But there was nothing he could do about that. The Kentucky Rose was smack in the middle of it all, and if he had his way the inconvenience was going to get bigger before it got better. The best he could do was try to protect her.
Even if she wasn’t going to like his methods.
* * *
THE NEXT AFTERNOON Tucker stood in the middle of the Rose and tipped her head back. Closing her eyes, she let the silence and scents of the place soak into her. This was her favorite time of day. Before they opened. Before any of the staff arrived. When it was just her and the place she’d built.
Some people didn’t like bars when they were empty. With the lights glaring, you could pick out all the scars on the bar and the rough edges of the walls. The tables were stark instead of inviting. Pretty colors didn’t twirl across the dance floor, beckoning you to take risks and try moves you possibly shouldn’t.
Monique, one of her oldest friends, often said the place was a little creepy when it was empty. Too big and...bare.
Tucker liked it because it was all hers.
An ugly purple and yellow bruise had bloomed over her cheek, but she’d managed to cover up the worst of it with makeup. Not that she particularly cared. She just didn’t want to deal with the questioning looks and raised eyebrows it seemed to cause.
Her ankle was a little more troublesome. She’d bought a thin bandage brace, which was helping, downed several ibuprofen and forsaken her fancy heels—she really missed those extra few inches—for a pair of brown and teal cowboy boots that offered a little more support.
She’d try and take it easy tonight. Last night had been long and crazy. It had felt like everything that could go wrong did, capped off with the realization that the drugs Finn had found were apparently the same ones she’d discovered in the bathroom. The bag must have fallen out of her pocket when she got knocked on her rear in the fight.
Which was both good and bad.
Maybe the problem wasn’t as bad as Finn seemed to think. Either way, he’d taken the drugs and hopefully disposed of them as he’d said he would. At the moment her best option was to view the situation as one less thing on her to-do list. And, with any luck, tonight would be less insane. Although it was a Saturday, so she wasn’t holding her breath.
For right now, she needed to get the place ready. Tucker walked behind the bar and began taking inventory of what she needed to replenish from the back stock room. They’d gone through a ton of whiskey and vodka last night. She also needed several cases of beer.
She was lost in her own world and the familiar minutia when a loud knock echoed through the place.
Tucker frowned. The last thing she wanted to deal with was some idiot who thought she should be open merely because he was ready to start drinking.
Grabbing the stun gun she kept tucked behind the bar, she headed for the front door.
It was made of old, solid wood she’d found at a flea market, and she’d commissioned a local artist to carve it into a door, adding the bar’s logo to the scarred surface. She loved that door. It was one of the first things she’d had made when she decided to open the place.
The only downside was that she couldn’t see who was waiting on the other side. And since it was possibly one of her staff instead of an idiot customer who couldn’t read signs or tell time, she flipped the locks and pulled the door open several inches.
She should have let them pound away.
Standing on the other side, were two officers, their badges already out, ready to flash in her face. And behind them stood Finn McAllister, Duchess sitting prettily at his side.
“Hi, Tucker. Can we come in?”
She should have known he’d come back to haunt her.
“Considering your friends, I’m going to guess I don’t have much choice in the way I answer that question.”
“No, ma’am,” one of the officers said, his voice apologetic. “I’m Officer Dade and this is my partner, Officer Simmons. We have a few questions for you.”
With a sigh, Tucker swept the door open, gesturing them inside with the business end of her stun gun.
“Please put the weapon down, ma’am,” Simmons said, his hand already sitting on the butt of his own gun.
“Don’t worry. I’ll put it away behind the bar. I might not be thrilled to see you standing at my front door, but I’m not about to shock you. A girl can’t be too careful, though.”
“No, ma’am.”
Tucker turned and started walking through the bar, doing everything she could to hide her limp. For some reason, she didn’t want Finn to know her ankle was still bothering her.
“Finn, make yourself useful and lock the door behind you, would you?”
One of the men snorted, but she wasn’t sure which one and didn’t particularly care to find out.
Slipping the stun gun back into its hiding place, she spread her arms wide along the business side of the bar. “Can I offer you gentlemen a drink?”
“We’re on the clock, but appreciate the offer.” Dade declined with a subdued smile.
She hadn’t expected them to accept, but she was wise enough to make the offer anyway. “Then let’s skip straight to why you’re here. I’m sure Mr. McAllister notified you his dog discovered some drugs here last night. It won’t surprise you to hear that happens sometimes in this business, despite my best efforts to eliminate it. I don’t condone drug use. And, unlike other bars, neither I nor my security team look the other way when it happens.”
Officer Dade nodded his head. “That’s good to hear. But this isn’t simply a case of someone partying too much.”
“I’m afraid I don’t understand.”
Officer Simmons chimed in. “The bag Duchess discovered contained enough crystal meth to qualify as possession with the intent to distribute.”
A heavy pit opened up in her belly. “You’re telling me this isn’t just college kids looking to have a good time. Someone was dealing inside my bar.”
