“I hear you had a rough time back in the city,” she said, taking a sip from her cup. “I'm sorry to hear about your ex.”
“Yeah, me too,” I said. “Never saw that coming.”
“You never do,” she said. “Why do you think I've been single ever since your uncle passed?”
“Well, Raymond was a good man,” I said, speaking of my uncle. “A very good man. Men like that are hard to find these days.”
“You can say that again,” she said with a sigh. “Speaking of which. I know you're single now, but don't get any ideas about the local men here. Or at least, be very careful around them. Especially, the big, tall, good-looking ones? All bad. Not a single good one in the lot. Trust me on that.”
I laughed. “Trust me, after Jason, I'm not interested in dating again,” I said. “Not for a long while at least.”
“Good,” Paula said. “Because as tempting as it might be, these local men are nothing but trouble.”
“Aren't they all?” I said with a laugh.
“I'd like to think not all men are terrible,” Paula said. “I had a good one, once. Maybe you can find one too. They're definitely out there, sweetheart. You just have to open your heart and be patient.”
“Yeah, maybe,” I said with a shrug. “But I'm really pessimistic about it all. I don't know if I'll ever be able to trust another man again. What Jason did to me was bad. Really, really bad, Paula. He ruined my whole life, pretty much. He destroyed my career, everything. All gone. All because I wanted to leave him.”
Paula reached across and took my hand in her tiny, frail ones, giving me a soft smile and a gentle squeeze.
“I heard about all that, and I never believed it for a second, Rose,” she said with absolute conviction in her voice. “You're a good woman and you were a damn good teacher. I don't care what Jason said, you would never do – what he suggested you did. Never in a million years. And anybody who knows the first thing about you knows that.”
“Thank you, Paula,” I said with a heavy sigh, the bad memories surfacing in my mind. “I finally cleared my name, but there was no way I could go back to the district ever again. My name was dragged through the mud, parents hated me. I'm not sure I can ever teach again. Even though I was proven innocent, that kind of thing stays with you. No matter what. There are some people who will never believe me. Never believe that I'm actually innocent.”
She patted my hand before getting up to refill her cup, wheezing a little bit as she stood up.
“It'll all work out, Rose,” she said. “And in the meantime, I appreciate you staying here with me. God knows, I hate to ask for help, but I need it.”
“No, thank you for having me, aunt Paula,” I said. “I really appreciate it.”
I knew she hated asking for help – and knew she did need it -- and I was more than happy to help her. She was the one person in my entire family who'd never abused my kindness, or who'd never taken me for granted. And for that, I was thankful. More than thankful, really.
So, to see her in such poor shape, to see her declining, and to know she was dying, tore me up inside. I might not be able to go back in time and make up for all the years with her I'd missed, but at the very least, I could be with her now.
And while I was there, I could give myself a fresh start. Considering everything I'd been through in the last few months, I needed that. I needed that more than I'd ever needed anything in my entire life.
Chapter Two
Asher
The sheriff pushed a photo of man across the table, a look of expectation on his face.
“Look familiar to you?” he asked.
I didn't even look at the photo. Didn't need to. I already knew who he was.
“Should he look familiar to me?” I asked.
Sheriff Dean Richards stared back at me, and I could see the hate in his eyes. But I knew my eyes looked exactly the same staring back at him. We never did get along very well, not even back in school. And now that he was in a position of power, well, he thought he could lord that over me. Thought he could intimidate me. Right. Like a shiny tin badge and a gun could intimidate me. Dean was a moron. Always had been, always would be. And for some reason, he'd always had a hard on for me.
“His name is Leonard Peters,” Dean said. “He's a long-haul trucker from Eureka, California and was last seen in Black Salmon Falls. His truck was found in town, but he's nowhere to be found.”
“Interesting story, but I'm a little confused here,” I said, arms folded over my chest. “What does this have to do with me?”
Sheriff Richards scowled at me from across the table. Even though we were the same age, you wouldn't have guessed it. The stress of the job had apparently done a number on him. Premature balding, a beer belly and two ex-wives who hated his very existence. Given all that, it was probably no wonder he hated me so much – I was living the life he thought he should have had. The very thought of it made me chuckle.
“What's so funny, Asher?” he asked me.
“Nothing,” I said, leaning forward across the table. “I was just thinking about how you were a miserable twat in high school and that not much has changed. About the only difference is that you have less hair.”
Dean slammed his fist down on the table with a growl, doing his best to intimidate me – but it wouldn't work. It only made me laugh at him.
“Listen, I know what you are,” he growled. “And I know what you do. I know what all of you do. I'm the law in this town, not you. Me.”
“I have no idea what you're talking about, sheriff. Was this guy a criminal or something? Did he do something wrong? Or is he just a missing person? And if so, what do you want from me? As you said, you're the law in this town.”
“He's a rapist, actually,” Dean said. “With multiple alleged victims, up and down the coast. By all accounts, he was a bad, evil man. But that doesn't give you and your guys the right to kill him.”
