Blacklisted

by Jay Crownover

  “Don’t be ridiculous. Kody is a friend, first and foremost. I’m glad she’s happy. You think I would’ve let that Ranger have her if I didn’t honestly believe he was better for her?” I winged up an eyebrow and reached out to tap a tattooed finger on the table between us. “As for the doctor, I have unfinished business with her. It doesn’t concern you.”

  I’d yet to figure out why she hadn’t told the sheriff she saved my life and that I’d been littered with bullet holes…which I guess meant I technically owed her more than one favor. The thought had me clenching my teeth in annoyance.

  Case curled his hand into a fist where it rested on top of the table and shifted uneasily across from me. We both had our limits, and it wasn’t uncommon for either of us to push right up against the other’s. I could tell he was trying his best to tamp down the desire to reach across the table and choke me. Instead, he focused on doing his job.

  “Why were you at Presley’s apartment that day? Did you see who fired the shots? Were you the target or was it my sister?” He bit off the questions angrily, his scowl darkening with each one. “Why didn’t you stick around and wait for the police so we could question you along with the other witnesses? I know you aren’t stupid, Shot. You know leaving makes it look like you’re involved in what went down at Presley’s place.”

  I sighed and dragged a hand down my face. “Someone takes a shot at me, you think I just sit on my ass and let that go?”

  The man opposite me stared at me without blinking, and I could practically see the wheels turning in his head. “You saying you were the target?” There was no missing the hopeful note in his deep voice. He really wanted me to assure him that someone was gunning for me and not his half sister.

  I gave my head a little shake. “What I’m saying is someone who took a shot that could have easily hit me or my VP doesn’t do so without repercussions. That doesn’t fly in my world. I made sure the pretty doctor was all right, then Top and I left to try and find whoever was firing at us.” I gave a careless shrug and told him honestly, “Most people who shoot at me don’t miss. So if you’re asking me for a guess, I would say I wasn’t the one they had in their sights. But who knows for sure? We both know that I have a handful of enemies who wouldn’t be above taking a random shot if the situation presented itself.”

  Case growled again and I could feel the tension radiating off him in waves. I had to give him credit. If I was in his position and being purposefully provoked, I probably would’ve pulled my gun on them.

  “Don’t suppose you’d be willing to hand over a list of those enemies so we can narrow the field for possible suspects?” He knew the answer before he asked it. The last thing I was going to do was start cooperating with the police. I had way too many secrets and skeletons in my closet for that. I also had my own agenda when it came to payback. Not to mention the rest of the club to look out for as well.

  “It won’t make any difference. Most of the people looking for me aren’t the type who want to be found. Even if you did run across them, I’m not sure it would end well for you. As I said, Kody is a friend. I can’t knowingly put her older brother in the line of fire.” I gave him a wink. “Besides, it’s not like you’re great at keeping the bad guys behind bars anyways.”

  Case’s eyes narrowed even more until he appeared to be practically squinting. “Are you talking about yourself, or someone else?”

  A low chuckle escaped because he had a point. “I’m saying you might want to start by looking at those who have slipped through the legal system’s cracks. The woman who killed your father and burned down your family home is still missing—after how many months? The man who almost got your woman killed gets bounced because of a paperwork error, and who’s keeping an eye on him?” I lifted my hands and let them fall. “Lots of dangerous people on the streets, Sheriff, and it’s not my job to regulate them.” I winked at him again. “Until it is.”

  Case blew out a deep breath and leaned forward, hands on the table. His intensity was palpable and so was his simmering anger. “Not your job to regulate? Then what would you call what happened with Jethro Coleman and the school shooting?”

  The reason I’d been shot and two of my brothers had died was because Jed’s older brother had set his sights on punishing Case in the most effective way possible. He’d taken aim at the sheriff’s teenage son and the rest of the kids who attended Loveless’s only high school. Case had been literally caught in the crossfire, so I’d stepped in to handle the problem…permanently.

  Knowing I’d pushed my luck as far as I could for one day with the big man, I settled back in my seat and offered up my honest opinion. “I’d call that particular incident justice.” We both knew he had no proof that I was the one who took the older Coleman out, and I wasn’t about to implicate myself. “If you have any other questions, send them through my lawyer, Sheriff. I’m going back to my breakfast if you don’t mind.”

  Case swore, long and loud, smacking his palm on the table and making the diners around us jump. “I still want to talk to your VP. He was with you that day at the apartment. Maybe he saw something you didn’t. I want an official witness statement. Have him come to me, or I’ll show up at your clubhouse when you least expect it.”

  I nodded and reached for my abandoned and now cooled coffee. “I’ll pass the request along.”

  Case grunted his response and went to slide out of the booth, but I stopped him by asking, “How is the good doctor? She took a pretty good knock on the head.”

  For once, I wasn’t asking the question to get under his skin. I was genuinely curious about how Presley was doing. Her apartment appeared abandoned, and the parking lot still had police tape around it. She’d seemed so frightened that day but was also totally determined to face on her own whatever was hunting and haunting her. I was admittedly impressed. Plus, I was still indebted to her, and I needed to get that damn noose off of my neck.

