Outlaw Tiger

by Terry Bolryder

  When they broke apart, she grinned and nodded down at the RV. “Shall we continue this somewhere a little more private?”

  He nodded, helped her down, then followed her into the trailer, ready to show her just how much he wanted her in return.

  15

  The next day found Mel and Dallas in the hotel parking lot, moving things in and out of her news van.

  If there was another basilisk sighting, she would need to be ready, and since she was staying in Dallas’s trailer, that meant having as much equipment on hand as possible.

  Dallas’s trailer.

  She stopped for a second, blissfully reminiscing about the night she’d had with him. He had finally opened up to her, told her about his family, his past, and it had felt so good, so right being there with him.

  And it hadn’t hurt that the sex afterward had been just as mind-blowing as ever.

  Realizing she was blushing, she shook her head and busied herself, trying to figure out what she would need and what she could leave. A spare high-quality camera would be nice, but she probably wouldn’t need to lug around any of the high-tech ones.

  Just as she was pulling one of the black bags from the back of the van, she saw Trent come out of the hotel doors and approach her, hands deep in khaki pockets.

  “I need to talk to you. In my room,” he said, wobbling a bit as he stepped down from the curb.

  Is he drunk?

  She nodded slowly. “Okay…”

  But Trent didn’t wait for her. Instead, he stepped back up and headed into the hotel just as Dallas came around the corner holding a cardboard box.

  He cocked an eyebrow as if asking if she wanted him to come along, but she shook her head. “It’s just Trent. I can handle it.”

  Dallas narrowed his eyes slightly but nodded and shrugged and took the camera bag from her, slinging it over his shoulder as Mel turned and headed for the hotel doors.

  What on earth could Trent want to talk about?

  He’d been incredibly flaky this trip, barely reaching out except for yesterday. Since then, she hadn’t been able to get ahold of him.

  When she got to his room, the door was open, so she stepped in, wrinkling her nose as she did. The place was a mess, clothes and garbage littered the floor, and everything reeked of beer and days-old pizza.

  Between her room getting trashed and this, there was no way that the company was going to handle the bill.

  Wonderful.

  Trent was sitting on the floor against the couch, beer can in hand. He looked up when she came in.

  “I got a call from the main office,” he said, downing the rest of the can and throwing it aside. “They said that we’re to head back early. Tonight.”

  “What?” Mel asked, aghast. “But we’re nearly there. And it hasn’t even been a week yet.”

  “Either way, I’m taking the van and heading back.”

  She shook her head. “How can you just give up on this? I always knew you weren’t excited about this like I was, but I never thought you were so negligent as to back out in the middle of a story.”

  “Wasn’t my call,” he replied, shrugging as he swayed to the side, slightly intoxicated. “These orders came from the top.”

  The top?

  So her boss or her boss’ bosses? If so, why hadn’t she been informed about it? Technically, Trent was just a cameraman. He reported to her, so why hadn’t she heard about this yet?

  Also, why would they care about this one story about a small town out in the boonies? It all felt so sudden and strange to give her the time to investigate this story and then pull the rug out from under her.

  What is going on here?

  “I’m not leaving yet, not until the week’s up,” Mel replied adamantly. “That was the assignment, and I intend to finish it.”

  Trent stood up. “They said you’d say that, and they told me to persuade you, do whatever it took to make sure you came back to Houston with me tonight.”

  Whatever it took?

  Mel didn’t like the sound of that, and she took a step back as Trent advanced on her. Even from a few feet away, she could smell his breath, rank with alcohol.

  “Persuade? What exactly did they mean by that?”

  “I figured it was up to me to interpret it how I wanted,” Trent said, reaching out for her hand, but she smacked it away.

  “Stay away from me,” she retorted. “I’m calling my boss to confirm this.”

  “Go ahead. They’ll tell you the same thing.” He took a step closer, a nasty, lustful gleam in his eyes. “I don’t usually go for women like you, but I think we have a little something. Something we should explore when we get back to Houston.”

  Mel fought back the urge to gag. “Us? That will never happen, Trent, and I’ve never been interested in you.” She turned to leave, but he grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him, eyes flaring with anger and lust.

  “Liar. I’ve seen the way you look at me, and I intend to—”

  But Trent didn’t get to finish his sentence as her knee flew upward and into his groin. He groaned and fell to the ground, clutching his privates.

  Meanwhile, a crash resounded through the room as the door flew off the hinges. There, standing in the doorway, was Dallas, looking like he was ready to throw someone through a window.

  He rushed into the room, then seemed to notice that Mel was okay and Trent had been dispatched. However, that didn’t stop him from grabbing Trent by the ankle and hauling him down the hall and out the hotel doors.

  Once on the sidewalk, Dallas tossed Trent into the parking lot and prowled after him, but Mel grabbed his hand and shook her head.

  “Easy, tiger,” she said soothingly, rubbing her fingers against his. “He didn’t get the chance to hurt me. Let him go.”

  He looked down at her for a second, then back at Trent, who was now getting up from the ground, a litany of curse words spewing from his lips, but apparently, he knew better than to approach them.

