by Nancy Gideon
“My new in-law is working on a truce between our people, both above and beneath the covers, apparently. Since he has that well in hand, why are you still here, so obviously unwanted?”
A laugh then a drawled, “If I wasn’t still waiting for my meal, I’d be across this table tearing out your throat.”
Rueben’s black eyes never flickered. “I was speaking of your long-term plans. Do you serve any function for the good of your people other than to act the indulgent fool because your title allows you to get away with it? I would think a man in your position would want more for himself, something like what your brothers have found.”
“I’m fielding my options. What’s it to you?”
“You’re in a unique position to be useful.”
“To whom? I don’t believe I owe you any favors beyond the free lunch, which I can probably manage to afford myself.”
“You’re a quirky piece of work, Mr. Terriot. You don’t fit in with the rest of your family. You have no plans, no goals, no interests beyond your own amusements, and those closest to you, you’ve managed to alienate.”
“Sucks to be me, don’t it?”
Ignoring the unfriendly growl, Rueben smiled, tenting his long fingers before him. “Which is exactly my point. And exactly why you’re perfect for what I have in mind.”
* * * * *
Coming in from tossing out yet another bag of trash, Amber paused at the top of the stairs in surprise then continued to the bar.
“Did everyone survive the festivities?” she asked, slipping behind her station with a smile as her unlikely friend took an opposite stool.
“Thanks to you.”
Amber had wanted to hate Mia Geudry as one of those gorgeous females who drew men as if she exhaled erotic pheromones. But she couldn’t because her soon-to-be bestie had almost as tragic a love life as her own, hers a dearth of one and Mia’s an uncomfortable overflow. The Guedry heir had come to New Orleans for vengeance, using two powerful Terriot princes toward that end, only to find an ever-after kind of love with one of the two brothers. Leaving the field open with the other for Amber to do damage control.
“How’s Colin this morning? Still pissed off?”
“He’ll get over it. And Rico?”
“Still dazed and confused.”
Mia was all over Amber’s awareness of the Terriot’s morning mood. "So,” she advanced carefully, “you and Rico?"
Amber's blush answered for her.
A grin spread across Mia's face. "Oh, that's wonderful. And about time."
"Wonderful for me but not for him," Amber admitted quietly. "Now he’s too ashamed to look me in the eye."
"That'll change. I know it."
"You know nothing of the kind." That came out sharper than Amber had intended, carved from the pain in her heart and the frustration of the moment, with both her own insecurity and her friend’s contentment. "He sees me as his one friend. A friend with benefits he doesn't want to claim."
"Let him know how you feel. I know he feels the same way. If you get him to recognize—"
"What? That he has to settle for second prize?"
"That's not what I meant," Mia began. “But the sooner he moves on—”
“The sooner your conscience can be clear. I get it now.”
“Amber, that’s not—”
"You want me to push myself on him just to save the two of you from your guilt. You hurt him. You make it right. Then maybe, if he decides to stay, we might have that chance."
Mia stared, unblinking, until the anger of Amber’s outburst gave before the impact of her words. Amber closed her eyes in despair.
“Oh, Mia, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Why? It’s what I’ve been saying to myself. I abused his emotions when he was a stranger, and now I need to make it up to him as a friend. He didn’t deserve what I did. That’s on me, not you. I just don’t know what to do. If I make an overture, it could make things worse. It’s the bond between me and Colin. It makes him kind of crazy-possessive where his brother is concerned.”
Amber’s hand pressed over her friend’s. “You concentrate on what you and Colin have started.” A grin broke. “A son! How wonderful for you both!”
Mia’s expression flushed with excited pleasure. “I’m so in love with the idea I can hardly stand it,” she confessed in an emotional gush. “And with him. I’m so in love with him.” She grew serious once again. “But this thing with Rico . . .”
“You’ll get past it.”
Mia glanced toward the back of the bar, her expression stilling as she whispered, “No time like the present.”
Amber followed her gaze, pulse leaping even before she saw the focus of her attention.
