“What about retaliation for what happened to Luke?” one of the men in the crowd growled. “What happened to an eye-for-an-eye? Are we really going to let this slide by?”
“We are still looking into Luke's murder,” I said, stepping up beside my father. I took my seat on the smaller throne that had been built for the Chief's heir. “We have reason to believe the N'gasso aren't actually behind what happened.”
“Of course, you'd say that. You're screwing Clay's daughter, you're whipped already and aren't seeing straight, boy,” the man called.
My fists were balled up at my side. “Are you questioning my loyalty, Shane?” I asked him, narrowing my gaze. “I'm marrying Mariana for this clan – not because I love her. Because it's the best thing for us. Let's not get this twisted. I'd never put my clan in danger for a woman. Never. So, if you are questioning my allegiance, we can get into the pit and settle this.”
Shane settled down, but only a bit. I knew he wasn't up for a challenge. I was stronger than him, I'd easily tear his throat out if it came to that. He knew that, I knew that – hell, everybody gathered there knew that. And unless he wanted to challenge me, he'd need to calm the hell down. I didn't want to fight Shane – had no desire to hurt anybody in my clan. But I was not going to sit there and have my loyalty questioned.
Shane's wife, Ramona, put a hand on his shoulder and whispered something in his ear – likely reminding him of their two children. Two children who would grow up without a father if he dared challenge me to battle.
“I'm sorry, Asher,” Shane said, gritting his teeth. “I didn't mean to question your loyalty. I'm just not sure why you're giving the N'gasso the benefit of the doubt – a benefit they don't deserve.”
“Because they'd be stupid to murder one of our own – my very own cousin at that – and not even try to cover it up. To murder him on their land, when we have an active peace agreement in place, would be dumb. The N'gasso are many things, but their Chief is not a stupid man,” I replied. “And besides, I don't believe they'd sabotage our peace accord. Not like that. Nothing about this makes any sense.”
“You're right. None of it makes sense,” Shane growled. Others joined in with him, “Why are we uniting with them anyway? What do we have to gain from it.”
“We've been through this,” my father argued. “Because it makes us both stronger. The fighting amongst us will stop, fewer people will die, and it'll lead to more prosperity for all of us. We have a lot to gain from this agreement. Perhaps, more than the N'gasso.”
I nodded. “Exactly,” I said. “Believe me, I wouldn't be marrying into that family if I didn't think it wasn't going to benefit the Q'lapa.”
Slowly, the shouting stopped and I could feel the dark, angry energy that had infused the crowd begin to dissipate. I waited for a few long moments, looking at my father, who looked back at me with a grateful look in his eyes. He looked weak. Fragile. And it broke my heart. After the crowd calmed down, I decided to ask the question that had been racing around through the back of my mind.
“Had anyone talked to Cameron prior to the incident with Clay Rockford?” I asked them all. “If anybody knows anything, now is the time.”
A low buzzing mumble hovered over the crowd as they spoke to one another, some were shaking their heads and though there was a lot of conversation, I wasn't getting the feeling that anybody actually knew anything.
A woman – Annie, I thought her name was – shouted from near the back. “I spoke to him last night. He didn't mention anything, didn't seem upset,” she called. “We talked about Luke, but I didn't get the feeling that he was upset enough to go do something as crazy as that. He said that you and your father would handle it.”
“My thoughts too,” I said.
“Do you think someone set him up?” Shane asked.
“I'm thinking it's a possibility,” I replied. “Something we need to consider, at any rate.”
More silence. I turned to my father. “What else has happened this morning?”
“Several of our members were attacked by the N'gasso. Reprisals for the attack on Clay,” he said. “Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt, but a fight broke out in town. No one was arrested, but they promised revenge.”
“Has anyone talked to Clay today?” I asked.
“He's not taking my calls,” my father said. “But he was also in with his doctors most of the morning, so I'm not jumping to any conclusions. Have you spoke to Mariana?”
