He glanced down at the floor and didn’t say anything else.
I clenched the keys in my hand and looked over my shoulder, begging Sara to follow me out of the house with my eyes.
She put her coffee down, pasting a carefree smile on her face as if she knew what I was trying to get her to do without words.
We skipped showers or anything else that might us keep us in that house a moment longer than necessary. My dad was hiding something and I couldn’t pinpoint what exactly it was.
How did you explain to your friend that you worried her house might be safer than yours?
Something wasn’t right and I didn’t know what it was.
For once in my life, I just wanted to run from discovering the truth. Nothing else in my life made sense – not the insatiable need to fight, not the way the new school hated me, not the way Sara’s parents didn’t see the abuse, not why my mom left, not why my dad seemed so off, and certainly not the way my body thought about Stryker even when my mind wasn’t focused on him – which wasn’t often.
Yeah, I was in trouble but all I wanted to do was drive.
The LUV was a stick. I grinned at Sara as she climbed in. “Let’s just drive.”
She nodded. Her need to escape was just as strong.
***
Stryker
I couldn’t stop thinking about Gray.
We drove by mid-Sunday morning and I growled back to Gunner. “We have trespassers.” A blue vintage truck with a white canopy sat at the curb to Gray’s house.
Coach Asher’s truck occupied the driveway. I wasn’t sure if the truck was there for him or for Gray, but I had an angry pull inside me that confirmed it had to do with the brunette I couldn’t get out of my head.
We pulled to the side of the road and watched the house.
Gunner’s phone buzzed and I knit my eyebrows. “We don’t take orders on Sunday.”
He shrugged and pulled out his phone. “Man, if you don’t want people to demand your stuff at all hours, don’t make it so good.” He smirked at me, knowing full well I had nothing to do with how the product was made.
I turned to Brock who was actually our resident professional. “How about it? You know why we’re getting orders on Sunday?”
He grinned. “Because my formula is spot on. That’s why?”
“It’s not an order.” Gunner’s face paled and he passed me his phone. The flat screen made it easy for all of us to read the message from Dominick.
In town. Meet me at four. Old Mill.
We wouldn’t have any choice. But why had he only texted Gunner? I pulled my phone out, which I had muted the night before and clenched my jaw. He’d messaged me eight times and called two.
I had some serious explaining to do.
“The old mill? That’s kind of close to the mines.” Brock didn’t wait for me to tell him to pull away from Gray’s neighborhood. We had to get ready for the meeting and make sure some things were in place to protect our investments.
I glanced back at Gray’s house. I wasn’t sure who was there, but I was sure I would have to beat the ever-loving life out of them to get a good night’s sleep.
Why did I even care? Besides the obvious orders from my uncle, besides the obvious need to make sure everyone in town fell into line? What was the point of craving someone like Gray Asher?
Because she was definitely something else with the slight curl in her long brown hair, the defiance in her bright blue eyes, the definite awareness in the curves of her body. I couldn’t get her out of my head and I hated the situation for that. That made me madder and I wanted her to be reminded that she’d moved into our town, she attended our school. This place wasn’t up for grabs. Her worth was directly related to what we thought and what we said. That was all there was to it.
“I’ll message Paul and let him know the factory needs to be covered today. Do you think we should close it tomorrow?” Gunner took his phone back from me and started texting like crazy.
Monday was one of our biggest days in the factory. The people who weren’t allowed to order Sunday would double their orders and the people in the factory would be on double time. We couldn’t afford to close Monday.
If Dominick found out what we had going on, though, he’d shut us down. We couldn’t afford that even more. Too many people in that small and sleepy town relied on us for their livelihoods. I couldn’t get distracted. I couldn’t let my guard down. Everything was in place for a reason. We had a house of order for a reason.
I just had to remember that as I headed toward the meeting with Dominick. People relied on me. I just had to keep things in check until I was eighteen and could make my rightful claim on the mines and the town. Once that was in place, Dominick couldn’t demand anything from me. I’d be ahead of the pack and far and away out from under his thumb.
We could do whatever we wanted and there was nothing he could do about it.
***
Gray
As Sara and I drove around Jameson, I couldn’t help watching for the ’57 Ford. Knowing they drove by my place constantly over the weekend had been enough to keep me in the house, but had also given me a small sense of security. It didn’t matter that they’d set the school on me. It didn’t matter that they’d made ridiculous claims and told me what I could and couldn’t do with my own body. When it came right down to it, they’d been there for me and I craved Stryker. I seemed to have a need for all three of them, something I didn’t understand or want to understand.
“What kind of guys are in this school you’re going to?” Sara had never been interested in the Jameson High guys. Neither of us had been because they’d always been rivals. Our interest had always been in the college guys on the north side of Timbercreek or Seattle. I’d been with Blaze because of a position thing, but I’m not sure that was something to brag about. Not knowing the things about him that I did.
