Her cell rang. Thinking Mr. Lindsey had forgotten something, she answered without looking at the display. “Hello?”
“Hey, beautiful.”
Well, if it wasn’t the perfect target for her anger…
She cleared cookie from her throat. “Hey.”
“How’s the open house going?”
His chipper tone irritated her. He must be so proud of himself, going behind her back to secure a draw on commission for her. “Horrible. Not one bite all afternoon. Not even anyone looking for free cookies.”
“Aw, I’m sorry, Abby-girl. Have dinner with me tonight and I’ll see if I can help redeem at least a small part of your day.”
She had no doubt. “I don’t think so. Not tonight.” Not until she managed to get control of her wayward emotions.
“Why not? Do you have other plans?”
“No, I don’t, but I’ve been cooped up all day and can’t stand the thought of doing it tonight, too.”
“Is there anything I can do to get you to reconsider? There’s something I want to talk to you about.” His voice lowered. “I’ll make it worth your while.”
“Is that all you think about?” she snapped.
“Abby. Come on, sweetheart. Toss me a bone here. I was only trying to get you to smile.”
“Well excuse me if I don’t feel like smiling right now.”
“I’m sorry you’ve had a bad day. If snapping at me will make you feel better then by all means, keep going. Better yet, yell at me in person.” His voice lowered. “Please, babe? I’ve missed you.”
Her body responded to the unspoken promise, which pissed her off even more. He’d gone to her boss after she told him not too. He’d forced her to see things she wasn’t ready to see, to feel things she wasn’t ready to feel.
“It’s only been a couple of days. I’ve been busy.”
A heavy sigh tickled her ear. “I wasn’t blaming you for anything. We’ve both been busy. It happens. It’s no one’s fault.”
His patronizing tone fueled her anger. “No, but the fact we have to hide away in your hotel room is 100 percent your fault. I can’t do it tonight, Tanner. I’m…” She would not apologize. “I just can’t.”
“Yeah. Okay, sweetheart. I know when I’m licked. Have a good night then. I guess I’ll see ya when I see ya.”
When Tanner disconnected the call, Abby’s stomach fell to the bottom of her feet as all the air left her lungs. He seemed genuinely happy when she answered the phone and she went after that happiness like a wasp in a bee hive.
Now who should be proud?
Tanner dropped the phone into the car’s cup holder like it was on fire, certain there was a whole lot of what the hell pinching his brows.
“What was that all about?” Mitch upped the volume on the radio enough to hear the beat but not interrupt any conversation.
“I have no idea. Take a right.” Tanner rolled his head against the seat. If he didn’t think she’d hang on up him, he might have called her back. Let her yell, get her anger out so he could get to the heart of what had pissed her off, because he was pretty damn sure he hadn’t done anything to deserve being attacked.
Mitch snorted, following the direction with a turn of the wheel. “You mind telling me where we are going, or would you rather sit over there and pout?”
Grasping the distraction with both hands, Tanner focused on the surroundings. Whatever was up with Abby, he couldn’t do anything about it if she wasn’t willing to talk. He’d give her the night. If he didn’t hear from her by noon tomorrow, he’d track her down. Either way, there would be a conversation.
“Up there.” He pointed toward the abandoned building. “On the left.”
Mitch navigated into the deserted parking lot.
Tanner half-stood, vaulting out before the car came to a complete stop. He glanced left, then right. Squinted his eyes, tilted his head, trying to reconcile the new perspective with his memories. This couldn’t be the same place, could it?
He approached the fence with the same caution a man used when facing a hungry crocodile.
“I don’t remember there being a prison out here.”
Mitch’s observation wasn’t far off. The once vibrant exterior of the brick building was now the color of muddy water. Lewd graffiti adorned the brick and the boards covering the windows. A portion of the roof appeared to have caved in. Weeds pushed through cracks in the pavement and concrete sidewalk.
“Not a prison,” Tanner mumbled, backing up a few steps, calculating.
When the hell had the fence been installed? It had to be nearly fifteen feet tall and ran what he could see of the perimeter. A thick chain and padlock held the gate secure. Paired with the giant no trespassing sign, Tanner got the feeling uninvited visitors weren’t welcome.
As if a lock and sign could keep him out.
Up and over it is.
Now, it had been a good many years since he’d scaled a fence, but how hard could it be? He bounced on the balls of his feet. Cracked his knuckles. Rolled his shoulders.
Like riding a bike.
Stretching, he latched onto the chain link and hoisted himself up. With his big-ass feet, he had a hard time getting leverage. He used what he could of the tip of his shoe, hoping his upper body strength would make up the difference.
“What the hell are you doing?”
Tanner glanced down at Mitch. “What does it look like?”
“Criminal intent?” Mitch jabbed a finger toward the sign. “I’m guessing the sign isn’t a suggestion. Goddamn it. Get the fuck back here.”
Fence climbing was definitely easier as a kid. He straddled the top, carefully guarding his nuts as he caught a breath. “I’m not going to hurt anything. I won’t even try to get inside the building. I just want to walk around back. There’s something I need to see.” He readjusted his hands and swung his other leg over.
