Shay laughed at her response. “You honestly don’t look a day over sixty. You look amazing for your age.” She wondered what her secret to staying so youthful was. She would have to ask her someday when she had more time.
“Thank you, honey. You’re a real beauty yourself. Going out?” She asked, nodding to Shay’s outfit before she took a drink.
“I’m meeting my best friend at Whitepoint. Her name is Dee. You might know her?”
“Oh, of course. Nice young woman. A little loose lipped for my liking, though.”
Shay almost spat out her drink and brought her hand up so none would drip down her chin. “I’m sorry. She kind of says what’s on her mind. She’s been that way since we were kids.”
Sue looked over at Shay and eyed her curiously, “Is someone picking you up?” There was a wicked gleam in her eye that Shay chose to ignore. She didn’t want to give Sue any wrong ideas.
“Yes. Lucas Avery.” She said evenly. Speaking of Lucas, Shay looked at her watch and realized it was almost that time. She took another swig trying to finish her drink before he pulled up. As if right on cue, a moment later Lucas pulled up in a full-size black pickup truck. That seemed to be a theme around here. She may have to look at getting a truck in the fall.
Shay didn’t want to give Lucas an opportunity to get out of the truck, nor did she want Sue to have a chance to interrogate Lucas, so she held up a finger for him to wait just a second. She stood and took another quick drink from her bottle and looked at Sue. “Thank you for the drink. Where did you want me to put this?” Shay asked looking around.
“I’ll take it, honey. You have a great night.” She smiled with a knowing twinkle in her eye.
Ignoring the look, Shay passed her the empty bottle and rushed down the porch steps to the truck and jumped in.
Chapter 6
It was around 8:30 pm when they walked into Whitepoint. Even though it was fairly early on Friday night, the parking lot was already filling up, and there was a line forming at the door to get in. Whitepoint wasn’t the only bar in town, but it was the largest and the only one with half a dozen pool tables, a large dance floor, and a stage for live music. People came from neighboring towns to hear the live bands twice a month.
Lucas must have been well-known because they were able to bypass the line and head right in. He ushered her through the crowd to a more secluded section that was roped off. When the bouncer saw who it was, he welcomed Lucas warmly with the familiar male handshake and clap on the back. Then Lucas gestured for Shay to go on in.
He motioned for her to sit down in a cozy corner booth, but Shay wisely bypassed the booth for a high-top with two chairs. She had an inclination that if she had sat in the booth, he would have wasted no time in sidling up to her. Not that she didn’t like his company, but she didn’t want to give him the wrong impression. This was not a date. Just two friends going out for drinks at another friend’s bar.
If he was disappointed, he didn’t say anything. Simply, shrugged a shoulder and took the chair opposite her. He made to grab one of her hands, but Shay pretended not to notice and tucked her hands in her lap.
“You look really beautiful Shay,” Lucas said as he tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ears.
“Thank you.” She blushed a bit self-consciously. “You look nice too.” She took a moment to survey the bar. She had been here once before with Dee when she had visited Greyson Falls two months ago. But, it had been on a weeknight, and they had just gone straight up to the bar and had a few beers. She hadn’t really taken the time to look around then, but she did now.
It looked completely different now anyway. Tables and chairs had been rearranged to make more room on the dance floor for the weekend crowd. The large stage was packed with sound equipment, lights, and tonight’s band was running through sound check, getting ready to perform. From the sound, they appeared to be a classic rock/country band, which suited Shay just fine.
The pool tables were in the far left corner. All four of them had active games going on and what looked like people waiting in line for their turns. The high-tops were crammed with people, and the waitresses had to heave their trays high above their heads to manoeuvre through with orders. All in all, everyone seemed to be having a good time.
She turned her attention to the bar that spanned the entire back wall and held about 30 barstools. Shay spotted Dee with ease. Her best friend was a tad taller than Shay and with a head of curly red hair that stood out like a firecracker. She also had the temperament to match her fiery boldness. Dee never backed down from anyone or anything. It was one of the things that Shay loved most about her.
