Joke

by Mia Malone

  “Sissy,” he said, clearly conveying both his annoyance and the fact that he expected me to say something.

  “Yes,” I said.

  He didn’t get it.

  “Do you want me to back off?”

  I took a deep breath, and then I did what I hadn’t done in many years. Not for real in a way that mattered. I took a chance on something that might cut me open in a way that would hurt, and I did it because it was something that might be beautiful.

  “No, Joke. I don’t want you to back off.”

  ***

  Joke

  “Okay,” he said and focused on breathing evenly.

  She had told him that she was on board with him hitting on her. If it had been any other woman, he’d asked her if she wanted another beer and if she wanted that beer on the couch. Then he would have put his hand on her cheek, moved his thumb over her mouth and pulled her closer. One thing would have led to another which would have meant he’d empty that beer in the sink the next morning and make her breakf –

  “Joke?”

  Shit. He’d sat there staring at her like a lovesick puppy.

  “Do you like scrambled eggs?”

  She blinked, and he wanted to kick himself. Whatever the fuck had happened to his goddamned brain?

  “Now?” she asked with a surprised grin and indicated her plate which was empty.

  “I meant –” Crap. Get a grip. “Just making conversation, babe,” he said, took a deep breath and added, “Do you want another beer?”

  She made a small face and raised her chin. He waited and felt his brows go up when she winced.

  “What?”

  She pressed her lips together briefly and murmured, “I’m sorry, Joke, but I don’t like beer.”

  The way she looked at him made him wonder if she thought he’d be upset with her drink preferences.

  “Might have been a good thing to tell me before you drank that,” he said calmly and twitched his head toward the empty beer bottle in front of her.

  “You gave it to me,” she murmured.

  “I have a fantastic white wine in the fridge. Bottles of water. Coke. Could have given you either of those instead.”

  “Oh.”

  He watched her for a second, and then he leaned in.

  “Promise me one thing, babe?” That hand he’d told himself he’d keep off her went up of its own accord and held her chin softly. “If there’s ever anything I do that you don’t like, you tell me.”

  She tried to nod, but he needed to hear the words. He knew what kind of man he was, and it was the kind of man who easily walked right over a lot of people. He didn’t want to be that man with her, and he’d try, but she still needed to tell him she’d stand up to him whenever she was uncomfortable.

  “Okay,” she said. “Promise.”

  “Good. Let’s clear the table and go for a walk.”

  “We could…”

  He stopped moving plates to the sink when she trailed off and turned to watch her.

  “Babe?”

  “You might not want to, but I would very much like to have a glass of wine at Oak. I’ve never seen the place from the customer side of the bar, and it looks like it’s a fun place to be.”

  There wasn’t one single thing she could have said that could have pleased him more. Oak was more than his business. It was a part of him. Of who he was. And she’d just told him that this was where she wanted to spend time on their first date.

  “It is a fun place,” he said, cleared the hoarseness out of his voice and grinned at her. “If the others are there, they’ll have to buy that imported shit which costs a whack, and I get to watch them drink it.”

  “They don’t like it?”

  “They all drink ale from the local breweries mostly. Lager from Europe is a new habit.”

  She blinked.

  “But why –”

  “They’re being dicks, that’s all. Let’s go.”

  Mac was at the bar and the look on his face when they walked in just as he was putting a glass of draft ale to his mouth made Joke laugh. The bar was busy, so he walked in behind it and got himself a beer and Sissy the glass of Pinot Grigio she’d said she preferred. He saw how people were watching them, but no one commented on the fact that they clearly were on a date.

  He was about to suggest a game of pool when the door opened and a tall man with white blonde hair in a crew cut walked in. He looked around, and Joke felt Sissy straighten next to him.

  “Niels,” she whispered.

  The man raised a finger and said something in a language Joke didn’t understand. Then he walked straight over to Mac and started talking.

