by Chiah Wilder
“Smokey, you gotta come by and watch me dance,” the blonde, whose voice she recognized, said.
Ashley gripped the counter, her knuckles turning white.
“Maybe,” Smokey replied.
“You have to,” another female voice whined.
“What about me watching you dance?” a male voice growled.
“We know you’re gonna be there, Bones, so why would we ask?”
Smokey’s low laugh washed over Ashley. “She’s got you there.”
The waitress set the plate down in front of her with a clunk. “Santa Fe, medium-well.”
“Thank you,” she mumbled while placing the napkin on her lap.
Pointing to Ashley’s empty cup, the server asked, “You want coffee?”
“Yes, thanks.”
Ashley checked the tin of creamer to make sure there was enough milk as the waitress filled her cup.
“Anything else?”
“I’m good.”
Ashley picked up the burger and took a bite, chewing slowly, letting the flavors play on her tongue. The patron next to her laid a twenty-dollar bill down on the counter and slid off the stool. Just as Ashley dipped a French fry into the ketchup and popped it into her mouth, the scent of pine and leather wafted in the air around her as someone plopped down onto the empty seat beside her. Looking sideways, her mouth went dry.
“Hey,” Smokey said.
“Hey,” she mumbled, reaching for the glass of water.
“How’s your burger?” His low, caressing voice wrapped around her.
“Good.”
Sidling up to Smokey, the blonde asked, “Whatcha doin’ over here?”
Turning, Ashley met the dancer’s stare, and watched a slow smile of recognition spread across her face.
“You’re the one I was talkin’ to at Blue’s Belly.” She giggled. “This is a small world.”
“It is,” Ashley said as she pushed away her half-eaten dinner.
Smokey gave the girl a look. “Aren’t you gonna be late for your shift, Diamond?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. Aren’t you comin’?” Her eyes sliced to Ashley’s.
“No. I’ll see you around.”
A tall, blond man in a leather jacket and tight jeans walked over and nudged Smokey’s shoulder. “Who’s the pretty lady, dude?”
Smokey threw a menacing look at the man. “Take the girls to Dream House. Emma’s gonna be pissed if they’re late. Blade’s already texted, asking where the hell they are.”
“Don’t wanna share?” The man laughed as his eyes roamed over Ashley’s body.
Smokey shrugged the guy’s hand off his shoulder. “Get a move on, bro.”
“Are you coming, Bones?” another man shouted.
He nodded, circling his arm around Diamond and pulling her away. The curvy dancer walked up the aisle, but kept looking back at Smokey.
“Your date didn’t look too happy about leaving without you. You don’t have to keep me company,” Ashley said.
Smokey turned on the stool so he was facing her. “Diamond isn’t my date. The guys and I took the women out for a bite to eat. No reason to worry about it.”
“I’m not worried about it,” she replied, her temper sparking.
Smokey shrugged. “Seems like something’s bugging you.”
“Maybe it’s because you disappeared for the last three days. The night of our business dinner, you said you’d let me know the next morning about when we could get together to go over the marketing campaign, but you didn’t get back with me.” She crossed her arms and shook her head. “What the hell is your problem?”
“Are you pissed because I didn’t call you?”
A dry laugh escaped her. “You can’t really be this clueless. I’m here to do a job, and you don’t seem to give a crap about it. I dragged my butt to this town and left everything behind to do this.”
Smokey stared at her, not saying a word.
Ashley cleared her throat. “What I’m trying to say is, I feel like I’m wasting my time.”
Running a hand over his face, he leaned forward, touching his knee to hers, making her shiver.
“You wanna go back to Denver?” he asked in a soft, low voice.
For a split second, the thought of leaving and never seeing Smokey again sent a shot of panic through her. “No, that’s not what I’m saying.”
“Then what?”
“I just want some respect. I work hard, and I do a damn good job, but when you don’t even give me the courtesy to meet so we can discuss the project, it makes me feel like you don’t care.”