Her best friend was obviously in her element. She managed to make it look easy tending to a throng of people all clamoring for a drink at the same time. She took orders, made change, and flirted with the customers without batting an eye. How she even noticed her through the crowd, Shay didn’t even now, but she was already waving her and Lucas over.
“Hey, guys,” Dee yelled over the music as Lucas and Shay made their way up to where she was. “Hey, slide on over. Let these two through.” She commanded, and as instructed the sea of people parted allowing them to get right up to the bar.
“What can I get you two?” She asked as she made changed and prepared a bevy of shots and mixed drinks in under a minute. Shay was impressed.
“Hey, Dee. I’ll have a Budweiser.” Lucas said and then looked at Shay.
“I’ll have the same please.”
“Coming right up.” Dee came back a minute later with two ice cold buds. “This round is on the house.” She said as Lucas reached into his wallet to pay her. He just smiled and dumped some ones in her tip jar. She winked at him and said, “I get my break at 10 pm. See ya soon.”
And she was off again, racing down to the other end of the bar to take more orders. There were only two of them tending the entire bar, but they did it well. Her and the other bartender, another young woman had obviously worked together a while. They danced around each other gracefully, while keeping up a frantic pace. Shay was exhausted just watching them.
The first few bars of ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ rang out through the space and the crowd cheered. Shay turned around and leaned her back against the counter and took a drink from her bottle while she watched the dance floor quickly filled up. She tapped her foot to the lively tune while she people-watched, enjoying the familiar song.
Lucas gave her a gentle nudge with his shoulder to get her attention. He tilted his head to the side, narrowing his eyebrows and asked, “So what’s your story. Why Greyson Falls?”
It was a bit difficult to hear him now that the band started up. She went to answer, and the crowd yelled out again as the chorus rang out a second time.
Lucas laughed knowingly. “Come on!” He shouted over the music. “Let’s go grab a table where it’s a bit quieter.” He said as he grabbed her hand and pulled her through the crowd. A few more people were in the VIP area, and Lucas took the time to say hello and introduce her to a few of them. Shay couldn’t remember all the names, so she just nodded and smiled.
Eventually, they sat down at their table. “Now where were we? Yes, you were about to tell me your story and how you ended up in Greyson Falls.”
She had no intention of telling Lucas her entire life story. “I don’t know. Fresh start I guess and I love the outdoors and small towns.” She said honestly. It wasn’t a lie. She just danced around why she needed a fresh start.
“No boyfriend? Kids?” He asked raising an eyebrow. It was obvious where he was going with this line of questioning. He wasn’t even trying to hide the blatant interest in eyes.
Oh boy, here we go.
Shay leaned back in her chair and took another swig of her beer. “Nope. No boyfriend. Divorced actually.” She waited for his reaction.
“Oh. Sorry.” Is all he said and then took another swig of his beer.
“Don’t be. The guy was an asshole. I wasted five years
with him.” She said with a blank expression on her face.
“Kids?”
“Yes. A daughter.” She said. Since Ana had been gone, she had only gone out a few times in the last year and every time she found it to be so much easier to just keep it short when they asked her if she had kids. Usually, people took the hint and didn’t ask any further. But Lucas pressed on.
“Does she live with you?”
“No. It’s a long story. One I would rather not talk about.” Trying to explain what happened and then hearing the, ‘I’m so sorry’ or ‘Oh my god’ was just too much for her. It was just easier this way.
Lucas finally got the hint and changed the subject. “Well, I’m really glad you decided to come out with me tonight Shay. By the way, what’s your last name?” He asked.
Shay wasn’t too thrilled by how he made it sound like she had come out to be with him, but decided to let it slide. “Dawson.” She replied over the music that was slowly growing louder by the minute. They sat in companionable silence for a moment, just enjoying the music. A minute later his twin, Alex Avery, showed up with a beer in his hand. He was every bit as handsome as his twin brother.
