by Linda Oaks
A sucker punch to the gut took me by surprise and knocked the breath from my lungs. Sharp pain erupted in my left side when an elbow jabbed directly into my ribs. “What in the hell do you think you’re doing?” Sheriff Burke roared; suddenly I was being dragged away.
“You punch like a bitch.” I spat at Blade while watching as two of the officers moved to assist him up from the floor.
“What in the tarnation do you think you’re doing in my station, Nate Lucas?”
“I’m sorry, Will,” I said, only realizing then that I’d not only overstepped my bounds, but had put an old family friend of my gran’s in a bad position.
“You do know that he can file charges against you?”
Will stood there staring at me like I’d lost my mind. Maybe, I was crazy; fucking felt like it.
“Yeah!” Ryder yelled. “Lock his ass up!”
Sheriff Burke turned and gazed around the station. Every officer present was watching on with idle curiosity. “Did anyone see what happened?”
Anxiously, I stood waiting for the other shoe to drop. I’d let my damn temper get the best of me again. I’d fucked up royally this time. My ass was probably going to jail for assault. It was a rookie move; goaded into attacking and it made me even more pissed that I’d let the little shit get to me. If I hadn’t listened to Miley and insisted she go to the hospital, Ryder would be sitting behind bars right now instead of getting ready to walk out of the station scot-free.
When no one said a word, I breathed out a huge sigh of relief.
“I’m letting you both off with a warning. You’re free to go, Blade,” he said, and stepped around me to pick up the chair still lying on the floor. To leave, Ryder had to walk past me. I glared at him hard and clenched my hands as he walked by. His grin was pure smugness as he eyed me.
“See you around, asshole.”
“Lucas.” I heard Sheriff Burke snap when I started to take a step toward him. If I knew for certain that Miley and Sierra were safe, it would be worth going to jail for. “Have a seat. You’ve got some explaining to do.”
Thirty minutes later, I was back on my Harley breaking the speed limit and headed to Hawk Mountain. When I called, Miley hadn’t answered her phone. I had no idea where in the hell she was or where Ryder Blade was at the moment. For all I knew, he could already have the both of them in his clutches.
My heart hammered and I accelerated, blowing through a red light as I headed out of town. I was almost at the turn off for the house when my phone began to buzz in my back pocket. I pulled off onto the shoulder of the road and quickly answered it.
“Where are you?” It was Miley.
“Well, what crawled up your ass and died?” she asked.
It was so good to hear the sound of her voice that, for a second, I forgot all about being angry. If she wasn’t careful, that smartass mouth of hers would have her flat on her back in my bed. I should just fuck her and get her out of my system once and for all. Kick this obsession I had with her square in the ass with one time between her thighs.
“Ryder Blade is what’s crawled up my ass.” The line went silent at the mention of his name. “Where are you?”
“I took your truck and dropped off Sierra at daycare. I’m at the Piggly Wiggly now.”
Some of the tension eased from my body. For now, she was safe. “Why did you leave the damn house?”
“Listen,” she said, and from the tone of her voice I could almost imagine her standing before me with her hands cocked on her hips, wearing that sassy expression of hers while those sky blue eyes were shooting sparks. “I am not your prisoner. You got that. Sierra wanted juice boxes. There is no juice in your refrigerator, Nate.”
“I thought we both agreed you would stay put until I dealt with Ryder.”
She huffed into the phone. “I don’t recall agreeing to anything besides staying at your place, which I’m regretting as we speak. I’m not afraid of Ryder.”
A laugh escaped my lips. Yeah, right. “Well it sure didn’t seem that way when I rescued your ass from almost being raped.”
“He wouldn’t have raped me, Nate,” she argued, defending him.
Why would she defend that piece of shit? My blood boiled. She was delusional. What in the hell did she think? That, he had a picnic planned for the two of them.
“He wouldn’t?” I echoed, clenching the phone so tight I heard it crack.
