Take My Hand [Brac Pack 28]

by Lynn Hagen

  “You can daydream about Raven on break,” Steven said as he wiggled his fingers at the counter Darcy was working at.“Right now I need the onions.”

  How in the hell did Steven know about Darcy and Raven? He didn’t think he had been that loud last night. Had he? Darcy felt his face heat like he was standing in direct sunlight as Sterling snickered from the sink.

  Great, now my little brother knows I like men.

  But, if he was reading things correctly, so did Sterling.

  Darcy scooped the onions into a small bowl and handed it off to Steven, wondering if there was a hole somewhere he could crawl into. He shot sly looks at Sterling, worried what his brother now thought of him.

  “Give it up, Darcy. I have known for some time,” Sterling teased as he submerged a large pot in to the sudsy water.“You may be a private kind of guy, but you can’t hide the fact that your eyes wander toward men.”

  Well, damn. Darcy had thought Sterling never caught those subtle glances or slight moans when he saw a really hot and tempting man. But hearing that his brother was cool with Darcy being gay didn’t make him openly admit a damn thing.

  “Okay, enough teasing your brother. We need to get a move on. The dinner crowd will be getting here in about ten minutes. You need to put your game faces on,” Steven said as he grilled the onions Darcy had just handed him.“It usually is larger than the lunch crowd.”

  Sterling growled, his face intense as he showed Steven that he had a game face. Darcy had to chuckle. Sterling was already starting to relax, and they hadn’t been in this town for twenty-four hours.

  Again Darcy thought the place a little too perfect, but he could see that it was good for Sterling. His little brother was smiling more since they arrived than in the few months they had been on the road. It could also be Riley putting that playful smile on his brother’s face. It made Darcy feel better seeing Sterling so happy. A sour Sterling wasn’t something he wanted to ever deal with again.

  Darcy tossed aside the thought of Sterling and replaced it with Raven. His cock perked up at the thought of the dark and handsome man. His skin tingled in remembrance of what they had done together last night. He wanted—

  “Do I have to dump a bucket of ice over your head?” Steven asked as he snapped his fingers in front of Darcy’s face.“Snap out of it.”

  Darcy quickly nodded, getting back to work, and praying he hadn’t made that bad of an impression on Steven. Cody was the one to hire him, but Steven was the one who said if he wanted to keep Darcy or not.

  Shit, Raven was going to drive Darcy nuts.

  He worked hard the rest of the shift, pushing away thoughts of Raven every time they came his way, which was every five damn minutes.

  Darcy cleaned his work area as the diner crowd wound down. For a small town, they sure as shit had a lot of customers. Darcy had been surprised at how busy they had gotten not only with the dinner crowd, but lunch as well.

  “Is it always like this?”

  “Most days,” Steven replied as he piled a plate with roast beef and mashed potatoes.“Tomorrow you’ll be working with George. He is a really nice guy, but takes cooking way too seriously for me. I’d stay away from daydreaming if I were you.”

  Darcy nodded, wanting to ask Steven if he was going to give a good recommendation to Cody. Instead, he walked outside the diner, glancing around the small town as he waited for their ride. It was a nice evening out, a warm breeze blowing. Darcy bit his bottom lip as he glanced back at the diner and then started to wander down the street. He wasn’t going to be gone long, and exploring a little couldn’t hurt. After all, if he and Sterling were going to make this town their home, shouldn’t he get to know some of the businesses?

  Darcy spotted a garage, a few cars parked outside, and the bay door open. He could hear power tools being used and wondered how late the place stayed open. Not that he should care. He didn’t have a dang car.

  Looking across the street, Darcy saw a motorcycle shop. The sign read Santiago Cycles. He didn’t own a motorcycle either. There was a bookstore on the same side of the street as the garage and a small post office as well.

  But next to the motorcycle shop was a building that piqued Darcy’s curiosity. Tate’s Resource Center. What did they do there? What services did they offer? Darcy walked briskly across the street, intending to find the business hours posted on the door or window, but instead found that the place was still open.