I let out a low whistle. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up there a minute, Dean. Who said anything about killing anybody?” I asked. “Are you actually accusing me and my family of being murderers? Personally, I wouldn't spend a whole lot of time or money on finding a serial rapist, but that's just me.”
“You're not the law here, Asher. I am.”
“Obviously,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I'm well aware of that. So, now that we have that all cleared up, are you done with your little power trip? Can I go now? Because, correct me if I'm wrong – and given that I'm not the law, I could be mistaken – but I don't believe you have anything to hold me on.”
“No, not right now I don't. But trust me, Asher – the Feds would be really interested in hearing all about the curiously high number of people who go missing in Black Salmon Falls. It's really strange how many people go missing for such a small town, isn't it? But I know the Feds would be interested. Although, personally speaking, I'd hate to get them involved.”
“Oh yeah? The Feds, huh?” I asked, the tone of my voice one of amusement. “And I'm sure the Feds would really give a damn about a bunch of missing drifters, rapists and child molesters.”
I chuckled, rolled my eyes, and shook my head. As far as threats went, that one was pretty weak. He had absolutely zero evidence that tied me and my guys to any disappearances, let alone murders.
“We are going to nail you and your guys, Asher. It's only a matter of time,” he said in a tone that was supposed to sound confident of his statement – which actually sounded like anything but confidence.
With one last menacing glare at me, Dean took the picture of the man back and placed it in the file folder. A moment later, he stood up to walk out. But I stopped him before he hit the door.
“I wouldn't count on it, Sheriff,” I said nonchalantly. “And you better be careful out there. As you know, the woods are pretty thick outside of town and apparently, people go missing all the damn time around here. It's dangerous.”
Richards stopped, turned to me and sneered. “Are you threatening an officer of the law,
Asher?”
I shrugged. “Not at all, Sheriff. No reason to threaten you. No need for this to get all hostile,” I said. “I was just saying. Making an observation, that's all. But if I were you, I'd be careful about which side you're on – defending the rapists and pedophiles won't make you particularly popular around these parts.”
~ooo000ooo~
“Asher!” a voice called out to me as I exited the police station.
I knew that voice well and I cringed inwardly – even though I suppose I should have been happy to hear the voice of my betrothed.
“Asher!” she called. “What was that all about? Are you okay?”
I turned to face her, and she didn't look happy to see me. At least not there, at the police station. She grabbed my arm, digging her perfectly manicured nails into my skin to stop me from walking away from her.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, running a hand through my hair.
“I heard you were called into the Sheriff's office,” she said. “And given that I'm your future wife, I thought I should find out what's going on. Does this have anything to do with that man that went missing the other day? I heard some people mentioning it, but I wasn't sure what it was all about. Was it about that guy?”
I shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Maybe?” She shot me a look of death.
“Yeah, fine, they wanted to know if I knew anything,” I said.
“And do you?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
I shrugged.
“Answer me, Asher.”
“No, I don't. Why would I?” I snapped. “Listen, I just spent the last few hours getting harassed by our wonderfully uptight, angry sheriff – I don't need to hear it from you too.”
Mariana looked hurt, but I knew it was just an act. She wasn't nearly as sensitive as all that and me snapping at her a little wasn’t likely to hurt her feelings. No one in her position would survive if she was a weak, emotional little thing. Which she was little – petite and thin with long brown hair and bigger than average hazel eyes – but I knew better than to let her looks deceive me.
I knew what she was deep down. I knew her better than anyone, besides her own parents perhaps. What she was, was a master at playing a role. At manipulation. About using people's underestimation of her as a weapon she could then turn around and kill them with. Mariana was a lot of things, but weak, emotional, and easily hurt were not among them.
She grabbed hold of my arm again and tried to get me to stop, but I yanked free from her grasp.
“Asher, please – can we go somewhere and talk?”
I sighed and looked off into the distance. All she wanted was a conversation. I owed her at least that much – I knew I did. Not by my choice, but she was to be my wife. I needed to talk to her, to let her into my world. My thoughts. I may not have picked her, but I was going to have to learn to accept her for who she was. But that was hard, considering who she was.
“If you're in trouble with the law, it's going to have an impact not just on your clan, but mine as well,” she said. “Since we're supposed to be married and our clans tied together, what you do impacts me, just as what I do impacts you. And I need to know how to proceed.”
Again, she was right. Didn't mean I trusted her or her clan, but she was right. Our clans had been bitter rivals for as long as I could remember. But technically, we were supposed to be united together with our marriage. And given that fact, deep down, I knew that I should trust her. I should probably also learn to love her – but that was something that would either come in time or it wouldn't. I couldn't control the way I felt about her, even if we were married.
“Fine, let's talk,” I said.
She took my hand in hers and led the way. I wasn't sure where she was taking me, but we ended up at her car – a candy apple red BMW bought for her by her daddy, of course.