“Hey, Shay.” He said as he grabbed her hand and gave it an exaggerated kiss before moving over to his brother.
“Hi, Alex.” She laughed as she wiped the back of her hand on her jeans. She could tell it was just harmless flirting by the way he winked at her, but still, she felt her cheeks flush at the attention.
Alex looked at Lucas and punched his brother in the shoulder. “Ready to lose?”
Lucas just rolled his eyes at him.
“Lose at what?” Shay asked, unsure what the bet was.
“At pool. Figured I would let him try to win back the money he lost last week.” He said. “You wanna shoot some pool with us?” He said pointing to the tables with his beer. “We’ll be sure to take it easy on you.”
She laughed inwardly at their confident grins. Little did they know that Shay had spent many hours playing pool with Dee when they were younger. She took a swig of her beer and gave them both a sidelong glance. “Only if you two are ready to get your asses kicked,” Shay said confidently before she set her beer down and started to walk away.
The boys just sat there for a minute too stunned to move. She looked over her shoulder at them and said. “Well, are you coming or not.” She had to laugh at how quickly they got up from the table.
“You’re on girl,” Lucas replied, and Alex started laughing as they followed her over to one of the pool tables that had just opened up.
Lucas racked the balls while Shay selected a cue from the rack. They weren’t the high-quality cues she was used to, but they weren’t warped, which is all she needed. She tested a few before she found one with the length and weight she liked. She grabbed the chalk and twisted it on the end of the cue until she was satisfied there was enough.
She turned and looked expectantly at the twins. It was Lucas who answered. He waved his hand at the table and said, “Ladies first.”
She smiled at his cockiness because he had no idea what they were in for. She took a few practice strokes.
“Now, you’re sure you know how to do this right?” Alex joked.
She glanced over at him from under her lashes. “I think so. I mean I’ve only done it a once or twice.” She teased. “But, how hard can it be, right?” And with that, she leaned over the table and lined up her shot. She slowly pulled it back, feeling the familiar slide of the cue between her thumb and pointer finger. Exhaling slowly, she thrust it forward making sure to hold it steady. The cue hit the cue ball dead on and struck the other balls with a loud crack. Balls scattered in every direction on the table, two of them dropping into the side pockets. The cue ball rolled neatly to a stop right back in front of her.
The look on both their faces was priceless.
“I think we may have just been played Alex,” Lucas said as he turned to look at his brother. A look of pure male appreciation was splayed on his face. Unaware that she had obtained an audience, Shay was just about to respond when she heard some over exaggerated clapping behind her. Her head turned, and she watched a curvy redhead and a tall brunette walk towards the table. The brunette walked up to her, close enough that Shay could smell the alcohol on her breath and said, “Nice break, sugar.”
Shay gave her the once over but didn’t back away. “Thanks. It’s all in the wrist.” She subtly nudged the brunette out of the way as she crossed over to the high top by Alex and Lucas. The redhead gave her a dirty look but didn’t say anything. She could see by the look on Lucas’s face he wasn’t pleased with the interruption.
“What do you want Sherry?” He had crossed his arms over his chest, and his voice held no hint of friendliness. It was clear to Shay that these two had a past.
“What’s the matter, Lucas. Can’t a girl come out and play?” She said with a pouty look on her face. She had moved across the floor to where he was standing and ran a bold red fingertip across his bare forearm.
“It’s a free country and a large bar. Why don’t you go play somewhere else?” Lucas hissed shutting her down quickly and moving her hand away. Sherry didn’t take the rejection well and went to grab a drink off the table to throw in his face, but Shay was too quick for her. She snatched the drink out of her hand. She couldn’t resist adding a catty smile in return, even though she knew she was playing with fire.
“Why you little bi…,” Sherry said as she raised her hand to slap Shay. But, a large male hand grabbed her wrist from behind.