  “Stupid bitch, you’ll pay for this,” he spat, glaring at them for a second before he gingerly trotted over to the news van and got in and drove away.

  Once he was gone, Dallas gave her an apologetic look.

  “It’s fine,” she said, sighing. “I didn’t need the equipment anyway. Everything I really needed is already back at your trailer.”

  He nodded at that, looking relieved.

  But still, why were people trying to stop her? And why now? She’d been attacked in an alleyway, had her room ransacked, and now, apparently, her bosses were cutting her time to research short.

  She’d faced opposition in getting facts for stories in the past, but nothing like this. What was it about this story that was so interesting that it made everyone around her determined to shut her down?

  Still, it didn’t change the fact that she was going to get to the bottom of this. If anything, all of the forces working against her only made her more certain that she was on the right track.

  There was no way she was giving up the story now.

  Dallas took her by the hand, turning her toward him and eyeing her up and down.

  “I’m okay,” she said, nodding. “Really, I’m not hurt. He was just a jerk, getting what he deserved. To be honest, kicking him in the nuts felt really good, especially after all the crap he’s put me through.”

  He pursed his lips at that.

  Mel turned back to face the road, frowning. “Though, I might not have a job when I get back to Houston.”

  Dallas’s eyes went wide with worry.

  “It’s all right. I came here because I wanted to get to the bottom of this, and I intend to see it through.” She grinned ruefully. “Until they drag me away, I’m going to keep looking.”

  He looked impressed and nodded slowly.

  She didn’t say it to him, but deep down, the story wasn’t the only reason she had to stay.

  The other reason was standing right next to her, holding her hand.

  She’d never felt this way about
anyone before, and for some reason, she got the feeling that if she left this town, left him, she might never get the chance to see him again.

  So she just had to hope things panned out for her, both with the story and the incredible man who was starting to feel like he should always be a part of her life.

  16

  Mel felt a surprising calm move over her as she walked back to Dallas’s trailer, holding his hand.

  It had been a few hours since Trent had left, and the time had passed uneventfully. Despite her determination to get to the bottom of the story, there hadn’t been any leads to chase.

  Plus, she couldn’t help but wonder at what Trent had said about higher-ups telling them to stop investigating.

  Was it her boss? It couldn’t be him, as he had assigned the story to her in the first place and given her the timeframe to research and interview people in the town.

  He had never called her back from a case. He knew too well how determined she could be, so it must have been people higher up in the news station.

  Still, she couldn’t imagine why they would want her to just stop. If she quit now, wouldn’t that mean a lot of wasted resources and nothing to show for it?

  So many unanswered questions, and for some reason, her boss wasn’t picking up his phone.

  All she could do at the moment was keep moving forward and doing her best to find the pieces that would complete the puzzle.

  Mel turned and smiled up at Dallas, grateful that she had this sexy man by her side. She wasn’t sure what she would do without him.

  “Thanks for always being with me,” she said, giving his hand a squeeze.

  He nodded warmly in response.

  When they got back to the trailer, she cocked an eyebrow at him. “Well, I don’t have any interviews to do or leads to chase. What would you like to do tonight?”

  Dallas was thoughtful for a second. Then he nodded decisively and walked over to hold open the passenger door of his truck for her.

  “We’re going somewhere?”

  He nodded again.

  “You going to tell me where?” She grinned amusedly, already aware of what his answer, or lack thereof, would be.

  A small smile lit on the corners of his lips as he shook his head.

  “As usual.”

  He shrugged at that and held out a hand for her to take so she could step up into the truck. Once she was in, he jogged around the other side and got in as well.

  Mel knew better than to push, so she just enjoyed the quiet ride next to him. A wave of heat went through her when he reached over and placed his hand on her thigh.

  To her surprise, they left the small town and headed toward another small city an hour or two away.

  When they got closer, she could see a large, circular tent and a bunch of colorful booths.

  She pointed. “Is that where we’re heading?”

  Dallas nodded, his hand still gripping her leg.

  Is he taking me car shopping or something?

  The answer became clear when he pulled off the road into a wide dirt lot where other cars and old trucks sat, parked in lines. Across the lot was the source of the flashing lights.

  The county fair.

  Complete with a huge, blinking Ferris wheel as well as a merry-go-round and lots of colorful booths that must have held carnival games.

  She grinned as they got out of the car.

  “Great idea, Dallas,” Mel exclaimed as they walked across the parking lot toward the fair. “Now I can do interviews and ask around about the disturbances.”

  He glared, his eyes darker than usual, and she laughed nervously.

  “Or we could… have fun and enjoy ourselves?”

  Dallas lightened at that and nodded, satisfied. It was a warm evening, and the sun hung low, sending beams of yellow, red, and orange across the cloudless blue sky.

  They made their way across the lot, stepping on dirt that was mixed with hay, probably lost from the bales that surrounded the edges of the fair.

  Mel laughed and interlocked her fingers in Dallas’s as they passed a young couple who was pulling a stroller from the back of their minivan.

  When she looked up at him, she noticed he was watching her, a rare, warm smile on his lips.