“I have. I told her we knew nothing about this and that we'd handle it. She's going to do her best to calm down the N'gasso so we can solve this together. Peacefully.”
“Good,” my father said. “We can and will figure this out. Together.”
I was glad everyone was calming down, at least for the moment. Tensions were going to be running high for awhile, until we figured out what was happening and who was behind it all. It was on me to keep everyone from going to war, which wasn't going to be easy. Luke was my cousin, third in line for the throne. It was obvious someone was coming after the leaders of our clan, and that wasn't something we'd take lying down.
But we also had to make sure we went after the right people, or else, it could get very ugly for everyone involved. The N'gasso, us, and potentially the people of Black Salmon Falls.
Chapter Nine
Rose
I was doing the last-minute work and closing up the bookstore. Mary had already left for the day and I was just getting ready to flip the sign to closed, when Asher stopped by.
“Better hurry,” I said with a laugh. “We close in a few minutes.”
“I'm not here to shop,” he said and looked at me with an awkward expression on his face.
The way he stood there, sort of shuffling his feet, avoiding eye contact, and looking all kinds of awkward was adorable. It was also not what I'd expect from a man like Asher. He was large, imposing – the seemingly typical alpha male type. And yet, there he was looking like a shy teenage boy. But, one thing I'd come to learn about Asher, was that there was definitely far more to him than met the naked eye.
“No?” I asked. “Then, what can I do for you?”
“I was actually hoping we could grab some dinner after you get out of here?” he said, his voice surprisingly soft. “You know, just to talk.”
My heart flip-flopped and I froze in place for a long moment. I couldn't seem to do anything but stand there and stare at Asher for a long while before answering.
“It's okay if you have other plans –” he said, suddenly looking sheepish. “I was hungry, in the area, and thought maybe –”
Adrenaline was flowing through me and I thought I felt myself start to tremble. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. I imagined that with my mouth opening and closing like it was, I looked like a fish pulled out of the water and thrown up onto a dock, gasping for breath. I couldn't believe what was happening – Asher was asking me out. On a date.
There were ten thousand reasons I should have declined his invitation. Twenty thousand, maybe. And knowing that, I opened my mouth to give him a “thanks, but no thanks” answer, and yet, my brain apparently had something else entirely in mind because when I opened my mouth to speak again, the wrong words came tumbling out.
“Sure, that sounds great, actually.”
I felt my eyes grow wide and a shock like electricity shot through my body. I should have said no. There was no way in hell I should have agreed to dinner with Asher Blackwood. I wasn't ready to be dating anyone yet, and aside from that, my aunt had warned me about his family. I knew that I should probably stay far away from him. But something in me couldn't resist. So, to temper any expectations from him – or myself – I threw in a last second caveat.
“Just as friends though,” I said. “I'm really not ready to start dating again.”
“Just friends,” he said, “I promise I won't try anything with you. I just enjoy your company, that's all. You're just different from my usual circle of friends. And right now, I kind of nee
d different.”
The fact that someone as gorgeous as Asher was even talking to me made my head spin. Never in a million years would I have ever expected a guy like him – somebody who could have stepped out of an underwear ad – to be interested in me.
Then again, maybe he wasn't. Maybe he really was just looking for a friend and I was reading way more into things than I should have been. When that thought hit me, I felt a slight twinge of disappointment. I knew it shouldn't disappoint me, but it did all the same.
The heart and brain just couldn't agree on how I should feel about him.
“Alright, let me finish getting cleaned and locked up here,” I said, reaching for the keys. “And then we can head out.”
Asher browsed the shelves, picking up a few books and leafing through the pages as I checked the back door. When I came back out, I found him reading from a book on the shelf, a rapturous look on his face. It was a book on ancient Roman history and he looked like he was in love.
“Maybe I should leave you two alone,” I joked.
“Nah, I think I'd rather be alone with you,” he said, laughing nervously as he put the book away.