  “Gimme a sec, babe,” Joke said and walked over to see what was going on.

  “I’m not gonna cause any problems. Just want five minutes with her, then I’ll leave,” the man said.

  He had a slight accent and Joke suspected he knew exactly who the man was.

  “Joke,” Mac said. “This is Niels Hansen. He’s apparently an acquaintance of your woman.”

  “Huh,” Joke said, by which he meant get the fuck out of here.

  “The brothers owe me. I’m collecting that debt now,” the man said quietly. “Five minutes with Lovisa, that’s all I want. I won’t harm her. Our grandparents live in the same village back in Norway, and I just want to make sure she’s okay. Need to tell her she’s protected here.”

  What the actual fuck?

  “Owe you?” Mac said just as quietly.

  “Your sister had some problems last year,” the man said, looking straight at Joke.

  Yes. He was precisely who Joke thought he was. The Norwegian fucking sniper who was a part of the criminal group Muerta. The group who had kidnapped Jenny last summer. It also meant that he was the man who had killed Jenny’s asshole of an ex-husband. And he had a connection to Sissy? What the fuck were the odds of that?

  “I’m there while you talk to Sissy,” Joke said, acknowledging the debt but still not sure about the man’s motives.

  “Fair enough.”

  “Let’s go.”

  After a brief hug, Sissy and the man sat down at a table in a corner. Joke stood behind her, watching the bar and the double doors but still listening while they talked. He didn’t understand a single word because Niels had greeted Sissy in Norwegian. She’d said she had Scandinavian ancestry, but he hadn’t understood that it wasn’t many generations back like most other folks. One of her parents must be Norwegian he realized.

  Exactly five minutes later, the man stood abruptly.

  “Tell her she should let me,” he murmured, nodded and walked out of the bar.

  Mac slid off the barstool and ambled out after him with a nod toward Joke.

  “What was that about?”

  “He’s a good man, Joke,” Sissy said.

  “What is it you should let him do?”

  “Kill the one who hurt me.”

  Joke blinked a few times. She’d said it so matter of factly that he thought he’d misunderstood but the way she looked at him told him she was serious.

  “I can’t let him,” she said, made a face and went on, “I’ll tell you, but not now. Not today. Please.”

  “Okay,” he agreed, which was not what he wanted to say, but she was right.

  This wasn’t the time or place. She also looked more thoughtful than upset, so he suggested a game of pool and then they spent an hour playing and talking to people.

  “Time to head upstairs?” he asked when she’d lost, again, and she grinned.

  “Yes,” she said.

  ***

  Sissy

  To see Niels walk in was such a surprise. I didn’t recognize him at first which was partly because I hadn’t expected the grandson of my grandparents’ friends to walk into my place of work in a small town in the Rockies. It shouldn’t have been as surprising as it had been, though. Niels had been born while his parents were working for the UN in New York so he had an American passport and I knew he spent a lot of his ti
me moving around in the world. I also knew he did things which were what one would call more than a little shady. My father kept an eye on him through his contacts, and he’d muttered more than once that the boy needed to get a fucking grip. Since the boy was four years younger than me, I doubted it would happen anytime soon since it hadn’t happened so far.

  The main reason I didn’t recognize him was since he was seriously overweight, though. He hadn’t been when I saw him the last time, and it didn’t look good on him at all, which wasn’t something I pointed out to him in the few minutes we’d spent together, mostly because I suspected he already knew. I also guessed that the way he looked was related to the shadows in his eyes and I knew where they came from. I’d cried when I heard about how his niece had been raped and how she had killed herself.

  It had been sweet to speak my grandparents’ language again, and the calm confidence in Niels’ eyes had been reassuring. He’d offered to shoot that man like he had several times before, and I rejected his offer like I always did. I knew he’d talked to my dad, and that he knew why he couldn’t just rid this earth of what they both referred to as vermin, but he wasn’t happy about it.