“About you? Fuck, don’t think that. I was just busy as hell with a job my crew was screwing up. The client paid out a ton of dough for it, and I had to make sure everything was perfect. Believe me when I say, you’ve been on my mind.”
“I meant that you didn’t care about your business, not me,” she scoffed, while shoving down the thrill of knowing he’d been thinking of her.
Smokey shifted away from her, and she instantly missed the warmth from him being close.
“Don’t accuse me of not giving a damn about my company. I worked my ass off to be where I am. You don’t know shit, lady.”
The sudden change in mood surprised her. Reaching out, she placed her hand on his.
“I didn’t mean to upset you, and what I said wasn’t fair. I know you work hard for your business. I’m feeling like the marketing campaign has been at the bottom of your list, when for me, it’s at the top of mine, seeing it’s my job.”
When he eyed her hand, she quickly pulled it back and placed it in her lap.
His gaze darted to hers and held it for a long second, then said, “Yeah, the marketing stuff was not at the top of my list. Like I said, I had some shit that needed taking care of at a job site. But you”—he reached out and brushed two fingers across her cheek—“were way up on my list.”
Ashley tried to pretend that he wasn’t having an effect on her, but it was hard to do since her stomach was doing somersaults. To keep him from seeing her reaction, she turned away.
“We have an appointment on Monday, so I shouldn’t have made a big deal about it. I guess I’m just feeling a bit homesick—you know, missing my friends and all that.”
“Do you have a guy in Denver?”
She jerked her head back. “No. But what does that have to do with work?”
“Nothing.”
Silence grew between them. She took another sip of coffee, then asked, “How’s your brother doing? I wanted to ask you about him, but you’ve been out of the office.”
The fine lines around his mouth tightened. “He’s fine.” His tone was curt, telling her not to ask any more about it.
“That’s good.” Picking up the bill from the counter, she sighed. “Well, I have to get going. I’m working on another campaign for a company in Aspen, and have a Zoom meeting with the owner during my lunch hour tomorrow.”
“Yeah, Zach mentioned it.”
She rose to her feet. “I’m glad we bumped into each other. I feel better knowing we’ve cleared the air between us.”
“I didn’t know we needed to, but it kicks ass that we got to hang for a bit.”
Ashley walked down the aisle to the cashier’s counter and handed the woman her credit card, with Smokey on her heels.
“How’re you doin’, Smokey?” the cashier asked as she ran the card.
“Not bad. How did the specials go over tonight?”
The woman smiled broadly at him. “Sold out on ’em.” Turning to Ashley, she handed her a pen, along with her card and the receipt. “Here you go.”
Signing the receipt, she placed her card back into her purse. Nodding her thanks to Smokey as he held the door open for her, she walked out into the cold night air, though it was nothing like the past week, which had been downright freezing.
“I think the weather’s finally getting warmer,” she said.
“Feels that way. Where are you parked?”
She pointed to
a row of cars under a white florescent lamp post. “Over there.”
“I’ll walk you to it.”
Gravel crunched beneath their feet as they walked in silence, but when Ashley approached the Buick, she groaned.
“What’s up?” he asked.
Waving her hand to the right front tire, she informed him, “I’ve got a flat. I must’ve run over a nail somewhere.”
Switching on his phone’s flashlight, he knelt down by the flat and inspected it, running his fingers over the side of the tire. Straightening to his full height, she noticed his clenched jaw and furrowed brow.
“Do you have a spare?”
“Yeah, but you don’t have to change it. I belong to an auto club. I’ll just call them.”
“Pop the trunk,” he ordered as he strode over to the back of the car.
As Smokey worked, Ashley sensed that something was bothering him. Maybe he’s irked because he’s changing out my flat? I told him he didn’t have to do it.
“Who’s got a grudge against you?” he asked as he stood up.
The muscles in her body tightened. “What’re you talking about?”
He pointed to a thin slash high up in the sidewall of the tire. “This was done on purpose. What’s going on?”
