Bannock got up and strolled to the bar where he picked up the box of the best Cuban cigars money could buy. Eager hands snatched them up. He had opened the house up to hopefully keep the smoke to a minimum, but with eight guys partaking, he knew he was fighting a losing battle.
“You’re awful damn quiet tonight, Bannock.” Diego Mendez talked while puffing on his cigar with the match at the tip. “What gives? Normally you enjoy taking Luther’s money.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I’m enjoying the hell out of it. I’m just trying not to rub it in as much.” Bannock puffed on his own finely wrapped cigar. Across the table, Jackson nodded, letting him know he did the right thing earlier by insisting Dane go see Reece.
Jackson made a lot of sense, as he always did. Sometimes Bannock couldn’t be sure if it pissed him off or he appreciated when the man was right. Lately, Bannock noticed he wasn’t the only one with a lot on his mind. Jackson seemed a little off since Trinity Cross stepped foot on the island. He had seen them together a time or two, but Jackson had offered no details and Bannock didn’t push.
Bannock shuffled the cards and hung on to his cigar with his teeth. The sweet flavor of the tobacco melded together with the brandy he dipped the end in. “Ante up, fuckers.” He put on his poker playing attitude and tried to push out his feelings and worries and just enjoy himself. These assholes pick up on everything, he spoke inside his head. He didn’t need to be razzed by them and he damn sure didn’t want Luther and Jed to suspect he was investigating their darling niece.
“Hey, where in the hell is Dane?” Beau Rivers asked as he picked up his cards.
“Out.” Bannock replied as he held up his cards and shuffled through them, deciding on how best to play it.
“Out? Dane never misses poker night. There’s only two reasons he would, he’s dead or there’s a woman involved, which is it?” Beau continued.
“Tonight, he is out, dipshit. Now play some cards.” Jackson intervened and Bannock was grateful.
“You suck at dealing cards, Bannock.” Luther was the first to complain.
“Ah, shit.” Half the guys replied in unison.
“Fuck all of you.” Luther puffed on his cigar while he studied his cards. “And Beau, you’re one to talk. You suck worse at poker than Jackson does at having sex and not getting caught with his pants down.”
Jed grumbled and shook his head. Bannock had noticed there was a considerable amount of tension between the two and that Jed had avoided talking to or looking at Jackson. Bannock decided to razz Jackson for the full story later. Currently, Jackson wasn’t amused by the statement.
The guys belted out obnoxious laughs, the alcohol finally kicking in. Thick smoke enveloped the room and rose toward the ceiling.
“Five bucks, pay to play.” Jackson tossed his bill to the center and looked around at everyone.
Jed tossed his money in and Bannock followed. Luther flipped his cards while the others put in.
“Are you playing or what, Luther?” Bannock eyed Luther studiously gazing at his cards.
“Hold your fucking horses, I’m thinking.” Luther’s eyes darted back and forth between his cards while the men laughed.
While Luther was thinking, Bannock snuck another peek at his watch. Two hours, he thought, Dane had been gone two fucking hours. He hated the thought of the two of them together and wondered what they were doing. He was protective of Dane like an older brother. The last woman he got involved with turned their world upside down. Before Dane finally came to his senses, the woman had put him in the middle and seemed to play a wicked game of tug a war with his heart. Dane had been torn with the decision, girlfriend or best friend, and Bannock didn’t want to see that happen again or with a woman he himself didn’t trust.
“Earth to Bannock.” Diego called and he snapped back to the game.
He looked at his cards again and flipped off Diego. His hand sucked, but he stayed in. “I’ll go another five.”
“Call.” Luther tossed his money out and Jed folded. Two others folded as well with the remaining throwing bills into the kitty.
“All right, Bannock. Show us what the hell you came up with this time.” Luther puffed his cigar and blew the smoke into his face.
Bannock threw out a pair and leaned back.
“A pair of fours, man?” Jackson shook his head.
Luther grinned and showed his hand, seemingly proud as hell of himself and his flush laid out on the table before Beau burst his bubble with a full house. “Well son of a bitch.”
