by Mandy Harbin
She shrugged. “He’s a student at—”
“No,” Gauge said, cutting her off. “He’s not.”
She blinked, trying to understand what the man said. Shaking her head, she said, “Yes, he goes to—”
“No—”
“Gauge,” Hunter snapped. “Knock it off. This isn’t an interrogation.” He looked at Maya. “What he means is how and where you met Jake. Specifically,” he said, his tone much gentler than the other guy.
“I, er, I mean, I saw him around campus. He flirted with me at the coffee shop a few times. I didn’t know how to take it at first. I wasn’t used to guys being so forward with me.” She looked down and played with her hands. “I was partying at the bar with Heather one night when he asked me out the first time.” She shrugged. “I said no, but he persisted. We started going out a few weeks after that.”
“So you never had any classes with him?” Hunter asked. She looked at him and frowned. It felt a little weird talking about her ex to a guy she’d just—not going there.
“No. He’s older than me and a business major. No way would I study that, and he’s already taken his core classes. There’s no reason why we’d ever be in the same classes.”
“Do you have any friends in common?” Gauge asked.
Her gaze cut to him. “No.” His question hadn’t been as forceful, but she wasn’t sure where this was going.
“Ever been to his house?”
Heat flooded her cheeks. “No,” she muttered. God, why did she have to feel embarrassed about that? She was a grown woman. There wasn’t anything wrong with her being at her boyfriend’s place. If she ever had been. “He, um, always came to the dorm.”
“What do you mean by that?” Gauge asked.
Yep, her face was on fire now. Why couldn’t a hole form and swallow her? Make her disappear from this conversation? She could slink back into the couch and keep praying for a miracle void to engulf her, or she could confront this guy. Okay, maybe she wasn’t that ballsy, but she could pretend.
“He was my boyfriend,” she said in a shaky voice. “What do you think I mean?” She raised her eyebrows, challenging him, and he smirked.
“I don’t need to know how good of a fuck he was.”
Hunter stiffened and she gasped at Gauge’s crudeness, but it didn’t take long for her to find her voice. “Good, because I don’t kiss and tell. You have something you seriously need to know, then ask. Otherwise, you can go screw yourself.”
Gauge held up his hands. “My apologies. That was out of line.” No kidding, she thought. He took a deep breath as he leaned in. “But we’ve learned some disturbing things about Mr. Jake, so we need to know more about why he was in your life.”
“Like what?” she asked, narrowing her gaze.
Gauge’s gaze shot to Hunter. Maya glanced at him, too, when the other man didn’t look at her. Hunter sat still as a statue until finally the slightest nod came from him. It was as if Gauge was asking for his permission. Why would he do that? The jerk hadn’t seemed to care about anyone’s feelings a few seconds ago.
Or maybe it was just hers he didn’t care about. She didn’t understand why that bothered her, but it did. Her palms got slick as she waited for Gauge to continue.
“Jake Oberman is in the mafia.”
She blinked.
Her mouth opened.
She swallowed.
She stared.
When neither of the guys said anything else, she burst out laughing. Like, tears in her eyes, full on fits. She could barely breathe. This was this most ridiculous thing she’d ever heard. When she finally could manage words, she asked, “What?” But still giggled. Totally absurd. “That’s insane.”
“It’s not a laughing matter, Maya,” Gauge said.
“He’s being serious,” Hunter added.
Her humor died an instant death, and she immediately felt the blood drain from her face. “What?” she asked again, this time barely a whisper. Were they for real?
“Your ex is an enforcer in a crime family we, uh…keep track of.”
Her mind raced. They had to be mistaken. Jake wasn’t a criminal. Okay, she figured he was capable of vandalizing her car, but what they were talking about was so far beyond that it wasn’t in the same hemisphere. No way were they right about this… Were they?
But… What if there was some truth to this news? Why else would they say it? And what did it all mean? She couldn’t keep up with her flying thoughts, but what she blurted out wasn’t anything she’d consciously considered, a whole new reality slamming her in the face.