Under Smokey’s intense gaze, she bit down on her bottom lip, scrambling to come up with an answer.
His index finger gently pressed against the skin just below her lip and pulled it free. “And don’t BS me. Someone’s fucking with you.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I hardly know anybody in Pinewood Springs. It’s probably a group of bored teenagers, running around vandalizing cars.”
Smokey stood completely still, his gaze piercing hers. Ashley shifted from foot to foot under his scrutiny. He doesn’t believe me. Maybe I should tell him. She darted her eyes away from his. Tell him what? That a guy I’d testified against has driven all the way to Pinewood Springs to slash my tire? That he has nothing better to do than play games with me? He’ll think I’m a paranoid nut, for sure, and he’d probably be right.
“So you’re sticking with that?”
“I guess I am.” Pressing the key fob, she opened the door, smiling up at him. “Thanks again for helping me out. Where’s a good place to buy a tire around here?”
“Jim’s, on Colorado Ave. and Warren Street. Tell him I sent you, and he’ll treat you right.” The lines in Smokey’s forehead hadn’t yet smoothed out. “I talked to Zach about putting in an alarm, but—”
She laughed. “Let me guess—he said it’s too expensive?”
“Something like that. You shouldn’t stay there without an alarm—it makes you too vulnerable. You need to stay in a hotel until I can get something installed for you.”
“I can’t do that,” she said, but the truth was, the incident had unnerved her. She doubted she’d be able to sleep anyway.
“This isn’t up for debate. I watch over my employees, and I know something’s not right here. I wish you’d trust me enough to tell me what the hell’s going on. But, until you do, I’m in charge. I’ll follow you home so you can pack a few things.”
“Just like that?” Under normal circumstances, she would be screaming her head off, hating it when men treated her like she couldn’t take care of herself. But staying at a hotel sounded like a good idea. Maybe she could finally get a restful night’s sleep without being spooked at every noise she heard throughout the night.
He nodded. “Yep—just like that.”
He closed the distance between them, coming so close, she could feel his warmth and smell the subtle spice of his skin. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she should step away from him, but she didn’t. Her body began to tremble, and in that moment, all she wanted was his lips on hers.
“I just want you to be safe,” he whispered.
Tilting her head up to him, she closed her eyes as he bent down and brushed his lips against hers. The sensation ignited a fire throughout her body when his mouth took possession of hers softly, sensually, before sliding his tongue over hers.
Just as quickly as he started the kiss, he broke it, pulling away from her.
A mixture of longing and confusion consumed her as she gripped the hem of his leather jacket, wanting to pull him back to her.
“I shouldn’t have done that,” he mumbled, taking a step back.
Embarrassment heated her cheeks. “Yeah, well, we both acted unprofessional, and I won’t make that mistake again.” Pushing away from the car, she then slipped into the driver’s seat.
“Neither will I.” He pulled out a set of keys from his pocket. “What hotel do you wanna stay at?”
Still stinging from the incident, she started the engine. “The Palace Hotel.”
Smokey whistled low. “You’ve got expensive taste. I like that.”
Irritation climbed up her spine. What sort of game was he playing with her? And why the hell did she let him bother her so much? She was beyond livid for allowing herself to fall for his roguish charms. I’m acting like the women at the office.
“I’ll meet you at the house,” she said as he started for his SUV.
“No, you’ll cool that impatient ass of yours and wait until I’m behind you.”
“Whatever,” she grumbled.
Slamming the car door shut, she waited until he pulled up behind her and followed her out of the parking lot.
There was one thing of which she was certain, and that was falling for him would be a complete and utter disaster. Smokey was a man who broke women’s hearts with his seductive smile and alluring eyes.
“No way am I letting that happen,” she murmured under her breath.
But his lips consuming hers felt so good and … perfect. Inhaling deeply, she exhaled slowly. I just got caught up in the moment. I miss Danielle and Nicole, and my office in Denver. And Smokey obviously realized the mistake. I’m a professional—I’ve got this.