  Joke watched over me while we talked and that made me feel safe too. I knew he wanted to know more than what I’d shared about what happened to me, and I would tell him. The night had been happy, though, and I didn’t want to go into my depressing history. I wanted to laugh and enjoy a soft buzz of anticipation I hadn’t felt in a very long time.

  So we’d played pool for a while, and I’d enjoyed letting Joke stand behind me to aim my cue in a way I wouldn’t tell him I knew well how to do. Then he asked me if we should walk upstairs and heat washed through me again. He’d said we’d go slow, but surely he’d invite me in for another drink or some coffee or whatever?

  Except he didn’t.

  He murmured that I should wait a sec, went into his place and came back with a small gift-wrapped item.

  “Housewarming gift,” he said.

  His voice was low, and the deep rumble caused a full body shiver. Then he pushed the parcel into my hand and leaned in closer.

  “Thanks,” I whispered.

  “Open it later, Siss. Figured it’d be creepy if I gave you sex-toys, and thought that this might be better than a movie.”

  My lids had lowered, but at his words, my eyes flew wide open. My startled gaze met his amused one, and then he bent his head until his lips were almost touching mine.

  “Goodnight, baby,” he murmured, brushed his lips softly against my mouth, and went into his place.

  I stood for a few stunned seconds watching the door as it closed behind him.

  What the hell had just happened?

  I stumbled inside and tore the paper off my housewarming gift. Then I stared at the book he’d given me. On the cover was a naked, ripped and very manly chest.

  Weak laughter moved up my throat when I realized that Joke Tucker had calmly handed me what looked like a very erotic romance novel.

  Chapter Six

  Sissy

  I wanted to hit Joke Tucker with a crowbar. When he’d said we would take it slow, he had in no way been joking and why had the stupid man started wearing those tight t-shirts? And what was that thing with his hair? He’d suddenly stopped having it in a pony-tail. Or, not stopped exactly because it was tied back when he was working but when he came out of the shower after working out at Gibson’s barn, he let his wet hair hang loose to dry, and it looked so hot I thought I’d combust into flames from looking at him. The fact that he seemed to come out of the shower bare-chested whilst buttoning up his pants more often than not was stupid too.

  We kissed, and I’d had his hands on various places. I’d had my hands on various places. All of those places had been nice. And clothed.

  The damned book he gave me hadn’t made things easier. I told myself I had to read it in case he asked, and holy cow, it was hot. I’d started on it before walking down to Oak for my shift the day after our first date and had spent the whole evening regretting both it and my tight jeans which pressed into my crotch with every move I made. Joke had watched me with an amused grin, and I suspected he knew exactly how I felt.

  Hoping to unwind and not think about a man who was slowly driving me insane, I accepted an invite to take a look at Day’s home which was located a fifteen-minute drive outside town.

  It was gorgeous. The outside looked like an old and well-kept farmhouse. The inside was completely remodeled, and windows had been added to the backside, so he had an amazing view over the mountains and what looked like a swimming pool. When he made me a double espresso in an Italian espresso machine, I felt like going down on my knees in gratitude because that was the one item I missed the most from my old home. Dante didn’t drink coffee, but he liked his gadgets and had bought a ridiculously expensive machine for my birthday back when we were still pretending our marriage was good.

  When we’d finished our coffee, and it was time for me to get back to my shift, Day followed me to my car, pointing out his garage, a storage building and a guest house he told me his kids used when they visited. He must have spent a fortune on his home, but I didn’t want to pry, and just assumed he’d invested the money he’d made in his skiing days wisely.

  “What happened to you?” I asked quietly when we stood by my car.

  “What?” he asked, pretending to not understand, but I needed him to know that I saw the shadows in his eyes and that he could lean on me if he needed it.

  “You hide it, but something happened,” I said quietly.

  “Something happened to you too,” he said with a tight smile.