“Because SEALs do that, right? Keep track of the mafia?” she asked incredulously. Maybe she’d meant to throw the attention off herself, but when he broke eye contact, she felt the truth settle into her bones. “You’re not in the military.”
“No,” was all he said before looking at Gauge. “I don’t think she knows anything.”
“She could be a good actor.” Gauge shrugged.
“Wait, what?” she said, glancing back and forth between them. “You think I knew about this? I’m not even sure I believe this.” She glared at Hunter. “And I’m not the one holding out in the information department, Hunter.” An image of the letter Jake had left in her car flashed in her mind, but she ignored it. That letter didn’t matter. Not anymore.
“You’re on a need-to-know basis,” Gauge said.
“I wasn’t talking to you,” she yelled before getting to her feet. She stared at Hunter, who looked too calm, too unrepentant. “You want to know about me and Jake? Fine. I thought he was a student with a bad-boy streak who lived in an apartment off campus. He excited me, but I later realized his behavior was sadistic, bordering on abusive. But hell, what do I know? When I realized what I’d gotten into, I. Cut. It. Off. But, guess what? He’s not the type to take no for an answer, so he stalked me. Followed me around. Made it blatantly obvious sometimes, but even when I didn’t see him, I still had the sensation I was being watched. I don’t know where he lives. I don’t know what he does for a living. I obviously didn’t handle the situation well at all. He saw an easy target, and I fell for his lies. Sheltered little Maya got duped by the illusive bad boy. That what you want to hear? Because it seems to me you know more about him than I ever did.”
She turned and left the room. If either of them came after her, she would blow up. Again. She was steaming mad.
And confused as hell.
Jake was in the mob? Was it true? If so, how could she have missed that? He could’ve been so much more dangerous than she’d ever realized, and she’d been too naive to see the signs.
Or ask him any serious questions.
She’d let his sexy charm woo her stupid.
Just like she’d done with Hunter.
And that reminded her of even more crap she’d just learned. Hunter wasn’t even in the military. Really? He’d lied to her
But what also hurt was knowing he wasn’t the only one who’d lied. So had her best friend.
Somewhere deep inside, she knew there was probably a good explanation for Heather’s betrayal, like her friend probably felt it wasn’t her place to talk about her brother’s secrets, but Maya didn’t want to be logical right now.
It was apparent she couldn’t be trusted with logic anyhow. Even after she’d told herself she was through with bad boys, here she was, letting another one cloud her judgment. But it wasn’t even the men’s fault. It was hers. This wasn’t the idyllic fifties they were living in. She should know better than to take anyone at face value. Should. She obviously didn’t. Yeah, logic totally evaded her.
She would learn, though. She’d been dealt two big lessons already. She’d made her mistakes in the romance department, challenged love and lost. Not anymore.
She wasn’t foolish enough to believe it was safe for her to go back to school just yet, especially after discovering Jake’s real job, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t do better at fighting the temptation Hunter presented. She’d done a crappy job so far and would pr
obably have more difficulty sticking to her guns. But if she got weak, all she’d have to do was remind herself he’d lied to her, too.
And no matter how sexy a man was, she couldn’t be with anyone she didn’t trust.
Chapter Ten
Hunter tossed the wrench out from under the car he’d been working on as he cursed. He’d started working on his old man’s piece of shit car again this past week as an excuse to stay out of the house. The junked-up Chevelle had seen better days, even after he and his dad started the restoration. After his dad died, though, Hunter couldn’t bring himself to continue it. Not for a few years anyway, and then it was only for a couple of hours here and there. It wasn’t until this week that he’d thrown himself into it again.
He didn’t care if he was using the car as his reason to avoid the woman only yards away. He should thank her for freeing up the space in his garage when he was done.
“And you’re a dick,” he muttered, knowing he’d never be that mean. Not to her. Jesus, he didn’t know what to think of her or why she ignited things within him. But she did. For that reason alone, he couldn’t say something hateful like that.