  She blushed and looked away.

  It was almost uncomfortable how right it felt to be here with him.

  When they got to the red booth where an attendant was handing out passes and tickets, Dallas pulled out his wallet.

  “No, you really don’t—”

  But it was useless, as Dallas had already handed the cashier the money and taken their passes in return. He eyed her smugly as they stepped onto the fairgrounds.

  All around them, families and couples perused the fair, laughing and moving from one booth to another.

  Directly in front of them sat the large Ferris wheel. Mel watched as it moved and spun, carrying its occupants up into the sky, their hands in the air.

  She’d never been to a county fair. Living just outside of the city, there had never been any nearby, not that her mom would have been able to afford for them to go to one anyway.

  “Well, your idea. What would you like to do first?” Mel asked.

  Dallas shrugged at that and watched her expectantly like he was just happy to be there and it didn’t really matter what they did.

  Realizing that made her blush again, so she pulled him over to one of the booths in an attempt to distract herself. It happened to be a dart-throwing game.

  “You can throw knives,” she said, pointing toward the targets. “What about darts?”

  He looked at the targets for a second, then rolled up his sleeves, revealing huge biceps and forearms.

  She had to admit that he looked incredibly handsome tonight. He was wearing dark jeans and a green button-up shirt that set off the amber in his eyes.

  Looking determined, he pulled out his wallet and handed the wide-eyed teenage boy tending the booth a few bills.

  Mel couldn’t help but notice that the teenager’s hand was shaking as he handed them five darts and quickly muttered an explanation as to the rules of the game.

  It seemed straightforward enough.

  She watched as Dallas positioned himself behind the barrier, gaze steely as he eyed the target.

  Mel giggled. She couldn’t believe he was taking this so seriously. Was he trying to impress her?

  Who was she kidding? Of course he was, and she loved that. Where other men tried to impress through flimsy wordplay, Dallas impressed through quick, thorough action.

  It was one of the many, many things she loved about him.

  Love? Could this be love? She frowned as he lined up again, his jaw flexing as he held a hand up and eyed the dart for a second.

  Sure, she had never felt this way about anyone else before, and they had only known each other for a few days.

  But it just kept feeling more and more right to be with him, and the more she thought about it, the more she didn’t want to think about the fact that she would have to go home once the story was figured out.

  She watched him again as he lined up to throw. Quick as lightning, the darts rocketed toward the board, one after the other, with barely any space in between.

  Her mouth fell open when the last landed.

  Not only had all of the darts struck directly in the center of the target, but he had arranged them so they spelled out a single letter.

  The letter “M.”

  Looking extremely satisfied with himself, he turned to her and tipped his black Stetson. Then he cocked an eyebrow as if to ask what she thought.

  She just laughed and leaned up to kiss him. Dang, this man was wonderful.

  Their lips met for a second, and they held the embrace until the attendant cleared his throat and gestured toward a large wall of prizes. Mainly large blowup hammers and huge stuffed animals.

  “I’ve, um, never seen someone get such a high score,” he stammered. “You can pick anything you’d like off this wall, ma�
�am.”

  “Really?” she asked, sneaking a look at Dallas. “How did you do that?”

  He shrugged, then nodded encouragingly, and she walked over to the wall where a large stuffed animal caught her eye.

  She pointed to it, and the attendant nodded and stepped over to pull it down.

  He grabbed it, handed it to her, and bid them a good night.

  Mel ruffled the stuffed animal’s soft fur as they stepped away from the booth, and when she looked up, Dallas was eyeing her.

  He looked pleased, if a little perplexed at her choice.

  “You like him?” she held up the stuffed animal, which was orange and lined with black and white stripes.

  It was a tiger.

  Mel had always liked tigers, ever since she had been a little girl. They were just so regal, vibrant, and beautiful.

  Dallas nodded, then cocked an eyebrow as if to ask why she chose it.

  “Well,” she replied, “he was the cutest, and I didn’t really feel like getting the blowup hammer.”

  “Tigers are ferocious, not cute,” he said.

  Mel laughed. “How would you know? Last I checked, there weren’t many tigers prowling the Texas wilderness.”

  Dallas opened his mouth to respond, then closed it slowly like he wasn’t sure to say, then just shrugged.

  At that moment, however, her stomach growled loudly. She hadn’t had dinner yet. Oops.

  He frowned at the sound and looked around frantically before his eyes fell on a pretzel cart, and he grabbed her hand and pulled her over to it.

  “I’m fine, really, Dallas,” she tried to explain. But he would not be deterred.

  He ordered two steaming hot pretzels. When he got them, he handed them both to her and nodded expectantly.

  “Oh, no,” Mel replied, shaking her head. “I’m not eating both of these in front of you. Take one.” She held it up to him, but he just stared obstinately, folding his arms. “I’m not eating until you take one.”

  Realizing he couldn’t win, he harrumphed and took one of the pretzels from her. But he didn’t eat it. Instead, he nodded again, so she took a bite.

  Oh man, was it delicious. Soft and salty and exactly what she needed at the moment. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dallas pay for two drinks, then take them from the cashier.