Last True Hero

by Diana Gardin

  “What?” he snaps when he catches me looking.

  “Nothing,” I say innocently. “I just wonder if you’re going to punch in the face the first guy who steps on your shoes.”

  He scowls for just a second before it’s replaced with a grin. “Hopefully a girl will step on my shoe. Then I can just tell her she owes me a dance.”

  I nod. “You always have all the answers, Drake.”

  A tiny arm grabs mine just as I’m about to walk past the front of the line, and I turn to find Mea gripping me tightly. She smiles up at me, and then tugs my arm again. I follow her, beckoning the guys to follow me.

  “These guys are with me, okay, Dan?” She addresses the bouncer standing beside the door with his arms crossed. He raises his eyebrow at her, and then scans each of us in turn. Finally he shrugs.

  “Okay, Mea.”

  She reaches up on her tiptoes and kisses his cheek, and he grins. Then, nodding at me, she gestures inside. “After you, boys.”

  “Thanks.” We file past her into the club.

  Inside, it’s bigger than the nondescript building gave it credit for. We pass an enclosed coat-check, and then it opens up to a cavernous room with a bar curving along the back wall and a stage closer to the front. The stage is empty, and a DJ is taking up residence in a booth a few feet away from it. I’m assuming that since there’s no band, girls will be dancing on that stage once things really get going. The lighting is dim, but not dark, and I’m able to see faces clearly as I look around. Following Mea to the bar, I spot a head of wild, blond curls. She doesn’t turn as we approach, and I’m able to close the gap before she knows we’re here.

  “We’re back!” sings Mea.

  Berkeley whips around, and I’m right there in her personal space. Her nostrils flare slightly as she looks up at me, and her eyes burn into mine.

  “Hey,” she says breathlessly as the electricity crackles between us.

  “Hey,” I whisper, bending in to take her lips. I can’t help it. She makes me weak for her, and I can admit it.

  When I pull back, she smiles. “I missed that today.”

  “Yeah? What’d you do today?”

  Her eyes fall, but before she can answer, Drake elbows me in my ribs.

  I swear, then turn deliberately toward where he and Chase are standing behind me. He flicks his eyes toward Mea and then back to me.

  “Mea,” I announce formally. “This is my friend and roommate, Drake. And this is my brother Chase.”

  From her significantly lower vantage point, she eyes Drake and Chase carefully. “Hey. Nice to meet you both.”

  They nod. Chase shoulders his way closer to the bar to ask for a beer. I hold up a finger, indicating that I want one, too. I eye the cup in Berkeley’s hand. “What’s that?”

  “Screwdriver,” she says. “Have I told you I’m kind of obsessed with orange juice?”

  I laugh, spacing out over the way her lips wrap around her straw. “No. But I’m not surprised, considering how much you love breakfast.”

  I look her over, finally able to tear my gaze away from her eyes and her lips. She’s poured into a tight, black dress with a lace overlay. Her shoulders are bare, and there’s a pair of pink heels on her feet.

  Holy. Shit.

  If she was aiming for “Give Dare a Coronary” when she got dressed this evening, she’s damn near achieved her goal.

  She catches me eyeing her and smiles almost apologetically. “Yeah, this? Mea made me wear it.”

  “You look…amazing,” I manage to choke out. “Uh…where’s the rest of that dress?”

  She rolls her eyes, glancing at Mea and jerking a thumb toward me. Mea smiles cheerily. “I told her when she dressed me that I can barely breathe.”

  I nod slowly. “Me neither.” I lean closer, letting my breath linger somewhere near her ear. “Are you coming home with me?”

  Her answering smile is flirtatious. “Maybe.”

  I groan a little as my muscles clench. “When you know how I can turn that answer into a firm, resounding yes, let me know.”

  She nods. “Will do.”

  I scan her body again, and my eyes land on the purplish bruise darkening her thigh. “What the hell happened to your leg, Berkeley?”

  She sighs, holding out her leg so she can eye the bruise. “I landed on a rock.”

  I open my mouth, but she tugs on my arm that isn’t holding my Killian’s. “Dance with me?”