It wasn’t really a question, but Simmons answered anyway. “We think so, yes.”
Crap, she really hadn’t wanted to hear that. This was a bigger problem than she’d realized.
“We have reason to believe someone has been using the Kentucky Rose to distribute. Any thoughts on who might be doing that? Suspicious regulars? Anyone who’s been hanging out over the last few months, giving you an uncomfortable vibe?”
Maybe they didn’t need a drink, but she did. Scooting down the bar, Tucker grabbed a glass, scooped some ice then filled it with water. The cool liquid eased her suddenly dry throat, but did nothing to soothe the sick churning in her belly.
“No. As I pointed out to Finn last night, I have the right to refuse service to anyone. My guys are trained to spot troublemakers and we bounce them as soon as we identify a problem. Anyone who might’ve raised a red flag wouldn’t have been hanging around for long.”
Finn finally chimed in, “What about your staff?”
For the first time since they’d walked in, Tucker looked at him. And then regretted it. Which was why she’d been avoiding him in the first place.
The stubble covering his chiseled face, the divot right in the center of his chin she wanted to run her tongue over. The way his watchful green eyes skimmed across her face, eliciting a tempting hum of awareness... Yep, pure trouble.
Her body’s reaction was irritating. And unsettling.
Which was probably why she barked out her answer when she really hadn’t meant to. “None of my staff would be that stupid.”
Finn quirked a single eyebrow, calling her statement into question with nothing more than the gesture.
That didn’t help settle her. “They’re loyal, Finn. We’re tight. We look out for each other and they understand how important the Rose is to me. They’d never do anything to jeopardize my business.”
“You hope,” he muttered under his breath.
“I know,” she said, her words ringing with finality. Because even the thought of someone close to her doing this hurt. It couldn’t be her staff.
Tying the Rose to drugs and dealing could have disastrous consequences for her business. The last thing she needed was to headline the six o’clock news with a story about a drug bust at her bar. Contrary to popular belief, not all publicity was good publicity. That kind of story could sink the good reputation she’d built this place on. Marketing was everything in this business, setting her apart from the numerous other bars in the city. With so many options, one bad story would easily send her customers elsewhere.
Not to mention the potential for her to lose her business and liquor licenses.
“Gentlemen, are you sure you’re not jumping to conclusions? The bar was busy last night, as it is most Fridays. We were wall-to-wall people by the time Duchess found the drugs. Not to mention there’d been a fight. I suppose they could have belonged to one of the guys involved, but of course, I can’t say for certain. And I’m not willing to assign blame to someone just because they were acting like a drunken idiot.”
Dade grunted. “Do you have security cameras?”
Crap. Something dark started squirming through her belly. There was no telling what they’d find on her security footage. She normally scanned through the tapes with Wyatt every couple weeks, but they hadn’t had a chance lately. It was entirely possible they’d discover the drugs falling from her pocket in that fight.
There was no good way to explain that, at least not at this point. Anything she said would look like a lie to cover her own ass.
The only way she was turning over the security footage was if she viewed it first.
“Yes, I have cameras, but they don’t cover the entire place,” she hedged. “I record the parking lots, front and back, all entrances, including the one employees use. I have a couple strategically placed on high traffic areas and the back stock room, just in case of theft. But the bar is too big to have cameras covering every square inch, and there’s also a little issue called privacy.”
“Still, we might get lucky and find something useful.”
Tucker tried to keep her posture and voice level. “I’ll ask my head of security to pull the footage together for you. Might take a couple days. Weekends are our busiest time.”
She tried not to squirm, but it was difficult beneath Finn’s strong, steady gaze. She didn’t like the way he was watching her.
Or maybe that was just her own guilty conscience projecting.
Finn shifted. “Listen, Tucker. This isn’t just about a drug dealer. There’s been a trend of deaths from people ODing on crystal meth over the past eight months. A joint task force has been formed to try and find the source of the drugs and shut it down.”
Her eyes flitted to Duchess. “And you’re involved.”
“Duchess and I have some unique skills and we’ve been temporarily assigned to the team. We want to find these guys just as much as the police.”
Tucker let her gaze swing between the three men leaning against her bar. The expressions on their faces made her belly dip. Dade stared hard at her, as if he could force her to do whatever he wanted by sheer force of will. Simmons’s face was half cajoling and half apology.
Finn’s expression was shuttered and unreadable.
Turning to face him, she asked, “What do you want?”
“An airman who was revived after ODing told me he purchased the drugs here. From a woman.”
“Well that narrows it down.” Realization hit her like a bolt of lightning. “That’s why you and Duchess were here last night.”
That pissed her off. Why the hell hadn’t he come to her? Let her know what was going on and why he was there? She wouldn’t have made a fuss about the dog then.
“Yes. This is the first break we’ve had in the case, Tucker. Months of frustrating searches that’ve led nowhere while more men and women die.”
