by Jamie Begley
It was one of the biggest mistakes of his life.
“I fucking wish.” Marty slammed the cash register closed, sending a customer hurrying out the door like a scalded cat.
“Dan is my ex-partner. Son of a bitch is the fucking reason I’m here flipping burgers instead of enjoying my retirement in the Bahamas.” Slamming more burgers on the sizzling grill, he continued his tirade. “Fuckhead stole forty grand from me and my wife. I hope his fucking dick rots off. Then my fucking cheating twat of a wife stole every last dime in the bank. Bitch even took my coin collection. I hope those tits I bought her shrink down to nuggets. Fucking bitch ….”
“I should have warned you not to mention Dan’s name,” Ginny whispered from out of the corner of her mouth.
Reaper glared at her as the profanity escalated from the grill.
“I’ll have to work another motherfucking twenty years before I can retire now.”
Ginny gave Marty an apologetic smile as he plopped two bags in front of them. With a thick hand, he then reached out to slide the ketchup and mustard bottles closer to them.
“Thank you, Marty. I’m sure Christy regrets her decision to leave you.”
Reaper nearly gagged at the sweetness coming off Ginny.
“I doubt it. The other three I married didn’t.”
The asswipe had found four women to marry him? The bastard had to have been loaded. It certainly wasn’t his looks or personality that had drawn them.
“Don’t choke on your thanks, fuckwad.”
Reaper tensed, bringing his hands to the counter to rise. His was going to break every bone in the asswipe’s body.
A firm hand on his thigh stopped him cold.
“Gavin’s just jetlagged. Our plane took off early this morning.” Ginny’s attempt to diffuse the situation had the anger draining out of him like pulling a plug in a sink.
“My bad.” Reaper planted his ass back down on the metal stool. “Thanks.”
Scowling at him from the other side of the counter, Marty heaved his hefty body back to his grill.
Removing her hand from his thigh, Ginny opened one of the bags as if nothing had happened, taking out a burger that resembled the size of a White Castle burger. Taking a bite, she scooted the other bag closer to him. “Eat up.”
He had no intention of touching the fucking food with a ten-foot pole.
“Trust me.” Taking a bite of her burger, she popped the top of the soda can. “Marty can be a little hard to take, but you’re going to love him as much as I do.”
“Doubtful.”
Reaper testily opened his bag, tilting it to look inside. The burgers were on the bottom of the bag, and Marty had dumped the fries on top. Taking one of the fries out, he popped it into his mouth as he dug one of the burgers out from under the mound of fries.
Ginny watched him with a smile. “Marty says it saves paper products by the way he bags them.”
“It would save paper if he served them on dishes, too.”
“Then you’re wasting water.”
The way the asswipe had converted her to his way of thinking had to be a result of the taste of the burgers or the man’s winning personality. Being around him less than fifteen minutes, he knew it wasn’t Asswipe’s personality.
Achieving his goal, Reaper pulled out one of the burgers. Ginny was starting on her second burger before he had started his first. Fuck.
Ginny nodded at him when his eyes widened in shock, silently agreeing with her on how amazing the burger was. The fries were nothing to sneeze at, either.
Aware of Asswipe waiting on another customer, Reaper shoved the rest of the small burger into his mouth and dug in for another burger before the asswipe could see him.
“You need to open another restaurant in Treepoint. You would be a millionaire,” Ginny told Marty, pointing a fry at him.
“Wouldn’t do any good. It’s the grill that makes the hamburgers so good. It’s one hundred years old.
“Number 23 up!” Marty bellowed.
“This baby is seasoned from years and years of frying burgers.”
Reaper stared at the third burger that he pulled from the bag at that bit of information, wondering if Asswipe had ever cleaned the grill more than the greasy apron he was wearing. Reaper thought about asking how old the oil was in the fryer, then decided he really didn’t want to know.
When his hand came out empty as he tried to sneakily take out another burger, he couldn’t resist tilting the bag to make sure there wasn’t another that his fingers had missed. Fuck.
Ginny, happily munching, took another out of hers. He couldn’t understand how she was still eating when she started before he had.
Being nosy, he snagged her bag and looked inside to see yet another burger and more fries.
Taking the bag from him, Ginny reached for her last burger. “Marty guarantees you four burgers in your sack, but he leaves it to his discretion if he wants to add more.”
“How many did you get?”
“Six.”
“There’s a lot of fries in there too.”
“Marty has always been kind to me.”
“I’d say so.” Sarcasm dripped from his tone at Asswipe’s palpable satisfaction as he handed off a waiting customer’s order.
Regretting now that he had wolfed the burgers so fast, he enviously watched the customer leave with the sack of hamburger gold, debating how badly he wanted another burger. Enough to swallow his pride and order another sack?
Ginny put an end to his debate.
“You might as well place an order. He knows you want it.”
“I wasn’t—”
Ginny scoffed at him as she dug more fries out of her bag. “You know you want another sack, I know you want it, and Marty certainly knows you want it. Been here, done this before with Shade and Rider.”
Hurting his pride was still a hard pill to swallow.
“Next time, you can sit in the car while I order the food.”
“Is that what Shade and Rider did?”