  There was a man with short strawberry-blond hair sitting behind the desk, another with short brown hair leaning his hip casually against the desk. What caught Darcy’s attention was the man with the blue gloves sitting at a table across the room, looking over what appeared to be a ledger.

  Darcy opened the door, wincing when all eyes turned to him.

  “Hello,” the man behind the desk said as he stood, walking around to stand close to Darcy.“I’m Taylor Tate. Did you need help with something?”

  Darcy glanced at the other two men. They were staring at him curiously. The one with the blue gloves on scratched at his arm, chewing on his lower lip. Darcy’s gaze zeroed in on the blue latex gloves. The guy was looking through a book. Why would he wear gloves for that?

  “I was just…” Why did he come in here? He had a job and a place to stay. He really didn’t have any need for resources.

  “Take your time,” the man with the brown hair stated.“I’m Drew. If you need to look through some pamphlets, they are over there by the window.” Drew pointed to a table with several small clear holders, pamphlets stuffed in each of them. Darcy wandered over to the table, hoping the three men took their attention from him.

  “You have to make sure you put those pamphlets back in the right holder. Yes, yes you do,” the man with the blue gloves stated and then quickly looked away when Darcy looked over his shoulder at the guy.

  “That’s Nero,” Taylor said.“He’s a nice guy, but a stickler when it comes to order.”

  Darcy nodded, very carefully placing the pamphlets back in the correct holder. Maybe he should have just stayed over at the diner. “What services do you offer here?” And why did he just ask that question?

  Taylor shrugged. “It depends on what you need. We offer financial help for those looking to secure a loan from the bank or get their car repaired over at Mark’s Garage. We offer counseling, shelter, meetings—depending on what you’re needing a meeting for—and we also help with finding jobs. And at the end of this month, we’re offering services for teen girls who are pregnant, and counseling for young couples who are pregnant. The guy sometimes needs just as much help as the female.”

  Taylor hadn’t listed anything that Darcy would have a need for. It all sounded wonderful, but he didn’t need a loan or car repairs. He didn’t need a shelter, a meeting, and he wasn’t pregnant. He also had a job.

  “What kind of counseling do you offer?” Fuck, why wouldn’t he shut up and walk back over to the diner? Darcy was not trying to let everyone here know his business. But there was a deep inner voice telling him he had to make sense of what happened to him, of everything around him and in his life. He felt like a complete mess and wasn’t seeing an end anywhere near. Even his overanalyzing wasn’t getting him the answers he needed. And Darcy had overanalyzed his situation to death as he worked in the kitchen.

  Taylor glanced at the two men in the room, and then back at Darcy. There was a spark of something undefinable in his eyes. Taylor’s stance became a little more rigid.“We can talk in the back.” He pointed toward the back of the building.

  Darcy didn’t think so. He wasn’t going anywhere with someone he didn’t know. Olsen had been an exception. He and Sterling had needed a place to stay, and he hadn’t liked taking a ride with a stranger last night. Why was he even considering talking with Taylor anyway?

  “I’m finished with the books,” Nero said as he stood, carrying the small ledger with him as he headed toward the door, stopping briefly to straighten the already-straight pamphlets.“I’m just going to go next
door and see what Gunny is doing.”

  “I’ll walk you over there,” Drew said as he held the door open, both men walking out. Darcy watched them walk past the large window in the front, seeing Drew cut his eyes over to him and then dart them away.

  “I sure know how to clear a room out, huh?” Darcy said nervously, his eyes still focused on the window and the town beyond.

  “Don’t worry about them. Come, have a seat.” Taylor waved to a brown metal folding chair in front of his desk.“Can I get you anything to drink?”

  “Water?” Darcy answered as he sat down. The chair wasn’t the most comfortable. It made his butt cheeks hurt. And after the fantastic sex Raven had given him last night, he was still a little sore. A metal chair was not what he needed to be sitting on right now.

  Taylor nodded, heading to the back. Darcy glanced toward the door, wondering if he should just make a run for it. This was crazy. He wasn’t even sure he should talk about what had happened to him. Things were fine now. Why upset the applecart?