“You could wait and view the place legally. There’s a real estate sign here, too, in case you missed it. Phone number and everything.”
Tanner scoffed. “Don’t be such a puss. This will only take a few minutes. Then I’ll know for sure if I want to call or not.” He did an awkward crab walk down the other side of the fence, trying to catch the toe of his shoe between the links.
“Motherfucker.” Mitch grabbed a link and started his own ascent. “I can’t believe I’m climbing a fucking fence. You better make this quick.”
“You don’t have to come.” Mitch’s climb shook the fence and Tanner lost his foothold. With a curse that would make the devil blush, he found himself dangling like flypaper in the wind a good four feet from the ground. Fuck it. He let go and fell the rest of the way. His knees took the brunt of the uneven impact, which was followed by a less than spry stumble and backward roll that ended with him on his ass. “Ow.”
Within seconds Mitch landed in front of him like a goddamn gazelle, all smooth and graceful like.
“You okay?”
His knees were singing holy hallelujah, but he’d live. “Motherfucking peachy, thanks.”
“You wanna tell me what we’re doing here?”
Tanner grabbed the hand Mitch offered, using the anchor to get back to his feet. He lifted his chin toward the building. “This used to be a youth center. My dad volunteered here as far back as I can remember.”
They started walking. Broken beer bottles and cigarette butts littered the ground around the building. Apparently they weren’t the first to trespass. When they rounded the corner of the building Tanner came to a halt.
No. No no no. This wasn’t right. This couldn’t be right.
He wasn’t sure how long he stood there, but the snick of Mitch’s lighter and the subsequent smell of cigarette smoke got his attention.
Clearing his throat, Tanner shoved back the emotion threatening to choke him. “I spent a good part of my early years here, after school and summers.” He extended his arm, pointing to an unrecognizable spot in the distance. “Threw my first footb
all right over there.”
At least, he assumed he had the right place.
Ho-ly fuck. It was gone. The carefully manicured field. The painted yardage lines. The bleachers and wooden benches, the goal posts. All of it. Gone.
Waist high weeds and brush covered what was once the football field. Not so much as a single scruff in the landscape remained of what had once been Tanner’s favorite place in the world.
Realizing his jaw hung open, Tanner scrubbed a hand across his mouth. “It doesn’t look like much now, but when I was a kid it was everything. Meant everything. As I’m sure you can see, we aren’t in the greatest area. The youth center provided a safe place for kids to hang out, learn and play a sport, take a dance class. For a lot of the kids, it was here or the streets.”
How many of those kids succumbed to circumstance? Ended up gang members, drug addicts, or worse?
Tanner hadn’t grown up privileged by any means, but he’d been lucky all the same. He had two parents who loved him. Protected him. Taught him how to work hard for what he wanted. Unlike a lot of the kids who frequented the center, Tanner grew up with a sense of security, of feeling safe enough to not give it a second thought when his head hit the pillow every night.
As he stood there staring at the overgrown field, the idea he had back at his mom’s exploded into a full-blown plan.
Mitch exhaled and a stream of smoke floated over his line of sight. “That’s a lovely story. Tell me we didn’t trespass so you could take a fucking stroll down memory lane.”
“You said I needed a hobby, right?” His hands came together with a resounding crack. He could make the center great again. Could provide a safe place for kids to learn and practice a sport. Not just football, either. Although if he could get his teammates involved, they could provide some kickass summer camps. Was there enough land to house a small dormitory?
Tanner laughed, his growing excitement getting the better of him. He could do it. He would do it. Bigger and better than he remembered.
This. This was it. This is why he’d come home. To reopen the youth center. To find Abby.
A hope he hadn’t felt since before he left Miami unfolded in his chest. He’d been given a second chance and this time, by God, he would get things right. “Let’s go.”
“Where to?”
“The Thunder Dome. I need to talk to Ian.”
“Now?”
If he wasn’t mistaken, Ian’s resume included a background in investment properties. For what he had planned, Tanner could use the man’s expertise. And he didn’t want to wait. “Right now.”
“It’s Sunday. What if he’s not—”
“Hey!”
Surprised, Tanner caught the flare of Mitch’s eyes before he spun toward the rough command.
Not good. So not good.
Standing shoulder-to-shoulder, hands poised over their weapons, two police officers took cautious steps their way.
“This is private property,” one of the officers barked. “You gentlemen mind telling us what you’re doing here?”
Chapter Eight
“Tanner.”
Mitch snapped his name in what must be a dream. Because if the dude actually had entered his bedroom and tried to wake him up after his shitty night, Tanner might have to toss him off the balcony.
He dug his face deeper into the pillow.
“Yo, Wild.” Something hit his foot. “Wake the fuck up.”
Not a dream then.
Tanner cracked his lids, searching out the digital display on the bedside table. “It’s two in the fucking morning.” In the past, he would just be getting started, club hopping ’til dawn. Now all he wanted to do was sleep. “Go away.” The pillow muffled his voice.
Within a heartbeat said pillow was yanked out from under his head.
Balcony it is.
“Wake up, asshole. We have a situation. Your girl is here. She apparently thought it would be a good idea to cause a stir in the lobby.”