Rico Terriot froze on the top step as the first wave of thirsty shift-change dockworkers rolled past him toward the bar. His gaze ping-ponged between the two females before settling on Mia. His choice took Amber like a hard shove away.
Before her friend could object, Amber abandoned her to see to her new customers, leaving Mia to wait for Rico’s hesitant approach.
* * * * *
Left alone with the object of his obsession, Rico offered a tentative smile from a cautious distance.
“Hey. I need to apologize. Will you listen?”
“You don’t need to say anything.” The sympathy melting in her dark gaze was worse than the expected anger.
“Yeah, I kinda do. I ruined—”
Mia cut him off. “You didn’t ruin anything. From what I understand, it’s not a Terriot get-together without family dinner theater.”
A crooked smile. “Well, I provided that, didn’t I? I’m sorry, Mia. It was your night, and I was a drunken fool. You and Col, that’s a good thing.”
“Apology accepted.”
“And Col? He still want to kill me?”
“Oh, yeah. He’s not in a very forgiving mood, so give him some space.”
He hung his head, drowning in regret. “Mia, what I did last night—”
She gave his arm a squeeze. “Take that up with your brother when he’s a little less fratricidal. The best way to reassure Colin is for you to move on with someone else."
"Yeah, like I have so many other options for a meaningful relationship." He snorted at the idea.
She stared at him straight on. "You don't have to look far."
He followed the slide of her gaze to the other end of the bar, initially skipped past Amber then backtracked to where Mia's focus held. "What? Me and Amber?"
"The two of you are perfect for each other."
He was too startled to speak for a long moment then stammered hastily, "She's got a kid. She doesn't want a guy like me in the picture."
"Really?"
"We're friends." His protest was a little too vehement.
Mia just smiled. "Think about it. The idea might grow on you. Until then, just stay out of Colin's reach."
That wasn’t going to happen. Rico frowned as the purpose of his conversation with Rueben Guedry came back to distress him. He wasn't a complicated guy. He didn't like games, dramas or intrigues. They made his head hurt and his soul ache. And now he'd signed on for a boatload of all three with the feeling he was going to go down with the ship where Guedry had placed him at the helm.
Wrapped up in that misery, he didn't respond to Mia's quick hug until she whispered, "She's the one you don't want to let get away. You'll thank me."
He scowled after her. Amber and him. Like any woman with a child would want him as a father figure. What did he know about fatherhood? Or family, for that matter. He'd never had good examples of either set for him. Except through Colin, and he was tired of letting his brother dictate his choices.
Amber . . .
Unbidden, a shiver snaked through him, recalling that damp tongue swirling and dipping around and in his ear. A sensation so beyond erotic it stirred an inappropriate response. He glanced the length of the bar to study her as she interacted with customers. No denying she was an eyeful. Pretty, curvy,
with her heart-shaped face and quick smile. But the most appealing thing about her was her attentive manner, that caring, mothering without smothering way she had of listening as if hanging on every word as night after night she collected the hopes and woes of the visitors to her Church of Broken Hearts. She’d heard his alcohol-fueled confessions on more than one occasion.
Amber turned his way. Rico quickly stared into his drink, not knowing where else to look.
They'd had sex. And he had no memory of it. None. Nada. Except for that hot little tease. He had no idea what to do. Ask her about it? What would he say? Was it good for you? Was it good for me? Did I yell out a name that wasn't yours? Should he pretend nothing had happened? Or would that make it worse, like she wasn't important enough to make an impression?
She'd made it easy for him to slink out as if he had nothing to be ashamed of, as if their status quo hadn't been rocked. Like he hadn't rocked her world. Had he? Or was it so awful she’d practically given him a bus ticket to leave? Which was worse? Her knowing he'd wanted to be with someone else or her thinking he was a lousy lay? The first, of course. Her feelings were more important than his already shredded ego.
He heard the rattle of her charm bracelet as she reached to fill his glass. A nice trinket of cheap gold with dangling colored beads, hearts, and the word “Mom”.