What was she supposed to say to that? No, she didn’t like the idea of people dying. Yes, she wanted to help if she could.
“Again, what do you want?”
Finn leaned across her bar, putting himself closer and making her want to move in the opposite direction. But she didn’t. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing he affected her.
“To put someone here undercover.”
A buzz of energy crackled across Tucker’s skin. “And I don’t suppose Dade or Simmons have been tapped for that assignment.”
“Nope,” Finn shook his head. “Duchess and I have.”
Of course. “I don’t like dogs.”
“You don’t say...” His dry tone scraped down her spine.
“And just how do you expect to integrate with my team? Want me to hire you as a new bouncer? Everyone on staff knows I’m not looking.”
“No. We were thinking a little more intimate...more access.” Finn’s eyes flashed, ripping down her body quickly before zeroing back in on her gaze. “You dating anyone, Tucker?”
That rollercoaster ride her tummy was on took a major free fall.
“No.”
“You are now.”
4
“I DON’T WANT you here.”
“Yeah, you’ve made that abundantly clear.”
Dade and Simmons had left. For the last thirty minutes Finn had been trying to calm Tucker down. It wasn’t working very well. She was pissed, and he supposed he didn’t really blame her.
Not that it would make much of a difference.
They couldn’t force her to cooperate, but he’d already figured out she was going to go along with their plan. If she wasn’t, she wouldn’t be so upset. She’d have simply told him to leave. Or waited until some of her muscle showed up and had them throw him out. Or at least try.
Instead, she’d been raining down words over his head, calling into question his parentage and the size of his package, and insulting just about anything else she could think of. The woman had an inventive vocabulary. He’d give her that.
In fact, watching her go off on her tirade was rather entertaining, not that he’d admit that to her.
What he found most intriguing was that her ass-chewing didn’t seem to slow her down one iota, her words punctuated by slamming cabinets and drawers, clanging glasses. He was impressed that she could continue a steady monologue while hauling what had to be a hundred pounds of bottles.
And God forbid he offer to carry them for her.
He’d realized very quickly that attempting to share the load just led to more tongue-lashing—and not the kind he actually wanted.
So he and Duchess had decided to take a seat at the bar and just watch.
Damn, she was gorgeous. What he wouldn’t do to be able to capture the tiny whirlwind of activity on film, though he doubted his amateur skills could do her justice. She didn’t let anything derail her—not the bum ankle she was trying to hide, his unexpected visit or the proposition he’d delivered.
Her skin flushed with exertion and anger. Her blonde curls were wild and begging to be tamed—like the rest of her.
Her prickly attitude made him want to grab her, swing her into his arms and give her something else to occupy her mouth besides the barrage of words. Something inside him wanted to soothe her, distract her, channel that energy.
For the first time since she’d started, Tucker stopped. Or rather, her body stopped while her mouth kept moving.
“Stop staring at me.”
“I’m not.”
Her hands landed on her hips, one cocking out to the side as she tossed that long mane of hair over her shoulder. Her bangs curled into her flashing blue eyes, but she didn’t seem to notice. Or care.
“You are. Stop it.”
He’d let her spill her anger because he was hoping the well would eventually run dry. Unfortunately, he was starting to think that wasn’t going to happen.
Time to change tactics.
Standing up, he scooted around the end of the bar. Tucker shifted on her feet, but didn’t retreat. Maybe she should have.
Her head tipped as he moved close, heat and awareness hitting her glare. Her expression sliced right through him, the combination of anger and passion stirring something deep inside him.
Was she this fiery and explosive in bed? Finn had no doubt. Like trying to grab hold of lightning. Dangerous and exhilarating.
“Sweetheart, you can’t strut around in skin-tight jeans, a T-shirt that clings to every curve you own, and that wild mane of hair, and not expect some attention. Surely, you’re used to it by now.”
Tucker’s soft pink mouth thinned. It was naturally that color and he much preferred it to the shiny pink gloss it had been painted with last night. Not that the image of her taking him into her slick mouth hadn’t flashed through his thoughts more than once since then.
“No, actually, I’m not. I’ve worked in bars for most of my adult life. I know what men usually go for, and it isn’t my boyish frame.”
What the hell was she talking about? “The only thing about you that screams boy is your name. Trust me, the rest of you is all woman and I am not the only man who’s noticed.”
Closing the space between them, Finn gave in and cupped the back of her neck with his palm. Her body vibrated with her irritation, energy arcing across his skin where he touched. Soft curls cascaded over his fingers and he used his hold to tip her head back. God, a man could get lost inside her dark blue eyes. He’d never seen anything like them. Just like the rest of her, they were gorgeous. Unusual.
“I’m going to hazard a guess that the men give you a wide berth not because they’re not interested, but because you have a Do Not Touch sign blazing above your forehead in bright letters.”
Tucker scoffed, the sound scraping through her throat. “Yeah, right. Hasn’t stopped you.”
Rescue Me Page 4