The sooner she was settled in at the hotel and away from Smokey, the better.
Pressing her foot down on the gas pedal, she charged down the road.
8
“I get where you’re coming from, but you have to understand my position here. We’ve got a victim who doesn’t want this to go away,” Police Chief Landon said, reclining back in his chair. “I’ve let your brother slide one too many times.”
“And the Insurgents have saved your ass and this fuckin’ town more times than I can count,” Smokey said. “A few days ago, you told me you wouldn’t charge him.”
Landon clasped his hands over his stomach and sighed. “I know, but the victim is demanding justice, and I can’t ignore what a tax-paying citizen wants. Besides, you spend an awful lot of time bailing Ryan out of this mess or that, so maybe if he faces the consequences, he’ll stop showing his package out in public.”
“He was drunk,” Smokey gritted out.
The chief quirked his brow. “You ever flash a woman when you’re drunk?” Smokey narrowed his eyes in response. “I didn’t think so. The point is, this one can’t be resolved with twenty hours of community service. I’ve got to charge him with indecent exposure.”
“That’s bullshit!” The police chief’s desk shook under Smokey’s fist.
“For fuck’s sake—the woman said he touched her too.” Landon scrubbed a hand over his face. “I don’t have a choice this time.”
“I don’t believe it. There’s no way he did that. The chick’s lying.”
“She was pretty adamant about it.”
“What the fuck does the charge mean? Will he have to register?” Dread snaked its way through his body at the thought of Ryan on the sex offender list. Of course he didn’t condone what his brother had done, but Smokey knew Ryan hadn’t touched anyone. Yeah, the dude was screwed up big-time—a lasting gift from their bastard father—but he’d never accost a woman.
Landon slowly nodded. “His name will be entered into the Colorado Bureau of Investigation’s Sex Offender Registry. The charge will be a
misdemeanor, so his name won’t be searchable by the public. If he keeps doing this shit, though, he’ll be looking at a felony down the road. I’ll explain the situation to the DA and tell ’em to go easy on him. But the prosecutor may decide to add a charge for touching the victim. I’ll argue against it, but I don’t have a lot of say on what the DA’s office does.”
“Who’s this chick?”
“You know I can’t tell you that.”
“Maybe she’s making up shit about him. Could be someone out to get me.” Even as Smokey said the words, he knew he was grasping at straws. This time, he couldn’t get Ryan out of the mess he’d created. Fuck!
“I don’t think so,” Landon said in a low voice.
Smokey rose to his feet. “Don’t arrest him. I’ll make sure his ass is in court.”
“Okay. I’ll just issue a summons. I can call and let you know the date for the arraignment.”
Smokey tipped his head.
“I don’t want to do this, but I don’t have much of a choice,” Landon said.
Without answering, Smokey walked out of the office. Once outside, he slid on his shades to dull the sun’s rays reflecting off the windows of the buildings around him.
The snow from the week before had finally started to melt away from the day’s heat. Locals were used to the dramatic shifts in weather during the spring months in Pinewood Springs.
Swinging a leg over his black and silver Harley Davidson, he revved the engine, enjoying the disapproving looks several passersby threw his way. He wished someone would say something so he’d have an excuse to hand out an ass whoopin’ to curb the molten anger flowing through him, but no one said a word. The patch on the back of his cut spoke volumes. Looking over his shoulder, he pulled away from the curb and headed toward the clubhouse.
When he pulled into the lot, he saw Animal, Klutch, and Helm smoking by the club’s front entrance.
“You look pissed as hell,” Animal said, offering Smokey a joint.
He pinched the spliff between his fingers as he took out a lighter. “I am.”
“What’s goin’ on?” Helm asked.
Smokey inhaled deeply, then blew out a stream of smoke before flicking the ash to the ground. “Chief Fuckin’ Landon won’t give Ryan a break. Ungrateful sonofabitch.”