  I follow her wordlessly to the dance floor, but our conversation isn’t over. She left me this morning without a scratch, and tonight she’s got at least one bruise I can’t account for. Nothing about that is okay with me. I set my mouth in a firm line.

  As soon as she stops in front of me and begins moving to the beat reverberating around us, I spin her around with one hand and pull her back so that her ass is resting against my thighs. Then I lean down, speaking into her ear so that she can hear me clearly.

  “Berkeley, where did that bruise come from?”

  I don’t know what I’m expecting her to say, but her actual answer nearly knocks me on my ass.

  “Surfing.”

  I rear back, looking down at her as she continues to sway against the front of me. I can feel my body answering to her writhing movements, but my brain is stuck on rewind and I can’t make myself move with her.

  “You surf?” The disbelief in my voice is evident.

  She leans back, meeting my surprised gaze. “Unfortunately.”

  She leaves it at that, and I reluctantly do, too. Or not so reluctantly, since my body finally begins to move against her like it’s always been meant to do exactly that. There is so much more I want to ask her, but the questions dull to a whisper as I move with her, dance with her. The music changes, I lose count of how many times, and I’m still tethered to her by the fiery connection we’ve shared since I laid eyes on her that first night. The feeling that I was brought to Lone Sands for a reason, for this reason, nearly swallows me whole as I inhale the sweet scent of Berkeley swirling around me.

  I’d put off Drake’s offer to join him in North Carolina since I’d gotten out of rehab for my back, and if I’d come any earlier Berkeley would have been away at school.

  I’m not used to being in the right place at the right time; it’s a completely new situation for me. I’m feeling pretty damned lucky right about now.

  Berkeley turns in my grasp, winding her arms around my neck as she gazes up at me. Her eyes are sparkling, two tawny diamonds glittering in the dimness of the club.

  “Hey,” she says, her dimples creasing the smoothness of her cheeks.

  “Yeah, hey.” I smooth my thumb over her defined cheekbone.

  The little wrinkles in her forehead let me know she’s pondering something.

  “I can’t wait to get you alone so I can ask you what you’re thinking about,” she finally says. “You look very far away right now.”

  I shake my head gently, staring at her. “Just feeling really lucky right now. For like, the first time ever. It’s a pretty weird feeling.”

  She nods slowly, dropping her arms from my neck and grasping my hand. She rises to her tiptoes so she can be heard. “I want you to tell me about a time in your life when you didn’t feel so lucky. It’s safe to talk about it, Dare. Your luck has changed. You have me now.”

  A ball of emotion gets stuck in my throat. I thump my chest a few times, trying to clear it. When I can, I lean toward her, indicating her empty cup. “Another drink?”

  She nods, and we head to the bar, where we walk up on a heated argument.

  “Don’t be stupid,” Drake is saying in exasperation. “Just take the drink. Shit, I was trying to be nice.”

  “First of all,” Mea shoots back, “I don’t take drinks from guys I don’t know. Second of all, I can buy my own damn drinks. Third of all—”

  I’m looking dumbfounded between the two of them when Berkeley breaks in. “Whoa, girl. Easy. I’m sure Drake was just trying to be a gentleman. What’s up with
you?”

  “Nothing,” says Mea, glaring at Drake. “I’ve just had about all I can stand of guys like him, that’s all.”

  She turns on her stiletto and flounces away, leaving us staring openmouthed after her.

  “I’m so sorry, Drake,” says Berkeley. “I don’t know what that was about. She’s not usually like that.”

  “Yeah, but you’ve been away at school, right?” I muse. “Maybe she’s changed.”

  “No, she hasn’t,” says Berkeley firmly, shaking her head. “She’s still Mea. But maybe I need to find out what crawled up her ass while I was away.”

  Drake nods. “Yeah. That sounds like a plan. You want her drink, B?”

  Berkeley beams at him. “Sure. Thanks, Drake.”

  I shoot Drake a glare. “Yeah, thanks Drake.”

  He grins. “Hey, I’ll always take care of your girl for you when you need me to, Dare. That’s what friends are for.”

