a few times today.”
Tenacious was being kind. I took another pull, trying to appear unaffected. “Probably.”
Dixon stood and threw down about five hundred dollars. Each drink ran about fifty dollars, so Crete would get a hefty tip tonight. Good. “I’ll leave. Normally, Chazz meets me in California to conduct our business, but I decided to check out Alaska this time around.” He shook his head as if the thought was a bad one. “I’m going to stay at the hotel tonight.”
I set my beer down. It was best to take the high road. Maybe it would piss off the fucker more that his brother drank at my bar, where he’d refused to deliver the liquor. “Stay. I’ve never been one for petty shit. But I do need to go and get back to my girlfriend.”
Dixon took a seat. “Thanks, I appreciate it. Raquel’s sister, right? Alexa, I think I heard today. I didn’t see her at the wedding in California.”
“Yeah, that’s her.” I changed the subject, unwilling to give him any fuel. “How long are you in town for?”
“Was going to stay for at least a couple of weeks. I hired a hunting guide for a couple of days from now. But I may go home early.”
It was hard to hide my smirk. “Kane? Is he your guide?”
“Yeah, he comes highly recommended. What they say is true… you really do know everyone in a small town.”
“It’s true. Kane’s my brother. He’s the best around here.”
“That’s what I heard from a friend in San Diego. We’re flying inland to fish the first day.”
When Kane flew places for a hunt, he refused to fly with anyone else but Hayden. In other towns, there were outfits similar to Hayden’s, but he had the larger business. “You’ll probably be riding with my other brother, Hayden.”
He drained his second glass. “Well, let’s remember that I’m not Chazz or Raquel.”
Chuckling, I responded, “Duly noted.” I rapped the counter three times. “Enjoy and stay as long as you want. Invite your brother in for a drink.”
His eyes widened momentarily. So he knew what the fucker had done. “Probably not a good idea. I’m sure you’ve heard by now about what he’s done.”
“I did. But I’m not a dick, so feel free to invite him. Have a good night. Crete, I’ll have my phone on if you need anything.”
“Will do.”
As I walked up the stairs, I called Kane. He answered on the third ring. “Yo.”
“How’s it going?”
He gave an agitated sigh. “Fine. They’re in their tents with their blow-up mattresses. I mean, who the fuck camps in the middle of the damn woods with a blow-up mattress?”
“City slickers?”
“Damn straight. Even had some auto pump thing. I swear I felt like a pussy just being in proximity to it.”
I gave a hearty laugh. “I’ll order you one for Christmas.”
“Ass. What did you call me for?”
“You taking a guy named Dixon out next week?”
He paused, thinking. “Yeah, one of the previous guys I took arranged it. He’s Chazz’s brother. Why?”
At least it was out in the open, which made me feel a little less wary of his intentions. “Just wanted to make sure you knew.”
“It’s been arranged for months. Shit, man, I’m sorry. I meant to tell you. Do you want me to cancel on him?”
That was Kane—loyal to the end. “Nah. He came into the bar tonight after Chazz refused to pick up my liquor in Juneau.”
“What the fuck? Why?”
“I might have told the Twiner sisters about him running for mayor next election. Pussy move, I know, but fuck, Raquel pissed me off.”
Kane chuckled on the other end. “I’ll keep my eye on him. See if I notice anything.”
“Thanks. He seemed nice enough, but you never know.”
“Yeah, Hayden is flying us north for the day to fish. I’ll fill him in.”
I figured. “I appreciate it.”
We hung up, and I walked up the stairs. Texting Crete, I checked on our visitor.
Me: Dixon still there?
Crete: Yeah, he’s pacing himself now. Chatting with Leroy.
Me: Keep an eye on him. Any extra he leaves over the booze, you take all of it.
&
nbsp; Crete: Thanks, man. Much appreciated.
I knew Crete would never keep that much cash, even though he deserved it. Hopefully, nothing crazy would happen. I just wanted to go home and wrap my arms around Lex.
I opened the door, catching the scent of the peach lotion Lex always used before bed. I felt like I was truly home for the first time in forever. She’d left the light over the stove on—the same way she’d always done when I was out late. I walked into the bedroom and stopped for a second. Lex lay in my bed, her blonde hair spread out on the pillow. It looked like she’d fallen asleep while reading a book. She took my breath away.
We definitely needed some time together. Alone. And if I didn’t make plans now, something else would get in the way. There was something special I wanted to show her. We were ready.
I pulled out my phone.
Me: Do you mind if I take Lex away tomorrow afternoon?
Hollis: Of course not. The medical equipment will be here the following day. I know she’ll want to be there for setup.
Me: We’ll be back by then. I’m going to take her to my cabin. It’s a surprise.
Hollis: Do all Alaskans have cabins?
I chuckled.
Me: A lot do.
Hollis: Do Ike, Hayden, and Kane?
I knew where this was going, and it was hard not to smile.
Me: Yes, they do.
Hollis: I’ll add it to my list. I need a cabin, it seems.
Me: You do that. I’ll even help build it.
Hollis: Wait, you build it on your own?
Me: More or less.
Hollis: No offense, but I’ll go with the less. I want a livable cabin.
Me: It’ll be livable.
Hollis: If you say so. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.
I put my phone on the table and stared at my girl for a while. If I got into bed, I knew the movement would wake her, so I decided to let her sleep for a little bit first. She needed the rest. Neither of us had slept well the last couple of nights.
Intoxicated By You_An Exposed Hearts Novel Page 9