Color rushed to my cheeks and my face felt like it was on fire, but thankfully, I'd turned out the light before he could see.
“Okay, well let's head out,” I said. “What did you have in mind?”
“There's an amazing BBQ place over on Second Street, it's within walking distance,” he said. “How do you feel about BBQ?”
“Sounds perfect,” I said, locking the door as we stepped out of the bookstore and onto the sidewalk outside. “I'm starving.”
I could tell something was on his mind, he seemed a little distracted and was being quieter than usual. He never came off as the quiet type – he was always cocky and talkative. And yet suddenly, he let me do most of the talking as we walked toward the restaurant.
“Finish the book yet?” I asked.
“No, sadly, I've had a lot going on,” he said, staring straight ahead as he spoke. “Family stuff.”
“Ahhh,” I said, hoping he'd elaborate, but he didn't. “Everything okay?”
He shrugged. “Not really, but we'll survive. We always do.”
His voice sounded distant and I found myself trying to draw him out. Get him to talk and open up. But the more I asked, the less he spoke, and I wasn't sure what else to say.
As we arrived at Big Al's BBQ, Asher pulled me to the side before entering. He looked into my eyes earnestly and there was a strange expression on his face. I could tell that he wanted to say something important – or at least, important in his mind – but I had no idea what it could be.
“Rose, I like you,” he said bluntly. “I like you a lot.”
My heart raced with his revelation and I realized that even though I'd been trying to keep my feelings in check, somehow, over the time we'd been talking and getting to know one another, some feeling for him had wormed its way into my heart. I couldn't deny it – the heart wants what the heart wants. But I could do my best to control it. I wasn't ready yet. Not ready for a relationship and all of the emotional baggage that I'd yet to deal with.
“I like you too,” I said. “But –”
“Just friends,” he said. “I know. I just want to make it clear from the beginning that I enjoy your company. I enjoy talking to you and just being around you. Probably more than I should let myself. I like you, Rose, and I just want you to know that, even if I'm unable to open up about my life or my family right now.”
“I'm confused?” I said, laughing. “But that's fine. I don't need to know everything about you and your life if we're just friends. I figure you can tell me more when you're comfortable doing so. But I enjoy your company as well, Asher. You've definitely made me see some things in different ways – especially you. But for now, I think it sounds like it's in both our best interests to keep things friendly.”
He smiled and gave me a small nod, something like sadness briefly flashing behind his eyes. “You're probably right, Rose.”
The hostess moved to sit us on the patio, but Asher insisted we sit inside instead. I didn't argue. He requested a booth in the back corner of the restaurant, well away from the door. And when we sat down, he took the seat facing the entry, as if he was watching for someone and wanted to keep an eye on the place.
“Let me guess, you don't want your wife walking in and find you having dinner with a friend?” I teased.
Yes, it was a joke, but also my way of finding out if he was married or not. After all, there was so much I didn't know about Asher. For all I knew, he could have a wife and ten kids. I'd never asked and he'd never volunteered that information. I figured, that was just one of those things that would come out over time. But given the fact that he was acting a little strangely, it had piqued my curiosity – and then, I just had to know.
In some ways, I thought that if he were married, it would make things easier. I could use that knowledge to build the partition between friend and lover in my mind. If he was married, he would be nothing more than a friend. And he'd stay on one side of the wall. If he wasn't, he'd perhaps, be on the other side of the wall. Maybe.
“No, no wife,” he said with a hearty laugh. “Just nosy locals. Always up in my business because of who I am.”
“I see,” I said with a coy smile.
Dinner was nice and casual, we laughed a lot. We talked about philosophy and the stars and our favorite books. We talked about everything that crossed our minds and the conversation was free-flowing and easy. Which made it incredibly easy to get lost in the conversation, almost as easy as it was to get lost in his eyes. I limited myself to one cocktail during dinner, and he had a beer. I wasn't going to make the mistake of having too much. I knew I had to be careful around him, since he was easy to fall for.