  Case turned to give me one last warning. “I told you to keep your distance, and I meant it, Shot. Presley has a lot going on in her life right now. The last thing she needs is you stirring the pot and leading her astray. Leave her the hell alone and don’t make me find a reason to arrest you.”

  I took the threat in stride. It wasn’t the first time he’d issued it. When Kody and I had casually dated, I’d found myself hauled into the sheriff’s office on trumped-up charges more than once. However, I got the distinct feeling Case felt like he had to go above and beyond to protect his new sister because he didn’t think she could protect herself. Which was definitely not the case with Kody.

  After the sheriff left, I finished my breakfast and left the waitress a hefty tip to make up for disturbing the other diners. The club had a pretty decent relationship with the locals, but that was mostly because we kept our business outside of the city limits. When my uncle offered to sell me his failing ranch after I was kicked out of the military, he’d given me the rundown on all the small-town intricacies. I knew what I was getting into when I moved down to Texas to start up a new chapter of my father’s club. However, it was an opportunity I couldn’t turn my back on, and I’d yet to regret the decision, even if it came with more prying eyes and idle gossip than I preferred.

  I was tossing a leg over my bike when my cell phone rang. Seeing that it was Top, I settled on the seat and answered the call.

  “What’s up?”

  “You having breakfast with the law now?” The sarcasm was thick and so was the censure.

  “Didn’t have a choice. Neither do you. He wants to know about the shooting the other day.” I rested an elbow on the gas tank and let my gaze wander over the sleepy Main Street. It honestly looked like one of those postcards sold in every tourist shop everywhere. All the storefronts were purposely kept cute and charming, giving everything a throwback-to-another-time kind of vibe. And even though it was called Main Street, there wasn’t a lot of pedestrian traffic. Loveless wasn’t the kind of place vacationers flocked to, so it was mostly locals whose families had
been in the area for generations. It was honestly the last place on Earth I’d ever thought I’d end up, but here I was and I had to admit I liked it. Being here helped quiet down some of that noise that was constantly screaming through my hectic and dangerous life.

  I suddenly sat up straight when I caught sight of a flash of red hair and superlong legs. It would be hard to miss the elegant way Presley Baskin carried herself. With that bright hair she stood out like a beacon and I knew I would have zero trouble spotting her even in a crowd.

  Keeping my eyes on the woman as she hurried along the street, I muttered to Top, “He wants to get a witness statement from you as well. Your call if you go down to the station or if you have our lawyer handle it. Don’t need him showing up at the ranch.”

  Top grunted his agreement and said something else, but I completely missed whatever it was. My attention was fully focused on the woman walking on the opposite side of the street. She had those giant sunglasses on her face, but now it was daytime so she didn’t look as ridiculous as the last time I’d seen her in them. I noticed that she kept turning her head as if she was looking for someone. Her pace quickened until she was almost jogging. The entire scene would have been comical if fear hadn’t been evident in every one of her actions. She ducked into the only drugstore in town, and before I knew what I was doing, I found myself climbing off my bike and walking in the direction she disappeared.

  “Have you heard a damn word I’ve said?” Top’s sharp reprimand brought me back to reality but didn’t stop the forward motion of my feet.

  “Nope. Not a single one.”

  My longtime friend swore loudly into my ear. “I was telling you that we might have a lead on Jed Coleman. Someone saw him in Austin. It seems like he’s trying to hook up with a well-known extremist group based there. May be looking for a place to hide out, or for some kind of backup.”

  I gritted my teeth in irritation, pausing before I walked into the drugstore. “If you can lock down an exact location, let me know.”

  “Are you still thinking someone else took the shot outside the apartment?” Top hadn’t originally agreed with my assessment until I pointed out that the last time I went against Jed Coleman, he’d managed to nearly kill me.

  “I don’t think he’s the type to miss when he lines up a shot. We won’t really know either way until we pin Coleman down.” Huffing out an annoyed breath at being delayed in the pursuit of my current prey, I snapped at my VP, “I got something to take care of. I’ll check in on my way back to the ranch.” I hung up before he could question me further. I wasn’t sure how to explain my overwhelming need to see what the doctor was up to, or why I continually found myself unable to leave her alone.

  I was irritated that even though the slate between us was technically wiped clean since she’d saved my life and then I’d saved hers, I still felt a twinge of responsibility toward keeping her safe. After all, that bullet might have been meant for me. She adamantly insisted I didn’t owe her anything more, but if she wasn’t going to look out for herself, maybe she needed someone else to do it for her.

  I wasn’t sure why I believed that the someone else looking out for her had to be me, but I couldn’t fight back the urge to follow her and see what she was up to.

  The bell over the door dinged when I entered, drawing curious looks from the young man behind the counter and the elderly woman checking out. I nodded in greeting and started to make my way up and down the different aisles in search of that red hair.