I shrugged, driving the little truck with more enthusiasm than I’d thought possible. “It’s a normal high school.” Lie. There was nothing normal about Jameson. “I guess the guys there are pretty standard.” Except for the Jameson boys themselves. I couldn’t say that, though. It would give away my attraction to Stryker and the fact that I couldn’t stop thinking about him.
The last thing I needed Sara or anyone thinking was that I was whipped by some guys. I couldn’t be and I wouldn’t be. So, attracted or not, I couldn’t let them under my skin.
“We need to figure out how we’re going to do the school thing tomorrow. I need to make an appearance so I can count my practice toward the upcoming matches. I’ll be going to class. What do you want to do?” Sara knew what I was saying. She could do whatever she wanted and I would back her. No questions asked, but I did need attendance for the match. If you didn’t attend ten practices prior to the competition, you weren’t eligible to compete – this was for any sport.
Dad and I hadn’t talked about it, but I was going to fight. I had to. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be able to get my numbers in. That had to be more important than my pride at a stupid school. It had to be more important than how some stupid guys made me feel – good or bad.
I didn’t want to admit it, but it also had to be more important than if Sara went to class or not.
“I need to go to school. Maybe you could drop me off and pick me up?” She twisted her lips in a hopeful expression and I reached out, squeezing her shoulders. “You bet. Whatever you need, you got. Let’s get you a phone Blaze can’t take, though.” I drove to the cell store close to the state line.
As mad as I was that Dad had gambled, I couldn’t help my gratitude that I’d gotten the truck. I suddenly had more freedom and that meant more to me than if he’d stayed home all weekend.
“You don’t need to buy me one, Gray.” Sara looked out her window, her cheeks pink with embarrassment.
I shrugged. “Yeah, I know, but you’re kind of stuck right now, right? I mean, you can’t get your money or your stuff. Let me cover it. I’m fine.” I didn’t mind he
lping Sara with the cost of her phone or with anything else, I was serious when I said she was my person.
My cash hoard was dwindling, though. I needed another fight. The only place I could tangle and get cash was The Pike. I’d been warned away from there by the Jamesons, but I was starting to think that what they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them – or me.
As I parked in the store parking lot and climbed out of the truck, I couldn’t help thinking I knew better than to believe that they didn’t know everything that was going on.
And yes, it would come back to bite me in the butt.
Chapter 14
Stryker
The old mill was less of a mill any more and more of an empty building that was owned by the Jameson trust.
Located on the east side of town at the base of Cougar Gulch, the mill represented everything that had gone wrong with Jameson. The founders of the town – my great-great-something or others – had used everything they’d gotten in the mines to try to exploit every resource in the area. They’d tried logging every tree, mining every mountain and hill, building every house, and over-working every person who dared come to town. If you came to Jameson with a dream, chances were it would become entangled with the goal of the Jameson family – to have more, be more, and take more.
Nana had told Gunner, Brock, and me once that our fathers had a different goal, a different plan for the town they’d grown to love. It would change the role of the Jameson family in the town and the county. The families that lived there would have a chance at their own dreams. We’d always liked how that sounded and we’d decided to work toward that goal with everything we had in us.
Nana had helped us figure out the steps to take – illegal or not – and we’d slowly begun building the community’s economy. All without the watchful eyes of Dominick knowing. Things were hard with him in control, but not impossible.
Brock parked the truck and I thrummed my fingers on the armrest of the door. “Let me do all the talking. If he asks you anything directly, keep it one-worded and vague and turn it back to me. There’s no reason he needs to know more than we want to tell him.” Which wasn’t much.
“Can you get us approved for security instead of the meeting?” Gunner’s idea wasn’t a bad one. No one would come out to the old mill, but it might not hurt anything to have them watching out for us. I had no idea who Dominick had brought and who he was expecting, but keeping ourselves aware was going to be the better step. I inclined my head and Gunner returned the motion.
Our nerves clanged as we climbed from the truck. I was on edge and I wished I’d grabbed my dad’s Taurus Slim. The small pistol was easy to conceal and something that would help calm my nerves. Uncle or not, I had no qualms shooting to protect myself or my cousins. Just like I had no doubt that Dominick wouldn’t hesitate to put a bullet in us should it prove to be more profitable.
I strode toward the brick building with its vacant windows and metal roofing.
Fall weather wasn’t something I welcomed with open arms. I preferred the heat of summer, but with a mild cloud cover and slight breeze, the day wasn’t turning out too bad. I could handle the temperature without needing a coat, much like my cousins. Winter was definitely an inconvenience. I didn’t like the lack of control a bulky coat added.
I motioned toward the sides of the building as I got closer to the doors. We were there first, but that didn’t mean Dominick hadn’t sent people ahead to secure the area.
As decrepit as the building appeared, there were still some high-end security items in place, installed by Dominick when he’d taken over Jameson after the loss of his three older brothers.
I punched in the code and opened the door, glancing back as Gunner disappeared around the side of the building. Brock would hunker down across the street. We’d all been taught maneuvers by our dads before they’d died and we didn’t take the trainings lightly.
Inside, I scanned the protected interior with an eye single to fleshing anything out that shouldn’t be there.