“It’s what everyone does.”
“Except for you?”
“Rudeness doesn’t bother me. It’s a person being mean that I dislike.”
“There’s a difference?”
Wadding her empty sack, she gave him a direct look. “Rudeness hurts with words; meanness uses actions. One can heal; the other leaves scars.”
Getting up from her seat, Ginny went to the trash can to throw the sacks away. “Marty, I’ll take a jumbo to go,” she yelled out as she sat again. “I need to make up for lost time without having you close by.”
The only response from Asswipe was a snort from the vicinity of the grill.
Ginny smiled sunnily, inviting him to smile back. Reaper felt as if every ounce of oxygen had been sucked out the restaurant with that one smile.
Staring down at his hands, he saw they were shaking. He pressed them down on the counter to stop the telltale movement.
Precipitously, Reaper rose. “Cancel the order. Let’s go.” Managing to get the words out with the last bit of air in his lungs, he grabbed for his wallet in his back pocket, took out his cash, and strode toward the cash register, uncaring if Ginny followed him or not. Slapping some money on the counter, he was out the door before Marty could reach for it.
“I told him to keep the change,” Ginny said when she joined him.
He stood frozen, staring ahead, blanking, concentrating on getting his aching lungs to work.
“Wow. Those windows on that truck are tinted so dark, I can’t believe they can see to drive.”
He blinked at the truck that was driving by them. The tint didn’t look that dark.
“It’s getting warmer, don’t you think?”
To him, it felt the same as when they had gone into the restaurant.
“Won’t be long before spring is here. I can practically smell it in the air. Can’t you?”
Taking a deep breath of air, Reaper felt the oxygen flow into his lungs.
“All … I … can smell … is hamburgers,” he gasped out.
“You sure you don’t want me to get the jumbo sack to go?”
Shaking his head, Reaper wordlessly walked to the car, then got inside after Ginny electronically opened the door.
Ginny waited until she was in the flow of traffic before speaking. “Did I do something wrong?” She meekly looked at him through lowered lashes.
“No. I was full.”
Turning the radio on, he ignored her until they arrived at an apartment complex.
Taking his duffle bag, he followed her into the lobby then the elevator. Viper had rented the apartment next to Ginny’s during the duration of her contract to the band for use by The Last Riders.
When Ginny would have paused at the one he and Nickel would be staying in, he motioned her forward. “I want to check yours out. Stand in the doorway where I can see you,” he ordered her as she opened the door.
Stepping inside the apartment, Reaper prowled around. It was homey with decorative pillows on the overstuffed grey couch, while classy at the same time.
Going to a door, he opened it to find a closet. Moving to the kitchen, he gave it a perfunctory look, seeing there wasn’t a place for anyone to lie in wait. Going to a square hallway, he saw three doors. One was a bathroom. He took longer there, checking out the linen closet and the shower before going to the room across the hall. He was able ignore the headrush he received at the scent that hit him when he entered. Reaper didn’t have to be told that it was her bedroom; he could fucking smell her in there. It was like walking into a room filled with springtime.
Making quick work, he checked out two closets and a private bath before kneeling to look under her bed. Going to the window, he noticed the curtain provided adequate protection from prying eyes.
Leaving the bedroom, he made sure Ginny was staying put as he went into the guest room. Reaper gave it the same attention that he had given hers before going back to where she stood.
“Let me have your phone.”
Obediently, Ginny took her cell out of her purse, watching as he keyed a number at the top of the favorite contacts.
“Text me at least an hour before deciding to go out. I need to know where you want to go. Do not open your door before texting me, even if it’s Nickel. I’ll give you the go-ahead before you open your door if someone is coming over or knocks. If you hear anything you can’t place, lock yourself in your bedroom, then your bathroom. Keep all your windows locked. Don’t open them for any reason. Lock the door behind me.”
“Yes, sir.”
Walking past her, Reaper couldn’t avoid making eye contact, expecting to see sarcasm. What he found had him moving faster to get more distance between them.
“Lock the door.”
“Goodnight, Gavin.”
He rudely closed the door himself, waiting only long enough for the three locks to click in place before going to the apartment Viper had rented.
The apartment was laid out exactly like Ginny’s. The only difference was the furnishings. A huge black leather couch with a recliner would have given the brothers room to sprawl out comfortably to watch the massive television on the wall.
Finding the controller on an end table, he was flicking it to the news channel when Nickel came in, wheeling his suitcase.
“I tried to give Ginny her suitcases, but she wouldn’t open the door.”
Reaper walked to the open door, texting Ginny that it was okay to get her suitcase. Watching as she came out, he waited until she was inside before he shut the door.
Confused, Nickel stared at him. “Why wouldn’t she open the door for me?”
“Because I told her to open the door for me only.”
“Trust a brother much?”
“The last time I trusted a brother, I lost nearly ten years of my life.”
Nickel paled as if he’d been struck. “Sooner or later, you’re going to have trust someone again.”
“Won’t be today, so get over it.” Returning to the television, he started listening to the news, unconcerned with Nickel’s wounded pride. “Any tails?”