There was a moment of silence, and then she softly laughed. “You don’t understand. Ryder is many things, but he’s not a rapist. He only wanted to scare me.”
“I think you’re wrong. Stay put until I get there.”
Without giving her a chance to reply, I slipped the phone in my pocket, started the bike, and headed back to town. My pick up was parked near the front of the store. There was an empty spot right beside it. The Piggly Wiggly wasn’t busy, but it was only a little after nine in the morning. Mavis was standing at one of the check outs waiting on a customer when I walked in. Before I could duck my head, she looked straight at me and smiled.
Shit!
“Hi, Nate,” she yelled from halfway across the store, and what few eyes were inside turned my way. I threw up my hand and hurried down the nearest isle searching for Miley. When I rounded the corner, I almost plowed into none other than Myra Hayes.
Mother. Fucking. Hell. I couldn’t catch a damn break! Of all people, why did it have to be her?
Momentarily stunned, my fingers curled around the metal shopping cart positioned in front of me as I gazed into hazel eyes identical to Natalie’s. How this woman could have borne such an amazing and gentle person as my Natalie was a mystery? Myra Hayes was the devil’s spawn.
“Myra.”
I took a step back and intended to walk past her, but she jerked the cart to the side blocking my way. “I never expected to lay eyes on you again, Nate,” she said, her face as blank and empty as her soul.
“I know how you feel, Myra.” I could have happily gone a lifetime without ever seeing this woman’s face again.
My gran would say it was best not to hold a grudge, but I didn’t know if it would ever be possible to forgive this woman for what she’d done to me. Forgiveness wasn’t one of my strong suits.
“If you’ll excuse me, I’m looking for someone.”
“Excuse you,” she muttered rather loudly, her lips curled in disgust. “How you have the nerve to show your face back in this town after what you did to my daughter?”
“Myra, I don’t have time for this, and I sure as hell don’t have to explain myself to you. I’m not an eighteen-year-old boy anymore.”
“If you hadn’t filled Natalie’s head with your lies, she might still be here. You’re the reason she’s dead.” She practically snarled. Silently I wondered how this woman could stand to look at herself in the mirror each day.
My fingers gripped the edge of the cart. I took a deep breath and glared back at her. “I. Didn’t. Kill. Natalie.”
“No, you may not have been driving the truck that hit her, but you put those foolish ideas in her head. You…” She pointed her finger accusingly at me. “…were the reason we argued. You were the reason she was pregnant and in the mess she was in.”
“You go right ahead and keep on spewing your lies. It was an accident. Somewhere in your fucked up mind it makes you feel better to blame me when we both know it was no one’s fault — not even yours.”
Her mouth snapped shut, and her eyes welled with tears. I walked past her heading down the aisle. I didn’t bother to look back. It wasn’t my fault. It wasn’t. I wanted to shake that woman until she listened to reason. Myra needed a scapegoat. Someone to blame for the tension between her and Natalie at the time of her death.
There was always regret, and I’d lived with it for years along with the guilt. I was alive when Natalie and our child were dead. I should have been with her, but all of “the should haves” in the world couldn’t change the reality of what we all were forced to live with. They were gone.
&n
bsp; “There you are.” I heard, and turned to find Miley standing in the produce section nearby.
The lump in my throat slid down to settle in my stomach, and with narrowed eyes, I stomped toward her as my temper spiked, aware of the smile slowly slipping from her lips as I approached. Damn, she looked good, I thought, but I was pissed. She was dressed in denim shorts, a green tank top, and a pair of flip flops. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail.
“Let’s go.” I curled my fingers around her upper arm. That look in her eyes had me glancing away. She never said a word, but then neither did I. I’d just behaved like a Neanderthal, but I’d be damned if I’d apologize. We walked together to the check out. Miley still wouldn’t look at me, but she did smile at Mavis as she rung up the items in her basket. Before Miley had the chance, I yanked out my wallet and paid for her items.
Miley glared at me as she stuffed the money back into her purse and grabbed her bags. Her shoulders were tense. She held her body as stiff as a board. If she wanted to fight, I was in the mood for it.