Jackson had a three of kind and Diego sat with two pair.
“Maybe poker isn’t your game, Chief.” Bannock chimed in, finding immense humor in watching Luther lose.
“And maybe desk duty for the next month is yours.”
The room erupted with laughter. All the men gave Bannock a hard time for opening his mouth. Luther was a good man, shitty loser, but most of the time, Bannock thought he just played the part to entertain the hell out of them.
Beau raked in his cash with a cheesy grin on his face. “It’s about damn time.”
Dane entered the kitchen with a beaming smile. Bannock’s worst fear was happening. He could tell by Dane’s boyish expression, he had a good time.
“Where in the fuck have you been?” Luther yelled above the noise.
“Yeah, and where’s those little sandwiches you always make?” Jed questioned.
“Out and I made cheese dip instead.” Dane pulled a chair up between Bannock and Luther and sat down. “So, what’s the damage?” He nodded to Bannock’s small stash of cash.
“Not too damn bad so far,” Bannock replied and was secretly dying to know what happened tonight between the two of them.
Chapter 6
After Dane dropped Lane off, she tiptoed through the house only to realize Liz was up and watching a movie with Rebecca Garrison. When Liz said she was coming over, she thought she was just saying that so she would go ahead and go out.
Liz paused the movie when she noticed Lane come in. “Did you have a good time?”
“Yes.” Lane smiled. “How is your movie?”
Liz grinned like she knew something. “Great.”
Lane didn’t know Rebecca very well yet and didn’t want to talk about her evening with Dane in front of her even though she was dying for some girl talk with Liz “I’m going to go to bed. You two enjoy the rest of your movie.”
“Good night.” Liz called as Lane walked away.
She showered quickly and went to bed. Her mind raced with thoughts of Dane and the kiss they shared. The night was wonderful. She couldn’t have asked for a more perfect evening with anyone, anywhere. When he drove her home, she held him a little looser around the middle and laid her head against his back. The guy smelled so sexy. She could still smell his scent and thought about how she allowed it to take her away while the vibration of the motor tickled between her legs, keeping her wet all the way home.
She had to admit, she was a little embarrassed by her actions, but she couldn’t help it. She was overcome with all the nervous energy she’d pent up lately where he was concerned. The kiss, wow, better than she could have dreamed. She replayed the kiss over and over in her head while she worked to get comfortable. Images of what could have occurred had they continued caused her to skim her hand over her stomach and touch herself. She masturbated as her mind created a new version of events that could have followed.
The next morning she awoke feeling refreshed and eager to start her day. Instead of nightmares, she had amazing dreams, sexy dreams, and downright dirty ones. Her mind even dreamt of one with Bannock in it as well. Hot didn’t cover what it entailed and she blushed as she got dressed while recalling it. Never before had she thought of allowing two men to share her, but seeing couples around her involved in such a relationship conjured a new desire she didn’t realize she had.
After getting dressed, Lane brushed her teeth and headed down stairs, hoping to catch Liz alone. When she entered, she smiled when she saw Liz s
itting at the bar with a cup of coffee and a bagel.
“Good morning, Liz.” Lane pranced in and pulled a coffee cup from the cabinet.
Liz studied her with a grin while chewing her cream-cheese-coated bagel. She swallowed and took a sip of her coffee before speaking. “Good morning. May I ask why the overly chipper mood this morning?”
“Just life.” Lane poured a cup of coffee before grabbing the bag of bagels and pulling one out.
“Did you have sex with Dane?”
“What?” Lane shrieked and dropped her bagel to the floor. “No.” She pitched her voice low, unable to believe she would ask that or think it.
“Hmm. Interesting.” Liz bit into her bagel again.
Lane nervously laughed and picked up the bagel from the floor. She wiped it off, not sure why, because Liz’s floor was always so clean. She broke it apart and popped into the toaster. “Not that I didn’t want to.” She finally added because she really wanted to share the giddiness that bubbled in her stomach.