  “Here you go.” Taylor walked back up front, carrying a glass of water in his hand. He handed it off to Darcy and then sat in the chair next to Darcy. Why hadn’t he gone back behind his desk? This was a little too intimate for Darcy’s taste. Taylor should be sitting in a cushiony chair, and Darcy should be laid out, staring at a ceiling and confessing his life story.

  So why were they just sitting here facing each other?

  “First,” Taylor began, smiling at Darcy,“it would be nice to know your name.” His voice had softened, taking on a gentler tone. His green eyes were kind, making this the perfect job for the man. Somehow Taylor made Darcy relax as he sat there wondering where to begin.

  “Darcy, Darcy Lagrange.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Darcy.” Taylor patted Darcy’s shoulder. The touch was so light that if Darcy hadn’t seen Taylor reaching, he wouldn’t have felt it.“Now, start anywhere you’d like. It doesn’t even have to be about why you want to talk.”

  Darcy was a little confused. Why wouldn’t Taylor want him to talk about why he was here?“I was attacked,” Darcy blurted out and then quickly looked down at the glass of water in his hands. Way to go.

  “Is the attacker still a threat to you, Darcy?” Taylor wasted no time asking.

  Darcy shook his head, and then shrugged.“I’m not really sure. It was out on the Lakeland ranch.”

  “Pa’s place?” Taylor sounded shocked. He began to stand, stern lines forming around his lips.“Was it one of the Lakeland men?”

  “No,” Darcy quickly replied.“No, the Lakelands have been very nice about letting me and Sterling stay there.”

  “Who is Sterling?”

  “My younger brother.”

  Taylor seemed to relax, sitting back in his chair.“I’m sorry. I’m not supposed to lose my composure, but thinking that one of the Lakelands had attacked you took me by surprise. They really are a nice bunch of men.”

  Seeing that Taylor was just as human as Darcy, he nodded, feeling the tension slowly drain from his cramped stomach muscles.“They are.”

  “So, do you want to tell me about the attack?”

  Did he? In telling the story, Darcy would have to reveal what happened afterward, wouldn’t he? Did Taylor know that vampires not only existed, but lived right here in Brac Village? Could he betray Raven’s secret that easily? Darcy blinked back threatening tears as he glanced at a spot on the floor. He hadn’t thought the attack had affected him that much. Raven had taken him upstairs and tended to his physical wounds, and then he had had the best sex of his life.

  But he hadn’t dealt with the attack.“It’ll sound stupid,” he said as he took a sip of his water. It tasted like it had come from the tap, slightly metallic.

  “If it bothers you, then it’s not stupid. Different people react to stressful situations in different ways. What might be important to you may not be to someone else, and vice versa.”

  It made sense, but Darcy was starting to feel foolish for seeking out someone to talk to. Hell, he hadn’t even thought it was a problem until now.“I was standing in my bedroom window and saw my brother down by the corral. The next thing I know, I saw a shadow heading his way. I raced downstairs just as the attacker went after my brother. I didn’t think. I didn’t have time to. The only thing going through my mind was keeping Sterling safe. I just jumped the man, getting my ass handed to me as I tried to keep the stranger away from Sterling.”

  “That was very brave of you.”

  “No, that was very dumb. I could have been killed. And I don’t even know who the man was or why he tried to attack Sterling in the first place.”

  “How did it make you feel?”

  “The attack?”

  Taylor nodded.

  “Terrified. The man cut open my face—” Darcy grew quiet as his fingers traced over a scar that wasn’t there, remembering that Raven had healed him. There wasn’t a scar on his face to substantiate his story. Was Taylor going to look at him as a nut or not believe him?

  “Take your time, Darcy.”

  He wasn’t stalling for time. Darcy was trying to figure out how to finish his story without betraying Raven. As much as the man intimidated him, Darcy couldn’t give Raven’s secret away. There was just something about Raven that called to Darcy and made him feel safe. Which was very odd considering Raven somewhat frightened him.