“Hey now, most people think I’m pretty awesome,” Brody said.
Hunter rolled from under the car, smile already on his face. “What are you doing here?” He wasn’t complaining. He welcomed the new distraction.
Brody leaned against the built-in tool cabinet and crossed his arms. He shook his head as a slight humorless laugh slipped out. “Xan figured you’d need a break from your ward.”
Hunter reached out and grabbed a rag before hoisting himself up. He wiped his hands as he smiled at Brody. “Thank her for me, would ya?”
“Yeah,” he said slowly. “You can thank her yourself. She’s in your house.”
Hunter’s smile slipped. Why was Xan here? “Oh.”
“With Roxie.”
“Er, why?” He tossed the rag to the side and propped his hands on his hips.
“Sorry, man.” He shrugged. “Your houseguest lives in the Dallas-Forth Worth area. Much larger than Little Rock. She wants to talk shopping. For the wedding.” He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “This is gonna cost me a fuck ton of money.”
Hunter couldn’t feel his fingers. He fisted his hands, released. Nope, still couldn’t feel them. His heart pounded, ears rang. What the hell was wrong with him? He liked Xan, and he’d grown up with Roxie. It shouldn’t matter if they were alone with Maya. He trusted them. And if Xan wanted to talk about her wedding with Maya—
Blood rushed to his head. Oh fuck me. It was Maya and wedding mingling in his brain that caused the reaction. Hell, no. No. He wasn’t the marrying kind. He couldn’t ever risk that with anyone. Besides, he didn’t know Maya that well. They hadn’t even had sex. Why would she elicit that kind of reaction from him when chicks he’d banged casually for years never had?
He slammed the door shut on that thought. It didn’t matter.
When he looked at Brody again, the man continued to wallow in the financial woes of planning a wedding. Rather than think of Maya, Hunter would focus on his sister. He could relate to Brody on that level. At least Xan didn’t think plastic should be a precious metal.
“I feel ya,” he finally said. “Heather gets an idea in her head and she wants the best. Doesn’t matter how much it’ll cost.”
Brody’s hand fell to his side as he chuckled. “Dude, I would never say this to Xan, but the wedding is bringing out the fashion diva from her past life.”
Hunter whistled low.
“Yeah. Nothing is good enough. The venues we’ve looked at are too commercial looking. The dresses are too traditional. Nothing is right. These are her words, of course. I’d get married on a pig farm today if she’d let me.”
“Bridezilla.”
“Bride what?” Brody reared back.
“Bridezilla. It’s what happens when a normally sweet girl turns into a raging monster during her wedding planning and such.”
Brody’s face turned dark. “And how the hell do you know that?”
Uh-oh. Hunter wasn’t insulting Xan. “It’s a thing.” He lifted his hands and took a tentative step backward. “There’s even a T.V. show about it. Heather watched it all the damn time.”
Brody looked down, frowning. “So it’s gonna get worse?” he groaned.
Hunter relaxed. “Sorry, man, but yeah. I don’t know why they do that. It’s a woman thing, I guess.”
Brody walked over to the Chevelle and poked around under the hood. “I don’t know what to do. Everything I suggest, she shuts down.”
Seeing Brody look somewhat vulnerable eased a little of the tension that had been building for days. Hunter walked to the car and leaned over it, facing his friend from the other side. Never in his life had he imagined he’d be talking wedding planning in his garage while tinkering with a car.
But this was what Brody needed.
And Hunter knew he could benefit from the different topic.
“What have you suggested?”
Brody looked up, shocked. “Huh?”
“C’mon, man. About the wedding. What have you suggested?”
He blew out a breath. “Everything from renting a ball room downtown to getting married in a little country church.”
Hunter nodded slowly. “And why didn’t she like those ideas?”
“Um,” he hesitated, looking up. “Ball room was too fancy. Convention center was too sterile. Country church was too dated.”
“Too dated?” Hunter frowned.
Brody stood and rested his arm across the open hood. “Yeah, it had paneling. I mentioned it because she said she wanted a country chic wedding.”