  My eyes narrow and my lip curls. “I’m not going to be needing that service, but thanks, buddy. Glad to know you’re around.” I slap him so hard on the back he splutters on the sip he just took of his beer.

  “Where’s Chase?” I ask, glancing around the bar area.

  Drake shrugs. “I didn’t sign up to babysit him.”

  I search the room, keeping one arm snug around Berkeley’s waist as I do. I can’t see Chase anywhere, and I’m immediately nervous. I’ve just let go of Berkeley, turning around to ask Drake to keep her company for a minute, when a deep voice snaps my attention right the fuck back.

  “Let’s go, Berkeley.”

  Her head whips around, and so does mine. We’re confronted with the tall, solid form of the man she calls the Admiral. He stares down at his daughter, and then glances around the club, clearly disgusted and angry.

  “I’ve had enough of this,” he says, glaring at Berkeley. “We’re going home. And then I’m locking you in your room until you can figure out how the daughter of an Admiral is expected to behave. Because this sure as hell isn’t it.”

  His words are sharp like nettles, and I can see the sting of them as Berkeley’s head snaps back in surprise and hurt. My instinct is to grab her by the waist again, and push her behind me slightly, angling my body toward her father like a shield.

  “Berkeley,” I say quietly, not taking my eyes from his. “Are you ready to go?”

  When I glance back at her, her eyes are wide as they dart between her father and me. Finally, she focuses on him. “What are you doing, Daddy? I’m just out with my friends. I’m not doing anything wrong!”

  He shakes his head impatiently and reaches out. He clasps her wrist in his hand so roughly I hear her gasp, and I zero in on the spot. I reach out, wrench her wrist free from his grasp, then shoving his hand back at him.

  The Admiral stares at his hand, and then at mine. When he raises his eyes to meet mine, they’re lit with a smoldering anger I know from experience is dangerous.

  “I don’t know you, son, but you seem like a smart man. Touch my daughter or me again and I’ll end you. Understand?”

  I understand, all right. I know men like the Admiral. Hell, I’ve worked for men like the Admiral. Men who parade around on a high from the power they’ve achieved, who know that anything and everything is possible for them. They move people in their lives around like pawns, in order to get what they want.

  I narrow my eyes. My anger is radiating just beneath the surface of my skin, causing my blood to zing through my veins. The adrenaline is rushing so loudly in my ears I can’t focus on anything else. “She doesn’t want to go. I suggest you go ahead and back away from her.”

  He takes a menacing step forward, and then Berkeley flings herself out from behind me and steps in front of him. “Okay, Daddy. Let’s go.” She throws a warning glance back at me. “I’ll call you, Dare.”

  I step forward, lifting her chin to look at me. “You don’t have to do this. You can stay. I’ll protect you.”

  She shakes her head, raising her chin a fraction of an inch. She glances back at her father, and then meets my eyes with a pleading gaze. “I’ll be fine. Promise. Later, okay?”

  Everything inside of me is screaming at me to keep her safe. Her father should be safety for her, but he isn’t. I can feel it so deeply within me that it hurts. I don’t want to let her go. I don’t want to allow her to slip free of my grasp.

  With everything in me, I don’t want to.

  She sees the battle going on in my eyes and leans up to kiss my lips. Her lips brush against my chin, and I hear the whisper of the words against my ear as I lean into her. “Trust me.”

  I nod mutely, releasing her. She turns away from me then and follows her father to the door. He turns around once, locking eyes with me. His eyes narrow in anger, and he throws one last frown in my direction before he turns and follows Berkeley out of the club.

  I sag against the bar, placing my hands on my head and pulling at my hair in frustration. “Fuck.”

  “Yeah, you said it,” says Drake calmly. He leans back beside me, taking a swig of his beer. “Well, that was intense. You good?”

  “Drake, I’m so far from good right now. I want to go after them.”

  “Not smart,” he advises. “That dude, her father, is no slouch. He’s an admiral, huh? He meant business. You’ll be lucky if you get to set eyes on Berkeley again, dude.”

  I turn to stare at him. “And you think that’s okay with me?”