That got his attention. Tanner surged up on his hands, wide awake now. “She did what?”
“According to the call I got, she went to the front desk and demanded our new room number. Naturally, the desk clerk refused. Let’s just say Abigail didn’t take kindly to being denied.”
Tanner jumped out of bed and pulled on a pair of shorts. Goddamn it. What the hell was she thinking?
He’d already spent half the night in the company of Miami’s finest. Instead of reassuring those cops, giving them his name had made them more suspicious. Seemed his reputation was inflated in these parts. He had a hell of a time convincing them Mitch wasn’t his drug dealer—he never touched the stuff—and no, he wasn’t planning to use the abandoned building for any nefarious activities.
It had taken some fancy footwork, but they’d let him off with a warning. Which then led to a lengthy conversation about football and Tanner’s new home with the Miami Thunder.
“Tanner? Did you hear what I said?”
Jesus fucking Christ. Abby knew he was trying to lay low. How many people had witnessed her little tantrum? The front desk wasn’t far from the hotel lounge, which would still be serving this time of night. He didn’t need this shit.
“Where is she? Is she still downstairs?”
“I told the guy to bring her up. The night manager recognized her. Apparently he calmed her down long enough to call up. There a reason you didn’t give her the room number yourself?”
Tanner stormed past him. “I would have if she hadn’t ripped my ass the last time we talked. Didn’t really have an opportunity to pass the info along.”
He jerked open the door to the suite. Propping it with a foot, he stepped into the hallway, grateful to find it empty. Narrowing his gaze toward the elevator doors, he willed them to open, to deliver Abby as quickly and quietly as possible.
When the doors finally parted, Abby stepped into view, the night manager hot on her heels. The manager mumbled something and her gaze shot up, meeting his.
“You,” she said as she staggered toward him. What the hell? The bitterness in her tone paired with her unsteady gait caught him off guard.
“You expected someone else?” With a terse nod of thanks to the manager, Tanner moved aside to let Abby through the door, preferring whatever happened next to be in the privacy of his room.
She stumbled past him, reeking of alcohol and perfume mixed with … fuck me running. She was ripped. Ripped and smelling like some asshole’s cheap bathroom cologne.
He fisted his hands to keep from grabbing her, demanding to know who belonged to that scent and how the hell it had gotten all over her.
His patience snapped. “Did you drive over here?”
Her face scrunched up as a pfft sound left her lips. “Of course not. Do I look stupid?”
Actually, she looked good enough to eat. The knee-length sundress clung to her curves, making him want to slide the worthless straps from her shoulders to get to the hidden treasure underneath. Only the faint scent of another man’s cologne stopped him from touching her.
“I’d watch that tone if I were you. My patience is sorely lacking right now.”
“Hoo, scary. What are you gonna do if I don’t? You wouldn’t hurt me.”
Tanner advanced, forcing her to retreat until her backside ran into a dining chair. “No, but I won’t think twice about tanning that pretty ass of yours if you keep pushing me.”
Abby’s teeth sank into her bottom lip, her inner debate playing out in the expression on her face. “Do you want to spank me, Tanner?”
He raised his eyes to the ceiling, giving his body a minute to adjust as all the blood rushed to his dick.
The woman would be the death of him.
It didn’t matter what he wanted. She was drunk. They obviously had shit to deal with before they got naked and neither of those things were gonna happen tonight. He backed off a few paces before he changed his mind and made good on his threat. “Exactly how much have you had to drink?”
“Ho-no.
You of all people don’t get to lecture me about going to a club and having a few drinks.”
“You went to a club?” He folded his arms and considered his next words carefully. “A night out with friends?”
“My friends don’t club. I went by myself.”
His blood pressure skyrocketed. As a connoisseur of the LA night life, he knew what went on when the lights dimmed and the music soared.
“You went to a club. Alone.” Disbelief made the re-mention necessary while he wrapped his head around the implications.
Christ all-fucking-mighty.
One drunk woman against a club full of men looking for a good time. No friends with her to watch her back. Anything could’ve happened.
“Yes, I did.” She weaved, bumping her hip on the table with a wince. “Do you know I’ve lived in Miami my whole life, and tonight is the first time I’ve been to a club in South Beach? I’ve never been a fan of alcohol, but the dancing.” Her heavy lashes drifted closed. Her arms lifted slightly as her hips swayed to whatever sexy rhythm played in her head.
Arousal mixed with his anger, creating a potent reaction in his already tented shorts. If he gave much thought to the men who’d been privy to the way her body moved—like she was making slow, sweet love to the air surrounding her—his fucking head would explode.
Unable to stop himself, Tanner grabbed her waist and jerked her back against him. “You like dancing, do you?” He splayed his fingers over her ribcage, skimming the underside of her breast as his lower half picked up the silent beat. “Is this what you like, babe? You like the feel of a man’s cock pressing against that sweet ass?”
“Tanner.”
“How many men had their hands all over these curves tonight? One? Two? Three? Don’t bother denying it. I can smell them on you, damn it.”
“I-I … danced with a couple of guys, but they didn’t—”
Dare To Love Series: Dare's Wild (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 7