“I knew it.” Liz pointed at her “That guy is quite a specimen. Isn’t he?”
“Oh, yeah.” She leaned back against the counter and recalled his handsome face. Her smile fell and she began to frown because she felt terrible all of a sudden.
“What’s the frown for?”
“Well, I really like him.”
“What’s wrong with liking him?”
“Well, it’s only been a few weeks since my last relationship went to hell. I’m not sure if I should be dating right now. Hell, I’ve been relocated here because his band of thugs may or may not want to kill me. I’m apparently a key witness in the damn investigation. And one of these days, I’ll have to face all of that again from the stand inside a courtroom.”
“Sweetie, understand me when I tell you this. You can’t allow your life to be ruled by the actions of others. I know it hasn’t been easy being here and adjusting, but I see a young, beautiful woman that was a trainwreck of emotions a couple of weeks ago who is now smiling and happy about something. You don’t have to get serious about anyone. I just think it’s good for you to get out and see that not all men are monsters.”
“I just feel like I should be, I don’t know, mourning.”
“You mean for the woman who was killed?”
Lane wiped a tear that began to roll down her cheek. “I realize I didn’t know her, but my boyfriend killed her and I would have never believed he would be capable of murder or anything else he’s involved in.”
“How long did you date this man?”
Lane sighed. “I don’t know, a couple of months.”
“Do you really believe you could have known in that length of time?”
“Well I should have seen something!” Lane plopped her cup down on the bar, coffee spilling over the edges. “If I hadn’t been so self-centered and caring for nothing more than myself and career, maybe I would have seen clues that more than likely were there. I could have stopped that.”
“No!” Liz stood up and walked over to Lane. “No you couldn’t have. Criminals like them cover their tracks well and even if you knew something odd was going on, you couldn’t have saved her.”
“I disagree.”
“You blame yourself for her death. Don’t you?”
Lane nodded and reached for a tissue. “Yes.”
“Oh, honey.” Liz hugged her as she sobbed. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“Why couldn’t I see what kind of person he was?”
“He showed you what you wanted to see and nothing more. You were as sucked in by him as the women who worked for him.”
“Do you see now why I’m scared to get involved with someone else?” Lane leaned back and looked at Liz. “I really like Dane too much already, but—”
“I can assure you, Dane would never hurt you or betray your trust. I understand how you feel, but I can see a young, vibrant woman who is as much a victim as the women from that club. Don’t let fear rule your life.”
Lane nodded and swallowed hard. Dane seemed too good to be true. The night before he was such a gentleman when he could have taken her instead, right there under the stars. She would have willingly complied, but he didn’t and that spoke volumes about his character.
“Look, you’re scared, I get that. If you don’t want to get serious and just date, tell him so. But I can tell you, Dane looks at you with such an adoring gaze, I doubt you’ll be able to resist his charm. He’s playing for keeps.” Liz smiled sweetly and squeezed her shoulders.
A rush of warmth spread from Lane’s head to her toes when she recalled how Dane looked at her. Behind his mischievous glances lies a pure heart, she felt, and hoped her instincts were correct. When he was near her the world went away and she was so overcome with happiness she could barely stand it. Her heart raced and felt like it would explode at times. Joe never made her feel that way and she began to wonder whatever drew her to him in the first place.
“Now, stop crying and worrying about everything. You’ll get little wrinkles around your eyes like I have.” Liz pointed.
Lane giggled as she dabbed her eye.
“Oh, next Saturday is the charity auction. I thought you might like to attend with us.”
“What are they auctioning off?”
“Women.”
“Oh, wow.” Lane laughed. “This should be interesting.”
“It always is. How do you think my sons met Sami?”
“Really?”
“Yes.” Liz smiled as if looking back. “Sometimes mothers just know who is right for their sons. I will never admit to having a hand in it though. What can I say?” Liz rubbed her nails on her shirt like she was polishing them with conceit.
“Is everyone on the island free loving hippies from the sixties?”
Liz snickered. “What do you mean in the sixties? We’ve always been free loving hippies, minus the dreadful clothes and drugs and all.” She shook her head. “I don’t use drugs or wear platform shoes.”