Coward, say something!
She froze when he placed his hand over hers where it rested on the bar top. Her smile never faltered as she looked to him in question.
"I need to apologize for last night," he began manfully.
Amber's hand supplied a light squeeze then withdrew.
"No, you don't. You were drunk. I was willing. It was nice. Enough said. No need to make things awkward."
He supplied a wobbly smile he hoped wasn't too pathetic.
"Now, if you'd puked," she continued more sternly, "or peed without lifting the seat, that would be another matter." She gave his arm a playful tap and moved on to her next customer.
He watched her, his insides going all warm and fuzzy, wondering why some smart guy hadn't snatched up such a treasure long ago. Thinking how lucky he was that she put up with his nonsense without complaint.
Amber James . . .
Noooo. A woman with one kid didn’t need another big baby to take care of. Now was not the time nor this the place. Not with everything that had been put in motion when he’d said yes to Rueben’s plan. It was one thing to let himself be sucked up in potential suicide. It was an unforgivable other to let her come along for the dead-end ride.
Chapter 3
Rico stared into his untouched glass as if it could reveal the future, his concentration so intense he didn’t sense the others near him until it would have been all over if they’d meant him harm. He couldn’t muster the interest to care.
“Hey, buy you a drink?”
Rico tapped the edge of his glass without looking up. “Already have one.”
“Mind if we have one with you?”
That brought an indifferent glance up. Three dock workers, Shifters from their faint signature scents, settled on either side of him, provoking a faint protective bristle, because he was a stranger and didn’t know them.
“Still a free country. Suit yourself.” With all his senses now alert, he returned his attention to his drink.
“You’re one of them Tahoe boys, ain’cha?”
“And if I am?”
“We seen you here with the other one, the big crazy fella who was ripping the place up along with half the boys on my crew.”
“Yeah, so?”
“I right admire the way you waded in and put a peaceable stop to things before my boys ended up in the hospital. Or the morgue. Wanted to thank you. Took big balls to do that.”
Rico tipped a smile his way. “Balls was never my problem.”
All three chuckled in appreciation. The speaker, a big fellow with a snow-white mohawk and rose-tinted glasses, put out his hand. “T-Ray. Nice to meetcha.”
“Rico.” He clasped the meaty hand firmly for a two pump.
“That there’s Lamar and Donny.” He tipped his head, and Rico followed the gesture to the pair on the other side of him, a sinewy, swarthy fellow and a youngster with a neck bigger than his head. Both grunted at his nod.
“Anyways, ‘preciate you steppin’ in like you done. You need anything, work, somebody to tip one with, help a any kind, you gimme a call.” He took out a pen and scrawled a number on Rico’s bar napkin. He glanced up when Rico tapped his forearm.
“Nice ink. One of my friends has one like that.”
“Yeah. Who that be?”
“Mick Terry. He worked on the docks for bit, did a little fighting on the side. We go way back.”
“You know Mick?” Brows hoisted in surprise then lowered slightly. “Then you know him and me mixed it up. Might say I owe him my life.”
“Yeah? Doubt he’ll collect on it. He went back to Tahoe. Got himself a girl who keeps him on a pretty short leash.”
“Like he minds that.” T-Ray grinned, a wide dazzling row of white teeth.
“He doesn’t hate it. If I hear from him, I’ll tell him you said hey.”
“So, you following him back to Tahoe or what?”
“Don’t know yet. Doesn’t seem to be anything for me here.” His gaze went subconsciously to Amber, a move his new friend didn’t miss because he chuckled.
“There won’t be anything for you there, I can guarantee you that, but you’re welcome to try. Many have and have gone down in flames.”
Rico smiled faintly. “I don’t need more trouble than I already have.”
“Well, you got friends here, iffen you need ’em. Remember that.” A hardy slap on the back and the albino bristle tilted toward the tables. “C’mon boys. Let’s set a spell and give our new friend his elbow room back.”