“Now, now Sherry let’s play nice honey.” A deep voice said from behind her. Sherry’s outrage quickly turned to smug as she turned into the behemoth standing behind her. Shay turned her gaze to see two very tall, muscular men, staring down at her. They both stood over six feet tall and had jet black hair and blue eyes. A very similar look to the Avery boys and she wondered if they were related. Regardless, Shay could see there was bad blood between the two groups. The tension was palpable, and Shay could see Lucas tighten his grip on his pool cue.
“Well, who is this little vixen you brought with you, little man?” This came from the same man who had grabbed Sherry’s arm.
“What do you want Jake?” Lucas made no attempt at civility. His voice was pure menace. His words came out more like a growl. Shay could see Lucas’s eyes start to glow bright amber. The light emerald green had completely disappeared. It seemed as if time just stood still as the two men stared each other down. Shay looked around the bar to see if anyone else was watching, but it was as if nobody was aware of the altercation, or if they were, they were ignoring it.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Sherry walked up to Shay and swatted at her hair. “Who’s the princess?”
“Hey!” Shay snapped and swung her arm back, only missing Sherry by inches. She laughed as she danced out of reach. Then Shay froze as she felt the other man slide his hands up her arms and then nuzzled his nose against her neck smelling her hair. It was a very personal touch, and it sent shivers down her spine, and not the good kind.
She reacted on pure instinct. “What the fuck are you doing?” She yelled, as she stomped on the man’s instep and jammed her elbow into his stomach as she backed away towards Lucas. Despite her self-defense training, she might as well have been hitting a wall. The man didn’t even flinch, and Shay’s elbow throbbed as if she’d actually hit a brick wall.
Lucas gently nudged Shay behind him, and she watched in both fear and fascination as he and his brother took a few steps toward the two men. “I suggest you back the fuck off now,” Alex growled at them.
Shay watched as the other two men’s eyes also started to glow amber and the one called Jake slightly opened his mouth revealing his canines. He looked at Shay one last time, his eyes brimming with barely contained malice and then he turned his attention back to Lucas and Alex. Both pairs of men were evenly matched in height and size. But apparently Jake and his buddy didn’t want any
of Lucas and Alex tonight. He postured for a few seconds longer than laughed smugly as he nodded to his buddy and turned to leave.
He looked back at Shay one more time. “Save some of that pretty ass for us.” He said in a low growl as he raked his eyes over her body. His eyes lingered on her breasts. She had to fight not to cover herself, but she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he’d gotten to her. She just raised her chin and stared at him defiantly. He smirked and said, “I guess we’ll be seeing you around pretty lady.”
Her heart was beating so hard in her chest that she thought it would rupture. Shay watched both men and women leave but not before the brunette; Sherry swiped Shay’s beer bottle off the pool table sending it to the floor and smashing into pieces. Shay stood there wide-eyed, her mouth dropped open at the other women’s sheer nastiness. She wasn’t sure what to do or say. Shay was utterly shocked, and she wondered what the hell she had gotten herself into by moving here.
Shay ran a shaky hand through her hair and looked at Alex and Lucas and asked, “Should I be concerned about what he just said?”
Lucas walked over to Shay who was visibly shaking now and began to rub her arms in comfort. “That’s just Jake’s scare tactic. Don’t worry about it. They love trying to intimidate new folks that come to town, especially the pretty ones. They think that humans are beneath us.”
Even though Lucas was smiling and trying to be nonchalant about the whole ordeal, Shay wasn’t convinced. She knew a violent threat when she heard one. She’d had plenty of experience with Kane when he was in one of his drunken rages. But Jake’s had been entirely different. It was cold and calculated and far more frightening. “That sounded like a threat Lucas. A sexual threat.” She said frowning. “Who the hell are they?” She asked, but given the closeness in appearance and the blatant hostility, Shay already had a hunch.
Lucas let go of her and looked at Alex before answering. “Tell her while I get her another beer.” And he walked off.
His Vengeance Page 5