Nickel paused as if he was about to say something, then must have decided it would have been a wasted effort. “No. If anyone was watching, they’re good. I would have sworn someone would follow, but if they were, I didn’t see them.”
“If her stalker was there at the airport and didn’t follow, then he’s tailed her before and knew he wouldn’t be able to keep up. She drives like a lunatic.”
“I had to break a few limits to keep her in sight. She should go for the Cannonball Run,” Nickel said admirably, rolling his suitcase farther into the apartment. “You see anyone suspicious at the airport?”
“No.” Reaper pulled his boots off, dividing his concentration between Nickel and the news. “You?”
“No, but I agree someone was waiting for her to get off the plane.”
Neither tried to convince the other their instincts were wrong.
“I had a late night, only managed to get a cat nap before I met you. Mind if I get some sleep?”
“Go for it. I’m not tired.”
Reaper let Nickel take his choice of the bedrooms before going to the other one. Tossing his bag onto the bed, he took out a change of clothes before hitting the shower. The cool spray of water cleared out the tiredness he felt coming on.
Drying his body off, he dressed in a clean pair of jeans and a long-sleeved, black thermal shirt before heading back to the living room.
With the news playing in the background, he went into the kitchen for something to drink. Pouring himself a glass of orange juice as he towel-dried his hair, he decided to call Moon and give him a heads-up that he would be heading to Nashville.
Slinging the towel around his neck, he carried the glass into the living room to turn the television off before making the call. His finger hovered over the button as he listened to the news. Several minutes passed before he clicked the off button to take out his cell phone, pressing Viper’s name instead of Moon’s.
“If you calling to tell me you’re not staying—”
“That’s not why I’m calling,” Reaper interrupted. “Where are you?”
“Drinking a beer with Shade in the kitchen.”
“Both of you go to the factory office and call me back. Call Train to meet you there. We need a convo without listening ears. You can fill the others in later.”
“Give us five.”
When Viper disconnected the call, Reaper sat down on the couch to wait for his returning call. When it came, he told Viper to put it on speakerphone.
“Go ahead,” Viper said.
“You know what we talked about a couple of months ago?”
Viper grimly answered without pause, “Yes.”
“It’s here.”
Chapter Nine
Ginny entered the bright interior of the nightclub for the mandatory meeting that Kaden insisted everyone attend on the second day back in Nashville. The massive area had three bars with two dance floors. Seeing most of the staff and band members were sitting in front of the stage, Ginny found an empty table.
“How was your trip?”
Ginny gave a welcoming smile to the woman who took a chair across from her. She had been friends with Kimmy before they started playing in Nashville. “Fantastic.”
“Damn. I should have taken you up on your invitation to go.”
“Yes, you should have.” Feeling self-conscious, Ginny wished she had paid more attention to Kimmy’s advice about dressing up and putting on makeup, when the admiring gazes of the males in the room showed disappointment that the makeup artist and stylist sat down with her and not with them.
“Who’s the new eye candy?”
Ginny didn’t have to ask who Kimmy was talking about. Gavin stood out like a sore thumb, regardless of him trying to blend into the background of the side wall with Kaden’s security team.
“That’s Gavin.”
Kimmy winked at her good-naturedly.
“He attached like Rider and Shade are?”
Ginny felt like a rag doll sitting so close to Kimmy, even though she had made her best effort to be attractive. Kimmy, however, was gorgeous in any outfit. Meanwhile, Ginny had to spend an hour trying on clothes, endeavoring to achieve the same look of appreciation from Gavin that the men had showered on Kimmy. Her efforts had been a complete waste of time. She could have been dressed in a playboy bunny outfit, and he wouldn’t have noticed. The surge of jealousy she was experiencing was confounding and made her disappointed in herself.
“Yes.” The lie rolled of her tongue, making her feel like a terrible person, yet she made no effort to revise her answer. Placing Gavin under the category of “already taken” might not have been the brightest idea in the world, but it was the fastest one she could think of with Kimmy’s interest.
Alone, with the one-sided conviction that she and Gavin were meant to be together, she felt like a failure as a woman. She didn’t know how to flirt or use her feminine wiles. Heck, the one and only time she had tried to use false eyelashes made her look like a racoon.
Each time she felt a small crack opening to initiate anything romantic between them, he put out a no-trespassing sign physically and emotionally to shut her out immediately, and then she would have to start all over again. This morning, the air had a distinct chill when he was waiting for her outside her apartment door. Brusquely asking for the plans of the day, he severed any attempts of normal conversation. She reluctantly stopped trying to engage him five minutes into the fifteen-minute drive to the nightclub when he started texting on his phone. Arriving at the nightclub, he headed directly to the spot he was at now.
Ginny noticed the other security personnel gradually edging away from him, putting more space between them. The security’s team wariness emphasized the isolation that Gavin wanted from others. Gavin’s appearance alone would put the fear of God into any sane person, coupled with the aloofness he wore like a second skin by overlooking them, broke her heart a little piece at a time. One word or overture from him would ease their apprehension. They’d be able to look underneath the tattoos, imagine his hair neatly trimmed without the wacked off hair, and with a warm smile from him beckoning them closer, they would see the man she saw, the man she fell in love with on first sight.