“Heard you finally visited The Eight Ball,” Mavis said, making small talk while counting out my change. She might as well have asked me if aliens had landed their spaceship on Hawk Mountain for all the attention I was paying to her. All I could focus on was Miley, who, right now, was walking her shapely ass out of this store without me.
“Yeah,” I answered vaguely, wanting to hurry this along. I didn’t have time for small talk. “Thanks.” I grabbed the rest of the bills from her hand and hurried toward the exit. It became crystal clear to me now that Miley was also pissed.
I made it out of the store just in time to see her pull out of the parking lot and onto the main road. I yanked on my helmet, jumped on my bike, and managed to catch her at the light. When it turned green, she gunned the engine. I gritted my teeth and let off the throttle, and then squeezed the gas to follow close behind her. This wasn’t the friggin Indy 500. The closer I followed, the faster she drove — so instead of riding her ass, I dropped back in the hopes she would slow down.
All the way to Hawk Mountain I silently cursed myself as I recalled the morning’s events. It was obvious I needed more eyes on Miley besides just my own. She was proving to be a stubborn thorn in my side. How could I protect her if she wouldn’t listen to reason?
Parked in the driveway sat a gray tow truck. Since I was on the bike, I couldn’t drive as fast as Miley on the gravel road. I watched as she climbed out of the truck and began talking to the stranger. A tall, dark haired man with tattoos who was now standing beside her car smiling at her. It was obvious she knew him.
I pulled in, cut off the engine, swung my leg over the side of the bike, and walked toward them. “Hey,” I said to the guy when Miley chose to ignore me. She didn’t so much as offer an introduction or look my way. “Thanks for dropping off the car, man.”
“No problem,” he said, flashing me an easy smile. He seemed friendly enough. When he handed me the tow bill, Miley tried to snatch it from my hand, but she wasn’t quick enough. She shot me a murderous look. The guy chuckled as he observed the two of us; his dark blue eyes filled with humor.
“I got this,” I told her, and if looks could kill, I’d be lying on the ground dead.
I was right, she was pissed after all.
“Jake, it’s good to see you. I’ve got some groceries I have to get inside. Tell Addie I said, hi.”
“Sure will,” he replied, smiling at her.
Miley had mentioned the name Addie, and silently I wondered if this was the same Addie who had been my Natalie’s kid sister. I pulled out my wallet and thumbed through the bills inside. “I don’t have any change,” I said and handed him the money.
“I’ve got it, man.” He took out his own wallet and handed me a twenty. “Let me get you a receipt.”
When he turned, walking away, it was then that I realized Miley had already taken all of the bags from the truck and had disappeared inside the house. Later, I was either in for one hell of a fight or the cold shoulder. Either way, it wasn’t good.
“Here’s your receipt,” Jake said, drawing my attention back to him. I’d been so caught up in thinking about Miley, I hadn’t even noticed his returned. “Thanks for the business.”
“Sure,” I mumbled. With a nod of his head, he turned and headed back toward his truck.
He was leaving. I couldn’t just let him walk away without knowing if this Addie was the same one I had known. “Hey,” I called out. He stopped walking, halfway turning around to face me. “You mentioned an Addie?” I hedged.
“Yeah, she’s my wife.” He eyed me curiously.
“Was her maiden names Hayes?” I asked and held my breath as I waited for his answer.
He grinned, nodding his head. “You know, Addie?”
“Yeah.” I was wishing now I’d never even asked. Me and my big mouth. “I used to date her sister,” I explained.
He walked toward me and held out his hand. “Jake Riley,” he said, introducing himself. I had no other choice but to shake his hand.
“Nate Lucas.” From the expression on his face, I was positive he’d heard my name before. Now that I thought about it, he seemed vaguely familiar.
“Nice to meet you, man.”
“Yeah, you too. How’s Addie been? She was just a kid the last time I saw her.”