“What’s that?”
“Fuck, I don’t know.” Brody shoved away from the car and began to walk back and forth alongside it. “The best I can tell is that it’s a classy wedding with a country feel.”
“Classy and country. Those words don’t go together.”
“I know,” Brody muttered. “I’d prefer it to be as private as possible. For security reasons, you know? But damn, it’s like she’s going for something very specific, but she doesn’t know what that is. It’s like she’s being difficult on purpose.”
“Bridezilla,” Hunter said matter-of-factly.
Brody barked out a laugh, and Hunter joined in. When they both finally caught their breath, Brody said, “Thanks, man. I needed that.”
“Anytime.”
After picking up a socket wrench, Brody leaned over the car again as he twirled it. “Seriously, though, if you think of a place that might even sorta fit the country chic she wants, for the love of God, let me know.”
Hunter chuckled. “I will…hmm.” An idea came to him. It was so far out there, he almost laughed. It was almost ridiculous he’d even thought it. It had disaster written on it on so many levels, but—
“What? If you have an idea, you better spit it out.”
He nodded slowly. “Yeah. Um, Roc has that huge barn on his property he’s almost finished building. Don’t know why he even bothered with it since he doesn’t like horses. Says they need too much attention. But it’s new and clean. And private.” He shrugged.
“Roc?”
“Hey, you know how I feel about him.” Hunter wasn’t surprised he’d zeroed in on the mention of their colleague and not the fact that he’d suggested they get married in a barn.
Brody immediately started shaking his head. “He’d never go for it. He’s too selfish to do anything for anybody else.”
“If your lovely fiancée is in full monster-mode, maybe he won’t be able to turn her down.”
“Yeah, but a barn?” Brody frowned. “I wasn’t joking when I said I’d get married on a farm. I even mentioned it to her and she got so mad I thought she was going to make me sleep on the couch.”
Hunter stepped closer to him. “Okay, but a farm has a bunch of stinky animals and cow patties everywhere. Not surprised she doesn’t want to smell shit as she takes her vows.
Think about it…Roc’s barn is animal free still. Hell, he doesn’t even have a dog. Plus, he’s building that thing from reclaimed barn wood, so it’d look authentic. It’s about as rustic chic as you can get.”
Brody was silent for a while as he tapped his chin slowly. Finally, he said, “Country chic, but you make some good points. Wouldn’t hurt to mention it to Xan.”
“True.”
Brody pointed at him. “But if she doesn’t like it, I’m blaming you.”
“Throw me under the bus, dude. I don’t care.” He smiled.
Brody picked up a rag and started rubbing a spot on the frame, but it didn’t seem to Hunter that the man was really too focused on the car. “Rusted.”
Hunter took a closer look. “Not all the way through.”
Without moving his head, Brody glanced up. “Miss you at the shop.” He looked down and continued to rub, confirming his theory the man’s mind was somewhere else. “Be glad when this case is over.”
Hunter swallowed, remembering the conversation he’d had with Gauge. Everybody at the shop knew about his past. It wasn’t something he was proud of, and facing it with the guys he worked with was going to be hard. It was better to start addressing it now. “Look, about Rudolph—”
“Been looking into him,” Brody said without taking his focus away from his mindless task. “He’s coming up clean. Hasn’t even stepped foot in the States in almost a year.”
After letting that information sink in, Hunter said, “I mean about my past—”
Brody stood and looked at him. “Don’t, brother. We all have pasts. I’m exhibit A though Z. Living in the past screws up your present. And your future.”
“Not all of us are lucky enough to have our memories taken,” Hunter said casually, not trying to be offensive. Brody had worked for another mafia family, true, but he didn’t have to live with flashbacks to his darker time. His friend’s amnesia was, in many ways, a blessing.
“I’m grateful for a lot of things.” He pointed toward the open overhead door. “That woman over there? She’s my life now. That’s all that matters. What I did…what any of us did before we woke up today? Yeah, none of that’s important. You feel me?”