  He shakes his head, slowly. “No. But we’ll figure something out.”

  Chase appears next to me then, out of nowhere.

  “Where the hell have you been?” I ask louder than I intended.

  He stares at me in surprise and holds up his phone. “Outside. I was talking to Shay.” He furrows his eyebrows as a shadow crosses his expression. “I’m worried about her. I hate that she’s there, alone with him.”

  “Yeah, well you can join the Worried Boyfriends Club,” I snap. Then I curse. “Sorry, Chase. Berkeley just got snatched out of here by her dad, and he wasn’t gentle about it. I’m worried about her, too. I don’t even know how I’m still standing here right now.”

  “Because you know I’ll drag your ass back if you try to go after them,” offers Drake. “She said she’d call you.”

  I pull my phone out of my pocket and stare at it, willing it to ring, knowing she hasn’t even had time to get home yet.

  “Are you ready?” I ask them both. I can’t stay here anymore. Every second the music pounds into my eardrums, I grow a little more anxious and fidgety. I need to get the guys home and be ready to get to Berkeley if she needs me.

  They both nod, and we exit the club after Drake picks up our beer tab. The entire drive home, I replay her exit with her father. I definitely didn’t win any points with him tonight, but I wasn’t trying to. I was trying to keep him from ripping her arm off in order to yank her out of the club. How’d he even find her, anyway? The thought crosses my mind that he probably has a GPS tracker on her phone, or even her car.

  The man has some serious control issues.

  And I can’t stand the thought of Berkeley being caught up in them. The more I question what he’s capable of, the more anxious I become.

  I can wait only until after I drop off Chase and Drake at home. I’ll give her that long. I know I won’t be able to stay put if Berkeley hasn’t called me by then.

  I send a silent prayer up to the giant black expanse above me that she’ll call me by then.

  20

  Berkeley

  It’s late. The Admiral is usually in bed by nine, unless he’s working, so the fact that he’d shown up at Smash to collect me at least two hours after he’s usually snoring the night away tells me that he’s very serious about the whole “Force Berkeley to Fall in Line” plan. I’m beyond pissed.

  As soon as we walk in the front door, I storm for the stairs.

  “We’re not finished, Berkeley,” his stern voice calls behind me.

  I whirl around. “No, you know
what? We are. This will never happen again. I’m a grown woman with a college degree. I don’t have to stay here and tolerate this borderline psychotic behavior! I’m going to pack a bag, and I can stay with Mea until I find my own place. But I’m not doing this anymore, Daddy.”

  I start up the stairs and don’t stop running until I reach my room. Slamming the door behind me, I lean against it, my chest heaving. A million and one emotions are chasing one another through my head, but the one at the front of the pack right now is fury. How could he treat me like a child? What have I done over all of these years to encourage him? He thinks he owns me. He thinks that his job as a father is to make me into the person he wants me to become. And my mother? She just repeats whatever he says like it’s the Bible.

  I take a deep breath, sucking air in through my nose and blowing it out of my mouth. My hair lifts up with the exhaling breath, and when it falls back against my face I think of Dare.

  Shit. He’s probably one step away from getting into his truck and barreling over here like…well, like an Army Ranger, and attempting to save the day. A war with my father is exactly the last thing he needs in his life right now, or ever.

  I pull my phone out of my clutch and punch in his number. I smile wryly, unable to remember the last time I actually called a guy.

  “Hey.” His voice is low and relieved when he answers. It sends all kinds of tingly feelings shooting through my belly. “Are you okay? Do you want me to come get you?”

  I hear his keys jingling on the other end, like he’s already walking toward his truck.

  “No.” I sigh. “I’m packing up, though. I can’t stay here, Dare.”

  “Berkeley.” His voice is calm and commanding, and I can tell his training has just kicked into high gear. “I’m already inside my truck. Let me come and get you. Please.”

  I shake my head as I crouch down beside my bed to pull out my Coach suitcase. “I need my car, Dare. I’m going to go stay at Mea’s. Tomorrow, I start applying for jobs with interior design firms anywhere and everywhere. It’s time for me to start my life.”