“Liz, you are truly one of a kind.”
* * * *
It was early Sunday morning and Lane suspected the reason she hadn’t seen Jed and Luther yet was because they tied one on the night before playing poker at Bannock’s. How she would have loved to have been a fly on the wall. The two were still asleep and she found it heartwarming that Liz encouraged their night out and allowed them to sleep it off. She carried on as professionally as ever.
Noting the time, Lane decided to take her morning jog. She planned to stop in Naughty Sprinkles to check in and see if the weekend staff needed any help. Liz had told her countless times that Saturday and Sunday were her days off, but she couldn’t help it, she loved the shop. Of course she also liked to see Dane come in daily.
After tying her running shoes, she embarked down the front stairs leading to the roadway. With her ear buds poked in her ears, she started her daily jog. The music was upbeat, setting her pace as she moved along. Her heart rate began to pick up and she took a deep breath of the warm saturated air. Droplets of dew still hung from the fauna, shimmering in the sunlight like tiny diamonds. No matter the time of day, the island never failed to surprise her with its beauty. Others in the community were starting their day as well. She noticed Gladys Humphries already out tending to her flowers, and Mr. Johnson had set out on his morning jog as well.
The lifestyle on the island was relaxed and peaceful. Thoughts of LA with all the people, the daily rush of traffic, smog, and honking horns entered her mind for a brief moment. She found that she missed the place less every day. As for her career that had begun to soar, she was still a little bummed out about losing the modeling gigs that were on her schedule, but so much of her old life didn’t seem to matter anymore. Each day here was a blessing. The people were wonderful, the weather mild and warm, the lifestyle far different than she’d ever experienced, and it was growing on her.
Her only worry outside of her own shortcomings was of her family and the status of Joe Reicher. She often wondered if the police ha
d caught up to him yet. She prayed nightly they were close to making him pay for his crimes and taking the beautiful Ingrid from the face of the earth.
The image of Ingrid’s frozen expression haunted her subconscious. The woman only wanted a better life when she fled her home county to the land of possibilities. Lane hated that she left one bad situation and wound up in a worse one, dead. She didn’t want that to happen to herself.
Lane glanced back over her shoulder from time to time. Not because she thought Joe’s men knew where she was, but more so out of fear of the unknown. Like it or not, Lane was a prisoner there until the investigation was complete and in reality wouldn’t be completely safe no matter where she resided until Joe and his network of criminals are behind bars.
“Good morning, Reece.” Sarah Owens waved from her front yard at her. Lane had met her at the Naughty Sprinkles. Sarah’s favorite was the Tropical Heat cupcakes.
“Morning, Sarah” Lane smiled back as she jogged by. Back in LA, she never jogged like this nor had neighbors that thought enough to greet her in the morning. The differences in lifestyles were as different as night and day. The way of life was quickly surpassing what she thought she wanted, what she had dreamt of since she was a little girl. One day, when she was free from all of the stress and worry and when it was safe to contact her family, she wanted to bring them to the island for a visit.
She poked those thoughts into the new bucket list she’d been creating. She was amazed at the transformation she’d undergone in such a short period of time. She had to admit, her dreams were a tad on the superficial side but found she wasn’t as overwhelmed with the stress and drive she once punished herself with. The slowdown had been like she thought before, a blessing.
As she jogged through the center of town, Lane watched as shop owners opened their businesses for the day. She waved at the ones she knew and continued on, thirst pushing her toward Garrison’s grocery. The sun had raised high in the sky and the temperature had warmed up considerably. Sweat trickled down her temples. A tendril of her hair had fallen from her ponytail and stuck to her face. She wiped the sweat and offending strand of hair back as she slowed and approached the grocery store. Energized by her run, a harmonious feeling of well-being took over. Her stomach growled when she caught the scent of food cooking at Mama Lupe’s. A simple bagel for breakfast apparently wasn’t enough.
Tattoos and Cupcakes [Sunset Point] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 10