  “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it,” I said and put an arm around his waist to give him a small hug. “But yeah, I’ve been through shit too. If you need an ear or a shoulder, I’m here, that’s all.”

  He hugged me back, and I felt him sigh.

  “I grew up good, Sissy. Fucking fantastic family. Skiing was great, studies went great, lots of ladies around me. Olympic fucking gold. Then shit happened. My sister ran away from home, never came back. Other shit happened, and within a year I’d lost all of my family.”

  I closed my eyes and nodded.

  “That sucks, Day. I’m sorry.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Your sister ran away?”

  “She was always restless. I spent years looking for her, but in the end, I had to give up. Started roaming the world instead and I love this place, but… it doesn’t matter what I do to it. There are still too many memories.” He sighed again, and added quietly, “I’m not sure it’s home anymore. Not sure I have a home.”

  “I know how that feels,” I said quietly.

  We stood in silence for a while and then he squeezed my shoulders.

  “It’s good to have you here, Sissy. I know Joke told you already, but you should hear from me too that you’re safe here. We’ll keep you safe.”

  “I know,” I said, knowing they’d try at least and that felt sweet.

  “I’ve told the others what happened to you, but I just know what was in the papers. You should tell us.”

  “I know,” I repeated.

  ***

  Gibson ordered a bottle of Heineken, and when I straightened I saw the grin he was aiming at Joke, and suddenly got it. My leg was mostly fine but crouching down would put a strain on the knee which would hurt so when I got the imported bottles of beer from the bottom shelf in the fridge behind the bar I did it with straight legs.

  Which meant I had my backside in the air.

  “Gib, really?” I asked and walked back without the requested bottle.

  “Fuck it, you figured it out,” he snorted. “We’ve been having way too much fun watching Joke and Tug try to not look at your ass when you reach for those bottles.”

  Perhaps I should have been offended by their ogling, but it was also kind of funny, so I wasn’t. I held my grin back, though, and turned to Tug who wasn’t working but still spent his evening in the b
ar.

  “Seriously?” I asked haughtily, brows raised and all.

  “Well, yeah,” he said. “It’s a very nice behind, Sissy. Would be a crime not to watch. Like going to that museum in Paris and avoid looking at the Mona Lisa.”

  I couldn’t hold my grin back then.

  “You just compared my ass to a DaVinci painting?”

  “Totally.”

  “This gives you a whiskey on the house,” I said calmly and poured him one.

  “Babe,” Joke said from his end of the bar.

  “Oh, just dock it from my pay-check, asswatcher,” I snapped, handed Tug the glass, and turned back to Gibson. “What would you really like to have?”

  Gibson was laughing so hard he couldn’t speak, but he pointed at the tap he apparently preferred.

  “It’s Mister Asswatcher to you, babe,” Joke murmured into my ear. “And I agree with Tug. Piece of art.”

  Then he moved away and I tried to look like the stubble on his cheek hadn’t scraped my neck in a way that sent a shiver down my spine. I saw his grin while he filled a tray with beer and suspected I’d failed, but managed to scowl in a totally fake way while I poured Gibson’s beer.

  Mac walked in a while later, ordered a Carlsberg, got a draft ale, and laughed sheepishly. Then Paddy joined them, and I decided it was time.

  “Mac,” I said when Joke rang the bell for the evening. “There are a few things I’ve been waiting for you to talk about.”

  “Okay,” he said, and looked at me as if I hadn’t just said that I expected him to talk and not me.

  “The things you found out when Joke asked you to check out my driver’s license,” I clarified.

  Mac blinked, and I turned to look at Joke, realizing that he’d believed what I told him that first day, without double-checking. Joke raised his brows when he noticed how I was staring at him, and walked toward me.

  “What?”

  “You never asked him to check my background?”

  “No need,” he said with a shrug.

  “Consider the asswatching forgiven,” I murmured, and turned to Mac. “I need to talk to you about some things.”

  “Okay,” he said calmly and looked at Paddy.