Dominick didn’t employ a cleaner or anything else to keep the dust from the surfaces or the grit from the floor. My black leather biker boots left a solid thud to hang in the air with each step I took.
I might have left my gun at the house, but I had a lock knife in my pocket that I was pretty adept at using – to skin a deer or protect what was mine. Moving deeper into the building, I flipped on a light switch and continued taking inventory of the place.
Chairs, tables, and shelves hadn’t moved since the last time we’d been called in for a meeting. Nothing had changed.
Just like nothing had changed in town for us to have a meeting. Once a year was supposed to be our limit and we weren’t due for another one for four months at the earliest.
I moved around the large conference room, my hands in my pockets as I walked slowly, studying the random forgotten picture on the wall or news article framed and mounted on the wood paneling.
No way would I claim a seat until I knew who was coming in and who I was dealing with.
While I waited, my thoughts turned to Gray. She might be the key to all of this. She was the only change in town since the last meeting and Dominick seemed particularly interested in her the last couple times we’d talked.
Fine. If he wanted to be infatuated with the girl, that was his deal. As long as he stayed away from the mines and left me to do my business, he could do whatever he wanted.
Except… that wasn’t true. If he touched Gray, he’d have to answer to me. While she wasn’t mine, I wasn’t comfortable with her being anyone else’s.
It wasn’t fair and yet, I didn’t care.
The door opened and I turned, careful to keep my calm about me. I glanced at the newcomer, wincing when I recognized the VP from school. We eyed each other but orbited the table without really acknowledging the other.
We had to work together because Dominick demanded control over the entire town, the school included.
The principal was never in town and had in fact taken a long hiatus and Danielle had stepped in to take over the position. Dominick liked to keep her on a string with promises of the official position the next academic year.
I ignored her.
Dominick pushed through the doors; his dark slicked back hair reminiscent of the coloring of my father. I clenched my fists at my sides and took a deep breath. He’d expect us to stand until he took a seat.
A guy behind him moved around him to wipe off a seat and hold it out for my uncle. Dominick was nothing like my dad or other uncles. I had no way of telling him how much we disliked him without losing everything. He was power hungry, even over a small town in northern Idaho.
He had no idea just how far the Jameson reach really was and I had no intention of divulging that information.
Dominick sank into the seat and motioned toward Danielle and me. “It’s just us today.”
No mayor? Or developers? No one over from Timbercreek?
Fine. Whatever he wanted must be from a more personal angle. It wouldn’t be the first time he needed us to clean up his messes.
I ignored the dirt on my chair and sat, lounging back in the standard backed office chair.
Danielle on the other hand, perched on the edge of the seat, folding her hands while holding her posture ramrod straight. She avoided looking my direction and instead stared at Dominick like she was a crack addict and he was her next fix.
Dominick narrowed his eyes while staring at the table and then lifting his gaze first to me and then to Danielle. “Gray Asher is at Jameson now?” He never eased into anything and that was one thing I could appreciate about him. One of the only things.
Danielle blinked, glancing at me and then back to him. “Um, yes, she’s there. Her father, too. They started this last week.”
“I told you not until this week. I didn’t want her eligible for the ring until the match with Palouse.” He furrowed his brow. “Why do you have problems following directions, Danielle?”
She fluttered
her hands at her chest and then shook her head as she blinked again. “I’m… I thought you would be pleased it would be done early. I…” She closed her mouth and lifted her chin. “I can keep her out of the matches until then. She hasn’t been accepted to the team officially. I can fix this.” She was desperate and I didn’t envy her the position she was in. She’d angered Dominick, no matter how slight her offence, and she had no idea what would fix it.
“I want to know why she’s not under control.” He shifted his glare to me as if he could affect me with the simplest question.
Calmly I rested my wrist on the edge of the table and stretched out my leg. I was the picture of indolence and I wasn’t rushing to show my hand. After a minute, I shrugged. “I don’t what type of a person she is, but she’s far and away stronger than just controlling her because she showed up. It’s going to take some time.” That was an understatement. There was nothing simple about Gray and Dominick was an idiot in thinking there was.
He leaned forward, tucking his chin as he stared at me. I didn’t flinch, just held his stare with my own. I wasn’t backing down. I might have to follow his rules and do what he said, but he didn’t own me. I wasn’t his puppet and I certainly wasn’t going to be afraid of him.
His voice started out low and grew with each syllable into a yell that echoed off the walls. “I want her in hand, do you understand me?”
Before I could say anything, Danielle cut in. “I can’t believe you don’t have her in control, Stryker. She stood up for you the other day with the twins. You have them under control. If you don’t get Gray under control, I’m going to have to –″
“Do what? How is Alex Asher doing under you?” Dominick lowered his voice and cut across Danielle’s like a knife cutting butter.
Startled by the question, Danielle turned from me and nodded at Dominick. “Yes, Alex is… He won’t do anything without getting my permission first.”
Her Challengers: A high school bully romance (Bad Boys of Jameson High Book 1) Page 12