  At first, I didn’t see Presley anywhere. It was like she’d disappeared into thin air, even though I knew for certain she hadn’t left through the front door. I was about to go ask the cashier if she’d maybe gone out the back when I was suddenly hit in the face with a blinding spray of something chemical and potent. My eyes immediately started to burn, and I began hacking like my lungs were trying to climb out of my throat. I couldn’t see anything through the water flooding my eyes, and I could hardly breathe.

  “Oh!” The soft exclamation was followed by gentle hands grabbing my face. “It’s you. Why are you following me?” Presley’s voice was equally concerned and condemning.

  “What did you spray me with?” I wanted to gag and couldn’t get the truly awful taste out of my mouth.

  Since I couldn’t see, I let Presley drag me toward the front of the store, where she demanded to know where an eye-flushing kit might be located.

  Once we were situated in another aisle, I asked again what she got me with through fits of hacking.

  “Umm…bug spray. Why are you following me?” She pushed my head back and I felt her body lean into mine as she reached up to dump the eyewash solution into my burning eyes. “Don’t blink until I tell you.”

  I had to fight the urge to squeeze my eyes shut, but her fingers pressed my cheeks and held my face still.

  “I wasn’t following you. I saw you running down the sidewalk and got curious. You looked like you were running from someone…or something.”

  Slowly, the sting in my eyes lessened and my blurry vision started to come back into focus. My mouth still felt like I’d just drunk a gallon of diesel fuel, and my throat felt raw, but the cough subsided as Presley quietly asked, “Did you swallow any of it? If so you need to go to the ER and get your stomach pumped. That stuff is highly poisonous.”

  Her touch was incredibly tender, and so was her voice as it wrapped around me.

  I caught one of her wrists in my hand and pulled her fingers away from my face. “I’m fine. Tell me why you were running and why you looked so afraid.”

  She tried to tug free, but I tightened my hold, not letting her go. We stared at each other for a long moment, then she relented.

  “I’ve been staying with Kody and her boyfriend since the shooting. She finally went back to work today, and Hill got called out on a new assignment. I was getting stir-crazy and I thought a quick run into town wouldn’t hurt anything. I also planned on stopping by my apartment to grab a few things. As soon as I left Kody’s I got this feeling like I was being watched. The sensation got worse when I got into town. I’m probably just being paranoid, but I was convinced that someone was following me. Then you appeared out of nowhere and”—she shrugged sort of helplessly—“I’m sorry I overreacted.”

  This time when she tugged on her wrist, I let her go. I went to rub my eyes and got my hands smacked away.

  “Don’t touch. It’ll make it worse.”

  I sighed and let my arms drop to my sides. “You were in the line of fire not too long ago. Seems to me like it’s a good thing you’re on high alert. If I had been following you, your reaction was on point. I think you’re better at taking care of yourself than anyone believes.”

  She heaved a sigh and crossed her arms over her chest in a protective movement. “I took some self-defense training when my life went sideways. I can’t believe I might actually have to use it.” She sounded utterly defeated and resigned.

  I grunted and tilted my chin up a little. “Gonna be a minute before I can see well enough to get on the bike. How did you get into town? Grab the stuff you came for and I’ll go to your apartment with you so you get what you need.”

  She blinked up at me, eyes wide and surprised. “Excuse me?”

  I narrowed my eyes at her. “Get your shit and let’s go.”

  She balked a little, telling me, “I took a cab. My car is still at the apartment.”

  I shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. The apartment is a short enough walk away. You can get another cab once you’re situated or take your car back to Kody’s. If someone is actually following you, you don’t need to be out there wandering around alone.”

  I could see she was going to argue so I bent down and put my red, irritated face close to hers and told her through gritted teeth, “You practically blinded me. Can you stop arguing for five minutes and just make one of our interactions easy?”

  Who knew being a nice guy was so damn hard?

  It took another long moment before she relented, and I
could tell she only gave in out of guilt, but I didn’t mind. There was something about the pretty medical examiner that kept pulling me in, and it’d been a very long time since I’d been this interested in someone outside of my world.

  Sure, I’d had it pretty bad for Kody Lawton, but I’d gone into that knowing it would never work out. The doctor was a mystery and full of surprises. I had no idea what our next encounter was going to bring, and for the first time in forever, I found I didn’t mind being surprised.

  Chapter 4

  Presley

  I glanced at the man walking next to me out of the corner of my eye.

  I didn’t know much about bikers or the outlaw lifestyle, other than what I’d seen on television and in the movies. So far, all my interactions with Shot Caldwell and his club led me to believe some of the outrageous scenarios presented for entertainment weren’t actually that far off base. There was an intensity about the man, a rebellious quality that practically oozed from his pores. It was easy to tell he wasn’t one for convention and standards, just by looking at the ink that covered most of his visible skin. While tattoos were more and more common on every kind of person, the heavy, dark images scrawled over the biker’s arms and up the side of his neck made a bold statement. He was a grown man, living life on his own terms, and to hell with conformity. It was unsettling how intrigued I was by the dangerous and mysterious aura that surrounded him, just as I had been when he’d been clinging to life while my hands were covered in his blood. It was an unexpected fascination, one I had no time for, and it was completely out of character for me.