  “I’m attracted to someone who scares me.” Darcy not only felt, but saw his hands shaking as he wondered why he was confessing his fears and problems. Taylor was a complete stranger, yet here he sat blabbing his business.

  “Who?” Taylor asked as he sat a little straighter.

  Oh, no. Darcy was so not giving any names away.“I’d rather not say. I know it sounds crazy, but I feel this deep and connecting attraction to him. I should run. I really should…” Darcy stood, walking over to the table that Nero had been sitting at and began pacing in front of it.

  “It sounds like you are dealing with a lot,” Taylor commented.

  Darcy chewed on his bottom lip and then let the floodgates open up. He had been wound up tight for so long that he probably couldn’t have stopped the words from coming even if he had tried.“My dad passed away when Sterling was two. My mom raised us by herself, never remarrying. She did a great job, but then breast cancer took her. I was on my own by then and took Sterling in. We were making it, both of us working, until that bastard landlord cornered Sterling and made a pass at him. When Sterling turned him down flat, he said I never put Sterling on the lease and that I was in violation. He evicted us. We’ve been wandering from town to town, finding odd jobs ever since.”

  “And you are overwhelmed by the responsibility to make sure Sterling, as well as yourself, are safe and cared for.”

  Darcy pointed at Taylor.“Exactly! I worry about everything. I mean, I didn’t ask to be my brother’s keeper, not that I’m complaining, but it’s scary as hell knowing I have a life depending on me.”

  “How old is Sterling?” Taylor asked.

  “Twenty-one.”

  “It sounds like he’s old enough to take care of himself.”

  “But I’m the older brother. We stick together, and it’s my job to make sure nothing happens to him.”

  “I have an older brother. His name is Josh. He did a damn good job taking care of me, but there comes a time when us younger brothers need to spread our wings and try to fly on our own. You just might be surprised at what Sterling is capable of.”

  “It’s not so much that.” Darcy waved Taylor’s statement away. “It’s everything.”

  “Overburdened?”

  Darcy nodded.“And then when that man bared his claws and sliced my face open, all my fears, all my worries, everything that I’d been holding inside came to a head, only I didn’t know it.”

  “Again,” Taylor said as he stood, crossing the small room over to Darcy,“how did the attack make you feel?”

  “Fucking violated! I felt helpless. I wanted to hurt the man. I w
anted to kill him for going after Sterling. Instead, he damn near killed me.” Darcy stopped pacing, rubbing his hands over his face.“I thought I was going to die,” he whispered.

  Taylor laid a hand gently on his shoulder, giving it a light squeeze.“But you survived.”

  Yeah, he had survived. But now he knew that vampires existed, and he couldn’t talk that over with Taylor. The only person he could talk to about how he felt was Raven. And he wasn’t really particular to talking to a vampire about his fear of vampires.

  “There is something else eating away at you.”

  The man was very perceptive, but Darcy had to keep this one to himself. He shrugged.“It just feels a little overwhelming.” Darcy used Taylor’s descriptive word to sum it all up in a nutshell.

  “You said the man bared his claws and sliced your face open?”

  Had he? Shit. Darcy curled his lips in, playing with the pamphlets in the clear holders. He had been so caught up in telling Taylor what happened that he hadn’t used discretion.

  “Tell me about this man that scares and thrills you at the same time.”

  “Who said anything about him thrilling me?” Darcy squeaked.

  “Because,” Taylor said as he smiled.“I know that look. You’re very serious about this man.”

  Darcy blew out a long breath, the sound loud in the small room. He placed his hands on his lower back, staring down at the table he was standing in front of.“He isn’t like any man I’ve ever met before.” And wasn’t that the damn truth?

  Taylor took a seat on the table, crossing his arms over his chest as he listened.

  “He’s wonderful and scary, charming, and intimidating. How can a man be all of those things at the same time?”

  “What is it about him that intimidates you?”

  The dark menacing look Raven had in the hallway. The way he had warned Darcy away. The fangs in the man’s mouth. The feeling that he could get lost in Raven and lose his heart. There was a whole list of things, but Darcy finally realized what the true answer was. “Trusting him to take care of my heart.”