For a moment he appeared thoughtful, then he smiled. “She’s great. Addie’s in a really good place right now. It was hard on her dealing with the death of her sister. We have a little girl. She’s a year old.”
“Congratulations.” It was good to know she was okay. She had a family and was settled. Over the years, I’d often thought about her. It couldn’t have been easy for her having the likes of Myra Hayes for a mother.
“Thanks again for dropping off the car. I really appreciate it.”
“No problem.” He grinned.
“It was nice to meet you.”
“You, too,” he said, and turned and walked away.
“Hey!” I heard him yell. I was almost to the porch when I stopped and turned back around. “We’re having a get together this Sunday. Just a few friends. Nothing fancy. You all should come.”
No way in hell was I going anywhere near Myra Hayes.
“Thanks, but it’s probably not a good idea right now. There’s a lot going on, but I appreciate the offer.”
He was a nice guy. He couldn’t help it if his mother-in-law was a bitch.
“No problem, but if you change your mind, the invitation still stands.”
“Thanks again,” I called.
Even if I wanted to attend, I couldn’t take the chance. I’d rather be slow roasted over the fires of Hell than come face to face with Myra Hayes again.
When I walked inside the house, Miley sat on the couch fiddling with her phone. Hank lay curled up at her feet. She didn’t even look at me. It was official, I was receiving the cold shoulder. “You are an idiot.” I heard her say as I started to walk down the hall to the kitchen. I glanced over at her but she was still looking down at her phone. So now I was hearing things? I tried to hide my grin as I changed direction and made my way to the couch. I sat down on the coffee table near her. She didn’t look up.
After a good five minutes of silence, I decided it might be safe to speak. “How so?” I asked, already knowing her answer.
At the Piggly Wiggly, I’d behaved like an asshole. Miley had actually been glad to see me when I’d arrived, and I’d destroyed everything by letting Ryder Blade and Myra Hayes get to me. It had been a shitty morning, and I’d taken it all out on her.
She raised her head, meeting my gaze. “I messaged Cecil. Sierra and I will be staying with him for the next few days. I’m going back to work tomorrow. I’ve already spoken with Sierra’s sitter.”
When I started to speak, I thought better of it and closed my mouth. There had to be a way to turn this around. For some unexplainable reason, I wanted them both to stay here with me, and this time it had nothing to do with Cecil.
>
“Don’t,” I muttered, silently kicking myself for my earlier behavior.
“Don’t what, Nate?” she asked, her blue eyes flashing angrily. She laid her phone on the table beside my thigh and glared at me. “Don’t let you bulldoze me and talk to me anyway you want? I’ve been treated that way in the past, and I won’t live under anyone’s thumb ever again. Sierra and I are not your responsibility. You’ve done enough.”
She stood and, before I could stop myself, I grabbed her hand. “I’m sorry,” I said. She tried to jerk away, but I refused to let her go. Her eyes were watery, brimming with tears. At this moment, I hated myself.
“People probably already assume I’m screwing you, or worse. You’re not the only one who has to live with the ghosts of their past. I never had the best reputation in high school and around here people have a long memory, Nate. They’re like elephants. They don’t forget. I don’t want people talking about me or my baby.”
I pulled her close, so close her legs rested against my knees. Even though she drove me crazy, I didn’t want to let her go. There was just something about her I couldn’t explain. “No one knows you’re here other than Cecil.”
She shook her head in denial, her ponytail brushing her shoulder. “Cecil, Kara, Mavis, and now Jake and Addie. All those people we saw in town, they know, Nate. The list keeps growing and growing. It won’t be long before people put two and two together. Then what?”
Hell, I didn’t know. Why did everything have to be so fucking complicated?
“We’ll tell everyone we’re engaged,” I blurted out, silently wondering where in the hell that idea had come from. From the expression on her face, it seemed as if I’d shocked her more than I’d shocked myself with that one.
“Have you lost your ever loving mind, Nate?” she yelled and yanked her hand from mine. “You don’t have a clue, do you?”