“Climb inside,” she said, looking up at me with her big, doe eyes. “We can talk in here.”
Mariana often used her looks to get what she wanted out of life. Being beautiful and part of one of the most powerful clans in the world came with a lot of privileges. And she used that to her advantage every chance she got.
I climbed into the passenger seat, half expecting her to sit in the driver's seat.
Wrong.
She climbed into the passenger seat along with me, straddling me in the car.
“I thought we were going to talk?” I said.
“We are,” she said, grinding her tiny little body against me. “But I thought maybe we'd screw first, talk later. You just got out of prison and all and I figured you could use a woman's touch.”
“Dirty little mouth on you,” I growled.
She knew I loved it when she talked that way and was a little aggressive. It was to my detriment, but she knew exactly how to drive me crazy.
She kissed my neck, sliding her tongue from my collarbone, up to my ear. At the same time, she was moving her hips up and down on top of me, rubbing against the erection growing in my jeans – I was, after all, a warm-blooded male and truth be told, she was sexy as hell. But honestly, I knew it was all an act. I wasn't even sure if Mariana truly enjoyed the sex with me or if this was just another way to try and control me. Either way, it usually didn't matter. I was usually up for anything.
Except this time, I really wasn't in the mood. Yeah, it surprised me too.
“Can we maybe postpone the screwing?” I asked. “At least until we're not sitting in front of the police station?”
She pouted again. “But Asher,” she said, playing with the buttons on my shirt. “I want you. Don't you want me?”
It was all a game to her. Everything was. And everything she did was aimed at getting something she wanted. Nothing ever came free or easy with Mariana, and everything came with strings attached. I could see through her charms – had seen through them long ago, actually – and I'd had enough.
“I don't want to get arrested,” I said. “And right now, the Sheriff is looking for any reason to throw me in the can, so I'd rather not –”
She reached for my belt anyway, a lascivious grin on her face.
“Mariana, are you even listening to me?”
“I'm listening to what your mouth is saying,” she said and ground herself down on me again, a low moan coming from her throat. “But your body is telling me another story entirely.”
She winked at me. She thought this was cute. Normally, I'd probably think it was sexy too and give it a go. But I was tired of being manipulated, tired of her giving me sex as a way to get what she wanted. I wanted to be with a woman who wanted to be with me – not just because of the power that would come with it, but because they wanted me. Wanted to be with me for the right reasons.
Half the time, Mariana would initiate, get me turned on and then lie there like a dead fish. Like she was just counting the minutes until I got my rocks off and she could be done with it. I'd do all the work, make her orgasm over and over again and she'd take it as a win – and then ask me for a favor afterward.
I was done. Especially because this time, I knew her favor would include getting information out of me. Information I wasn't ready to give her just yet. Information I didn't think she should ever have, to be honest.
“Mariana, stop,” I said, my tone firm. “Just stop, okay?”
The look on her face wasn't a happy one. Actually, she looked downright pissed. But she climbed off me and sat down behind the wheel instead – pouting the entire time.
“We're going to be married, Asher,” she said. “And I love you. I've always loved you. Why do you keep doing this to me?”
I sighed. There we go again. The guilt trips. When she didn't get what she wanted, it somehow became my fault. She was a pro at being able to turn things around on me and it was really wearing my patience thin.
“I'm marrying you, Mariana, because it's the right thing to do. For both of our clans,” I said. “But it doesn't mean I have to allow myself to be used and abused in the process. If you want intel, f
ind someone else to get it from. Because if we're going to be married, we're going to have to work together, not against each other. And that means, stopping with the games and manipulation.”
“I don't know what –”
“Yes, you do,” I said. “Don't even give me that crap.”
She sulked for a moment, staring out the window in front of us with her arms across her chest. If this were a cartoon, I'd be able to see smoke coming out of her ears and fire from her nostrils. In fact, I could almost see it as it was.
“I just want you to love me, that's all, Asher,” she said. “That's all I ever wanted.”
“Well, you're not going about this the right way then,” I said. “Not at all.”
“What am I supposed to do? You won't let me in. You always keep me at an arm's length from you. So, tell me, how am I supposed to go about things when it's obvious that you don't trust me? Hell, for all I know, you don't even really care about me.”
This time when she looked at me, there were tears in her eyes. Real tears. Damn. Maybe I was being an ass. Maybe I was coming down on her a little too hard.
“Come here,” I said, motioning for her to lean her head on my shoulder. “I'm sorry, okay? It's just hard. We're from rival clans and I've been trained my entire life not to trust your people. And now, I'm expected to throw out all those years of programming and marry you. It's not your fault, Mariana. It's just life. It's one of those things that's going to take a little time.”
“You're never going to love me, are you?” she asked.
Honestly, I couldn't answer that question in that moment. I couldn't see into the future and had no idea what my life was going to be like a year from now. But, I knew that's not what she wanted to hear at that moment.
Mated to a Bear (Legends of Black Salmon Falls Book 3) Page 100