But when the check came, I wasn't ready to say goodbye yet. Neither was he apparently. We both looked at it for a long while, both of us reluctant to acknowledge it and call it a night. But then he looked up at me, a smile on his face.
“Come on,” he said. “I want to show you something.”
“Where are we going?” I asked, as he took my hand. I was startled by his large hand holding mine, but I couldn't bring myself to pull my hand away. After all, I had to admit – if only to myself – that it felt nice.
“Do you trust me, Rose?” he asked, his eyes twinkling and a smile on his face once more.
“Do I trust you?” I wasn't sure how to answer that. My gut said yes, but all the warnings from my aunt – and my past experience with men – told me that I'd be a fool to trust him. But I went with my gut. “Yes, of course.”
“Then come with me,” he said.
We walked back toward the bookstore, where he had a motorcycle parked out front. “Hop on,” he said.
“Wait, no, I'm not riding with you on that thing,” I said, shaking my head. “No way. I have a fear of things that can kill you if you happen to fall off of it. And in case you hadn't noticed, I'm not the most graceful person in the world.”
“It's a short ride,” he said. “Just out of town a bit. I'll be careful and won't drive too fast. I promise.”
He climbed on the bike and looked back at me, those big, brown eyes of his begging me to go with him. And he looked so damn sexy with the wind blowing through his shoulder-length hair and with the moonlight sparkling off his eyes – how in the hell was I supposed to say no to that?
Without a helmet, I hopped on the back of his bike. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I closed my eyes, gritted my teeth, and held on for dear life. I had to admit, being that close to him, breathing in his musky scent and touching that ripped body, was nice. Very nice.
As we rode on, I found myself growing embarrassed by the fact that the combination of all of that – plus the vibrations of the bike between my thighs – turned me on. Big time. There was a fire burning in the center of me – one that I hadn't felt in some time. It was both a welcome sensation and an unwanted one – unwanted mainly becau
se I would not be able to do a damn thing about it. At least, not until I got home and had a little alone time for myself, anyway. Though, it obviously, was not the same thing. But, we did what we had to do.
We drove for a few miles on the main road before he turned down a private back road. There were signs galore warning trespassers to stay away, handmade ones that made crude threats, and other handmade ones mocking the first set of handmade signs with some colorful rebuttals. The road was curvy and long, but we went slow. It was strange, but I never once sensed my life was in danger with him. The thought that he'd hurt me never crossed my mind once – not even as he took me deep into the woods.
The road ended in a large circular driveway outside a cabin. Asher stopped the bike and we got off. The night air was cool and the moon high overhead cast the world around us in a silvery, monochromatic light. The smell of pine was heavy in the air and everything was peaceful. It was beautiful.
As I surveyed it, I didn't think that cabin was the right word for the place I was looking at. The structure was huge – almost like a mansion – but completely made of wood and logs. As the engine cooled down with a series of clicking and ticking noises, we were surrounded by the sounds of crickets and bullfrogs in the distance. Music to my ears. I loved falling asleep to those sounds – it did wonders for my soul.
“Wow,” I said. “Is this your house?”
He gave me a shrug and a half-smile. “Sort of. It's a family home,” he said. “Currently no one lives here, but we spend time up here when we're looking to get away and mellow out for a little while. Come on.”
He took my hand again – which set the flock of butterflies in my stomach swirling again – but instead of walking into the cabin, he took me around back. There was a patio overlooking a small lake. The moonlight shimmering off the water's surface made it look like a pool of liquid silver. It was absolutely stunning. But that's not what caught my attention.
“Oh my God, the stars! There are so many and they're so bright out here!” I said, staring up at the sky.
“That's why I brought you out here,” he said, watching me with a smile. “I knew you told me you were from the city. And as nice as it is, I don't think the stars look quite like this in Seattle.”
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