Rico paid no attention as they faded away, his fixed on his glass with the knowledge that the first volley of Guedry’s plan was in play. Now all he had to do was ride out the next wave in one piece.
* * * * *
Even as she poured and chatted amiably, Amber couldn’t keep her focus from the figure hunched over his untouched drink. As long as the glass was full, she had no reason to linger near him, not with the place so suddenly busy. The distance didn’t matter. Even half a room away, all her acute sensory memories brought him up against her as if he was again carrying her back to bed.
The heavy rasp of his breathing scorching her throat, the heat of bare skin searing hers, his heartbeats jackhammering as they traveled the distance between her back door and bedroom. Excitement quickening, anticipation so raw and hot it had her ready to eat him alive. The urgent way he pulled off her clothes in the dark.
So he couldn’t see who he was with.
That cynical whisper tore her from naïve recollections to a truth as harsh as the noise in the large room around her. She’d been nothing more than a substitute, a more than willing stand-in for who he really desired. Knowing that even as she’d coaxed him inside her kitchen, even as he took her down to her noisy old bed, she had only herself to blame if the truth left a bitter taste in hindsight.
She could pretend all those luscious kisses, those hurried caresses and husky whispers were for her, but she’d only be fooling herself. The look on his face as he emerged from his alcohol haze in that walk of shame the next morning told her everything. A stark expression of regret and utter panic.
So, she’d done what she always did, pushed her feelings away to quiet another’s distress. At least she could tell herself she’d had a good time while it lasted, that the sex had been nice . . . No, phenomenal!
“Guy on the end’s been trying to wave you down. Head in the game, Ammy.”
Jacques’ rumbling voice yanked her from her pity party to the job at hand. The job that paid her bills, put food on her table and clothes on the back of the child she’d do anything to provide for. Amber closed off her emotions with a smile and bravely pretend they didn’t exi
st.
Until her boss grumbled, “Here we go again.”
* * * * *
Rico didn’t look up from his glass. “Here to beat the shit outta me? Go ahead. I deserve it.”
The seat beside him was abruptly vacated. A look from his brother could exact that scrambling result. Only a fool provoked someone like Colin Terriot. A fool like Rico.
“Yeah, you do,” Colin agreed as he sat down. “And then some. But I told Mia I wouldn’t.”
“Then you lied.”
Colin left that alone for the moment as Amber approached with a softly cautioning, “Behave yourselves.”
“Yes, ma’am.” His older brother’s promise was as false as Rico’s reassuring smile. Because they both knew how this night would end.
After Amber provided a glass and silently filled it before walking away, Colin took a long swallow and Rico did the same. They stared at their reflections in the mirror behind the bar.
“So, did Cale leave?” Rico asked at last.
“’Bout an hour ago. He was hoping you’d show up. I told him you wouldn’t.”
“And you’re always right.”
“When it comes to you. You seem to enjoy living down to my opinion.”
“I’m used to the fall.”
They continued to stare into the reflective glass, seeing the room behind them quiet in eavesdropping anticipation.
“We need to talk.”
Rico cleared his throat. “What I said to you, that was low, even for me. And not true. You know that.”
“If I didn’t, you wouldn’t have left here alive last night.” The low growl of his voice confirmed it.
“Not even my apology good enough for you? Then what do you want, Col?”
Colin ignored his sarcasm. “You helped save my life. I want to help you make something of yours. Here. Beside me.”
“Here at this bar over bourbon? I feel better already.”
Strong jaw flexing in irritation, his brother continued with a bit more bite in his tone. “We’re making a difference here, changing things for the better, making us all stronger. I could use you, Rico.”
“Use me.” A bitter laugh. “Yeah, I bet you could. But let me ask you this.” He turned on his stool to face Colin. “Better for who? For us, the Terriots? For the Guedrys? Sure, I can see where having a firm grip on an enemy territory would be a damn fine thing. But how are outsiders sneaking in to take over where they’re not wanted and making changes that suit themselves, better for the folks living here?”
